surprised; as he imagined there was not a man left to oppose him. As he wheeled about to march into the field (part of his men had already become separated from him), he was so furiously attacked on a sudden by about fifteen or sixteen men-at-arms, that at the very first charge they slew Philip D’Oignies[83], his esquire-carver, who bore his guidon. The Count of Charolois himself was in imminent danger[84] in this encounter, and received several wounds, but especially one in the neck with a sword (the mark of which remained to his dying day), for want of his beaver, which, being slightly fastened on in the morning, dropped from his head in the battle, and I myself saw it fall. The enemy immediately laid hands on him, crying out, “My lord, surrender yourself; we know you well; do not obstinately throw away your life.” However, he still made a gallant defence, and at that very instant one John Cadet[85], a physician’s son of Paris, who was in his service (a tall, stout, lusty person), mounted on a horse as large as himself, broke in, and parted them by riding between them; upon which the French party wheeled, and marched off to the ditch, where they had been drawn up in the morning; for they were afraid of another party which they perceived advancing towards them. The count, covered with blood, marched out to them into the field. They were the colours of the Bastard of Burgundy, which were so torn when they came, there was scarce a foot of them left; and under the banner of the count’s archers, there were not above forty left in all, to whom we joined ourselves (being about thirty) in no little fear. The Count of Charolois changed his horse immediately, and had another given him which belonged to Simon de Quingy[86], who was at that time his page, but has since been very well known. The count, as I said before, drew out into the field to rally his men, but for the half hour we stayed there, we thought of nothing but running away, provided we had seen a hundred of the enemy advancing to attack us. There came to us about ten or twenty men, both horse and foot. Most of our infantry were either wounded or extremely fatigued with the battle and their long march in the morning; and for an hour together our whole body did not exceed a hundred, but by degrees it increased. The corn was very high and thick, and the dust was most terrible; the whole field was scattered with dead horses and men, yet none of the dead men could be recognised on account of the dust.