Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 These noble men being thus assembled, they tooke councell which waie they might passe to giue battell to the Englishmen: it was thought the best waie had beene through Flanders, but the Flemings in fauor of the king of England denied,The Flem|ings besiege Aire. not onelie to open their passages to the Frenchmen, but also had leuied an armie of an hundred thousand men of one and o|ther, and laid siege to Aire, and burnt the countrie all about. Ia. Meir. Wherepon there were manie sharpe bicke|rings and sore incoun [...]ers betwixt the Flemings and such Frenchmen as king Philip sent foorth a|gainst them both, now, whilest the French armie laie about A [...]ens, and also before, during all the time that the siege lay at Calis. For all the French towns vpon the frontiers were stuffed with strong garri|sons of souldiers, as Lisle, saint Omers, Arras, Bul|longne, Aire and [...], and those men of war were euer readie vpon occasion to attempt sundrie exploits. After this, when the armie of the Flemings was broken-vp,The French K. cõmeth to|wards Calis. and returned home, or rather diui|ded into parts, and lodged along on the frontiers, the French king with two thousand men one and other came forward, taking his way through the countrie called la Belme, and so by the countrie of Franke|berge, came streight to the hill of Sangate, betwixt Calis and Wisant.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The king of England had caused a strong castell to be made betweene the towne of Calis and the sea, to close vp that passage, and had placed therein three score men of armes, and two hundred archers, which kept the hauen in such sort that nothing could come in nor out. Also considering that his enimies could come neither to succour the towne, nor to annoie his host, except either by the downes alongst the sea side, or else aboue by the high waie, he caused all his na|uie to drawe alongst by the coast of the downes, to stop vp that the Frenchmen should not approch that waie. Also the erle of Derbie being come thither out of Guien, was appointed to kéepe Newland bridge,The earle of Derbie. with a great number of men of armes and archers, so that the Frenchmen could not approch anie waie, vnlesse they would haue come through the marishes, which to doo was not possible.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Fiftéene hundred of the commons of Tournie wan a tower, which the Englishmen had made and kept for the impeachment of the Frenchmens pas|sage by the downes, but that notwithstanding, when the marshals of France had well viewed all the pas|sages and streicts through the which their armie must passe, if they meant to fight with the Englishmen, they well perceiued that they could not come to the Englishmen to giue them battell, without the king would lose his people, wherevpon (as Froissard saith) the French king sent the lord Geffrey de Charnie, the lord Eustace de Ribaumont, Guie de Néele, and the lord de Beauiew vnto the king of England,The request of the French lords to the king of Eng|land. which required him on their maisters behalfe to appoint cer|teine of his councell, as he would likewise appoint certeine of his, which by common consent might ad|uise betweene them an indifferent place for them to trie the battell vpon: wherevnto the king of Eng|land answered,His answer.

That there he was and had béene al|most a whole yeare, which could not be vnknowne to his aduersarie their maister, so that he might haue come sooner if he would: but now, sith he had suffered him there to remaine so long, without offer of bat|tell, he meant not to accomplish his desire, nor to de|part from that, which to his great cost he had brought now at length to that point, that he might easilie win it. Wherefore if the French K. nor his host could not passe those waies which were closed by the Eng|lish power, let them séeke some other passage (said he) if they thinke to come hither.