Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The losse of saint Quin|tins netleth the French king.The French king therefore being sharplie nettled with the late losse of saint Quintins, and a great péece of his countrie adioining, and desirous of re|uenge, thought it not meet to let slip this occasion, but rather to aduance the same with all expedition, ac|cording vnto the plot laied by the conestable before hand. The king yet neuerthelesse hauing an armie in a readinesse (although the conestable were now pri|soner, and therefore could not be present himselfe) to imploie where most aduantage should appeare, de|termined with all spéed to put in proofe the enterprise of Calis,The duke of Guise with a great armie commeth to|ward Calis. which long and manie times before was purposed vpon, as it was well knowne. This prac|tise was not secret, but that the deputies of Calis and Guisnes had some intelligence thereof, and in|formed the queene and hir councell accordinglie, as well by letters, as by sufficient messengers: for not onelie Iohn Hiefield master of the ordinance was sent from thense to giue due aduertisement of the French kings purpose, & to haue a supplie of things necessarie for mounting of the great artillerie wher|of he had charge; but also sir Rafe Chamberleine, capteine of the castell, was likewise sent to giue the like aduertisement, who returned not past two or three daies before the duke of Guise came thither with the armie. And so either by wilfull negligence, or lacke of credit by the quéenes councell here, this great case was so slenderlie regarded, that no proui|sion of defense was made, vntill it was somewhat too late.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The duke of Guise being generall of the French armie,Guise entreth the English frontier. procéeded in this enterprise with maruellous speed and no lesse policie. For approching the Eng|lish frontier vnder colour to vittell Bullongne and Ard, he entered the same vpon a sudden on New|yeares daie, a sorie little plot of ground, intrenched at Sandgate,1558. Anno Reg. 5. and then diuided his armie into two parts, sending one part with certeine peeces of great artillerie along the downes by the sea side to|wards Ricebanke: and the other part furnished also with batterie péeces, marched streightfoorth to New|nambridge,

Newnam|bridge taken by the French.

The master gunners head smitten cleane off with a gun.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The capteine hauing sent vnto the lord deputie of Calis for some supplie of men, was answered that if he perceiued the enimies force to be such, whereby his péece should grow to be in anie danger: that then he should choke vp the artillerie, and retire with his men vnto Calis for defense of the towne, where they stood in great want of men also, euen to the perill of losing the whole, if the enimies came forwards to besiege it. Herevpon the capteine within Newnam|bridge perceiuing he might haue no succors, retired with his soldiors vnto Calis, in such secret wise, that the Frenchmen perceiued it not of a pretie while; in|somuch that they shot still at the fort, when there was not a man within it to make resistance: and by that time that they were come to Calis, the other part of the French armie that went by the sea side with their batterie, had woone Ricebanke,Ricebanke ta [...]ken by the French. being abandoned to their hands. The next daie the Frenchmen with fiue double canons and thrée culuerings began a batte|rie, from the Sandhils next Ricebanke against the curteine betwixt the watergate and the soldiors pri|son on the wall, and continued the same by the space of two or thrée daies, vntill they had made a little breach next vnto the watergate, which neuerthelesse was not yet assaultable: for that which was broken in the daie, was by them within the towne made vp againe in the night stronger than before. But the batterie was not begun there by the French,The duke of Guise his po|licie. for that they intended to enter in that place, but rather to ab|use the English, to haue the lesse regard vnto the de|fense of the castell, which was the weakest part of the towne, and the place where they were ascerteined by their espials to win easie entrie. So that while our people trauelled fondlie to defend that counterfet breach of the towne wall,The English|mens fond de|fense. the duke had in the meane season planted fifteene double canons against the ca|stell. Which castell being considered by the rulers of the towne, to be of no such force as might resist the batterie of the canon (by reason it was old and with|out anie rampiers) it was deuised to make a traine with certeine barrels of powder to this pupose, that when the Frenchmen should enter (as they well knew that there they would) to haue fired the said traine, and blowne vp the Kéepe, and for that purpose left neuer a man within to defend it.