11.1. A letter of W. Northbourgh the kings confessor describing the kings voiage into France.

A letter of W. Northbourgh the kings confessor describing the kings voiage into France.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _SAlutations premised.In the Acts and monu|ments. We giue you to vnderstand, that our souereigne lord the king came to the towne of Poissie the daie before the Assump|tion of our ladie, where was a certeine bridge ouer the water of Saine broken downe by the enimie, but the king tarried there so long, till that the bridge was made againe. And whiles the bridge was in reparing, there came a great num|ber of men at armes, and other souldiers well armed, to hinder the same. But the earle of Northampton issued out against them, a [...]o slue of them more than a thou|sand, the rest fled awaie: thankes be to God. And at another time, our men passed the water (although with much trauell) and slue a great number of the common souldiers of France, about the citie of Pa|ris, and countrie adioining, being part of the French kings armie, and throughlie well appointed: so that our people haue now made other good bridges vpon our e|nimies, God be thanked, without anie losse and damage to vs. And on the morrow af|ter the Assumption of our ladie, the king passed the water of Saine, and marched toward Poissie, which is a towne of great defense, and stronglie walled, and a mar|uellous strong castell within the same, which our enimies kept. And when our vauntgard was passed the towne, our rer|gard gaue an assault therevnto, and tooke the same, where were slaine more than three hundred men at arms of our enimies EEBO page image 374 part. And the next daie following, the earle of Suffolke, and sir Hugh Spenser, mar|ched foorth vpon the commons of the coun|trie assembled and well armed, and in fine discomfited them, and slue of them more than two hundred, & tooke three score gen|tlemen prisoners, beside others.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 And after that, the king marched toward grand Uilliers, and while he was there in|camped, the kings vantgard was descried by the men at armes of the K. of Boheme: whervpon our men issued out in great hast and ioined battell with them, but were in|forced to retire. Notwithstanding, thanks be vnto God, the earle of Northampton is|sued out, and rescued the horssemen with the other soldiers: so that few or none of them were either taken or slaine, sauing onlie Thomas Talbot, but had againe the enimie in chase within two leagues of A|miens: of whome we tooke eight, and slue twelue of their best men at armes: the rest being well horssed, tooke the towne of Ami|ens. After this the king of England mar|ched toward Pountife, vpon Bartholo|mew day, and came to the water of Some, where the French king had laid fiue hun|dred men at armes, and three thousand foot|men, purposing to haue kept and stopped our passage: but thanks be to God, the K. of England and his host entered the same water of Some, where neuer man passed before, without losse of any of our men; and after that incountered with the enimie, and slue of them more than 2000, the rest fled to Abuile, in which chase were taken manie knights, esquiers, & men at armes. The same day sir Hugh Spenser tooke the towne of Crotaie, where he & his soldiers slue 400 men at armes, & kept the towne, where they found great store of vittels.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The same night incamped the king of England in the forrest of Cressie vpon the same water, for that the French kings host came on the other side of the towne, neere vnto our passage: but he would not take the water of vs, & so marched toward Abuile. And vpon the fridaie next following, the king being still incamped in the said forrest, our scuriers descried the French K. which marched toward vs in foure great bat|tels; and hauing then vnderstanding of our enimies (as Gods will was) a little before the euening tide, we drew to the plaine field, and set our battels in arraie: and im|mediatlie the fight began, which was sore and cruell, & indured long, for our enimies behaued themselues right noblie. But thanks be giuen vnto God, the victorie fell on our side, & the king our aduersarie was discomfited with all his host & put to flight: where also was slaine the king of Boheme, the duke of Loraine, the earle of Alanson, the earle of Flanders, the earle of Blois, the earle of Harecourt, with his two sons, the earle of Daumarle, the earle de Ne|uers, and his brother the lord of Tronard, the archbishop of Nismes, the archbishop of Sens, the high prior of France, the earle of Sauoie, the lord of Morles, the lord de Guies, le seigneur de Saint Nouant, le seigneur de Rosinburgh, with six earles of Almaine, and diuerse other earles, ba|rons, knights, and esquiers, whose names are vnknowne. And Philip de Ualois him|selfe, with an other marques, which was called lord elector among the Romans, es|caped from the battell. The number of the men of armes which were found dead in the field, beside the common soldiers and footmen, were a thousand, fiue hundred, for|tie and two: and all that night the king of England with his host aboad armed in the field, where the battell was fought.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 On the next morrow, before the sunne rose, there marched towards vs another great host mightie & strong, of the French|men: but the earle of Northampton, and the earle of Norffolke issued out against them in three battels, & after long and ter|rible fight, them likewise they discomfi|ted by Gods great helpe and grace (for o|therwise it could neuer haue beene) where they tooke of knights and esquiers a great number, and slue aboue two thousand, pur|suing the chase three leages from the place where the battell was fought. The same night also the king incamped himselfe a|gaine in the forrest of Cressie, and on the morrow marched toward Bullongne, and by the way he tooke the towne of Staples: and from thence he marched toward Ca|lis, where he intendeth to plant his siege, and laie his batterie to the same. And ther|fore our souereigne lord the king willeth and commandeth you, in all that euer you may, to send to the said siege vittels conue|nient. For after the time of our departing from Caen, we haue trauelled through the countrie with great perill & danger of our people, but yet alwaies had of vittels plen|tie, thanks be to God therefore. But now (as the case standeth) we partlie need your helpe to be refreshed with vittels. Thus fare you well. Written at the siege before the towne of Calis, the fourteenth daie of September.