[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.