[1] [2] There was come to the duke of Lancaster a knight of the marches of Almaine,Sir Robert de Namur. called sir Robert de Na|mur with an hundred speares: but yet the duke of Lancasters host was but one handfull of men, in re|spect of the huge number of the French armie, wher|in were (as Froissard writeth) foure thousand knights beside others. But yet for all his great puissance and number of men, he would not aduenture to assaile the Englishmen in their lodgings, as it was thought he would haue doone, but kept himselfe and his men vpon the hill, from the foure and twentith of August, vnto the twelfth of September, and then dislodged not much to his honour, howsoeuer writers doo ex|cuse [page 404] it, declaring how his b [...]o [...]her had giuen him streight comman [...]ement, that in no wise he should fight with the Englishmen: and that when he had sent to his brother for commission either to fight, or to remooue, he was commanded to turne with all speed vnto Paris, and to breake vp his armie for that time. Some there be that write, how that after both these hostes had lien the one against the other a long space, Caxton. to the reproofe of both chiefteins, it chanced that the lord Thomas Beauchampe earle of Warwike came thitherward by sea,The earle of Warwike. to be at the battell, which he heard would shortlie follow betweene the two ar|mies: but yer he was come to land, the Frenchmen for feare durst no longer abide, but secretlie in the night departed and fled towards Hesdin, and so to Paris, for the which their flight, the duke of Bur|gognie was after blamed of his brother the French king.