en they brent Vernon and all the
country about Rouen and Pont-de-l'Arche and came to Mantes and to
Meulan, and wasted all the country about, and passed by the strong
castle of Rolleboise; and in every place along the river of Seine they
found the bridges broken. At last they came to Poissy, and found the
bridge broken, but the arches and joists lay in the river: the king
lay there a five days: in the mean season the bridge was made, to pass
the host without peril. The English marshals ran abroad just to Paris,
and brent Saint-Germain in Laye and Montjoie, and Saint-Cloud, and
petty Boulogne by Paris, and the Queen's Bourg:[1] they of Paris were
not well assured of themselves, for it was not as then closed.

[1] Bourg-la-Reine.

Then king Philip removed to Saint-Denis, and or he went caused all the
pentices in Paris to be pulled down; and at Saint-Denis were ready
come the king of Bohemia, the lord John of Hainault, the duke of
Lorraine, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Blois, and many other
great lords and knights, ready to serve the French king. When the
people of Paris saw their king depart, they came to him and kneeled
down and said: 'Ah, sir and noble king, what will ye do? leave thus
this noble city of Paris?' The king said: 'My good people, doubt ye
not: the Englishmen will approach you no nearer than they be.' 'Why
so, sir?' quoth they; 'they be within these two leagues, and as soon
as they know of your departing, they will come and assail us; and we
not able to defend them: sir, tarry here still and help to defend your
good city of Paris.' 'Speak no more,' quoth the king, 'for I will go
to Saint-Denis to my men of war: for I will encounter the Englishmen
and fight against them, whatsoever fall thereof.'

The king of England was at Poissy, and lay in the nunnery there, and
kept there the feast of our Lady in August and sat in his robes of
scarlet furred with ermines; and after that feast he went forth in
order as they were before. The lord Godfrey of Harcourt rode out on
the one side with five hundred men of arms and thirteen[2] hundred
archers; and by adventure he encountered a great number of burgesses
of Amiens a-horseback, who were riding by the king's commandment to
Paris. They were quickly assailed and they defended themselves
valiantly, for they were a great number and well armed: there were
four knights of Amiens their captains. This skirmish dured long: at
the first meeting many were overthrown