and to bear his banner. The
same horse took the bridle in the teeth and brought him through all
the currours of the Englishmen, and as he would have returned again,
he fell in a great dike and was sore hurt, and had been there dead, an
his page had not been, who followed him through all the battles and
saw where his master lay in the dike, and had none other let but for
his horse, for the Englishmen would not issue out of their battle for
taking of any prisoner. Then the page alighted and relieved his
master: then he went not back again the same way that they came, there
was too many in his way.

This battle between Broye and Cressy this Saturday was right cruel and
fell, and many a feat of arms done that came not to my knowledge. In
the night[5] divers knights and squires lost their masters, and
sometime came on the Englishmen, who received them in such wise that
they were ever nigh slain; for there was none taken to mercy nor to
ransom, for so the Englishmen were determined.

[5] 'Sus le nuit,' 'towards nightfall.'

In the morning[6] the day of the battle certain Frenchmen and Almains
perforce opened the archers of the prince's battle and came and fought
with the men of arms hand to hand. Then the second battle of the
Englishmen came to succour the prince's battle, the which was time,
for they had as then much ado; and they with the prince sent a
messenger to the king, who was on a little windmill hill. Then the
knight said to the king: 'Sir, the earl of Warwick and the earl of
Oxford, sir Raynold Cobham and other, such as be about the prince your
son, are fiercely fought withal and are sore handled; wherefore they
desire you that you and your battle will come and aid them; for if the
Frenchmen increase, as they doubt they will, your son and they shall
have much ado.' Then the king said: 'Is my son dead or hurt or on the
earth felled?' 'No, sir,' quoth the knight, 'but he is hardly matched;
wherefore he hath need of your aid.' 'Well,' said the king, 'return to
him and to them that sent you hither, and say to them that they send
no more to me for any adventure that falleth, as long as my son is
alive: and also say to them that they suffer him this day to win his
spurs;[7] for if God be pleased, I will this journey be his and the
honour thereof, and to them that be about him.' Then the knight
returned again to them and shewed the king's words, the which greatly
encouraged them, and repoined[8] in that they had