battle. True
to say, the archers did their company that day great advantage; for
they shot so thick that the Frenchmen wist not on what side to take
heed, and little and little the Englishmen won ground on them.

[4] 'Ne posient aler avant.'

[5] 'Which was great and thick in front (pardevant), but anon
it became open and thin behind.'

And when the men of arms of England saw that the marshals' battle was
discomfited and that the duke's battle began to disorder and open,
they leapt then on their horses, the which they had ready by them:
then they assembled together and cried, 'Saint George! Guyenne!' and
the lord Chandos said to the prince: 'Sir, take your horse and ride
forth; this journey is yours: God is this day in your hands: get us to
the French king's battle, for their lieth all the sore of the matter.
I think verily by his valiantness he will not fly: I trust we shall
have him by the grace of God and Saint George, so he be well fought
withal: and, sir, I heard you say that this day I should see you a
good knight.' The prince said, 'Let us go forth; ye shall not see me
this day return back,' and said, 'Advance, banner, in the name of God
and of Saint George,' The knight that bare it did his commandment:
there was then a sore battle and a perilous, and many a man
overthrown, and he that was once down could not be relieved again
without great succour and aid. As the prince rode and entered in among
his enemies, he saw on his right hand in a little bush lying dead the
lord Robert of Duras and his banner by him,[6] and a ten or twelve of
his men about him. Then the prince said to two of his squires and to
three archers: 'Sirs, take the body of this knight on a targe and bear
him to Poitiers, and present him from me to the cardinal of Perigord,
and say how I salute him by that token.' And this was done. The prince
was informed that the cardinal's men were on the field against him,
the which was not pertaining to the right order of arms, for men of
the church that cometh and goeth for treaty of peace ought not by
reason to bear harness nor to fight for neither of the parties; they
ought to be indifferent: and because these men had done so, the prince
was displeased with the cardinal, and therefore he sent unto him his
nephew the lord Robert of Duras dead: and the chatelain of Amposte was
taken, and the prince would have had his head stricken off, because he
was pertaining to the cardinal, but then