e place if refused.

In this manner he and his army gradually approached the river Somme at
Blanche Tache, where there was a ford by which King Edward III had
crossed before the battle of Crecy. But while yet some distance from it,
they received information from a prisoner that the ford was guarded by
six thousand fighting men, and, though the intelligence was untrue, it
deterred him from attempting the passage. They accordingly turned to the
right and went up the river as far as Amiens, but were still unable to
cross, till, after following the course of the river about fifty miles
farther, they fortunately came upon an undefended ford and passed over
before their enemies were aware.

Hitherto their progress had not been without adventures and skirmishes
in many places. But the main army of the French only overtook them when
they had arrived within about forty-five miles of Calais. On the night
of October 24th they were posted at the village of Maisoncelles, with an
enemy before them five or six times their number, who had resolved to
stop their further progress. Both sides prepared for battle on the
following morning. The English, besides being so much inferior in
numbers, were wasted by disease and famine, while their adversaries were
fresh and vigorous, with a plentiful commissariat. But the latter were
overconfident. They spent the evening in dice-playing and making wagers
about the prisoners they should take; while the English, on the
contrary, confessed themselves and received the sacrament.

Heavy rain fell during the night, from which both armies suffered; but
Henry availed himself of a brief period of moonlight to have the
ground thoroughly surveyed. His position was an admirable one. His
forces occupied a narrow field hemmed in on either side by hedges and
thickets, so that they could only be attacked in front, and were in no
fear of being surrounded. Early on the following morning Henry arose and
heard mass; but the two armies stood facing each other for some hours,
each waiting for the other to begin. The English archers were drawn up
in front in form of a wedge, and each man was provided with a stake shod
with iron at both ends, which being fixed into the ground before him,
the whole line formed a kind of hedge bristling with sharp points, to
defend them from being ridden down by the enemy's cavalry.

At length, however, Henry gave orders to commence the attack, and the
archers advanced, leaving their st