and drink heartily, that they might be
thoroughly refreshed in body as well as in spirit and after fulfilling
his command, his small army, sat down on the ground at nine o'clock in
the morning with their helmets and cross-bows beside them, and
patiently waited for the attack of an enemy of ten times their number.

Meanwhile, King Philip and his army having crossed the Somme at last,
were advancing towards them as fast as possible, and when they were
only a short distance from Crecy, King Philip sent four knights ahead
of the army, to reconnoitre and bring back news to him of the position
and condition of the English forces.

When his knights saw the little army of the English sitting quietly on
the ground, calm and courageous, ready to fight when the moment for
combat should come--they went back to King Philip and advised him to
allow his men who were weary after a long, hard march, to halt and rest
over night, so that they might be as well fitted for the battle as the
English were. King Philip felt that this was good advice and at once
issued the command to halt. The foremost ranks of his horsemen obeyed
the order, but the horsemen in the rear pressed forward regardless of
the order, determined to have the glory of victory at once, and rode on
and on, with fast and furious frenzy until they came in sight of that
little army, sitting on the high ridge, waiting for their attack, when
they suddenly were filled with apprehension and turned back, throwing
all the unmanageable multitude of men behind them into the wildest kind
of confusion, but on they charged, their every step watched by the
English army, and as the young Prince saw them, in his breast beat the
heart of a happy warrior on whose broad young shoulders the burden of
his first great responsibility rested lightly. He had been dressed for
the battle by the king's own hand, in glistening black armour, with
shield and helmet of burnished iron and the horse he rode was as black
as his armour, from which he gained the title of the Black Prince,
which he was called ever afterwards.

[Illustration: _The Black Prince at Crecy_]

On came the French, with Philip at their head--and his great reliance
at this critical moment of attack was on the skill of fifteen thousand
archers from Genoa who were his most valued allies. They were extremely
tired after their long march on foot, and wished to rest before the
attack was made, but seeing the confusion into which his ranks