piegne. Hence he so wrought that he made a pact with the captain of
the French in Gournay, a town some four leagues north and west of
Compiegne, whereby the garrison there promised to lie idle, and make no
onslaught against them of Burgundy, unless the King brought them a
rescue. Therefore the Duke went back to Noyon on the Oise, some eight
leagues north and east of Compiegne, while his captain, Jean de
Luxembourg, led half his army west, towards Beauvais. There he took the
castle of Provenlieu, an old castle, and ruinous, that the English had
repaired and held. And there he hanged certain English, who were used to
pillage all the country about Montdidier. Thence Jean de Luxembourg came
back to the Duke, at Noyon, and took and razed Choisy, which was held for
France.

Now all these marchings, and takings of towns, were designed to one end,
namely, that the Duke might have free passage over the river Oise, so
that his men and his victual might safely come and go from the east. For,
manifestly, it was his purpose to besiege and take the good town of
Compiegne, which lies on the river Oise some fifteen leagues north and
east of Paris. This town had come in, and yielded to the Maid, some
weeks before the onfall of Paris, and it was especially dear to her, for
the people had sworn that they would all die, and see their wives and
children dead, rather than yield to England or Burgundy. Moreover,
whosoever held Compiegne was like, in no long time, to be master of
Paris. But as now Guillaume de Flavy commanded in Compiegne for the
King, a very good knight and skilled captain, but a man who robbed and
ravished wheresoever he had power. His brother, Louis de Flavy, also
joined him after Choisy fell, as I have told.

All this I have written that men may clearly know how the Maid came by
her end. For, so soon as Eastertide was over, and the truce ended, she
made no tarrying, nor even said farewell to the King, who might have held
her back, but drew out all her company, and rode northward, whither she
knew that battle was to be. Her mind was to take some strong place on
the Oise, as Pont l'Eveque, near Noyon, that she might cut off them of
Burgundy from all the country eastward of Oise, and so put them out of
the power to besiege Compiegne, and might destroy all their host at
Montdidier and in the Beauvais country. For the Maid was not only the
first of captains in leading a desperate onslaught, but also (by miracle,
f