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bringing on a battle near Poitiers: part of his van guard falling in with a detachment of the garrison of Remorentin as they marched near it, they foon defeated them, and in the purfuit entering the town with the flying enemy, took poffeffion of it: the Prince, tempted from this accident to make himself mafter alfo of the Caftle, ordered it to be affaulted; the attack continued all that day without fuccess, and the next morning it was brifkly renewed, the Prince himself being perfonally present and encouraging his men; but an English Knight, for whom he had a great regard, being flain as he ftood near him, he swore by his Father's foul (his most folemn oath) not to leave the fiege till he was in poffeffion of the Caftle, and had the defenders of it at his mercy on this the affault was renewed with redoubled vigour; but there appearing no probability of reducing it by the ordinary methods, the Prince ordered engines to be raised, with which he threw combuftibles into it and fet it on fire: the

garrifon finding the Caftle no longer tenable, yielded themfelves to him, and were carried off among the other prifoners.

After the taking of Remorentin the Prince continued his march; but this delay gave the French King time to overtake him near Poitiers. King John was accompanied by his four Sons, Charles the Dauphin Duke of Normandy, Lewis Duke of Anjou, John Duke of Berry, and Philip afterwards Duke of Burgundy, who for bravely endeavouring to defend his Father in the enfuing battle, was firnamed the Hardy * befides whom he was attended

;

by

* Other Hiftorians fay, that Philip afterwards acquired this appellation from the following incident: When he was prisoner in England, his Father King John being at dinner with the English Monarch, this young Prince, among the Nobility of both nations, was appointed to wait on them. An English Nobleman ferving his Master before his royal Prifoner, the impetuous Prince, fired at the indignity, as he esteemed it, ftruck him on the face, faying at the fame time, "How dare you to ferve the "King of England firft, when the King of France fits at

"the

by twenty-fix Dukes and Counts, three thousand Knights, and an army of fixty thou

fand men. justly be termed when compared with the handful of English forces, the French King doubted not of being able to extirpate his enemies; he therefore marched after them with the utmoft expedition, affured of fuccefs.

With this hoft, as it might

The firft intelligence the Prince of Wales received of his near approach, was from fome prifoners taken by one of his detached parties; by these he understood the force of his enemy, and that it was hardly poffible for him to escape: on which he called in all his detachments, and encamped on the fields of Maupertius near Poitiers; he then

the fame table?" The Nobleman drew his dagger, and was on the point of facrificing the Prince to his injured honour, when King Edward loudly forbad him, and turning to the royal Youth faid, "Vous etes * Phillipe le Hardi:" from henceforward he was termed Philip the Bold.

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L 2

fent

fent out two hundred men at arms, wellmounted, under the command of the Captal de Bufche, to reconnoitre the French, who found King John entering with his army into Poitiers: this undaunted party rode so near that they had a full view of the main body of the French; and not content with seeing them, they attacked their rear with fuch fury, that the King caufed a confiderable party of his army to face about and march again into the field; by which means it was very late before they re-entered the city. The English detach-ment returning unbroken to the Prince, informed him of their adventure; and at the fame time, though fear increased not the numbers, defcribed their enemies as exceedingly numerous. "Well then," faid the Prince with great compofure, "let us con"fider how we may fight them to the best "advantage, for against number policy is "requifite;" and agreeable to this maxim he took every precaution during the night to fortify his camp.

The

The next morning the King of France drew out his army in battle array; he

gave

the command of the van to his Brother Philip Duke of Orleans, the center to his Son the Dauphin, who had his two younger Brothers under him, and led the rear himself, attended by his youngest Son: when his troops were formed, he came to the front of the line mounted on a large white courfer; he then told them, that, as whilft they were at a distance from the English, and in a place of fafety, they were continually boafting of their prowess, and wishing to be in arms against them, he had now brought them to the ftation they had fo often defired, and expected they would give him proofs that their eagerness was not mere bravado,

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He then ordered them to march; but at that inftant the Cardinal de Talerande, who had been sent by the Pope to be a mediator between the contending nations, interpofed his good offices, and intreated the King