EDWARD III. CLAIMS THE CROWN OF FRANCE.

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7. David took refuge in France, and a son of John Baliol was made King of Scotland, if king he could be called, who was only a tool in the hands of Edward, and who was placed on the throne and lisplaced from it, as the party of the English or The Bruce prevailed.

8. At last, Edward, tired of this war, in which no glory was to be gined, determined to abandon it, and to apply all his strength to eaforce a claim which he asserted to the crown of France. In order that the reader may understand the nature of this claim, which was the occasion of long and bloody wars between the two cour tries, we must now deviate a little from the direct paths of history.

9. There is an old law in France, called the Salic Law, one of the provisions of which excludes females from inheriting the crown. For a long series of years no occasion had occurred for applying the rule, so that its very existence came to be questioned. But Louis, oldest brother of Eleanor, having died and left only one daughter, the matter was brought before the parliament of Paris. The Salic Law was declared to be in force, and a brother of the late king succeeded to the crown.

10. Upon his death without male heirs, the third brother mounted the throne. As he died without leaving sons, the crown passed to Philip of Valois, an uncle's son, as being the next male heir. But Elward affirmed himself to be the next male heir, being nephew to the late king, and contended that even if his mother could not be queen, still he might be king, as inheriting through her.

11. But the whole claim had no foundation in law or justice, since if the Salic Law were not in force, then the daughter of Louis was entitled to the crown; and if his other petition was true, then the son of that daughter was the right heir.

12. Edward did not at once insist on his pretensions, as he did not feel strong enough to contend with Philip, who was a prince distinguished for valor and prudence. He even went so far as to do homage to Philip for Guienne, which was a direct acknowledgnent of his title to the crown of France-a title which the French themselves considered as indisputable.

Dwed? 7. What was the result of this war? 8. What new clai ns did Edward put tth? 9, 10. State the pretence for these claims. 11. What is said of their justice? 12. y what act did Edward himself recognize the title of Phili?

140 EDWARD III. DEFEATS THE FRENCH FLEET.-1340.

CHAPTER LXXIX.

Edward III makes War upon Philip, King of France, who is informed by his Fool of the Destruction of his Fleet.-Edward, th Black Prince, makes his first appearance at the Battle of Cressy. Cannon used.

1. AT length, some other causes of disappointment against King Philip having arisen, Edward commenced his preparations for the invasion of France. He was thus occupied for two years. In 1338 he landed at Antwerp, but found himself opposed by so formidable an army of Frenchmen, that he was obliged to content himself with sending King Philip a defiance, and then retreated to England and disbanded his army.

2. Notwithstanding all his mighty preparations had produced no result but to involve him in debt to an immense amount, Edward did not give up the project of conquering France. In 1340 he sailed again, and, meeting the French fleet, completely defeated it.

3. This defeat was so completely unexpected on the part of the French, that no one dared to tell Philip of it, till at last it was hinted

LXXIX.-1. When did Edward III. first invade France? What was his success in his next attempt against France?

With what success? 2. 3, 4, 5. What is said of

EDWARD, THE BLACK PRINCE.-1346.

141

to him by his jester. It appears that it was customary in those days for kings and nobles to have amongst their attendants one whose business it was to play the fool, and who was privileged to say or do anything that was ridiculous, for the sake of diverting his master.

4. The fool had an appropriate dress of many different colors; he also wore a cap, made with two great ears, to resemble asses' ears, and he had little sheep-bells fastened to different parts of his dress. As the jester was generally a favorite with his master, he was frequently employed to communicate any news which it was feared might excite the anger of the lord.

5. Upon the present occasion, King Philip's jester said, in his hearing, "O what dastardly cowards those English are!"

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"How

so?" said the king. Because," rejoined the fool, "they did not jump into the sea, as our brave men have done." The king then demanded an explanation, and heard the whole disastrous story.

6. But this victory did nothing to further Edward's object. He now found himself involved in great difficulties. He had drained the country of money, and was so much involved in debt that he could borrow no more without good security. He had even pledged his crown itself, and the queen's jewels.

7. Still nothing could divert him from his unjust desire to make himself King of France. In 1346 he again landed in that country with an army, and accompanied by his son, who has been called the Black Prince, it is supposed from the color of his armor.

8. The King of France assembled a large army to oppose the invaders. After much manœuvring, in which Edward displayed great skill, the English army, on the 25th of August, established itself in a very strong position on the plain of Cressy. Philip made his appearance there on the same day, but as his soldiers were fatigued with a rapid march, he ordered them to halt for the night, that they might rest and refresh themselves; but they were too much excited to obey the orders, and continued to advance.

9. The English forces were disposed in the best manner, and had ample time to refresh themselves before the French came up. During this interval, Edward conferred the honor of knighthood on the Prince of Wales, and a large band of noble youths, who were expected so to behave in the approaching combat as to win their spurs; that is, show themselves worthy the distinction they had received.

10. It is said that the front of Edward's army was protected by some pieces of cannon, the first that had yet been made use of in any battle in Europe. These cannon were very clumsy machines. They were composed of bars of iron, held together by hoops, and they commonly burst at the third or fourth discharge. They were at first employed only to shoot off darts and arrows.

jesters? 7. Why was the Black Prince so called? 8, 9, 10. When was tho battle of Cressy fought? What is said of cannon?

142

BATTLE OF CRESSY.-1346.

CHAPTER LXXX.

Battle of Cressy.-Death of the King of Bohemia.-Siege of Calars.Story of Eustace de St. Pierre.

1. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when the French advanced troops came up with the English. A short but severe thunder-storm suspended the commencement of the battle for yet half an hour. The sun then burst out brightly, darting his rays on the backs of the English, but full in the eyes of the French.

2. The battle was commenced by archers on both sides. The superior discipline of the English at once became apparent. During the recent storm their bows had been carefully secured in the cases, and whilst their arrows now fell like hail, and with terrible execution, among the French, those of the latter all fell short of their mark, for their bow-strings were wet and slackened.

3. The battle soon became general. At the first onset, the part where the Black Prince was posted was furiously beset; and the king, who had taken his station on the top of a windmill, whence he could overlook the whole field, was importuned to go to his succor. 4. "Is my son dead, wounded, or felled to the ground?" said Edward. Not so, thank God!" was the reply. "Nay, then, he has no aid from me," said the king; "let him bear himself like a man; in this battle he must win his spurs."

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5. After fighting till the close of evening, the French army were completely discomfited. The king fled, accompanied by only five

LXXX.-2. How did the battle of Cressy commence? In what was the better discipline of the English shown? 3, 4. What occurred in relation to the Black Prince?

SIEGE OF CALAIS.-1346.

143

knights and sixty men-at-arms, leaving dead, on that bloody field, two kings, eleven high princes, eighty knights banneret, twelve hundred knights, and nearly forty thousand private soldiers.

6. The most remarkable death among so many princes was that of John, King of Bohemia, who was blind with age, and not well qualified to mix in the fight. When all seemed lost, the old man inquired for his son Charles, who was nowhere to be seen, having in fact been compelled to fly from the field.

7. The father, getting no intelligence of his son, said to the knights who attended him, "Sirs, ye are my good knights and liegemen; will ye conduct me so far into the battle that I may strike one good stroke with my sword?" Four of his faithful attendants determined to gratify this wish, which despair had dictated.

8. Tying the king's bridle-reins to their own, they rushed into the middle of the fight, where they soon met the death which their master seemed to court. The crest of the old king was three ostrich feathers, with the motto Ich dien, which means, I serve. This was adopted by the Black Prince, in commemoration of this victory, and has been borne by the princes of Wales ever since.

9. It was very desirable to Edward to possess some sea-port on the coast of France, through which he might be able at any time to introduce troops into that country; and securing to himself a place of retreat, in case that should at any time be necessary. The city of Calais was just what he wanted, being, as may be seen on the map, the nearest to England of any port in France.

10. It was likewise a very strong fortress, and easily defended, if the possessors had a fleet strong enough to keep open the access to it by sea. A more favorable opportunity could never occur to Edward for accomplishing his desire, since it must be a long time before Philip could assemble a new army.

11. From the field of Cressy, therefore, Edward proceeded to Calais, which was too strongly fortified to be reduced by anything but famine. He stationed his fleet directly opposite the harbor, and built huts for his troops all around the town. He then waited patiently the result.

12. John de Vienne, the governor of Calais, was a gallant knight, and resolved not to yield, so long as life could be sustained, in the hope that Edward's patience would be tired out, and that he would abandon the siege. After this had lasted eleven months, the garri son were reduced to the necessity of eating horses, cats and dogs. When these failed, John de Vienne found himself obliged to surrender. 13. After much hesitation, Edward agreed that on condition that six of their principal citizens should come to him barefooted, with ropes about their necks, all ready for execution, and bring him the keys of the town, he would spare the lives of the rest. The people of Calais were greatly distressed when they heard these cruel terms.

5. What was the result of the battle? What was the French loss? 6, 7, 8. Relate the death of the King of Bohemia. What were his crest and motto? By whom is this crest now borne? 9, 10. What is said of Calais? 11. What means did Edward adopt to take it? 12. Who was the governor? How long did the siege last? 13. What terms did Edward