also a great deal about what he saw himself. This writer was Jean Froissart, a bright merry man, who enjoyed travelling about, and was always eager to learn as much as possible wherever he went.

Froissart was a native of Hainault; he was a clergyman, but he was not a very serious man. He loved amusements of all kinds, and he wrote a great many love poems. His love of travel took him to England, where he was warmly welcomed by Philippa, Queen of Edward III., who was the daughter of the Count of Hainault. She was always glad to see her countrymen; and besides she loved learning, and favoured learned men, as we know by her having founded Queen's College at Oxford. She was very glad to keep Froissart in England; she made him her secretary, and he amused her by writing love poems for her. He was busy writing his history, and she gave him money to enable him to travel to different countries that he might study their customs.

He went to Scotland and travelled there for six months, riding on horseback with his portmanteau behind him, a greyhound following after him. The King of Scotland treated him very kindly, and he saw a great deal of the country, getting even into the Highlands. His next journey was to Wales; and then after a while he left England and travelled to Italy. Whilst he was there he heard to his great grief of the death of Queen Philippa, and so, having lost his best friend in England, he did not care to go back there. After this he was secretary to several noblemen, one after another. He still kept his love for travelling and seeing all that he could

of the world, that he might put his adventures into his chronicle. When he was already fifty-one he set out on a journey to see Gaston, Count of Foix, who was famous as one of the bravest knights in Europe. On his journey he had the good fortune to meet with a knight who lived in Foix, and they travelled together. To while away the time the knight told Froissart all his adventures, and many stories about the battles he had seen; and so they journeyed pleasantly enough.

Gaston, the Count of Foix, was the handsomest and bestmade knight then living; he was a splendid rider, and skilled in all manly exercises. He was very fond of dogs, and always had at least sixteen hundred with him. Froissart knew of this fancy of his, and brought him four greyhounds as a present. Gaston had heard tell of Froissart and his writings, and welcomed him kindly, saying that he knew him very well, though he had never seen him before, for he had heard much talk about him. He kept Froissart the whole winter at his court, and there Froissart saw many great hunts and splendid tournaments with which the knights amused themselves. After supper he used often to read aloud to the Count a romance which he had written, and they would talk over the book and drink wine together. Then Gaston would tell Froissart the adventures of his life, and the other knights who were at the court told him theirs also; and in this way he learned a great deal which he could put into his chronicle.

After he left the court of Gaston, he went on travelling hither and thither as usual, always looking out for everything new and strange. He went once more to England, where

things were much changed, for Edward III. and good Queen Philippa were dead, and their grandson, Richard II., was king. Froissart went to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket and the tomb of the Black Prince at Canterbury, and there he met Richard II., who received him very kindly. He had brought a present with him for the king, and one Sunday, when Richard was at leisure, Froissart was bidden to take his present into the King's chamber, and he placed it on the King's bed. It was a copy of his romance, and was beautifully written, with many ornaments and illuminated pictures, as was the fashion in those days, before printing was invented, when all books were written by hand. It was bound in crimson velvet adorned with ten silver-gilt nails, with a golden rose in the midst of two clasps, gilt, richly worked with rose-trees. The King was greatly pleased with it, and still more pleased when he heard that the subject of it was love; he looked into it and read some parts of it, and then bade one of his knights carry it into his cabinet.

Froissart stayed three months in England, and when he left Richard II. gave him a silver-gilt goblet full of money as a parting present. Some years after Froissart died; to the very last he seems to have gone on adding to his chronicles, and they tell us a great deal about the manners and ways of living of the men of his time, as well as about the history.

XXII.

A SCOTTISH RAID.

DURING the first part of the reign of Edward III. there was seldom peace upon the Scottish border. The Scots hated the English more than ever since the English kings had tried to set up kings in Scotland who should be willing to look upon them as their lords, and obey their wishes. King Robert the Bruce was dead, after a life chiefly spent in fighting against the English. His son David, a mere child, was forced to seek safety at the French Court. When he grew to be a man, and was able to come back to Scotland, his subjects came in crowds to greet him, and the first wish that they expressed to him was that he would lead them against the English, so that they might be revenged for the wrongs done them by Edward III. David was quite willing, and he sent messages to all his subjects far and near to come and help him. A large number of men gathered at Perth, and then they marched southwards and crossed the border near Berwick, and went on into Northumberland.

The poor Northumbrians must have heard of their coming with terror. Many a time had the Scots brought ruin into their country, and their plundering ways were only too well known. They were bold and hardy men, and could travel great distances in a day; if they were in a hurry they