furnished with men of war. Then they passed forth and came to
Montebourg, and took it and robbed and brent it clean. In this manner
they brent many other towns in that country and won so much riches,
that it was marvel to reckon it. Then they came to a great town well
closed called Carentan, where there was also a strong castle and many
soldiers within to keep it. Then the lords came out of their ships and
fiercely made assault: the burgesses of the town were in great fear of
their lives, wives and children: they suffered the Englishmen to enter
into the town against the will of all the soldiers that were there;
they put all their goods to the Englishmen's pleasures, they thought
that most advantage. When the soldiers within saw that, they went into
the castle: the Englishmen went into the town, and two days together
they made sore assaults, so that when they within saw no succour, they
yielded up, their lives and goods saved, and so departed. The
Englishmen had their pleasure of that good town and castle, and when
they saw they might not maintain to keep it, they set fire therein and
brent it, and made the burgesses of the town to enter into their
ships, as they had done with them of Barfleur, Cherbourg and
Montebourg, and of other towns that they had won on the sea-side. All
this was done by the battle that went by the sea-side, and by them on
the sea together.[1]

[1] Froissart is mistaken in supposing that a division of the
land army went to these towns. Barfleur and Cherbourg were
visited only by the fleet. According to Michael of Northburgh,
who accompanied the expedition, Edward disembarked 12th July
and remained at Saint Vaast till the 18th, and meanwhile the
fleet went to Barfleur and Cherbourg. The army arrived at Caen
on the 26th.