down before the altar, praying God devoutly, that if he fought the
next day, that he might achieve the journey to his honour: then about
midnight he laid him down to rest, and in the morning he rose betimes
and heard mass, and the prince his son with him, and the most part of
his company were confessed and houselled; and after the mass said, he
commanded every man to be armed and to draw to the field to the same
place before appointed. Then the king caused a park to be made by the
wood side behind his host, and there was set all carts and carriages,
and within the park were all their horses, for every man was afoot;
and into this park there was but one entry. Then he ordained three
battles: in the first was the young prince of Wales, with him the earl
of Warwick and Oxford, the lord Godfrey of Harcourt, sir Raynold
Cobham, sir Thomas Holland, the lord Stafford, the lord of Mohun, the
lord Delaware, sir John Chandos, sir Bartholomew de Burghersh, sir
Robert Nevill, the lord Thomas Clifford, the lord Bourchier, the lord
de Latimer, and divers other knights and squires that I cannot name:
they were an eight hundred men of arms and two thousand archers, and a
thousand of other with the Welshmen: every lord drew to the field
appointed under his own banner and pennon. In the second battle was
the earl of Northampton, the earl of Arundel, the lord Ros, the lord
Lucy, the lord Willoughby, the lord Basset, the lord of Saint-Aubin,
sir Louis Tufton, the lord of Multon, the lord Lascelles and divers
other, about an eight hundred men of arms and twelve hundred archers.
The third battle had the king: he had seven hundred men of arms and
two thousand archers. Then the king leapt on a hobby,[1] with a white
rod in his hand, one of his marshals on the one hand and the other on
the other hand: he rode from rank to rank desiring every man to take
heed that day to his right and honour. He spake it so sweetly and with
so good countenance and merry cheer, that all such as were discomfited
took courage in the seeing and hearing of him. And when he had thus