forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they
would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose
him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to
other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they
went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote
himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to
the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party,
he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father was so
far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than
four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured
themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next
day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses
tied each to other.

The earl of Alençon came to the battle right ordinately and fought
with the Englishmen, and the earl of Flanders also on his part. These
two lords with their companies coasted the English archers and came to
the prince's battle, and there fought valiantly long. The French king
would fain have come thither, when he saw their banners, but there was
a great hedge of archers before him. The same day the French king had
given a great black courser to sir John of Hainault, and he made the
lord Tierry of Senzeille to ride on him and to bear his banner. The
same horse took the bridle in the teeth and brought him through all
the currours of the Englishmen, and as he would have returned again,
he fell in a great dike and was sore hurt, and had been there dead, an
his page had not been, who followed him through all the battles and
saw where his master lay in the dike, and had none other let but for
his horse, for the Englishmen would not issue out of their battle for
taking of any prisoner. Then the page alighted and relieved his
master: then he went not back again the same way that they came, there