heard how the French king hasted sore to find the Englishmen: then he
rode to Poitiers, for he heard how both the hosts drew thitherward.

[1] 'En Touraine.'

The French king heard how the prince hasted greatly to return, and the
king feared that he should scape him and so departed from Haye in
Touraine, and all his company, and rode to Chauvigny, where he tarried
that Thursday in the town and without along by the river of Creuse,
and the next day the king passed the river at the bridge there,
weening that the Englishmen had been before him, but they were not.
Howbeit they pursued after and passed the bridge that day more than
threescore thousand horses, and divers other passed at Chatelleraut,
and ever as they passed they took the way to Poitiers.

On the other side the prince wist not truly where the Frenchmen were;
but they supposed that they were not far off, for they could not find
no more forage, whereby they had great fault in their host of victual,
and some of them repented that they had destroyed so much as they had
done before when they were in Berry, Anjou and Touraine, and in that
they had made no better provision. The same Friday three great lords
of France, the lord of Craon, the lord Raoul of Coucy and the earl of
Joigny, tarried all day in the town of Chauvigny, and part of their
companies. The Saturday they passed the bridge and followed the king,
who was then a three leagues before, and took the way among bushes
without a wood side to go to Poitiers.

The same Saturday the prince and his company dislodged from a little
village thereby, and sent before him certain currours to see if they
might find any adventure and to hear where the Frenchmen were. They