and well-beloved cousins the Dukes of Berri, Orleans, and Bourbon, and the
Counts of Alencon and Armagnac, and the Lord d'Albreth, he therefore
begged them to inform him whether they were willing to conform to the
truce concluded between them and England without in any way assisting
their lord in his wicked purpose.

The Flemish towns replied that they desired in no way to infringe the
truce between the two countries, but that they would serve and assist the
King of France, their sovereign lord, and their Count the Duke of
Burgundy, as heretofore, to the utmost of their power.

In a short time, indeed, it became known that a solemn treaty had been
concluded between the King of England and the Orleanist nobles, they
engaging to aid him to recover Guienne and the parts of Aquitaine he had
lost, while he promised to put an army in the field to assist them.

The position of Sir Eustace was now very difficult. It was uncertain when
the English would move, and it was likely enough that if an army set sail
it would land in Guienne, and that Calais would be able to render no
assistance, so that he would be exposed to the attacks of the Burgundians.
Nor was his position improved when he learned that on the 15th of July the
two French factions, urged by the Count of Savoy, the Grand Master of
Rhodes, and many others, had agreed to terms of peace between them, and
that the Orleanists had formally renounced the English alliance.

At the meeting of the leaders of the party, the Duke of Aquitaine, the
king's son, presided. For a time all the differences were patched up. The
news, however, came too late to arrest the embarkation of the English.
Eight thousand men landed at La Hogue, under the Duke of Clarence, overran
a wide extent of country, being reinforced by 800 Gascons, who had,