CHAP. IX.

CHANDOS AND PEMBROKE.

159

seneschal

appointed seneschal of Poitou, retired from his com- A.D. 1369. mand, and John of Chandos succeeded him. Chandos Chandos was not a man to remain long idle, and he accordingly appointed planned a foray into Anjou, in which he invited the of Poitou in place of Earl of Pembroke, who was then at Mortagne-sur- Audley. mer, to join him. Pembroke, however, weakly yielded to the advice of his companions, who persuaded him that Chandos would reap all the honour of the campaign, and that it was beneath his dignity to serve under him. He, therefore, refused, and Chandos Pembroke set out without him. After some successes in Anjou join Chanand Poitou, hearing that the Marshal of France, dos in an Louis de Sancerre, was at La Haye in Touraine, Chandos proposed to attack him, and again sent to the Earl of Pembroke, who was still at Mortagne, to join him in the expedition. The Earl again declined, and Chandos was obliged to disband his troops and return to Poitiers.

refuses to

expedition.

deavours to

No sooner did Pembroke hear of Chandos having given up the expedition than, inspired with the vain desire of reaping all the glory for himself, he marched through Poitou into Touraine. The French, how- and enever, who were in garrisons on the borders of Poitou, carry it out Touraine, and Anjou, looked on Pembroke as a far himself, less formidable enemy than Chandos, and determined to lie in wait for and attack him. The place they chose for their ambush was La Roche-Posay in Touraine, on the borders of Poitou. The English, having made a successful foray in Touraine, were marching back into Poitou, laden with booty and utterly unsuspecting the presence of an enemy. They halted at Puirenon, a village near La Roche-Posay, and while preparing for their mid-day meal, were 1 Froissart, pp. 588, 589.

the French,

to Chandos

for help.

A.D. 1369. attacked by Sancerre. After hard fighting, they but is sur- were enabled to secure themselves within the village prised by for the night; but the French made certain of compelling them to surrender in the morning. During the night, however, Pembroke was glad to ask Chandos to render him, in his need, that assistance which he had refused to Chandos. Profiting by a foggy a foggy night, he managed to get a messenger out of the village without being seen by the French sentinels, and sent him off to Poitiers to beg that Chandos would come to help him. The night was dark, the messenger lost his way, and it was daylight before he could make out the road to Poitiers. It was late before he could communiand appeals cate with Chandos, for Chandos was hearing mass when he arrived, and was in no humour to put himself out of his way to listen to anyone coming from Pembroke. The only answer he vouchsafed was, "We could hardly get there in time;" and he sat down to dine. In the meantime, the French had resumed their attack on Puirenon; but the English, hoping every moment that the expected help would arrive, held out bravely, and kept the French at bay. At last, after some hours of hard fighting, Pembroke began to fear he could not hold out much longer; he therefore sent another messenger, mounted on his fleetest horse, to entreat Chandos to hasten to his help, and gave him his ring, as a token of his need and sign of authority. The man found Chandos at dinner, and again the answer was "it is now too late;" but suddenly his generous feelings overcame his anger, and calling his companions to horse, Chandos set out with 200 lances to relieve the Earl. The French were informed of his coming, and dared not wait

Chandos

at first refuses,

but after

wards

marches to

relieve

Pembroke.

CHAP. IX.

PROPOSED INVASION OF ENGLAND.

161

for him; they retreated without delay. The Eng- A.D. 1369. lish then felt sure that help was on its way, and, having now no enemy to stop them, marched out to meet Chandos, some on foot, some on horseback, and some mounted two on one horse. They had not proceeded far before they met him, and told him how the French had decamped the moment they heard he was coming. Chandos then marched back to Poitiers, and Pembroke to Mortagne.

While fighting, now here now there, was thus going on in a desultory way in Aquitaine, and the English troops were no longer massed together and led as formerly by the gallant Prince, the King of France, believing that the English had enough to do to hold their own in the South, was carefully planning a bolder course in the North. This was no less than the invasion of England itself.

at

The King

of France

an

prepares to

invade

All the summer he had been collecting ships Harfleur, and gathering soldiers together to such extent that, as Froissart says, "it rained down" men. England. His brother, Philip Duke of Burgundy, was appointed to command the invasion; the King himself abode at Rouen, in order to be near the fleet, and every now and then went to Harfleur to look after the preparations.

The proposed invasion could not be kept secret from the King of England. Edward therefore, on becoming acquainted with his danger, roused the whole country and fortified his seaports against the attacks of the French, although, as will be seen, with less speed than was needful. On the 26th of October, in accordance with the well devised custom, he summoned a kind of special Parliament, sending to all the ports and commanding them

A.D. 1369. each to select two persons well informed respecting shipping, merchants, and merchandise. They were ordered to appear before him at Westminster, on the 18th of November, to advise on the best measures to be adopted "in consequence of the French having collected numerous ships and men for the destruction of the English shipping and trade."1 addition to these preparations for the defence of England, Edward determined on making a diversion by Lancaster sending his son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, to invade France.

Edward sends

to invade France.

In

While these preparations were in progress, a grievous calamity befell England, in the death of Queen Philippa, who expired on August 15th, 1369.

The Duke landed at Calais about the middle of August with 600 men-at-arms and 1,500 bowmen, and was quickly joined by Robert of Namur at the head of another body of troops. They began at once to ravage the country, and after each foray carried their plunder to Calais. When the King of France heard of the Duke's landing and harrying the country, he began to think he had better fight the English on his own side of the water, instead of seekThe inva- ing them across the sea. The invasion of England

sion of England given up.

was therefore suddenly given up; a small number of vessels however were sent to attack and burn Portsmouth in September, and this was accomplished before sufficient preparations had been made for its defence.

The English were encamped in a strong position at Terouanne, and the Duke of Burgundy was ordered to lead his army to attack them. It was not long