DEFEAT OF THE JERSEYMEN.

41

they also put their lighter troops forward; and when these, after a hard fight, were compelled to fall back, and the pavaisaders and bowmen pressed upon them in pursuit, these men-at-arms being about equal in number to those of the invaders, past through both, and encountered the enemy's main body. Their lances, after the first encounter, were exchanged for battle-axe or sword, and presently "cuirasses might be seen loosened, and vambraces and cuissarts broken; swords and battle-axes were let fall from the hands that wielded them; some came to dagger thrusts, some grappled with their foes, some fell and some rose again; and the battle was so fierce, I and the press so great, that he who came off best had enough to do." It was the chronicler's opinion, as an eye-witness, that few, on either side, would have been left alive, had it not been for his hero, Pero Niño, who, observing a white banner with the cross of St. George still planted where many others had been beaten down, called to the good Breton knight, Hector de Pombrianes, and to the best of those who were about his person, and said, "Sirs, as long as that banner is standing these English will never let themselves be conquered: let us try hard for it!" Both leaders, accordingly, with some fifty chosen men, made for this banner. The chief person who defended it was the receiver-general *, a brave man, who was mortally wounded, and could not be borne from the field. Many of the Jersey men fell round him; the banner was beaten down, and the islanders having, as it appears, lost their commander in him, took to flight. Helmets, coats of mail, and even lighter arms, were thrown off when safety seemed to depend on speed; but the invaders were in no condition to pursue them, so many were hurt, and so wearied were they all. The pillards, however, and their worthy associates, upon whom little or none of the strife had fallen, were busily employed in their vocation, plundering and burning without fear and without remorse.

* Llamabaule el Receveur; é yo le ví yacer entre mis pies, é finabaso yá, y non podian con el andar adelante; tanto era el apretamiento de la gente.

The battle was fought upon a fine sand, which was about half a league in length, and now thickly bestrown with the arms and bucklers which the islanders had thrown away in their flight. Pero Niño mounted some fifty of his people upon the horses which they had taken; and, leaving his standard bearer to embody the men and remain with them, rode about to collect those who were dispersed in the thickly enclosed country. This done,

he withdrew the whole to the islet for the night. There he questioned his prisoners concerning the strength of the island, and what they knew of the English fleet. They told him that there were five strong castles in the island, well provided, and held by English knights; that the islanders were in number 4000 or 5000 men, under a commander from England, who had been with them in the action; that the townsmen, labourers, and fishermen, inhabited a large town surrounded with a palisade and with good ditches: there they had their property, and their wives and children. Thither the greater part of those who escaped from the battle had repaired, and it was of old their resolution that, rather than allow an enemy to enter, they would all perish. The English fleet, they said, was at Plymouth waiting for a wind, and might be daily expected; it consisted of 200 sail well armed.* He then held a council, and proposed that they should conquer the island and keep it, which would be better than laying it waste with fire. The Bretons replied, that this could not be done unless they got possession of the five castles; but that, if he pleased, they would plunder the land and leave it. He then said, "Let us go toward the town, and see if they are willing to fight; if they are not, we will then advise how to proceed."

In the morning, therefore, they recrossed the sands, and marched towards the town, which was about two leagues off. Some of the pillards were sent before to set fire as they went; and as the country was well peopled, abounding with houses, gardens, and corn, it

Among which were Castillian ships, urcas, cocas, and ballingers. P. 158.

was a pitiful sight, says the Spaniard, to see it in flames, considering that it belonged to Christians. One in a herald's garb was soon sent from the town to supplicate for mercy. He had invaded them, defeated them in battle, and was now laying waste the land: with this he might be contented; and they prayed him, for God's sake, to desist from farther ravages, seeing that they were Catholic Christians, and ought not to be destroyed like enemies to Christ's faith. Moreover, they prayed for mercy for the love of the queen of Castille, his royal mistress, who was English by birth, and who could not but be displeased at their sufferings. Pero Niño, in reply, desired that four or five of the principal people should be deputed to confer with him. When these persons came, and had kissed his hand, he spoke sternly to them, saying, "Ye know that whenever the English fleet goes to make war upon Spain, it touches here first, and is here supplied with men and with provisions; so that ye are all enemies of Castille. Moreover, these islands belong of right to Bretagne, and were subject to it, till your forefathers, in their wickedness, rebelled and turned English. Ye must therefore submit yourselves to me in the name of my lord the king of Castille; and if not, you and your country shall be put to fire and sword." The poor deputies humbly represented that they were, indeed, of the Breton nation; but that long ago these islands had been conquered by the English; and in many parts of the world it often happened that men were subdued by their enemies, and obliged to obey them, not for love, but perforce and for fear. In that state their forefathers had left them, and in that state they must remain, unless some stronger power delivered them from it, for all their fortresses were in the hands of Englishmen. If he could take the castles, they would then submit to him; but if he could not, of what avail would be their submission? he could not protect them against the English; and when he withdrew, must leave them to the great danger which would thus be brought upon them. "As for the castles," replied the Spaniard,

"I trust in God soon to gain them; meantime, yield you this town of yours." Upon which they said they would repeat his demands to their fellow-townsmen, and bring him back the reply.

The deputies soon returned, and said, "Sir, the people of the town commend themselves to your mercy, and bid me say, that this town and yon castle are all they have: these they have always had for their own, and never French or English have entered them, this being their law and their privilege for the security of them and theirs their wives and children and goods are there, and they will rather all perish than ever allow the place to be entered. Ask of them gold, silver, cloth, or other things, and they will give you what they are able. And may it please you not to approach the town; peradventure you might well take it; but, be assured, that it would first cost you some of those whom you hold dear, and occasion would thereby be given for killing men, women, and children, as many as are there, for which God would never hold you discharged." Pero Niño then asked his companions what should be done? They replied that the islanders had spoken very reasonably, and asked what was just: it was best, therefore, to agree with what they proposed, and to lose no time. Indeed, they were desirous of profiting by their success without delay, lest the English fleet, of which they had heard, should heave in sight. A contribution of 10,000 crowns of gold was therefore demanded, under the name of a ransom; of which as much as could be immediately raised was given, and four hostages delivered as security for the rest. The Spaniard likewise insisted that for the next ten years they should render `him, yearly, twelve spears, twelve battle-axes, twelve bows, with the proper complement of arrows, and twelve trumpets; and this, though most reluctantly, they promised.

Meantime, the men belonging to the salt-fleet drove down to the coast all the cattle upon which they could lay hand, with which, and with much plunder from the houses, they embarked, and went their way. Horses,

THOMAS OF LANCASTER, ADMIRAL.

45

says Gutierre Diez, were cheap* that day at the embarkation. Pero Niño, with his Norman and Breton associates, sailed for Brest, where some Breton merchants advanced the remainder of the contribution, and the hostages were delivered over to them; the money was then divided among the adventurers, according to their rank. The Castillian fleet was now ordered home. Pero Niño sent a messenger to Paris to dispeed himself of the king and the royal dukes, and then departed for his own country. But his galleys had nearly been lost on the coast of Bretagne; and it was not till he and his people had called, with many prayers and vows, upon St. Mary of Guadaloupe, and St. Mary of Finisterra, and Santiago of Galicia, and St. Vicente of the Cape, and Fr. Padre Gonzalez de Tuy, that the wind fell and the storm was allayed.†

The seas were not so well defended as the coast, dur- A. D. ing the time that this Castillian fleet infested them. 1405. Yet the king had made his son, Thomas of Lancaster, admiral, and assigned to him a force of 1400 archers, and 700 men-at-arms, including 2 earls, 12 bannerets, 80 knights, and 605 esquires. But in the ensuing 1406. year it was agreed that the merchants should take upon themselves the keeping of the seas, from the 1st of May till Michaelmas, and from thence to the Michaelmas following for this they were to receive certain of the king's duties, among other, 3s. upon every pipe of wine. The appointment of two admirals, one for the south, and another for the east coast, was vested in them. Accordingly they named Nicholas Blackbourne for one, and the king constituted him admiral of the

They were sold for five or six blancs each, which is the value of twelve maravides, says the Spaniard. The blanc was half a sol.

+ Cronica del Conde D. Pero Niño, part ii. c. 39, 40.

For the (eskippeson) shipment of this force he was to have twenty granz niefs de toure, twenty barges and twenty ballingers, and to each of these double eskippeson (?). The king and his council were to assign such pro.. visions for these as they thought good. Their wages, for the fifteen bannerets, four shillings a day, amounted by the quarter to 2747. (It appears, therefore, that the admiral and the two counts received pay as bannerets.) Eighty bachelors (here used as synonymous with chevaliers), 2s. per day, per quarter, 7281.; men-at-arms, 1s. per day, per quarter, 27521. 15s. Od.; archers, 6d. a day, 13091. 2s. 4d. Sum total for the quarter, 82437. 17& 4ď. -Rymer, viii. 389.