on and ardour inspired every non-combatant to assist
the soldiers in their weary task and to bear their sufferings with a
fortitude he was himself the first to show. I have mentioned 2000
refugee-warriors from other places. They seem to have been led by the
men of Caen under a Lombard condottiere called Le Grand Jacques, or as
the English poem has it:--

"Guaunte Jakys a werryour wyse."

The real operations of the siege began with a desperate sortie of the
citizens from every gate at once, which was repulsed with slaughter.
The following days were filled with spirited attacks on every English
captain who had not had time to fortify his post, attacks which only
ceased when a huge ditch had been dug all round the town, with regular
posts and covered ways, the whole under the guidance of Sir Robert
Bapthorp, who was afterwards rewarded with the "Maison a l'enseigne de
l'Ours" in the Rue de la Vicomte. Meanwhile the English continued to
make sure of their communications with Harfleur down the Seine, and to
cut off the same route to the French. The Portuguese fleet helped them
to blockade the mouth of the river, and even advanced upstream as far
as Quilleboeuf. Most important of all, they built the Bridge of St.
George of solid timbers sunk into the stream between Lescure and
Sotteville, four miles higher up than Rouen, and guarded it thoroughly
from all attack. Finally, Jean Noblet, cut off from all provisions in
St. Catherine, had to surrender on the thirtieth of August, and a few
days afterwards, Caudebec, the last hope of the city down the stream
was forced to swear complete neutrality and to abide by the same terms
which were eventually won by Rouen, an instance of heroic partisanship
which proves the solidarity of Normandy and the loyalty of every
outlying town to the capital.

The results of all this were very soon visible, for the Seine was now
completely in the power of the English, and the only problem that
remained for the King to solve was to get his war-galleys high enough
up the Seine to protect St. George's Bridge. He could not think of
sailing past the town itself. He finally determined to drag the
vessels across the narrow neck of land that lies at the southern
angles of the great curve on which Rouen herself is set. The space at
this point between the villages of Moulineaux and Orival is scarcely
five miles, as may be seen on map A. The galleys were hauled across
under full sail with a favouring win