d a better right
than a nephew; and he set off with a gallant army and many knights and
nobles to enforce his claim.

The war proved a much longer one than Edward had expected. Six years
after the English king's first march into France the two nations were
still fighting. By this time King Edward's eldest son was fifteen
years of age, and he implored his father to let him accompany him to
the French war.

This young prince was a fine spirited youth, and skilful at all manly
exercises. In appearance he was very fair, with light hair and
laughing blue eyes. Perhaps he was a little vain of his appearance,
because in order to show off the fairness of his complexion he always
wore dark-coloured armour, a habit which led to his being known in
after life as Edward the Black Prince.

Seeing his boy's courage and warlike spirit, the king consented to his
accompanying him upon his next expedition into France.

In the month of July, 1346, the king and the prince set sail with an
army of thirty thousand men, ten thousand of whom were archers.

For seven weeks the English marched through the fair and smiling
country of France, meeting with very little opposition, and plundering
and burning wherever they went.

At last, by the little village of Crecy on the banks of the river
Somme, the English came in view of the French army.

It was not difficult to tell that the army of the King of France
numbered at least eight times as many men as were on the side of the
English; but King Edward decided that it would never do to betray fear.

'We will go in,' he said calmly to his men, 'and beat, or be beaten.'

It was too late to fight that day; and the English lay down within
sight of the enemy.

Early in the morning the English king set his army in order of battle.

King Edward himself was to command one division; two of his earls
another; and the eager young prince, assisted by the Earls of Warwick
and Oxford, was given the charge of a third.

When the troops were all drawn up in fighting array, the king mounted
his horse and rode from rank to rank, cheering and encouraging the men
and their leaders.

'He spoke so sweetly,' says an old writer, 'and with so good a
countenance and merry cheer, that all such as were discomfited took
courage in seeing and hearing him.'

By the time King Edward had gone round the whole army it was about nine
o'clock, and the sun was shining warm and bright upon what was soon to
be the field