s way up to the
king, and said to him, in good French, "Sir, sir, I pray you, yield!"
"To whom shall I yield me?" said John:
where is my cousin, the Prince of Wales?" "Sir, yield you to me; I will
bring you to him." "Who are you?" "Denis de Morbecque, a knight of
Artois; I serve the King of England, not being able to live in the
kingdom of France, for I have lost all I possessed there." "I yield me
to you," said John: and he gave his glove to the knight, who led him away
"in the midst of a great press, for every one was dragging the king,
saying, 'I took him!' and he could not get forward, nor could my lord
Philip, his young son. . . . The king said to them all, Sirs, conduct
me courteously, and quarrel no more together about the taking of me, for
I am rich and great enough to make every one of you rich.'" Hereupon,
the two English marshals, the Earl of Warwick and the Earl of Suffolk,
"seeing from afar this throng, gave spur to their steeds, and came up,
asking, 'What is this yonder?' And answer was made to them, 'It is the
King of France who is taken, and more than ten knights and squires would
fain have him.' Then the two barons broke through the throng by dint of
their horses, dismounted and bowed full low before the king, who was very
joyful at their coming, for they saved him from great danger." A very
little while afterwards, the two marshals "entered the pavilion of the
Prince of Wales, and made him a present of the King of France; the which
present the prince could not but take kindly as a great and noble one,
and so truly he did, for he bowed full low before the king, and received
him as king, properly and discreetly, as he well knew how to do. . . .
When evening came, the Prince of Wales gave a supper to the King of
France, and to my lord Philip, his son, and to the greater part of the
barons of France, who were prisoners. . . . And the prince would not
sit at the king's table for all the king's entreaty, but waited as a
serving-man at the king's table, bending the knee before him, and saying,
'Dear sir, be pleased not to put on so sad a countenance because it hath
not pleased God to consent this day to your wishes, for assuredly my lord
and father will show you all the honor and friendship he shall be able,
and he will come to terms with you so reasonably that ye shall remain
good friends forever."

[Illustration: King John taken Prisoner----326]

Henceforth it was, fortunately, not on Ki