to have lodged in a great town called Noyelles;
but when he knew that the town pertained to the countess d'Aumale,
sister to the lord Robert of Artois,[1] the king assured the town and
country as much as pertained to her, and so went forth; and his
marshals rode to Crotoy on the sea-side and brent the town, and found
in the haven many ships and barks charged with wines of Poitou,
pertaining to the merchants of Saintonge and of Rochelle: they brought
the best thereof to the king's host. Then one of the marshals rode to
the gates of Abbeville and from thence to Saint-Riquiers, and after to
the town of Rue-Saint-Esprit. This was on a Friday, and both battles
of the marshals returned to the king's host about noon and so lodged
all together near to Cressy in Ponthieu.

[1] She was in fact his daughter.

The king of England was well informed how the French king followed
after him to fight. Then he said to his company: 'Let us take here
some plot of ground, for we will go no farther till we have seen our
enemies. I have good cause here to abide them, for I am on the right
heritage of the queen my mother, the which land was given at her
marriage: I will challenge it of mine adversary Philip of Valois.' And
because that he had not the eighth part in number of men as the French
king had, therefore he commanded his marshals to chose a plot of
ground somewhat for his advantage: and so they did, and thither the
king and his host went. Then he sent his currours to Abbeville, to see
if the French king drew that day into the field or not. They went
forth and returned again, and said how they could see none appearance
of his coming: then every man took their lodging for that day, and to
be ready in the morning at the sound of the trumpet in the same place.
This Friday the French king tarried still in Abbeville abiding for his
company, and sent his two marshals to ride out to see the dealing of
the Englishmen, and at night they returned, and said how the
Englishmen were lodged in the fields. That night the French king made
a supper to all the chief lords that were there with him, and after
supper the king desired them to be friends each to other. The king
looked for the earl of Savoy, who should come to him with a thousand
spears, for he had received wages for a three months of them at Troyes
in Champagne.

OF THE ORDER OF THE ENGLISHMEN AT CRESSY, HOW THEY MADE THREE BATTLES
AFOOT

On the Friday, as I said before, the