bare-legged, and in their shirts, with ropes about their necks;
and let those six men bring with them the keys of the castle and the
town.'

When the Governor of Calais related this to the people in the
Market-place, there was great weeping and distress; in the midst of
which, one worthy citizen, named Eustace de Saint Pierre, rose up and
said, that if the six men required were not sacrificed, the whole
population would be; therefore, he offered himself as the first.
Encouraged by this bright example, five other worthy citizens rose up one
after another, and offered themselves to save the rest. The Governor,
who was too badly wounded to be able to walk, mounted a poor old horse
that had not been eaten, and conducted these good men to the gate, while
all the people cried and mourned.

Edward received them wrathfully, and ordered the heads of the whole six
to be struck off. However, the good Queen fell upon her knees, and
besought the King to give them up to her. The King replied, 'I wish you
had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you.' So she had them
properly dressed, made a feast for them, and sent them back with a
handsome present, to the great rejoicing of the whole camp. I hope the
people of Calais loved the daughter to whom she gave birth soon
afterwards, for her gentle mother's sake.

Now came that terrible disease, the Plague, into Europe, hurrying from
the heart of China; and killed the wretched people--especially the
poor--in such enormous numbers, that one-half of the inhabitants of
England are related to have died of it. It killed the cattle, in great
numbers, too; and so few working men remained alive, that there were not
enough left to till the ground.

After eight years of differing and quarrelling, the Prince of Wales again
invaded France with an army of sixty thousand men. He went through the
south of the country, burning and plundering wheresoever he went; while
his father, who had still the Scottish war upon his hands, did the like
in Scotland, but was harassed and worried in his retreat from that
country by the Scottish men, who repaid his cruelties with interest.

The French King, Philip, was now dead, and was succeeded by his son John.
The Black Prince, called by that name from the colour of the armour he
wore to set off his fair complexion, continuing to burn and destroy in
France, roused John into determined opposition; and so cruel had the
Black Prince been in his campaign, and