orders were
now despatched, under Henry's hand, to Sir Francis Surienne, governor
of Mans, commanding him to surrender that place to Charles of Anjou.
Surienne, either questioning the authenticity of the order, or regarding
his government as his sole fortune, refused compliance; and it became
necessary for a French army, under the count of Dunois, to lay siege
to the city. The governor made as good a defence as his situation could
permit; but receiving no relief from Edmund, duke of Somerset, who was
at that time governor of Normandy, he was at last obliged to capitulate,
and to surrender not only Mans, but all the other fortresses of that
province, which was thus entirely alienated from the crown of England.

{1448.} The bad effects of this measure stopped not here. Surienne, at
the head of all his garrisons, amounting to two thousand five hundred
men, retired into Normandy, in expectation of being taken into pay, and
of being quartered in some towns of that province. But Somerset, who had
no means of subsisting such a multitude, and who was probably incensed
at Surienne's disobedience, refused to admit him; and this adventurer,
not daring to commit depredations on the territories either of the
king of France or of England, marched into Brittany, seized the town
of Fougeres, repaired the fortifications of Pontorson and St. James de
Beuvron, and subsisted his troops by the ravages which he exercised on
that whole province.[*] The duke of Brittany complained of this violence
to the king of France, his liege lord: Charles remonstrated with the
duke of Somerset: that nobleman replied, that the injury was done
without his privity, and that he had no authority over Surienne and his
companions.[**] Though this answer ought to have appeared satisfactory
to Charles, who had often felt severely the licentious independent
spirit of such mercenary soldiers, he never would admit of the apology.
He still insisted that these plunderers should be recalled, and that
reparation should be made to the duke of Brittany for all the damages
which he had sustained: and in order to render an accommodation
absolutely impracticable, he made the estimation of damages amount to no
less a sum than one million six hundred thousand crowns. He was sensible
of the superiority which the present state of his affairs gave him over
England; and he determined to take advantage of it.

* Monstrelet, vol. iii. p. 6.

** Monstrelet vol. iii. p. 7.