into the utmost confusion.

{1356.} The prince of Wales, encouraged by the success of the preceding
campaign, took the field with an army, which no historian makes amount
to above twelve thousand men, and of which not a third were English; and
with this small body, he ventured to penetrate into the heart of France.
After ravaging the Agenois, Quercy, and the Limousin, he entered the
province of Berry; and made some attacks, though without success, on the
towns of Bourges and Issoudun. It appeared that his intentions were to
march into Normandy, and to join his forces with those of the earl of
Lancaster, and the partisans of the king of Navarre; but finding all the
bridges on the Loire broken down, and every pass carefully guarded, he
was obliged to think of making his retreat into Guienne.[**] He found
this resolution the more necessary, from the intelligence which he
received of the king of France's motions. That monarch, provoked at the
insult offered him by this incursion, and entertaining hopes of success
from the young prince's temerity, collected a great army of above sixty
thousand men, and advanced by hasty marches to intercept his enemy.
The prince, not aware of John's near approach, lost some days, on his
retreat, before the castle of Remorantin;[***] and thereby gave the
French an opportunity of overtaking him. They came within sight at
Maupertuis, near Poiotiers; and Edward, sensible that his retreat was
now become impracticable, prepared for battle with all the courage of a
young hero, and with all the prudence of the oldest and most experienced
commander.

* Rymer, vol. v. p. 863. [** My copy has 823] Ypod. Neust.
p. 521.

** Walsing. p. 171.

*** Froissard, liv. i. chap. 158. Walsing. p. 171

But the utmost prudence and courage would have proved insufficient to
save him in this extremity, had the king of France known how to make use
of his present advantages. His great superiority in numbers enabled him
to surround the enemy; and by intercepting all provisions, which were
already become scarce in the English camp, to reduce this small army,
without a blow, to the necessity of surrendering at discretion. But such
was the impatient ardor of the French nobility, and so much had their
thoughts been bent on overtaking the English as their sole object, that
this idea never struck any of the commanders; and they immediately took
measures for the assault, as for a certain victory. While t