ouble by marauding excursions, the
French appeared to be resting in profound repose. On the 1st of
December, the governor of Guisnes reported an expedition for the
destruction of one of their outlying parties, which had been
accomplished with ominous cruelty.

"I advertised your grace," Lord Grey wrote to the queen, "how I
purposed to make a journey to a church called Bushing, strongly
fortified by the enemy, much annoying this your majesty's frontier. It
may please your majesty, upon Monday last, at nine of the clock at
night, having with me Mr. Aucher marshal of Calais, Mr. Alexander
captain of Newnham Bridge, Sir Henry Palmer, my son,[619] and my
cousin Louis Dives, with such horsemen and footmen as could be
conveniently spared abroad in service, leaving your majesty's pieces
in surety, I took my journey towards the said Bushing, and carried
with me two cannon and a sacre, for that both the weather and the ways
served well to the purpose, and next morning came hither before day.
And having before our coming enclosed the said Bushing with two
hundred footmen harquebuziers, I sent an officer to summon the same in
the king's highness' and your majesty's name; whereunto the captain
there, a man of good {p.297} estimation, who the day before was sent
there with twelve men by M. Senarpont, captain of Boulogne, answered
that he was not minded to render, but would keep it with such men as
he had, which were forty in number or thereabouts, even to the death;
and further said, if their fortune was so to lose their lives, he knew
that the king his master had more men alive to serve, with many other
words of French bravery. Upon this answer, I caused the gunners to
bring up their artillery to plank, and then shot off immediately ten
or twelve times. But yet for all this they would not yield. At length,
when the cannon had made an indifferent breach, the Frenchmen made
signs to parley, and would gladly have rendered; but I again, weighing
it not meet to abuse your majesty's service therein, and having Sir H.
Palmer there hurt, and some others of my men, refused to receive them,
and, according to the law of arms, put as many of them to the sword as
could be gotten at the entry of the breach, and all the rest were
blown up with the steeple at the rasing thereof, and so all
slain."[620]

[Footnote 619: Sir Arthur Grey.]

[Footnote 620: Grey to the Queen: _Calais MSS._
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