King Edward leads his troops to France, I, with my band of followers, will sever me from the general armament, and march upon that fenenvironed fortress, which Godemar du Fay now holds for Philip,—and I will—

"Hold, Seigneur!" said Robert, interrupting him;-" one word ere this vow have passed your lips. I-with King Edward's license-will be of those who are to sail to Britany in succour of the Countess Jeanne; and I much wish to serve me with your counsel in that errand. Cry you content to this? Pleaseth it you to accompany me?"

"Ay, by the Mass, doth it," answered Manny, "little skills it me whether I set foot in Flanders first or Britany; so with our sovereign's leave, I do say ay! to this."

Edward having sanctioned this arrangement, Manny took the vow; and the Heron was then presented to Jean de Beaumont, the Queen's uncle, who, as well as Robert of Artois, having incurred the resentment of King Philip, had, like him, been exiled from France, and forced

to seek refuge in Edward's court. When called upon to take the oath

"If the King of England," he said, "shall land his troops in France; I, as the Marshal of them, and as a vassal, faithful to his fortunes, will follow him, and strive mine utmost to dethrone his enemy; and this I swear in the name of the blessed Trinity. Yet, mark me well!— If, whilst I thus make war on France, Philip, repenting of his errors, and of the wrongs which he hath put on me, reverse the edict of mine exile, and restore me to my lands, and to his favour; I, from that moment, will renounce allegiance to King Edward, and joining me to France, will thenceforth combat against her foes."

The plateau was then taken by the Count of Artois to the others present at the time: who all without exception entered into similar engagements. The last to whom it was presented, was one named the Sire de Fauquemont, one of those hardy and adventurous captains of banditti, known by the name of Ribauds and Brabançons, who then abounded in Europe, and were

amongst its greatest scourges.

As the answer

he made to Robert's demand, serves to illustrate the manners of the time in which he lived, I will venture to transcribe it; after having premised that he was a man of good family, but of small fortunes, as he himself asserts, not possessing an acre of land in the world, and having no means of subsistence except plunder.

The intrepid courage of these adventurers rendered them not only formidable to every state in Europe, but caused them to be courted by the greatest monarchs, who frequently availed themselves of their ferocious valour in war.

Fauquemont himself was always addressed by the title of Sire-one of no small import when applied before the family name-and seems to have been considered as on a footing with the princes of the empire. In reply to Robert, he said:

"Ho! Seigneur, wherefore will you that I swear-I who in this wide world possess no single foot of land on which to place mine own. -I, who in leading forth my troops to battle, do but achieve my craft, and earn my bread.

Why should I swear? Yet be it so! thus for the love I bear to you, and for mine honour's sake, I, by our most blessed Virgin, swear, that when King Edward enters France, I, foremost of his troops, will march with mine; and carrying sword and desolation through the land, will spare nor church nor convent, abbey nor altar, man nor beast, nor maid, nor woman big with child, nor infant at its mother's breast."

These must have been sad times, indeed, when princes were necessitated to employ wretches like this Fauquemont and his gang!

These vows were irrevocable. The Count of Artois' wishes were now upon the point of being fulfilled. He kneeled before the King, and renewed his vows of vassalage. All which remained to be done, was to decide upon the distribution of the troops, a part of which was to sail to the assistance of the Countess of Montfort, whilst another was to disembark in Hainault, and thence attack France on her Northern frontiers.

CHAPTER XV.

WHEN people have once firmly determined to undertake a project, they are not long in arranging a plan for its execution. Edward's design being to make the greatest effort in the north of France, it required a much longer time to prepare the troops which were to accompany him thither, than those which he intended to send, under the command of the Count d'Artois, into Britany.

The latter of these were soon in readiness, and d'Artois, with Sir Walter Manny, with whom he had contracted a strict friendship, Sir Amauri de Clisson, and several others, whose names it is not necessary to mention at present, marched