Thus the king of England ordered his business, being in the town of Caen, and sent into England his navy of ships charged with clothes, jewels, vessels of gold and silver, and of other riches, and of prisoners more than sixty knights and three hundred burgesses.  Then he departed from the town of Caen and rode in the same order as he did before, brenning and exiling the country, and took the way to Evreux and so passed by it; and from thence they rode to a great town called Louviers:  it was the chief town of all Normandy of drapery, riches, and full of merchandise.  The Englishmen soon entered therein, for as then it was not closed; it was overrun, spoiled and robbed without mercy:  there was won great riches.  Then they entered into the country of Evreux and brent and pilled all the country except the good towns closed and castles, to the which the king made none assault, because of the sparing of his people and his artillery.

On the river of Seine near to Rouen there was the earl of Harcourt, brother to sir Godfrey of Harcourt, but he was on the French party, and the earl of Dreux with him, with a good number of men of war:  but the Englishmen left Rouen and went to Gisors, where was a strong castle:  they brent the town and then they brent Vernon and all the country about Rouen and Pont-de-l’Arche and came to Mantes and to Meulan, and wasted all the country about, and passed by the strong castle of Rolleboise; and in every place along the river of Seine they found the bridges broken.  At last they came to Poissy, and found the bridge broken, but the arches and joists lay in the river:  the king lay there a five days:  in the mean season the bridge was made, to pass the host without peril.  The English marshals ran abroad just to Paris, and brent Saint-Germain in Laye and Montjoie, and Saint-Cloud, and petty Boulogne by Paris, and the Queen’s Bourg:[1] they of Paris were not well assured of themselves, for it was not as then closed.

      [1] Bourg-la-Reine.

Then king Philip removed to Saint-Denis, and or he went caused all the pentices in Paris to be pulled down; and at Saint-Denis were ready come the king of Bohemia, the lord John of Hainault, the duke of Lorraine, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Blois, and many other great lords and knights, ready to serve the French king.  When the people of Paris saw their king depart, they came to him and kneeled down and said:  ’Ah, sir and noble king, what will ye do? leave thus this noble city of Paris?’ The king said:  ’My good people, doubt ye not:  the Englishmen will approach you no nearer than they be.’  ’Why so, sir?’ quoth they; ’they be within these two leagues, and as soon as they know of your departing, they will come and assail us; and we not able to defend them:  sir, tarry here still and help to defend your good city of Paris.’  ‘Speak no more,’ quoth the king, ’for I will go to Saint-Denis to my men of war:  for I will encounter the Englishmen and fight against them, whatsoever fall thereof.’