The French king the same morning was departed from Airaines, trusting to have found the Englishmen between him and the river of Somme:  but when he heard how that sir Godemar du Fay and his company were discomfited, he tarried in the field and demanded of his marshals what was best to do.  They said, ’Sir, ye cannot pass the river but at the bridge of Abbeville, for the flood is come in at Blanche-taque’:  then he returned and lodged at Abbeville.

The king of England when he was past the river, he thanked God and so rode forth in like manner as he did before.  Then he called Gobin Agace and did quit him his ransom and all his company, and gave him a hundred nobles and a good horse.  And so the king rode forth fair and easily, and thought to have lodged in a great town called Noyelles; but when he knew that the town pertained to the countess d’Aumale, sister to the lord Robert of Artois,[1] the king assured the town and country as much as pertained to her, and so went forth; and his marshals rode to Crotoy on the sea-side and brent the town, and found in the haven many ships and barks charged with wines of Poitou, pertaining to the merchants of Saintonge and of Rochelle:  they brought the best thereof to the king’s host.  Then one of the marshals rode to the gates of Abbeville and from thence to Saint-Riquiers, and after to the town of Rue-Saint-Esprit.  This was on a Friday, and both battles of the marshals returned to the king’s host about noon and so lodged all together near to Cressy in Ponthieu.

      [1] She was in fact his daughter.

The king of England was well informed how the French king followed after him to fight.  Then he said to his company:  ’Let us take here some plot of ground, for we will go no farther till we have seen our enemies.  I have good cause here to abide them, for I am on the right heritage of the queen my mother, the which land was given at her marriage:  I will challenge it of mine adversary Philip of Valois.’  And because that he had not the eighth part in number of men as the French king had, therefore he commanded his marshals to chose a plot of ground somewhat for his advantage:  and so they did, and thither the king and his host went.  Then he sent his currours to Abbeville, to see if the French king drew that day into the field or not.  They went forth and returned again, and said how they could see none appearance of his coming:  then every man took their lodging for that day, and to be ready in the morning at the sound of the trumpet in the same place.  This Friday the French king tarried still in Abbeville abiding for his company, and sent his two marshals to ride out to see the dealing of the Englishmen, and at night they returned, and said how the Englishmen were lodged in the fields.  That night the French king made a supper to all the chief lords that were there with him, and after supper the king desired them to be friends each to other.  The king looked for the earl of Savoy, who should come to him with a thousand spears, for he had received wages for a three months of them at Troyes in Champagne.