and displayed their banners and came a great pace towards the Englishmen:  they were in number a two hundred men of arms.  When the Englishmen saw them, and that they were so great a number, then they determined to fly and let the Frenchmen chase them, for they knew well the prince with his host was not far behind.  Then they turned their horses and took the corner of the wood, and the Frenchmen after them crying their cries and made great noise.  And as they chased, they came on the prince’s battle or they were ware thereof themselves; the prince tarried there to have word again from them that he sent forth.  The lord Raoul de Coucy with his banner went so far forward that he was under the prince’s banner:  there was a sore battle and the knight fought valiantly; howbeit he was there taken, and the earl of Joigny, the viscount of Brosse, the lord of Chauvigny and all the other taken or slain, but a few that scaped.  And by the prisoners the prince knew how the French king followed him in such wise that he could not eschew the battle:[2] then he assembled together all his men and commanded that no man should go before the marshals’ banners.  Thus the prince rode that Saturday from the morning till it was against night, so that he came within two little leagues of Poitiers.  Then the captal de Buch, sir Aymenion of Pommiers, the lord Bartholomew of Burghersh and the lord Eustace d’Aubrecicourt, all these the prince sent forth to see if they might know what the Frenchmen did.  These knights departed with two hundred men of arms well horsed; they rode so far that they saw the great battle of the king’s, they saw all the fields covered with men of arms.  These Englishmen could not forbear, but set on the tail of the French host and cast down many to the earth and took divers prisoners, so that the host began to stir, and tidings thereof came to the French king as he was entering into the city of Poitiers.  Then he returned again and made all his host do the same, so that Saturday it was very late or he was lodged in the field.  The English currours returned again to the prince and shewed him all that they saw and knew, and said how the French host was a great number of people.  ‘Well,’ said the prince, ’in the name of God let us now study how we shall fight with them at our advantage.’  That night the Englishmen lodged in a strong place among hedges, vines and bushes, and their host well watched, and so was the French host.

      [2] Or rather, ’that the French king had gone in front of them
      (les avoit advancez) and that he could in no way depart without
      being fought with.’

OF THE ORDER OF THE FRENCHMEN BEFORE THE BATTLE OF POITIERS