“Tuesday the 2d of August he passed the night in the town of Provins, and had the best possible reception there, and remained till the Friday following, the 5th August.  Sunday the 7th the King lay at the town of Coulommiers in Brie.  Wednesday the 10th he lay at La Ferte- Milon, Thursday at Crespy in Valois—­Friday at Laigny-le-Sec.  The following Saturday the 13th the King held the field near Dammartin-en-Gouelle, for the whole day looking out for the English:  but they came not.

“On Sunday the 14th August the Maid, the Duc d’Alencon, the Count de Vendosme, the Marshals and other captains accompanied by six or seven thousand combatants were at the hour of vespers lodged in the fields near Montepilloy, nearly two leagues from the town of Senlis—­The Duke of Bedford and other English captains with between eight and ten thousand English lying half a league from Senlis between our people and the said city on a little stream, in a village called Notre Dame de la Victoire.  That evening our people skirmished with the English near to their camp and in this skirmish were people taken on each side, and of the English Captain d’Orbec and ten or twelve others, and people wounded on both sides:  when night fell each retired to their own quarters.”

The same writer records an appeal in the true tone of chivalry addressed to the English by Jeanne and Alencon desiring them to come out from their entrenchments and fight:  and promising to withdraw to a sufficient distance to permit the enemy to place himself in the open field.  The French troops had first “put themselves in the best state of conscience that could possibly be, hearing mass at an early hour and then to horse.”  But the English would not come out.  Jeanne, with her standard in her hand rode up to the English entrenchments, and some one says (not de Cagny) struck the posts with her banner, challenging the force within to come out and fight; while they on their side waved at the French in defiance, a standard copied from that of Jeanne, on which was depicted a distaff and spindle.  But neither host approached any nearer.  Finally, Charles made his way to Compiegne.

At Chateau-Thierry there was concluded an arrangement with Philip of Burgundy for a truce of fifteen days, before the end of which time the Duke undertook to deliver Paris peaceably to the French.  That this was simply to gain time and that no idea of giving up Paris had ever been entertained is evident; perhaps Charles was not even deceived.  He, no more than Philip, had any desire to encounter the dangers of such a siege.  But he was able at least to silence the clamours of the army and the representations of the persistent Maid by this truce.  To wait for fifteen days and receive the prize without a blow struck, would not that be best?  The counsellors of the King held thus a strong position, though the delay made the hearts of the warriors sick.