THE YEW. 75 



back into the way where the great hedges were on 

 both sides, set full of archers. As soon as the men 

 of arms entered, the archers began to shoot on both 

 sides, and did slay and hurt horses and knights; so 

 that the horses, when they felt the sharp arrows, 

 they would in no wise go forward, but drew aback, 

 and flang and took on so fiercely that many of 

 them fell on their masters, so that for press they 

 could not rise again, in so much that the Marshals' 

 battle could never come at the prince. .... True 

 to say, the archers did their company that day great 

 advantage; for they shot so thick that the French- 

 man wist not on what side to take heed."* 



At the battle of Aljabarota, in Portugal, fought in 

 the early part of Richard the Second's reign, between 

 the Kings of Portugal and Castile, the former aided 

 by John of Gaunt, with an English force, and the 

 latter by volunteers from France and Beam, the 

 English archers distinguished themselves greatly: 

 indeed they chiefly contributed to win the battle, one 

 of the bloodiest even of that time, by the total im- 

 possibility of bringing the horses to advance, or even 

 stand fast under the arrows. Thus Froissart de- 

 scribes the encounter: 



" The same Saturday was a fair day, and the sun 

 was turned towards even-song. Then the first battle 

 (of the Spaniards) came before Aljabarota, where 

 the King of Portugal and his men were ready to 

 receive them. Of these French Knights there were 

 a two thousand spears, as fresh and well ordered 

 men as could be devised; and, as soon as they saw 

 their enemies, they joined together like men of war, 

 and approached in good order till they came within 

 a bow-shot; and, at their first coming, there was a 

 hard rencounter, for such as desired to assail, to win 

 grace and praise, entered into the strait way, where 



* Lord Berners' Froissart : Ed. 1812. Vol. i. chap. 162. 



