FRA 
landed with an army of 12,000 men at Morbian, and coin- 
menced at once the three important fieges of Vannes, of 
Rennes, and of Nantz. But by dividing his forces, lie 
failed in every enterprife ; and while he faintly profe- 
cuted his attempt againft Vannes, Philip had drawn toge¬ 
ther an army of 30,000 infantry and 4000 cavalry. Thefe 
entered Brittany, commanded by his eldelt fon John duke 
of Normandy; and'by their fuperior numbers, they in¬ 
verted the befiegers witli lines of circumvallation. Famine 
had already penetrated into the camp of the Englifli ; but 
the policy of Edward prevailed, when his arms were 
ufelefs : in the moment when tire duke of Normandy 
was rnafler of the fate of his opponent, and might have 
dictated his own terms, he was induced, by the mediation 
of two legates of the court of Rome, to fubfcribe a truce 
for three years. 
Philip now began to flatter himfelf that the event of 
the truce might be converted into a folid peace. He was 
however roufed from this vifionury hope by the menaces 
he received from England. The pretence for war was 
the punifliment of fome nobles of Brittany, whom Edward 
aliened to be partizans of Mountfort, and whole execu¬ 
tion be deemed an infraction of the treaty. While Philip 
ftrengthened himfelf by an alliance with Humbert, the 
fecond dauphin of the Viennois, and by the purchafe of 
Montpellier from the king of Majorca, the Englifli, under 
the command of the earl of Derby, invaded Guienne, 
twice defeated a French army entrulted to the count of 
Lille, and poflefled themfelves of Monfegur, Monpefat, 
Villefranche, Miremont, and Tonnins, with the fortrefl'es 
of Daniaflen, Aiguillon, Angouleme, and Reole. The 
exhaufted Itate of the French treafury rendered Philip 
for fome time incapable of oppofihg the torrent; and the 
duty which he very unwifely laid upon fait had almoft 
driven !tis people into open rebellion. But as fccn as 
thefe difcontents were allayed, an army was levied of 
100,000 men. The confidence of the foldiers in their 
fuperior numbers was augmented by the prefence of the 
dukes of Normandy and Burgundy ; the earl of Derby 
was compelled to adt upon the defenlive ; Angouleme 
was taken after a vigorous refinance ; and the fon of 
Philip, in 1345, was recalled from the blockade of Aiguil¬ 
lon by the fatal rafhnefs of his father, and a defeat that 
feemed to expofe the French monarchy to immediate 
deftrudlion. 
To defend Guienne, and to fuccour the earl of Derby, 
Edward had collected at Southampton a fleet of near 
1000 fail, and an army of 30,000 men; and in July 
1346, lie embarked, with his fon the prince of Wales, 
then only fifteen years of age, and the flower of his nobi¬ 
lity; and, ordering his fleet to fleer for the Norman 
coaft, fafely landed his forces at La Hogue. Philip re¬ 
ceived with aftonifiiment the intelligence of this unex¬ 
pected invafion ; which was immediately followed by rhe 
worfe tidings that the counts of Eu and of Tancarville, 
who had endeavoured to oppole the torrent, were defeat¬ 
ed and taken prifoners; that the rich town of Caen was 
furprifed and plundered ; and that the devaftutions of the 
Englifli were extended with relqntlefs fury along the 
banks of the Seine. While the king of France aflembled 
his forces, he had the mortification to behold his capital 
infulted, and his palace of St. Germains confumed, by 
the incurfions of his enemies; but, if the fit ft moments 
were abandoned to defpair, the fucceffive hours were 
cheered by the fair profpect of victory, and the gratifying 
hope of revenge. The nobility of France crowded to the 
ftandard of their fovereign ; three royal leaders, the king 
of Bohemia, the king of the Romans, and the king of 
Majorca, marched under his banners ; and an holt of 
120,000 men promifed to chaftife the temerity and martial 
fpirit of Edward III. That prince, difappointed in his 
intentions of paffing the Seine, pointed his march towards 
the Somme ; but the fame obftacles prefented themfelves 
again; the bridges vVere either broken down or ftrongly 
guarded: a numerous detachment was flationed on the 
N C E. 619 
oppofite banks; and the hoft of Philip already prefled 
upon his rear. The promile of a liberal reward induced 
a peafant, named Gobin Agace, to betray the interefts of 
his country, and to inform Edward of a convenient ford 
below Abbeville. At the head of his troops the king 
entered the river, drove the enemy froth their ftation, on 
the oppofite fide, and purfiued them over the plain ; 
while Philip arrived juft in time to endure the mor¬ 
tification of beholding his adverfary’s rear-guard crofs 
the Somnte, and his own troops prevented, by the re¬ 
turning tide, from every polTtbility of purfuing them. 
The king of France immediately took his route over 
the bridge of Abbeville, and burning with refentment, 
beheld his enemy Itrongly ported near the memorable 
village of C’recy : his moft experienced officers advifed 
him to defer the combat till the enfuing day, when bis 
troops would have recovered from the fatigue ; but, al¬ 
though Philip a (fen ted to this cotmfel, it was no longer in 
his power to carry it into execution. His progrels from 
Abbeville feemed rather the tumultuous purf'uit of a fly¬ 
ing foe, than a well-condudted march to encounter a for¬ 
midable enemy ; one divition preffed upon another, and 
the fotemolt ranks had already arrived in the p'refence of 
the Englifli. The firfl line confided of 15,000 Genoefe, 
armed with crofs-bows; but a little before the engage¬ 
ment, a thunder-(bower had relaxed the firings of thefe 
weapons, while the Englifli archers, who maintained on 9 
that day the fame they had before acquired, drew their 
bows from their cafes, and poured a (bower of arrows on 
their defeitcelefs opponents. The confulion of the Ge. 
noefe was increafed by the furious charge of Edward 
prince of Wales, furnamed the Black Prince, and the ca¬ 
valry of France in vain endeavoured to check the ardour 
of that renowned hero. The numbers of the French long 
fupplied the want of order and difeipline ; but at length 
the rout was univerfal ; nor could the battle be reftored 
even by the example of Philip himfelf. One horfe had 
already been killed under hint ; and as be mounted ano¬ 
ther to charge again his enemies, the reins of his bridle 
were feized by John of Huinault, and the monarch was. 
reluctantly conveyed from the field of battle. The 
triumph of the victors was fcarce alloyed by any lof’s ; 
and only three knights, and very few of inferior note, are 
reported to have perifhed on the fide of the Englifli. 
In a few days after the battle of Crecy, Edward formed 
the fiege of Calais; and Philip recalled from Guienne , 
the duke of Normandy, to join the (battered remains of 
his forces. In Brittany the arms of France had beea 
equally unfortunate, and Charles of Blois was defeated 
and taken prifoner by the countefs of Mountfort; yet his 
confort revived the fpirits of his friends by her example ; 
and Brittany, in a fuceeflion of martial euterprifes, ac¬ 
knowledged and admired the valour of thefe hoflile and 
heroic dames. Some confolation might be derived from 
the ftate of Flanders; the fickle Flemings recalled their 
count, and .murdered James Arteveld, who had attempt¬ 
ed to transfer the fovereignty of that country to the 
prince of Wales; but the danger of Cafais (till called for 
the fuccour of Philip ; with an hoft, which has been 
computed at 200,000 men, he advanced towards the de¬ 
voted city; but he found Edward fo furrounded with 
morafles, and fo fecured by entrenchments, that every at¬ 
tempt was deemed impracticable; and Philip was com¬ 
pelled, with a iigh of defpair, to refign his faithful citi¬ 
zens to their impending fate. The defence of Calais 
had been entrufled to the courage and conflancy of 
John of Vienne, a knight of Burgundy, whofe vigilance 
and bravery juflified the important appointment, and for 
near'a year had repulfed the alfaults and baffled the flra- 
tagems of Edward. But the inhabitants, in 1347, were 
reduced to the laft extremity by famine and fatigue ; and 
the king of England would only confent to fulpend the 
general deftrudtion, on condition that fix of the moft 
confiderable of the citizens fhould atone for the ofcftinacy 
of the reft, by fubmitting their lives to his difpofal, and 
prefenting 
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