SAlutations premised, we geue you to vnderstād: that our soueraigne Lorde the king came to the towne of Poysie the day before the Assumptiō of our Ladie, where was a certaine bridge ouer the water of Sceane broken downe of the enemie, but the king taried there so longe till that the bridge was made againe. And whiles the bridge was in repayring, there came a greate number of mē at armes and other souldiours well armed, to hinder the same. But the Earle of Northampton issued out against them and slewe of them more then M. the rest fled away thankes be to God. And at an other time our men passed the water although with much trauaile, and slewe a great number of the common souldiours of Fraunce, aboute the citie of Paris and countrey adioyning being parte of the French kings armie and throughly well appoynted: so that our people haue now, made other good bridges vpon our enemies God be thāked without any great losse & damage to vs. And on the morow after the Assumption of our Ladie, the king passed the water of Sceane and marched toward Poysie, which is a towne of great defence and strongly immured and a maruelous stronge castle within the same, which our enemies kept. And whē our vaūdgard was passed the town, our reregard gaue an assault therunto and toke the same: where, were slaine more then CCC. men at armes of our enemies parte. And the next daye following, the Earle of Suffolke and syr Hugh Spenser marched forth vpō the commons of the coūtrey assembled and well armed, and infine discomfited them, and slew of them more thē CC. and tooke lx. gentlemen prisoners, besides others. And after that, the king marched toward Graūd Villers, and while he was there encamped, the kings vaūdgard was discreed by the men at armes of the king of Bename: wherupon, our men issued out in great haste and ioyned battell with them, but were inforced to retyre. Notwithstāding, thankes be vnto God, the Earle of Northampton issued out & rescued the horsemē with the other souldiours: so that fewe or none of them were eyther taken or slaine sauing onely Thomas Talbot, but had agayne the enemie in chase within ij. leages of Amias: of whom we tooke 8. and slewe 12. of their best men at armes, the reast being well horsed, tooke the towne of Amyas. After this, the king of Englād marched toward Pountife vpon Bartholmew day, & came vnto the water of Som, where the French king had layed 500. mē at armes and M.M.M. footemen, purposing to haue kept and stopped our passage: but thākes be to God, the king of England and his hoste entred the same water of Som where neuer mā passed before, without losse of any of our men: and after that encountered with the enemie and slewe of them more then ij. thousand, the reast fled to Abuyle, in which chase was taken many knightes, squiers, and men at armes. The same day, syr Hugh Spenser tooke the towne of Crolay where he & his souldiers slew CCCC men at armes, & kept the towne, where they found great store of vitailes. The same night, encamped the king of England in the Forest of Cressy vpon the same water, for that the French kings hoste came on the other side of the towne neare vnto our passage: But he woulde not take the water of vs, and so marched towarde Abueyl. And vpon the friday next following, the king being still encāped in the said forest, our Scuriers discried the frēch king, which marched toward vs in 4. great battels: And hauing then vnderstāding of our enemies (as Gods wil was) a little before the euening tyde we drewe vnto the plaine field and set our battels in araye: and immediatly the fyght began, which was sore and cruell, and indured long, for our enemies behaued thēselues right nobelly. But thankes be geuē to God, the victorie fel on our side, and the king our aduersarie was discomfited with all his hoste, and put to flight: where also was slaine the king of Bename, the Duke of Loren, the Earle of Dabeson, the Earle of Flaunders, the Earle of Blois, the Earle of Harcot with hys ij. sonnes, the Earle of Damarley, the Earle of Nauuers and his brother, the lord of Tronard, the Archbishop of Myemes, the Archb. of Saunds, the high Prior of Fraunce, the Earle of Sauoy, the L. of Morles, the Lorde de Guis, Segniour de S. Nouant, Segniour de Rosingburgh, with 6. Earles of Amanie and diuers other Earles, Barōs, Knightes, & Squiers, whose names are vnknowē. And Philip de Valoys him self, with an other Marques which was called lord Elector among the Romaynes, escaped from the battell. The number of the men at armes which were founde dead in the field beside the common souldiours & footemen, wer M. CCCCC. xlii: And all that night the K. of England with hys hoste abode armed in the field where the battel was fought. On the next morowe before the sunne rose, there marched towardes vs an other great host mightie & strong, of the French mē. But the Earle of Northampton, and the Earle of Norfolke issued out agaynste them in iii. battells, and after longe and terrible fight, them in lyke wise they discōfited by gods great helpe & grace (for otherwise it could neuer haue been) where they tooke of knightes and squiers a greate number, and slewe aboue MM. pursuing the case iii. leages from the place where the battell was fought. The same night also the king encamped himself agayn in the Forest of Cressy, and on the morowe marched towarde Boleyne, and by the waye he tooke the towne of Staples: and frō thence, he marched toward Calys wher he entendeth to plant hys siege and lay his battery to the same. And therfore our soueraigne Lord the king willeth and commaundeth you in all that euer you may, to send to the sayd Siege, vitailes cōuenient: For after the time of our departing frō Chaam, we haue trauailed through the countrey with great perill & daunger of our people, but yet alwayes had of victuall plentie thanks be to God therfore. But now as the case standeth, we partly nede your helpe to be refreshed with vitailes. Thus fare ye well. Written at the siege before the towne of Caleys the xiiij. day of September.

Marginalia1346
Siege of Calys.After the siege and winning of Poysye, the third day of September an. 1346. the king through the middest of Fraunce, directed his passage vnto Callis, as by the tenor of this letter you heare, & besieged the same: whiche siege he cōtinued frō the third of September aforesayd, till the third day of August þ^e yere next followyng, vpon the which day it was rendred vp vnto the sayd kyng Edward the thyrd, and subdued vnto the crowne of England, as after the Lorde willyng shall more appeare.

MarginaliaDauid K. of Scottes inuadeth England.In the meane time, duryng the siege of Callis, Dauid the Scottishe kyng at the request of the French kyng, with a great army, brast into the North partes of England, and first besiegyng the towne of Lidell, within sixe dayes, obtained the greatest part of the towne: and their takyng all that he could finde, with Syr Walter Salby a valiāt knight, which was the keper of the hold, caused him vncurtuously to be put to the sworde, and so from then proceded further into Englād: Til at length being mette with all by William Surch archbishop of Yorke, and the Lord Persie and the Lord Neuell, with other nobles of those parties (callyng and gatheryng their mē together) in the playne neare to Durham the xvij. daye of October in þ^e yere aboue said through the gracious hand of Christ, ther were subdued & conquered. MarginaliaThe Scots ouerthrowen.In the which conflict, the Earles of Murrife and Stratherō, with the floure of all þ^e chiualry and principal warriers of Scotland, were slaine. MarginaliaDauid the Scottish K. taken prisoner.Also the foresayd king Dauid, with the Earles of Mentif & Fiffes, and other Lordes: and William Douglas Masklime, flemyng, and William Douglas, and other many mo men of armes, were taken prisoners: & so the mischief whiche they entended to other, fell vpon their owne heades.

Duryng moreouer the sayd siege of Callis, the foresayd pope Clement the sixt, writing to the kyng of England, went about vnder the pretence of peace, to stop his procedings, whose letters here followeth vnder written.

CLemēt the bishop, seruant of Gods seruants: To his welbeloued sonne in Christ Edward the puisant king of Englād: Salutacion and apostolicall blessing. If you diligentlye consider deare sonne (as ought a catholike prince to doo) the slaughter of suche an innumerable sorte, bought wyth the precious bloode of Christ our redemer: the losse of their substance and soules, and the lamentable perils, whych the dissensions and wares stirred vp betwene you and our welbeloued sonne Phillip the noble kyng of Fraunce haue brought vpon vs, and yet dayly do without intermissiō. And also the bewayling of so many poore people, crying out of Orphans & pupils, lamentacion of widowes, and other misera-