The enemy, despising the idleness and inaction of the King's army,
endeavoured to prepare their numerous formations in proper order for
battle.... They drew up their army after their own fashion, as the
King had drawn up his; nevertheless the breadth of the field was not
sufficient to draw up so numerous a host into proper battle array.
For whereas the English army, throughout all its lines, was scarcely
strengthened with files of four men, one behind another crosswise,
all the French lines throughout their length were strengthened with
files of twenty or more fighting men, one behind the other. Also, in
the outermost flank of their army were placed a thousand soldiers, to
break through the English lines with cavalry charges; also certain
_saxi-voma_,[5] which might scatter the English when about to engage
in battle, or at least throw them into disorder, were drawn up along
the flanks of the army. But the number of standards and other warlike
ensigns, which were displayed by the French army, fastened on the
points of lances and rustling in the wind, seemed to exceed the
multitude of lances in the English army....
[5] Engines for hurling stones.