=Source.=--"Le recouvrement de Normendie," par Berry, Herault du
Roy, printed in _Reductio Normannie, pp. 245 et seq._ (Rolls Series,
1863.)
[+Note.+--The author of this and other extracts relating to the
loss of Normandy was Jacques le Bouvier, surnamed Berry, the first
King-of-Arms of Charles VII. of France.]
The duke of Bretagne everywhere sent to all his subjects, well-wishers,
friends and allies, asking them to be so good as to help him to avenge
himself upon the English, and to help him to recover his town of
Fougères. And on this occasion to please the said duke of Bretagne, M.
Jehan de Bressay, knight, a native of the country of Anjou, Robert de
Flocques, esquire of the country of Normandy, bailly of Evreux, Jacques
de Clermont, esquire of the country of Dauphiné and lord of Mannay, and
Guillaume le Vigars, esquire, made the attempt to take the town and
castle of Pont de l'Arche, on the river Seine, by means of a merchant
of Louviers who often took a cart by the said Pont de l'Arche to go
to Rouen, which is about four short leagues above it.... And the said
merchant, with two others, upon a day in the month of May, being the
Thursday before the Ascension of our Lord, set out from Louviers and
went to take his cart, as he had often done, through the town of Pont
de l'Arche, pretending that he was taking merchandize to Rouen; and
in passing he asked the porter of the castle to be so good as to open
the gate of the castle for him very early next morning, and he would
give him a good gratuity, for he made him believe that he wished to
return speedily to Louviers for some merchandize. And so the merchant
passed through the town; and he returned about the hour of midnight,
accompanied by many of the said ambuscade on foot; and they lodged at
an inn in the country, adjoining the castle. They entered into the
said inn secretly, where they found the wife in bed alone, (who was
exceedingly terrified), for her husband was absent on his business.
And when it drew near daybreak, the said merchant went all alone to
call the said porter, who came to open the gate of the castle and the
bulwark for him, as he had promised the day before; and immediately
two persons came out of the inn to come to the bulwark along with the
merchant, of whom the said porter was apprehensive when he saw them
approach. But the said merchant told him that they were people of
Louviers, and then he was satisfied. Then the merchant entered with all
his wares, leaving the cart upon the bridge until such time as he had
thrown upon the ground for his (the porter's) reward, two bretons and
a placque; and as he was stooping to gather them, the merchant killed
him with a dagger.... The men of the castle heard the noise, and an
Englishman came down in his night-shirt, (a handsome fellow, young and
brave), who attempted to raise the bridge of the said castle, because
he saw that the said bulwark was already lost; but the said merchant
hastened to go to him, and killed him before he could raise the bridge,
which was a pity, for he was one of the bravest and most active young
men of his party. And thus the castle was won.
And then all the foot-soldiers went along the bridge making great
shouts, to enter the town which they took; for the greater part of
the inhabitants were still in their beds, excepting one Englishman,
who valiantly and for a long time defended the gate of the bridge, to
hinder them from entering; but in the end he was killed and the town
taken.
HOW THE KING OF FRANCE DECLARED WAR AGAINST THE ENGLISH, AND WHY; AND
OF THE CAPTURE OF VERNEUIL (1449).
=Source.=--"Le recouvrement de Normandie," printed in _Reductio
Normannie, pp. 254 et seq._ (Rolls Series, 1863.)
The King of France was duly informed of the war which the English made
upon the realm of Scotland, which was comprehended in the truce; and
also of the war which they made by sea upon the King of Spain, his
ally, who was also in the said truce; and in like manner upon his
subjects of La Rochelle and Dieppe, and elsewhere.... For as long as
the truce had continued, the English came from Mantes, Verneuil and
Loigny upon the roads from Paris and Orleans, robbing and murdering the
merchants and the honest people who were travelling along the roads ...
and they went by night to their houses in the open country, and took
prisoners in their beds the gentlemen who were of the party of the
King of France, cut their throats and murdered them vilely in their
beds. And it was their custom to cut the throats of these gentlemen
during the said truce. And these malefactors were called _False-Faces_,
because, when they did these things, they disguised themselves with
disorderly and frightful dresses and headpieces, painted with various
colours, and other clothes, so that they should not be known....
At this time a miller of the town of Verneuil who had his mill opposite
the walls of the town, was beaten by an Englishman who was going the
rounds, because he was asleep at his post. And for revenge he went
to the bailly of Evreux, and, after a certain treaty made between
them, he promised that he would admit him within the said town.
Hereupon assembled messire Pierre de Bressay, seneschal of Poitou, the
said bailly of Evreux, Jacques de Clermont and others. They came on
horseback and found themselves on Sunday 19th July in this year, at
break of day, near the walls of the said town. The said miller (who had
been on watch that night) made the others who kept watch with him go
down from the wall sooner than usual, because (in order to accomplish
his purpose) he made them believe that, as it was Sunday, they should
hasten to go, the bell having rung for Mass. By the help of the miller
the French placed their ladders to the right of the wall, and entered
the town without anyone noticing them. Six score Englishmen were
within, of whom some were slain and taken prisoners, and the others
betook themselves in great haste to the keep of the castle.