THE VOYAGE
About St. John the Baptist's Day, 1346, the King of England, having
nominated his young son, Lionel of Clarence, lieutenant of the realm,
and intrusted Queen Philippa to his kinsman, the Earl of Kent, embarked
at Southampton, to cross the sea. On board the king's ship, the
Katherine, was the Prince of Wales; and I, with other pages and several
young gentlemen of high birth, had the privilege of being in attendance
on the prince.
Godfrey de Harcourt, the great Norman lord I have already mentioned,
accompanied King Edward on this occasion. Indeed, the king relied much
upon Harcourt for such information as might enable him to penetrate
into the country which recognised Philip of Valois as sovereign, and
strike a shattering blow at his adversary's power.
It was King Edward's intention to land in Gascony; and his mighty
armament, on board of which were most of the great earls and barons of
England, put to sea with that view. The wind was favourable, and, as
the ships went tilting over the waves, it was a fair sight to behold;
for it seemed as if the whole water, as far as the eye could reach,
was covered with cloth, from the number of sails that were given to
the wind. On the third day, however, there was a marvellous change. In
fact, the wind, changing suddenly, drove us on the coast of Cornwall;
and the mariners were fain to cast anchor, and remain there for six
days and six nights.
It was now that Harcourt proposed to King Edward to change the
destination of the armament, and to land in Normandy instead of Gascony.
"Sire," said Harcourt, "Normandy is one of the most fertile provinces
in the world; and I will answer with my head that you may land in any
part of it you please without hindrance, for no one will think of
opposing you. You will find in Normandy rich towns and handsome castles
without any means of defence, and your people will gain wealth enough
to suffice them for twenty years to come. Your fleet may also follow
you up the river Orne, as far as Caen."
"On my faith, cousin," said the king, "I believe you are in the right."
"What I state is true, sire," added Harcourt; "I, therefore, intreat
you will listen, and give credit to what I have said."
After some consideration, King Edward determined on following
Harcourt's sage advice; and, without delay, he gave orders that the
fleet should steer direct for Normandy. At the same time, he ordered
the flag of the Earl of Warwick, who was admiral, to be hoisted on
board his own ship; and, the wind being favourable, he took the lead of
the armament, and made straight for the Norman shore.
It was on the coast of Coutantin, of which Coutances is the chief town,
that the English fleet came to anchor; and it was at the port of La
Hogue, not far from St. Sauveur le Vicomte, the dominion of Harcourt,
that King Edward landed.
At that moment, as I well remember, there occurred a slight accident,
which created much excitement, and which the king, with admirable
presence of mind, turned to good account. Being impatient to reach
the land which he claimed as his own, he no sooner observed that the
Katherine was on the point of touching the strand, than he leaped from
on board. As he set foot on the shore, however, he happened to slip,
and fell with such force on his face, that the blood gushed from his
nose.
A cry of horror instantly arose, and spread through the armament; and
the knights about the king gathered round him with dismay on their
countenances.
"Sire," said they, "let us intreat you to return to your ship, and not
think of landing to-day, for this is an unlucky omen."
"Why an unlucky omen?" exclaimed the king, after a moment's hesitation.
"I look upon it as most favourable, for it is a sign that the land is
desirous of me."
As the king's words were reported, a loud shout indicated how much
pleased the English were with his answer; and they began to disembark
with the baggage, armour, and horses. That night the king and his
army lay on the sands; and, next day, having conferred knighthood on
the Prince of Wales, and appointed Godfrey de Harcourt and the Earl of
Warwick marshals of his army, and the Earl of Arundel constable, he
prepared to march.
Meanwhile messengers, despatched by the towns of Normandy, were riding
in haste towards Paris, to inform Philip of Valois that the English
had landed; and all over the country rumour spread the news that the
lion-hearted Plantagenet was once more on the soil of France, with a
mighty host of archers and men-at-arms, led by Anglo-Norman nobles,
whose genius and valour made them most formidable war-chiefs.
And so, no longer, as on former occasions, with a band of foreign
hirelings, but with an army of Englishmen, sworn to conquer or die,
and with his gallant son riding by his side, did King Edward begin his
march into the dominions of his adversary--hope beckoning him onwards
and genius guiding him on the way to victory.
I have said that I embarked to take part in the war in high spirits;
and in spite of the exertion and fatigue of the disembarking, my
enthusiasm had now risen to the highest pitch. But suddenly I was
reminded that I had, at least, one enemy at hand, who was determined
not to overlook my existence. I was just mounting my black steed to
ride in the prince's train, and had my hand in the mane to vault into
the saddle, when the Lord De Ov crossed my path, and contrived, in
passing, to run his charger against mine in such a way as to leave no
doubt that insult was intended; and then, turning round, he eyed me
with a malevolence that no words could have expressed.
My blood naturally boiled at this unprovoked insult, and at another
time I should certainly have given way to my temper. In the prince's
presence, however, and in the circumstances in which I was, anything
like retaliation was out of the question, and I was forced to restrain
my wrath and bite my glove.
Mounting in sullen mood, I calmed myself as I best could; and, as
I followed the prince's banner, I could not help wondering for the
twentieth time, but more than ever, what cause there could be for the
malevolence which this young baron, so high in the world's esteem in
comparison, exhibited towards me, an unprotected boy, from the day when
accident threw us in each other's way.
I lived long enough both to experience his utmost malice, and to
punish it. Better far for him would it have been to have allowed the
past to sink into oblivion. It was his constant display of antipathy
which eventually led to my penetrating the mystery that hung over my
birth, and to discover that I had to settle with my Lord De Ov a heavy
hereditary account; and it was his own insolent folly that precipitated
the fate that befell him on that day when, in the face of heaven and
earth, I avenged, at one blow, the wrongs of a father, and my own.