Chapter XXXVII

THE EARL OF DERBY TAKES DIFFERENT TOWNS IN GASCONY, IN HIS ROAD TOWARD LA RÉOLE.

The Earl of Derby and his army, upon their arrival at Bordeaux, were received with very great rejoicings: the inhabitants thought they never could enough testify their joy to the earl and to Sir Walter Manny for their enterprise, in which the Count de Lisle and more than two hundred knights were made prisoners. The winter passed over without any action taking place in Gascony that is worthy of being recorded. Easter, which may be reckoned the beginning of the year 1345, was about the middle of May; and the Earl of Derby, who had tarried all the winter in Bordeaux, collected a very large body of men at arms and archers, and declared he would make an expedition to La Réole, where the French had fixed their headquarters. He went the first day from Bordeaux to Bergerac, where he found the Earl of Pembroke ready with his troops. These two noblemen, with their forces, remained for three days in Bergerac, and on the fourth departed. When they were got into the open country they halted their men, counted them, and found that they had about a thousand men at arms and two thousand archers. They pushed forward until they came to a castle called St. Basile, to which they laid siege. Those within, considering that the principal barons of Gascony were prisoners, and that they had no expectations of receiving succors from any place, resolved to swear fealty to King Edward of England. The Earl of Derby continued his route, and took the road toward Aiguillon; but before he arrived there he came to the castle of Rochemilon, which was well provided with soldiers and artillery; nevertheless the earl ordered it to be vigorously assaulted. As the English advanced to the attack, those within threw down upon them stones, bars of iron, and pots full of hot lime, by which many were slain and wounded who adventured themselves too rashly.

When the Earl of Derby perceived that his men were laboring in vain, and getting themselves killed without any advantage, he sounded a retreat. On the morrow he ordered the peasants to bring great quantities of brushwood, fagots, straw, and turf, and to throw them all into the ditches of the castle, and plenty of earth with them. When a part of the ditch was so filled that one might get to the foot of the walls, he assembled three hundred archers, well armed and in battle-array, and sent before them two hundred countrymen, covered with shields, having large pickaxes and hooks: while these first were employed in picking the walls, the archers made such good use of their bows that no one dared to show himself on the battlements. This lasted the greatest part of the day, when the pickaxe-men made so large a breach in the walls, that ten men might enter abreast. The inhabitants of the town and castle were quite confounded: some fled toward the church, and others by a back way out of the town. The fortress was immediately taken and pillaged, and all the garrison were put to death, excepting such as had taken refuge in the church, whom the Earl of Derby pardoned, for they had submitted to his mercy. The earl placed in the castle a fresh garrison, under the command of two English captains, Richard Willes and Robert Scot; and then he came before Monsegur, where he ordered his men to prepare huts for themselves and horses: he continued before it fifteen days.

The governor of the town was Sir Hugh de Bastefol, and there never passed a day without some assault being made upon it. They sent for large machines from Bordeaux and Bergerac; and the stones which they cast into the town destroyed roofs, tiles, and the principal buildings. The Earl of Derby sent every day to let them know, that, if they suffered the town to be stormed, every one would be put to the sword; but, if they would render obedience to the King of England, he would pardon them, and treat them like friends. The townsmen would cheerfully have surrendered, and they went to the governor to consult him, and to sound his intentions; who answered them by ordering them to the battlements, for that he had provision of every sort in sufficiency to hold out for half a year if it were necessary. They left him in apparent good humor; but about the time of vespers they seized him, and closely confined him, assuring him, at the same time, he should never be set at liberty if he did not assist them to make some terms with the Earl of Derby. When he had sworn that he would do every thing in his power, they let him go: he went directly to the barriers of the town, and made signs that he wished to speak with the Earl of Derby. Sir Walter Manny being present came to the governor, who said to him, “Sir Walter Manny, you ought not to be surprised if we shut our gates against you, for we have sworn fealty to the King of France; but not perceiving any one coming from him to stop your career, and believing that you will still proceed further,--for these reasons, in behalf of myself and the inhabitants of this town, we wish you would allow us these terms: namely, that no hostilities be carried on against us for the space of one month; and if in that time the King of France or the Duke of Normandy come into this country in such force as to give you battle, we then shall hold ourselves free from our engagement; but, if neither of them come, we will then enter under the obedience of the King of England.”

Sir Walter Manny went to relate this proposal to the Earl of Derby, who acceded to it upon condition that there should not in the mean time be any repairs made to the fortifications of the town, and that, if any of the English army should want provisions, they might be at liberty to purchase them. Upon this there were sent twelve of the principal citizens as hostages, who were ordered to Bordeaux. The English refreshed themselves with provisions from the town, but none were suffered to enter it. They then continued their march, burning and destroying all the country as far as Aiguillon, the governor of which place came out to meet the earl, and surrendered the town and castle to him, on condition of their lives and fortunes being spared; to the great astonishment of all the country, for it was one of the strongest castles in the world, and almost impregnable. When the squire who had thus surrendered Aiguillon came to Toulouse, which is seventeen leagues distant, the townsmen arrested him on suspicion of treason, and hung him. This castle is situated on the point between two navigable rivers. The earl ordered it to be re-victualled, and the fortifications repaired, in order to its being fit to receive him on his return, and that it might serve for a secure guard to his other possessions. He gave the command of it to Sir John de Gombry. He then came to a castle called Segart, which he took by storm, and put all the foreign soldiers he found in it to death: from thence he came to the town of La Réole.