"Quant Dagorne fu mort de cest ciecle devie
Deuant auril le fort fu finee sa vie," &c.

"When Dagorne* was dead, before the castle of Auray his life was terminated," &c.

During his lifetime, the citizens and cultivators of the soil were not harassed by the English: but after his death, all this was changed, for Pembroke began to ravage the country, and illtreat the inhabitants. When Beaumanoir heard of this, he went to Ploermel, to remonstrate upon the subject; and on his way he witnessed the cruelty which was exercised towards the peasantry, for multitudes of them were led captive, bound and fettered, like cattle. Beaumanoir being grieved and enraged at this sight, said to Pembroke:

"Chir's d Engleterre, vous faictes grant pechie

De trauailler les poures, ceulz qui siement le ble
Et la char et le vin de quoy avon plante," &c.

"Knights of England, you do great wrong in afflicting the poor people, those who sow the corn, &c., they formerly were allowed to remain unmolested. How soon the arrangements of Daggeworth are forgotten!"

"Et Bomcbourc sy respont par moult tres grant fierte,
Beaumaner taisies vous; de ce naist plus parle, &c."

"And Pembroke answered him with great haughtiness, Beaumanoir, be silent, speak no more of that, Montfort shall be duke of this noble duchy, from Pontorson to Nantes, and even to Saint Mahé. Edward shall be king of France, in spite of the French and their allies.'"

"Et Beaumaner respont par grant humilitez.
Songies un aultre songe, cestui est mal songèe
Quer jamais par tel voie nen auriez demy pie."

"And Beaumanoir answered with great humility, 'Conceive another idea, this was ill imagined, for by such a road you can never proceed half a foot.” ”

He then makes the proposal to Pembroke of deciding the dispute in mortal combat, and an arrangement is entered into that they shall meet for that purpose, thirty against thirty. Upon which he returns to his friends, and relates to them the result of his interview, stating that it is determined they shall meet together, with their companions,

"Men properly chosen, who know well to wield the lance, the battleaxe, the sword, and heavy dagger.t"

Sir Thomas Daggeworth, the English commander, who held the castle of Auray for the Countess de Montfort. He was slain in a battle with Raoul de Cahors, one of De Blois's captains.

A sort of sword, shorter than that generally used, but broader; and worn, at the right side, like a dagger.

"Sy feroit bon choisir qui bien ferroit de lance

Et de hache, et despee et de dague pesante."

Upon this his friends express their approbation, and request him to choose his retinue; and there is a promptness in the manner in which the offer is made and accepted that is very striking.

"Prenes quil vous plaira, tres nobile baron.
Je pren Tintiulac a Dieu soit beneichon

Et Guy de Rochefort et Charuel le bon," &c.

"Take whom you please, most noble Baron. 'I take Tinteniac, to God be thanks; and Guy de Rochefort, and Charruel the Good; William de la Marche, and Robin Raguenel; Huon de Saint Yvon; Caro de Bodegat,* whom I should not forget; Geoffroy de Bois,† of great renown; Oliver Arrel, the valiant Breton; and John Rousselot of the Lion Heart. If these will not defend themselves gallantly against the felonious Pembroke, I shall be much deceived in my expectations.'

He then proceeds to select his esquires, whose names are given as follows:

"Guillaume de Montauban, Alain de Tinteniac, Tristan de Pestivien, Alain de Keranrais and his uncle Oliver, Louis Guion of the two-handed Sword; Hugues Capus the Prudent, and Geoffroy de la Roche. 'If these do not defend themselves well against the rapacious Pembroke, they never more deserve to gird on a sword of steel.'"

"Se ceulx ne se deffendent de Bourcbourc le merchier,
Jamais ils ne deuroient chaindre de branc dachier."

He also selected Geoffroy Poulart, Maurice de Treziguidi, Guion de Pont blanc, Maurice du Parc, Geoffroy de Beaucorps, and Geoffroy Mellon

"All whom he called, returned him their thanks; they were all present and ready in attendance."

Beaumanoir also selected John de Serent, Guillaume de la Lande, Oliver Monteville, and Symon Richard

"All ready to put their hearts and bodies to the risk, and all assembled without delay."

Sir Robert Pembroke, on his part, chose thirty combatants, whose names were as follow:

KNIGHTS.

Robert Knolles

Hervé de Lexualen

Hue de Caverlay

* Caron de Boscdegas, Ms.

+ Guiffrai de Bones, Ms.

Richard de la Lande
Thommelin Belifort

Thommelin Hualton.

He fought with an iron mace, weighing twenty-five pounds.

"Of these, twenty were English, bold as lions,
Six were Germans, and four Brabantians,
Armed in mail, bacinets and haubergeons,

With swords and daggers, lances and falcions."

Having marshalled his attendants, Beaumanoir addresses them in a speech which strongly marks the character of the times, and the high sense of honour which prevailed; for instead of disparaging the courage of his enemies, in order to inspire his followers with better confidence, as is sometimes done in modern times, he, on the contrary, assures them that they have to deal with men of valour, and warns them of the necessity of exerting themselves to the utmost.

"Seigneurs, dit Beaumanoir, o le hardy visage

Ja trouverois Englois qui sunt de grant courage," &c.

Pembroke also, on his part, addresses his companions, and tells them that he had caused the books of Merlin to be consulted, and that they assured him of success.

The parties having arrived on the ground, Pembroke proposes a parley and a postponement of the combat; which Beaumanoir rejects. The fight then commences, and the first shock is terrible : Charruel is taken prisoner;* the valiant Tristan is struck to the ground with a mace; and so are Rousselot and Botegat. The poem then proceeds to give a particular description of the combat, of which the following extracts may suffice.

*He was afterwards rescued, and joined the fight.

"Grande fu la bataille dedens le pre herbu: Caron de Bosdegas fu de martel confondu Et le vaillant Tristan fu a la mort feru

Lors sescria moult hault, Beaumanoir ou es tu," &c. "Grande fu la bataille en my la prarie

Et le chapple orrible et dure lesturmie
Le Bretons ont du piis, ne vous mentiray mie
Car deux sy en sunt mors et trespasses de vie
Et trois sunt prisonniers o leur soit Dieu en aye
Ne sunt que xxv embataille fournie

Mais Guiffroy de la Roche requiert chevalerie
Un escuier moult noble de grant anchesourie
Et Beaumanoir lui donne en non Sainte Marie
Et lui dit: Beau doulx filx or ne tespargne mie
Membre toy de celui qui par cevalerie

Fu en Costentimnoble a bele compaignie
Et je jure Dieu qui tout a em baille

Que Englois la compereront ains loeure de complie
Et Bomcbourc lentendy ne le prise une aillie
Trestoute leur poste ne leur grant seigneurie
Ains dit a Biaumanoir, par moult grande estoutie
Rent toi tost Beaumanoir je ne tochiray mie
Mais je feray de toy un present a ma mie,” &c.

"Grande fu la bataille et longement dura
Et le chapple orrible et decha et de la
Ce fu a un sammedy que le soleil roia;
Forment se co batoient lun lautre nespargna
La chaleur fu moult grande chacun sy tressua
De sueur et de sanc la terre rosoya

A ce bon semmedy Beaumanoir sy jeuna
Grant soif oust le baron a boire demanda
Messire Guiffroy de Boues tantost respondu a
Bois ton sanc Beaumanoir la soif te passera," &c.

"Forte fu la bataille et le chapple mortel
My voie de Josselin et du chasteau da Pelmel
Dedens un moult beau pre seant sur un ceuel
Le chesne den my voie ainsi est son appel
Le lonc dun genestay qui estoit vert et bel
La furent les Englois tretoux en un moncel," &c.

"Grande fu la bataille jamais tele norres
Forment se contenoient les Englois aliez
Home nentre sur eulx ne soit mort ou blechiez
Toux sont en un moncel com si fussent liez
De Montauban Guille le preux et laloses," &c.

“Grande fu la bataille et li estour planier
Tintiniat le bon estoit tout la premier," &c.

"Grande fu la bataille certez nen doubtez mie Englois sunt desconfis qui vouldrent par enuie Auoir sur les Bretons poste et seigneurie

Mais tretout leur orgueil tourna en grant folie," &c.

"Mighty was the conflict on the grassy plain; Caro of Botegat was stunned by a mace, and the valiant Tristan smitten to death. Then he cried aloud, 'Beaumanoir, where art thou? here, the English have seized upon me, wounded and overthrown; but I never despair of victory on the day I see thee near me;'" &c.

"Mighty was the conflict in the midst of the field, and the carnage horrible, and fierce the tumult. The Bretons are worsted; I relate no falsehood, for two of them are slain, and three are prisoners; and there are but five and twenty engaged in the fight. But Geoffroy de la Roche, an esquire of most high and noble ancestry, demands the order of knighthood, and Beaumanoir confers it on him, in the name of St. Mary, and says unto him, 'Good gentle son, spare not thyself; remind thee of him who, by his order of knighthood, was at Constantinople, in the company of such honourable associates; and Í swear that the English shall pay the cost of thy knighting before the hour of vespers.' Pembroke heard him, but he considered not his valour, or his noble conduct; and he said to Beaumanoir, with much confidence, 'Surrender thee, Beaumanoir, and I will not injure thee: but I will present thee as a captive to my mistress, for I promised her, and shall not deceive her, that today I would bring thee to her fair abode.' And Beaumanoir answered, 'I have other things in contemplation, and I purpose them much, together with all my companions, that if it please the King of Glory and saint Mary, and the good saint Yves, in whom I strongly trust, when the die is cast, the hazard falls on thee; and thy life will not be long.' Alan de Keranrais heard the words, and said to Pembroke, 'Unworthy wretch, what meanest thou? Thinkest thou thus to treat a man of such renown? 'tis I myself that defy thee this day on his behalf; and now will I strike thee down with my tranchant sword.' Alan de Keranrais, at the same moment, struck him with his sharp-headed lance, in the midst of his visage, so that the iron head entered into his brain,'" &c.

"Mighty was the conflict and long its duration, and the carnage horrible on every side. It was on a Saturday before Lætare Jerusalem, and the sun shone bright. The heat was excessive; each combatant exerted himself to the utmost, and the earth was reddened with blood. That good Saturday, Beaumanoir had fasted, and he now felt great thirst, and asked for drink. Geoffroy de Boues answered him immediately, 'Drink thy blood, Beaumanoir, and thy thirst will leave thee;'" &c.

"Fierce was the combat, and the rencontre deadly. Half-way between Josselin and the castle of Ploermel, on an exceeding pleasant plain, at the oak of Mi-voie, by a field of broom that was green and beautiful, there were the English close collected in body," &c.

"Mighty was the conflict, never was known its equal. The English maintained their position, closely formed together; none approached them but fell dead or wounded: they are all in one compact body, as if they had been bound together.* But William de Montauban, the preux and valiant," &c.

In a note upon this passage the French editor pays a high compliment to the coolness and discipline of the English troops (le sang-froid et la discipline des troupes Angloises,) which at Cressy and Poictiers, and also at Fontenoy, until attacked by artillery, triumphed over the numbers and valour of the French army, inasmuch as, at the latter place, a column of English infantry sustained the shock of all the French regiments, which came on successively, only to break themselves in pieces against its immoveable mass, (contre sa masse inebranlable.)