Large

ments of discord, in hastening the war. forces were now raised on both sides, and Henry, not knowing where his dominions would be attacked, separated his troops into four divisions, sending John towards the frontiers of Anjou, and Richard to guard Poictou, while his natural son Geoffrey, formerly Bishop of Lincoln, commanded a third body, and the Earl of Albemarle a fourth.

The coruse of Philip was soon decided; and having united the whole of his forces at Bourges en Berri, he marched rapidly upon Issoudun, which was taken almost without resistance. He then forced Gracay, and advanced at once towards Chateauroux. Before he could invest that city, however, Richard and John had thrown themselves into the place, and prepared to defend it to the last extremity. At the same time, Henry bringing the whole of the rest of his forces into one body, hastened to the assistance of his sons, while Philip turned to meet him; thus raising the siege and permitting the two English princes to join their father. The armies were on the eve of battle, when the clergy interfered, and two legates of the pope, who had come from Italy some time before, commanded the monarchs, in the name of the church, to desist from their unchristian quarrels, on pain of excommunication.*

* For these events I have depended upon Hovedon, William of Newbury, and Diceto, rejecting the account of Gervaise of Canterbury, which begins with the serious assertion that a cer

maginations of two furious hosts, ents as panting to ay purposes, at rice, would seem the threat of excom

month of April. The particulars of the, thunders of which took place are not known, but the two monarchs separated with hope of peace, and the English Philip with making demands was impossible Henry coul parted then to prepare fo that Richard was now s to his father's caus

doubt that the de

Henry II. was

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L of England and amar verpons, negotiations ms vere proposed, and a for two years,

stipulated that

any had obtained was to rethe end of the truce, and that

Image to the French

La derve monarchs could be te maandme, if we may believe factors i йspate between the two

x xurred to Philip's court of sacred by zo historian more

The account given by William fen and Richard running with Cam, sraviet arms, and falling high is of course unworthy of a *e the poem of the

La Sequr, dhe arms of the Virgin, a Betol's Bancois breaking off its

aku wat Dane ar de secount given by Monof Richard, when the battle

Ican might be, as indeed it was, exaic, without abandoning the regions of

uld seem, however, that Richard took a great in the negotiations on this occasion, and that ip applied himself with all that art which he so reatly possessed, to win the affection of the English prince. Nor did he do so in vain, for, after the truce was concluded, the young Duke of Aquitaine remained with the King of France, without the consent and against the will of his father, and even accompanied him to Paris. The French monarch left no means untried, omitted no sign of confidence

was just about to commence, going over on a fiery courser to the King of France, preceded by his banner and by the Count of Flanders, and declaring that he had come to do homage to that king, and to treat in the name of his father. Where Monsieur Capefigue derived this romantic little incident, I do not know; William the Breton is the only author whom he cites near that place, and the anecdote is placed within inverted commas; but such a statement is not to be found in William the Breton, nor in any other contemporary authority that I have met with, the nearest approach to it being that of Gervaise of Canterbury, which we have noticed in a preceding note. I cannot help thinking that Monsieur Capefigue must have consulted a very different copy of William of Breton from any that I have ever seen or heard of, inasmuch as in every one of the passages which he marks with inverted commas, as cited from that work, I find an immensity of matter which I cannot discover at all in the original. Assuredly the above tale is neither to be found in the Philipeide, nor in the Life of Philip by William the Breton.

It is certain that in that day the thunders of Rome were very powerful upon the imaginations of men; but the willingness of these two furious hosts, which William the Breton represents as panting to engage, to lay aside their sanguinary purposes, at the first sound of the clerical voice, would seem not a little surprising. At the threat of excommunication, the gallant chivalry of England and France instantly dropped their weapons, negotiations were commenced, treaties were proposed, and a suspension of arms was agreed upon for two years, in the convention for which it was stipulated that the territory which Philip had obtained was to remain in his hands to the end of the truce, and that Urse de Freteval should do homage to the French King till the claims of the two monarchs could be finally settled. In the meantime, if we may believe Rigordus, the matters in dispute between the two crowns were to be referred to Philip's court of peers, but this is confirmed by no historian more worthy of credit. The account given by William the Breton, of Henry and Richard running with bended heads and stretched-out arms, and falling at the knees of Philip, is of course unworthy of a moment's consideration;* for the poem of the

tain image of the infant Saviour, in the arms of the Virgin, bled profusely on one of Richard's Brabancois breaking off its

arm.

* I cannot place more reliance on the account given by Monsieur Capefigue, (vol. i. p. 282,) of Richard, when the battle

good Armorican might be, as indeed it was, extremely prosaic, without abandoning the regions of fiction.

It would seem, however, that Richard took a great part in the negotiations on this occasion, and that Philip applied himself with all that art which he so greatly possessed, to win the affection of the English prince. Nor did he do so in vain, for, after the truce was concluded, the young Duke of Aquitaine remained with the King of France, without the consent and against the will of his father, and even accompanied him to Paris. The French monarch left no means untried, omitted no sign of confidence

was just about to commence, going over on a fiery courser to the King of France, preceded by his banner and by the Count of Flanders, and declaring that he had come to do homage to that king, and to treat in the name of his father. Where Monsieur Capefigue derived this romantic little incident, I do not know; William the Breton is the only author whom he cites near that place, and the anecdote is placed within inverted commas; but such a statement is not to be found in William the Breton, nor in any other contemporary authority that I have met with, the nearest approach to it being that of Gervaise of Canterbury, which we have noticed in a preceding note. I cannot help thinking that Monsieur Capefigue must have consulted a very different copy of William of Breton from any that I have ever seen or heard of, inasmuch as in every one of the passages which he marks with inverted commas, as cited from that work, I find an immensity of matter which I cannot discover at all in the original. Assuredly the above tale is neither to be found in the Philipeide, nor in the Life of Philip by William the Breton.