was slaine with a small shot and this was the end of this noble Earle after he had with much honor more fame and great renowne serued his Prince in warrs foure and twenty years in France and was honorably interred amongst them on whose Tombe in ingrauen as followeth Inscription on the tomb of Iohn first Earle of Shrewsbury Here lieth the right noble knight Iohn Talbott Earle of Shrewsbury Washford Waterford and Valence Lord Talbot of Goodrige and Vrchengfield Lord Strange of the blacke Meere Lord Verdon of Alton Lord Crumwell of Wingfield Lord Louetoft of Worsop Lord Furniuall of Sheffield Lord Faulconbrige knight of the most noble order of S. George S. Michaell and the Golden fleece Great Marshall to king Henry the sixt of his realme of France who died in the battell of Burdeaux in the yeare of our Lord 1453. 1453. If I should set downe euery particular seruice of such as haue discended of this noble house done from time to time in the warres for their prince and countrey it would aske very long time therefore he that desireth to knowe more thereof I referre him to the Chronicles of this realme where they are set forth at large to their great honor and glory And touching the loyalty of this noble house to the Crowne I find it not attainted for any disloyalty to the same sithens the conquest of this realme for which they are most deepely bound to yeeld their most humble thankes to the goodnesse of Almighty God that so from time to time hath blessed the same and so much the more for that a great number of other Peeres and Nobles of this land haue bene attainted sithens that time for their disloyalty In honor of which house of the Lord Talbot I haue made these few verses following TAlbot I am that euer haue bene true Vnto my Prince her crowne and dignity And hope in God my fathers to ensue So as my bloud shall neuer stained be Prest I will be my countrey to defend As doth belong to men of my degree And on her foes my life and land will spend As each man ought for her securitie The acts of warre performed by my name I shall increase as God shall giue me might To serue my Prince when she commands the same As doth belong vnto a faithfull knight My gracious Prince hath honored me With name of thorder of the garter knight Of which great kings haue much desired to be Wherein these words with golden letters bright Hony soyt qui mal y pense are seene As much to say as ill to him befall That ill doth wish vnto so good a Queene And so I pray and during life I shall And for some among many examples of the loyaltie of that noble house Holinsh 368. first I find that William Lord Talbot in king Stephen his time tooke vppon him to defend Hereford in Wales as diuerse other nobles of this Realme did other Castles and townes in England to the vse of Maud the Empresse and her sonne against the sayd king Stephen who vsurped and detayned the Crowne against her sayd son contrary to his oath made to the sayd Empresse her said son being the right heyre to Henry the first his Realme of England Iohn Earle of Shrewsbury was slaine at North taking part with Henry the sixt against the Duke of Yorke others then I find how Sir Gilbert Talbot was sent by the yong Earle of Shrewsbury being within age and ward to Richard the third with two thousand of his tenants and friends to ayde Henry Earle of Richmond against the sayd King Richard Stow. 121. being not onely an horrible murtherer of his Nephewes king Edward the fourth his childrē but also an vsurper of the Crowne whom the sayd Earle ouerthrew at Bosworth field and so obtayned the Scepter Royall of this Realme I note also the great loyalty of the right noble George fourth Earle of Shrewsbury that where diuerse euill disposed persons in the rebellion in the North parts of this Realme about the 28 yeare of the raigne of King Henry the eight gaue forth very slanderous and dishonorable speeches against the sayd Earle Holinsh 1567. as though he had fauored more the part of the rebels then of the king his Maister for a full testimony and declaration of his truth to his Prince he caused his Chapleyn to minister to him an oath in the presence of a great number of people assembled by him to represse the sayd rebels by which oath he did protest that as his Auncesters had bene euer true to the Crowne so be wold not staine his bloud in ioyning with a sort of rebels and traytors against their Prince but sayd he would liue and die in defence of the Crowne if it did stand but vpon a stake How faithfully did the Lord George last Earle of Shrewsbury discharge the great trust reposed in him by her Maiestie and her whole Councell in the garding safe keeping of the Quéene of Scots by the space of seuenteene yeares at the least a matter of such importance as the like so long time was neuer committed to any State or Péere of this Realme sithens the conquest thereof and how carefully he did preuent the sundry deuises and subtill practises wrought by her selfe and others for her escape it is sufficiently knowne The trust was the greater for that if she had escaped no small danger might haue ensued to the person of our most gracious Queene and to the whole Realme as may appeare by her sundry conspiracies against the same In like manner when any matter of great importance for the seruice of the Realme in those parts was committed to him as often many were how carefully and painefully Camden 463. and with what expedition he would dispatch the same the world can testifie what great confidence was reposed in him by the Queenes Maiestie when he was made Lieutenant of the counties of Darby and Stafford in those dangerous dayes and how he performed the same trust to the preseruation of the common peace and quietnesse of those Shires is well knowne to all men what great trust was committed to himselfe also when he had authority in times of rebellion and other outrageous actions in those parts to suppresse the same in forcible manner and to execute the offenders by Marshall iustice without further proceeding in law against thē by the large Commission directed vnto him is manifest Gilbert now the seuenth Earle of Shrewsbury And lastly was not the right honourable Gilbert now Earle of Shrewsbury in the xxxviij yeare of her Maiesties most gracious Raigne sent into Fraunce to receiue the oath of the French king for the confirmation of the most honorable league betwixt her Maiestie and the said king and did not he performe that Embassage to his great honour And did not the sayd king in proofe of his great good acceptation thereof His Embassage most honorably performed in Fraunce giue him
They remēbred not that the Fowlers whistle soundeth swéetly when he deceiueth the bird most cunningly according to the saying Fistula dulce canit volucrem dum decipit auceps Neither Cato lib. 1. that faire words make fooles faine and that vnder the gréene grasse often lurketh the suttle serpent nor that in the fairest floure a man may soonest find a canker Poemata Ciceronis 249. fol. 161. Nullae sunt occultiores insidiae quà m quae latent in simulatione officij aut in aliquo necessitudinis nomine Tully de amicitia saith Apertè enim adulantem nemo non vidit nisi qui admodum est excors callidus ille occultus ne se insinuet studiosè cauendum est They had also forgotten the counsell which Vicount de Melloir a Frenchman gaue to certaine of them in his sicknesse at London Holinsh 603 Booke of Martyrs fol. 214. which was as followeth I lament saith he for your destruction and desolation at hand because you are ignorant of the perils hanging ouer your heads for this vnderstand that Lewes and with him sixtéene Earles and Barons of Fraunce haue secretly sworne and vowed that if fortune should fauour him so much as to conquer this realme of England The oth of Lewes the French kings sonne with other his Earles ◠Barons and to be crowned king to kill banish and consume all those of the English Nobilitie which now do serue vnder him persecute their owne king as traitors and rebels and furthermore to dispossesse all their linage of such inheritance as they now hold in England And because saith he you shall not haue doubt hereof I which lie here at the point of death do now affirme vnto you and take it on the perill of my soule that I am one of those sixtéene that haue sworne to performe these things and therefore I aduise you to prouide for your owne safeties and also of your realme which you now destroy and that you kéepe this thing secret which I haue vttered vnto you After this he shortly died but the curteous offer of Lewes to the Barons as is aboue remembred so lulled thē on sléepe as it were Holinsh 601. that they regarded not this good aduise for after this diuerse of those which before had taken part with king Iohn as William Earle Warren William Earle of Arundell William Earle of Salisburie William Marshall the younger and diuerse other supposing verily that the said Lewes should now attaine the kingdome reuolted to Lewes but after that Lewes was setled Note here what followed by trusting of faire words and had gotten the tower of London diuerse other holds Castles defencible places of this realme into his hands and thought himselfe in maner sure of the kingdome then the Frenchmen began to shew their inward disposition and hatred towards the Englishmen and forgetting all former promises such is the nature of strangers whē they are become Lords of their desire they did manie excessiue outrages in spoiling robbing the people of that country without pitie or mercie and bare little good will towards the Engish men as it appeareth sundry wayes and first of all in that they had them in maner in no regard or estimation but rather sought by all meanes to spoyle and kéepe them vnder Booke of Martyrs fol. 257. not suffering them to beare any rule nor putting them in trust with the custodie of such places as they had brought them in possession of Secondly they called them not to counsell so oft as at the first they vsed to do neither did they procéede by their directions in their businesse as before they were accustomed and thirdly in all their conuersation neither Lewes nor his Frenchmen vsed them so familiarly as at the first comming they did but shewed more loftie countenance towards them whereby they greatly encreased the indignation of the English Lords against them who might euill abide to be so ouerruled To conclude Holinsh 602. where great promises were made at their entring into the land they were slow enough in performing the same so as the expectation of the English Barons was made quite voyd for they perceiued daily that they were despised and scoffed at for their disloyalty shewed towards their owne naturall Prince hearing now and then nips taunts openly by the Frenchmen saying that as they had shewed themselues false and vntrustie to their owne lawfull king Note so they would not continue anie long time true to a stranger Hereupon the Barons better considering the words of the sayd Vicount of Melloit and withall the great daunger that the realme was brought in by their dissention and opposition against their soueraigne Lord and the litle account the Frenchmen made of them Booke of Martyrs 247. gaue them iust occasion to take a better course and so they reuolted to king Henrie their naturall Liege Lord for King Iohn shortly after the comming of Lewes into England departed this life and they ioyned with the King in battell against Lewes where he had a great ouerthrow whereupon he and all his companie departed into Fraunce and king Henrie possessed the Crowne after that in quiet Caesar was wont to say of such as were false to their Prince and countrey Caesar that he loued Traitors to serue his turne but abhorred them as monstrous to the common wealth It is written of Alexander the Great Alexander who had conquered many countreys that he did long time séeke many wayes to winne a certaine countrey pertaining to Darius king of Persia and perceiuing that it was inuincible he dealt with a noble man that had the charge thereof vnder the king for a great summe of money to yéeld that countrey to his possession and so did Alexander giue good countenance in his Court to this noble man a good space and in the end entring into a déepe consideration of the matter and meaning thereby to make an example to such as hée might commit trust vnto to beware of such treasonable practises he suddenly commaunded execution to be done of this noble man who hearing thereof and litle deseruing the same as he thought desired to come to Alexanders presence which was graunted besought him to know the cause of this sudden execution who sayd thou hast bene false to thine own Prince how can I then trust thée or hope thou wilt deale truely with me or be my true subiect Tullie lib. 2. officiorum Alexander if I should credit thée with the like and so he was executed Philip king of Macedon did greatly blame his sonne Alexāder in an Epistle which he did write to him saying what occasion or consideration hath brought thée into this hope that thou shouldest thinke that they wil be and continue true and faithfull vnto thée whom thou hast corrupted with money I reade of one Christopher Paris Holinsh 98. Christopher Paris Irish Chron. that had the charge of a Castle in
violence vpon paine of death and shortly after they fired the towne and tooke the seas and they brought also with them into England diuerse of the best sort of the Spaniards taken in the said Citie as prisoners to abide their ransome what the king will do being herewith moued I know not but no doubt her Maiestie will prouide to defend the worst as good pollicie willeth Salomon saith Beatus qui semper timet hoc est qui cautus prouidens est ad omnia mala quae possunt in illum incursare depellenda paratissimus How most graciously Almighty God hath dealt for her Maiestie to defend her her kingdomes from forraine forces inuasion you may sée in that in the beginning of winter about three yeares last past when the king of Spaine had gathered together as great a number of Shippes as he could furnish from all partes of his dominions or could recouer by imbarking all other shippes of seruice which came for trade into Spaine or Portugall intending to haue inuaded her Maiesties realme of England and yet such was the prouidence of God contrary to his expectation intētion by hastening of his enterprise in a time vnlooked for to surprise some place in England or Ireland before her Maiesty could haue had her owne force in readinesse she still prouiding to haue liued in peace which she professeth both to her self all Christēdome it pleased him who frō heauen with iustice beholdeth all mens purposes sodainly most strāgely to drowne make vnseruiceable diuerse of his best ships of warre being vnder saile comming from Lisbone and verie neare to the deffined hauen of Ferroll with destruction of no smal numbers of souldiers and mariners among which manie of those Irish rebels which were entertained in Spaine to haue accompanied either that Nauy or some part therof into Irelād were also cast away by which manifest act of Almightie God the Armie was so weakened as the same could not put to the seas according to his former purpose And here I protest that I write not anie thing to disgrace anie Prince or nation against whom our nation hath so often preuailed but that you may by the said examples sée that God giueth the victorie where it pleaseth him although the said other Princes be right couragious and valiant in armes That notwithstanding the difference of religiō or anie other cause whatsoeuer we ought all to ioyne together for the defence of our Prince and countrey against the enemie with a repetition of certaine lawes tending chiefly to the preseruation of her Maiesties person and the safetie and defence of the realme CHAP. 12. ANd though we be deuided for religion which God of his mercie bring to vnitie yet I trust that we will wholly Though we be deuided for religion yet we must ioyne against the enemie faithfully and as we are bound and belongeth to good and loyall subiects and naturall men to their countrey ioyne together in this seruice of defence of our Prince and countrey against the enemie following the good example of the Iewes who although great dissention and ciuill discord was among themselues as Iosephus writeth in his booke de bello Iudaico yet when the enemie did inuade their countrie Lib. 6. cap. 10 they ioyned together and valiantly defended thēselues So did the Romans as Bodinus writeth his words be these Bodinus 563 Cùm enim aliquando in visceribus vrbis Romanae patres cum plebe capitalibus odijs inter se contenderent hostis in Capitolium inuasit repentè ciues ad concordiam adducti hostem repulerunt rursus parta pace cùm ciuiles discordias relapsas intuerentur venientes Romanos agros vastare coeperunt repent è ciuilis motus conquieuit vt hostes propulsarent That is When the chiefe of the citie of Rome with the common sort of the Citizens there were at deadly hate the enemie entred the Capitoll wherupon sodainly the Citizens being reduced to concord they did driue away the enemie and by that meanes peace being obtained when they againe fell into ciuill discord the enemy that perceiuing they destroyed the fields at Rome whereupon the commotion ceased that they might repulse the enemie To that effect he writeth of the troubles of Spaine Ibidem 563. thus Nec verò motus ciuiles Hispanorum aliter sedare potuerunt cum absente Carolo quinto Imperatore nouum creauissent regem Gallorum exercitu in Cantabriam Nauarram tunc irruente quas regiones Galli occupauerant sed Hispani repentè conciliatis animis hostiles impetus represserunt amissa recuperarunt That is The ciuill warres and troubles in Spaine could not otherwise be appeased when Charles the fift Emperour being absent they made a new King at which time an armie of the Frenchmen entredinto Cātabrie and Nauarre and possessed the same but the Spaniards sodainely according within themselues did expell them and recouered againe those losses By these examples the naturall affection which these men had and euerie man ought to haue to the preseruation and safetie of their countrie doth euidētly appeare And whatsoeuer the cause be that moueth ciuill warres yet that ought not to worke such malice in them as the safetie and good of their countrie should thereby be endangered or neglected wherby the saying of the Poet Ouid may appeare to be true Nescio qua natale solum dulcedine cunctos Ducit immemores non sinit esse sui And because there are many good lawes ordained Diuerse lawes meet to be set downe and knowne in these dangerous dayes as well in the time of our most gracious Soueraigne Ladie that now is as also of her noble Progenitors by the authority of their high Courts of Parliament touching the securitie of her Highnesse person and the safety and defence of the realme which be necessarie at all times but especially now in these dangerous dayes to be knowne I haue thought good here to make mention of them to the end men should not be ignorant thereof although in truth the ignorance of the law doth not excuse German fol. 52. but of the déed as the saying is Ignorantia legis non excusat sed ignorantia facti And first touching her Maiesties person 25. E. 3. cap. 2 Compasse or imagine the death of the Queene it is ordained by a Statute made in the fiue and twentieth yeare of Edward the third which some hold to be but a confirmation of the common law that if anie compasse or imagine the death of her Maiestie whom Almightie God of his great mercy vouchsafe to preserue and to graunt her life with most prosperous health in high felicitie long to cōtinue and to raigne ouer vs to the ouerthrow of her enemies confusion of all traitors this is high treason Treason B. 24. 1. Mariae These words ompasse or imagine the death of the King or Quéene are large words for he that doth deuise how the Prince shall come
to endure during the Queenes Maiesties life that now is And it is felony in any that hath the charge of armour vtctuals powder shot munition or other abiliments of war or victuals prouided for victualling of any souldiers gunners or mariners or pyoners of the Queenes Maiestie that shall to hinder her Maiesties seruice willingly imbezell or conuey away the same being to the value of xx shillings at one or diuerse times if he be within one yeare next after impeachedsor the same 31. Eliz. Chap. And for that her Maiestie must haue souldiers to serue her in warre 31. Eliz. Souldiers it is conuenient to set downe their duties Also it is felony by a Statute made 18. Henry the sixt in euery man that is mustered and receiueth the kings wages 18. Henry the sixt which departeth from his Captaine without licence of his Captaine except it be for notorious sicknesse or impediment by the visitation of God and if any souldier man at armes or archer mustered of record and going with his Captaine beyond the sea shall returne into England within the tearme for which his Captaine hath retayned him or leaue his Captaine there in the kings seruice and aduenture of the warre except hee hath reasonable cause shewed to his Captaine and by him to the chiefe in the countrey hauing royall power and thereuppon shall haue licence of his Captaine Licence vnder his seale and the cause of his licence and who that so is mustered of record and commeth away without letters testimoniall of his Captaine as is sayd within his tearme on this side the sea that the kings ministers there shall haue authority to arrest thē and them there keepe vntill it be inquired and if it may be found before the Iustice of peace and proued that they haue so mustered of record departed from their Captaine without licence as aforesayd Felony Souldiers by sea 13. Eliz. that then they shall be punished as felons as by that Statute plainly appeareth and the sayd Statute is made to extend to souldiers and gunners which serue on the sea as appeareth by thirteenth Eliz. If any person that shal be cōmanded to come to the muster Musters 4 5. P. and M 3. doe willingly absent himselfe hauing no excuse of sickenesse or other lawfull impediment or at their apparance at such musters doe not bring with them the best furniture of array and Armour Armour as he or they shall then haue for his or their owne person in a readinesse Imprisonment shall for euery such default or offence haue imprisonment by the space of ten daies without bayle or mainprise by the cōmandement of such as shall haue authoritie to take the same musters vnlesse the offenders do agree with the said Commissioners or two of them to pay to the vse of the Queenes Maiestie for euery such offence fortie shillings for a fine 40. shillings And by the same acte it is further enacted that if any being authorised to leauy Mustermaistter muster or make anie men to serue in warre or otherwise for the defence of this Realme Take monie doe by any meanes take or cause to be taken any thing of any person that shal be appointed named or mustered to serue in any such seruice Release soldier to release or discharge him of such seruice he shall for such offence forfeit fiue times so much as he shall so receiue exacte or take There was a notable necessary exāple made of one L. a Captaine one E. a Scriuener which L. by writing indēted receiued of the Shiriffe of W. by order from her Maiesties Counsell certaine soldiers to be by the said L. conducted to serue her Maiestie in the I le of Wight the said L. by confederacie with the said E. discharged diuerse of the said souldiers for money and deuised betwixt them another writing by colour wherof the said L. caused certaine Constables to bring afore the said L. certaine other to supplie the roome of the other before discharged which was done accordingly for which bad practise prouided euidently the said L. and E. were fined seuerally at 500 markes and adiudged also to stand on the pillorie at Westminster and likewise at the Assises in the said County of W. By this practice the Queens Maiesty was disappointed of the souldiers which by her authoritie were prest and so bound to serue whose departure frōher seruice without lawful licence had bin fellony by the law where the other were not boūd to serue 4 5. P Ma. ca. 3. neither had their departure without any licence bene felonie because they were prest without her Highnesse authoritie If anie Captaine Discharge souldier Wages Conduct money pety Captaine or other hauing chaxge of men for seruice in warre shall for gaine take discharge or licence any of his souldiers or man appointed to serue in the warres vnder his rule or order to depart from the said seruice or shall not pay vnto his souldiers their full and whole wages conducte and coate money within ten daies next after he shall haue receiued the same Ten times the value he shall forfeit for euery such offence ten times the value of the thing so taken or receiued and shall also pay to euery souldier from whome he shall so withhold any of the said wages conduct or coate money Treble sūme Holinsh 998. treble so withhoulden Holinsh 998. speaketh of a knight executed as a traitor for not paying souldiers their wages 51. E. 3. which he receiued of the king to pay them withall Anno 51. Edward 3. And touching the true seruice of Captains and souldiers Captaines Souldiers 2. 3. Ed. 6. ca. 2. it is farther ordained by a statute made in the second and third yere of Edward the sixt that if any souldier seruing the king in his warres do giue or put away any horse gelding or mare or any harnesse wherewith he shal be set forth Souldier put away horse or armour that then euery such souldier so offending vpon due proofe or testimonie to be brought afore the Lieutenant high Admirall the kings deputie Uiceadmirall or Captaine and in their absence before any of their deputies shal be imprisoned by the same Lieutenant or any other before named without baile or mainprise vntill he hath satisfied to the partie owner of the horse gelding mare or harnesse so by him sold purloined exchanged or so wilfully lost altered or otherwise made away and if such souldiers so offending fortune to escape from the Lieutenant and other the aforesaid persons without punishment and restitution aforesaid that then the same souldier vpon complaint made by the partie grieued or his executors or administrators vpon due proofe thereof to be made by any Iustice or Iustices of Peace in the parts where such souldiers so offending shal be found shall by such Iastice be cōmitted to ward without baile or mainprise there to remaine vntill
presented her selfe before him in his chamber and promised him faire vntill she had lulled him asleepe with drinke and then making her praiers to Almighty God to assist her against the proud Assyrian Holofernes she tooke out his sword and stroke of his head and passed through his host with her maid hauing Holofernes head in a bagge and so came to her castle in the night and the next day fixed his head vpon a powle for the view of all his army wherevpon they remoued and so she deliuered her Citie by the great mercy and fauor of God towards her What shall I say of Curtius that noble Romaine and Assurus the kings sonne of Phrigia either of which seeing in their country a dangerous breach of cliffe in the earth which they were perswaded would not be closed vp againe vntill the best thing in the citie which they tooke to be a man were cast into it willingly threw themselues into the same for the safety of the people But forraine examples are innumerable and not so well knowne vnto vs as our owne ¶ This Chapter sheweth sundrie examples of diuerse Noblemen of this land who haue aduentured their liues in defence of their countrey and how that euerie man ought to indeuour him selfe to follow their steps and most valiantly and resolutely to fight in defence of his Prince and countrey against all foreine enemies CHAP. 5. IT is not vnknowne vnto you Aduentures of the Nobilitie how valiantly the Kings Princes and Nobles of this our Nation haue in diuerse and sundrie warres ventured their owne persons and with their owne handes incountred their enemies As for example Did not Henrie the first in a battell in France Holinsh 356. smite downe to the ground Crispio Earle of Eureux by meanes wherof he was taken prisoner at the kings féet Ibidē 1181. 1170. Was not king Henrie the fifth in person in the battell at Agincourt in Fraunce and there likewise fought in his owne person Battell of Agincourt in Frāce fought by K. Henrie the 5. and caried away the stroke of the enemie vpon his helmet and man of the French at that time a glorious victorie And concerning the valiant seruice in field of a great number of the Nobilitie and others of this realme how they haue also endaungered them selues in the defence of their Prince and countrey against the enemie performed most famous actes of chiualrie therein to their great honors immortal fames which obliuion the cankred enemie to fame shall neuer be able to blemish but they shall remaine as spectacles to posterities for euer to behold and to encourage them to ensue their martiall actes and enterprises Among other what valiant and faithfull seruice hath the noble house of the Lord Talbot done from time to time to their Princes and countrey The valiant seruice of the noble house of the Lord Talbot Hall 596. Mauns in Fraunce when the Earle of Suffolke hauing the charge of Mauns in France and the magistrates specially the cleargy of the same citie conspired with the French assuring them that if they would come to surprise the citie they should find them ready to receiue them and so they did by meanes whereof the said Earle with the rest of the said English men were forced to take the castle there and keepe it and in all hast sent to the Lord Talbot who then lay at Alaunson certifying him in what state they stood hauing neither victuall nor munition and their castle almost vndermined so that yeelding now must follow for resistance would not helpe if they were not aided with speed Did not the said Lord Talbot hearing this newes with all hast assemble his Captaines and souldiers to the number of seauen hundred men of warre and in the euening departed from Alaunson and that night entred into the said castle of Mans at a posterne gate secretly Whereupon about sixe of the clocke in the morning the English men issued out of the Castle crying aloud S. George Talbot The Frenchmen within thinking nothing lesse then of this sudden approchment rose out of their beds and fled leauing all their horses armour and riches behind them at which time there was slaine and taken foure hundred gentlemen of the French And thus was the Citie of Mans reduced againe vnto English Mauns takē by the Lord Talbot Holins 1262. Awians Ibid. 1262. mens possessions by this most noble seruice and bold enterprises of this Lord Talbot Did not the Lord Talbot likewise with a companie raise the siege of the French at Awrans then being in the allegiance of the king of England Did not he the Lord Scales and others hearing the Frenchmen to be come within foure leagues of Rone which then was then also Rone vnder the subiection of the king of England by night issue out of that citie and in the morning by day came to the place where the Frenchmen were and then set vpon them where many of them were slaine and taken prisoners Also did not the Duke of Burgundie when he beseeged the towne of Cretoy with ten thousand men Ibidem 1263 Cretoy hearing of the comming of the Lord Talbot raise his siege the sayd Lord Talbot sending him word that he would giue him battell if he would not that the said Earle would wast and destroy his countrey in Picardy and according to his promise so he did Was not Iohn Lord Talbot for his approued prowesse and tried valiancy performed in the warres of France Ibidem 1276 Camden 462. Iohn first Earle of Shrewsburie Normandy Hall 31 h. 6. Aquitaine Burdeux taken Diuers other cities and townes taken created Earle of Shrewsburie about the ninteenth yeare of Henrie the sixt and after sent againe with 3000. men into Normandie for the better defence thereof who neither forgot his duty nor forslowed his businesse but daily labored and hourely studied how to molest and indanger his enemies Did not the kings Counsell then send the said Earle with an army into Aquitaine at the earnest sute of the Magistrates and inhabitants of the citie of Burdeaux who receiued him and his power into that citie by a posterne gate where they siue many of the Captaines and others of the Frenchmen and so was Burdeaux taken by the said Earle which he fortified and after rode into the countrey thereabout and obtained diuers cities and townes without dint of sword And among others did not he take the strong towne of Castillon in Perigot Castillon in Perigot where the French king whē he vnderstood thereof assembled twenty thousand men and entred into Aquitaine Aquitaine Castillon befieged by the french where Castillon is and besieged the said towne of Castillon with a strong siege where vpon the Earle of Shrewsbury assembled 800. horsmen and 5000. footmen and went to the rescue of the said towne in which battell very valiantly he behaued himselfe Earle of Shrewsbury slaine Anno 1453. Camden 462. and there