Part 4 (1/2)
The duke bore with this behaviour but a very little while, and without further 'parlement' sent for his people from all sides. Then with ditches and stakes and palisades he quickly formed a fort[4], at the foot of the hill in the valley, so as to command all the country round, and prevent those in the castle from obtaining either ox, or cow, or calf: and the fort was so strong, and was garrisoned by so many knights, the best of the chivalry of all Normandy, that no effort of either king or earl to take it, was likely to be of any avail. So the duke, having thus completed his work, went his way to attend to his affairs elsewhere.
The king of France soon knew that the duke had fortified his post, and blockaded the tower, so that no provisions could enter therein. Then he a.s.sembled a great chivalry, and got together much store of provisions and arms, intending to relieve the tower of Arches, where the supply of corn began to fail. Having reached Saint-Albin[5], with an ample store both of corn and wine, the king made a halt, ordering sumpter horses to be made ready to carry the stores onward, and providing a troop of knights to form the convoy.
Those in the besiegers' fort soon heard of the great preparations waiting at Saint-Albin to provision and relieve Arches. Then they selected their strongest and best fighting men, and privily formed an ambuscade in the direction of Saint-Albin. Having done this, they sent out another party with orders to charge the king's force, and then to turn back, making as if they would flee. But when they had pa.s.sed the spot where the ambuscade lay, they turned quickly round on those who were pursuing, and fiercely attacked the French; those also who were lying in ambuscade riding forth, and joining in the a.s.sault.
The Frenchmen were thus grievously taken in; and being separated from the rest of their army, the Normans charged them boldly, and took and killed many. Hue Bardous[6] was taken early in the affray; Engerrens count of Abevile[7], was killed, and all suffered greatly. The king of France was in great grief; he mourned heavily, and was sorely vexed for the knights that had been thus surprised, and for his brave barons who had fallen. He made ready the baggage horses, and carried the stores to the town of Arches; and when he had so done, he returned back to Saint-Denis with no small shame and disgrace, as it seems to me.
The duke was sojourning at Valognes, for the sake of the woods and rivers which abound there, and on other affairs and business of his own, when a messenger came spurring on with pressing speed, and hastening unto him, cried out and said, ”Better would it be for thee to be elsewhere! they who guard the frontiers have need of thy aid; for thy uncle William of Arches hath linked himself by oath and affiance to king Henry of France. The king hasteth to relieve and store Arches, and William will do him service for it in return.”
Then the duke tarried not till the varlet should speak further, nor indeed till he had well said his say; but called for his good horse.
”Now I shall see,” said he, ”who of you is ready, now I shall see who will follow me.” And he made no other preparation, but forthwith crossed the fords[8], pa.s.sed Baieues and then Caen, and feigned as though he would go to Rouen. But when he came to Punt-Audumer, he crossed over to Chaudebec, and from Chaudebec rode on to Bans-le-c.u.n.te. What need of many words? He hasted and galloped on till he joined his people before Arches; but none of those who took horse at the same time at Valognes kept up with him; and all wondered how he had come so soon from such a distance, when no one else had been able to do as much[9].
Then he rejoiced greatly to learn what had happened; how the French had been discomfited, and their people routed and taken prisoners. William of Arches however kept close, defending his castle bravely and long; and he would have held it longer still, had not provisions failed him. So at length he abandoned land, and castle, and tower; and surrendering all up to duke William, fled to the king of France.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Footnote 1: The adventure of William of Arques is out of chronological order in _Wace_, who, however, follows _William of Jumieges._]
[Footnote 2: Arques is the capital of the district around, formerly called Tallou, Tellau, or Tallogium.]
[Footnote 3: The MSS. differ; we follow d.u.c.h.esne's. M. Pluquet's text reads 'La tur rut fete el _pie_ del munt.']
[Footnote 4: 'Chasteillun,' afterwards 'Chastelet.']
[Footnote 5: St. Aubin-le-Cauf, on the other side of the valley. There is another St. Aubin, south of Arques.]
[Footnote 6: Hugh Bardolf, a distinguished name in Norman and English history. In the roll of Norman fees in the red book of the Exchequer, we find Doon Bardulf returned as one of those, 'qui non venerunt nec miserunt nec aliquid dixerunt.']
[Footnote 7: Enguerran, count of Ponthieu, the second of the name, nephew of Guy the bishop, who afterwards wrote the latin poem on the battle of Hastings, which is now in the press at Rouen. He succeeded his father, Hugh II. in 1052; and was himself succeeded by his brother Guy, afterwards taken prisoner at the battle of Mortemer, their brother Valeran being killed there. Mr. Stapleton has, in the _Archaeologia_, vol. 26, shown that this Enguerran married Adelidis, sister of the _whole_ blood to the Conqueror; and that Adelidis, wife of Odo, Count of Champagne, was one of her daughters; the other being Judith, wife of Waltheof.]
[Footnote 8: The fords of St. Clement, which have been before noticed.
The places next mentioned are Bayeux, Pont-Audemer, Caudebec, and Bans or Baons-le-Comte, near Ivetot.]
[Footnote 9: _William of Poitiers_ varies somewhat from Wace's account; he gives William six attendants on this occasion.]
CHAPTER V.
HOW THE KING OF FRANCE INVADED NORMANDY, AND WAS BEATEN AT MORTEMER.
The French had often insulted the Normans by injurious deeds and words, on account of the great dislike and jealousy which they bore to Normandy. They continually spoke scornfully, and called the Normans BIGOZ and DRASCHIERS[1]; and often remonstrated with their king, and said, ”Sire, why do you not chase the Bigoz out of the country? Their ancestors were robbers, who came by sea, and stole the land from our forefathers and us.” By the persuasion of these felons, who talked thus because they hated the duke, the king undertook the enterprise[2]; though it was disliked by many of his men. He said he would go into Normandy, and would conquer it; he would divide his army into two parts, and invade in two directions. And what he said, he endeavoured to execute; summoning his people from all sides.
He collected them in two positions, according as the river Seine divided them; those of Reins and those of Seissons, of Leun[3], and of Noions; those of Melant[4], and of Vermandeiz; of Pontif[5] and of Amineiz; those of Flanders and of Belmont[6]; of Brie and of Provens. All these, who are beyond Seine he a.s.sembled by twenties, by hundreds, and by thousands, in Belveisin, meaning to enter the pays de Caux from that side. To the Conestable and Guion[7], he sent his brother Odo[8], and directed them to enter by Caux, and ravage all the land around.
And he summoned all the rest of his people, according as the river Seine divides them from the others, to meet him at Meante[9]; those of Toroigne and of Bleis; of Orlianz and of Vastineis; of the Perche and of the Chartrain; of the bocage and of the plain; those of Boorges[10], of Berri; of Estampes and of Montlheri; of Grez and of Chasteillun; of Senz and of Chastel-Landun, the king ordered to come to Meante. And he menaced the Normans, and boasted much that he would destroy Evrecin, Rosineis, and Lievin[11], and would ride even as far as the sea, returning by Auge.
William was in great alarm, for he was much afraid of the king's power; and he also formed his men into two companies. About Caux, he placed Galtier Giffart[12], and the men of that country; Robert, count d'Ou, and old Huon de Gornai; and with these he ranged William Crespin[13], who had much land in Velquessin[14]. These had under them the people of the country around them, their relations and friends. The duke retained the other company under his own command, to oppose the king. He a.s.sembled the men of the Beessin, and the barons of the Costentin, and those of the valley of Moretoing[15]; and of Avranches, which is beyond it; Raol Tesson of Cingueleis, and the knights of Auge and of Wismeis[16]; all these the duke summoned to meet him. He would, he said, be close upon the king, and encamp hard by him, looking keenly after the foragers, that they should not stray far without having some damage, if he could help it; and he caused all provisions to be removed from the way by which the king must pa.s.s; and drove the beasts into the woods, and made the villains keep watch over them there.