in a hostile manner, and destroyed them ; and he besieged the castle of Radepond for an entire week. But when the king of England came to his relief, he retired in disorder, and turn ing off to Gonrnay a few days afterwards, he entered that town, and reduced it under his own power. Then returning to Paris, he placed Arthur under guardianship, giving him two hundred picked knights of the kingdom of France, who were to go to Poitou and reduce that province under his authority. And they, hearing that queen Eleanor was staying at Mirabeau, laid siege to that castle, and compelled it to surrender, the tower alone holding out, into which the queen had betaken herself with a few armed men. When, therefore, they had blockaded it all round, there flocked thither to the assistance of Arthur all the nobles of Poitou, especially Hugh surnamed the Brown, count de la Marche, who was a public enemy of king John, on account of queen Isabella, whom the said count had married as his wife before she was espoused to the king of England ; and in this way they made a great army, and attacked the tower with repeated assaults. The queen being in a strait, signified this to king John, who was at that time in-Normandy, entreating speedy and effectual succour. And when king John heard of her distress, he fiew with all possible speed, and with a numerous army, to the castle of Mirabeau, and the French and the people of Poitou met him boldly, and began a most violent battle. But the French being repulsed, were forced to enter the castle, and the king, pursuing them, continued the bloody conflict within the castle itself, and being assisted by a valiant and glorious body of English, rejoiced in the desired victory. In that battle two hundred knights of the kingdom of France were taken prisoners, and Arthur himself, and all the nobles of Poitou and Anjou, so that not one of them escaped. And the nobles he at once sent into England, and into Normandy, and committed them to custody there ; but he sent Arthur to Falaise, to be carefully guarded. But when the king of France, who was besieging and vigorously attacking the castle of Arques, while the garrison was making a manly resistance, had heard this news, he retired from the siege in disorder. On this, king John, ordering Arthur to be brought before him, enquired of him whether he would adhere to him as his uncle and lord in all good love and peace, to whom Arthur made a spirited and haughty reply, requiring him to surrender