the count de la Marche heard this, being stung with grief in hie heart, he sent the count of Brittany to the king of France, to be a mediator and an intercessor for peace. And so, though with great difficulty, he was admitted to peace by the king of France, on very severe conditions, being forced to abandon the king of England, after he had drained him of his treasures, and injured his honour. After these events, Reginald de Pontibus, and (following his example) William, surnamed the Archbishop, and the viscount de Tuonare, and many other nobles of Poitou, who nevertheless had craftily, or one might say treacherously, received all the money of the king of England that they could get, now flew to shelter themselves under the wing of the king of France. At this time, too, Richard, abbot of Evesham, died, sur» named the Stout, having been a monk of Westminster, and a prudent and wise man, learned and accomplished in all civil and canon law ; and he died at Ryolan ; at which the king Was greatly grieved, because he was his principal councillor, and at one time had filled the office of chancellor. And while the king of England was disquieted by all these troubles, Eleanor, queen of England, was remaining at Bordeaux, being near the time of her confinement ; and she did not quit that city till she had brought forth a daughter, to whom was given the name of Beatrice, in compliment to the countess of the province of Guienne, whose name was also Beatrice. And the child was born the day after the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. At the same time, a circumstance occurred which the English do not relate without jesting and derision, though not unmingled with indignation. A certain woman, of singularly enormous size, whose carcase, the inheritance of many worms, was sufficient to load an empty litter, I mean the countess of Byarde, with her son Gaston, and fifty knights, being prompted by a covetous desire for money, in which she knew that the king of England abounded, came to him, and made an agreement that her knights should fight for the king for pay, and for this she was to receive thirteen pounds sterling regularly paid every day. But the aforesaid gigantic woman, or her son, or her body of knights, which for a long time remained with the king, to bis great cost, never did the king any service, but were rather an injury to him, and at last they deserted him ridiculously.