A.I). 1217.] SIKOK OF MOL'.NTSOUEL CASTI.K. 389, cross moviti gradually from the north towards the east, and many thousands saw it. The siege of the castle of Alountsorel. In the same year after Easter, hy the orders of William Marshall guardian of the. king and kingdom of England, there assembled, to lay siege to the castle of Mountsorel, Ralph earl of Chester, William earl of Albemarle, William earl of Ferrnrs, Robert de Vipont, Brian de L'lsle, W. de Cantelupe, I'll ili | Mare, Robert de Caugi, Falknsitis with his castellans, and many others from the garrisons of the different eastles, and they at once arranged their engines of war in suitable positions and invested the castle. The commander of the, place was Henry de Braybrooke. and there were with him ten knights, men of great valour, and a number of attendants, who courageously returned stone for stone and weapon for weapon on their assailants; the besieged, after they bad defended the castle for several days, in order that they might not be reduced to want through a protracted siege, sent to Saver earl of Winchester, who was then at London, begging him to come at once to tlieir assistance. The said earl then, to whom the castle belonged, went to Louis who had lately returned to London from the transmarine provinces, and demanded of him to send some assistance by which the siege might be raised ; after consulting with each other they came to the determination to send a body of knights to raze the siege and to reduce the whole district to submission to Louis. In pursuance of this plan there went forth from the city of London six hundred knights and more than twenty thousand soldiers, wdio all coveted the property of others ; and this array was under the command of the count of l'erche marcsehul of France, Sayer earl of Winchester, Robert Fitz-AValter with many others, whom they esteemed tit to collimanti the expedition. They moved their camp on the 30th of April, which was on the Monday next before our Lord's Ascension, and marched to St. Alban's pillaging all the places they passed. These wicked French freebooters and robbers roved through the towns around them, sparing neither churches nor cemeteries, and made prisoners of the inhabitants of all ranks, and, after dreadfully torturing them, extorted a heavy ransom from them ; the convent of St.