A.D. 1225.] COUNT RICHARD AT GASCOXT. knight, and ten others with him, who were appointed to attend him. In the spring following, on Palm Sunday, the said Richard was sent by the king into Gascony, accompanied by William earl of Salisbury, Philip de Albeney, and forty knights, and after a prosperous voyage they all arrived safely at the city of llourdeaux ; and on their arrival being made known to the archbishop anil citizens, they were received with honours by all. Richard then, having called the citizens together in presence of the archbishop and the king's messengers, showed them his brother's letters, in which he humbly begged that all his faithful subjects in those districts would receive his brother amicably, and would give him advice and assistance, by which he would be able to recover his lost territories; all parties therefore received him on friendly terms, and made their submission to the king of England through him. A number of knights and soldiers then came to him from those provinces, and remained in his service on receiving sufficient pay from him ; for the king, before he sent him into the transmarine provinces, had given him the county of Cornwall, with the whole of Poictou, for which reason he was called count of Poietou. Count Richard then with his uncle William, earl of Salisbury, and Philip de Albeney, attended by a large body of knights, inarched through the towns and amongst the castles of that district, and wherever they found any opposers who would not do homage and givo their allegiance to the king, they besieged their castles and towns and reduced them to subjection by force of arms; ho after a long siege took the castle of Rieux, together with the town, obtained possession of the city and castle of St. JIaeaire, and besieged the castle of Bregerae, and brought the lord of it back to his allegiance to the king. But whilst he. was besieging the castle of Rieux, and continually making assaults on it, Louis the French king sent orders to the count of Marche and other nobles of Poietou to march to the aforesaid castle, raise the siege, and bring count Richard a prisoner before him. The count de la Marche then, being joined by some barons and knights in arms, marched with a strong force to raise the siege of the above ca.-tle; count Richard however with his friends, being informed by tlieir scouts of the approach of the enemy, laid an ambuscade for them, and leaving part of his army to carry on the siege, he,