A.D . 1234.] THE COUNT OF BRITTANY. 597 and vehicles containing their provisions and arms, carried off their horses and other booty, and, after inflicting all this harm on their enemies, returned to their own quarters without any loss to themselves. The French king, annoyed at the injury done to him, divided his army, and invaded Brittany in all directions. The count, in this strait, asked for and obtained a truce till the feast of All Saints, for the purpose of seeing if the English king, whose ally he was, would come in person to his assistance; and, to obtain this truce, he gave up to the French king three of his best castles, with the understanding that, if the English king would not come in person to the rescue of his territory in the prescribed time, he would give up the whole of Brittany with the castles and cities therein to the French king entire. After making this truce, the count of Brittany scut the English king's knights and Welsh followers home to England, and they advised the king not to wasto any more of the money of the kingdom for the protection of the count of Brittany, inasmuch as he had now entered into a treaty with the French king, to abandon hiin and to make his peace with the king of France, only waiting to exhaust all the English money. After a short time had elapsed the said count came himself to England, and told the king that he had expended all the money he had to obtain this truce from the French king, and asked him to make lini restitution of fifteen thousand marks, which sum, he said, he bad spent in the defence of his territory and for the honour of the king of England. In reply to this demand the king said, that the truce had been obtained and ratified by him, and also added that the treasure of all Kngland was not sufficient for the defence of Brittany, as he had proved by three years' experience, and he did not wish to be further harassed by such trouble and expense ; if the count of Brittany however would think it sufficient, he would send four earls from England with knights and soldiers sufficient to defend that province against the French king. The count, un hearing this, left the king in a rage, and, crossing to his own country, fled to the French king; and, in order to palliate his treason against that monarch, he went to him with a halter round his neck, and, acknowledging his treachery, surrendered to him the whole of Brittany with the towns and castles therein. The French king, it is stated, answered him as follows: "Although, wicked traitor that you are, you have well deserved a disgraceful death, yet I will spare your life in respect to your rank, and 1 will give Brittany to your son for his life, so that after his death the kings of France shall inherit that province." The count, being thus deprived of all his possessions, like a traitor, hy means of messengers again tendered to the English king the homage he had formerly done to him ; the king however seized on all the possessions of the count of Brittany in England, and deprived him of all his dignities.* • l'aria adds :—" The count, seeing misfortunes multiplying upon him.