encamped in a fine meadow, and made a large ditch IN their front. The marflials, and fir Robert de Beaumanoir, marfiial of Brittany, made frequent excoriions: there were ikirmilhes on both fides, which occa-fipned the overthrow and death of many. The king of England fent for the earl of'Sa-LISBURY, the earl of Pembroke, and the reft who were _ befieging Rennes. • The Englilh, and the Bretons of the Montfort party, might amount to nearly two thoufand five hundred men at arms, fix thoufand archers, and three thoufand men on fooU The French were four times that number, well conditioned and well armed. : The king of England had taken fuch a poiition before Vannes, that the French could not attack him, but to their difadvantage ; and fince the ar-rival of the duke of Normandy, he had not made any affault upon the town, wifliing to fpare his men and his artillery. Thus thefe two armies lay near each other fou a long time. When the winter fet in, pope Cle-ment VI. fent thither the cardinal of Prenefte and the cardinal of Clermont, who made frequent vifits from one army to the other, to endeavour to re-concile them ; but they would not confent to a peace.* There * The ûrû of thefe prelates was Peter des Près, born in Quercy, chancellor of the church of Rome, and bifhop of Frefcati : the other was* Annibal de Cecano, bifhop of Pa-lestine The conferences were held ia the priory of the Mag-dalen, 41