They all obeyed his fummons; for lie was as a king ' in thefe parts of Gafcony. ' The knights who were in Aubefochc were not aware of this, until they found themfelves fo clofely • befieged on all fides that no one could go out of the garrifon without being feen. The French brought from Touloufe four large machines, which caft ftonfcs into 'the fortrefs night and day; and they made no other affault; fo that in fix days time they had demolifhed all the roofs of the towers, and none within the caftie dared to venture out of the vaulted rooms on the ground floor. It was the intention of the army to kill all within the caftie, if they would not furrender them* felves unconditionally, • .News was brought to the earl of Derby, that Auberoche was befieged ; but he did not imagine his friends were fo hard pufhed. When fir Frank van Halle, fir Alain de Finefroide, and fir John Lendal, who were thus befieged, faw how defpe* rate their fituation was, they afked their fer vanta, if there were not one among them who would, for a? reward, undertake to deliver the letters they had written to the earl of Derby at Bourdeaux ? One from among them ftepped forward, and faid, He would be the man, who would cheerfully undertake the commiffion, not through luft of gain, but from his defire to deliver them from the peril they were in. The following night the fervant took the letters, fealed with their feals, and fewed them up in his clothes. He was let down into the pitches : whea he was at the bottom, he climbed up the oppofite fide, 68