ëî the French earls who were there, and paid ready money for* them. - There were many meetings and difputes among the knights and fquires of Gafcony, and others, re-lative to the capture of the king of France. On this account, Denys de Morbequè truly and by right of arms claimed him. He challenged another fquire* of Gafcony, named Bernard de Trouttes, who had declared that he had an equal right to him. There was much difputing between them before the prince and the barons prefent : and as they had engaged to fight each other, the prince put them under an ar reft, until they fhould be arrived in England, and forbade any thing more being faid on the fubje6l till they were in the prefence of the king his fa-ther. " However, as the king of France gaveevery affift-ance to fir Denys in fupport of his claim, and leaned more to him than to any of the other claimants, the prince ordered two thoufand nobles to be given privately to fir Denys, in order to enable him the better to fupport his rank. * Soon after the prince's arrival at Bourdeaux, the cardinal de Perigord came thither as, it was faid, ambaflador from the pope. It was upwards of a fortnight before the prince would fpeak to him, on account of the cafiellan of Ampofta and his people having been engaged againft him at the battle of Poitiers. The prince believed that the cardinal had fent them thither ; but the cardinal, through the means of his relations, the lord of Chaumont, the . Aa2 ' lord