French had formed their line, the principal Gafcta* chiefs withdrew together, and confulted for a long: time how they could beft ad ; for they faw that their enemies, from their pofitkm, had greatly the advantage over them. One of them made a pro-pofal, which was cheerfully liftened to ? 6 My lords, we well know that; the captai is as • hardy a knight as can be found upon earth ; and, m long as he fhall be able to keep with his teen and fight, he will be too much for us. I therefore think that if we order thirty of our boldeft and moft expert cava* Hers, to do nothing but to follow and attack thé captai, tvhilft we are making for his banner, his men will be thrown into fome confufion i and then our thirty, by their own ftrength and that of their horfes, will be able to pufh through the crowd, and advance fo near the captai, that they may feize him, and carry him off between them to fome place of fafety, where they will remain until the end of die battle y for, if he can be taken by fuch* means as this, the day will be ours, as Ms army will be ,panic-ftruck* *. The Gafcon. knights .immediately aflented to this plan, faying it was well thought of and fhould be followed. They chpfe from their battalion, thirty of the moft' ettterprifing men at ara% and mounted them upon the ftrongeft and moft a£Hvc horfes they had with them. They then marched into the plain, * The editors of the Mémoires Hi doriques doubt very much this fact, in a Bote to the Mémoire! du Gsefclm, and think Fraiflkrt mud hare heard it from z Gctfcoa, well