White thefe lords were making their preparations, and were already as for advanced on their road as Dover, to crofs the fea, other news was brought which did not pleafe them much* For as foon as the earl Guy de St. Pol and fir Hugh de Châtillon* who was at that time mailer of the crofs-bows of France, could fuppofe that the king of England had received the defiance, they advanced towards Pon-thieu, having before fent privately their fummons to the knights and fquires of Hainault, Artois, Cam-brefis, Vermandois, Vimeu and Picardy ; fo that their whole force amounted to not lefs than a hun-dred and twenty lances, with which they appeared before Abbeville. The gates were immediately opened, • as had before been privately concerted ; and thefe men at arms entered the town without doing any harm to the inhabitants. Sir Hugh de Châtillon, who was the leader of this expedition, marched to that part of the town -where he thought he (hould find the high fteward of Ponthieu, fir Nicholas Lou vain, and exerted himfelf fo effectually as to make him his prifoner, as well as a very rich clerk and valiant man who was trcafurer of Ponthieu. The French made this day many a good and rich prifoner ; • for the Eng-lifh loft every thing they had in the town. On the fame day, the French advanced • to St. Valéry, which they took by ftorm ; they did the fame to Crotoy *, as well as to the town of Derne f upon the fea. * * Crotoy,—a town oppofite to St. Valéry, on the Somme, f Derne. No fach place. if not Rue, which is a fmall town on the coaft, two miles from St. Valéry. Shortly 597.