always remain ieadily and lof aly attached to oilf natural lord the king of England and to you/ Tie EngKfh knights replied, € We place our en-tire confidence in you,, and yon will find in us com* panions, and friends to death.1 There we w verjr long debates, when it was at feft refolded, that the* Poitevins JhouM march off one way, -and the Eng~ lifh to a different quarter, • They parted from each other ta the moft amteabk manner ; that is to fay, the lord de Partenay, the lords de Thouars and de Rouffillottr fir Aimery de la Rochechouatt, fif John d'Angle, fir Louis de Harcourt, fir Percival de Coulogne governor of Thouars, Hugh de Brionne, Reginald de Thouars, William de CriK penac, James de Surgeres, and other knights and fquires ôf Poitou, who took the road to Thouars. The Englilh, fuch as fir John Devereux, lord Thomas Percy, fir Richard de Pontchardon, the earl of Angus, fir Geoffry d'Argenton, fir Matthew Foulkes, fir Thomas Gournay, fir Walter Hewett, fir John Crefwcll and others, took the road to Niorç, which they intended to enter without halt-ing $ but, when they arrived there, they found die gates {hut and the draw-bridge raifed, and Were told by the inhabitants they ihould not have ad-mittance . The Ênglifh lords immediately called a council, apd declared Inch an infult was not tx be fuffered : they drew up in good array, and attacked the town with great courage, which was defended by the inhabitants : but there was not any gentleman or knight within it to order or lead them, only me-chanics,