England for fending to us, and for being fo well prepared and willing to affift us/ The knights of Poitou aflembled ; but at the firft meeting they could not agree on any determination, for the lord de Partenay, who was one of the prin-cipal barons, was defirous they fbould defend them-selves, as if the king of England had been prê-tent : but others maintained, that they had given under their feals a declaration, that if neither the king of England nor any of his children were pre-fentp they would Surrender thcmfelvcs to the obe-* dience of the king of France. The lord de Parte-pay returned to his hôtel in a very ill humour $ but; he was afterwards fo much talked to that he con-fented to agree with the others. They therefore fent word, that according to their treaty, it was abfolutely neceffary for the king of England or one of his fons to be prefent. The Englifh and Gas-cons at Niort were much vexed on hearing this* but they could not prevent it. The dukes of Berry, Burgundy, Bourbon, the conftable of France, the ford de CKffon, the vif-'count de Rohan, the dauphin of Auvergne, the lord Louis de Sancerre, the lord de Sully, and the barons of France ; in all, about ten thoufand lances, without reckoning the others, advanced from Poitiers, and drew up in battle-array before Thouars the eve of Michaelmas-day, and alfo on the feaft day until evening, when they retired to their quarters. On the morrow, the two brothers of the king of France and the conftable fent to. the knights of Poitou in Thouars, to remind them of S04