that, in one week, the light troops burnt upwards of fixty villages dependant on Rheims. The Eng-lifh heard that the people of Rheims had fecured fix thoufand fheep in the ditches of the town, think-ing them fafe there : the van-guard advanced thi-ther, and made their men defcend into the ditches and drive out the fheep, without any one daring to iflue from the town to prevent them, or even ap-pearing on the bulwarks $ for the archers, being potted on the banks of the ditch, fhot fo fharply that no one ventured to fhew himfelf : the Englifh gained feveral thoufand head of fheep. They fent to inform. the cownfmen, they would burn all the corn in the fields, unlefs they ranfomed it by fend-ing them bread and wine. The inhabitants were frightened bjr this threat* and fent the army from ten to fixteen loads of bread and wine : by this means, the corn and oats were faved from being burnt. The Englifh marched by Rheims in order of. battle to Beaumont fur Vefle*, for they had croflcd the river below Rheims. On their depar-ture from Bcaumoht, the Englifh rode along the river Marne, to feek a paffage, and came to Condé fur Marne, where they found the bridge broken down i but, as the fupportcrs flill remained, they fought for planks and beams, with which they re-built the bridge, crofTed the river, and quartered themfelves in the villages above Marne; and on the enfuing day, they came before the town of • Beaumont fur Vefle,—near Rheims. Vertus, « 196