among the mountains. When he had %lly ex-amined that caftle and country, he was much pleafed, as well with the strength of the place, m as its fituation on the frontiers of feveraf coun-tries ; for thofe of Lourde can over-run the king-dom of Arragon to a great extent, and as far as Barcelona in Catalonia. The ^prince called to him a knight of his houfehold, named fir Peter Arnaut, of the country of Beam, who had loy-ally ferved him, and in whom he had great con-fidence : he was an expert man at arms and coufm to the count de Foix. * Sir Peter/ faid: the prince, * I nominate and appoint you go-vernor and captain of Lourde, and regent of the ' country of Bigorre : now guard well this castle, fo as to give a good account of it to my lord and father, and to myfelf.' c My lord,' replied the knight, f that I will cheerfully do:' and he in-stantly did homage and pledged his faithr when the prince put him in poffeffion of it. Now, you must know, that when the war was renewed between the kings of France and Eng* land, as has been before related, the count Guy de St. Pol, and fir Hugh de Chaftillon, mafter of the crofs-bows in France, befieged and took the town of Abbeville* and the whole country of Ponthieu : about the fame time, two great barons of Bigorre, whofe names were fir Marnaut Bar-bafan and the lord d'Anchin, turned to the French interest, and feized the town and castle of Tarbes, for they were weakly guarded. The cas-fie of Lourde was under the'command of fir Peter VOL. VII. K Arnaut,