inftantly agreeing to his reqneft : others remon^ ftrated by faying*, it would be wrong to weaken the kingdom by fending two thoufand men at arms and four thoufand archers to fuch a dif-tance as Portugal. Befides, folong a voyage was dangerous, and the climate of Portugal hot and unhealthy ; and, if fuch a confiderable force were fent, the kingdom might fuffer an irreco-verable lofs. Notwithftanding thefe arguments and doubts of what might be the confequences, it was fettled that the duke of Lancafter (hould crôfs the fea in the fum'mer with feven hundred men at arms and four thoufand archers, and tfiat they fhould all receive pay for one quarter of a year in advance : it was, however, referred, that fhould any thing in the mean time fall out inimi-cal from France or Scotland, the expedition to Portugal was to be deferred. The duke of Lan-cafter aflented to this, for he could not gain more. • You have before feen in this hiftory, that after the duke of Lancafter harf collected his men and flores at Southampton, ready to embark for Por-tugal, and though the ambafladors had returned thither with information of the fpeedy arrival of the duke and the number of his forces, which gave the Portuguese. much pleafure, an event was found to have happened in England that forced him to retard it for fome time. The admiral of France, fir John dé Vienne, with a thoufand good men at arms, had embarked at Sfuys, anL landed in Scotland; from whence he had made war on England, which obliged the whole force • ' . of 242