began to fear we had loft them. • At laft they came back with particular accounts of the ene-my's ftrength. They faid there were in the van battalion at leaft feven thoufand men armed from head to foot, in the handfomeft manner poffi-ble; in that of the king, thirty thoufand horfe, and all well armed. When our men and their leaders heard the numbers of the enemy, and how they were marching, the van battalion be-ing two leagues in advance of the main body with the king; for the Gafcons and foreigners were not on good terms with the Caftillians; they refolved to keep in a compact body, with-in their intrenchments, and to form two wings, with the men at arms, who amounted to-about twenty-five hundred, in the rear of the wings. You would there, my lord, have witneffed a fine order of battle, and men (hewing great courage. The king commanded, under pain of death, that no one fhould be ranfomed, if the day were ours, but that all fhould be put to death. This was wifely done ; for our lords faid, that if we occupied ourfelves in making prifoners, we fhould think of nothing elfe, and rifk the lofs of the day: it will be much better to combat vi* goroufly, than attend to the dictates of avarice by making prifoners, and fell ourfelves, like men, whofe all is at ftake. f Our enemies now were advancing in as clôfe order as poffible juft before us. They difmount-ed, and, driving their horfes away, laced their plates 406