Vouîd not have paffed the mutter made by the vifcount de Meaux. • The garrifon, under the command of Ayme-rigot Marcel and his uncle Guyot du Sel, in la Roche de Vandais, hearing that fo large a force was now advanced to Nôtre Dame de Roque-madour, with the intention of befieging them, called a general council, to confider how they could the moft effectually refift it. They firft re-folved, they had not any occafion for horfes, fince they would ' be prevented from ufing them by the fiege. Tolerably near to la Roche de, Vandais was another fort, called Saint Soupery, under the government of Aymerigot, where his wife refided, and whither he had fent the greater part of his wealth. He gave orders for the fervants and horfes to be received in this fort, until better times. La Roche dè Vandais was naturally ftrong, and the prefent garrifon had fortified it by every means in their power. The lord de la Tour was ' greatly blamed by the country for his negleft of it, as they faid it was from this circumftance that they were now fo haraffed ; and, if he had thought the expenfe of keeping a guard too great, why had he not given it up to the inhabitants of the country, who would have difmantled it fo that no one would have ever thought of repairing it? whereas now the vails had been left entire, and the manfiori tolerably good : fuch was theftatein which Aymerigot had found it. La Roche dé Vandais is feparated from the high mountains that furround it, and is feated on an L 3 * • mfulated Ï49