thefe letters.may have on the vifcount, nor what anfwer he will make, for he Is a ftrange fort of a ijiau* v Obtain, likewife, letters from the king, the council, and the duke of Lancafter, to the duke of 3erry4 for, if he pleafe, the fiege will be in-ftantly r^ifed. Manage to bring back with thee, fort% greater credit, one of the knights of honour to the king or the duke of .Lancafter, or Derby the herald. Salute him from me, and fay, if he will accompany thee, (for he is an able negotiator, • and well acquainted with the duke of Berry and -the lords of France,) I will give him one hundred francs. Keep well in thy memory all I have faid, and tell every one to whom thou ftialt fpeak, that this little fort, which* I havegarrifoned, will be very convenient to the Englifh on the renewal of the .war ; for it is fituated on the borders of Auvergne and Limoufin, and thofe countries may be made to contribute upward; of two hundred thoufand francs in one feafon.' Aymerigot Marcel having, in the prefence of his uncle, well tutored his .meflenger, and given him his credential letters, and one hundred francs for his expenfes, he was efcortçd from the fort at midnight, on foot, to another fort belonging to Aymerigot, called Saint Soupery. He there chofe the beft horfe, as they were all at his difpofal, for he had a long journey to make, and paffed through, France as a native of the province of Auvergne. On his arrival at Calais, he made acquaintance with fir John Beauchamp, the governor, to whom he told a part of his bufinefs, that he might be the 155