vaut, the company took leave of the king, the queen, and the coiirt, and departed for their dif* fsrent homes. Rumour, which magnifies every thing, carried to the king of France, his brother and uncles, every particular that had pafled at this feaft in England. Thofe who had been there confirmed it, nothing was forgotten, but rather additions made, with the intent of doing mifchief in preference to good. They related, that William of Hainault, who called himfelf count d*Oftrevant, had taken great pains to honour this feaft; that he had had the prize given him at the tournament in prefer-ence to many other foreign knights, and that he was loud in the praife of the Englifh, and was become the liege man to the king of England by taking the oaths, and accepting the order of the blue Garter in the chapel of Saint George at Wind-sor ; which order had been eftablifhed by king Edward and his fon, the prince of Wales ; that no one could be admitted a knight companion of that order, without making oath never to bear* arms againft the crown of England, and this oath the count d'Oftrevant had taken without the fmalleft reservation. The king of France and his uncles, on hearing this, were much troubled and vexed with the count d'Oftrevant. The king faid,—€ Only'think, it is not a year ago fince the count begged of me that his brother might be bifhop of Cambray ; ' but, after what we have heard, that would now be much to our prejudice. It will be better that our coufin- of 232 •