î mentioned my purpofc to my tcfj deif pa-trons, the lord duke Albert of Bavaria, count of Hainault, Holland and Zealand, and lord cf Frizdandj to the lord William his fon, tiled count d'Oftrevant ; to my dear and much honoured lady Joan, duchefs. of Brabant and Luxembourg j and to my very much refpefted lord Enguerrand, lord of Couçy ; as well as to that gallant knight, the lord de Gomegines* We had both, during our youth, arrived together at the Englifh court, where I faw alfo the lord de Coucy, and all the nobles of France, who were hoftages for the re-demption of king John of France, which has been before related in .this hiftory. The three lords above mentioned, as well ai the lord de Gomegines, and madame de Brabant, on my telling them my intentions, encouraged we to perfevere, and thty all gave me letters - qf in-troduction to the king and His uncles, with the -rc-fefyc of the lord de Coucy, who,, from being now Co muph attached to Èrânce,. could only write to, hi$ daughter, the. duchefs of Irelapdj,. * I had taken care to form a colle&ion of all the poetry on love and morality that I fyad compoftd during .the laft twenty-four year*,, whiqh I had: cpufed to be fairly written ancj illuminated.- J was a|fo incited to go to England and fee king Richard, fpn to the -noble:,^nd valiant prince.of Wales and Aquitaine, whom I had not feen fineç the tinje of his chriftening in the cathedral church qf ^Bor-deaux. I was then prefent, and had intentions o( accompanying the prince of "Vraies in his expedi*. tioa 125