A.D . 1189. DEFEAT OF THE KING OF ENGLAND. proposal, and offered the king of France, if he should think fit to assent thereto, to give the said Alice in marriage to his son John, with all the matters previously mentioned more at large, more fully and more completely than the king de manded. The king of France would not agree to this ; on which, putting an end to the conference, they separated, mutu ally displeased. However, the cardinal John of Anagni declared that if the king of France did not come to a complete arrange ment with the king of England, he would place the whole of his territory under interdict; to which the king of France made answer, that he should not dread his sentence and that he cared nothing for it, as it was supported upon no grounds of justice. For, he said, it was not the duty of the Church of Borne to punish the kingdom of France by its sentence or in any other manner, if the king of France should think fit to punish any vassals of his who had shewn themselves un deserving, and rebellious against his sway, for the purpose of avenging the insult to his crown ; he also added, that the be fore-named cardinal had already smelt the sterling coin of the king of England. Then closing the interview, the king of France departed thence, and took La Fertè Bernard, and then Montfort, and next Malestroit, Beaumont, and Balim. After this he came to Le Mans, on the Lord's day, pretending that he was going to set out for Tours on the ensuing Monday ; but when the king of England and his people seemed to have made themselves at ease as to the further progress of the king of France, he drew out his forces in battle array, for the purpose of making an assault upon the city. This being perceived by Stephen de Tours, the seneschal of Anjou, he set fire to the suburbs. The fire, however, rapidly gaining strength and volume, running along the walls, communicated with the city; seeing which, the Franks approached a bridge of stone, where Geoffrey de Burillun and many with him of the party of the king of England met them with the intention of pulling down the bridge ; on which, a desperate conflict took place, and a great part of the armies were slain on both sides, and in • the conflict, the before named Geoffrey was taken prisoner, and wounded in the thigh.; many others also of the king of England's army were taken, while the rest immediately took to flight, with the intention of betaking themselves to the city, but the Franks entered it with them.