A.D. 1198. THE EABL OF LEICESTER DISCOMFITED. 431 and Curcelles, and another castle, while his troops, with continued ravages and conflagrations, laid waste the whole of the French Yexin. When the king of England was on the point of levelling the fortress of Curcelles, the king of France, collecting his forces, came down upon him, and an engagement taking place between them, the king of France, giving rein to his horse, was put to flight in the midst of his territory, on which the king of England pursued him with his troops, and took of the knights of the king of France at least eighty-three in number, besides men-at-arms, arbahsters, and those who were drowned in the river Ethe ; and in consequence of the excessive trepidation of the Franks, the bridge over the Ethe, before Gisors, broke down beneath them, and the king of France fell into the water, so that he was with difficulty dragged out8 8 by the leg, and was nearly drowned. A great many others were also drowned, among whom were Milo de Pudsey, count de Bar, and John, the brother of William des Barres, a knight ; who with many others were drowned in the river Ethe. William, also, the casteBane and lord of Curcelles, died immediately after he was taken prisoner. After this, the king of France assembling an army, entered Normandy, and burned Evreux and seven other towns. Earl John also, brother of king Pichard, burned Neuburg, which the king of France thinking to have been done by his own people, sent some knights to forbid them to proceed in their ravages ; and of these eighteen knights were taken, together with many men-at-arms. Shortly after, Marchades, with his Eoutiers, entered Flanders, and attacked the fair held near Abbeville, and spoiled the merchants of France, and returning into Normandy with a great booty, filled the land with the spoBs of the Franks, and slew many of them, and took with him many captives to be put to then: ransom. After these events, Bobert, earl of Leicester, came with forty knights and a few men-at-arms, before the castle of Pasci, which had belonged to him : on which the knights of the castle saBied forth with a great number of men-at-arms and the citizens of the town, for the purpose of capturing him and his followers ; and he, being able to offer them no resistance, escaped with difficulty, and lost four of his knights. 8 8 This is a repetition of the story relative to the disaster of the king of France. They were probably copied from two different sources, and, perhaps through an oversight of the amanuensis, both were inserted in the chronicle.