THE TREATY OF BRETIGNY
The intention of the king of England was to enter into the country of Beausse, and so to draw along the river of Loire, and so all that summer to abide in Bretagne, till after August; and then at the winter to return again into France, and to lay siege to Paris, for he would not return home again into England, till he had France again at his pleasure. And he left his men in garrisons to make war in France, in Champaigne, in Poictou, in Pontheiu, in Vimeu, and in Vexin and in Normandy, and in all the realm of France, and in the good towns and cities, such as took part with their own good wills. All this season the duke of Normandy was at Paris, and his two brothers, and the duke of Orleans their uncle and their counsellors ; they imagined well the courage of the king of England, and how that he and his men brought the realm of France into great poverty, and saw well how the realm of France could not long endure in that case, for the rents of the lords and of the churches were nigh lost in every part. As then there was a sage and a discreet person chancellor of France, called sir William of Montague bishop of Terouanne by whose counsel much of France was ruled, and good cause why ; for ever his counsel was good and true, and with him there were two other clerks of great prudence, the abbot of Clugny, and the master of the Friars Preachers, called Simon Langres, a master in divinity. These two clerks at the desire of the duke of Normandy, and of the whole council of France, departed from Paris with certain articles of peace, and sir Hugh of Geneve lord of Anthon in their company. And they went to the king of England, who rode in Beausse towards La Voise; these two clerks and two knights spake with the king, and began to fall in treaty for a peace, to he had of him and his allies; to the which treaty the prince of Wales, the duke of Lancaster, and the earl of March were called. This treaty was not as then concluded, for it was long a-driving, and always the king went forward; these ambassadors would not leave the king but still sued and followed on their purpose, for they saw how the French king was in so poor estate, that the realm was likely to be in a great jeopardy, if the king continued a summer longer. And on the other side, the king of England required so great things, and so prejudicial to the realm of France, that the lords would not agree thereto for their honours, so that all their treaty, the which endured seventeen days, still following the king, they sent ever their process daily to the duke of Normandy, to the city of Paris, ever desiring to have again answer what they should do further ; the which process was secretly and sufficiently examined in the regent's chamber at Paris, and answer was sent again by writing to them what they should do, and what they should offer. And so these ambassadors were oftentimes with the king, as he went forward toward the city of Chartres, as in other places, and great offers they made to come to a conclusion of the war, and to have a peace ; to the which offers the king of England was hardhearted to agree to, for his intention was to be king of France, and to die in that estate. For if the duke of Lancaster, his cousin, had not counselled him to that peace, he would not have agreed thereunto ; but he said to the king, "Sir, this war that ye make in the realm of France is right marvellous, and right favourable to you; your men win great riches, and ye lose your time, all things considered; ere ye come to your intent ye may hope to make war all the days of your life. Sir, I would counsel you, since ye may leave the war to your honour and profit, accept the offers that have been made to you, for sir, you might lose more in a day, than we have won in twenty years." Such fair and subtle words that the duke of Lancaster said in good intention, and for wealth of the king, and all his subjects, converted the king by the grace of the Holy Ghost, who was chief worker in that case. For on a day as the king was before Chartres, there fell a case that greatly humbled the king's courage; for while these ambassadors were treating for this peace, and had none agreeable answer, there fell suddenly such a tempest of thunder, lightning, rain and hail, in the king's host, that it seemed that the world should have ended ; there fell from heaven such great stones that it slew many and horses, so that the most hardiest was abashed. Then the king of England beheld the church of our Lady of Chartres, and avowed devoutly to our lady to agree to the peace, and as it was said, he was then confessed, and lodged in a village near Chartres, called Bretigny: and there were made certain compositions of peace, upon certain articles after ordained; and the more firmly to be concluded by these ambassadors, and by the king of England and his council, there was ordained, by good deliberation and advice, a letter, called the charter of the peace.
