Richard II

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133

Black Prince, R

f England. His father was Edward the Third. The Black Prince was, of course, heir to the crown, and he would have been king had it not happened that he died before his father. Consequently, when at

Prince on account of the color of his armor. The knights and warriors of th

for t

ach of whom was in his youth the Prince of Wales, neither of those titles alone would be a sufficiently distinctive appellation for the purposes of history. This Edward accordingly, as he became very cele

orty years old when he died. He, however, began to acquire his great celebrity when he was very young: he fought at the great

ion of

's claim to the

d of his claim was that, through his grandmother Isabel, who was a daughter of the French king, he was the nearest blood-relation to the royal line, all the other branches of the family nearer than his own being extinct. Now the people of France were, of course, very unwilling that the King of England should become enti

Sali

was at first applied to the inheriting of private property, but it was afterward extended to rights and titles of all sorts, and finally to the descent of the crown of France. Indeed, the right to r

on f

ntry. The princes of the royal family usually remained in their own land, and, if they married at all, they married usually foreign princesses, whom they brought home to live with them in their native land. The princesses, on the other hand, when they grew up, were very apt to marry princes of other countries, who took them away to the places wh

rd's

not law. He claimed that the crown descended through Isabel to him. The French, on the other hand, insisted on passing him by, and

n army and sets

rder to possess himself of the French crown. The war continued many years, in t

enerals. The prince was a remarkably fine young man, tall and manly in form, and possessed of a degree of maturity of mind a

a

d there on a cape a little to the westward of the region shown upon the map. From the place where they landed they marched across the count

IGN O

FROM THE WEST S

y reach

s of th

destroyed it. He then turned his course up the river, keeping, of course, on the western and southern side of the stream, and looking out for an opportunity to cross. But as fast as he ascended on one side of the river, Philip ascended on the other, and destroyed all the bridges before Edward's armies could get to them. In this way the two armies advanced, each on its own side of the river, until they reached the environs of Paris, the English burning and destroyi

l at A

e two armies d

St. Remi, at Long, and at other places, but failed every where. In the mean time, while his own forces had gradually been diminishing, Philip's had been rapidly increasing. Philip now divided his force. He sent down one portion on the eastern side of the river to prevent the English from crossing.

reward in money to any one of them that would show him where there was a ford by which he could get his army across the river. He thought that they, being natives of the country, would be sure to know about the fording-places, if any there were. One of the pris

ty about cross

e day dawned they commenced their march, Gobin leading the way. He was well guarded. They were all ready to cut him to pieces if he should fail to lead them to the ford which he had promised. But he found the ford, though at the time that the army reached the spot the tide was high, so that they could not cross. Besides this, the king s

e men advanced, but they were met in the middle of the stream by the troops that had been posted on the bank to oppose them.

from th

o, Philip's army appeared, but it was too late for them to cross the ford, and so Edward escaped with the main body of his army, though a portion of th

ts himself

er in landing; and, finally, Edward resolved that he would not retreat any farther. He determined to choose a good position, and draw up his army in array, and so give Philip battle if he chose to come on.

f the

Prince i

summit of it. He committed the general charge of the battle to his generals and knights, and one of the chief in command was the young prince,

y, however, was not under good control. The vast columns filled the roads for miles, and when the front arrived at the place where Edward's army was posted, the officers attempted to halt them all, but those behind crowded on toward those in front, and made great confus

the Genoe

SE AR

ts out of

archers were in favor of waiting for the attack till the next day, as their men were very weary from the fatigue of carrying their cross-bows s

y employing such scoundrels, who fail u

their officers, and went forward to the van. There went with them a large troop of horsemen under

ra

flocks of crows flew screaming through the air, over the heads of the army. Presently it began to rain. The rain increased rapidly, until it fell in torrents

ba

ulty with t

re soon broken and began to be thrown into confusion. Other English soldiers ran out from their ranks armed with knives set into the ends of long poles, and they thrust these knives into the horses of the troop. The horses, terrified and maddened with the pain, turned round an

for they only stop our wa

slowly and steadily forward, and poured in such an incessant and deadly fire of darts and arrows upon the confused and entangled masses of their enemies, th

help for the P

, messengers went up the hill to the place where the king was stationed, near a wind-mill, whence he was watch

killed?" as

" said the

d or wounded?"

is safe thus far, and is fighting wit

have any help from me. I intend that the glory of this victory sh

en were flying in all directions. Night was coming on, and it was beginning to be impossible to distinguish friend from fo

longer you will only sacrifice yourself to no purpose

of France from th

alled the Castle of La Broye, and sought refuge there. When the party arrived the gates were shut, for it was late and

ng cal

open. It is the

nly five persons, went in. They remained at the castle only a short time to take some wine and other refreshment, and then set out again, at midnight,

the old Kin

. He was present with the army, not as a combatant, for he was old and blind, and thus completely helpless. He came, it would seem, to accompany his son, who was an active commander in Philip's army. His son was dangerously wounded, and forced to abandon the field, and the old king was so overwhelmed with chagrin at the result of the battle, and so enraged at the fate

o and device of th

eld for his. This motto was the German phrase Ich dien, under three plumes. The words mean I serve. T

King Edward came down from his post on the hill, his heart full of exultation and joy at the greatness of the victory which his

e begun. You are my true son, for loyally you have acqui

himself the success of the day. His modesty and generosity of demeanor, connected with the undaunted bravery which he had really evinced in the fight,

of Ca

ix ci

the people, that at last, when they were ready to surrender, he declared that he would only spare their lives on condition that six of the principal inhabitants should come out to his camp barefooted, bareheaded, and with halters about their necks, in order that they might be hung immediately. These cruel terms were complied with. Six of the principal inhabitants of the town

et of

h great pomp and parade. Soon after their entrance into the town a daughter was bo

of

ent of Europe. His name was John, and he was born in Ghent. He was called Jo

ars, and thus years rolled on. During all this time the Black Prince distinguished himself greatly as one of the chief of his father's generals. He grew up to full manhood; and while, like the other warlike chieftains of those days, his life was devoted to deeds of rapine and murder, there was in his demeanor to