The Duke of Bedford marches a large army to keep his appointment before Ivry.—That town and castle surrender to him.

History relates, that about the 8th day of August in this year, the duke of Bedford assembled a considerable force of men-at-arms and archers, under the command of the earls of Salisbury and of Suffolk, the lord Willoughby, and several other captains, as well from Normandy as elsewhere, to the amount of eighteen hundred men-at-arms and eight thousand archers. He marched them to be present at the surrender of Ivry, of which mention has been made, and arrived before that place on the eve of the Assumption of our Lady.

That whole day he remained in battle array, expecting his enemies, who were very numerous, and but three leagues distant, and amounting to eighteen thousand combatants, under the command of the duke d'Alençon, the counts d'Aumale, de Yentadour, de Tonnerre, the earls of Douglas, Buchan, and Murray, the viscount de Narbonne, tlie lord de la Fayette, and many other lords and princes of great renown. They sent off forty of their most expert and best mounted men, to reconnoitre the enemy, — who, having observed the duke of Bedford's army in such handsome array, hastened back, but not without being closely pursued by the English, to relate what they had seen. The French lords, finding they had not any way the advantage, turned about, and marched in a body to the town of Verneuil in Perche, which was in the possession of the English, and gave the inhabitants to understand that they had completely defeated the English army, and forced the regent to fly with a very few attendants. On hearing this the garrison opened the gates of Yerneuil, and showed them all obedience in the name of king Charles. After the surrender of the place, passports were granted, according to the stipulations of the treaty, to the English within it who were sent with their baggage to the duke of Bedford.

Gerard de la Pailliere, governor of Ivry, seeing the hour for hie relief was passed, waited on the duke, who was in the front of his army expecting the enemy, and presented to him the keys of the castle, demanding at the same time, in conformity to the articles, passports for himself and his men, which were instantly granted. The duke, in the presence of Gerard,, pulled out some letters, and, showing them to him, said, "I perceive that eighteen great barons attached to my lord king Henry, have this day failed in their promises of bringing me succour." Their seals were affixed to these letters; and immediately afterwards, four gentlemen of Gerard's friends were put in confinement as security for them.

The duke of Bedford now ordered that the French should be pursued by a body of men,j under the command of the earl of Suffolk, to the amount of sixteen hundred combatants. The earl marched to Damville, and thence to Breteuil in Perche, within two leagues of Yerneuil, where the whole of the French force was. The duke went with the remainder 6i his army to Evreux, whither the earl of Suffolk sent him information that the whole of thej French army was in Yerneuil. The duke, on hearing this, advanced with his force to join the earl of Suffolk, and offer them combat. Yerneuil had belonged to the English, — but, as I have before said, the French gained it by the false information of their having defeated the English. This battle took place on the 16th day of August, in the manner you shall now hear.