¶ Of two frenchmen that fledde fro the batayle of Poicters / and two englysshmen that folowed them. Cap. C .lxiii. (Book 163)
AMong the batayls / re¦counterynges / chases / and pursuetes y• were made that day in the felde: It fortuned so to sir Edwarde of Roucy / that whan he departed fro y• felde: bycause he sawe y• feld was lost without recouery / he thought nat to a∣byde the danger of the englysshmen. Wherfore he fledd all alone and was gone out of the felde a leage / and an englysshe knyght pursued hym and euer cryed to hym (and sayde) retourne a∣gayne sir knyght: it is a shāe to flye away thus. Than the knight tourned & thenglysshe knight thought to haue striken hym with his speare in the targe but he fayled / for sir Edwarde swar∣ued a syde fro the stroke / but he fayled nat the en¦glysshe knyght / for he strake hym suche a stroke on the helme with his swerde that he was asto∣nyed / and fell fro his horse to the yerth and lay styll. Than sir Edward a lighted & came to him or he coude ryse (& sayd) yeld you rescue or no re¦seue: or els I shall slee you / the englysshman yel¦ded and went with hym & afterwarde was raū∣somed. Also it fortuned that an other squyer of Picardy called Johan de Helenes was fledde fro the batayle and mette with his page / who de¦lyuerd hym a newe fresshe horse wheron he rode away alone: The same season there was in the felde the lorde Bercle of Englande a yong lusty knyght / who the same day had reryd his baner: and he all aloue pursued the sayd Johan of He∣lenes / and whan̄e he had folowed the space of a leage / the sayde John̄ tourned agayne and lay∣ed his swerde in the rest in stede of aspeare / and so came rōnyng to warde the lorde Bercle / who lyft vs his swerde to haue stryken y• squyer / but whan he same the stroke come he tourned fro it / so that the englysshman lost his stroke: and Jo∣han strake hym as he past on the arme / that the lorde Berclees swerde fell into the felde. Whan he sawe his swerde downe / he lyghted so daynly of his horse / & came to the place wher his swerd lay: & as he stouped downe to take vp his swerd the frenche squyer dyd pycke his swerde at hym and by happe strake hym through both the thy▪ es / so that the knyght fell to the yerth and coude nat helpe hymselfe / and Johan a lyghted of his horse and toke the knyghtes swerde that lay on the grounde / and came to hym and demaunded if he wolde yelde hym or nat. The knyght than demaunded his name: sir sayde he I hyght Jo¦han of Helenes / but what is your name: certen∣ly sayde the knyght my name is Thomas and am lorde of Bercle / a fayre castell on the ryuer of Seuern in the marches of Wales. Well sir {quod} the squyer than ye shall be my prisonere: and I shall bring you in sauegarde / and I shall se that you shall be healed of your hurt. Well sayde the knyght I am content to be your prisoner / for ye haue by lawe of armes wonne me: ther he swar to be his prisoner / rescue or no rescue. Than the squyer drewe forthe the swerde out of the knigh¦tes thyes: and the wounde was opyn / thafie he wrapped and bounde the wounde and set hym on his horse / and so brought hym fayre and ease¦ly to Chaterlerant and there taryed more than fyftene dayes for his sake / and dyde gette hym remedy for his hurt. And whā he was somwhat amended: than he gate hym a lytter and so bro∣ught hym at his ease to his house in Picardy: there he was more than a yere tyll he was perfet¦ly hole: and whan he departed he payed for his raunsome sire thousande nobuls / & so this squy¦er was made a knyght by reason of the profette that he had of the lorde Bercley.