1Î4; . CHAP. XL.' • . Till CONSTABLE OF FRANCE TAKES MONCON-TOUR BY A CAPITULATION.—HE . MARCHES FROM THENCE TO FORM A JUNCTION WITH THE DUKE OF BERRY IN THE LIMOUSIN, WHEN THEY, LAY SIEOE TO ST. SEVERE. npHE conftable of France, the dujke of Bour-. bon, the count d'Alençon, the lord dc Cliffon, the vifeount de Rohan* the lords de Laval* de Beaumanoir and de Sully, with the others, ad* yapecd until they came before Monçontoar, a handfome caftle, fix leagues from Poitiers Qn their arrival, they began the fiege, and made dif* fcrent affaults in good order j but, as the ditche» were very deep roimd the _ walls,, they coufcl np$ eafiiy approach. They ordered . the peaiant* to cut timber and faggots which they carçfed to be drawn and thrown ipto t^cm, and qftcrwanfe covered with ftiaw and earth* Four days.were taken up in doing this. "VVhçn they Jiad jcoaw plcted it, they began their attacks in earaeft; m$ in a regular way. Thofe within defended them-felves well, for they were matters of their pro^ fcflion ; and they fuftained the afllralt one ' whtole day, when they had hard fighting, an2l'Sveïe;in great danger of being taken. On the fixth, the conftable advanced himfelf with his Bretons in regular order, to make a fiercer afiault than any of