m peace between the French and Flemings, and a truce with the Englifh and French on the other fide the Loire until St. John the Baptift's day enfuing. You will therefore fee men at arms, knights and fquires, fly hither from France, as well to advance their own honour as to fee this country and meet the Englifh. But, fire, we particularly recommend the deftru&ion of thefe fmall forts, if you wifh to preferve your country/ The king replied,c You have advifed me loyally; and I fhall inftantly follow your counfel, and order, without further confutation, all fuch forts to be ïemolifhed as are not tenable, and make you a prefent of whatever may be found in them/ The knights faid, he jiad well fpoken, that they would attend to that bufinefs, and affift him in defending and preferving his realm. This gift of the king of Caftille to the knights from France and thofe about his perfon was worth to them two hundred thoufand francs, efpe-cially to thofe firft comers, *who had thrown them-felves into Corunna when the duke of Lancafter had arrived, and purfued his march to Sant Jâgo. AU the fmall forts, churches and towers, which had been embattled in Caftille, were abandoned and deftroyed, and the poor peafants difappointed in their espe&ations of having therein depofited their wealth and ftock in fafety ; for the knights and fquires went thither with their men and feized on all tie wines, corn and cattle, and drove them to their quarters ; but the gold and filver which they found, and the fums they made the peafants pay