\3B8 or made prîfoners, and the three fons of the king, Charles, Louis and John, who had efcaped, were very young in years and underftanding,' fp that no great expe&ation could be formed from them ; and neither were they willing to undertake the govern-ment of the kingdom. . Add to this, that the knights and fquires who had returned from the battle were fo much defpifed and blamed by the common people* that they very unwillingly entered the great towns. There were many conferences held, and much difcontent appeared ; when the moft prudent and wife perceived that this ftate could not continue, nor longer go on without fome remedy ; for the Engliih and Navarrois were in force in Cout&nttib under fir Godfrey de Harcourt, who was over-running and destroying the cduntry. The prelates of the church, bUhops and abbots, and all the noble-men and knights, the provoft of merchants and citizens of Paris, as well as the council from the other capital towns in the kingdom, aflembled to-gether in the city of Paris, in order to confult and adyife upon the beft manner of governing the king-dom of France, until king John fhould be fet at liberty. But they were firft determined to inquire what was become of the great Aims of money that had been raifed in France by way of difmes, maletoftes*, * Maleioste,—an extraordinary tax, or fubfidy, levied the year 1296 by Philip le Bel, viz. at firft the value of the hundredth, and afterwards of the fiftieth part of all either by or churchman's gpods.^CoTQRAVE's Dictionary. . • , fubfidies,