. CHAP. CCIIL SOME GERMANS WAIT FOR THE KING OF ENGLAND AT CALAIS, TO ATTEND HIM IN HIS EXPEDITION INTO FRANCE, DURING THE TIME KING JOHN WAS IN ENGLAND. JPURING all this, time, the king of England was making; fuch great preparations, for his expe-dition into France, that the like was never feen be-fore : on which account, many barons and knights of the German empire, who had formerly ferved him, exerted themfelves much this year, and pro-vided themfelves handfomely in horfes and equipage in the beft manner they could, each according to his rank, and haliened as faft as poffible, by the frontiers of Flanders, to Calais, where they re-mained, to wait for the king of England. It happened that the king could not come thither with his army by the time appointed, which caufed fuch numbers to remain at Calais, that there were no lodgings for them, nor ftables for their horfes. In addition to this, bread, wine, hay, oats, and all forts of provifioos, were fo ' fcarce, that none could bè had for money. Thus did thefe mercenary Germaus, Bohemians, Brabanters, Flemings, Hainaulters, both poor and rich, wait from the beginning of Auguft until St. Luke's day; fo that many were forced to fell the greater part of their jewels. If the king had ar-rived then, they would not have known where to have lodged him and his people, except in the caftle, 468