[Sidenote: A iusts holden in Smithfield.]
In the winter following were roiall iustes holden in Smithfield, at the which were present the kings of England, France, and Scotland, with manie great estates of all their thrée kingdoms, of the which the more part of the strangers were as then prisoners. It was reported, that the French king could not so dissemble nor cloake his inward thought, but that there appeared some tokens of gréefe in his countenance, whilest he beheld these warlike pastimes. And when the king of England, & his sonne prince Edward with comfortable words required him after supper to put all pensiue cares out of his fantasie, and to be merrie and sing as other did, he should make this answer with a smiling countenance, alluding to the complaint of the Israelits in time of their captiuitie vnder the gentiles, & saieng,
Quomodo cantabimus canticum in terra aliena?
About the same time there came ouer into England two cardinals, the one called Talirand being bishop of Alba (commonlie named the cardinall of Pierregort) and the other named Nicholas intituled cardinall of S. Vitale or (as Froissard saith) of Dargell, they were sent from pope Innocent the sixt, to intreat for a peace betwixt the kings of England and France: but they could not bring their purpose to anie perfect conclusion, although they remained here for the space of two yeares: but yet onelie by good means they procured a truce betwéene the said kings, and all their assistants, to indure from the time of the publication thereof, vnto the feast of S. Iohn Baptist, which should be in the yeare 1359: out of the which truce was excepted the L. Philip of Nauarre, and his alies, the countesse of Montfort, and the whole duchie of Britaine.
[Sidenote: The French king remoued to Windsor.]
Anon after, the French king was remooued from the Sauoie vnto the castell of Windsor with all his houshold, and then he went on hunting and hawking there about at his pleasure, and the lord Philip his sonne with him, all the residue of the prisoners abode still at London, but were suffered to go vp and downe, and to come to the court when they would. In the same yeare the duke of Lancaster besieged the citie of Rennes in Britaine, in the title of the countesse of Richmond, & hir yoong sonne Iohn of Montfort, that claimed to be duke of Britaine. Those that were within the citie, as the vicount of Rohan, and Berthram de Claiquin (who as then was a lustie yoong bacheler) and others defended themselues manfullie for a time, but yet at length they were compelled to render the citie into their enimies hands.