The
Englishmen alighted afoot and assailed the Frenchmen from the morning
till it was noon; but the bridge was so well fortified and defended,
that the Englishmen departed without winning of anything. Then they
went to a great town called Fountains on the river of Somme, the which
was clean robbed and brent, for it was not closed. Then they went to
another town called Long-en-Ponthieu; they could not win the bridge,
it was so well kept and defended. Then they departed and went to
Picquigny, and found the town, the bridge, and the castle so well
fortified, that it was not likely to pass there: the French king had
so well defended the passages, to the intent that the king of England
should not pass the river of Somme, to fight with him at his advantage
or else to famish him there.
[1] Pont-a-Remy, corrupted here into 'bridge of Athyne.'
When these two marshals had assayed in all places to find passage and
could find none, they returned again to the king, and shewed how they
could find no passage in no place. The same night the French king came
to Amiens with more than a hundred thousand men.
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