intentions, made as much hafte as poflible to Éi lord de Cliflbn, whom he found fitting at his fupper. He informed him that the enemy had marched from Niort with five hundred comba-tants, and were advancing faft towards him. t upon hearing this, the lord de Clifton pufhed the table frqm before him, and haftily armed him-• fclf. He mounted hk fteed, and fet off fuddefcly, with all his men, leaving the greater part of what ' belonged to them, on the field. He never flopped until he arrived at Poitiers. The Englifh were much vexed at their difappointment. They re* turned to Niort, where they left in garrifon fir John Devereux, the earl of Angus and CrefswelL Sir Walter Hewett went to England. All the others went back to Bourdeaux, burning in their way the whole of the. territories of the lord de Partenay. , ' Thus was all Poitou conquered, except the fort-reflcs of Niort*, Elifeth, Mortemer, Mortaigne, Lufignan, Chaftcl-Accartf, la Roche fur Yon, Gauzar, la Tour de l'Arbre, Merxis and others. Thefe caftles, however, held out, and. made fre-quent inroads and attacks on their neighbours ; fometimcs invading, at other times chaced back again. • Niort,—a city in Poijou, fifteen leagues from Poitiers, t Châtel f Archer/—*i village in Poitoi. 206 CHAP»