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.Let him go make his nest elsewhere, we ll have nomore to do with him. When the English heard these words, they left ata run.shouting loudly: Ah, false, thieving villains! You are traitors,with false opinions. No, said the burghers, we are prudhommes; but youare traitors, crazed and wicked.For he who fails to keep his word is a trai-tor. Stanza 737In this manner Poitiers surrendered, as I have told you.Source: La chanson de Bertrand du Guesclin de Cuvelier, ed.Jean-Claude Faucon(Toulouse: Editions Universitaires du Sud, 1990), vol.1, pp.440 46.Trans.(slightly modernized) Deborah A.Fraioli. Primary Documents 139DOCUMENT 8Grandferré s CourageThe events described in the following passage by Jean de Venette fol-low the reconciliation of the duke of Normandy (the future Charles V)and Charles of Navarre.The English looked with particular dismay onthe strengthening of French defenses through this union which lifted theblockade of the Seine through which Charles of Navarre had held Paris ina stranglehold in view of the new threat that French unity posed to theEnglish campaign launched in northern France that same year.The dis-astrous English campaign of 1359 was Edward III s last futile blow struckin France.His mission in this venture was as propagandistic as it was mil-itary, since Edward s goal was to see himself properly crowned in theFrench manner at Reims.Among the English defeats in the ill-fated Eng-lish campaign, which led to the truce at Brétigny, perhaps the best knownis a tale of local resistance mounted by a gigantic peasant known as Grand-ferré.In this passage, chronicler Jean de Venette manages not only to de-pict vividly the heroism and brave death of Grandferré, but also expresseshis sheer delight that for once the much-abused peasantry got the better ofthe mighty English enemy.The English grieved at this peace and tried to harass the land still moregrievously.They did not succeed in all their enterprises and sometimes,by God s will, had the worst of it in single engagements.I will recounton this page such an instance for the pleasure it gives me, as I heard itat first hand, for it took place near the village where I was born.This af-fair was valiantly conducted by the peasants, by Jacques Bonhomme.In alittle village called Longueil, near Compiègne, in the diocese of Beau-vais.there is a farmhouse, strong and well built, which belongs to themonastery of Saint-Corneille at Compiègne.The peasants dwellinground it realized that it would be dangerous for them if perchance theenemy were to occupy this stronghold.Wherefore, they sought the per-mission of the regent and the abbot of the monastery and establishedthemselves in it, after they had stocked it suitably with arms and food.They made Guillaume l Aloue, a tall handsome man, their captain.Hehad with him his servant, another peasant who took the place of a squire,an incredibly strong and powerful man, exceptionally tall and broad-shouldered and well proportioned, and, in addition, full of energy anddaring.This giant, as humble and modest as he was strong, was named 140 Primary DocumentsGrandferré.There came to the stronghold about two hundred men, alllaborers who supported their humble existence by the work of theirhands.The English in Creil castle, on hearing that it was men of thissort who were preparing to resist men of their quality, despised them andregarded them as [worth nothing].They made ready to attack them, say-ing, Let us drive out these peasants and make this well-stocked and well-built fortress our own. Two hundred of them came up before Longueiland, finding the peasants off their guard and the doors open, boldlypushed into the courtyard.The peasants, who were on the second storyof the manor house by the windows, caught sight of all these fully armedmen and were at first stunned by the unexpectedness of the attack.Theircaptain, however, descended with a few of his men and began to lay abouthim on all sides.His courage availed him little, for he was surrounded bythe English and mortally wounded.Perceiving this, those of his com-panions who were still in the upper room, Grandferré among them, said, Let us go down and sell ourselves dearly.Otherwise they will slay uswithout mercy. They descended cautiously in small groups and issuedfrom different doors.They struck at the English as if they were engagedin their wonted task of flailing wheat in a barn
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