The chief foe
they fought against was starvation, an enemy against whom warlike arms
were of no avail, whom only stout hearts and inflexible endurance could
meet; and bravely they faced this frightful foe, those stout citizens of
Calais.
An excellent harbor had Calais. It had long been the sheltering-place
for the pirates that preyed on English commerce. But now no ship could
leave or enter. The English fleet closed the passage by sea; the English
army blocked all approach by land; the French king, whose great army had
just been mercilessly slaughtered at Crecy, held aloof, nothing seemed
to remain for Calais but death or surrender, and yet the valiant
governor held out against his foes.
As the days went on and no relief came he made a census of the town,
selected seventeen hundred poor and unsoldierly folks, "useless mouths,"
as he called them, and drove them outside the walls. Happily for them,
King Edward was just then in a good humor. He gave the starving outcasts
a good dinner and twopence in money each, and passed them through his
ranks to make their way whither they would.
More days passed; food grew scarcer; there were more "useless mouths" in
the town; John de Vienne decided to try this experiment again.
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