H. C. Bailey

“ He found William de Mandeville praying at a wayside shrine, and cursed him for it. "Why should I honour Christ?" he cried. "Why should I think Him worthy of honour, who takes from me all honour and leaves me naked in my age to my enemies?" He flung himself into Le Mans, the prize of Anjou, his own town, to hold that if he could, and Philip and Richard came and encamped round about. The next day they broke through his men who held the bridge, they set fire to the town. With a handful of horsemen the old King fled.
"His hour has struck, brother," said William de Mandeville to William le Marshal. ”

“ I have no lance nor hauberk," and he mounted and held out open hands.
"Pray to your father," cried William le Marshal, and rode upon him and hurled horse and man headlong into the stream again. "I kill you not, Richard," he shouted, "let the devil kill you." And he turned and galloped after the King.
Through the marches of Normandy and Anjou they fled, riding hard all day and every day in the summer heat, turning and doubling through the forests, and horse and man fell and died of weariness, and all the while the towns and the castles were falling to Philip's hand. ”

“ Richard had his quarry full in sight when they came to the stream that runs by La Frenaye, a stream too deep to ford. The road went over by a wooden bridge. When the old King and his company were over, William le Marshal took an axe from a Flemish knight and hewed at the timbers and hewed still when the chase was upon him. Horsemen and bridge crashed down together, and were swept away and their comrades checked and quested down stream and up. But Richard jumped his horse into the water and flinging himself from the saddle swam with the beast and so made the farther bank. ”

“ While I wore out my life to keep the realm for him, he betrayed me." Then he laid himself down again and turned his face to the wall. "Now let the rest go as it will," he muttered. "I care no more for myself nor for the world." ”

“ He mustered every man he had, he sent into England to summon all knights howsoever exhausted and poor to come to his aid, and he marched northward. But Philip and Richard had a great power and they were engaged to ruin him. Philip proclaimed himself sovereign of all French land, Normandy, Aquitaine, Anjou and the rest, and Richard was to hold his inheritance as fiefs of the King of France. ”