The king of England and his fleet made directly for the enemy: when they approached each other, the archers from the king’s ships began so briskly with their bows, and the crossbowmen from those of the enemy, that it was a very fine sight to observe. The men-at-arms also were not idle. After the archers had shot well, they laid down their bows and began to fight with swords, battle-axes, mallets, and other weapons, and fought most valiantly; for there was no means of retreating or of escaping, but victory or death. The English, who were on the wings, behaved so well, and fought so desperately, that the division commanded by the king began to open, and made a lane for the large ship, the Christopher, full of Genoese, which the king’s ship attacked with such success, and so briskly, that, after a very short resistance, she was taken and all in her put to the sword. When the division, which was commanded by the earl of Flanders and the lord Lewis of Spain, saw that the king’s ship had taken the Christopher, they were so much frightened and discouraged that they began to fly before the earl of Derby, who was on the right, and the earl Pembroke, who was on the left. The earl of Derby was in a ship which had been given him by the citizens of Bayonne, who were on board with him. He chased the earl of Flanders and the lord Lewis, who were flying towards Flanders, and would have taken or sunk them, if a large ship from Biscay, full of Spaniards and Biscayans, had not advanced, which fought so well and so obstinately with the earl, that he was in great danger of his life, for his ship was so damaged and pierced through, that it was near sinking, which obliged him to get on board another ship, and then the Biscayans and Spaniards sailed off without any damage, for there were none who wished to meddle with them after the earl of Derby had left them. The ship, which had been so roughly handled, remained at sea, without any one taking any notice of her.

When the division of the Normans and the men of St. Omer saw that the English archers were killing them, almost at pleasure, they set all their sails, and, by means of the wind, which was favourable to them, they took to flight, and got off in the best manner they could, without offering to make any resistance, except a few of the principal lords, who, from bravery, would not fly, but were there slain. The earl of Derby and the earl Pembroke, who were on the wings, pursued them so effectually, that, of all this great armament, there were but about thirty vessels which escaped, all the rest were either taken or sunk.

When the king of England saw that the victory was his, he returned thanks to God for it, without making any parade of his success, for he was very prudent and full of courage in all his actions. On the Thursday in the evening, he entered the port of Sluys, where he lay that night on board his ship: he ordered fires to be lighted, and kept a strict watch, lest the enemy should return to attack him.

On the Friday morning, when the tide served, he had his vessels drawn up on the beach, in order to be examined and repaired, for they had suffered very much, and had them properly guarded. The same Friday, several of the lords of Flanders came to him, such as the duke of Brabant, the marquis of Juliers, the lord of Fauquemont, sir John of Hainault, the lord of Gommegnies, and about three hundred knights. All these lords were right welcome to the king, who feasted them in his ship, and, as I was informed, they then began to enter into a treaty, and to take oaths of mutual assistance against the king of France; for they declared, that the country of Flanders would never be in peace as long as the king of France should have any authority over it.

When the king had lain three days before Sluys, he ordered all the dead bodies to be cast into the sea, because the smell was very offensive. Among the dead, there were found many of the principal lords of France, and of those who had accompanied sir Hugh Quiriel and the others, to the amount of about twenty-five thousand of Normans and Picards, and of the king’s army about four thousand. The king remained in the port of Sluys until he had repaired and refitted all his vessels. He then sailed for Ghent, where the queen was, who received him with great joy. The king and queen remained at Ghent, while their fleet returned to England, with the prizes they had made, which were very numerous. I cannot exactly say how many, but I know they were laden with riches and provisions of all kinds. The king of England was at this time very young, full of courage, and much beloved by all the princes and lords who were with him. They had all sworn not to separate from him, but to live and die in his cause against the king of France. The lord Robert d’Artois was very active in this business, and encouraged it much. He had been banished from France, and had retired to England, where he had been kindly received by the king and the nobles of the country. He had advised the king to this war, and was one of his privy counsellors. The lord Robert was very agreeable to all the company; for he was courteous and full of noble sayings, knew perfectly how to converse with knights and squires, being himself a knight complete in all things. He made daily new acquaintances, and by his fair speeches fixed them to the interests of the king of England. The king, the queen, and all the barons, made much of him, and showed him every respect: he was indeed worthy of it, for he had been very badly treated by the court of France. The Flemings also paid much court to him; for they said, that through his means and advice, the king of England had crossed the sea, and would deliver their country from its enemies. The duke of Brabant, the marquis of Juliers, the lord of Fauquemont, and sir John of Hainault, were all attached to him; for they perceived that the king of England loved and esteemed him much.