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 necessitated fresh levies of ships and men, and, by diverting attention, for a time hindered the prosecution of the French campaign.

The Northern fleet, reinforced by newly arrested ships under John Colyn, lieutenant to the Northern admiral, seems to have assisted in the recovery of Berwick, though twelve ships were lost on their passage thither and the others were dispersed. But neither the military occurrences in Scotland, nor those in France where the victory of Poitiers was won by the Black Prince on September 19th, 1356, can he followed here.

In May of that year, Sir Guy Bryan a superseded Sir John Beauchamp as Admiral of the Western fleet, Robert Ledrede having at the same time an independent or subsidiary command over a convoy to Gascony. Sir Guy appears to have created great astonishment by the celerity with which some of the vessels belonging to his station crossed and recrossed the Channel with troops in June. They landed their men at La Hogue, and returned to Southampton within five days. These troops belonged to the forces of the Duke of Lancaster, who with the rest followed in fifty-two transports, sailing on the 18th of the month. a In August, certain Scots and other ships having committed depredations on the coast of Ireland. Robert Drouss, of Cork, was appointed admiral of an Irish squadron and ordered to proceed against them. Three predatory Scots ships, with three hundred soldiers on board, were in the following year driven into Yarmouth and taken.

In 1357, the prisoners captured at Poitiers were brought to England. In April the Prince embarked at Bordeaux in one ship, and King John, of France, was put on board another. It was expected that the French in Normandy would make efforts intercept the convoy, and the English ships were therefore specially matured with two thousand archers and five hundred men-at-arms; but nothing was seen of the enemy, and after an eleven days'