…Certain Frenchmen and Almains perforce opened on the archers of prince Edward’s forces and came and fought with the men of arms hand to hand. Then the second force of the Englishmen came to succour the prince’s host … for they had as then much trouble; and they who were with the prince sent a messenger to the king, who was on a little windmill hill. Then the knight said to the king: ‘Sir, the earl of Warwick and the earl of Oxford, sir Raynold Cobham and other, such as be about the prince, your son, are fiercely fought withal and are sore handled; wherefore they desire you that you and your host will come and aid them; for if the Frenchmen increase, as they doubt they will, your son and they shall have much ado.’ Then the king said: ‘Is my son dead or hurt or on the earth felled?’ ‘No, sir,’ quoth the knight, ‘but he is closely matched; wherefore he hath need of your aid.’ ‘Well” said the king, ‘return to him and to them that sent you hither, and say to them that they send no more to me for any adventure that falleth, as long as my son is alive: and also say to them that they suffer him this day to win his spurs; [‘Que il laissent a l’enfant gaegnier ses esperons.’] for if God be pleased, I will that this journey be his and the honour thereof, and to them that be about him.’ Then the knight returned again to them and shewed the king’s words, the which greatly encouraged them.
– Froissart’s chronicle of the Battle of Crécy 1346
