STORTES FROM ENGLISH HISTORY, CC 
THE G00D QUEEN AND THE BRAVE CITIZENS 
(A.D. 1346). 
I. King Edward the Third, after his victory at 
Cressy, marched on and on, till he came to the town 
of Calais. If you look at the map, you will see 
that Calais is a sea-port in the north-east corner of 
France, Now the king was vexed with the people 
of Calais; for many of them were pirates, and they 
had often taken English ships, and burned them, and 
tried to ruin the trade of England on the seas, 
2. But Calais was a very strong city, with thick, 
high walls, and a deep ditch round it; and Edward 
thought it would be easier to starve the people out, 
than to break down the walls, and take the town 
by force. So he drew up his soldiers in a ring 
round Calais, to keep people from taking food into 
the city; and gave orders for his fleet to cruise off 
the coast, and stop every ship that tried to get in 
or out of the port. 
3. Now, and again, a French ship would steal in, 
by night, with bread for the starving people; but 
what was one ship load, or ten ship loads, among so 
many? Yet they held out for a whole year; and 
when their meat was done, they ate horses, and dogs, 
and cats, and rats, rather than give in to the Eng- 
lish. But at last, there was nothing left to eat ; the 
people had grown lean, and pale, and sickly; and 
they sent word to King Edward that they would 
give up the city, if he would spare their lives, and 
let them go free. 
4 But the king was angry, and would not hear