The Earls of Lancaster and Northampton, with a large body of horse at once started in pursuit, and harassed the retreating army on its march towards Amiens.
No satisfactory reasons ever have been assigned for this extraordinary step on the part of the French king.

He had been for months engaged in collecting a huge army, and he had now an opportunity of fighting the English in a fair field with a force four times as great as their own.
The only means indeed of accounting for his conduct is by supposing him affected by temporary aberration of mind, which many other facts in his history render not improbable.

The fits of rage so frequently recorded of him border upon madness, and a number of strange actions highly detrimental to his own interests which he committed can only be accounted for as the acts of a diseased mind.

This view has been to some extent confirmed by the fact that less than half a century afterwards insanity declared itself among his descendants.
A few hours after the departure of the French the French standard was lowered on the walls of Calais, and news was brought to Edward that the governor was upon the battlements and desired to speak with some officers of the besieging army.

Sir Walter Manny and Lord Bisset were sent to confer with him, and found that his object was to obtain the best terms he could.