The Black Prince's Army

Mr. W. O. Stoddard's serial, "With the Black Prince, " gives in St. Nicholas an account of the splendid arniy that accompanied the priuce to the battle of Crecy. Mr. Stoddard says: It was the largest English fleet yet assemblee!, and the army going ou board was also the best with which aiiy English kiug had ever put to sea. It coiihisted oí picked men only. Of these, 4,000 were meu-at-arms, 6,000 were Irish, 12,000 were Welsh, bnt the most carefully trained and discipliued part of the forcé consisted of 10,000 bownien. Dnring a whole year had Edward aud bis sen and bis generáis toiled to select and prepare the ineu and the weapoiis with wMofa they were to meet the fcighly famed chivalry of the continent. An army seketed from a nation of perhaps 4,000,000 of peoplewas to contend with an army collected frojn France with her 20,000,000, and from stich alies of' hers as Gerniany and Bohemia, re-enforced by large. numbers of paid merceuaries. Among these latter were the crossbowmeu of Gienoa sold to Philip by the masters of that Italiau oligarchy. Edward's adventure had a seemiiig of great rashness, for already it was reported that the French king had nmstered 100,000 men. Full mauy a gallant cavalier in armor of proof may well have wondered to hear, moreover, that Edward III, accounted the foremost general of bis time, proposed to meet superior numbers of the best lances of Europe with lightly armored men on toot. They knew uot yet of the new era that was dawning upoii the science of war. Edward and his bowrnen were to teach the world more than one new lessen before that memorable campaign was over. Before this he had shown what deeds might be wrought upon the sea by ships prepared and manned and led by himself. He had so crippled the naval power of his enemies that there was now ao hostile fleet strong enough to prevent his present undertaking, although Philip had irianaged to send out some scores of cruisers to do whatever harm they could.