[Sidenote: The king of Spaine sendeth to the prince.]
King Henrie had sent to the prince an herauld of armes with a letter, requiring to know of him for what cause he moued warre against him, sith he had neuer offended him. The prince taking deliberation for answer of this letter, kept the messenger with him, and perceiuing that king Henrie came not forward, but laie still at saint Muchaule, stronglie incamped, he remooued from Victoria, and came to a towne called Viana, where he staied two daies to refresh his people, and after went forward, and passed the riuer which diuideth the realmes of Castile and Nauarre, at the bridge of Groigne. King Henrie aduertised hereof, departed from saint Muchaule, and came before the towne of Nauarret, situat on the same riuer. Not manie daies before the prince passed the riuer at Groigne, king Henrie had sent foorth two of his brethren, the earle Dom Teille, and the lord Sanches, with six hundred horssemen, to view the princes host.
They chanced to incounter two hundred English horssemen, whom after long and sharpe fight they distressed, & slue sir William Felton, one of the chiefe leaders of those Englishmen, and tooke sir Thomas Felton his brother, sir Hugh Hastings, and diuerse other, both knights and esquiers. Whether that king Henrie was greatlie incouraged by this good lucke in the beginning, or that he trusted through the great multitude of his people, which he had there with him, to haue the vpper hand of his enimies, true it is, that he coueted sore to giue them battell; and although he might haue wearied the prince, and constreined him for want of vittels to haue returned, or to haue fought with him at some great aduantage, if he had deferred the battell, as the marshall of France Dandrehen gaue counsell, yet he would néeds fight in all the hast, and therefore did thus approch his enimies.
The prince perceiuing that his aduersarie came forward to incounter him, dispatched the herauld with an answer to the letter which he had of him receiued, containing in effect, that for great considerations, he had taken vpon him to aid the rightfull K. of Spaine, chased out of his realm by violent wrong, and that if it might be, he would gladlie make an agréement betwixt them; conditionallie, that king Henrie of necessitie must then forsake the administration, and all the title of the kingdome of Spaine, which by no rightfull meane he could inioy, and therefore if he refused thus to doo, he was for his part resolued how to procéed. The herauld departed with this answer, and came therewith vnto king Henrie, and deliuered it vnto him, as then lodged with his puissant armie at Nauarre, so that then both parties prepared themselues to battell.