This much we glean from the old Chronicler, that, Lewis discovering the English fleet to have left its anchorage in the Downs, seizes the opportunity to push his ships and troops over, and without meeting with any molestation, he lands them safely in the Isle of Thanet. Sayer de Quincy and some others returned home, bringing with them 41 ships laden with soldiers. The king being then at Dover, and because his soldiers were strangers, they durst not go in pursuit of Lewis, who was then on his way to Canterbury. sixty-five pirate ships were taken and destroyed, besides innumerable others who had besieged (pillaged) the coasts even up to the River Thames. In the same year, viz., 1215, was fought the first regular sea fight worthy of the name between England and France. This battle took place off the North Foreland, contiguous to the Downs. The English had 36 ships, under the command of Hubert de Burgh. The action begun by a shower of arrows, ending in boarding. The British warriors armed, in addition to the bow, with lance and axe. Old ballads mention the "grey goose shaft" as the arrow usually employed, but the arsher in war always had his arrows plumed with white, and old writers describe the rapid flight of arrows by the figure of a snow storm and the assault of an English archer who, "stepping forth one pace, let fly their arrows so wholly together that it seemed as snow piercing the heads and breasts of the foe." The fight of arrows discharged by the English archers would soon clear the decks of an enemy when engaged. The bow was six feet in length and always kept dry, for dampness injured it, so that in this respect the archer was even worse off than the soldiers in modern times. Arrows were made of any kind of hard wood, each head being pointed and well braized with harden steel. On boarding the French ships the first thing done was to cut or chop away the rigging, which brought the sails down, thus crippling the enemy at once; and although he had a much superior force and a large body of soldiers on board, he was thoroughly beaten, and surrendered

to the British Admiral. This battle was won as much by the skill and management of the ships as it was by the valour and resolution of the English sailors. A great many prisoners were taken, and 125 Knights were among the number : some rather than fall into an enemy's hand, leaped into the sea and were drowned. It is recorded that this was the first sea fight between the two nations conducted upon open waters and by ships under canvass, with a stiff southerly wind blowing, and as taking place off the North Foreland, quite within sight of all the inhabitants then living in Deal, Sandwich, and the Isle of Thanet.

1216.-Louis, the Dauphin of France, during the dispute between himself and King John in the war of the Barons, fitted out a fleet of eighty ships, with the intention of attacking England on this coast. The fleet he had got together and assembled it at Calais and the adjoining ports.

1217.-The English fleet, under the orders of the Admiral of the Cinque Ports, assembled in the Downs, the place of rendezvous. On the 24th of August it weighed anchor and sailed on a cruise. It came upon the French fleet, which outnumbered them by two to one. The English had only forty ships and the French eighty. The disparity of numbers did not in the least degree hinder the English from fighting. On the contrary; they began to fight by manovring their ships in such a manner, and by making the most of the wind, that they succeeded in running down a great many transports, drowning all the troops and men on board. In this engagement the English made use of a stratagem to prevent the French from boarding them. A large quantity of quicklime was heaped upon the decks, which, the wind blowing a stiff breeze at the time, drove in the Frenchmen's faces so as to blind them. The Frenchmen, seeing that they were beaten, sailed for the Downs, and landed on the shore, going direct to Sandwich, which town they burnt and destroyed in revenge for the mischief the French fleet had suffered.

1250.-"There were great tempests on the sea, flowing twice without ebbing, so horrible a noyse that it was hearde a great way inland. Besides this, in a dark night the sea seemed to be on fire and the waves to fight one another, so that the mariners were not able to save their shippes: and to omit to speake of others in one haven, besides small vessels, three noble and famous shippes were swallowed up by the waves.'

1296.-The River Thames was so hard frozen that no ships could get up it, so that merchandise from Sandwich and other like havens was carried up to London by land.-On reading the records of olden times by writers of contemporary date, Mathew Paris, Stowe, and others, we cannot but be strongly impressed with the idea of the greatness of the armaments fitted out by the two countries lying opposite each other when at war, and from the peculiar formation of these shores with the Downs in front and a Foreland on each side, the sights from time to time must have been to all living in Deal and Sandwich very imposing, attended, doubtless, with many and constant alarms.

1341.-King Edward had ordered his fleet of two hundred sail of men-of-war to assemble in the Downs off Deal, and while there a fleet from the North of England joined it, making the total number 260 ships. On the 22nd day of June he embarked his army from this coast, and having a fair wind, sailed soon afterwards for the French coast. The French, in full expectation of this hostile visit, had made every preparation to meet it, by getting together a fleet of 300 sail, literally crammed with soldiers and seaman. The two fleets soon got in contact, and a sanguinary battle ensued, in which the losses of both sides were very great. The French, it is recorded, lost 30,000 men and 230 of their war ships sunk and destroyed, thirty ships only escaping without sustaining some damage.

1365.-A great inundation of the sea from Cliffsend to

Stonar, so that the town of Stonar was almost destroyed by it, and all the levels or marshes between the sea and Canterbury were in danger of being flooded. The king issued a commission to enquire into the state of the matter, and if possible, to secure the lands, houses, &c.

1459.-Sir Simon Montfort was sent with a large force of ships to guard Sandwich, the Downs and other adjacent ports and harbours from attacks by the enemy. While laying in the Downs, Warwick surprised Montfort, and took him prisoner; at the same time the whole fleet surrendered, on which event Warwick proceeded to Sandwich, laid the town waste, and pillaged towns and villages that lay near to it, and after securing his booty, he set sail for the Coast of France with all the ships- he had taken in Sandwich Haven and in the Downs.

1464.-The Common Councilman to be appointed in this manner: The Commonalty to nominate 48 persons, that is 16 out of each parish, and the Mayor and Jurats to make choice of 36 of that number to be of the Common Council. The Jurats "Aldermanni" with their wards to be in readiness to defend the town at the ringing of the great bell at St. Peter's Church. In the Church at Deal, before the Mayor and Jurats of Sandwich, the Commonalty of Deal nominate two persons, out of whom the Mayor appoints one to be deputy of Deal for the ensuing year, and the other to act in his absence.-On the 10th of March, 1464, a woman was sentenced to be carried round the town by two porters, proceeding from the Courthall through High-street and several other streets to the cross in the Corn Market, by Harne-street to Pillory Gate, and lastly to the Stone Cross, where she was to be banished, but if she returned she was to be burnt in the cheek.

1470. The navy of the Cinque Ports ordered to be in readiness to bring over the Queen and Prince from Calais-a whole Maltot-house, rent and free rent, granted for that service. Deal is to pay its proportional part of £7.

1471.-In the reign of Edward IV., one Thomas Neville had been appointed Vice-Admiral of the English Channel, through the influence of the Earl of Warwick; but on that nobleman's death, he was deprived of the appointment, upon which he withdrew with the ships under his command, and by way of resentment to the Crown, occupied himself and his crews in committing deeds of piracy. An opportunity occurring, he had the temerity of sailing into the Downs and anchoring there. Having strengthened himself with the addition of 300 men from the garrison of Calais, he determined on invading this coast, which he did on the first opportunity occurring. After landing his forces at Deal and Sandwich, he proceeded onward to Canterbury, the Mayor of which City freely admitted him. He had no sooner got to this place than the country people flocked to his standard, and when his force numbered 17,000 men, he marched on to London, calculating that, without much difficulty, he should soon be in possession of it. In that, however, he was disappointed. His followers seeing that they had no prospect of plunder deserted him. Neville got safely on board his ships that were in the Thames, and sailing round the North Foreland, ran into Sandwich Haven, whither the King's forces pursued him, when, by assault on Sandwich and reducing it, he became a prisoner and was immediately executed.

1474.-The Cinque Ports' navy called out to do service at sea. By order, it rendezvous in the Downs, off Deal, on the 26th of May, 1475. After a delay of a month the King embarked, and getting under weigh, sailed for Calais, accompanied with a large army, perhaps the finest that ever crossed the Channel to the Continent, and landed in safety.

1475.-The Cinque Ports' fleet assembled in the Downs for the training of several crews, and on the 26th of June, sailed for Calais with the King on board and also a numerous army. 1492. The navy of the five ports assembled in the Downs to convey Henry VII. to Calais: the army that accompanied