Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶How kȳge Edwarde besyeged Calays & how it was wonne & yolden vnto hym.

IN the .xxii· yere of kyng Edwardes reg¦ne wente ouer see in the wynter tyme / & laye al y^e wynter at the sege of Calays / the whi¦che yere whyle the syege lasted & endured Phy¦lyp the kynge of fraunce caste & purposed tray¦toursly & with fraude to put awaye the syege & came the ·xxvii. daye of Iuyll in the same yere with a grete host & stronge power and neyghed to the sege of Calays. The whiche Phylyp the last daye of Iulii. sente to the kynge Edwarde worde that he wolde gyue hym playne batayll y^e thyrde daye after y^e about Euēsonge tyme yf he durst come fro the sege and abyde. And whā kynge Edward herde that ony without longe taryenge or longe auysentente accept gladly y^e daye & houre of batayll y^t Philyp had assygned And whan the kynge of Fraunce herde that / y^e next nyght after he set hys tentys a fyre & reme¦ued & went his waye thens cowardly. Thenne they that were in y^e towne & in the castell besye¦ged saw all this that they had none other helpe ne socour of y^e kynge of Fraunce ne of his men And also that theyr vytayls within them were spended and wastyd & for faute of vytayls & of refresshynge they eten horses houndes cattes & myse for to kepe theyr trouth as long as they myght And whā they sawe & was foūde amon¦ge them at the last that they had no thyng amō¦ge them for to ete ne lyue by ne no socour ne res¦cowe of the frensshemē / of that other syde they wist well that they muste nedes deye for defau∣te or els yelde the towne / & anone they went & toke downe y^e baners and the armes of fraūce on euery syde that were hangē out & wente on y^e walles of y^e forsayd towne on dyuerse places as naked as euer they were borne sauf only the¦yr shertes and theyr pryue clothes. & helde their swerdes naked & the poynt donward in theyr hondes / and puttē ropes & halters about theyr neckes & yelded vp the keys of the towne & of the castell to kynge Edward of Englond with grete fere & drede of theyr liues and goodes and drede of herte / And kynge Edwarde sawe alle thys as / a mercyable kynge and lord receyyed them to grace / & fewe of the grettest prysoners of estate and gouernaunce of the towne he sent into Englonde there for to abyde theyr raun∣son and the kynges grace. And al the comynall¦te of the towne the kynge lette goo weder they wolde in peas and wyth out ony harme / & lete them bere with thē all theyr thynges y^t they my¦ghte bere & carye away kepynge y^e twone & the castell to hymself· Thenne thrugh meditacyon of Cardynales that were sente from the pope / trewes was take there by twene Fraunce & en¦glond for .ix. monethes than next folowynge. And aboute Myghelmas kynge Edwarde co∣me ayen into Enlond with a gloryous vycto∣ry. ¶And in the .xxiii. yere of his regne. in the Eest partyes of the worlde there arose and be∣gan a pestylence & deth of Sarasyns and Pay¦nyms that so grete a deth was neuer herde of a fore / that wasted away the people so that vn∣neth the tenth person was left alyue. ¶And the same yere aboute the suche countrees and also in the west countrees there fell so moche rayne & so grete waters that from Crystmas to myd somer there was vnnethes no daye ne nyght but that it rayned some what / thrugh whyche waters the pestylence was so enfected & so ha∣būdaunte in al countres. & namely aboute the courte of Rome. & other places and see costes that there were left lyuynge folke for too bury theȳ that were dede honestly But made greate dyches & pytt{is} that were wōder brode & depe &

therin buryed them / & made a renge of dede bo¦dyes & caste a lytell erthe to fele them aboue / & than caste in a nother renge of dede bodyes / & an other renge aboue theym / and thus were they buryed & none other wyse / but yf it were so that they were men of greate estate so y^t they were buryed as honestly as they myghte. And after all this in the .xxiiii. yere of kyng Edwar¦des regne it was done hym to wete & vnderstā¦de of a treason that was begon at Calays & or¦deyned for to sell that towne for a greate sōme of Florens vnto kynge Phylyp of Fraunce thrughe the falsnesse & or dynaūce of a knyght that was called syre Geffrey of Cherney was wonder preny wyth kynge Phylyp of Fraūce And whan kynge Edwarde herde this he toke with hym the noblest and gentyllest lord{is} and many other worythy men of armes that were there presente with hym for the solempnyte of that hygh feest. And well wysely in al the hast that he myghe / and as pryuely as he myght he wente ouer see to warde Calays. And that sa∣me yere the gode kyng edwarde helde his cryst¦mas at Hauerynge. And the morne after new yers daye the kynge was in the castell of Ca∣lays with his men of armes that none of the a¦lyens wyst ther of. And that fais conspiratour and traytour Geffrey of Cherney syth that he myght not openly haue his purpose of the cas∣tell / pryuely and stelyngly he come in & helde y^e towne with a grete host. And whā he wyth hys men were comen in / he payed the for sayd som¦me of floreyns as couenaunte was to a Gene∣weye in the towne that was keper of the castel and consentinge to the same Geffrey in all his falsnesse and trechorye & bounden the Englys¦she mynstrels and seruaūtes that were in the castell y^t they myght not helep themself ne lette them of theyr purpos. And than wenyng that they had ben sure ynough / then they spaken al their wickydnesse & falnesse openly on hygh y^t all men myght here. & now shall ye here howe they were deceyued / for they came in by a pre∣uy posterne ouer a lytyll brydge of tree / & whā they were comen in subtyly & pryuely the bryd¦ge was drawen vp and kept that nōe of them that came in myght go out ne no moo myghte come to them / & anone our Englysshmen wen∣te out at preuy holes and wyndowes & ouer y^e walles of the towne and of the castell & went & faught manly with the frensshmen that were withoute & had the better of them / the whyche whan they were occupyed by them self on the∣yr syde / the kynge that was within the towne hauynge scarsely but .xxx. men of armes drew out his swerde & with a loude voys he creyed on hygh. Osaynt Edwarde. Osaynt George. And whan the peple herde that / they come ren¦nynge to hym & gaaf there to theyr enmyes so greate assawte that there were moo than two hondred men of armes & many mo other slay∣ne and many fled a waye. And soo by grace of god almyghty the vyctory felle vnto the En∣glysshmen. Thenne the kynge toke with hym this Geffrey that was fynder of this trechory And also many other Frenssh prysoners / and thenne within a whyle after he come agayne in to Englonde. And in thys same yere and in the yere afore and also in y^e yere next folowyn∣ge was soo greate a pestylence of men frome the eest in to y^e west & namely through botches that tho that sykened / as on thys daye deyed on the thyrde daye after / to the whyche men that soo deyed in this pestylence had but lytell respyte of lyssynge. ¶The pope Clemente of his goodnesse and grace gaf theym full remys∣syon and forgyuenesse of all theyr synnes that they were shryuen of / and this pestylēce lasted in London fro Myghelmas vnto August. next folowynge almoost an hole yere. ¶And these dayes was deth wythout sorowe / weddynges wythout frendshyp / wylfull penaunce / & derth without scarsyte. And fleynge without refute or socour. for many fled from place to place by cause of pestylence. But they were enfected & myght not escape the dethe / after that the pro∣phete Isay syth who that fleeth fro the face of drede he shalle falle into the dyche. And he that wyndeth hym out of the dyche he shall be hold and eyed wyth a grenne / but whan thys pesty∣lēce was cessyd as god wold vnnethes y^e tenth parte of the peple was left on lyue. And in y^e sa∣me yere began a wonder thynge that all that e∣uer were borne after that pestylence had twoo cheketh in theyr heed lasse than they had afore.