¶How the greate company arose in / fraun¦ce / and the whyte company in Lombardye and of other meruaylles.
Kynge Edwarde in the .xxxvi. yere of his regne anone after Crystenmasse in the feest of the conuersyon of Saynt Poule helde parlemente at westmestre / in the whyche par∣lemente was put forthe and shewed the accor∣de and the treates that was stablisshed and ma¦de bytwene the twoo kynges whyche accorde pleased to moche people. And therfore by the kynges commaundement / there were gadred and come togyder in westmynster chyrche the fyrste sondaye of lente. That is to saye the .ii. kal / february. the forsayd Englysshemen and frensshmen where was songe a solempne mas∣se of the Trynyte of the Archebysshop of Caun¦terbury mayster Symonde Issepe. And whan Agnus dei was done the kynge beynge there with his sones / And also the kynges sones of fraunce. and other noble and greate lordes / wyth candell lyght and crosses brought forth / and that were callyd therto / that were notte sworne afore swore ye same othe that was wry∣ten vppon goddes bodye & on the masse booke in thys wyse / we / .N. and .N: sweren vppon goddes body and on the holy gospels stedfastly for to holde and kepe towarde vs the peas. and the accorde made bytwene the two kȳges and neuer for to do the contrary / & whan they had thus sworne they toke theyr scrowes that theyr othes were comprehended into the notaryes. And in this same yere in the Ascencyons euen aboute myddaye / was seen the clypses of ye son¦ne / And there folowed suche a drought that for defaute of rayne there was grete brennynge of corne fruyte and hey. ¶And in the same mo∣neth the .vi. kal of Iune there fell a sanguyne rayne almoste lyke blode at Burgon. and a sāg¦uyne crosse from morne vnto pryme apered & was seen at Bolyn in the heyre the whiche ma¦ny men saw / and after it meued and felle in the myddes of the see. ¶And in the same tyme 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fraunce and Englond and many other londes as they that were in playne countre••s and d••∣serte / baren withnesse sodeynly there apperyd two castels / of the whiche wēte out two hostes of armed mē. And that one hoste was closed in whyte and that other in blacke. and whan Ba¦tayll bytwene theym was begonne the whyte ouer came the blacke toke herte tho theym and ouer come the whyte and after that they wente ayen in to theyr castels: and thā the castels and all the hoost vanysshed away. ¶And in this same yere was a grete and an huge pestylence of people and namely of mē / whoos wyues as womē out of gouernaunce toke husbondes as well straungers as other lewde and symple pe∣ple. the whyche forgetynge theyr honoure and worshyp coupled and maryed theym with thē that were of lowe degre and lytyll repuracyon ¶In this same yere deyed Henry duke of Lā∣castre. ¶And also in this same yere Edwarde prynce of walys wedded the countesse of Ken∣te that was syr Thomas wyf of Holōde yt whi¦che was departed somtyme & deuorced fro the erle of Salysbury for cause of the same knyght ¶And aboute this tyme begā and rose a grete