Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

THE .CLXV. CHAPITER.

CHarlys y^e Ballyd thus beyng authorysed for emperour / ex∣ersyd hym for a tyme for the nedys of the chyrche of Rome / & after toke hys leue of the pope & retorned vnto Papye a cytye of Italy. where he cal¦lynge a generall counceyle of the lor¦des of the empire & other / he by theyr aduyses prouyded and ordered dy∣uerse thynges for the weale of y^e sayd empyre. And ouer that by theyr agre¦mentes he ordeyned for hys lyeu te∣naunt or debyte of the sayde empyre in hys absence, a noble man brother to hys wyfe recent named Besonne or Beson / and assygned to hym such people as was thought necessarye and conuenyent.

whan Charlys had sped hys ne∣dys in Papye, he hyed hym into Fraunce. But or he came wythin the terrytory therof / word was brought to hym that hys brother Lewys was retorned into hys owne countreye, wythout greate domage done to the realme of Fraunce.

In processe the emperoure came to Parys / where he was receyued of the cytesens wyth moste tryumphe & ioye / and kepte hys Eester tyde at saynte Denys.

It was not longe after that Char∣lys was thus returnyd into Fraūce / but that he receyued messengers frō hys brother kynge of Germany, the which in his name claymed his part of the empyre as hys ryghte and en∣herytaunce. whiche answere for that tyme was deferryd with pleasaunte wordes / so that at the nexte worde y^t he hadde from his sayd brother, was that he was dede and buryed in the chyrche of saynte Nazer in Franke∣borught. wherof whā Charlys was ascerteyned, anone he yode vnto Foū¦tenays / and sent hys messengers to the lordes of the countrey, commaū∣dynge them that they shulde meete hym at the cytye of Mettes.

Thys foresayd Lewys lefte after hym two sonnes named Lewys and

Charlon as before is towched / the whych deuyded bytwene them theyr fathers patrymony / so that Lewys had Germany, and Charlon hadde Bayon.

Thys Lewys ferynge hys vncle Charlys / gaderyd to hym a stronge power of Saxons and of Thoryn∣ges. And in the tyme of theyr assem∣ble / he sent an ambassade of certeyne byshhoppes & temporall lordes vnto hys vncle Charlys, prayeng hym of hys loue and fauour / wyth other re∣questes to hym made, of the whyche they myghte purchase no graunte. wherof whan they were retornyd he hauynge by them knowlege / y^e sayde Lewys incontinently wyth his hoste drewe nere vnto the Ryne. But thys Lewys was not so couert ī his work and assemblynge of hys people / but that hys vncle had therof wyttynge, and purueyed hys people as faste vp¦pon that other syde / so that he wyth an hoste was redy to fyghte with the sayd Lewys.

whan Lewys was ware of y^e great power that the emperour hadde as∣sembled, he made no haste to passe y^e water / but houed and caused his peo¦ple to falle vnto prayer. And Char∣lys also ferynge hys neuewe / vnder a colour sent alegacyon of entreaty. Durynge the whyche entreaty / the emperour contrary to hys honoure, led his peple by a secrete waye thyn∣kyng to haue fallen vpon his neuew sodeynly, and by that meane to haue dystressyd hym. But Lewys beynge ware of hys vncles treason / prouy∣ded so for hys peple, & kepte them in suche araye, that they receyued theyr foo men vpon theyr speres poyntes & to theyr great damage. For where the greate rayne and tedyousnesse of the harde and strayte wayes, whych they hadde passyd, hadde sore tyred and weryed them: than the fresshe fyersnesse of theyr enemyes, whyche they thoughte they shulde haue takē slepynge and vnpurueyed, abasshed thē in such wyse that they were soone ouercomen, and fled from the felde as shepe fle frō the wolfe. By meane of the whych flyght great slaughter of them was made / & many nobles & greate estates of Fraūce both slayne and taken prysoners / and the empe∣roure hym selfe scapyd wyth greate daunger. And of the prysoners that were takē they were so nere spoyled / y^t they were fayne to take vyne leues to couer wyth theyr secrete mēbres.

ye shall vnderstand y^• thys warre bytwene the emperoure Charlys the Ballyd and hys brothers sonne Le∣wys / was for the prouynce of Austra¦cy or Lorayne, the whyche somtyme belonged to the emperoure Lothayr and halfe brother to Charlys. The whych countreye after thys batayle, was by medyatours set in an order.

Than the emperoure wyth great trauayle came to a town called Ty∣guy. And Lewys kepte hys waye to Dandonyquyke / and from thens to Ayes the chapell.

In this whyle the Danes or Nor¦mans knowynge that Charlys was occupyed in the warre agayne hys neuewe / apparayled them a stronge hoste, and entred ofte the landes of Fraunce. But for Charlys was at y^e tyme letted wyth chargeable busy∣nesse / he therfore sent a noble man agayne them called Comarde, vnto the ryuer of Sayne, to wythstande the sayde enemyes. And also to hym was gyuen counceyle, to haue wyth them cōmunicacyon to make a peace yf he myghte.

And to thys trouble immedyatly was ioyned another. For ī this tyme and season a cytye belongyng to the chyrch of Rome rebellyd. wherfore to wythstand theyr malyce / the pope

than beynge Iohn̄ the .viii. of that name, sent messengers to Charlys for the defence of the sayd lōdes and other. And soone after the pope for to haste the sayd emperoure, or ellys to quyckē his deputye before named to assemble the Italyans and other people there adioynaūt / came downe to the cytye of Papye, & taryed there the emperours comynge.

Charlys thā beset with trowbles / assembled hys knyghtes & sped hym towarde Italy. And whan he was passyd the mountaynes / worde was brought to hym of the popes beynge in Papy / wherfore he sped hym thy∣der with all dylygence.

In thys tyme & season Charlone the brother of Lewys and sonne of Lewys kynge of Germany / whyche Charlone as before is shewyd was duke of Bayon or Bayory / gaderyd a stronge hoste, and entred the boun¦des of Italy. wherof herynge y^e pope and the emperour, than (as before is sayd) beynge at Papye, busyed in a great counceyle / dissoluyd the same. And the pope incontynētly toke leue of the emperour / & departyd agayne to Rome. And Charlys wyth a great power that he had gaderyd, as well of Italyans as of hys owne people / made towarde hys neuewe. wherof herynge the sayde Charlone / turned agayne by the waye that he had co∣men, tyll he came to hys owne coun∣trey, as sayth myne authour & also y^e French boke. But more verely Char¦lone kepyng togyther hys hoste, and hauynge fauour of dyuers lordes of Italye / the emperoure Charlys re∣mouyd to y^e cytye of Mantue / where he was grudged wyth a feuer. For remedy wherof he toke a pocyon of a physycyon Iewe named Sedechi∣as, whyche was intoxicat / by meane of whych venemous pocyon he dyed shortly after whan he hadde reygned as kynge & emperoure after moste ac¦corde of writers, by y^e space of .xxxvii. yeres, wherof he reygned as empe∣roure .iii. yeres / leuynge after hym a sonne named Lewys, whyche as be∣fore is shewed was ruler of the coū∣trey of Austracy or Lorayne.

whan thys Charlys was dede / hys frendes entendynge to haue ca∣ryed the corps into Fraunce / cau∣syd it to be seryd and enoynted wyth ryche and precyous bawmes, and other oyntmentes and aromatykes. But all myghte not stoppe the into∣lerable ayre of hys body / so that they were fayne to bury hym at Uercyle, wythin the monastery of saynt Eu∣seby. where he laye ouer .vii. yeres af¦ter / and then taken vp and conueyed to saynt Denys in Fraūce, and there honorably buryed.