The chronicle of Ihon Hardyng in metre, fro[m] the first begynnyng of Engla[n]de, vnto ye reigne of Edwarde ye fourth where he made an end of his chronicle. And from yt time is added with a co[n]tinuacion of the storie in prose to this our tyme, now first emprinted, gathered out of diuerse and sondrie autours of moste certain knowelage [et] substanciall credit, yt either in latin orels in our mother toungue haue writen of ye affaires of Englande.

The .C .lxxxii. Chapiter.

¶ Of the greate pestylence, in the yere of Chryste a thousand thre hundreth fortye and nyne, and the yere nexte after, the kynge wente vnto Fraunce, and the prynce of Wales vnto Guyan.

ANd in the yere of Christ clerly accompted A thousande hole, thre .C. fourty & nyne The pestilence was in England amoūted That kyng Edward newe warre ganne ymagine

The nexte yere after, agayne Fraunce fyne Thether he went, & prince Edward then went With greate power to Guien, as Regent.

¶ The kyng then put his sonnes yonge of age In Fraunce then forth, in mighty gouernaunce Syr Lyonell, Earle of Vlster in wage Regent of Fraunce, hym made by ordynaunce Syr Iohn of Gaunt, to haue hole attendaunce Of all the hoste, as hye and greate constable To whiche he was accompte, y^t tyme full able.

¶ Sir Edmonde Langeley, full of gentylnesse Sir Thomas Woodstok full of corage To their banners, them put for worthynesse To haue rule in that worthy viage Whiche prynces fyue, approued in yonge age There was no king christen, had such sonnes fiue Of lyklynesse, and persones that tyme on lyue

¶ So hye and large, they were of all stature The leste of them, was of persone able To haue foughten with any creature Singler batayle in actes marcyable The byshops wit, me thinketh was cōmendable So wel coulde chese the princesse y^t them bare For by practyse he knewe it, or by lare