Here begynneth the first volum of sir Iohan Froyssart of the cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spayne, Portyngale, Scotlande, Bretayne, Flau[n]ders: and other places adioynynge. Tra[n]slated out of frenche into our maternall englysshe tonge, by Iohan Bourchier knight lorde Berners: at the co[m]maundement of oure moost highe redouted souerayne lorde kyng Henry the. viii. kyng of Englande and of Fraunce, [and] highe defender of the christen faythe. [et]c.

¶Here begynneth the feat{is} of warre done 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the tyme of kyng Charles the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wherof the beginnyng speketh of the obsequy of kyng John̄. and how the yong kyng Charles was honora¦bly crowned at Reynes / & of the gret expēses that was done there. & of the beginyng of the batell of Cocherell. (Book 220)

THus asye haue herde before / the kyng of Cypre retorned into Frā∣ce & came to Parys to the duke of Normādy / & ther was the dukes bretherne / the duke of Ani••ou / & the lorde Philyp who was after duke of Bur∣gone. And all they taryed for the body of y^e 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ge their father the whiche was comyng out of Englande & the kyng of Cypreholpe them to cōplayne the dethe of the kyng / & was maruey lously displeased therwith / bycause of the hyn∣dringe of his vyage of the croyse. and so he cl••¦thed hym selfe with the vesture of doloure. So the day came thar the body of the frenche kyng aproched to Parys / the which body was broght thyder by therle of Artoyse / therle Dā∣marten / & the great priour of Fraūce / the duke of Normādy & his bretherne. The kyng of Cy¦pre & the moost part of all the clergy of Parys went a fote & met with the body beyonde saynt Denyce in Fraūce / and ther he was solemply buryed / and tharchbysshop of Sencesang the masse. And after the seruyce done & the dyner the whiche was right noble: the lordes & prela∣tes returned to Parys / & there they helde a par¦lyament & generall counsell to determyne how the realme shuld be ordred / for y^e realme might nat longe be without a kyng. And than it was counselled by thaduyce of the prelatis & nobles of the realme that they shulde drawe to the cite of Reyns & ther to crowne the duke of Normā¦dy / who as yet was called none other wise. also he wrote to his vncle Uyncelant duke of Bra∣bant & of Luzēburge / and also to therle of Flā∣ders desyring them to be at his coronacyon on Trinyte sonday next comyng. In the same sca son whyle the lordes made theyr puruey aunce for the kynges coronacyon. The frenchemen and naueroyse aproched nere togyder in Nor∣mādy / for into the cite of Eureux was come the Captall of Beuz who made ther his assemble of men of warr / & of companyons suche as he coude get. ¶ Nowe let vs speke of hym and of sir Bertram of Clesquy / & of a iourney of ba∣tayle bytwene them. The tuesday before T••••¦nyte sonday that the duke of Normāndy shulde be crowned kynge / as he was in the cathedrall churche of Reyns. Whan the captall of Beusz had made his assemble in the cite of Eureux of archers & brigans. and left in the cytie a capy∣ten called sir Mychell Dorgery / & sent to Cou¦ches the lorde Guy of Grauyll to kepe fronter warr. Than he departed fro Eureur with all his men of armes & archers / for he herde say

••ow the frēchmen wer abrode / but he wyst nat where they were▪ than he toke the feldes & had great desyre to ••ynd th•• & 〈…〉〈…〉red his cōpany / & ••••••de y^t he was to the some of. v••••. C. spetes. iii C. archers 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. C. of other men of warr. And with h•••• were dyuers good knight{is} & squiers and specially a baneret of the realme of Nauer called y^• lorde of Sal•• / an expert mā of armes. but he y^• helde y^• gr••••t••st some of men of armes 〈…〉〈…〉ers in all the cōpany was a knight of En¦gland called sir John̄ Jo••ell / ther was also y^e lorde Peter of Sauyle / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Will•• of Grauyll / y^e lorde Bertrā of Frāke / y^• Blassoll of marenell / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••uers other all in wyll to encoūter {ser} Bertrā of Clesquy & to fight with h••••. Thā they drue to Passy & to y^e b••••ge of tharch / for they thoght 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the frēchmen shulde passe y^e ryuer of Seyne ther if they ware nat passed all redy. ¶ So it happed y^• the friday in the whytson w••ke y^• cap¦tall & his cōpany rode out of a wode / & by auē∣ture they met a haraude of armes called kynge Faucon: & the same mornynge he was de{per}ted fro y^• frēche hoost. assone as the captall se hym he knewe hym well & made him great ••her / for he was ••••e••••yng to y^• kyng of England. Thā he ••••maūded of hym fro whens he ••ame & if he k••••we any tidyng{is} of the frēchmen▪ sir {quod} he in the name of god I knowe well wher they be. I depted fro them to day / they seke you aswell as ye do them where be they {quod} the captall beyond the b••••ge of tharche or a this syde. Sir {quod} Fau∣••on they be passed y^• bridge at Uernon / & as I beleue they a•• nowe about Passy. What nōbre ••e they {quod} the captall & what cap••tens haue the•• I pray you shewe me: {ser} {quod} Fau••on they ar well a. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. C. fightyng men. & there is sir Bertrā of Clesquy who hath y^• grettest cōpany of bretōs / also ther is therle of Aucer / y^• vycount of Bea∣mont y^• lorde Loys of Chalon / y^• lorde of Bea∣〈…〉〈…〉 / y^• maister of the cros bowes / tharchpreest the lorde Edward of Remy. & of Gas••one ther is the cōpany of the lorde Dalbret & the lorde A••mon of Punyers / y^• lorde of Suldyche & of L••strad: & whan y^• captall herd those gascons named / he marueyled gretly & blussed for dys∣pleasure & sayd / Faucon is this true ye say / y^t these lordes of Gascone ar ther / & the lorde dal br••t••s c••pany. sir {quod} the harald ye ••out fayle / & wher is y^• lorde Dalbret hiselfe {quod} the captall / {ser} {quod} Faucon he is at Parys with y^• regēt duke of N••rm••dy who aparelleth hiselfe to go to Rey∣nes for it is sayd y^• on sonday next comyng he shulde be crowned kyng. Than y^• captall layd his hand on his own•• heed & sayd in great dis∣pleasur by saynt Antones cap / gascon agaynst gascone. sir {quod} Faucon here by taryeth for me a harald of tha••chprest sent to speke with you fro hym / and as I vnderstand by y^• harald tharch preest wolde speke with you. Than the captall sayd a Faucon say to y^• frenche haralde he nede nat to go any farther / let hym shewe to tharch∣prest y^• I wyll nat speke with hym. Than {ser} Jo¦han Jonell stept forthe & sayd / sir why wyllye nat speke with him {per}auentur it is for our pro∣••yte / than y^• captall sayd nay I warrant you it is nat for our {pro}fyte / for tharchprest is so great a brauler y^• if he come to vs he wyll but ••angle. and in y^e meane tyme ymagen our strengthe & auewe our nōbre / the whiche parauēture shall torne more to our pre••••dyce than aduauntage / therfore I haue no hast to speke with him: thā Faucon y^• harau•• wēt to thother haraud wher as he taryed vnder a hedge / & excused y^• captall so wysely that he was well content / and than he went to tharchprest & shewed hym all as Fau∣con had sayd. ¶ Thus the frēchmen and naue royse had knolege eche of other by y^• report of the two harald{is} & aparelled thēself echeto mete other. and whan 〈◊〉〈◊〉 captall had herd by Faucon what nōbre the frēchmen were than incōtynēt he sent certayne messāgers to y^• cyte of Eu••eu•• to y^e capten ther / desyringe hym to sende out of the cite all maner of cōpanyons & other y^t were able for the warr / and y^t they shulde mete with hym about Cocherell / for there he thought to fynde the frenchmen: for surely he sayd wher∣so euer they met he wolde fyght with thē. And whan these tidynges came to y^• capten of Eu∣••eu•• named 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Leger Dorgery / than he cōmaū¦ded euery man y^• was able to ryde a horse / shul¦de go out of the cyte & drawe to y^• Captall: & so ther de{per}ted out of the towne ••••o than sixscore / all yong men of the na••yon of y^• towne. So y^• wednysday the Captall lodged by noone on a moūtayne & his cōpany about him: & the fren∣chmen 〈…〉〈…〉de forwarde to fynde thē tyll they cāe to a ryuer called in y^t countre Iton / the which ran towarde Eureux: and it springeth nere to Couches & there they lodged y^• wedn••sday in a fayre medowe a longe by y^t ryuersyde. & so the next mor••yug bothe partyes sent out their c•••• rous to se if they coude here any tidynges eche of other / & so eche of thē made report that they were within two leages togyder. Than y^• na∣ueroyse rode as Faucon led thē the same way he came fro thē / and so about noone they came into the way to Cocherell: & there they sawe y^• frenchmen before thē in orde••yng of theyr ••a∣••els

/ & ther was great nōbre of baner•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••enōs so y^• they semed to be double the ••ombre y^• they were in dede. Than the naueroyse rested them without a lytell wode that was there: than the capitayns drue togyder & ordred their batayls First they made thre batayls well and proply all a fote & sent all their caryages and pages in to y^• lytell wode: and they set sir John̄ Jonell in¦the first batayle withall the men of armes & ar∣chers of Englande. The seconde batayle ledde the captall of Beusm / and in his batayle were 〈◊〉〈◊〉 iiii. C. fightynge men one & other. and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hym was the lorde of Saulx of Nauer a yong lusty knight / the lorde Wyll•••• of Grauyll and {ser} Pe¦ter of Sankeuyll. The third batell was ledde by thre knyghtes / y^t is to say the lorde of Bas∣cles of Ma••nell / the lorde Bertram of Franke and the lorde Sans••lo••yns / they were a .iiii. hūdred. And whan they had ordeyned their ba¦tayls / than they toke the vaūtage of a lytle hyll ther besyde on their right hand bytwene them and the wode. And so on the fronte of that hyll they aranged them selfe before their enemyes / and they sette the captals baner on a busshe of thornes and set a .lx. men of armes about it to defende it fro their enemyes. And y^• they dyde to thentent that yf they were sparkeled abrode they shulde drawe to the standarde: and so de∣termyned nat to dyscende downe fro the moū∣tayne for no maner of cause / but to let their ene¦myes come to thē / if they wolde fight with thē.