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.

¶Howe sir John̄ Chandos disconfy¦ted the bataile of therle of Aucer / and howe sir Bertrā of Clesquy was dis¦confyted and taken. & the lorde Char¦les of Bloys slayne in the batell: and of the pytefull complaynt that therle Mountfort made for his dethe. Cap. C C .xxvi. (Book 226)

ALso sir Olyuer Clysson / sir Eu∣stace Danbreticourt / sir Richard Brulle / sir Johan Bourchier / sir Mathewe Gourney / and dyuers other knyghtes & squyers fought with the batayle of the erle of Aucerr / and the erle of Joignye: the whiche was a great ba∣tayle and well furnysshed with good menne of warr. Ther was many a noble dede done / ma¦ny taken and rescued agayne: the frenchmen & bretons on the one parte fought ryght valyant¦ly with the axes that they helde in their handes and the lorde Charles of Bloyes proued hym∣selfe a merueylous good knyght. And also his aduersary therle of Mountfort was a valyant knight. and sir John̄ Chādos dyd y^• day many a noble feat / for he was in his dayes a right va¦lyant knight hardy & redouted of his enemyes sage in batayle / well aduysed / & full of expery∣ens. He counselled euer therle of Mountfort / & alwayes toke hede to cōfort him & his men / and sayd sir do thus & thus: drawe to y^• syde or to y^• syde / and therle ruled hymselfe alwayes by his counsell. And on the other part sir Bertram of Clesquy / the lorde of Tornmyne / the lorde Da¦uāgour / the lorde of Raix / y^• lorde of Loheat / y^• lorde of Bornay / y^• lorde of Malestroyt / y^• lord of Pont / the lord of Prier: & many other good knightes & squyers of Bretayne & of Norman¦dy y^• were ther with the lord Charles of Blois fought valiantly. And so long they fought that all the batels assēbled eche with other / except y^• reregard of thēglyssmen. wherof {ser} Hewe Cau¦rell was chefe & soueraygne. He kept alwayes his batell in a wyng / & toke hede to nothig but to redresse agayne his {per}te if any thyng were a mysse among any of thē. Among other knight{is} sir Olyuer of Clisson was well aduised / he did maruels with his body & had a grete axe in his hādes wherw^t he brake & opened the prese / so y^• none durst aproche nere to hym. He aduētured himselfe often tymes so ferr y^• he was in great danger / he had moche to do in y^• batell of therle

of Iucerr / and of the erle of Joigny. Where he was sore encoūtred / so that with a stroke of an are he was stryken on the vyser of his bassenet so that the poynt of the axe entred into his eyes wherby h•• lost euer after y^• syght with that eye / but for all that stroke yet he delt styll lyke a no∣ble knyght. There was recouerynge of batay∣les and baners that somtyme were downe: by well fightynge were releued agayne on bothe partes. Amonge all other knyghtes sir Johan Chandos was a good knyght / and valyantly fought with an are that he helde in his handes so that he gaue suche strokes that none durst a∣proche to hym: for he was a great and a mygh¦ty knight / and well formed of all his membres. So he came & fought agaynst the batayle of y^• erle of Aucers and of the frenchmen / and there was done many a noble dede / and by force of well fightyng y^• batayle was broken & brought to suche myschefe that brefely after it was discō¦fyted: and all the baners and penons of that ba¦tayle ouerthrowen to the erthe / & the lordes put to flight in great danger and mischefe / for they were nat ayded nor cōforted fro no part: for eue¦ry man had ynough to do to defende hymselfe. To say the trouthe whan a discōsyture falleth / they that ar ouercome be discōfyted for a lytell / for if one fall ther falleth thre / and on .iii. x. and on .x. xxx. and if .x. slye ther foloweth. C. Thus it fortuned in this batayle of Alroy: the lordes cryed their cryes wherby some y^• herde it were recōforted by their men that drue to them / and some were nat herde / they were so in the prease and so ferr fro their men. Ho wheit finally the erle of Aucer by force of armes was sore woun¦ded / and taken vnder the standerd of sir John̄ Chandos and yelden prisoner / and the erle of Joigny also / and the lorde of Prier a great ba∣neret of Normandy.

¶yet all this season y^• other batels fought styll valyantly / and the bretons helde a longe space in good ordre. howbeit to speke truly in armes they kept nat their ordre so well as thenglysshe¦men & bretons that were with therle Moūtfort dyde / and gretly aueyled to them y^• day the ba∣tayle on the wyng that sir Hewe Caurell ledde And so whan thēglysshmen sawe y^• frenchmen begyn to breke and opyn their batell they were greatly reconforted: and than some of the fren∣chmen suche as had their horses redy aperelled mounted on them & stedd away as fast as they myght. Than sir John̄ Chandos and a cōpa∣ny with hym / dressed thēselfe agaynst the batell of sir Bertram of Clesquy / the whiche batayle had done marueyls in armes: but than it was opyned and many good knightes and squters brought to great myschefe. There was gyuen many a great stroke with their heuy ares / and many a bassenet clouen a sōdre / & many a man wounded to dethe: and to say the trouth {ser} Ber∣tram of Clesquy nor his cōpany coude no lēger endure their enemyes. So ther was taken sir Bertam of Clesquy by a squyer of Englande / vnder the standerd of sir John̄ Chandos: and the same season sir Johan Chandos toke priso¦ner a lorde of Bretayne called the lorde of Raix a right hardy knyght. And whan this batayle of bretons began thus to breke / all the other ba¦tayls were clene discōfyted and lost their aray: & euery man fledde away as fast as they might to saue them selfe. Except a certayne good kny¦ghtes and squyers of Bretayne / who wold nat leaue their lorde Charles of Bloys / but had ra¦ther dye than to departe with reproche. And so they drue about hym and fought right valtan••¦ly / and ther was done many a noble dede of ar¦mes. And so the lorde Charles of Blois and s••¦che as were about him helde themselfe togyder a certayne space / defēdyng themselfe right va∣lyantly / howe beit finally they coude nat defen¦de them selfe so / but that they were disconfyted and brought out of ordre by force of armes / for the moost parte of the englysshmen drewe to y^• parte. There was the baner of the lorde Char∣les of Bloyes disconfyted and cast to the erthe and he slayne that bare it: and the lorde Char∣les was there slayne his face towarde his ene∣myes / and a bastarde sonne of his called sir Jo¦han of Bloys / and dyuers other knightes and squyers of Bretayne. And as I vnderstode / it was so ordayned in the englysshe hoost / that if they had the better in the bataile / and that if sir Charles of Bloyes were founde in the place y^• none shulde take hym to raunsome / but to slee hym. And in semblable wyse the frēchmen had ordayned for sir John̄ Mountfort / if they had atteyned the vyctorie: for as that day they were determyned to haue an ende of the warre. So whan it cāe to the flight ther was great slaugh¦ter / and many a good knyght taken & brought to myschefe. There was the floure of cheualry at y^• tyme other taken̄e or slayne / but a fewe of men of honour that scaped / & specially of the ba¦nerett{is} of bretayne. Ther were slayne {ser} Char¦les of Dynan / the lorde of Lyon y^• lorde of Dā¦cenes / y^• lorde Dauāgour / the lorde of Loheat / the lorde of Gargoll / the lorde of Malestroyt / the lorde of Pout: and dyuers other knyghtes

and squyers / the whiche I canne nat all name. And ther were taken the erle of Rohan / {ser} Guy of Lyon▪ y^• lorde of Rochfort / the lorde of Raix the lorde of Ry••••x / therle of Tōnoyre / sir Hen¦ry of Malestroyt / sir Olyuer of Manny / the lorde of Ruyll / the lorde of Franuyll / the lorde of Raneuall and dyuers other of Normandy: and dyuers other good knyghtes and squyers of Fraunce / with therle of Aucer and Joigny. Br••uely to speke this disconfyture was great and mighty / & moche good peple therin slayne as well in the f••ldes as in the chase / the whiche endured eyght great leages cuyn to Raynes. Ther were many aduentures the which came ••acall to knowledge / & many a one slayne and taken as it fortuned them to fall in the handes of them that were cruell or courtesse. This ba∣〈…〉〈…〉e was nere to Alroy in Bretayne / the yere of our lorde a thousande. CCC .lx. and foure.

AFter this great disconfytur as ye haue herde: the lordes of Englande and Bre¦tayne retourned and lefte the chase to their peo¦ple. Than ther drewe to the erle of Mountfort sir John Chandos / sir Robert Canoll / sir Eu∣stace Dambretycourt / sir Mathewe Gourney sir Johan Bourchier / sir Gaultier Hewet / sir Hughe Caurelle / sir Richarde Brulle / sir Ry∣charde Tancon and dyuers other / and so came to a hedge syde. And ther they vnarmed them for they sawe well the iourney was theyrs: and certayne of them set their baners and stander∣des on the hedge / and the baner with y^• armes of Bretayne on a busshe to drawe their people thyder. Than sir Johan Chandos / sir Robert Canoll / sir Hugh Caurell / and other knightes drewe them to therle Mountfort / and smylyng sayde to hym. Sir laude god and make good chere / for ye haue this day conquered the hery∣tage of Bretayne. Than the erle enclyned hym¦selfe ryght courtesly and sayd openly that eue∣ry man myght here: a sir John̄ Chandos this good aduenture that is thus fallen to me / is by the great wytte and prowes that is in you / the whiche I knowe well: and so do all those that be here. Sir I pray you drinke with me: and toke hym a flagon with wyne / wherof he had dronke and refresshed hym before: and more∣ouer sayd / sir besyde god I ought to canne you the moost thanke of any creature lyuyng: and therwith ther came to them sir Olyuer of Clys¦son forchased & enstamed / for he had long pur∣sued his enemyes: so he had moche payne to re¦tourne agayne with his people / and brought with hym many a prisonere. Than he came to therle of Mountfort and a lyghted fro his hor∣se and refresshed hym: and in the same meane season there came to thē two knightes and two haraldes / who had serched among the deed bo¦dyes / to se if {ser} Charles of Bloys were deed or nat. Than they sayd all openly▪ sir make good chere for we haue sene your aduersary {ser} Char∣les deed: therwith the erle of Mountfort arose and sayde that he wolde go and se hym / for he had as good wyll to se hym deed as a lyue: and thyder he went and the knyghtes that were a∣bout hym. And whan he was come to the place where as he lay a syde couered vnder a shelde / he caused hym to be vncouered and than regar¦ded hym ryght piteously / & studyed a certayne space and sayd: a sir Charles fayre cosyn howe that by your opinyon / many a great myschiefe hath fallen in Bretayn / as god helpe me it sore dyspleaseth me to fynde you thus / howe beit it can be none otherwyse / and therwith he began to wepe. Than sir John̄ Chandos drewe hym a backe and sayd: sir departe hens and thanke god of the fayre aduentur that is fallen to you / for without the dethe of this man ye coude nat come to the herytage of Bretayne. Thā therle ordayned that sir Charles of Bloys shulde be borne to Guyngant / and so he was incōtynent with great reuerence: and there buryed hono∣rably as it apertayned / for he was a good true and a valyant knight: and his body after san∣ctifyed by the grace of god & called saynt Char¦les / and canonised by pope Urban the .v. for he dyde & yet dothe many fayre myracles dayly.