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 kyng Robert of Scotland dyed. Cap. xx.

ANd whan that the scottis were de¦parted by nyght from the mountaigne where as the kyng of Ingland hadde beseged theym / as ye haue harde here before.

They went .xxii. Myle throughe that sauage countrey without restyng / and passed the riuer of ••yne / right nere to Carlyle. And y^e next day they went into theyr owne lande / and so depar∣ted euery man to his owne mansion▪ and within a space af•• there was a peace purchased bitwene the kyngis of Ingland and Scotland / and as the englysshe cronicle sayth / it was done by the speciall counsell of the olde quene / and {ser} Roger Mortymer for by theyr meanes / there was a p∣lyament holden at North hampton at y^e whiche the kyng being within age / graūted to the scot∣tis to release all the feaulties and homages that they ought to haue done to the Crowne of In∣glande by his Charter ens••aled. And also there was delyuered to the scottis an endenture / the whiche was called the Ragmon / wherin was co••teyned all the homages and feaulties that y^• kyng of scottis / and all the prelatis erles and ba¦rones of Scotlande ought to haue done to the crowne of Inglande / sealed with all their sealis with all other rightis / that sondry barones and knyghtis ought to haue hadde in the realme of Scotlan••. And also they delyuered to them a∣gayn the blacke crosse of Scotland▪ the whiche the good kyng Edwarde conquered / & brought it out of the abbey of Scoue / the whiche was a precious relique / and all rightis and enteresses that euery baron had in Scotlande / was than clene forgyuen / and many other thyngis were done at that parlyament / to the great hurt / and preiudice of the realme of Ingland / and in ma∣ner ageynst the wyls of all the nobles of the re∣alme saue onely of Isabell the olde quene & the busshop of Ely / and the lord mortymer. They ruled the realme in suche wyse / that euery man was myscontent. So y^t the erle Henry of Lan∣castre / and syr Thomas Brotherton erle mar∣shall / and syr Edmund of Wodstocke the kyng{is} vncles / and dyuerse other lordes and cōmons / were agreed to gether to amende these faultes / if they myght. And in that meane tyme y^• quene Isabell & syr Roger Mortym̄ / caused a nother parliament to be holden at Salysbury / at the whiche parliament / & Roger Mortymer was made erle of Marche / ageynst all y^e barōs wyls of Inglād / in preiudice of y^e kyng & his realme and sir John̄ of Eltham y^e kyngis brother was made erle of Cornewal. To the whiche ••liamēt there Henry of Lācastre wold ••at come. wher∣fore the kynge was broughte in beleue / that he wold haue distroyed his parson / for the whiche they assembled a great hoste / and went to ward Bedforde / Where as the Erle Henry was with his companye. Than the Erle Marshall / and therle of Kent the kyngis brother made a peace bitwene the kyng & y^e erle of Lācastre on whose part was & Henry lorde Beamont / syr Fowke Fitzwayn / & Thomas Rocellin. {ser} Williā Trus¦sell / Syr Thomas Wyther / and abowte a .C. knyghtis who were all exyled out of Inglande by the counsaile of quene Isabell / and the Erle

Mortym̄ / for he was so couetous y^t he thought to haue the most part of all their landis into his owne handis / as it is more playnly shewen in y^e inglisshe cronicle▪ the whiche I passe ouer and folowe myn auctour. The forsaid peace whiche was purchased bitwene Ingland and Scotlād was to endure .iii. yere. And in the meane tyme it fortuned that kyng Robert of Scotland was right sore aged / & feble▪ for he was greatly char∣ged with the great sickenes / so that ther was no way with hym but deth. And whan he felte that his ende drew nere / he sent for suche barones & lordis of his realme as he trusted best. & shewed them / how there was no remedy with hym / but he must nedis leue this transetory lyfe. Cōmaū¦dyng them on the faith and trouth y^t they owed hym / truly to kepe the realme / and ayde y^e yong prince Dauid his sonne / and that whan he wer of age / they shulde obey hym and crowne hym kyng / and to mary hym ī suche a place as was cōuenient for his astate. Than he called to hym the gentle knyght sir William Duglas / & sayde before all the lordes. Sir William my dere frēd ye knowe well that I haue had moche a do my dayes to vphold and susteyne the ryght of this realme and whā I had most a do / I made a so∣lemne vow / the whiche as yet I haue nat accom¦plysshed / wherof I am right sory. The whiche was / if I myght acheue and make an ende of al my warres / so that I myght ones haue brought this realme in rest and peace / than I promysed in my mynd to haue gone / and warred on Chri∣stis ennemies / aduersaries to our holy christen faith. To this purpose myn hart hath euer eatē ded / but our lorde wolde nat co••sent therto / for I haue had so muche a do in my dayes / & nowe in my last entreprise I haue takyn suche a mala¦dy that I can nat escape. And syth it is so y^t my body can nat go nor acheue / y^t my hart desireth I Wyll sende the hart instede of the body to ac∣complyhssmyn auowe / and bycause I knowe nat in all my realme no knyght more valyaunt than ye be / nor of body so Well furnysshed to ac∣cōplysshemyn avowe in stede of my selfe. Ther¦fore I re{qui}re you myn owne dere aspeciall frēde that ye wyll take on you this voiage for the loue of me / and to acquite my soule agaynst my lord god. For I trust so moche in your noblenes and trouth / that and ye wyll take on you / I doubte nat / but that ye shall achyue it / and than shall I dye in more ease and quiete. so that it be done in suche maner as I shall declare vnto you. I woll y^t as soone as I am trepassed out of this worlde that ye take my harte owte of my body / and en∣bawme it / and take of my treasoure / as ye shall thynke sufficient for that entreprise / both for yo^r selfe / and suche company as ye wyll take With you / and present my hart to the holy S••pulchre Where as our lorde laye. Seyng my body can nat come there / And take with you suche com∣pany and purueyaunce. as shalbe aparteyuyng to your astate. And where so euer ye come let it be knowen / howe ye cary with you the harte of kyng Robert of Scotland / at his instaūce and desire / to be p̄sented to the holy sepulchre. Thā all the lordes that harde these wordes / wept for pitie. And whan this knyght syr William Du∣glas myght speke for wepyng / he sayd. I gentle & noble kyng / a .C. tymes I thanke your grace of the great honour that ye do to me. Sith of so noble and great treasure / ye gyue me in charge And syr I shall do with a glad harte / all that ye haue cōmaūded me / to the best of my true power howe be it I am nat worthy nor sufficient to a∣chyue suche a noble entreprise. Than the kyng sayd a gētle knyght / I thāke you so that ye wyl promyse to do it. Syr sayd the knyght / I shall do it vndoubtedly / by the faythe that I owe to god and to the ordre of knyghthodde. Than I thanke you sayd the kyng / for nowe shall I dy•• in more ease of my mynde / sith that I knowe / y^t the most worthy and sufficient knyght of my re¦alme shall achyue for me / the whiche I coulde neuer atteyne vnto. And thus soone after thys noble Robert de Bruse kyng of Scotland / t••••∣passed out of this vncertayne worlde / and hys hart taken out of his body / and enbaumed / and honorably he was entred in the abbey of Don∣fremlyn / in the yere of our lord god .M. CCC .xxvii. the .vii. day of the moneth of Nouembre And whan the spryngyng tyme began. Than {ser} William Duglas purueied hym of that whiche aparteyned for his entreprise / and toke his ship at the port of Morais in Scotlande / and sailed into Flanders to Shluce / to here tydyng{is} / and to knowe if there were any noble man / in that coūtrey / that wolde go to Jerusalem to thētent to haue more cōpany / and he lay styll at Sluce / y^e space of .xii. daies or he departed / but he wold neuer come alande / but kept styll his shyp / and kept alwaies his port and behauour with great Tryumphe / with trumpettis and clarions / as though he had ben kyng of scott{is} hym selfe / and in his companye there was a knyght baneret / & .vii. other knyghtis of the realme of Scotland and .xxvi. yong squiers & gentylmē to s{er}ue hym▪ and all his vessell was of golde and siluer / pott{is} basons / ewers / Dysshes / flagons / barels cup∣pes / and all other thyngis. And all suche as wolde come and se hym / they were Well serued▪

with two maner of wynes / and dyuerse maner of spices / all maner of people accordyng to their degres. And whan he had thus taryed there the space of .xii. dayes. he hard reported y^t Alphons kyng of Spaigne made warre ageynst a sara∣zyn kyng of Granade. Thā he thought to draw to that partie / thynkyng suerely he could nat be¦stowe his tyme more nobly / thā to warre ayenst goddis ennemies / and that entreprise done. thā he thought to go forth to Jerusalē / & to acheue that he was charged with. And so he departed. & toke the se to ward Spaigne / and arryued at y^e port of Ualen•• the great. Than he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 streight to the kyng of Spaigne / who helde his hoste a∣geynst the kyng of Granade sarazyn / and they were nere to gether on the fronters of his lande and within a while after that this knyght syr Williā Duglas was come to y^e kyng of Spai∣gne On a day the kyng issued out into the felde to aproche nere to his ennemies. And y^e kyng of Granade issued out in like wyse on his part / so that eche kyng myght se other w^t al their baners displayed. Than they arenged their batels eche ageynst other. Than 〈◊〉〈◊〉 William Duglas drewe out on the one syde with all his company / to the entent to shewe his prowes the better.

And whan he saw these batels thus ranged on both parties / and sawe that y^e bataile of y^e kyng of Spaigne began somewhat to aduaunce to∣warde their ennemies / he thought than verelye that they shulde soone assēble to gether to fyght at hande strokes / and than he thought rather to be with the formest / than with the hyndemoost / and strake his horse with the spurres / and al his company also / and dashte into the batelle of the kyng of Granade / criynge Duglas Duglas. Wenyng to hym / the kyng of Spaigne and his host had folowed but they dyd nat / Wherfore he was disceyued / for the Spaignyss he host stode styll. And so this gentle knyght was enclosed / & all his company with the sarazyns / where as he dyd meruelles in armes / but fynally he coulde nat endure / so that he and all his company were slayne. The whiche was great dāmage that y^e spaynyardis wolde nat rescue them.

¶ Also in this season there were certayn lordes that treated for peace bitwene Inglād & Scot∣lande. So that at the last there was a mariage made / and solempnised bitwene the yong kyng of Scotland / and dame Johan of the towre su∣ster to kyng Edward of Ingland / at Berwyke as the inglisshe cronicle saith on Mary Maud ly••day. The yere of our lord .M .iii. C .xxviii. agaynst the assente of many of the nobles of the realme. But quene Isabell the kyng is mother and the erle Mortymer made that mariage. at y^e whiche (as myn auctor saith) there was great feast made on bothe parties.