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.

¶ How trewse was made bytwene Englande and Scotlande / and how sir Robert Canoll brent & exyled the countre of Picardy and of Uerman∣doise. Cap. CC .lxxviii. (Book 278)

BEfore that sir Robert Canoll and his cōpany par∣ted out of Englande / there was a great treaty bytwene Englande and Scotlande / whiche treaty was so wyse∣ly handled by sadde and di∣screte counsayle of bothe parties / so y^• a peace was graūted bytwene bothe kynges / their coū¦treis and liege people / to endure .ix. yere. So that the scott{is} myght at their pleasure arme thē and serue and take wages other of englysshe or frenche at their pleasur / without brekyng of a∣ny peace / wherby sir Robert Canoll had in his cōpany a hundred speares of the realme of scot lande. Whan sir Robert Canoll was redy and his cōpany he went to Douer and so past forth to Calays / and ther arryued and toke lande / & was well receyued of the capitayne sir Nicho∣las Stamborne. And whan he had ben well re¦fresshed ther / the space of seayn dayes / and ta∣ken there counsayle / to what parte they shulde drawe. And so in a mornynge they de{per}ted and toke the felde / and were to the nōbre of .xv. hun¦dred speares / & foure thousande archers. And he had with hym out of Englande / sir Thom̄s of Grantson / sir Alayne of Bourequeselles / sir Gylbert Gyfford, the lorde of Saluatier / {ser} Jo¦han Bourchier / sir Wylliam Mesucyle / {ser} Gef∣fray Orsell and dyuers other knightes & valy∣ant men of armes. and so the first day they wēt nere to Fiennes. Sir Moreau of Fiēnes / who was constable of France was the same tyme in his owne castell of Fiennes / with a great nom∣bre of knight{is} and squyers / well purueyed and aduysed to receyue y^• englysshmen. And in the mornyng the englysshmen came thyder / thyn∣kyng to assayle the castell / but anone they sawe howe they coude take none aduauntage there. And so passed forthe through the coūtie of guy∣ens / and entred into the countie of Faucōbrige and brent all before them / and so came to the ci∣te of Turwyn. But they dyde nat assayle it / for it was so well prouyded for / that they thought they shulde but lose their payne. And so thanne they toke their way throught the coūtre of Ter¦renoyse / to entre into Artoise / & dayly they rod a four leages & past nat / bycause of their cary∣age & men a fote / and toke their lodgynge euer about noone / and lay about great vyllag{is}. And so at last they came to the cytie of Arras / & they lodged in the towne of Mount saynt Eloy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Arras. And so they brente and wasted all the

countre as ferr as they durst stretche abrode. The frenche kyng had the same season set gret garysons in all cyties / townes / castels / fortres∣ses / bridges / and passages: to defende them a∣gaynst all assautes. And whan sir Robert Ca∣noll and his company had refresshed them two dayes in the mount saynt Eloy / than they de{per}∣ted and went and passed by the cytie of Arras. Sir wyllm̄ Mesuell and sir Geffray Dursell marshals of the englysshe hoost / thought to go and se them of Arras more nerer / and toke with them a two hundred speares / and a foure hun∣dred archers and departed out of the great ba∣tayle / and auaūsed thē selfe to the subbarbes of the towne and so came to the barryers / the whi¦che they foūde well furnisshed with cros bowes and men of armes. And within the towne was sir Charles of Poicters with the lady of Ar∣toise / but he made no semblant to yssue out nor to fight with thenglysshmen. And whan the en¦glisshmen had taryed before the barryers a cer¦tayne space / and sawe that non yssued agaynst them. Than they drue agayne to their batayle but at their departyng they thought to make a knowledge that they had ben there / for they set the subbarbes a fyre / to thentēt to haue drawen out of the towne the men of war / but they were in no mynde so to do. And so the fyre dyd moch hurt & domage / for ther they brent a great mo∣nastery of freers prechers / cloyster and all. and so thenglysshmen passed for¦the and toke y^e way to Bapalmes / brennyng and wastyng the coū¦tre. And so at last they came into Uermandoise and cāe to Roy and brent the towne / and than passed forthe and went to Hem in Uermādois wherinto all the people were withdrawen / and all their goodes: and so they dyde in lyke wise at saynt Quintyns and at Peron. so that then∣glisshmen founde nothyng abrode / saue y^e grā∣ges full of corne: for it was after August. So they rode forth fayre & easely a two or thre leag{is} a day. And whan they came wher as any plen∣tie of vitayle was than they taryed ther a two or thre dayes / to refresshe thē and their horses. And so on a day they came before a towne / the whiche was chefe of all that countre ther about and the marshals spake with the capitayne by assurance / & sayd to him. Howe say you? what wyll ye gyue and we shall respyte this countre / and saue it fro brennyng and robbyng. so they fell at a cōposicyon that they of the playne coū∣tre shulde gyue and pay to thē a certayne sōme of florens: and so the countre was saued. This sir Robert Canoll gate in the same voyage / by the sayde meanes at dyuers tymes / aboue the somme of a hundred thousande frankes / wher∣of afterwarde he was shente / for he was accu∣sed to the kyng of Englande / y^t he had nat well done his deuoyre in y^t iourney / as ye shall here after in this hystorie.

THe lande of the lorde of Couey abode in peace / for ther was nother man nor wo¦man that had any hurt / the value of a penny / yf they sayd they belonged to the lorde of Couey. And so at last the englysshmen came before the cyte of Noyon / the whiche was well furnyshed with men of warre. Ther the englysshmen ta∣ryed and aproched as nere as they might / and aduysed to se if any maner of assaut might pre∣uayle them or nat / and there they sawe that the towne was well aparelled for defence. And sir Robert Canoll was loged in the abbey of Dol¦kans / and his people about him. And on a day he came before the cyte raynged in maner of ba¦tayle / to se yf they of the garyson and comontie of the towne wold yssue out to fight or nat / but they had no wyll so to do. Ther was a scottysh knyght dyde there a goodly feate of armes / for he departed fro his company his speare in his hande / mounted on a good horse his page be∣hynde him / and soo came before the barryers. This knyght was called sir Johan Assucton / a hardy man and a couragious. whan he was before the barryers of Noyon / he lighted a fote and sayd to his page / holde kepe my horse and departe nat hens / and so went to the barryers. And within y^e barryers ther were good knigh∣tes / as sir Johan of Roy / sir Launcelat of Lou¦rys / and a .x. or .xii. other / who had great mar∣ueyle what this sayde knight wolde do. Than he sayd to them. Sirs / I am come hyder to se you: I se well ye wyll nat yssue out of your bar¦ryers / therfore I wyll entre and I can / & wyll proue my knyghthode agaynst yours / wyn me and ye can. And therwith he layed on rounde a¦bout hym / and they at hym. And thus he alone fought agaynst them more than an hour / & dyd hurt two or thre of thē: so that they of the towne on the walles and garettes / stode styll and be∣helde them / and had great pleasure to regarde his valyātnesse and dyde him no hurt / the whi¦che they might haue done / if they hadde lyst to haue shotte or cast stones at hym. And also the frenche knightes charged them to let hym and them alone togyder. So long they fought that

at last his page came nere to the barryers / and spake in his langage / and sayd. Sir cōe away / it is tyme for you to depart / for your company is departyng hens. The knight he cd him well and than gaue a two or thre strokes about him and so armed as he was / he lept out of the bar∣ryers / and lepte vpon his horse without any hurt behynde his page: and sayd to the french∣men. Adue sirs I thanke you / & sorode forthe to his owne company. The whiche dede was moche praysed of many folkes.