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 the frenchmen toke the Ca∣ptall of Beufz before Soubise in ba∣tayle / and howe they of Rochell tour¦ned frenche. Cap. CCC .iiii. (Book 304)

THis whyle thenglisshmen were in Nyorth / and durst nat well de{per}te a sondre / there cāe before Rochell yuan of Wales / in the cōpany of y^e admyrall of king Hēry of Spayn called Dāpradigo de Roux / and with hym .xl. great shippes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .viii. galys full of men of warr and so they layd them selfe before the towne in maner of a stege / so y^• none coude yssue nor en∣tre without daunger. Than they within Ro∣chell seyng thēself nat well assured / fell in trea∣ty priuely with yuan of Wales and with the ad¦myrall of Spayne / and so agreed y^t they with∣in nor they Woute / shulde nat trouble nor vexe eche other. but styll the spanyerdes and french∣men lay before the towne at ancre / & had their spies abrode in y^e countre of Poitou and Xayn ton / to knowe and se what was done in euery place. The capitayne of the castell of Rochell / was called Philippe Mansell. The constable of Fraūce who was at Poicters ▪ sent the lorde of Pouns and Thybault du Pont / with a thre hūdred speares to the castell of Soubise / whi∣che was stronge and stādyng on the see syde o∣pen before y^e mouthe of Tharent as the see gy∣ueth. And Win the castell was the lady therof / with no great cōpany of men of warr / howbeit she sent by a squier for socour to John̄ of Gran¦uyll and to the captall of Beufz costable of Acq¦tayne who were at saynt John̄s Dāgle. and in contynent as soone as he had worde therof / he sent for sir Henry Hay seneshall of Angoleme / and for sir Wylliam lorde of Marnell / nephue to sir Raymond of Marnell / Johan Cresuell / and for syr Thomas Percy / who incontynent came to hym. All this assemble and ordynaūce of y^e siege / yuan of Wales was enformed therof there he lay at Rochell. Than he toke four. C. speares of the moost speciallest / and surest men of warr of all his company and dyde put them in to thre barges. & so departed hym selfe and sir James of Mount••••ye / and Morellette his brother and lefte Radigo de Rouxe admyrall of Spayne there styll / with the resydue of his company. And so he rowed secretely towarde Soubise / and arryued on the other syde right agaynste the lorde of Pouns / who knewe no∣thynge of that busshement. Nomore dyde the Captall who made his assēble at saynt John̄s Dangle / for if he had knowen therof / he wolde haue taken with hym a gretter cōpany than he dyde. For he sent backe a great parte of his cō∣pany▪ & left another parte within the towne of saynt Johans Dangle / and so departed with two hūdred speares and no mo. And so rode so longe / that about nyght tyme / he came nere to the hoost of the frenchmen / & nere to the castell of Soubise: Than he alighted besyde a lytell wode / and rested a lytell their horses and them selfe. And than moūted agayne and displayed their baners & penons / and so sodenly dasshed in to y^e frenche hoost / makyng their cryes. ther was a sore scrimysshe / and many a man slayne and sore hurt / for the frenchmen were nat ware of thē. & so there was taken the lorde of Pons and Thybault of Pount / and a .lx. of the best of their company / & the other put to slight. thā yuan of Wales came in with his rout / who had passed the tharent with their barges / and bro∣ught with theym great nombre of tortches / fa∣gottes / and other ablementes for fyre: For the night was very darke. So he with four hun∣dred speres of fresshe men and lusty / dasshed in among thēglysshmen & gascons / who thought that they had clene acheued all their enterprise and so were spred a brode and nat togyder / a∣boute their pyllage / and takynge hede of their prisoners and so by clene force they were beten downe / and within a shorte space disconfyted. There auaūsed forthe a hardy squyer of Uer∣mādoyse / called Peter Danyels: and he apro∣ched so nere to the captall of Beufz that he toke him prisoner by clene feat of armes / whiche ca¦ptall was as than the knyght / other of Gascon or of Englande / that the frenche kynge and the frēchmen desired most to haue / bycause he was ryght hardy and a good capitayne. Also there was taken {ser} Thom̄s Percy by a preest of Wa¦les / called sir Dauy / Also there was taken sir Henry Hay / sir Mores Lyne / & dyuers other. And sir Water Huetscaped with moche payne sir Petyton of Corton / sir Wylliam Ferencon and Carmyll / fled towarde the towne of Sou¦byse / and hadde no socour: but that the lady of Soubyse was at the barryers / and caused the gate to be opened / & so they entred and dyuers

other. The next daye yuan of Wales brought all his barges & shyppes before Soubise / and gaue a feirse assaut / and also so dyde the lorde of Pons and Thybalte of Pont / who were be¦fore taken and rescued. Howbeit they within y^• towne defended them selfe right valiantly / but the lady sawe well the towne was nat strong y∣nough to endure a long space agaynst them / & had no hope of any socour: seyng that y^e captall was taken prisoner. Thā she called her knygh¦tes to counsell & toke suche aduyse / that ••he sent to treat with the frenchmen. Which treaty toke such effect / that all suche knight{is} as were with∣in the towne might de{per}t at their pleasur Wout any domage / & to drawe to Niorth / to Xaintes and to Lusygnen: or whyder soeuer it pleased thē. and the lady of Soubise to put her selfe vn¦der the obeysance of the frenche kyng / & all her lande. Thus de{per}ted thenglysshmen fro Sou∣byse / & were brought in sauegard whider as it pleased thē. Thā the frēchmen toke possessyon of the towne & fealtie of the lady / and she sware fro thens forth / to obey the french kyng & all her land. Than yuan of Wales {ser} James of Moūt¦ioy / & their cōpany toke their shyppes / and so brought the captall & other prisoners into their great shippes / y^t lay styll before Rochell. and y^• lorde of Pons & the other bretons hasted them greatly to ryde with a great cōpany / suche as y^• cōstable of Fraūce had sent thē: as the vycont of Rohan / the lord of Clysson / Torayne / Be∣aumanoyre / & of Rochfort / sir Wyllm̄ of Bord{is} Olyuer of Māny / Reynalt of Limosyn / Gef∣fray Ricon / yon of Lanconet / Alayne of saynt Poule / Carsuell & dyuers other. And they cāe before the towne of s. Johan Dangle / & made great assemblant to assaut it. And they within the towne sawe howe the countre began fast to be lost / & that their chefe capiten was taken pri¦soner and sawe no socour fro no {per}te / yelded thē vp and became french. Than the bretons rode to Augolesme / & in lykewise they turned to the french {per}tie / & so dyd after Talybourge. & than they cāe before Xayntes / where they lay before it two dayes for the capiten therof called Ferē¦con / sayd how he wolde nat yelde vp so lightly and so made good sēblaut of defēce. & within y^• towne was the bysshop therof / who was good french: he turned so the cytezins that they toke their capitayne / and sayd they wolde s••e hym / without he wolde cōsent to yelde vp the towne to be french / & so for feare he agreed to thē / so y^• he & all his might de{per}t quyte & clere. And so he dyde / & the frenchmen toke possession of y^• cyte & the castell of Xaintes. & sir Willm̄ of Ferēcon was cōueyed to Burdeur. ¶ Before Rochell lay styll at ancre yuan of Wales / in the cōpany of Dāpradigo the rour admyrall of Spayne / with .xl. great shipp{is}. ••iii. barges / & .viii. galys of Spayne. There was great treaty bytwene thē of the towne & thē without / howbeit they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in coude nat turne french as long as the castell was englysshe / & in the possessyon of englyssh∣mē. wherfore they helde styll dissimulyng with thēglyshmen / tyll euer lytell & lytell thenglyssh¦men de{per}ted. And so the lorde Deureux had left the garyson in the kepynge of a squyer / called Philyp Mansell / who had with hym aboute a hundred cōpanyons one & other. and a burges was mayre of the towne / called John̄ Caudrer who on a day assembled togider{per}te of thē that were wyllinge to becōe frenche rather than en∣glysshe / & sayd vnto thē. sirs / we se dayly howe our neighbours turne frenche / & I feare lest y^• shortly we shalbe so enclosed / that we shall nat knowe which way to styrre / nor to yssue out of this towne. Therfore it were good that be ty∣mes we toke hede / how we might get y^e castell / the which so often tymes hath done vs trouble and displeasur / and nowe it is but easely kept. for Philyppe Mansell is nat greatly ingeny∣ous: I shall shewe hym / that I haue receyued a cōmaūdement fro the kyng of Englande / cō∣teyning howe I shulde cause all the men of the towne to be armed / and to cōe into a place that I shall name / and so to take the musters and a vieu the nombre of them: and also of thē of the castell / and so to write agayne the certētie ther∣of to the kyng. And so therby I shall cōmaund hym in the kynges name to come out of the ca∣stell / and to make his musters / and I beleue he wyll do so lightly. And than let vs be well pro∣uyded of a busshment / of two hundred men in harnesse / lyeng amonge the olde walles with∣out the castell. So that whan they of the castell be yssued out / than lette them steppe forthe / by∣twene them and the bridge / the whiche as than wyll be auayled downe. And than lette vs all be redy to furnysshe oure enterprise / and so we shall take them at our pleasure. and therby we shall haue bothe thē and the castell: and so they were all agreed to this purpose. And than they {per}seuered in this purpose so longe / tyll y^• mayre who was chefe of this enterprise on a day / de∣syred Philippe Mansell to come to him to dy∣ner and dyuers other great burgesses / suche as were of the englysshe parte. And so he made a great dyner / and talked of dyuers maters par

taynynge to the kyng to Englande. And after dyuer the mayre brought for the a letter / sealed with the kynges great seale to cause Philippe Mansell to beleue hym the better / who coulde nat rede / now be it he knewe well the seale. And so than the mayre redde the lettre as it pleased him / other wyse than it was written. Than the mayre sayd to Philippe. Sir yese & here how the kyng our souerayne lorde hath commaun∣ded me / and also that I shulde cōmaunde you in his name / that ye make to morowe your mu∣stres and in lyke wise so shall we do ours. And he who thought none yuell / sayd he was cōtent so to do / and so departed. The same nyght or it was day / the mayre toke two hundred men & put thē in a busshment nere to y^e castell / among the olde walles that were ther: and in the mor∣nyng the mayre caused y^e watche bell to be sow ned / and euery man in the towne to be armed. Philyppe Mansell in lykewyse / caused all thē within y^e castell to be armed / wherof ther were a. l••. sufficient and able men of warr. Than he yssued out of the castell: and whā he was ones past the busshement / than they stepte forthe by∣twene y^e bridge and thenglysshmen than the en¦glysshmen sawe well how they were betrayed. Than they ranne at them of the busshment / to haue goten agayne thentre in to the castell / but the mayre came incontynent with all the comy∣naltie of the towne•• to the nombre .ii. M. men. So there the englisshmen were assayled bothe before and behynd / and all taken: for they were fayne to yeloe them / sauyng their lyues. How∣beit for all that / yet they of the towne had nat y^e castell ••or thenglysshmen had lefte .xii. of their company styll within the castell / who had dra∣wen vp agayne the bridge. Thā the mayre cāe to Philippe ther capitayne and to his compa∣ny / and sayde. Sirs / harken what I say vnto you. Without ye yelde vp incōtynent the castell all your heedes shall be stryken of at the bridge fote. The englysshmen answered & sayd: they wolde do the best of their powers / to delyuer to thē the castell / and so they went and spake with them that were in y^e castell. And so they agreed to delyuer vp the castell / on the condycion that all those within the castell / and also all suche as were taken shulde be put in to a shyppe / and cō¦ducted in saue garde / by the mayre & burgesses of Rochell to the cytie of Burdeur. Thus they were agreed and so they of Rochell had the ca∣stell. And assone as the duk{is} of Berrey / of Bur bone / and of Burgoyne / the marshall of San∣rere / the bycont of Rohan: the lordes of Sul∣ly / of Pons / of Clysson / of Beaumanoyre / and dyuers other barons of Fraūce: herde of these tidynges. They departed fro Berrey / and fro the marchesse of L••••osyn and Aniou: and de∣termyned to drawe towarde Poicters / where the constable of Fraunce was. And in their go¦yng thyderward / these lordes toke by the way in Poictou a towne called saynt Maxāt / whi¦che was yelded to them: assoone as euer they came thyder / and the castell was taken with as¦saut / and all they within ssayne. And after that they tooke the castell of Marle / and than̄e the castell of Dowaye / and dyuers other forteres∣ses that they founde in their waye. And whan they were come to Poiters / they sent certayne messangers to treat with the burgesses of Ro∣chell: howe beit they of the towne wolde nat o∣pen their gates to let in those lordes / and sayd they wolde nat yelde vp so sone. howbeit they sayd / that if it wolde please y^e duke of Berrey & the other lordes there / to send thē a saue cōduct to cōe to Poiters w^tinsixe dayes: than they wol¦de bring their hole mynd{is} in that behalfe. The frenche messangers retourned to these lordes / and shewed them the mynde of thē of the town of Rochell. Than the cōduct was graūted thē / and to Poycters went certayne of the burges∣ses of Rochell / and sayd to these lordes of Frā∣ce: how they were well content / to be vnder the frenche kynge / so that they myght caste downe their castell to the erthe: and that ther beneuet castell made there more. And on that condicy / on the towne of Rochell & all rochellois / shulde be for euer / vnder the resort and demayne of y^e frenche kyng / and neuer to be put away by ma¦ryage or any maner of peace / that may happe to come to the realme of France / or by what so euer cōdycion it be. And also they of the towne to haue a mynt / to forge money bothe whyte & blacke: of the same forme and alay as is in Pa¦rys. But the lordes of Fraūce wolde nat agre to all this / tyll they knewe the frenche kynges pleasure in that behalfe. And so the lord{is} gaue saue conduct to thē of Rochell / to go the the kyn¦ge to knowe his pleasur. And so .xii. of the bur¦gesses of the towne went to Parys to the kyng who accorded to their desyre / and feested them greatly / and gaue thē great gyftes. And whan they were retourned to Rochell / they shewed their charters sealed by the kynge / and confyr∣med in the chābre of the kyng & of the peeres of Fraūce. And so incōtynent was beaten & rased downe to the erthe the great castell of Rochell. And than they sent to y^e great lordes of Fraūce

at Poicters that they shulde come to Rochell / and that they wolde set open the gates to them And so thyder came the constable of Fraunce / and two hundred men of armes with hym / and there they were receyued with great ioye. & to hym they dyde feaultie & homage as to the fren¦che kynge / for he had good procuracion fro the frenche kyng to receyue it / for the kynge hadde stablysshed hym in those parties of P••••ardye / representyng his owne body.