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 Bertram of Clesquy cō∣stable of Fraūce / toke dyuers castels in Rochelloys. And howe the kynge of England toke the see to come and reise the sege at Thouars. Cap. ccc .v. (Book 305)

WHan the constable of Fraunce / sir Bertram of Clesquy had be four dayes in y^e towne of Rochell / and had shewed thē of the towne / how they shuld ordre thēselfe for thens forwarde. Than he departed & went to Poy∣cters to the foresayd dukes and lordes. And so with thē he went into the felde to conquere cer∣tayne fortresses on y^e marches of Rochell / and he was to y^e nombre of thre thousand speares. And so they departed fro Poyctres / and went and besteged the castell of Benon / whiche was a fayre castell and a stronge / and so they sayde they wolde nat departe thens / tyll they had it at their pleasure. And in this castell there was a capitayn vnder the captall of Benon / a squier of the countie of Foiz called Wyllm̄ of Pons / and with hym a knyght of Napless / named sir James. There y^e frenche lordes made dyuers assautes / & they within defended thēselfe right valyauntly / and nat farre thers there was the fortresse of Surgeres / wherin there were cer∣tayne englysshmen y^• kept it vnderthe captall / & so in an euennyng they sayd how they wolde go and a wake the frenche hoost. And soo ther rode forthe a .xl. speares / with some y^e they had sent for fro Marant / and so they came sovenly into the constables lodgynge / and dyde hurte dyuers of his men: and specially they ssewe a squier of his. Than the hoost began to styrre & to arme them as soone as they myght / and the englysshmen who hadde done their enterpryse without danger retourned agayne to their for tresse without any domage. Wherof y^e consta∣ble was so sore displeased / that he sware neuer to departe thens tyll he had taken the castell of Benon / & slayne all those within it. And so the same mornyng / he caused all maner of men to arme thē and to drawe for the all maner of a by∣lementes of assaut. and gaue suche an assaut. y^• long before was nat sene suche another / for thā¦men of armes and bretons entred into dykes / nat sparynge them selfe. And so came to y^e fote of the walles with pauesses on their heed•• and myned the walles with pikes / that it was mar¦ueyle to beholde them. And they dyde somoche that they beate downe a great pane of y^e wall / wherby they entred without danger: & so the castell was taken / and all they within slayne / as many as coulde be founde. Than after the sayd constable / caused the same castell to be a∣gayn repayred / and set therin a newe garyson of frenchmen. Than he drewe to the castell of Morant / and they within yelded them vp / sa∣uynge their lyues and goodes. And than they went to Surgeres / which also yelded vp to y^e obeysance of the frenche kyng / but the englysh¦men were de{per}ted / for they durst nat abyde the comyng of the constable. And so than after the constable went to the castell of Fountnay the countie / whiche the wyfe of sir John Harpen / dan kept / and so they beseged the towne and ca¦stell / and gaue therto dyuers assautes. Final∣ly they within by composicyon departed with the lady as many as wolde / and so were by the constable cōueyed to Thouars. So the frēch∣men had the possessyon of the towne & castell of Foūtuey / and refresshed it with newe people.

THan the constable and lordes of Frāce went and layd sege to Thouars / wher as the moost parte of the knightes of Poictou were. As the vycont of Thouars / the lordes of Pertney / Pousanges / Corse and Crupenac / and sir Loyes of Harcourt / Geffray Dargen∣ton / James of Surgeres and Percyuall of Coloyne. And these frenche lordes had made at Poicters & at Rochell dyuers engyns wher with they assayled / and traueyled greatly the poicteuyns within Thouars. And so all thyn¦ges consydred / they entreated with the french∣men to haue a peace for thēselfe & for their lād{is} syll the feest of saynt Michaell next folowyng / whiche shulde be in the yere of our lorde. M .iii. C .lxii. And in y^e meaue tyme / they to sende to the kyng of England their lorde / to certifye hym of their estate and cōdycion / so that if they were nat ayded by him or by one of his sonnes within the sayd terme: than they to yelde them and their landes to the obeysance of the french

〈◊〉〈◊〉. This treaty was agreed vnto / and than the knightes of France retourned to Parys / & thyder was brought the Captall of Beufz and put in prison vnder sure kepyng / in a towre in the temple. And the kyng who was right glad of his takyng caused to be delyuered to y^• squy¦er that toke hym .xii. thousande frankes. And so the messangers that went fro the poicteuyns came into Englande and shewed to the kyng / to the prince / and to their coūsayls: the state of Poictou / and of Xaynton. And whan the kyng sawe howe he lost with so lytell warre / the coū∣treis and lades that had cost hym so moche the wynning / he was in a great study a long space And than he sayd / howe that shortely he wolde go ouer the see hymselfe with suche a puyssan∣ce that he wolde abyde to gyue batayle / to the hole power of France. And sayd how he wolde neuer retourne agayne in to Englande / tyll he had coquered agayne as moche as he had lost / or els to lese all the resydue. The same season ther was agreat army redy charged to attend on the duke of Lancastre / and shulde arryue at Calys. But than it was ••••imyned by the king and his coūsayle / that they shulde go into Poy¦ctou and in to Xaynton towarde Rochell / for y^t was thought to be the next voyage / and moost nedefull. And the kynge made a great somons throughout the realme of Englande / cōmaun∣dyng euery man to cōe in harnes to Hāpton / & ther about at a day assigned: and ther to take the see. So ther was none that durst nor wold disobey his cōmaundement / but euery man de¦parted fro his owne countre / and drewe to the see syde / where ther was redy a foure hundred vessels / of one and other. And the lordes drewe to the kyng to Westmynster besyde London. & ther it was ordayned bytwene the kynge & the prince his sonne: that if the kyng of Englande dyed in this viage / or the prince: that than Ry¦charde the sonne of the prince / who was borne at Burdeur / shulde be kyng of Englande. So that whan all the lordes were come before the kyng / or they departed / the prince shewed thē: that if it happed him to dye before the kyng his father than his sonne Richarde to be kynge of Englande / after the discease of his graundfa∣ther. The prelates / lordes / knightes / and all y^e comynalte / loued so well the prince / for the ma∣••ay fayre iourneys that he had acheued / as well in Englande as beyond thesee / that they all a∣〈…〉〈…〉 therto ioyously. The kynge first / & than all his sonnes / and after all the lordes of En∣glande ••o the which the prince caused thē all to swere and scale or he departed. All these thyn∣ges done: the kyng / the prince / the duke of Lā¦castre / therles of Cābridge / Salisbury / War wyke / Arundell / Suffolke / and Stafforde / y^• lorde Spenser who was newly come oute of Lombardy. The lordes of Percy / of Uyen / of Rose / of Dalawar / and all other barones and knyghtes of Englande / to the nombre of thre thousande men of armes / and .x. M. archers / who came all to Hāpton wher they toke shyp∣pyng / with as great a flete / as euer any kyng went before out of Englande in any voyage. And so they sayled towarde Rochell / in costyn¦ge Normādy and Bretayne / and had dyuers wyndes. And the frenche kynge made a great assemble of men of warr in Poictou to holde his iourney at Thouars / at y^• day apoynted. So all the countre was full of men of warre: also the gascons & the lorde Archēbalt of Gray¦ly / vncle to the Captall of Beufz / at the desyre of {ser} Thom̄is Felton seneshall of Burdeux cāe w^t thre. C. speres. And in the same cōpany ther was the lordes of Duras / of Corton / of Musy¦dent / of Rossen / of Lāgoren / & of Landuras: {ser} Peter Corton & sir Wyllm̄ Fereton englysshe¦men. All these de{per}ted fro Burdeux & came to Nyorth / and ther they founde sir Water Huet sir John̄ Ubrues / sir Thom̄s Percy / Johan Cresuell & dyuers other / so y^t whan they were all togyder / they were a .xii. C. fightyng men. and sir Richarde of Pontchardon cāe to them with other .xii. C. All this season the kynge of Englande & his sonnes with their great army were on the see / & coulde take no lande at Ro∣chell nor ther about / for the wynde and fortune was cōtrary to thē. And in that case they were the space of .ix. wekes / so that the feest of My∣helmas aproched / and y^t the kyng & his coūsell sawe well how they coude nat cōe tyme ynow to kepe the day of rescuyng of Thouars / wher of the kyng was sore displeased / & so gaue ly∣cēce to all his people to de{per}te wheder they lyst Thus retourned this great nauy of England and had wynde at wyll at their returnynge / & ther arryued at Burdeux .ii. C. fayles of mar¦chauntes of Englande for wyne. And whan it was nere mighelmas / the barones of Englan¦de and Gascone cāe fro Niorth to go towarde Thouars / to mete with the kyng of England: and whan they sawe that the kynge came nat they hadde great marueyle. Than to acquyte thēselfe / they sent certayne messangers to Tho wars to the barons of Poictou / suche as were ther / which messāgers sayd. Right deresirs /

we be sent hyder to you fro y^• lordes of Gascone and Englande / vnder they obeysaunce of the kynge of Englande. Sirs there be about Ny∣orthe twelfe hundred fightyng men redy appa¦relled to ayde and serue you in all maners and sirs they desyre to haue knowlege sro you / why¦der that in the absence of the kyng of England and of his chyldren / they shall ayde and confort you or nat. For sirs they are well cōtent in your company / to aduentur their bodyes & goodes. The barones of Poictou sayd: howe they wol¦de take counsayle and aduyse in that cas•• / but sirs: we thāke greatly the barones of Gascone and Englade / who hath sent you hyder: in that they be redy to socoure vs. Than the knightes of Poictou drewe togyder / and so the first day they greed nat / for the lorde of Parteney, who was one of the greattest of that company / wol∣deth at they shulde kepe their day / and receyue the sayd ayde / representynge the kynge of En∣glande. And the other lordes were of the cōtra∣ry opinyon: sayeng howe they had sealed and sworne / howe that if the kyng or one of his chyl¦dren were nat there personally by the sayd day / than they to yelde them vp to they obeysance of the frēche kyng. Wherfore the lorde of Partney went to his lodgyng nat well content / howe be it afterwarde he was so entysed by the other / y^• he agreed to their mynd{is}. And so they sent wor¦de agayne by the sayd messāgers, that they thā¦ked them of their good wylles. Howe be it the kyng of Englande or one of his chyldren must nedes be ther / acordyng to the treaty that they had sworne and sealed vnto. Wher with the ga∣scoyns and englysshmen that were at Nyorthe were sore displeased / but they coude nat amen∣de it. And so myghelmas day came / & fro Poy cters ther came to Thouars to holde their iour¦ney ▪ the dukes of Berrey / of Burgoyne / and of Burbone / the constable of France / the lorde of Clysson / the dycount of Rohane / the Dolphyn of Auuergne / sir Loyes Saurere / the lorde of Sully / and other great lordes of France. And they were ten thousande speares besyde other. And so before Thouars / the euyn and the daye ofsaynt Mychaell they stode in ordynaunce of batayle / and agaynst nyght they withdrue thē to their logynges. And in the mornynge y^• two bretherne of the frenche kynges and the consta¦ble of Fraunce / demaunded of the knightes of Poictou within Thouars to delyuer the town acording to their promyse and othes in that be halfe. They answered / and sayd: howe y^• shorte¦ly they wolde come to Poicters / and put them¦selfe and all their landes / vnder the obeysaunce of the frenche kyng / whiche answere was suffi∣cyent to the lordes of France / and so departed fro Thouras / and the dukes gaue lyc〈…〉〈…〉 to the moost parte of their companyons.

THe lorde Clysson departed with a gret nombre of men of warre / apoynted him by the constable. And so went to Mortayne on the see / the whiche was as than englysshe / and capitayne therof was a squyer of England / cal¦led James Clere: and he had with hym a thre∣score cōpanyons. And whan the lorde Clysson was come before Mortayne / he made a feirse assaute / at the whiche he was hym selfe, Howe be it with that assaute he wanne nothyng / and s•• at night he drewe to his lodgyng. Than the capitayne within seynge him selfe sore oppres∣sed / he sent priuely to the lordz of Gascoyn and of Englande beyng at Nyorth / shewyng thē y^t if they wolde com thyder by night he wolde re¦ceyue thē into his fortresse: wherby they might lightly passe through the lodgynges of the lor∣de Clysson / who had with him but two hūdred¦men. And so secretely these lordes departed fro Nyorthe with fyue hundred speares / and rode by nyght tyll they came to Mortayne / for they habbe great besyre to atrape the lorde Clysson / howbeit a spye / who departed with thē fro Ny¦orthe knewe all their ententes. And so he came hastely to the lorde Clysson / and foūde himsyt¦tynge at supper: and sayd. Sir your enemyes are departed fro Nyorthe to the nombre of .v. hundred / and are commynge on you. Thanne the lorde Clysson put the table fro hym and ar¦med him in hast and moūted on his horse and all his company. And so departed and all his sodaynly / and left behynde them a great parte of their caryages / and rode so longe that they came to Poicters: And the englysshmen who sayled of their ententes / retourned agayne to Nyorthe right sore displeased. And anone af∣ter they departed fro Nyorthe and left in ga∣ryson there: sir Dangoses and Cresuell. and sir Johan He wet retourned in to Englande / and all the other went to Burdeur / & in their returnyng they brent the lorde of Partneys lā¦des. Thus all Poictou was cōquered / except these fortresses: as Nyorth / Elyseth / Morty∣mer▪ Mortayne ▪ Lysignen / Castell / Accart / la roche Suryone / Gausar / the toure of Larbre Merris and other. Which fortresses made dy¦uers yssues and assautes on their neighbours sōtyme chasyng & somtyme rechased agayne.