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 dyuers englysshmen were slayne and disconfited by the lorde of Soubyse before Ribamont / & howe the garysons of Soissons discōfyted the englysshmen. Cap. C C C .x. (Book 310)

AT Calais there aryued the duke of Lancastre and y^• duke of Bretayne / and mo than thre thousande men of armes / and .x. thousande ar¦chers englysshmen / whiche voyage had ben ordayning and imagenynge thre yere before. There was with theym: the erles of Warwyke / of Staf∣forde and of Suffolke. The lorde Edwarde Spcusar / one of the greattest barones of En∣glande / and constable for that tyme of all the hoost: and the lordes of Wylloughby / of Pole / of Basset / of Hubelles / of Holenton / sir Henry Percy / Loys Clyfforde / Wylliam Beauchāpe / Chanoyne Robersart / Water Hewet / Hughe Carleton / Stephyn Gosenton / Rychard Pōt chardon / and dyuers other knyghtes and squy¦ers of England / whōe I can nat all name. The french kyng / who knewe right well the passage of these englysshmen: prouyded sufficyētly for the sure kepyng of his townes / cyties / forteres∣ses / and castelles: in Picardy / in Artoys / and in Uermandoyse. And hadde set in them men of warre{is} as bretons / burgonyons / pycardes / normayus / and dyuers other soudyers of the empyre.

Thus these englysshmen departed fro Calais / after they had aparelled their caryages / wher∣of they had great plenty: so they rode forthe in thre batayls aswell ordred as coude be deuised First y^e batayle w^t the marshals / wherof the er∣les of Warwyke and of Suffolke were chefe: and than the two dukes / of Lancastre & of Bre¦tayne and with them a noble cōpany. And the thyrde batayle led the constable the lorde Spē¦ser / and all thre batayls marched forwarde / ke¦pyng themselfe close togyder: alwayes in har∣nesse redy to fight / if they founde with whome. And euery night they lay togider & made gode wache / and went neuer past thre leages a day. None went before the marshals baners with∣out cōmaūdement / and so they passed by Mo∣trell: wherof the lorde of Handboure was capi¦tayne but they made ther none assaut / & so past by saynt Omer / & after by Turwyn. The cur∣rours brent the lande of therle of saynt Poule / and than went nere to Arras. And the two du∣kes lodged in the abbey of mount saynt Eloy / and ther taryed two dayes. Than they depar¦ted and costed Arras / but they assayled it nat: for they knewe well they shulde but lese their la¦bour. and so they went to Bray on the ryuer of Some / & ther the two marshals made a great assaut before the gate. Within ther were in ga¦ryson good knightes & squyers of Picardy / of whome the vicont of Mealx was capitayne / & sir Rafe of Menac. The chanon of Robersart that day strake downe with his glayue thre to the erthe before the gate / where ther was a sore scrimysshe. Howbeit the frēchmen kept so well their forteresse that they lost nothynge / & so the englysshmen passed by / coostynge the ryuer of Some / thynking to passe ouer at Ham in Uer¦mandois / & at saynt Quintynes.

THus went forthe thenglysshe host / wher of the duke of Lancastre was chefe go∣uernour / by the ordynaūce of the kyng of En∣gland his father. Than the lorde Bousyers of Heynalte cāe in to Fraūce and he passed by the bridge of Ham: & there they of the towne desy∣red him effectuously y^t he wolde be reteyned w^t thē / and to helpe to ayde thē agaynst thenglysh men / & he agreed to them / and ther he taryed a two dayes / tyll the englysshmen were all past / who toke their way aboue to entre into vermā doys / & to passe the ryuer of Some / at a stray∣ter passage. And whan the lorde of Bousyers knewe that thenglysshmen were nygh all past ouer / & howe y^t they drue towarde saynt Quin¦tynes and Rybamont / wher the lorde of Clyn (whose doughter he had in mariage) was: the which lorde had ther fayre lande & herytage. & also he had hym self ther fayre lande by y^e right of his wyfe / and knewe well how the castell of Rybamont was vnpurueyed of men of warr. Than he toke leaue of them of Ham / and they greatly thanked him of his seruice that he had done to them: so he departed with suche nom∣bre as he had / whiche was no great nōbre. and he rode so long that he came to saynt Quinty∣nes in great parell / for the countrey was full of englysshmen. He came in suche danger / that he was no soner entred / but that the englisshe cur¦rours chased hym in at the gate. And the lorde of Bousyers founde in the towne sir Wylliam of Bourges / who was capitayne there / vnder the french kyng who receyued him ioyously de¦syring hym to a byde there / to helpe to defende the towne. The lorde of Bousiers excused him selfe / and sayde: howe he hadde enterprised to enter in to the towne of Rybamont / to kepe the towne and fortresse there / bycause it was with out capitayne / wherfore he desyred so sore the sayd sir Wylliam / that he hadde of hym out of saynte Quintynes .xii. cros bowes / and so de∣parted / and he went nat farre past / but that he spyed a company of englysshmen / but he toke another lowe way beside thē for he knewe well the countre. So the same day he rode in great parell towardes Rybamount / and as he rode he encoūtred a knight of Burgoyne / called sir Johan of Bulle / who was goynge towardes saynt Quitynes / but whan he had ones spoken with the lorde of Bousyers / he retourned with hym to Rybamount / and so they were about a .xl. speares and .xx. crosbowes. And thus they aproched Rybamont / & sent before one of their currours to enforme them of the towne of their comyng to helpe to ayde / and to defende their towne. And in y^e meane season they sawe wher there was comyng a company of englisshmen / to the nombre of fourscore. Than the frenche∣men sayd / beholde: yōder be our enemys / who are comynge fro their pyllage / let vs go before them. Than they dasshed their spurres to their horse sydes and galopped forthe as fast as they might / cryeng our lady of Rybamont. And so came in amonge the englysshmen / and discon∣fyted and slewe the moost parte of theym / for he was happy that myght escape. And whan the frenchemen / hadde thus ouerthrowen the englysshmen / they went to Rybamont / where they founde the lorde of Chyne / who was come

thyder but a lytell before with .xl. speares / and xxx. crosbowes. And as they were before the ca¦stell / and their company in their lodgyng{is} vn∣armed / they herde the watchman of the castell cryeng to harnesse sirs / mē of armes aprocheth your towne. Than they drewe togyder / and de¦maunded of the watchman what nōbre by like lyhode they were of / he answered & sayd: howe they were aboute the nombre of fourscore men of armes. than the lorde Bousyers / sayd. sirs it behoueth vs to go out and fyght with them / for it shuld be a great blame to vs / to sulfre thē goby so nere to our fortresse. The lord of Chin sayd / a fayre sonne: ye say trouthe / cause oure horses to cōe out and display my baner. Than sir John̄ of Bulle sayd / lordes ye shall nat go without me. but my counsayleis y^• we go wyse lye / for parauenture they be but currours / whi¦che the marshalles of Englande / or the consta∣ble hath sent hyder / to cause vsto go out of our fortresse: our issuyng parauentur may tourne to folly. The lorde Bousiers sayd / if ye wyll be leue me / we shall go out and fight with them / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that brefely: happe what may befall / I wyll go out and fight with theym. And so dyde on his helme and lepte on his horse and so yssued out / and with hym a sixscore / and the englysshmen were about fourscore and they were of {ser} Hugh Caurelles company / but he was nat there hym¦selfe / he was styll with the duke of Lancastre. Howbeit there were sixe knightes & many squi¦ers / and they were come thyder to reuēge their companye / that were ouerthrowen before. As soone as the frenchemen were out of the gate / they founde incontynent the englisshmen / who couched their speares and ranne in among the frenchmen / and the frenchmen opyned and let them passe through them / & so they dyd: wher∣by there rose suche a dust / that one coude nat se nor knowe another. Than the frenchmen clo∣sed them selfe agayne toguyder / and cryed our lady of Rybamont: there was many a man o∣uerthrowen on bothe {per}tes. The lorde of Chyn had a plummet of leed in his hande / wherwith he brake bassenetes / suche as he attayned vnto for he was a bygge and a goodly knyght / and well formed of all his membres. At last he had suche a stroke on the helme / that he had nere fal¦len / and a squyer had nat kept hym vp / whiche stroke greued hym after as longe as he lyued. Ther were dyuers englysshmen had gret mar¦ueyle / in y^• they saw his penonsemblable to the armes / without difference of the lorde Coucy / and sayd. Howe is it: that y^• lorde Coucy hath sent men hyder to be agaynst vs / and he ought to be our frende. So ther was a harde batell: howe be it finally the englysshmen were taken and slayne / but fewe y^• scaped. The lorde Bou¦siers had prisoners / two bretherne of Penne∣nort / a knight and a squyer. And sir Johan of Bulle had other two prisoners / than they went to Rybamont foreby the englysshe hoost / with¦oute any scrimysshe. And also they forbare to brenne in the lande of the lorde Coucy / or to do any domage there / who was as than in Lom∣bardy / and medlyd nothyng with the warr of Fraunce. Than the englysshmen went and lo¦ged in the valeys vnder Laon / and ther about Brueres and Crescy. And they dyd moche do¦mage in the countre of Lonnoys / howbeit be∣fore that tyme / the frenche kyng had caused all the goodes in the playne countre to be had into the forteresses / townes / and castelles / whiche were so well prouyded for / that the englissmen coude haue none aduantage / to aproche to as∣sayle any of them. And also the englysshemen were nat in mynde to enploy their season ther about / for they had rather that y^• frenche kyng had sente downe power of men to haue fought with them / but the frenche kyng alwayes com¦maunded in no wyse to gyue them batayle / but wolde that they shulde be euer pursued / & kept shorte. And euery night the frenchmen laye in fortresses / and in the day pursued thenglysshe host / who went euer close toguyder.

SO it happed that beyonde Soissous in a mornyng / a sixscore of thenglysshe spe¦res ran ouer the countre / & came within the dā¦ger of a busshment of burgonyons & frēchmen wherof sir John̄ of Uyen / John̄ Bulle / Wyl∣lyam Bordes / Hugh Porcien / John̄ of Coucy the vycont of Mealx / the lordes of Rauenall & of Bone were capitens / & dyuers other. They were a thre. C. speares alwayes costyng to get auātage of thēglishmen. The same night they had lyen in the felde & made their bushment in a lytell wode in Soissons / and thenglysshmen cāe in the mornynge to seke for pyllage / & their host was lodged behynde them: and whan the englysshmen were past / the frenchmen cāe out of their busshment & displayed their baners & penons. And whan thēglisshmen sawe y^t great company so nere them / they rested and toke ad¦uyse / and sent to their hoost behynde thē / whi∣che was a longe leage fro them. And sir Gaul∣tyer / who was a great capitayne was nat farr thens / and whan he herde therof / he lept vpon his horse in great haste / his speare in his fyste /

without ••a••••enet or vyser: and so rode thyder∣warde without aduyse or coūsayle / his men so¦lowed after as fast as they might / and so ī that fray he was stryken through the necke / and so he fell downe deed. Thēglysshmen fought va∣liantly / but finally they were slayne and taken fewe escaped. There were taken of englysshe knightes prisoners: sir John̄ Radwyn / Tho∣mas Faulque / Hughe Bromewell / Thomas Spenser / Thomas Ebreton / Nycholl Gas∣coyne / John̄ Candley / Philyppe of Cambrey / Hughe Harpe / Done Lyonet Dautryne / and squyers Johan Galarde / Thomas Brudlay / Henry Mamefort / Guy Chuet / Wyllm̄ Dau∣try / John̄ Menet / Antyquē / Wylliam Gausull John̄ of Fōbret / Tomelyn Solerant / Wyllm̄ Quiteuyn Robert Bouchell / Ro. daudley / Rafe Stanby / & Thomas Arthus. Tyding{is} came in to the englysshe hoost / howe their company were fightynge: than the marshals made hast to remoue the hoost to that parte / but he coude nat so soone auaunce / but that the mater was past and done / and the burgonyons and frēch∣men withdrawen withall their prisoners / so y^• the englysshmen wyst nat where to seke them. Thus it fell of the encountre (as I was enfor∣med) whiche was nere to Douchy besyde So∣issons: the .xx. day of February / the yere of our lorde a thousande thre. C. threscore and .xiii.

¶ After these two iourneys of Rabymont and Douchy / there fell none aduenture to the duke of Lancastre in the realme of Fraūce / that any mencyon ought to be made of. The englysshe∣men passed many a strayte passage / but alway they rode wisely and close togyder. The frēche kynges counsayle / sayd to the kyng / Sir: lette them go on / for finally they can nat attayne to your heritage. They shall wery them selfe and all for nought / for often tymes whan a storme or tempest ryseth in a countre / at last it wasteth away by it selfe. In lykewise so shall it be sene by these englysshmen.