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 warre began agayn / by¦twene the frēche kyng and the kyng of Nauerre: and howe the kynge of Nauer lost the coūtie of Deureux / ex¦cept Chierbourge / whiche was bese¦ged by the frenchmen. And of the ior¦ney that the duke of Lancastre made in to Bretayne. Cap. CCC .xvi. (Book 316)

VE haue herde here before / of y^• pea¦ce made at Uernon / bytwene the frenche kyng and the kyng of Na¦uar: and howe the kynge of Na∣uar left his two sonnes with their vncle the frenche kyng. After ther was a great suspect layde on a squyer beyng in the frenche kynges court / attendyng on the two sonnes of the kyng of Nauarr. This squyer was called James of Rue. And also on a clerke / a great maister & of the kyng of Nauars coūsayle / and a great gouernour in the countie of Deuxeux / called maister Peter of Tartre. They were iu¦ged to dethe / and so cruelly they were executed at Parys / and ther shewed before all the peo∣ple / howe they were in mynde to haue enpoyso¦ned the frenche kynge. Than the kyng reared vp a great army of men of warr / and made the cōstable chefe leader of them / and with him the lorde de la Ryuer / and dyuers barons & knigh¦tes. And so they all went into Normādy to the fortresses and castels of the kyng of Nauarre / whiche were fayre and noble / and well garnys¦shed. And so they layd siege to a forteresse cal∣led Ponteau de mere / they had dyuers gōnes engyns / and ablemētes for the saut / whet with they troubled sore the forteresse / and them that were within: howbeit they dyde defende them selfe valiantly. Ther were dyuers sautes and scrimysshes a longe space durynge this siege. The castell was sore brused and they w^tin sore oppressed / and desyred oftentymes by the con∣stable to gyue vp the forteresse / or elles yf they were taken by force / he promysed thē that they shulde all dye: customably suche was the cōsta¦bles promyse. The naueroyse sawe how their vitayls began to mynisshe / & knewe well howe the kyng of Nauer was farr fro them: so they yelded vp the fortresse / and they were cōueyed to Chierbourge / and had their good{is} with thē The fortresse was rased and beaten downe to the erthe / whiche had cost moche the makynge therof: also the walles of Pōteau de mere was beaten downe. Than the frenchmen went and besieged the fortresse of Mortayne / and there lay a great season: but they within saw no ma¦ner of ayde nor confort / comyng fro the kynge of Nauarr / nor also the other forteresses were nat able to make resystence agaynst the french¦men: and so they gaue vp as other dyd before. The same season the cōstable brought into the frenche kynges obeysaunce: all the townes / ca¦stelles and fortresses / in all the countie of Deu¦reur. And all the forteresses beaten downe to the erthe and the townes vnclosed / to thentent that there shulde neuer after ryse any warre vn¦to the realme of Fraunce / by the meanes of a∣ny castell or towne / y^• the kyng of Nauer shul∣de haue in the countie of Deureux. Also the frē¦che kynge made the gabelles and subsydies to rynne there / aswell as in any other parte of the realme of Fraunce.

ALso the same tyme / the kyng of Spay∣gne made his bastarde brother to entre in to Nauarr / with a great nombre of men of warre / who began to wynne the countre / and assayled townes and fortresses: so y^t the kyng of Nauerr coude make no resystence agaynst them. Than he sent worde therof to the yonge kyng Richarde of Englande / desyring him of ayde agaynst the frenche kynge / in the countie of Deureux. And he him selfe to abyde styll in Nauar to kepe his fortresses ther / agaynst the kyng of Spaygne. And so kyng Richarde / by the aduyse of his counsayle: sent sir Robert d•• Roux with a nombre of men of armes and ar∣chers to the see / and they toke lande at Chier∣bourc. And thyder came all those that had ben put out of the fortresses in the countie of Deu∣reux by the frenche constable. And whan they were ther all togyder / they were a great nom∣bre of chosen men: and so they prouyded well for the fortresse / for they beleued to be beseged. Whan the constable and the lorde de la Ryuer with their cōpany / had won all in the coūtie of Deureux / so that nothyng was left aparant for the kyng of Nauer / but all was vnclosed & vn∣der the obeysance of the french king. Thā they cāe before Chierbourc / which was strong and nobly foūded / first by Julyus Cesar / whan he cōquered Englande: and there is a port of the see. The frenchmen layed siege rounde about it: except on the see syde / and so they determy∣ned nat to departe thens / tyll they had won it. Sir Robert de Roux and his cōpany within / made many issues day & night for ther was no ther day nor nyght / but that there was a scri∣mysshe. The frenchmen coude seke for no dede of armes / but that they founde ynowe euer to answere thē. So there were many slayne and taken / aswell on the one parte as on the other durynge the siege / whiche lasted all the remy∣naunt of the sommer. Thanne sir Olyuere of Clesquy / made on a day a busshement / and so began to scrimisshe: And than the frenche men were driuen backe to the busshment. Than sir Olyuer of Clesquy cāe out of his enbusshment

and all his / and ranne feirlly at thenglysshmen and naueroyes. Ther was an harde encoūtre on bothe parties / many a man borne to y^• erthe slayne / hurte / taken & rescued: fynally sir Oly∣uer of Clesquy was taken prisoner / by asquier of Nauer called John̄ Coq / and so was put in¦to Chierbourge. And so the scrymysshe ended / more to the domage of y^• frenchmen than to the englisshmen / and sir Olyuer was sent in to En¦glande / & there abode as prisoner a long space at London / and after he was put to his raun∣some. Thus in great cost & charge / the frenche¦men abode styll a great parte of y^• wynter with lytell conquest / and so they sawe well how they lost their tyme with lyeng ther. They thought well that Chierbourc was inprignable / for al∣wayes they might be newe refresshed with vi∣tayls and men by the see / wherfore the frenche∣men dislodged and layde counter garysons a∣gaynst Chierbource / as at Mountbourge / at Pount done Charentyn / saynt Lou / and saynt Saluiour the vicount / than euery man badde leaue to de{per}te. This was in y^• yere of our lorde a thousande thre hundred .lxxviii.

yE haue well harde here before / howe the duke of Bretayne was departed out of Bretayn and had with hym his wyfe in to Englande / and so he abode on suche laude as he had in Englande / whiche was cal∣led the countie of Richemont / and he laboured sore to the yong kyng Richarde and to his coū¦sayle to haue helpe and ayde to recouer his lan¦de agayne / whiche was tourned frenche: but he coude nat be herde as than. The same sea∣son the duke of Lancastre was enfourmed that if he wolde go in to Bretayne with a great ar∣mye / there were dyuers forteresses and castels that wolde yelde vp to him / and specially saynt Malo the Isle a fayre fortresse and a hauen on the see. Than the duke of Lancastre reysed vp an army and went to Hampton / and so toke the see with a great nombre of lordes and knight{is} / men of warre and archers / and so sayled forthe tyll they came at saynt Malos / and toke lande and discharged their purueyance / and so layd siege aboute the towne of saynt Malo. They within y^• towne were nothyng afrayd / for they were well prouyded of vitayls / of men of warr and of cros bowes / who valiantly defended thē selfe / so there the duke lay a longe space. And whan the constable of Fraunce / and the lorde Clisson knewe therof / they made a great som∣mons of men of warre / and cāe towarde saynt Malos to reyse the siege. A man wolde haue thought dyuers tymes y^• batayle shulde haue been bytwene the parties. The englysshmen often tymes ordred themselfe redy to gyue ba¦tayle / but the constable nor the lorde Clysson / wolde neuer aproche so nere y^• batayle myght be bytwene thē. And so whan the englisshmen had ben ther a great space they sawe well they of the towne hadde no wyll to yelde them vp. Than the duke of Lancastre had counsayle to disloge / seyng they lost their tyme with lyeng there / and so he toke agayne the see and retur∣ned in to Englande / and gaue leaue to euery man to departe.