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 yuan of wales layd siege to Mortayne / and howe the scott{is} toke by stelthe the castell of Berwyke: a∣gaynst the wyll of the kynge of En∣glande. Cap. CCC .xxii. (Book 322)

THus the towne of Du¦ras was takē and all slayne that were within / than the men of warre toke their lo∣gyng / and vnarmed them & toke their ease. the next mor¦nyng the constable of Fraū¦ce mounted on his horse & the marshall of Frā∣ce with him / and went and aduysed well the ca¦stell / and toke good hede on what syde it were moost best to assayle it. And all thynges consy¦dred / they sawe well the castell was right stron¦ge and harde to wyn / without long siege: and so they returned and shewed this to the duke of

Aniou. It maketh no mater {quod} the duke / for I haue sayd and sworne that I wyll nat departe hens / tyll I haue the castell at my wyll. Than the constable answered. Sir / with godd{is} gra∣ce / yeshall nat beforsworne. Than they reared vp all their engyns agaynst the castell / & whan they within sawe the dealyng of thē in the tow∣ne and of the frenchmen / consydering howe the assautynge shulde be right perylous for them. Than they thought to fall intreatie / and so en¦treated with the constable to take them to mer∣cy / their lyues and good{is} saued / and so to yelde vp the castell. The duke of Anio we toke coun∣sayle / and by the aduyse of the constable / who wolde nat by his wyll trauayle any more his people. The thirde day receyued thē to mercy / and so they departed and were brought thyder as they wolde be / and so the constable toke pos∣session of the castell / but as I was enfourmed: the duke of Aniou cōmaunded / that the castell shulde be beten downe. and so after y^e conquest of the castell and towne of Duras / the duke of Aniou ordayned to abyde there: sir Johan of Jumont / sir Tristram of Roye and sir Johan of Rosey with a hundred speares / to kepe there the fronters agaynst Burdelois. and the duke thought to returne to Tholouse / to se the good lady his wife who was as thā newly churched of a fayre sonne. & he thought at her churchyng to kepe a great feest at Tholouse / and he ordey¦ned in all suche townes as he hadde conquered men of warre / and garysons to resyst pusantly agaynst his enemyes: and sayd to yuan of Wa¦les. Sir: yeshall take in your charge / bretons poicteuyns / and angeuyns: and yeshall go in to Poictou and ley siege to Mortaigne / on the see whiche the lorde of Lestrade kepeth / & come nat thens for no maner of commaūdement fro the kyng or fro any other / tyllsuch season as ye haue y^e full possession therof / for it is a garyson that hath done moch trouble to vs. sir: {quod} yuan to the beste of my power / I shall do your com∣maundement. Than the duke ordayned and a¦poynted all them that shulde go with yuan in to Poyctou / and so they departed fro the duke to the nombre of fyue hūdred speares and toke the way in to Xaynton / to goo towardes saynt John̄s Dangle. And the duke / the cōstable / the lorde of Coucy / the marshall of Fraūce / and sir Johan and sir Peter of Bulle / returned backe to Tholouse / and ther foūde the duches newly puryfied / at which tyme ther was made great feest and iustyng. than after the constable and the lorde Coucy retourned into Fraunce / and the marshall of Sanxere went in to Auuergne to ayde the barōs / such as made warre against the englysshmen / who were in Limosyn / in Au¦uergne and on the frontres there. ¶ Howe let vs shewe howe yuan of Wales layed siege the same season before Mortayne / and howe he cō¦strayned them within the garyson.

THis yuan of Wales was gladd to obey the commaundement of the duke of Aniou / for he knewe well what soeuer the duke dyde / it was the pleasure of the kyng. And also he knewe well that the kynge bare all the char∣ges of his enterprises: and so came in to Xayn∣tes in Poitou / and ther refresshed them in that plentyfull countrey. And in his company was the lorde of Pouns / the lorde of Thouars / the lorde of Umaroyse / the lorde Jaques of Sur∣geres / and great nōbre of knightes and squy∣ers of Poictou. And of the bretons & normans / there were capitayns / sir Mores of Trysiqdy sir Alayne Housey / sir Alayne of saynt Poule / sir Percyuall Daneuall / Wylliam of Mount∣comptor / and the lorde of Momorette his bro∣ther. These men of warre departed whan they were redy / and went & layed siege before Mor∣tayne / whiche was the fayrest and strongest ca¦stell standyng on the ryuer of Garon / and nere to the mouthe of the see. Thus yuan and his cō¦pany layed siege before Mortaigne / and made bastydes lytell and lytell / and prepared for all thynges necessarie / for they knewe well by as∣saut they shulde neuer wynne the castell / nor by no way: sauyng by long siege and by famyne. Ther yuan ordayned four bastydes about the castell / so that none coude reuitayle the towne / nother by lande nor by see. And y^e yong knigh∣tes and squyers / desiryng to auaunce their bo∣dyes / went often tymes to the barryers of y^e ca∣stell and scrimysshed with thē within / and they with thē. And so bytwene them ther was done many a proper feate of armes. Within the ca∣stell there was a knight called the Souldiche / who was a gascoyn a right valyant knight / & a good man of armes / by whose counsaile they within were ruled / as moche as by their capi∣tayns. Wyne and vitayls they had within suf∣ficyent / but of other small necessaries they had great scarcyte durynge the siege. Kyng Char∣les of Fraūce though he helde hymselfe at Pa∣rys / and sported him at his pleasur without ar¦myng of his owne {per}son. yet he kept warr in di¦uers places agaynst thēglisshmen his enemys

and gatte hym alyaunces / as well within the realme / as in any other countrey aboute / more than any of his predecessours / of foure or fyue kynges had before. And greatly he helde them in loue / suche as he thought to haue any ayde by. And bycause he sawe well kyng Richard of Englande was but yong & the realme in trou∣ble and discorde. Therfore he sent in to Scot∣land dyuers tymes / bothe to kyng Robert and to kynge Dauyd his vncle / alwayes to enter∣tayne them in loue. Desyring thē euer to make good and sharpe warr on thenglysshmen / and so to traueyle them / that they shuld haue no pu¦issaunce to passe ouer the see. In so moche / so it happed that kynge Robert of Scotlande / the same season that kyng Edwarde y^e thirde was deed / and kyng Rycharde crowned: he assem∣bled his coūsayle at Edenborowe in Scotlāde where as were the moost parte of all the baro∣nes and knyghtes of Scotlande and of other / suche as he thought shulde do him seruyce / she∣wyng them howe thenglysshmen in tyme past / hadde done them many great inconuenyences as in brennynge of their countreys / beatynge downe their castles / stayeng and raunsomyng their men / sayeng also. Sirs: nowe is y^e tyme come that we may be well reuenged / for no we there is but a yonge kynge in Englande / for kyng Edwarde is deed / who was wonte to ha∣ue so good fortune. Than the barownes and yong knyghtes that were there / suche as desy∣red to be reuēged of the domage done to them by thēglysshmen / answered all with one voyce howe they were all redy apparelled to ryde in to Englande / and it were the same daye or the next / or whan it pleased hym. This aunswere pleased greatly the kyng of Scotes and than∣ked them all / and ther the kyng ordeyned four erles / to be as chefe capitayns of all the men of warre. And that was the erle Duglas / the erle Moret therle of Maure / and the erle of Sur∣lant / & the constable of Scotlande sir Archam¦balt Duglas / and the marshall of the hoost / sir Robert Uersy. And so they made their somons to be at a certayne day at Morlane / and in the makynge of this assemble / there departed fro them a valiantsquier of Scotland called Aly∣sander Ramsey / who thought to enter prise to acheue a great feate of armes / & toke with him fortie well mounted / and rode so long by night priuely that by the day in the morning he came to Berwyke whiche was englisshe / & capitayn of the towne was a squyer of the erle of Nor∣thumberlandes / named Johan Byset: and in the castell was capitayne a valyant knight / cal¦led sir Robert Abenton. Whan the scotes were come to Berwyke / they kept thē selfe priuy and sente a spye to the towne and to the castell / to se in what cōdicyon it was / the spye entred dow∣ne in to the dyk{is} / where ther was no water nor none coude abyde there / for it was all a quycke boylyng sande. And so the spye loked and har∣kened all aboute / but he coulde nat here nor se no creature / and so he returned and shewed all that to his maister. Than Alysander Ramsey auaunsed for the / and brought all his company priuely into the dykes / and had with them lad∣ders / and so dressed them vp to the walles. Aly¦sander was one of the first y^e mounted vp with his swerde in his hande / and so entred in to the castell / and all his company folowed hym / for there was none that withstode thē. And whan they were all within / than they went to y^e chefe towre / wher as the capitayne was a slepe / and so there sodenly with great axes they brake vp the dore. The capitayne sodenly awoke & had slept all night / and had made but small watche the which he derely bought. And so opened his chambre dore / wenyng to him the noyse had be made by some of his owne soudiers that wold haue robbed or murdred hym in his bedde / by∣cause he had displeased them the weke before / & so lept out of a wyndowe downe into the dykes in great feare / without order or good aduyse / so that with the fall he brake his necke and ther he dyed. The watchmen were halfe a slepe and herde the noyse and woke / and parceyued well howe the castell was scaled and betrayed / and so sowned in a trumpet trahey / trahey. Johan Byset capitayne of y^e towne / hearyng the voice of a trumpe armed him / and caused all them of the towne to be armed / and so drewe all before the castell / and herde well the noyse that the scot¦tes made within / but they coulde nat entre in / for the gate was shytte and the bridge drawen. Than the capitayne Johan Byset remembred him of a great aduyce / and sayd to them of the towne / that were aboute hym: Lette vs breke downe the stayes of the brige on this syde / and than they within can nat yssue w^tout our dan∣ger. Incōtynent with axes they beate downe y^e bridge & stayes therof towarde the towne. And than John̄ Byset sent a messanger to Anwyke a .xii. lytell myles thens to the lorde Percy / cer¦tifyeng him of all y^e mater. desyring him to cōe without delay with some great puyssaunce / to rescue agayne the castell of Berwyke / so taken by stelthe by the scottes. And moreouer Johan

Bysette sayd to Thomelyn Fryant / who was the messanger / she we to my lorde in what case ye leaue vs / & howe the scottes are closed with∣in the castell and canne nat yssue out / without they leape ouer the walles: and therfore desyre hym to make the more hast. Alysander Ram∣sey and his company / who had thus scaled the castell of Berwike / and thought they had done a great enterprice / and so they had don in dede and Johan Byset had nat prouyded asodayne remedy: for els they had ben also lordes of the towne. And so they slewe of theym within the rastell whome it pleased them and the resydne they toke prisoners / and shytte them vp fast in a towre. Than they sayd: nowe let vs go dow∣ne in to the towne for it is ours / and let vs take all the good therin & the riche men of y^e towne / and bringe them all in to this castell / and tha••••¦sette fyre on the towne: for it is nat to be kepte by vs. And within thre or foure dayes we shall haue rescue out of Scotlande / so that we shall saue all our pyllage / and at our departyng / let vs sette fyre in the castell / and so pay our hoost. To which purpose they all agreed / for they de¦syred all to wynne some pyllage. And so they toke eche of them a glayue in their hādes / they founde ynowe in the castell / and so opened the gate and let downe the bridge. And whan the bridge was downe / the ropes y^e helde it brake asondre / for the restyng place of the brige was broken awaye towarde the towne. And whan Johan Byset sawe the maner of them / than he and all his company began to shoute and crye / and sayd. Asirs / kepe you there: ye shall nat de¦parte thens without our leaue. and whan Aly∣sander Ramsey sawe the maner of them with∣out. Than he sawe and knewe well / howe they were aduysed of his beyng in the castell / and so closed agayne the gate for feare of shotte / and fortifyed the castell / thinkynge to haue kept it / and dyd cast out in to the dykes all the deed mē and putte vp in to a towre all their prisoners. They thought the place was stronge ynough to kepe long / or at leest tyll some rescue myght come to them out of Scotland / for the barons and knightes of Scotlande were assemblyng togyder at Morlane and ther about / and also therle Duglas was departed fro Alquest / and was come to Dombare.

¶ Nowe lette vs speke of the squier sent by Jo¦han Byset to Anwyke / to the lorde Percy erle of Northumberlande / signyfieng hym all this sayd aduenture.