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.

¶ Of the issues & iourneys that the englisshmen made in that season in dyuers places in Fraunce / and also of the piteous dethe of yuan of wales. Cap. CCC .xxxii. (Book 332)

SIr Johan Arundell / who was at Hampton with two hun∣dred men of armes / and four. C. archers / hard by his mē who had ben taken on the see in a shyppe of Normandy / howe the duke of Lancastre and his army hadde so scoured the hauyns of Nor∣mandy / that there were no frenchmen on y^• see. Than incōtynent he ordeyned four great ship∣pes / charged with prouisyon / and so entred in to his shyppe / and sayled tyll he came in to the hauen of Chierbourc / where he was receyued with great ioy / and at that tyme the castell was in the kepynge of the naueroyse / but than they departed sauynge Peter Bascle / who aboode styll. he was capitayne there before / and so ta∣ryed with the englysshmen. Chierbourc was nat likely to be wonne without famyn / for it is one of the strongest castelles in the worlde and hath dyuers fayre issues. So sir Johan Arun¦dell taryed there a fyue dayes / and reuitayled the castell / and than departed agayne to Ham∣pton / for there he was capitayne. ¶ Nowe let vs speke of the siege of saynt Malo.

wHan the englysshmen entred fyrst in¦to the Isle of saynt Malo / they found there many vesselles of Rochell / char∣ged with good wyne / the merchauntes had a∣none solde the wyne & the shyppes burnt. Thā they layde siege to saynt Malo / for they were men ynowe so to do / and the englisshmen spred abrode in the countrey / and dyde moche hurt / a•••• they y^• moost comonly kept the feldes was sir Robert of Courbes / and sir Hughe Brone his nephe we / who knewe right well the coun∣tre and the chanon Robersarte with them / day¦ly they rode forthe somtyme they wanne / and somtyme they lost. So they wasted & brent all

the countrey about saynt Malo. And the duke of Lancastre / & the erle of Cambridge his bro∣ther / and their army hadde vitayle plenty / for there came to them ynoughe out of Englande. So before saynt Malo / there were dyuers as∣sautes / & marueylously well defended / for ther were ryght good men of warre within / wher∣fore they were nat easy to be conquered. They of the hoost caused to be made dyuers mantels of assaute / and they had a foure hundred gon∣nes layed rounde about the towne / the whiche greatly constrayned them within. Among dy∣uers assautes / ther was one marueylous ferse the whiche endured a hole day / therat were dy∣uers englysshmen slayne and sore hurt for they with in defended them selfe so valiantly ▪ y^• they lost nat a man. There was slayne a knyght of Englande called sir Peter Lescume / for whose dethe the duke and his brother / were right sore o••spleased.

ANd as ye haue herde here before: yuan of Wales / lay at siege before Mortayne in Poitou / in four bastydes: of the which tow∣ne the lorde of Lestrade was capitayne. The fyrst bastyde where as parte of the siege lay / as at the syde of a rock / before the castell of Geron one the see ▪ the whiche basty de yuan hym selfe kept. The seconde was bytwene the water and the castell lowe before a posterne / so that none coude entre nor issue therat. The third bastyde was on the other syde of the castell. The fourth was in the church of saynt Legar / halfe a leage ••••o y^• castell. By these foure bastydes they with in Mortayne were sore constrayned / bycause of the lenght of the siege / for it endured a yere and a halfe. So that they within had nothyng to lyue by norshowe on their fete / nor confort nor soc oure apered none to them fro any parte▪ wherfore they were sore abasshed. This siege thus enduryng before Mortayne / there issued out of the realme of Englande / and out of the marches of Wales a squier a walshman / called James Laube / he was but a small gētylman & that well shewed a••t / for a very gētylman wyll neuer set his mynde on so euyll an entent. some sayde or he departed out of Englande / be was charged and enfourmed / by some knyghtes of Englande / to do the treason that he dyde. For this ynan of Wales was gretly behated in En∣glande and in Gascon / bycause of the captall of Beufz ▪ whome he toke and helped therto before Soubyse in Poictou. For after he was taken / the frenchmen wolde nat delyuer hym agayne by no meanes / nother for raunsome nor for ex∣chaunge / yet the erle of saynt Poule was offe∣red for him / and golde and syluer / but it wolde nat be taken. And whan he sawe that / for pure melancoly he dyed in y^• temple at Parys / wher¦of all his frendes had great displeasure. This walsshe squier James Laube / the same season arryued in Bretayne and dyd somoche / that he came in to Poictou / and euer as he went he na∣med hym selfe to beseruaunt to yuan of Wales for he spake good frenche / sayeng howe he was come out of Wales to speke with yuan / and so he was anone beleued / & was conueyd by them of the countre to Mortaygne / where the siege was. Than he wente wisely to yuan / and she∣wed hym in his owne langage how he was cōe out of his countre to se hym / and to do hym ser¦uyce. yuan who thought none yll ▪ lightly bele∣ued him / and gaue hym moche thankes for his comynge / and sayd: howe he wolde right glad¦lye haue his seruyce. And than he demaūded of him tidynges of the countrey of Wales / and he shewed him trewe tidynges / and vntre we for he made him beleue howe all the countre of Wa¦les wolde gladlye haue hym to be their lorde. These wordes brought this James greatly in loue with yuan / for euery man naturally desy∣reth to go in to their owne coūtres / and to here therof / so y^• yuan made him his chamberlayne. And this James euery day more and more / a∣quaynted him so with this yuan of Wales / that he had nat so moche trust in no man / as he had in him. Somoch this yuan loued this James Laube that it was his distructyon / & the more pytie / for he was a good and a valyant man of armes. And was somtyme sonne to a prince of Wales / who kyng Edwarde of England cau∣sed to lese his heed / the cause why I can nat tell. and so kyng Edwarde ceased in to his handes / all the prouynce of Wales. And this yuan in his youthe came in to Fraunce / and shewed all his trouble to kyng Philyppe / than beyng frē∣che kyng / who kept him styll about him as lōg as he lyued / and was as one of the chyldren of his chambre with his neuewes of Alenson and other. And in lykewise so dyde kyng Johan / & than he bare first armes / and was at the batell of Poicters / how be it he was nat there taken: it had been better for hym / that he had ben ther slayne. and whan the peace was made bitwene the kynge of Englande and the frenche kynge / than this yuan wente in to Lombardy / & there contynued in warre. And whan the warre be∣gan agayne bytwene Englande and Fraunce /

than he returned agayne in to Fraunce / & bare him selfe so well y^• he was greatly praysed / and welbeloued with the frenche kyng and with all the lordes. ¶ Nowe lette vs speke of his ende the whiche I am lothe to do / sauynge to shewe truely what fell in that tyme.

THis yuan of Wales hadde an vsage be∣yng before Mortayne at the siege / that gladly in the mornyng whan he was vp and re¦dy / he wolde come before the castell / and sytte downe and kembe his heed a good long space / and syt and beholde the castell / and the coun∣trey about / beynge out of doute or feare af any thynge / and lyghtly there went none with him but this James Laube / & oftentymes he made him redy / and none but he / wherby at last came his endyng day. On a mornyng betymes whā the wether was fayre and clere / and the nyght had been so hote that he coulde nat slepe / howe¦beit he rose / and dyd on him but a syngle iacket and his shyrte / and a mantell or a cloke aboue / and so went thyder as he was wonte to go / and sate hym downe / and this James Laube with hym / euery man beynge in their lodgynges a slepe / for it was early in the morning / and ther was made but lytell watche / for they thought thēselfe sure of the castell. And whan yuan was sette on an olde stocke of wode / he sayd to Ja∣mes / go to my lodgyng and fatche my combe / for I wyll refreshe me here a tytell season. sir 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he it shall be done / and so he wente and came a¦gayne with the combe / and as he was comyng I trowe the deuyll entred in to hym / for besyde the combe / he brought with hym a lytell Jaue∣lyne of Spayne with a large heed of stele / and with the same / strake this yuan as he sate clene through out the body / so y^• he fell downe starke deed. and whan he hadde done / he left styll the dart in his body / and so went his way / & drewe vnder couert of the castell / and soo came to the barryers and was let in / for he made signes to enter / and so he was brought before the Sou∣dyc of Lestrade. Sir 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he / I haue delyuered you of one of the greatest enemyes that ye had / of whom is that quod the Sowdic? of yuan of Wales 〈◊〉〈◊〉 James / and howe so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Soudic? thus 〈◊〉〈◊〉 James / & so shewed him all the hole ma¦ter: as ye haue herd before / fro poynt to poynt. And whan the Soudycherde that / he shaked his heed and behelde him right felly / and said. A than y^• hast murdred him: knowe for ••routhe all thynges consydred. Sauyng but that this dede is for our profyte / it shulde cost the thyne heed / but sithe it is done it can nat be vndone a¦gayne. howe beit / it is a great domage of that gentylman to be so slayne / we shall haue rather blame therby than prayse.

THis was the ende of yuan or Owen of Wales wheder ye wyll all is one / slayne by great vnhap and treason / wherwith they of the hoost whan they knewe it / were ryght sorie and displeased / and so was euery man y^• herde therof / and specially kyng Charles of Fraūce / who greatly complayned his dethe / howe beit he coulde nat amende it. And so this yuan was buryed in the church of saynt Leger / where as he hadde made a bastyde / halfe a leage fro the castell of Mortayne. And all the gentylmen of the hoost were at his buryeng / the whiche was done ryght honourably. Howe beit for all that the siege helde styll before Mortayne / for there were good knyghtes & squiers / bretons poicte¦uyns / and frenchmen / who had geatter desyre to conquere the castell / than they hadde before. and thought neuer to departe thens / tyll they had wonne it / or elles reysed by puyssance / they wolde so fayne haue ben reuenged of the dethe of yuan of Wales / and so they lay styll without any sawte geuynge / for they knewe well they lacked vitayle within the castell / & none coulde come to them. ¶ Nowe let vs leue to speke of the siege of Mortayne and returne to the siege before saynt Malo / and fyrst to speke of y^• siege of Eureux / and howe they dyd that lay there.