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 cisme that was made in the church / and the maner howe. and of the bretons who made warr̄ to Rōc: and of the quene of Naples who put all her landes into the popes handes. Cap. CCC .xlvi. (Book 346)

IT hath ben long sithe I spake of holy church / now I wyll retourne therto / the mater requyreth it. ye haue well herde here before / howe by the exortacyon of the ro∣mayns. The cardynalles / who as than raygned / to apease the people of Rome / who were greatly moued agaynst thē. Made a pope of the archbysshoprike of Bare / called before Bartylmewe des Angles. Here∣ceyued the papalyte / and was called Urbayne the sire / and so opyned grace as the vsage was Thentencyon of dyuers of y^• cardynals was / y^• whan they myght se a better hour & tyme / they wolde agayn returne to their election / bycause this pope was nat profytable for them / nor also to the church as they said / for he was a f••m••sshe man and malincolyous. So that whā he sawe hym selfe in prosperyte and in puyssance of the papalyte / & that dyuers kynges christned were ioyned to him / and wrote to him / and dyde put them vnder his obeysaunce. Wherof he wared proude / and worked all on heed: and wolde ha¦ue taken away fro y^e cardynals / dyuers of their rightes and olde customes / the whiche greatly displeased them. And so spake togyder / and y∣magined howe he was nat well worthy to go∣uerne the worlde. Wherfore they purposed to those another pope sage and discrete / by whom the churche shulde be well gouerned. To this purpose the cardynals putte to all their payne / and specially he y^• was after chosen to be pope. Thus all a somer they wer in this purpose / for they that entended to make a newe pope / durst nat shewe their myndes generally / bycause of the romayns. So that in the tyme of the vaca∣cyon in the courte / dyuers cardynals departed fro Rome / and went about Rome to sport thē / in dyuers places at their pleasure. & pope Ur∣bane went to another cytie called Tyeulle / and ther 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lay a long season. in this vacacion tyme whiche myght nat longe endure / for at Rome ther were many clerkes of sūdrie places of the worlde / abydinge for graces / the whiche was promysed to dyuers of them. Than the cardy∣nals all of one acorde assembled togyder: and their voyces rested on sir Robert of Genesue / somtyme sonne to the erle of Genesue. His first promocyon was / he was bysshoppe of Thero∣uene / and after bysshoppe of Cambrey: and he was called cardynall of Genesue. At this ele∣ction were the most parte of the cardynals / and was called Clement.

THe same season / there was in the mar∣chesse of Rome: a right valyant knight of Bretayne / called Syluester Bude. And he had vnder hym a two thousande bretons / and in the yere before / he had right well borne hym¦selfe agaynst the florentynes / vnder pope Gre∣gorie / who had cursed them: bycause of the re∣bellyon. And by the meanes of this Syluester Bude / they were come to mercy. Than pope Clement and the cardynals of his parte / secret∣ly sent for him and his company. And so he cā•• and entred in to the castell Angle / the better to constrayne the romayns. So pope Urbayne durst nat departe fro Tyeulle / nor suche cardy¦nals as were of his acorde for doute of the bre∣tons / they were so great a nombre: and all cho∣sen men of warre. And whan the romayns saw them selfe in that danger / they sent for other sou¦dyers: almayns / and lumbardes / and so day∣lye they scrimysshed with the bretons. Clemēt opyned his graces to all clerk{is} / suche as wolde haue it. And so he signifyed his name ouer all the worlde. And whan the frenche kynge / who as than raygned was certifyed therof: he had great marueyle / and sent for his brother / & for all the nobles and prelates of his realme. And for the rectour and maister doctour of the vny∣uersyte of Parys / to knowe of them / to whiche electyon / outher the first or the seconde / that he shulde holde vnto. This mater was nat shorte¦ly determyned / for dyuers clerkes varyed: but finally all the prelates of Fraunce enclyned to Clemēt. And so dyde the kynges bretherne and the moost {per}te of the vnyuersite of Parys. And so the kynge was enformed by all the great cler¦kes of his realme / that he obeyed to pope Cle∣ment / & helde him for the true pope. and made a specyall commaundement through oute his re∣alme / that euery manne shulde take and repute Clement for pope. And that euery man shulde obey him / as god on erthe. The king of Spay¦gne was of the same opinyon / and so was the erle of Sauoy / the duke of Myllayne / and the quene of Naples.

The beleuyng thus of the frēche kyng vpon Clement / coloured greatlye his dedes / for the realme of Fraunce was reputed to be the chiefe fountayne of beleue of the christen faythe / by∣cause of the noble churches and prelasies / that be therin. As than lyued Charles of Boesme / kyng of Almaygne & emperour of Rome / who was at Praigne in Behayne / and was aduerti¦sed of all these maters / wherof he had gret mar¦ueyle. and though y^• his empyre of Almayne / ex¦cept

the bysshoprike of Trect beleued in faithe / courage / and entencyon in pope Urbane / and wolde nat here spekyng of any other. yet he fay¦ned and dissymuled all his lyfe tyme / & wolde answere whan he was spoken to of that mater so courtesly / that all his barons and prelates of his realme were contente. Howe be it the chur∣ches of the empyre obeyed pope Urbayne / but Scotlande helde of Clement. The erle Loyes of Flaunders was greatly agaynst Clement / in the {per}ties of Brabant / Heynalt / and in Lege / for he wolde euer abyde to be Urbanyst. Say¦eng / howe they dyde the same pope great wron¦ge. And this erle was so beleued and renomed in those parties / wher he was conuersant / that the churches and lordes helde of the same opy∣nion. But they of Heynaulte and the churches there / and the lorde called Albert abode as neu¦tre / and obeyed no more to one than to y^e other. Wherfore the bysshoppe of Cambrey / that rey∣gned at that tyme called John̄ / lost in Heynalt all the reuenewes of his temporalties. And in the same season ther was sent in¦to Fraunce / in¦to Heynalt / in to Flaunders / and in to Brabāt fro pope Clement. The cardynall of Poicters / a right wyse / valyant / and a sage clerke / to en∣sygne and to preche to the people / for he was at the first election. And ther he shewed howe by constraynt / they chase first the archebysshop of Bare to be pope. The frenche kyng and his bre¦therne and the prelates of Fraunce / mekely re∣ceyued hym / and gladly entended to his busy∣nesse & wordes: for it semed to thē that he spake all trouthe / & so gaue faythe to him. And whan he had ben a season in Fraunce / than he went in to Heynalt / where he was also ioyously recey∣ued. In lykewise so he was in Brabant / bothe of the duke and of the duchesse / but he dyd ther nothyng els. He thought in his retournyng to haue gone into Lege / but he toke other counsell and wente nat thyder / but retourned to Tour∣ney / and thought to haue gone in to Flaūders / to haue spoken with therle. But it was shewed hym that he had nothyng to do ther / bycause y^e erle helde and wolde holde of Urbayne / and so to lyue and dye. Than the cardynall departed fro Tourney and went to Ualencennes / and so to Cambrey / and there he lay a longe space / in hope alwayes to here some good tidynges.

THus the christen realmes were in vari∣acyon / and the churches in great dysfe∣rence / bycause of the popes. Urbayne had the greatter partie / but to speke of the moost profy¦table reuenewes & playne obeysance / Clement had it. And so Clement by consent of the cardy¦nals / sent to Auygnon to make redy the paleys there for hym / for his entent was to go thyder / assoone as he might. And so he went to the cyte of Foūdes / and there opyned his graces. Thy∣der drewe all maner of clerkes / suche as wolde take grace: and he kept about in vyllages ma∣ny soudyers / who made great warre to Rome / and to the bourage of saynt Peter / and trauey∣led them day & night with dyuers assautes and scrimysshes. And also they that were in the ca∣stell Angle without Rome / dyd moche trouble to the romayns. But they of Rome enforsed thē¦selfe so with soudyers / almayns / and with the puyssance of Rome / so that they assembled to∣guyder on a day / and cōquered the bourage of saynt Peter. Than the bretons drewe them in to the castell of Angle / howe be it they were so handled by force of armes / that they gaue it vp / their lyues saued. Thā the bretons de{per}ted and drewe to Foundes / and there about in the coun¦tre: and the romayns bete downe the castel An¦gle / & brent the bourage of faynt Peter. Whan sir Syluestre Bude / who was in the countre: herde howe his men hadde lost the bourage of saynt Peter / and y^• castell Angle. He was right sore displeased / and studyed howe to be reuen∣ged of y^e romayns. It was shewed him by his spyes / howe on a day the romayns / and the no∣blest men of the cytie of Rome / shulde assemble togyder in counsayle in the Capitolle. Assoone as he knewe that / he assembled toguyder a cer∣tayne nombre / and rode forth by couert wayes secretly / and so came to Rome in the euenynge / and entred in at the gate of Naples. Whā these bretons were within / they toke y^e streyght way to the Capitoll / & came thyder as the coūsell of Rome were issued out of the chābre. Than the bretons couched their speares / and ranne in a∣mong them: and slewe and bete downe a great nombre of the moost notablest of the cite. Ther was slayne a sixe baneretes / and a two hūdred of other riche {per}sons / and a great nombre hurt. and whan these bretons hadde done their enter¦prise / they withdrewe them agaynst night / and than it began to be late so y^t they were nat pur∣sued: what for they night & for the sodayne fray that they were in. for they wyst nat what to do / but to take hede of their frendes that were sore hurte. So they passed that nyght in great dy∣stresse and sorowe of herte / and soo buryed the deed / and dressedde the hurte. And in the mor∣nyng / the romayns aduysed thē selfe of a great

crueltie / for the poore clerk{is} that were in Rome and were in no faute: they slewe and hurt of thē mo than thre hundred / and specially bretons y^• fell in their handes / ther was no mercy. Thus went the maters in Rome by reason of the state of the popes / and dayly they bought it dere / su∣che as were without faute.

IN the meane season that Clemēt and his cardynals lay thus at Foundes / y^• quene of Napoles came thyder to se hym / for she dyde put her selfe vnder the obeysaunce of pope Cle∣ment. This quene had ben longe in purpose to put the realme of Cecyll (wherof she was lady / and the countie of Prouence / whiche depēdeth of the same realme) in to the hādes of the pope / to do with them at his pleasur / and to gyue thē to some highe prince of the realme of Fraunce / beyng of suche puyssāce to kepe them / agaynst suche as she hated deedly / who were discended out of the realme of Hūgry. And whan y^• quene of Naples was come to Foundes / she humbled her selfe lowly to pope Clement and was cōfes∣sed of hym / and discouered to him all the secre∣tes of her hert / and sayd. Holy father: I holde dyuers noble herytages / as the realme of Na∣ples / the realme of Cecyll / Puyll / Calabre / and the countie of Prouence. And it is of trouthe y^• kyng Loyes of Cecyll / duke of Puyll and Ca∣labre my father: whyle he lyued / knowledged all these landes to holde of the churche / and on his dethe bedde he toke me by the hande / & sayd A fayre doughter / ye are enherytour of many a ••che countre / and I am sure many great lord{is} wyll seke to haue you in maryage / bycause of y^• fayre herytage that ye haue. Therfore dough∣ter I wolde ye shulde vse you after my coūsayle as to mary yourselfe to so highe a prince / that may be puyssant to kepe & maynteyne you and your herytage in rest and peace. And if it so for¦tune that ye haue none heyres / than delyuer all your landes in to the handes of the pope / than beyng a lyue: for kyng Robert my father at the hour of his dethe / gaue me in lyke charge. ther¦fore fayre dought / I charge you and discharge me. And than I promysed him on my faithe in the presence of all them that were in his chābre / that I shulde acomplysshe his last desyre. And holy father / so it was that after his discease: by the consent of all the nobles of Cecyll and Na∣ples. I was maryed to Andrewe of Hungry / brother to kyng Loyes of Hungry: by whome I hadde no yssue / for he dyed yonge at Ayes in Prouence. And after his discease / I was ma∣ryed agayne to the prince of Tarent / who was called Charles / and by him I had a doughter. Than the kyng of Hungry / for the displeasure that he hadde to Andrewe his brother my first husbande / went and made warre agaynst my husbande Charles of Tarent / and toke fro him Puyll and Calabre / & toke him in batayle and ledde him to prison in to Hungry: and there he dyed. And yet after agayne by the acorde of the nobles of Cecyll / I maryed agayne kynge Ja∣mes of Maiogres / and sent in to Fraūce for sir Loys of Nauer to haue maryed my doughter / but he dyed by the way. Than it fell so / that the kyng my husbande went to conquere his hery∣tage of Maiogres / the whiche the kyng of Ar∣ragon had taken fro him byforce / and had dys∣heryted him: and caused his father to dye in pri¦son. And or he departed fro me / I sayd to him. Sir: I am a lady and haue puyssance and ry∣chesse sufficyent to maynteyne your estate acor¦dynge to your desyre / howe beit he preached so moche to me / and shewed me so many fayre rea¦sons / desyring to recouer his herytage / so that I was fayne to consent to hym to take his plea¦sure. But at his departynge I desyred hym to haue gone to kyng Charles of Fraunce / and to haue shewed him his busynesse / and to haue or¦dred hymselfe by his counsayle. Howe be it he dyde nat so / the which was his hurt / for he wēt to the prince of Wales / who promysed to haue ayded him. So he had greatter trust in the pri¦ce of Wales than in the frenche kyng / to whom I was nere of lynage. and in the meane season whyle he was in his vyage / I wrote to the fren¦che kyng and sent great messangers to him / de¦syring him to send me a noble man of his blode to mary my doughter / to the entent that myne herytag{is} shulde nat be without an heyre. The kyng sent his cosyn sir Robert of Artoyse / who wedded my doughter: and in y^• vyage that the kyng my husbande made he dyed. And after a¦gayne I maryed sir Othe of Broswyche / and bycause sir Charles de la Paixe / sawe that sir Othe shulde haue myne herytage as long as I lyued / he made vs warre. And toke vs in the ca¦stell of Locufe / whan the see was so highe that we feared it wolde haue ouerflowen vs. at whi¦che tyme we were so afrayed / that we yelded vs all foure / to sir Charles de la Paixe / our lyues saued. And so he helde vs in prisone: my hus∣bande and I / my doughter and her husbande. And so it happed / that my sonne and doughter dyed there: and after by treatie I and my hus∣bande were delyuered / so that Puylle and Ca∣labre

might come to hym. And also he entēdeth to come to the heryrage of Naples / of Cecyll & of Prouence / for he seketh all about for alyance. and so wyll take a way the ryght of the churche as sone as I am deed / if he may. Therfore ho∣ly father / I wyll acquyte me agaynst god and you / & acquyte the soules of my predecessours / and put in to your handes / all y^• herytages that I ought to haue / of Cecyll / of Naples / Punyll Calabre / and Prouence / I gyue them to you / to do with them your pleasure / to gyue them to whome soeuer it pleaseth you / suche as may ob¦teygne them agaynst our aduersary / sir Char∣les de la Paix. Pope Clement receyued ioyful¦ly her wordes / and toke her gyft in great reue∣rence / and sayde. A my fayre doughter of Na∣ples / we shall so ordeyn that yo^r herytage shall haue such an heryter of your owne blode / noble and puyssant to resyst agaynst them / that wyll do or offer you or thē any wronge. Of all these wordes and gyftes / there were publyke instru∣mentes / and autentyke made / to the entent that the mater shulde abyde ferme & stable / in tyme to come / and to be of more playne knowledge to all them that shulde here therof after.