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 .xii. burgesses of Gaūt were sent to the erle of Flaūders / and how in the meane season the white hattes pylled and brente / the fayre castell of Andrehen. Cap. CCC .li. (Book 351)

THe gode men in Gaūt and riche and notable mar∣chantes / who hadde within the towne their wyues / chyl¦dren / and marchandyse / and their heritages bothe with∣in the towne and without / & had to lyue by / right honourably without dan∣gere. They were nat well at their ease in their hertes / to se the besynesse in Gaunt. they knewe well they hadde sore forfayted agaynst the erle their lorde / and thought well howe he wolde {pro} dyde therin some remedy / and that they shulde be fayne to make amendes of their trespasses / nowe ••rels another tyme and they to put them selfe in the erles mercy. Wherfore they thought it better to do it be tymes / rather than to late. Than they toke counsayle togyder / to se howe they might vse them selfe / to the profyte and ho¦noure bothe of them and of the towne. To this counsayle was called Johan Lyon / and the ca¦pitayns of the whyte hattes / or elles they durst nat haue done it. There were many word{is} and dyue••s purposes deuysed / finally they were all of one acorde that they of the counsayle shulde chose .xii. notable persons / and sende thē to the erle requyringe hym of mercy: for the dethe of his bayly / whome they had slayne. And so by that meanes if they might haue peace they wol¦de be gladde: so that all myght be comprised in the peace / and nothynge els demaunded of the erles parte. Than these burgesses were chosen that shulde go on this viage / and alwayes Jo∣han Lyon sayd: it is good to be in fauour with our lorde and prince. Howbeit he wolde the cō∣trary / and thought and sayde to him selfe / that the mater was nat yet there / as he wolde bring it vnto. So these burgesses departed and wēt to Male besyde Bruges to y^e erle: who at their first comyng / made a cruell & 〈…〉〈…〉ell countenance agaynst them of Gaunt. These .xii. burgesses made a pytefull complaynt before the erle / and requyred hym / holdyng vp of all their handes / that he wolde haue mercy on theym. And excu∣sed them selfe of the dethe of the bayly / both thē of the lawe / and the notable persons of y^e towne and sayd. Right dere sir / acorde so to vs: that we maye bringe peace with vs to the towne of Gaunt / the whiche loueth you so well. And sir / we promyse you / that in tyme to come / this out rage shalbe so greatly recompensed on thē that hath done it / and caused it to be done: so that ye shall be content. And that it shall be to all other townes ensample. These .xii. burgesses made so humble requestes / that the erle somwhat re∣frayned his yre / and by meanes of other y^t was made to hym: that he acorded and ordayned at ••ycles of the peace. And therle pardoned all his yuell wyll that he had agaynst them of Gaunt / by the amendes that shulde be made: but than there came to them other newe tidynges / as I shall shewe you here after.

IOhan Lyon who was at Gaunt / thought all cōtrary to that he had sayde in the coūsayle. Howe that it was good to be in fauoure with their lorde: he knewe in certaynte that he hadde so moche trespassed agaynst the erle / that his peace shulde neuer be made with him. And if he had any peace graunted him / he thought it shulde be but dissymulacyon / & that it shulde cost him his lyfe at laste. So therfore he thought he hadde rather to be shamed / than to be in parell and in aduenture of his lyfe eue∣ry day. I shall shewe you what he dyde. Whyle the counsayle of the towne were with therle for peace / he assēbled togyder all the whyte hattes

and of all the craftes in Gaunte / suche as were of his accorde / and so came to his purpose by a subtell meanes / and thā sayd to them all. Sirs ye know well / how we haue displeased our lor∣de therle of Flaunders / and howe we haue sent vnto hym / we knowe nat as yet what reporte they wyll bring outher peace or warr / for y^e erle is nat easy to be apeased. for he hath about him suche as wyll rather styre hym to displeasure / than to quyetnesse / as Gylbert Mahewe & his brethern. ther is a hūdred hyndrers of y^e peace / rather than one forderer therfore it were good that we toke good hede to our selfe / if we haue warre / to knowe who shall ayde vs / and howe we shall get vs loue among you rulers / of suche a crafte and suche a craft. Cause to morowe to come in to y^e feldes as many men as ye can get / and ther we shall se howe able euery mā is and howe they be furnysshed / it is better to be aduy¦sed be tyme than to late / this shall coste vs no∣thynge / and yet we shall be the more feared and drad. they all answered / and sayd: it is well de∣uysed / so let it be done. The next day they went out all at Bruges gate / & so went in to the feldes in a fayre playne without Gaunt / called Andre hen. Than Johan Lyon behelde them gladly: for they were a .x. thousāde / and all well armed than he sayd beholde: here is a goodly compa∣ny ▪ and whan he had ben there a certayne space and hadde gone all aboute them / than he sayd. Sirs / I counsayle: let vs go to the erles place here by / syth we be so nere it / for it is shewed me howe he maketh there great prouisyon / it may fortune to be great preiudice to oure towne of Gaunt. They all agreed therto / and so came to Andrehen the whiche was as than without any great kepynge or defence / so they entred and sought all about the house / and a none this vn∣gracious company pylled and robbed it of all that euer they founde there. There was within it moche ryches / for the erle had made there his warderobe. Johan Lyon made semblant / as thoughe he had bene sore displeased / howe beit that was nat so as it apered. for whā they were departed fro the castell / and come agayne in to the felde they loked behynde thē / and sawe all y^e place a fyre / and that the fyre was more than in xx. places in the castell / so that it was nat in the peoples puyssance to quenche it / nor also they had no great wyll to do it. Than Johan Lyon as though he had great mernayle (sayd) howe cometh yonder fyre in my lordes howse? And some answered / and sayd. We can nat tell•• but by aduenture. well 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he we can nat thā amend it / it is better that it be brent by aduenture / ra∣ther than by vs. And also all thynges conside∣red / it was a perylous neighbour to vs / for my lorde might ther a set suche a garyson / y^• might haue done vs great domage / if we shulde haue warr with him. They all answered / and sayd: ye say trouthe. And so retourned in to y^e towne of Gaunt / and dyde no more that day / for they had done yuell inough and to moche: for it cost after / mo than two hundred thousande mennes lyues. And it was one of the princypall thyng{is} / wherwith the erle was moost displeased. And therfore Johan Lyon dyd it / bycause he wolde haue no peace / for he knewe well / what soeuer treatie were made: he was likely to lese his life This castell of Andrehen / hadde cost the erle of Flaūders the bylding therof / two hūdred thou¦sande frankes / and he loued it best / of all y^e hou¦ses he had. The good men of Gaunt / who de••y¦red to haue had peace: was of this aduenture right sorou••ull / howbeit they coude nat am••de it / nor they durst make no wordes therof. For the whyte hattes sayde: howe the castell was brent by vnhappe / and none otherwyse.

THese tidynges came to the erle of Flaū¦ders / who was atte Male: and he that brought him worde / sayd. sir: knowe for trou∣the / your fayre house of Andrehen / the whiche hath cost you so moch / and that ye so well loued is brent. Brent 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the erle: ye surely sir quod he. And howe so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the erle? Sir by vnhappe as it is sayde. A 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the erle / that dede shall neuer ha∣ue peace in Flaunders / as long as Johan Ly∣on lyueth. He hath couertly made it to be sette a fyre / but it shall be derely bought. Than he made the burgesses of Gaunte to come before hym / and sayde to them. A ye yuell and vnhap∣py people / ye pray me with swerde in the hāde. I haue graūted to you all yo^r requestes / as ye wyll your selfe / and now your folkes haue brēt my house / the whiche I loued among all other. Thynke they nat / that they haue done me dys∣pyte ynoughe / in sleynge my bayly for doynge his offyce / and to teare there my baner and to treade it vnder their fete. Knowe for trouth / sa¦uynge myne honoure / and that I haue gyuen you saue conduct / I shulde cause all your need{is} to be stryken of. Departe out of my presence / & say to yonder vnhappy people of Gaunte / that they shall neuer haue peace nor treatie with me tyll I haue of theym whome I wyll / to stryke of their heedes: and none shall haue mercy the burgesses / who were fullsor••e of these tidyng{is}:

bycause they were natte culpable of that dede / they began to excuse them. but there was none excuse wolde serue / for the erle was so sore dis∣pleased that he wolde nat here themspeke / and so made them to auoyde his presence / and they toke their horses to returne to Gaunt / and she∣wed howe well they had spedde / and had great peace and apoyntment / and this castell had nat bene brent. And also they shewed howe the erle gretly manasshed thē and send thē worde: how they shulde neuer haue peace with hym / tyll he had as many of the towne at his pleasur / as he lyst to haue. The good people of y^e towne sawe well: howe the mater went but yuell for them / and howe the whyte hattes had caused all / but there was none so hardy that durst speke it.

¶ Therle of Flaūders went fro Male to Lyle and all his housholde: and than he sente for all his lordes and knyghtes of Flaūders / suche as helde of hym / to haue their counsayle. howe he myght do in all his besynesses: and howe to be reuenged of them of Gaunte / who hadde done him so many dispyghtes. All the gentylmen of Flaunders sware to hym to be good and true / as they ought to be to their lorde / without any meane / wherfore therle was greatly reioysed. Than he sent men to all his castelles / to Tere∣mont Rypemont / Aloes / Gaures Andwarpe / and all about he made great prouision.