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 erle of Flaūders entred in to the towne of Gaunt / and of his departynge thens / withoute know∣ledge of any of the towne. and howe the walles of Andwarpe were bea∣ten downe / by the whyte hattes and their felowes. Cap. CCC .lvii. (Book 357)

WHan they of Gaunt vn¦derstode that the erle was co¦mynge / they were right ioy∣full / and came and met hym / some a fote and some a horse backe. And they mekely en∣clyned thē self lowe / and dyd hym reuerence: and he passed forthe / withoute and worde spekynge to any of them / and but a lytell enclyned his heed. And so came to his lo∣gynge / called the Posterne / & there dyned / and had many presentes gyuen him / by them of the towne. And there came to se him they of y^e lawe of the towne / and humbly enclyned themselfe to hym / as reason requyred: and the erle sayd. Sirs / good peace requyreth nothyng but pea∣ce. Wherfore I wolde / that these whyte hattes were layd downe / and amendes to be made for

the dethe of my baylye for I am sore requyred therin of all his lynage. Sir quod the men of lawe / it is ryght well our entent / that it shulde so be. And sir / we requyre your grace with all humylyte / that it maye please you to morowe nerte / to come in to an open place / and there to shewe your entent to the people. And whā they se you / they wyll be so reioysed / that they wyll do euery thynge that ye shall desyre them / than the erle accorded to their request. The same e∣uenynge many folkes knewe in y^e towne howe the erle shulde be the next mornyng by .viii. of the clocke in the market place / and there preche to the people. The good men were ryght ioy∣full therof / but the foles and outragious peo∣ple gaue no feare therof / and sayd: howe they were preched inough / & howe they knewe well what they had to do. Johan Prunaux Rase de Harsell / Peter Boyse / and Johan Boule ca∣pitayns of the whyte hattes douted lest all that mater shulde be layd on their charge / and than they spake togyder / and sent for suche of their company as were most outragious / and worst of all other / and sayd to them. Sirs / take hede this nyght and to morowe & lette your armure be redy / and what so euer be sayde to you / put nat of your whyte hattes / and be all in the mar¦ket place to morowe by .viii. of y^e bell / but make no styrring nor stryfe / without it be begon on you / and shewe all this to your companyes / or els sende thē worde therof. They sayd it shulde be done / and so it was. In the morning at .viii. of the cloke they came in to the market place / nat all togyder / but in dyuers plumpes. The erle came to the market place a horsebacke / a cō¦panyed with his knyghtes and squyers / and them of the lawe of the towne / and by him was Johan Faucyll and a .xl. of the most rychest of the towne. therle as he came a long the market place / he cast his eyes on the whyte hattes / and was in his mynde right sore displesed with thē and so a lighted and all other. Than he moun∣ted vp in to a wyndowe and leaned out therat / and a reed clothe before him: And there he be∣gan to speke ryght sagely / she wynge them fro poynt to poynte: the loue and affectyon that he hath had to them or they displeased him. Ther he shewed howe a prince and lorde ought to be beloued feared / serued & honoured of his men: and howe they had done the contrary. Also he shewed / howe he hath kepte and defended them agaynst all men: and howe he had kept them in peace / profyte / and prosperyte / in the passages of the see / the whiche was closed fro them. At his first entrynge in to his lande / he shewed thē dyuers reasonable poyntes / whiche the wyse men vnderstode and conceyued it clerely / how all that euer he sayde was trouthe. Dyuers ga∣ue good care to hym and some neuer a whytte / suche as hadde rather haue warre than peace. And whan he hadde been there the space of one hour / and had shewed them all this and more. Than finally he sayde: howe he wolde be their good lorde / in lyke maner as he hadde been in tyme past. And pardoned them of all the iniu∣ryes / hates / and yuell wylles / that he hadde a∣gaynst them: and all that they hadde done. He wolde here no more therof / and to kepe them in their rightes and seignories / as in tyme paste had ben vsed. Howe be it he desyred them / that they shulde begyn no newe thyng nor custome / and that the whyte hattes shulde be layd dow∣ne. At all these wordes that he spake before / eue¦ry man helde their peace / but whan he spake of the whyte hattes / ther was suche a murmuryn¦ge and why sperynge / that it might well be par¦ceyued / that it was for that cause. Than therle desyred theym swetely / euery man to drawe to their owne houses. And soo euery man depar∣ted out of the place / but the whyte hattes were the first that came thyder / and the laste that ta∣ryed. And whan the erle passed by thē they smy¦led / and folisshely behelde hym / and they made no reuerence to hym / wherof the erle was sore displeased in his mynde / and sayd to his knigh tes / whan he came to his lodgynge. I trowe I shall neuer come easely to myne entent / against these whyte hattes / they are vnhappye people. My hert gyueth me / that y^e mater wyll nat rest longe in the case that it is nowe in. For as ferr as I canne parceyue / they are likely to do ma∣ny yuell dedes: for though I shulde lese all / I canne nat suffre theym in their pride and yuell doynges.

THus therle of Flaūders was there a foure or fyue dayes / and than de∣{per}ted / so that he retourned no more thyder agayne. & so went to Lysse / and ther ordayned to lye all y^e wyn¦ter. At his departyng fro Gaunt / he toke leaue of no man: but departed in displeasure / wher∣with dyuers of the towne were right yuell con∣tent / and sayde. Howe they sholde neuer haue any good of hym / nor he wolde neuer loue thē / nor they him. And howe he was de{per}ted fro thē at that tyme / as he had done in tyme past. And

that Gylbert Mahewe and his bretherne / had counsayled him so to do. Seyng he was depar¦ted so sodaynlye fro Gaunt. Johan Prunaur / Rase Harsell / Peter de Boyse / Johan Boule / and the yuell capitayns / were ryght ioyouse of his departyng: and sowed lewde word{is} about in the towne. Sayeng / howe that or somer cōe therle and his men wyll breke the peace. Wher∣fore they sayd: it were good that euery mā toke hede to hym selfe / and that they prouyde for the towne / corne and other vitayls: as ••esshe and salte / and suche other thynges. Sayeng howe they coulde se no suretie in the erle. So they of Gaunt made prouision of dyuers thynges that was necessarie for thē and for the towne. Wher¦of the erle was enfourmed / and had great mar∣ueyle / wherfore they douted them selfe in suche wyse. To say trouthe / all thynges cōsydred: in that I say or haue sayd before. It may be mar∣ueyled: howe they of Gaunt dissymuled them selfe / so at the begynninge as they dyde. The riche / sage / and notable persons of the towne: can nat excuse them selfe of these dedes at the be¦gynnyng. For whan Johan Lyon beganne to bring vp first the white hattes / they might well haue caused them to haue been layed downe / if they had lyst. And haue sent other maner of per¦sons agaynst the pioners of Bruges / than they but they suffred it / bycause they wolde nat me∣dell / nor be in no busynesse nor prease. All this they dyde and consented to be done / the whiche after they derely bought / and specially suche as were riche and wyse. For afterward they were no more lordes of them selfe / nor they durst nat speke nor do nothynge / but as they of Gaunte wolde. For they sayd: y^e nother for John̄ Lyon nor for Gylbert Mahewe / nor for their warres or enuyes / they wolde neuer departe a sondre. For whatsoeuer warre ther were bytwene one or other / they wolde be euer all one: and euer¦redy to defende the fraunchesses of their towne the whiche was well sene after: for they made warre / whiche endured seuyn yere. In the whi¦che tyme there was neuer stryfe amonge them in the towne. And that was the thynge that su∣stayned and kept thē moost of any thyng / bothe within and without. They were in suche vnyte / that there was no dystaunce amonge them: as ye shall herafter in this hystorie.

IT was nat long after / that therle of Flaunders was departed fro Gaunt and returned to Lyle. but that sir Olyuer Dauterne / cosyn germayne to Roger Dauterne / slayne before in Gaunt. Sent his defyance to the towne of Gaunt / for the dethe of his cosyn: and in lykewise so dyde sir Philyppe of Ma∣mynes / and dyuers other. And after their defy¦ances made: they foūde a fourtie shyppes / and the maryners to them parteyninge / of the bur∣gesses of Gaunt / who were comyng on the ry∣uer of Lescaulte / charged with corne. and ther they reuenged them of the dethe of their cosyn / on these shyppes and maryners. For they all to hewed the maryners / and dyde putte out their eyen: and so sent theym to Gaunt / maymed as they were / whiche dispyte / they of Gaunt toke for a great iniury. The lerned men of Gaūt / to whome the complayntes came / were right sore displesed / and wyst nat well what to say. Great murmuryng was in the towne / and the moost parte of the people of Gaunt / sayd: howe therle of Flaunders had caused all. so that ther durst no manne excuse hym. And assoone as Johan Prunax herde these tidynges / who was as thā capitayn of the whyte hattes / w^tout any worde spekyng to thē of the lawe. I can nat say: why∣der he spake with y^e capitayns of other cōpany∣ons or nat. I thynke rather ye thā nay. So he toke the most parte of the whyte hattes / and dy¦uers other folowers / redy inoughe to do yuell: and so departed fro Gaunt and came so daynly to And warpe. Whan he entred first / there was no watche nor kepers / for they feared no man. And so he and his company entred in at y^e gate to the nombre of fyue thousande and mo. And the next mornynge / he sette warkemen a warke carpentars and masons / suche as were ther re¦dy with hym / to do his commaundement. And so he ceassed nat / tyll he had beaten downe two of the gates / and y^e walles and towres bytwene them / and layde them vp so downe / in the dy∣kes towarde Gaunt.

HOwe may they of Gaunt excuse thē selfe that thus cōsented to this dede•• for they were at And warpe / beatyn∣ge downe these walles & gates more than a moneth. If they had sent for these men to haue come backe agayne / whan they herde of it first / than they might well haue been excu∣sed but they dyde nat so. They wynked rather with their eyen / and suffered it / tyll tidynges

came to the erle / who lay at Lysle / howe John̄ Prunaur had by stelthe come in to Andwarpe and beten downe two of the gates with the wal¦les and towres. Of whiche tydinges the erle was sore displesed / and also he had good cawse so to be / and sayd. A these vnhappy cursed peo∣ple the deuyll I trowe is with them. I shall ne¦uer be in ioye as long as they of Gaunt haue a¦ny puissance. Than he sent to Gaunt some of his counsayle / shewynge thē the great outrage that they hadde done / and howe they were no people to be beleued in makyng any peace. se∣yng y^t the peace / whiche the duke of Burgoyne had made to his great labour and payne / was nowe thus broken by them. The mayre and ler¦ned men of Gaunt excused them selfe / and sayd. that sauynge the erles displeasure / they neuer thought to breke the peace / nor neuer had wyll therto. For though Johan Prunaur had done that outrage of him selfe / the towne of Gaunt wyll in no wyse auowe / suffer / nor sustayne it. And so playnely and truely excused them selfe / and sayd moreouer. howe the erle had cōsented therto / for they be issued out of his house / suche as haue done this great outrage / slayne & may med our burgesses / the whiche is a great incō∣uenyence to the hole body of the towne. Howe say ye sirs / to this 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they? Than therles comis∣saryes replyed / and sayd. sirs: than I se well ye be reuenged. Nay nat so {quod} they of the towne / for though y^t Johan Prunaur haue done thus at Andwarpe / y^t it is done for any reuengyng. We say nat so / for by the treaty of the peace / we maye proue and shewe / if we lyst. And that we take recorde of the duke of Burgoyne / that we myght haue done with Andwarpe / and haue brought it in to the same poynt / that it is nowe at. but at the desyre of the duke of Burgoyne / we to ware and suffred it vndone as at y^e tyme. Than the erles comyssaries sayde. It apereth well by your wordes / that ye haue caused it to be done: and that ye canne nat excuse your selfe therin. Sithe that ye knewe that Johan Pru∣nar was gone to Andwarpe / with an armye of men of warr: and by stelth vnder the shadowe of peace / hath beaten downe the gates and wal¦les therof. ye shulde haue gone before thē / and haue defēded them fro doyng of any suche out∣rage 〈…〉〈…〉ll ye had shewed your complayntes to 〈…〉〈…〉. And of the hurtyng and mayminge of your burgesses of Gaunt / ye shulde therin ha∣ue gone to y^e duke of Burgoyne / who made the peace / and haue shewed him all your cōplaynt. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 than ye had amended youre mater / but ye haue nat done thus. Nowe sithe ye haue my lorde the erle of Flaunders thus displeased / ye sende to excuse your selfe. ye desyre peace with your swerdes in your hādes: but I ensure you one day he wyll take so cruell vēgeance on you that all the worlde shall speke therof. So the er¦les comyssaries departed fro them of Gaunt / & went by Cortray to Lyle / and shewed to therle what they had done: and thexcusacyons y^t they of Gaunt made for them selfe.