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 gauntoyse rendred And warpe / and of the houses of the no∣ble men of Flaunders that they bete downe. And howe the warre began bitwene them & the gauntoyse right cruell / and without pytie. Cap. CCC .lviii. (Book 358)

THe hearyng spekynge of the treatynge of this pro∣cesse / may well be maruey∣led / for the marueylous ma¦ter therin. Some gyueth y^e right of the warre / the whi∣che was at that tyme / great and cruell in Flaūders: to thē of Gaunt. Say∣eng / howe they had a good and a iust cause to make warre: but I can nat se that / as yet. For I coude neuer se nor vnderstande / but that the erle loued euer peace rather than warre. Reser¦uyng alwayes / his highnesse & honour. Dyde he nat at their desyre / delyuer their burges out of his prison of Erclo? and yet for all that they slewe his bayly: and thā he agayne {per}doned thē that great outrage / to thentent to haue kept thē in peace. And ouerthat agayne: on a day / they moued all the countrey of Flaunders agaynst him / and slewe in the towne of Ipre / fyue of his knightes. And went and assayled and beseged And warpe / and dyde their payne / to haue dy∣stroyed it. and yet agayne they had of the erle peace: but for all that / they wolde make none a¦mendes / for the dethe of Roger Dauterne / the whiche his lynage often tymes desyred. Wher∣fore they somwhat reuenged the dethe of their cosyn / on a certayne maryners: by whome all this warr and myschefe was begon. Was this yet any resonable cause / why they shulde beate downe the walles of Andwarpe? I thynke and

so dyd many other / that it was none occasyon so to do. They sayd therle was rather in their dette than they in his / and that he shulde make them amendes for that / that hadde ben done to their maryners ••or euer they wolde delyuer a¦gayne And warpe. The erle who was at Lysle and his counsayll with him / was right sore dis¦pleased / in that they kept And warpe / and wyst nat well howe to gette it agayne. and so repen¦ted him of the peace that he hadde gyuen to the gauntoyse / and he wrote often tymes to them / cōmaundynge them to delyuer vp And warpe / orels he wolde make them so cruell warre / that it shulde be euer had in remembrance. They of Gaunt / wolde in no wyse auowe the dede / for if they had / they had broken the peace: finally cer∣tayne good people of Gaunte / and ryche men / who wolde haue no thyng by their wylles: but peace: went so bytwene in this mater. As John̄ Faucyll / Gylbert Guyse / sir Symon Bet and dyuers other. that the .xii. day / they of Gaunt beynge in the towne of And warpe retourned a gayne to Gaunte / and delyuered the towne to the erles seruaūtes. and to apease the erles dis∣pleasur / John̄ Prunaur was banisshed Gaūt and all Flaunders / bycause by his aduyce the comons had taken And warpe / without know∣ledge of the substance of the towne of Gaunt. And on the other parte / the erle banysshed out of all Flaunders: sir Phylippe of Mamynes / sir Olyuer Dautern / the Galoys of Manes / the basterde of Wrydrymines / and all tho that were cause of the mayminge of the maryners / burgesses of Gaunt / without knowledge of the erle / and so by the reason of these banisshynges / bothe partyes were apeased. So Johan Pru∣naux forsoke the countrey of Flaunders / and went to Athe in Brabante / and there dwelled. and sir Phylip of Mamynes went to Ualen∣cennes in the coūtie of Haynalt / but whan they of Gaunt knewe therof / they dyd somoch to the prouost of Ualencennes / called John̄ Patryse who in fayre maner / caused the sayd knyght to departe thens. & so he departed with his good wyll and went to Warlam besyde Do way / and there taryed tyll he harde other tydinges / and the other knyghtes and squiers voyded Flaū∣ders and went in to Brabant. And assoone as the erle had agayne possessyon of And warpe / he sette warkmen a warke and newe repayred the towne better than euer it was before / bothe wall{is} / gates / and dykes. The gaūtoyse knewe well howe the erle newe fortefyed And warpe / but they made no semblaunce therof / bycawse they wolde no faulte shulde be founde in them / as in brekynge of the peace. But the foles and outragyous people / sayde amonge them selfe. lette the erle alone in his warke / for though he make And warpe ofstele / yet it can nat endure agaynst vs / if we lyst. For all this peace thus in Flaunders / they of Gaunt were euer in suspect with the erle / and the erle with them / for dayly there was brought to the erle harde tidynges of them of Gaunt. And in lykewyse to them of Gaunt of the erle. Johan de Faucyll went and dwelled at Nazareth / in a fayre house that he had / a leage fro Gaunt: and so hel ay there styl dissymulynge as moche as he myght / & wolde nat be in counsayle with thē of Gaunt / bycause he wolde nat be noted by the erle. And also he kept him fro the erle as moche as he myght / to kepe him still in loue with thē of Gaunt. Thus he swamme bitwene two waues / makyng him selfe newter / as nere as coulde. In the meane tyme whyle the erle repayred the towne of And warpe he procured soo moche by his letters / to his cosyn the duke of Burgoyne / to sende hym Johan Prunaur beyng at Athe / that so he dyd / and sent hym to the erle / and so he was sent to Lysle and there beheeded / and than sette one a whele lyke a traytour. Thus dyed John̄ Pru¦naur. Than y^e erle went to Ipre / and dyd there great Justyce / and beheeded many yuell ruled people / suche as had before been at the dethe of hys fyue knyghtes / there slayne / and had ope∣ned y^e gates to them of Gaunt / and this he dyd to thentent that other shulde take ensample by them.

OF all these maters y^e gauntoyse were well enfourmed / wherfore they douted more than they dyde before / and specyally the capy∣tayns suche as had bene forth in their iourneys and before And warpe. And they sayd amonge them selfe / certaynly if the erle may: he wyll de∣stroy vs all he loueth vs well / for he wyll haue nothyng but our lyues. Hath he nat put to deth Johan Prunar? To say trouth / we dyd John̄ Prunaur great wronge / whan we banysshed him fro vs. we are therfore culpable of his deth and to the same ende we shall all cōe / if he may gette vs at his wyll / therfore lette vs take good hede of ourselfe. Than Peter de Boyse sayd. Sirs / yf ye wyll beleue me: there shall nat a house stande vpright / of neuer a genytlmans in the countrey aboute Gaunt. for by reason of the gentlemens houses that be nowe standyng we maye be all distroyed / if we take nat hede

therto betymes / and prouyde for some remedy. That is trouthe {quod} all the other let vs go forthe and bere them all downe. Than the capitayns Heter du Boyse / Johan Boule / Rase de Har∣sell / Johan de Launoy and dyuers other with their companyes departed on a day fro Gaūt / and brent and beate downe all the gentylmens houses there aboute / and toke all that euer was in them / and departed it among them selfe / and whan they had done / they retourned agayne to 〈◊〉〈◊〉. They founde neuer a man that wolde say sirs: ye haue done euyll. Whan the gentle∣men knyghtes & squiers beynge at Lysle with the erle and there about / harde tydinges howe their houses were brent and beten downe / and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 goodes takenne awaye / they were ryght so•••• displeased / and nat without a good cause. They sayd to the erle▪ sir: this dispyght must be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and the pride of them of Gaunt beaten downe. Than the erle gaue leue and abando∣ned to the knightes and squiers to make warre agaynste the gauntoyse / and to counteruenge them of their domag{is}. Than dyuers knyghtes and squyers of Flaunders alyed them selfe to∣g••der / and desyred their frendes of Heynalt to a••de to reuenge them of the gaūtoyse / and they made their capitayne the ••as••e of Flaunders / the yongest sonne bastarde of the erles a ryght 〈◊〉〈◊〉 knyght. this knyght with his compa∣ny somtyme lay at And warpe another tyme at Gaures / and somtyme at Alos / and at Tere∣mond / and scrunysshed with the gaūtoyse day¦ly and sotyme ran to the barryers of the towne of Gaunt. And beate downe the wyndmyls a∣bout y^• towne / and dyd great dispyght to them of Gaunt / and with them there was a knyght of Heynalt / called sir James of Uerchyn•• sene shall of Heynalt. he dyd many feates of armes in that season aboute Gaunt / and aduentured hym selfe often tymes ryght ieoperdously. He fought two or thre tymes at the barryers / and wanne bassenetes and crosbowes / and other a bylementes of warre. This knyght loued well the noble feate of armes / and had bene a valy∣ant knyght if he hadde lyued long / but he dyed yonge in his bed in the castell of ••ubre besyde Mortayne / whiche was great domage.