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 noble men of Flaūders made warre agaynst the flemynges / and of the dethe of sir Berteram of Clesquy coustable of Fraunce. Cap. CCC .lix. (Book 359)

WHan the gauntoyse sawe them selfe thus mocked and warred by the gentlemen of Flaunders / they were right angry therwith / & thought to haue sente to erle Aubert erle of Haynault / desirynge him to haue founde the meanes / to haue caused these gentylmen / to leaue their warre a gaynst them ▪ but whan they had all thynges consyde∣red / they thought they shulde lese their payne / for they were sure the erle Aubert / wolde do no thynge for them / nor they wolde nat dysplease him / nor put a thynge to hym / that shulde be to his displeasure. For they might yuell lyue with out the fauoure of his countrey / for if Holand / zelande / and Haynault had ben closed fro them they thought them selfe but lost. Therfore they left that purpose and toke a nother counsayle / and y^t was / to send to the knyghtes and squiers of Haynalt / suche as had herytages / rentes / or reuenues in Gaunt or in y^e precynct therof / that they shulde come and serue theym / or els to lese their rētes and reuenues there. and so they sent to them / but it auayled them but lytell / for they set but lytell by their cōmaundementes. Than they of Gaunt sent to the lorde Dautoyng and to sir Herne / who was an heryter in the towne of Gaunt / and constable of the same / that they shulde come and serue them / or els to lese suche ryght as they had there. and bycause they came nat nor wolde come / they bete downe their hou¦ses. The lorde Dautoyng sent thē worde howe he wolde come and serue them at their cost and charge to their distruccyon / and y^t they shulde haue no nother trust in him / but that he wolde be their ennemy / and holde nothynge of theym / but of the erle of Flaūders his lorde / to whome he owed seruyce and obeysāce. The lorde Dau¦toyng helde well his promyse / for he made mor¦tall warre agaynst them / and dyde them great domage / and made great prouisyon in his ca∣stell / whiche garyson dyde moche traueyle to them of Gaunt. Also y^e lorde of Daughen / who was a yonge squier called Gaultyer / he dyd al∣so great dispyte to them of Gaunt. Thus con∣tynued styll the warre / and the gauntoyse durst nat issue out of their towne / without they were in great companyes / and whan they founde a∣ny of their enemyes they hadde no mercy / but hauyng the better slewe all before them. Thus began the warre to be ryght cruell bytwene the erle of Flaūders and the gauntoise / the whiche cost after a hundred thousande mennes lyues /

twise tolde. it was great payne to fynde outher ende or peace / for the capitayns of Gaūt knewe well they had so trespassed agaynst their lorde / the erle of Flaunders / and agaynst the duke of Burgoyn / y^t for any treatie of peace sealyng or sweryng what soeuer it were. yet they thought they shulde neuer haue peace / but that it shulde cost them their lyues. This dought and feare caused them to be of that opinyon / and to kepe styll the warre agaynst the erle and the gentyl∣men of Flaunders. & also this feare gaue them courage to kepe warre / and as their aduentu∣res fell / ye shall here after in the story.

THe erle of Flaūders beyng at L••••e harde dayly newes fro the them of Gaunt / and howe they brent and beate downe gentylmens howses / wherwith he was sore displeased / and sayd. howe he wolde take suche vengeance on them / that he wolde bryng all Gaunt vnder flame of fyre / and the rebelles within it. Than the erle to be the more stronger agaynst them / sent for all his barons of Flaunders / and aban∣doned his countrey / to them to resyte agaynste the whyte hattes / and apoynted two gentyl∣men to be their captayns / that is to say: the Ga¦loys of Mamynes / and Peter Destreueles. These two with their cōpanies bare with them the erles baner / and so about a thre wekes they lay bytwene And warpe and Courtrey / on the ryuer of Lys / and dyde great domage to them of Gaūt. And whan Rase of Harsell herde ther¦of / he yssued oute of Gaunte with all the whyte hattes and came to Douse / and there he hadde thought to haue founde the erles company / but the men of armes / whan they knewe of the gaū¦toyse comyng / they withdrewe towarde Tour¦ney / and so taryed in the towne. And the gaun∣toyse lay a great season about Orches / Danne / and Uorlam / so that the marchantes durst nat go bytwene Doway and Tourney for feare of them. And it was than sayd: howe the gaūtoise wolde go and lay siege to Lyle / and therle with in the towne. They alyed them selfe with them of Bruges and Ipre / and they had Grantmont and Courtray of their acorde. But Brug{is} and Ipre varyed and were nat agreed with y^• craf∣tes / for they sayde: it shulde be a great folly for them / to ••ay siege so farre of as Lysle. and how that the erle might haue great alyaunce & ayde of the frenche kyng / as he hath had before. these doutes and other / stopped the good townes of Flaūders for makyng of any warre / or layeng of any siege in that season. And for thētent that the erle shulde haue no helpe nor ayde of the frē∣che kyng / nor of the duke of Burgoyne / his son. They sent messangers and meke letters to the kyng / desyring hym for goddes sake / y^t he shul∣de gyue no counsayle nor ayde to therle of Flā∣ders / to their domage or hurte. For they wolde nothing but peace / loue / obeysance / and seruice to their lorde. Wherfore they sayde / their lorde dyde great wrong / so to traueyle and greue thē And all that euer they dyd / was to sustayne the fraūchesse and lyberties / the whiche their lorde wolde take fro them in his crueltie. The kyng som what enclyned to them / without any sem∣blant makyng. In lykewise so dyd the duke of Aniou his brother for all that the erle of Flaun¦ders was their cosyn. yet he was nat greatly in their fauours / bycause of the duke of Bretayne whome he kepte with hym in his countrey / a∣gaynst their wylles a longe season: Wherfore they tooke no great hede to his busynesse. No more dyde pope Clement / for he sayd that god had sent therle of Flaūders that rodde and pu∣nysshment / bycause he was his enemy / & helde with pope Urbane agaynst him.

THe same season the good knight and cō¦stable of Fraunce / sir Bertram of Cles∣quy was in Auuerne with a great nōbre of men of armes. And lay at sege before New castell of Raudone / a thre leages fro the cytie of Pye in Auuergne / and had closed in the castell nyne en¦glysshemen and gascoyns / enemyes to the re∣alme of Fraunce. Who were yssued out of Ly∣mosyn / where as were many forteresses. The cōstable gaue many sore assautes to the castell / and sware: that he wolde neuer departe thens / tyll he had the castell at his pleasure. But than a great sickenesse tooke hym / and so lay in his bedde: but for all that the siege brake nat vp / for his men were more angrye than they were be∣fore. Of this sickenesse sir Bertram dyed / whi∣che was great domage to his frendes and to y^e realme of Fraunce / and he was borne to the fre¦ers in Pye / and ther he was one night / and fro ••hens he was caryed to saynt Denyse in Fraū∣ce / and there he was layde in sepulture / nere to the tombe of kynge Charles / whiche the kynge had made for hym in his dayes / and so he laye at the kynges fete. And there his obsequy was done right honorably / as though he hadde ben the kynges sonne. And there was all the kyng{is} bretherne / and notable persones of the realme of Fraunce. Thus by the dethe of sir Bertram

of Clesquy / the office of the constable shyppe of Fraunce was voyde. Than it was ordayned and aduysed / who shulde be constable. There were named dyuers great barons of Fraunce / and specially the lorde Clysson / and the lorde of Coucy. The kyng wolde that the lorde Cou¦cy shulde haue had the offyce / and that he shul∣de be regent of all Picardy. and the kyng gaue him all the lande of Mortayne / the which was a fayre herytage / lyeng bytwne Tourney and Ualencennes. And sir James Uerchyne was put out therof / who was constable of Heynalt. He helde it by succession of his father / who had ben lorde therof / a great season before. The lor¦de of Coucy was in great fauour with the fren¦che kyng / and the kyng wolde haue hadde hym constable of Fraunce but the gentyll knight ex¦cused hym selfe by dyuers reasons / and wolde nat take it on him / and sayd. Howe sir Olyuer Clysson was more worthy then he was to haue it / for he was a worthy knyght / hardye and be∣loued and knowen amonge the bretons. Soo thus the mater abode a longe season / than sir Bertrams men returned in to Fraunce / for the castell yelded vp the same day that {ser} Bertram dyed / and they of the garison went in to Lymo¦syn to the garyson of Uentadore. Whan the frē che kyng sawe the cōstables men / he gaue them great gyftes.

¶ Nowe let vs leaue to speke of them / & shewe howe sir Thomas erle of Buckyngham yon∣gest sonne of kyng Edwarde the thyrde / made a great armye of men of armes & archers / and passed with his hoost throughe the realme of Fraunce / and went in to Bretayne.