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 erle of Buckyngham / yon∣gest sonne to kyng Edwarde the .iii. who passed with a great armye tho∣rough the realme of Fraunce / to go in to Bretayne to the duke there. Cap. CCC .lx. (Book 360)

VE haue herde here before: howe that whan the duke of Bre∣tayne departed out of Englande / kyng Richard and his vncles had promysed hym to sende men of ar∣mes and archers to ayde hym. The kyng kept his promyse / but yuell fortune came therof: for sir Johan Arundell was sent thyder with two hundred men of armes / and they had suche for∣tune / that they were nyghe all perysshed in the see by tempest. Sir Hughe Caurell & sir Tho¦mas Tryuet were saued with gret payne / ther was perysshed a fourescore archers and as ma¦ny men of armes or mo. And so by that fortune this army was broken for that tyme. The duke of Bretayne had great marueyle and all those on his parte / that they coulde here no worde of them / they coulde nat consyder nor ymagenne what lette they hadde. Fayne they wolde haue knowen / to the entent to haue hadde some com∣forte / for they were sore ouerpressed by sir Oly∣uer of Clysson / sir Guy de la Uall / sir Olyuer of Clesqui erle of Langueuylde / and the lorde Rochforte: and the frenchmen that lay aboute the fronters of Bretayne. Than the duke was counsayled to sende sufficient messangers in to Englande / to knowe the cause why they came nat / and to hast theym forther for they had nede of their helpe. The lorde of Beaumonoyre and sir Eustace Housay / were desyred by the duke and by them of the coūtre / to take on them that voyage in to Englande. They answered / how they were content to go. Than they had letters fro y^e duke of Bretayne / and fro them of the coū¦tre / and so they de{per}ted and toke shyppinge and had wynde and wether at their pleasur / and ar¦ryued at Hāpton. And than yssued out of their vessell and toke horse & rode to London. This was about Whytsontyde / the yere of our lorde god / a thousande thre hundred and fourscore.

THe kynge of Englande was anone cer∣tifyed of their comynge. So the kynge went to Wyndsore: to kepe the feest of Penthe∣cost there / and with hym his vncles / and a gret nombre of barons and knightes of Englande. And thyder came these two foresayd knyghtes of Bretayne / and were honourably receyued of the kynge and of his vncles / and of all other / & there they delyuered their letters to the kynge and to his vncles. They reed them / and knewe therby / howe the duke of Bretayne & his coun∣trey / desyred them effectuously of ayde and con¦fort. There these two knight{is} knewe of y^e dethe of sir Johan Arundell / and the other that were perysshed in the see / goyng towarde Bretayne. and so there the duke of Lancastre excused the mater / and sayd. Howe the kyng nor his coun∣sayle was in no faute / but the fortune of the see / agaynst the whiche no man canne resyst / whan

god wyll haue it so. So the knyghtes helde the kyng excused / and greatly complayned y^e dethe of those knyghtes / so perysshed in the see. The feest of Pēthecost passed / and than they helde a parlyament at Westmyuster / and there was all the kynges counsayll. And in the same meane season there dyed at Lōdon / sir Rychard Dan¦gle erle of Hūtyngdon / and was buryed in the frere Augustynes. The kyng caused his obse∣quy to be done right honourably / with a great nombre of prelates and barones of Englande / and the bysshoppe of London sange the masse. Than anone after began the parlyament / and there it was ordayned y^• sir Thomas of Wod∣stocke youngest sonne to kynge Edwarde the thirde / and dyuers barones / knyghtes / & squi∣ers with hym / shulde passe the see and lande at Calayes / and soo to passe by the grace of god throughe Fraunce / with thre thousande men of armes and as many archers / and so to come in to Bretayne: lyke the sonne of a kyng.

¶ He toke on hym a great thynge as to passe throughe the realme of Fraunce / the whiche is so great and soo noble / and wherin there is so noble chyualry / and so valyant men of armes. WHan these thynges were thus deter∣myned and the voiage cōcluded and a¦greed. Than the kyng of Englande & his vncles sent letters to the duke of Bretayne and to them of the countre / gyueng them know¦ledge of their ententes / and of their counsayle and parlyament that they had concluded at Lō¦don. Howe that without faute / sir Thomas of Wodstocke erle of Buckingham yongest son̄e to kynge Edwarde the thirde / shulde shortely passe the see to come and socour thē. The kyng of Englande honoured greatly these knyghtes of Bretayne and gaue them great gyftes / and in likewyse so dyd his vncles / and so they de∣parted and returned in to Bretayne / and dely∣uered their letters to the duke / and he opened and red them / and sawe what they contayned / and so shewed them to the lordes and knygh∣tes of his countrey / who were well content with that aunswere. The kynge of Englande and his vncles forgate nat the voiage that was a∣poynted / but sent for all them that were chosen and apoynted to go with the erle of Buckyng∣ham / who were bothe barons / knyghtes / squi∣ers / and other / and they were payed for their wages at Douer for thre monethes / their wa∣ges to begyn assone as they shulde be arryued at Calayes / as well men of armes as archers. and their passage was delyuered them franke and fre / and so they passed lytell and lytell and arryued at Calays / and it was a .xv. dayes or they were all past. They of Boloyne sawe well howe men of armes & archers were issued out of Englande and landed at Calays / and gaue knowledge therof ouer all the countrey / and to all the frenche garysons / to the entent that they shulde take hede euery man to his parte. So that whan these tydynges were knowen in bo∣lonoyse / and thoronyse / & in the countie of Guy¦nes / knyghtes / & squiers of the countrey drewe in¦to the forteresses / and put therin all that they hadde for feare of lesynge. And the capitayns of Boloyne / of Arde / of Monteire / of Spirlo que / of Tornehen / of Hornes / of Lyques / and of other castelles on the fronters there / enten∣ded greatly to prouide for their places / for they thought / seynge the englisshmen were come o∣uer in suche a nombre / y^t they shulde haue some assautes gyuen to some of them. The tydinges of this passage of y^e englisshmen was brought to kyng Charles beyng at Parys. Than in cō¦tynent he sent to y^e lorde Coucy to saynt Quin∣tynes that he shulde prouyde formen of warre and to go in to Picardy / to comforte his cyties townes / castelles / & fortersses there. The lorde Coucy obeyed the kynges cōmaundement / as it was reason / than he made a somōs of knigh∣tes and squiers of Picardy / Arthoyse / and Uer¦mandoyse to mete at Peron in Uermandoyse. The same tyme the lorde of saynt Pye was ca∣pytayne of Arde / and of Boloyne / sir Johan Bouillers. This sir Thomas of Wodstocke erle of Buckynghame yongest sonne to kynge Edwarde the thirde: arryued at Calays thre dayes before Maudlyn tyde / in the moneth of July / the yere of our lorde god a thousand thre hundred and fourscore.