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 lettes that the duke of Bre∣tayne had / in that he might nat come to the lege before Nasites / and of the scrimysshes made there. Ca. ccc .lxx. (Book 370)

WHan the englysshmen parceyued howe they of Nā¦tes woke them so often. than they tooke counsayle to kepe better watche. and so it fortu¦ned on a night / the .vii. night after that the barroys of bar¦res had made his scrimysshe he yssued agayne in the night at the gate / where the erle of Buc∣kyngham was lodged / and with him a two hū¦dred men of armes and a hundred crosbowes. The same night the almayns kept the watche / and ther capitayns were / sir Algars & sir Tho¦mas of Rodes. Than the Barroys dasshed in to the watche and hymselfe one of the first / ther was a sore scrimysshe and sore beaten. Than they that were lodged about the erle / rose and went to the scrimysshe. Whan the frenchemen parceyued howe the prease began to encrease & multyply / they withdrewe towardes the gate and scrimysshed euer as they wēt. Ther were dyuers hurt with shotte on bothe parties / and specially sir Thomas of Rodes / a knight of Al¦mayne / was shotte through y^e bassenet into the heed / of the whiche stroke he dyed within thre dayes after / whiche was great domage / for he was a valyant knight. So the frenchmen and bretons entred agayne in to Nauntes with ly∣tell domage / and had taken sixe prisoners. So thus the mater stode / and thenglysshmen euer made good watche / for euery night they loked for none other thyng / but to be waked and rey∣sed fro their rest.

THus therle of Buckyngham lay before Nauntes / abyding dayly for the duke of Bretayne who came nat / and to that he had promysed and sworne nothynge kepte: wherof the erle hadde marueyle what he ment / that he coude here no tidynges fro him. The erle had sent to him dyuers messangers and letters / she wyng hym / howe he dyde yuell his deuoure / in that he wolde nat kepe his promyse that he had made and sworne to acomplysshe in the cytie of Reynes. But for all the letters that therle sent / he hadde neuer none answere agayne. The en∣glysshmen supposed that the messangers were slayne by the waye bycause none retourned a∣gayne / and truely they were in great parell / & all other men. without so be they had ben of the same countre or well acōpanyed / for the wayes bytwene Nauntes and Hanybout were so sore watched / that none coude scape that way with∣out takyng. So that it shulde be knowen from whens they came and whyder they wolde / to y^e entent that no letters nor worde shulde go by∣twene the duke and the erle / yf any suche were taken they were slayne. Also the foragers of the hoost durst nat ryde forthe but in great compa¦nyes / for the knightes and squyers of the same countre were assembled togyder / and wolde in no wyfe that their land{is} shulde be haryed or o∣uerryden. So that somtyme whan they foūde a .xx. or .xxx. of the englysshmen toguyder a fo∣ragynge / they wolde sette on them and take all that they had fro them / and sore beate and hurt them / w^tout hauyng of any remedy. Wherwith they of the hoost were right sore displeased / but they wyst nat of whōe to haue amēdes. To say the trouthe / the duke of Bretayne himselfe dyd asmoche as he coude to bring y^e men of his coū¦tre to be agreed to go and ley sege to Nauntes with hym / acordyng to the promyse that he had made to therle of Buckyngham. But he coude nat bringe it about / for it was playnly sayde to hym / howe that nother knight nor squyer of the countre wolde go with hym / to helpe to distroy their owne countre for the warre of the englissh¦men / nor as long as the englysshmen shulde a∣byde in Bretayne / they wolde neuer arme thē to take his parte. Than the duke demaūded of them / why they dyde than consente to sende for thenglysshmen. They answered / howe it was more for to gyue feare to the frenchmen / y^e they shulde nat lese their auncyent vsages: rather than for any other thynge. And in case that the frenche kyng wyll nothyng with thē but good / they wyll make hym no warre. Other answere the duke coulde nat haue of them: on the other parte the lorde Clysson constable of Fraunce / the lorde of Dynant / the lorde de Lauall / the vi¦cont of Rohan / the lorde of Rochforde / and all the great lordes of Bretayne / had all toguyder closed fast their townes / and caused them to be well kept. And sayd to the duke / and caused to be shewed hym by their messangers / howe he shulde be well aduysed what he dyde. Sayeng howe he was but simply coūsayled / to sende for the englysshmen to make warre and to distroy his owne countre. Promysinge hym / howe he shulde haue no conforte of any of thē. And that yf he went to Nauntes to lay siege there / as he

had promysed to the englisshmen to do / whiche he ought nat to haue done / they wolde distroy his landes in all parties / and put hym to suche trouble / that he shulde nat knowe well what to do. But if so be he wolde knowledge and putte hym selfe vnder the obeysaunce of the frenche kyng / as he ought to do. Than they sayde they wolde do their best to make his peace with the yonge kynge. Sayeng also / howe some haue had their corage agaynst kyng Charles nowe deed / that wyll come and abyde in the loue of his son. Of the moost highest lordes of all Bre∣taygne the duke was thus serued / in so moche that the duke wyst nat what to say / for he coude fynde no sure astate in his people / wherfore it behoued hym to dissēble. and alwayes the sege lay styll before Nauntes.

ON our lady daye in aduent at nyght / the frenchmen went to counsayle / determy∣nynge to awake the hoost the same nyght / by∣cause they had so longe lyen styll. So there ys∣sued oute of the towne a two hundred speares / wherof sir Almery of Clysson cosyn germayne to the lorde Clysson / and the lorde of Amboyse were capitayns and gouernours. And so they entred in to the hoost wher as sir Wyllm̄ Wyn∣sore was lodged / they issued at the gate of Rich¦bourge / and the same night sir Hughe Caurell kepte the watche. The same tyme the lorde of Amboyse was made knight / and sir Almery of Clysson made hym knyght. Than men of ar∣mes frenchmen and bretons cāe in with a fierse wyll / and at the first comyng they wan the bar∣res of the watche / whiche was kept by sir Wyl∣lyam of Gysenton. There was a sore scrimysh and many a man ouerthrowen / sir Willm̄ wyn sore and sir Hughe Caurell beyng in their ten∣tes heryng the noyse armed them / and cāe thy∣der as y^e chiefe noyse was / there bothe parties fought valiantly. The frenchmen and bretons entred agayne in at the posterne Richebourge / wher they issued out w^tout any great domage. And they had taken a knyght prisoner / and ten other mē of armes / and of their men ther were but thre taken.