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 warre began agayne be twene the erle of Flaunders and the flemynges / and how they of Ipre were disconfyted by a busshe∣ment. Cap. CCC .lxxv. (Book 375)

IT is of trouthe / that the erle of Flaūders at this begynning / feared lytell the flemynges nor the gaūto is / for he thought well to bring thē vnder by wisedome and by armes / lytell and lytell. and specially sithe that John̄ Lyon and John̄ Prunaux were deed. But the gaunto is had as than other great capitayns / in whom they had great affiaunce / and dyde all by their counsell. And Rase de Harsell was capitayne of the cha∣telayne of Gaunt / and Johan of Bannoy capi¦tayne of Courtrey. and there were other capi∣tayns / as Johan Bulle / Peter Boyse / Arnolde the Clerke / and Peter of Nuyte. The same sea¦son there was a stryne / bytwene the great men & the comons / within the towne of Bruges / for the meane craftes wolde haue had euery thing at their pleasure / and the great men wolde nat suffre it / and so they rebelled. And a tertayne weyuers and fullers were slayne / and the other apeased. Than the great men of Bruges sente to the erle to Lysle / desyringe hym for goddes sake to come to theym as their chiefe lorde / and to helpe to subdue the commons. The erle was gladde to here that tidynges / and so departed Lysle / and sir Wyllyam of Namure in his cō∣pany / and a great nombre of knight{is} and squy¦ers of Flaūders / and so came to Bruges / wher he was r••ceyued with great ioye. And at the er¦les comyng / ther were taken all the principals of them that had their hertes gauntoise / & suche as were suspecte. and so were put in prison mo than fyue hūdred / and lytell and lytell their hee des were stryken of. And whan they of Franke vnderstode that the erle was peasably in Bru∣ges / they feared. and so put them selfe in to the erles mercy / and he receyued thē and had great ioye / for dayly his power increased. And also they of Franke alwayes haue taken more the erles parte / than all the re••ydue of Flaunders. The erle / seyng that he had brought vnder his subiection them of Bruges and of Franke / and that he had vnder hym knyghtes and squyers of the countre of Heynault and of Arthoyse / he thought than lytell & lytell to conquere agayne his countrey / and to punysshe his rebels. And

first he ordayned and sayd: he wolde go and se them of Ipre / for he hated thē greatly / bycause they opened their gates so lightly to theym of Gaunt, and sayd / how that they that had made that treaty / and to let in his enemyes to slee his knightes shulde repent it / if he might gette the ouer hande of them. Than he made his somōs through Franke and Bruges / sayeng howe he wolde go to Ipre. tidynges came to Ipre that the erle their lorde ordayned hymselfe / to come and assayle thē. Than they toke counsayle and determyned to sende worde therof to theym of Gaunt / to thentent that they shulde sende them some men to assyst the towne of Ipre / for they were nat bygge ynough of them selfe to kepe it without ayde of the gauntoyse / who had {pro}my¦sed and sworne to ayde them / whansoeuer they had any nede. So they sent couertly letters to Gaunt and to the capitayns / & signifyed to thē the state of the erle / and howe he thretned to cōe and assayle them. Than they of Gaunt remem¦bred well / howe they were boūde by their fayth and promyse / to ayde and confort them. Than they set for the two capitayns / John̄ Bulle and Arnolde Clerke / and they sayd to them. Sirs / ye shall take with you thre thousande of our mē and go hastely to Ipre / to confort them as oure good frendes. Incontynent they departed fro Gaunte / and so these thre thousande men came to Ipre / wherof they of the towne had great ioy Than the erle of Flaunders issued out of Bru∣ges with a great nombre of men and so came to Tourande / and the nexte day to Pourpringue and there taryed thre dayes / tyll all his menne were come. And than he was aboute a twentie thousande men of warre.

THey of Gaunt who knewe right well all this mater / and how that the erle wolde go puissantly to Ipre. They determyned to as¦semble their puysaunce / and to go by Courtrey to Ipre / and so all togyder to fight with therle. sayeng: that if they myght one tyme ouercome him / he shulde neuer be releued after. Than all the capitayns departed fro Gaūt / Rase de Har¦sell / Peter du Bouse / and Peter le Nuyte / Jo∣han de Launoy / and dyuers other: as Centeny¦ers and Cinquantenyers. and whan they were in the felde they were a nyne thousande / and so longe they reiourned that they came to Cour∣trey / where as they were receyued with great ioye / for John̄ de Launoy was capitayne there Therle of Flaunders beyng at Pourpringue and therabout / vnder stode that they of Gaunt were comyng to Ipre / & that they were at Co••∣trey on their way. Than the erle toke aduyse & helde all his company togyder. They of Gaut departed fro Courtrey & wente to Rolers / and there rested. And sent worde to theym of Ipre / howe they were come thyder / she wyng thē how that if they wolde yssue out of their towne with their power / and suche as were sent to them be∣fore / how they shulde be all togider men ynowe to fyght with the erle. Of the whiche tidynges they of Ipre were right ioyfull / and so the next day they issued out mo than .viii. thousande. & Johan Bulle & Arnolde Clerke were their go∣uernours. Therle of Flaūders and his power / who was in those marchesse / knewe howe they of Ipre were yssued out of their towne / to mete with them of Gaunt. I canne nat tell howe nor by what meanes / in so moche that therle orday∣ned at a passage / by y^e which they of Ipre must passe / two great busshmentes with his son̄e the Hase bastarde of Flaunders / and the lorde Dā¦ghien / with dyuers other knight{is} and squyers of Flaūders and of Heynalt / with them of Bru¦ges and them of Franke / and in euery cōpany / ther were .x. thousande men. Than whan they of Ipre and the gauntoise that were with them with Johan Bulle were in the feldes / and had nat iourneyed past one myle / they founde two wayes / the one went to Rolers and the other to Tourande. Than they rested and toke aduyse whiche way they shulde take. Than Arnolde le Clerke sayd. I counsayle / let vs go and se oure felowes at Rolers. By my faythe {quod} Johan de Bull / and I thynke it were better that we were lodged on the Mount dore. For be you sure / I knowe so well Peter de Boyse & Rase de Har∣sell / sithe that they haue sent for vs / surely they wyll fyght with the erle. Wherfore I am sure they wyll aproche as nere to hym as they can. Therfore I counsayle let vs go that way. So they determyned to take that waye / and whan they had gone a two myles / they were wery of goyng a fote / and or they were ware / they were bytwene the two busshmentes. And whan they sawe that they cryed all / we be betrayed. Ther were neuermen y^t made lasse defence than they dyde as than / for euery man dyd what he coude to saue him selfe. Some retourned to Ipre and some toke the feldes / & fledde he that best might without array or order. And the erles men toke and slewe them without mercy / howbeit John̄ Bulle and Arnolde Clerke saued thē selfe. they that fledde towardes Courtrey mette with the gauntoise / who were departed fro Rolers / and

were in the way to Rosebeque. Whan Peter de Boyse and the other sawe them that fledd / they demanded of them what they ayled / They an∣swered & sayd / they coude nat tell / for they sayde they had nat the leyser to knowe the mater but they sayd they fledde lyke men betrayed. Than Peter de boyse had dyuerse Imaginations / o∣ther to go forewarde / and to retourne agayne the fleers / & to fyght with theyr ennemies / who chased them: orelles to drawe to Courtray. All thynges consydered / they determyned to drawe backe for that tyme. The whiche they thought was for them (as than) moost profitable. So they drewe abacke in a batayle raynged ī good ordre / and the same day returned to Courtray. And thither also drewe many of them that fled. So they lodged all within Co^rtray / and made the gates to be well kepte / to thentent that they shulde nat be sodenly taken. And whan John̄ Bulle and Arnolde Clerke were returned / and had rekened all theyr people / than they knewe well / that of them of Gaunte / suche as had ben sent to Iper before / they had loste in nombre a xii. C. & as many of them of Iper. And if they of the buss hement had chased them that fled to Iper and to Co^rtray / there had but a fewe ska∣ped / but all had ben deed or taken / but they cha∣sed nat farre. They toke hede to nothynge / but to slee them that were within theyr bushement. the whiche saued all the residue. They of Iper were sore abasshed / whan they sawe theyr peo∣ple returne beaten and discōfited / the same day that they were issued out: and demaūded howe it myght be. And dyuerse answered / and sayde howe John̄ Bulle had betrayed them / and had brought them to be shamfully slayne.

ye haue hard often tymes recorded howe it is a harde warke to apease a Commontie whā they be styrred. I say this bycause of them of Gaunte. Whan they were the same day dra∣wen backe to Courtray. They that were discō∣fytted knewe well that John̄ Bulle was in the towne. Than mo than a thousand drewe toge∣ther & said / let vs go on the false traytour John̄ Bulle / who hath betrayed vs. For by hym and by nōe other we toke that way that brought vs into the bushement of our ennemyes. For if we had beleued Arnold the Clerke / we had ben in suretie / For he wolde haue brought vs to oure owne company / and John̄ Bulle had nat ben / who hath solde and betrayed vs / and brought vs where as we were betrayed and discomfyt∣ted. Loo / ye may se howe these comons accused hym of treason / and yet I thynke veryly they had no cause so to do. For if it had ben as they sayd / and that he had solde and betrayed them to the erle / he wold neuer haue returned agayn to them / but rather haue bydden styll with the erle. Howe be it I can nat excuse hym so / but y^t it cost hym his lyfe / and I shall tell you howe. The gauntoyse went and toke hym in his lod∣gynge / and so brought hym into the streat / and there he was striken an to peces / so that euery man bare awaye a pece of hym. Thus ended John̄ Bulle. The next day the Gauntoyse de∣parted fro Courtray and returned to Gaunte / and dyd sende John̄ de Lanuoy to the castell of Gaures / a castell of the erles / standynge by the ryuer of lescaulte / and there this John̄ made a garyson.