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 they of Iper and Courtray turned to the erle of Flaunders parte / and howe the towne of Gaunte was besieged. Cap. CCC .lxxvi. (Book 376)

NOwe let vs speke of the erle of Flaūders and of his cōpany. Whan they had thus by theyr bushement o∣uerthrowen the gaūtoyse & slayne a .iii. M. of them or there aboute / what of them of Gaūte and of Iper. Than the erle determy∣ned to drawe towarde the towne of Iper / and to laye siege therto. And as he was counsayled so it was done / and he drewe thither with all his people / a great nōbre of knyghtes and squyers of Flaūders / of Heynault / and of Artoys / who were come thyther to serue the erle. And whan they of Iper vnderstode that the erle came on them so strōgely / they were all sore afrayed / and the ryche men of the towne toke counsayle / and sayd amonge them selfe / howe they wolde open theyr gates / and go and mete the erle / and put them selfe vnder his obeysaunce / and crye hym mercy. and to shewe hym howe they were gaū∣toyse by force / by reason of the comontie / as ful∣lers / weauers / and suche other vnhappy people in the towne. And they thought that the Erle was so pytefull / that he wolde haue mercy on them. And as they ordeyned / so they dyd. And so mo than .iii. C. in a company came out of the towne of Iper / and had the keyes of the gates with them / & so they fell downe on theyr knees before the Erle cryenge for mercy / and dyd put them selfe and theyr towne at his pleasur. The

erle had pité on them and toke them to mercy / & so entred with all his puyssaūce in to the towne of Iper and there taried a .iii. wekes / and sent home agayne them of Frāke & of Bruges. And while therle lay in Iper he caused to be beheed∣ded mo than .vii. C. of fullers & weauers and of suche maner of people as had brought fyrst into that towne John̄ Leon and the gauntoyse / and slayne suche valyaunt men as the erle had sette ther. For the whiche cause the erle was sore dis¦pleased / and to thentēt y^t they shuld no more re∣bell / he sent a .iii. C. of y^e most notablest of them into prison in Bruges. and so thā toke his way to Courtray to brynge that towne to his obey∣saūce. Whan they of Courtray vnderstode that therle theyr lorde came to them so strōgely / and howe that Iper was vnder his obeysaūce / than they greatly doubted / for they sawe no comfort apparent fro them of Graunte. Wherfore they were aduised lyghty to yeld them to theyr lord / thynkynge it was better for them to hold with therle / to whom they ought to owe theyr fayth & homage / rather than to the gauntoyse. Than they ordeyned a .iii. C. of the best of the towne a foote to go into y^e feldes to therle / and the keyes of the towne with them. And whan therle came by / they all kneled downe and cryed for mercy. The erle had pitie of them / and receyued them to mercy / and entred into the towne ioyously / and they al made to hym reuerence and honor. Than he toke a .ii. C. of the best of the towne of Courtray / and sent them to Lisle & to Daway in hostage / to then tent that that towne shuld no more rebelle. And whan the erle had ben there a .vi. dayes. than he went to Bruges / and there refresshed hym a .xv. dayes. Than he made a great somons / to thentēt to lay siege to Gaūte. For all the residue of Flaūders was as than at his commandement. Than the erle departed fro Bruges / and so came and layd siege before Gaūte / and lodged at a place called the Briet. Thither came to the erle {ser} Robert of Namure to serue the erle with a certayne nombre of men of warre / accordynge as the erle had wryttē vn¦to hym. But syr William of Namure was nat there / he was in Fraunce with the kynge / and with the duke of Borgoyn. This siege began about the feast of the decollacion of saynt John̄ Baptist. And {ser} water Danhien was marshall of all the oost of Flaūders. He was yonge and hardy / and feared no payne nor perill / whatso∣euer fell. For all that the erle lay thus before the towne of Gaūte / yet he coude nat so constrayne them of the towne / but that they kept styll open iii. or .iiii. of theyr gates. so y^t vitayles myght come in to them without any dasiger. For they of Brussels and of Brabant were right fauou∣rable to them. And also they of Liege / to cōforte them in theyr opinion / sent to them a message / sayenge thus, ye good people of Gaunte / we of Liege knowe well / howe ye be soretrauayled / and haue moche a do with the erle your lorde / wherof we are sore displeased. But syrs knowe for treuth if we dyd marche nere you / as within iiii. or .v. leages / we shulde gyue you suche com¦forte as men ought to do to theyr good neygh∣bours and frēdes. but ye be farre of fro vs. and also the countrey of Brabant is betwene you & vs. wherfore we must forbeare. But thought it be so that ye be as nowe besieged / yet be nat dis∣comforted. For god knoweth / and so doth all o∣ther good townes / that ye be ī the ryght of this warre. Wherfore all your busynes shall acheue the better. Thus they of Liege sent to them of Gaunte to comforte them.

THerle of Flaūders / who had thus besie∣ged the towne of Gaūte on the syde to∣wardes Bruges / and towarde Courtray: but as toward Brussels therle coude nat come / nor lay his siege / bicause of the great riuers / that is to say the ryuer of Lyse / and y^e ryuer of lescault. And I saye vnto you / all thynges consydered / Gaūte is one of the most strongest townes of y^t worlde. For it behoueth mo thā .ii. C. M. men to besiege it rounde / and to stoppe fro it all the ryuers and passages / and also that the ostis lye nere together / for els they coude nat cōforte one another / bicause of the riuers. And also ther is moche people in the towne of Gaūte / they were in those dayes / men of defence / a .iiii. score. M. mēable to beare harneis / bitwene .lx. yere & .xv.

¶ And whan therle had layen at this siege the space of a moneth / & that his men / and the Haze his sone / & his marshall had made many askry∣mysshe with them of Gaūt / and some day wōne and some day loste / as the aduentures of warre falleth. Than therle was coūsayled on a day to sende them of Bruges / of Iper / and of Pour∣prynge to skrymysshe with the gauntoyse / at a place called y^e longe brydge / for it was thought y^t if they myght wynne that place / it shuld be a great aduaūtage and profitte for them / for thā they shulde entre into the .iiii. craftes / and ther∣by aproche nere to Gaūte. And so there was or∣deyned syr Josse Ualuin to be chief capitayne of that enterprise. And so whan they were come to this passage / they foūde it nat disgarnisshed but well prouyded for / with a great nombre of

men of Gaūte. There was Peterdu voyse / Pe¦ter de Nuytee / and Rase de harzelles. There be¦ganne a sore skrymysshe / there was shotyng of gonnes and crosbowes on both parties / wher∣by dyuers were slayne and woūded. And right well the gauntoyse dyd acquyte them selfe / for they reculed theyr enemies / and wanne by force the goldsmythes baner of Bruges / and there it was cast downe in to the water. And ther were of the goldesmythes and other a great nombre slayne and hurte / and specially {ser} Josse Ualuin was thereslayne / Whiche was great vomage. And so the other returned agayne without do∣ynge any more. So the gauntoyse bare them selfe valiauntly.