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.

¶ The yuell dedes that these comēs of Englande dyde to the kynges offy¦cers / and howe they sent a knight to speke with the king. Ca. C C C lxxxii. (Book 382)

THe monday before the feest of Corpus Christy. the yere of our lorde god a thou¦sande thre hundred .lxxxvii. these people yssued oute of their houses / to come to Lō∣don to speke with the kynge to be made fre / for they wolde haue had no bōde man in Englande. and so first they cāe to saynt Thomas of Caunterbury. And there Johan Balle had thought to haue founde the bysshop of Canterbury / but he was at London with the kyng. Whan Wat Tyler and Jacke Strawe entred in to Canterbury / all the comon people made great feest / for all the towne was of their assent. And there they toke counsayle to go to London to the kyng / and to sende some of their cōpany ouer the ryuer of Thames / in to Essexe in to Sussexe / and in to the counties of Staf∣forde and Bedford / to speke to the people / that they shulde all come to the farder syde of Lon∣don / and therby to close London rounde about so that the kynge shulde nat stoppe their passa∣ges / and that they shulde all mete toguyder on Corpus christy day. They that were at Caun∣terbury entred into saynt Thom̄s churche and dyde there moche hurte / and robbed and brake vp the bysshoppes chambre. And in robbynge and bearing out their pyllage they sayd. A this chaūceller of Englande / hath had a good mar∣ket to gette toguyder all this richesse. He shall gyue vs nowe accompte of the reuenues of En¦glande / and of the great profytes that he hath gathered sythe the kynges coronacyon. Whan they had thys monday thus broken the abbey of saynt Uyncent / they de{per}ted in the mornyng and all the people of Canterbury with them: & so toke the way to Rochester / & sende their peo∣ple to the vyllages about. And in their goynge they beate downe and robbed houses of aduo∣cates / and procurers of the kynges courte / and of the archebysshoppe / and had mercy of none. And whan they were come to Rochester / they had there good chere / for the people of y^e towne taryed for them / for they were of the same sec••e. and than they went to the castell ther / and toke the knyght that had the rule therof / he was cal∣led sir Johan Moton: and they sayde to hym. Sir / it behoueth you to go with vs / & you shall be our souerayne capitayne / and to do that we wyll haue you. The knight excused hymselfe honestly / and shewed them dyuers consydera∣cions & excuses / but all auayled hym nothyng / for they sayde vnto hym. Sir Johan / if ye do nat as we wyll haue you / ye are but deed. The knyght seyng these people in that fury / and re∣dye to slee hym. He than douted dethe & agreed to thē / and so they toke hym with them agaynst his inwarde wyll. And in lykewise dyd they of other countreis in Englande / as Essexe / Sus∣sexe / Stafforde / Bedforde / & Warwyke / euyn to Lyncolne. For they brought the knight{is} and gentylmen into suche obeysance / that they can∣sed

them to go with them wheder they wolde or nat / as the lorde Molayne a great barone / sir Stephyne of Hales / and sir Thomas of Guy∣sighen and other.

NOwe beholde the great fortune. If they might haue come to their ententes / they wolde haue distroyed all the noble men of En∣glande. And therafter all other nacyons wolde haue folowed the same / and haue taken fote and ensample by them / and by them of Gaunte and Flaunders / who rebelled agaynst their lorde. The same yere / the parisyens rebelled in lyke∣wyse / and founde out the mallettes of yron / of whom ther were mo than .xx. thousande / as ye shall herafter in this hystorie: but first we wyll speke of them of Englande.

WHan these people thus lodged at Rochester de{per}ted and passed y^• ry¦uer and came to Brāforde / alway kepynge styll their opynions / bea¦tyng downe before thē / and all a∣bout / the places and houses of aduocates & pro¦curers / and strikyng of the heedes of dyuers {per}¦sons. and so long they went forwarde / tyll they came within a foure myle of London / and ther lodged on a hyll / called Blacheth: and as they went they sayd euer / they were the kynges men and the noble comons of Englande. and whan they of London knewe / that they were come so nere to them. The mayre (as ye haue herde be∣fore) closed the gates / and kept straitely all the passages. This order caused the mayre / who was called Nicholas Walworthe: and dyuers other riche burgesses of the cyte / who were nat of their sect. But ther were in London of their vnhappy opinyons / mo than .xxx. thousande. Than these people thus beyng lodged on Blac¦heth / determyned to sende their knight to speke with the kyng. And to shewe hym howe all that they haue done or wyll do / is for hym & his ho∣nour. And howe the realme of Englande hath nat ben well gouerned a greet space / for the ho∣noure of the realme / nor for the comon profyte / by his vncles and by the clergy. And specially by the archebysshop of Caunterbury his chaū∣celler / wherof they wolde haue accompt. This knight durst do none otherwise / but so came by the ryuer of Thames to the towre. The kynge and they that were with hym in the towre / desy∣rynge to here tidynges / seyng this knyght co∣myng / made him way and was brought before the kynge in to a chambre. And with the kynge was the princesse his mother and his two bre∣therne / therle of Kent and the lorde John̄ Hol∣land / the erle of Salisburye / the erle of War∣wyke / the erle of Oxenforthe / the archebysshop of Caunterbury / the lorde of saynt Johans / {ser} Robert of Namure / y^• lorde of Uertaigne / the lorde of Gomegynes / sir Henry of Sauselles / the mayre of London / and dyuers other nota∣ble burgesses. This knight sir Johan Moton who was well knowen amonge thē / for he was one of the kynges offycers. He kneled downe before the kynge and sayd. My right redouted lorde / lette it nat displease your grace / the mes∣sage that I must nedes shewe you. For dere sir it is byforce and agaynst my wyll. Sir John̄ sayd the kyng / say what ye wyll I holde you ex¦cused. Sir / the commons of this your realme hath sente me to you / to desyre you to come and speke with them on Blacheth / for they desyre to haue none but you. And sir / ye nede nat to haue any dout of your persone / for they wyll do you no hurte / for they holde and wyll holde you for their kynge. But sir / they say they wyll shewe you dyuers thynges / the whiche shall be ryght necessarie for you to take hede of / whanne they speke with you. Of the whiche thynges sir / I haue no charge to shewe you. But sir / & it may please you to gyue me an answer suche as may apease thē / and that they may knowe for trouth that I haue spoken with you / for they haue my chyldren in hostage / tyll I retourne agayne to theym. And without I retourne agayne / they wyll slee my chyldren incontynent. Thasie the kyng made hym an answere and sayd. Sir / ye shall haue an answere shortely. Than the kyng toke counsayle what was best for hym to do. & it was anone determyned / y^t the next mornyng the kynge shulde go downe the ryuer by water and without fayle to speke with thē. And whan sir Johan Moton herde that answere / he desy¦red nothynge els. And so toke his leaue of the kyng and of the lordes / and retourned agayne in to his vessell and passed the Thames & went to Blackeheth / where he had left mo than thre∣score thousande men. and ther he answered thē that the next mornynge they shulde sende some of their counsayle to the Thames / and ther the kyng wolde come and speke with them. This answere greatlye pleased theym / and so passed that night as well as they might. And y^• fourthe part of them fasted for lacke of vitayle / for they had none. Wherwith they were sore dis∣pleased / whiche was good reason.

ALl this season therle of Buckyng∣hame was in Wales / for there he had fayre herytages by reason of his wyfe / who was doughter to y^• erle of Northūberlande and Her∣forde / but the voyce was all through London / howe he was amonge these people. And some sayd certaynlye / howe they had sene hym there amonge them. And all was / bycause there was one Thomas in their companye / a man of the countie of Cambridge / that was very lyke the erle. Also the lordes that lay at Plummouth to go in to Portyngale / were well infourmed of this rebellyon / and of the people that thus be∣gan to ryse. Wherfore they douted lest their vy∣age shulde haue bene broken / or els they feared lest the comons about Hampton / Wynchestre / and Arūdell / wolde haue come on them. Wher∣fore they wayed vp their ancres and yssued out of the hauyn with great payne / for the wynde was sore agaynst them / and so toke thesee / and there cast ancre abyding for the wynde. and the duke of Lancastre / who was in the marches of Scotlande / bytwene Morlane and Roseburg entreatyng with the scottes / where it was she∣wed hym of the rebellyon / Wherof he was in doute. For he knewe well he was but lytell be∣loued with the comens of Englande. Howe be it for all those tidynges / yet he dyde sagely de∣means hym selfe / as touchynge the treatie with the scottes. The erle Duglas / therle of Moret / the erle of Surlant / and therle Thomas Uer say: and the scotes that were there for the trea∣tie. knewe right well y^• rebelly on in Englande howe the comen people in euery parte began to rebell agaynst the noble men. wherfore the scot¦tes thought that Englande was in great daun¦ger to be lost. and therfore in their treaties they were the more styffer agayne the duke of Lan∣castre and his counsayle. ¶ Nowe lette vs speke of the commons of Englande / and howe they perceyuered.