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 erle of Sauoye / caused this enchaūters heed to bestryken of. And howe the Chanone Robersarde and his company toke dyuers castels in Spayne. Cap. CCC. xCii. (Book 392)

WHan the erle of Sauoy was come in to y^e tent of the duke of Aniowe / the maister enchauntour was as thanne departed. Than y^e duke she∣wed hym all y^e wordes of the maister / and what he offred. the erle bethought him a litle / and than sayd. sir sende hym to my lodgyng / and I shall examyn hym sir / I knowe well / it is the same enchaun¦tour / by whome the quene of Napoles and sir Othes of Bresuych were taken / sir the castell of Leufe. for he caused by his craft / the see to seme so high / that they within the castell feared / that the see shulde haue ouer flowen y^• castell. wher∣of they were soo abasshed / that they went all to haue dyed. Sir / a man ought nat to haue any great trust in suche people. sir / ye may se the vn¦happynes of them of this coūtrey and their na∣ture. All onely nowe to please you / and to haue profite by you. This enchaūtour wolde nowe betray theym / to whome ones he delyuered the quene of Napoles and her husband / the which was to sir Charles de la Payx. Than the duke sayd. sir / I shall sende him to you / than the lor∣des fell to other maters. and than y^e erle of Sa∣uoy returned to his lodgynge / and the next day the enchauntour came to the duke / and saluted hym. Assone as the duke sawe hym / he sayd to one of his seruauntes. Go and bring this mai∣ster to the erle of Sauoy. The squier came to the mayster / & sayd. sir / my lorde the duke / wyll that ye go & speke with the erle of Sauoy. and he sayd. sir / I am cōtent. than y^e squier brought hym to the erles tente / and sayd. sir: here is the maister / that my lorde y^e duke hath sent to you. whan the erle sawe hym / he had great ioy / and sayd. mayster / is it of trouth{is} that ye wyll cause vs too haue the castell of Leufe / so good chepe as ye say. sir quod the enchaūtour / that shall I do. for sir / by the same meanes: I caused before this / he y^• hath it nowe / sir Charles de la Payx to wyn it. And the quene of Napoles and her doughter / and sir Robert of Arthoyse her hus∣bande / and {ser} Othes of bresuich. And sir / I am the man of the world / y^e sir Charles dela Payx reputeth moost / and is in most feare of. By my faythe {quod} the erle of Sauoy / ye say well. and I wyll that sir Charles de la Payx / shall knowe that he hath great wronge to feare you. But I shall assure him of you / for ye shall neuer do en¦chauntmēt to disceyue him / nor yet none other. I wolde nat that in tyme to come / we shulde be reproched / that in so highe an enterprise / as we be in / wherin there be so many noble knightes and squyers assembled. that we shulde do any¦thyng by enchaūtment / nor that we shuld wyn our enemyes by suche craft. Than he called to him a seruaūt / and sayd. go & get a hangman / and let hym stryke of this maisters heed / with∣out delay. and as sone as the erle had cōmaun∣ded it / incōtinent it was done. for his heed was stryken of before y^e erles tent. Thus ended this maister enchaūtour / and so was payed his wa∣ges / acordyng to his desertes. ¶ Nowe wyll we leue to speke of the duke of Aniou / and of his vyage. and speke of the besynes of Por∣tyngale / and shewe howe the englisshmen and gascoyns parceueryd.

Whan it came to the beginnyng of y^e moneth of Aprill / the knightes y^t were in garyson in the towne of Uesious / and had lyen ther a long sea¦son & nat ryden forth / but whā they were before Syghiere. So than they toke aduyse among thē selfe to ryde forthe / and they had great mar∣ueyle / what y^e kyng of Portyngale & the erle of Cambridge thought. In y^e they had bene a ten monethes in the coūtrey of Portyngale / & had ryden forthe but one tyme / whiche was to thē a great shame. Thā they determyned to sende to the erle of Cambridge to shewe him their myn∣des. & so the Souldych of Lestrad was sent to him / and so he cāe to Estremouse / where as the erle lay / & sayd to hym. sir: all our cōpany hath sent me hyder to you / to knowe your pleasure / what ye wyll do. for they haue great marueyle for what cause ye haue brought them in to this coūtrey / and lye so longe styll / the whiche is to thē a great displeasur. sir they desyre to knowe your pleasure / what ye wyll do / for they wolde fayne be doynge of somewhat. Sir {quod} the erle / ye knowe well / whan I de{per}ted out of Englāde My lorde my brother / the duke of Lancastre / promysed me by his faythe / that as soone as he were returned out of Scotlande / that he wold come hyder / with a certayne nombre of men of warre / as a thre thousande & as many archers. for I was sent hyder in this state y^• I ame in. for none other entent / but to aduyse the coūtrey and I ame sure / shortely we shall here some ty∣dynges. for I haue great marueyle that he ta∣ryeth so long. recōmende me to all your cōpany and shewe thē as I haue shewed you: howbeit I may nat nor wyll nat let them to ryde forthe / if they haue sore affection therto. but ye knowe well / the kynge of Portyngale payeth all our wages / therfore it must be ordred by hym. By

my fayth sir {quod} the souldich / he payeth but yuell and that all the hole company complayneth of. he oweth vs as yet wages for .vi. monethes. he wyll pay you right well {quod} the erle / money shall come right well at poynt. Thus departed the Souldiche fro y^• erle / and returned to his com¦pany / and shewed thē / as ye haue harde. Sirs {quod} the Chanone Robersard. for all this I wyll nat lye styll. I se well he dothe but dissēble with vs / he wolde nat that we shulde ryde forthe / to thentent we shulde haue no cause to demaunde our money. but I am of y^• opynion to ride forth and so they all determyned the same / and ther∣vpon made euery thynge redy / and apoynted the euenyng / whan they wolde ryde forthe the next mornyng. Than there cāe to thē / sir John̄ Ferand / a knight of y^e kyng of portīgales / who had ben infourmed howe they wold ryde forth / and so he brought letters to y^e Chanone Rober¦sarde whiche he red: and founde therin / howe the kynge of Portyngale defended hym in any wyse to ryde forthe: Sayeng further / howe he knewe well y^t the styrring of any rydyng forthe to do any enterprise / was by his procurynge. Of these tydyng{is} was y^e Chanone Robersard sore displeased / and sayde to the knyght. sir: I se well / the kynge wyll nat in any wyse / that I shulde ryde forth. Take it so y^t I a byde styll in my lodgynge / thynke you y^t these other knygh∣tes / who are better / and more valyaunt than I am▪ that they wyll leaue for all that their enter∣prise? I ensure you nay. and that ye shall▪ se to¦morowe / for they are all determyned to ryde. sir quod y^e knyght / than cōmaunde ye them in the kynges name to a byde styll: and nat to styrre. by my faythe {quod} the Chanone / that wyll I nat do. but sir / cōmaunde ye thē syth ye come fro the kyng. So thus the mater rested all that nyght and in the morning they sowned their trūpets. Than knyghtes and squiers armed them / and mounted on their horses / & so came to the Cha∣none Robersardes lodging / who dyd nat arme himselfe. And there these knyghtes / and squi∣ers rested. and the Chanone Robersarde came to a wyndowe / and spake to them / and shewed them / howe the kyng wolde nat that he shulde ryde forthe / nor none with hym. By my faythe quod they: than wyll we / seynge we beso fore∣warde / and so we counsayle you to do. it shalbe no reproche to vs / and we ryde forth: though ye abyde behynde. So the Chanone Robersard sawe well there was none other boote for hym / but to arme him / and to ryde forthe with them / and so he dyd / and so dyd y^• knyght of Portyn∣gale / sir John̄ Ferande. wherfore after he was in sore displeasure with the kynge / and lyke to haue dyed there fore. So thus at the desyre of these companyons they armed thē / and issued out of the towne of Uesyouse / and entred in to the feldes. They were to y^e nombre of four .C. speares / & as many archeres. & toke the way to Geuyll / and came to a towne called the Bane.

So longe they rode forthe that they came to the towne of Bane / and ther lyghted a fote. on that parte / that they thought moost prignable. and ther they set thē selfe in array redy to gyue assaute / and so entred in to y^e dykes which were drie / without any water / and so came to the wal¦les / and mad a ferse assaut / and myned & vnder hewed the walles. The same tyme in the towne of Bane / there were noo men of warre / but the men of the towne yuell armed. Howe beit they were at their defence / and dyd cast dartes and stones aswell as they might. but at lenght they coulde nat endure / but to be taken. Than they begā to treat / and so fynally they yelded vp the towne / their goodes & lyues saued. sayng howe fro thens forthe / they wolde be vnder the obey∣sance of the kynge of Portyngale. and so thus they were receyued / and all y^e men of warre en∣tred in to the towne / and well refresshed them sel••e. Than they wēt and regarded the castell & sawe well howe it was prignable. and so y^t eue¦nyng some of the hoost / & they of the castell dyd skrymysshe. and in the mornyng they made as∣saut / and they within defended themselfe. With in the castell there was capitayne / a gentleman of the countrey. Howbeit he was no very good man of warre / as it well apered. & he was cal∣led Peter Jagouse / for as sone as he sawe y^t he was assayled / with so many good men of warr̄ he was afrayd / and fell in treaty / and so yelded him selfe and y^e castell / his lyfe saued. and suche as were within with him. and so it was taken & newe refresshed / with men of armes & archers. than they departed & came to a nother castell / a vii. myle thens / called Courtise. Than they set them selfe in ordre to gyue assaut / & so they dyd right fersly / they y^t were within defended them selfe ryght valyauntly / to their powers. And so at this assaut / the capitayne was slayne within the castell / called Radulphes / a right subtle and an expert man of armes / he was slayne with an arrowe / for he aduētured him selfe to far at the defēce. After that he was deed / the other coulde nat longe endure. and so the castell was taken / and they within moste parte slayne. Thus the

Chauone Robersarde & his company / had the castell of Courtyse / the whiche was newe forti¦fyed / & repeopled agayne. and thau they depa••¦ted aprochyng to the cyte of Ceuyll the great.