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 harde aunswere / that the erle of Flaunders made to thē of Gaunt. And of the nombre of men of armes that were than at Parys in Fraunce. Cap. CCC. xCvii. (Book 397)

FOr all the somons that therle of Flaunders made. yet the duches of Brabant / and the duke Aulbert / and the bysshope of Liege / tra∣ueyled so moch with therle / that a day was let that their coūsayle shulde mete / to treat for a peace / in the cytie of Tourney. Though the erle were lothe therto. yet at the desyre of these lord{is} / he a greed to haue a counsayle for that mater in the cyte of Tourney / y^e weke after Ester. The yere of our lorde a thousande thre. C .lxxx. and two / and to be there hymselfe. At this day assigned / thyder came the bysshoppe of Lyege / and of the good townes to the nombre of .xii. and sir Lambert of Perney a rightsage knight. Also the duches of Brabant / sent thyder y^e moost notablest per∣sones of her coūsayle / & certayne of euery good towne. Also duke Albert sent thyder out of the countie of Haynalte his counsayle / as sir Sy∣mon de la Layne his baylife and dyuers other. All these came to Tourney in Ester weke / and they of Gaunt sent thyder .xii. notable persons / wherof Phylippe Dartuell was chyfe. and all they of Gaunt were a greed / whatsoeuer ende these. ••ii. made / so that none of them shulde suf∣fer dethe. If it pleased y^e erle / they were content to be banyssehd Gaunt / and the coūtie of Flaū∣ders foreuer. & so here vpon they were conclu∣ded. and Philippe Dartuell had so moch pytie of the comon people / that for all the dyspleasure that he had done to the erle. yet he was content to put hym selfe into the Erles mercy. And so whan he departed fro Gaūt to go to Tourney / men / women / and chyldren fell downe on their knees before him: holdyng vp their handes. de syring hym / what soeuer myschefe they endu∣red / that he wolde bring them peace. of the whi¦che crye he had such pytie / that he was determy¦ned to do as it is shewed before.

WHan they of Liege / of Heynalt / and of Brabant / hadde ben in Tourney the space of thre dayes / after y^e day apoyn¦ted was past. And sawe that the erle came nat / nor was nat comyng / they had great marueyle and than toke counsayle togyder / and determy¦ned to sende to Brusels to him: and so they dyd. and they sent to him {ser} Lambert of Perney / and of Brabant y^e lorde of Compelant / and of Hay∣nalt sir Willyam of Herman / and sixe burges∣ses of the thre countreyes. And whan the erle sawe these thre knight{is} he made thē great chere: as it was reason. and whan he knew their mes∣sage / he aunswered them: howe it was nat his ease to come to Tourney as at that tyme / howe beit he sayde bycause they were come / and tra∣ueyled to haue hym to Tournay / and for y^e ho∣noure of suche as were come thyder / and at the instance of my lady of Brabant his suster / and of duke Aulbert his cosyn / and the bysshoppe of Liege. he sayd: he was content to sende haste∣ly to Tourney a fynall answere / by some of his coūsayle. These thre knyghtes coude haue non other aunswere of him: as at that tyme. and so they retourned agayne to Tournay / & shewed howe the erle answered them. And a sixe dayes after there came to Tourney from the erle / the lorde of Rasels / and the lorde of Gountris / and sir Johan Wylliam / and the prouost of Harle∣quebec. and they excuse therle / bycause he came nat. and than they declared the erles full entent as touchyng y^e peace / sayng howe they of Gaūt can haue no peace with the erle / without y^• they wyll generally / all maner of men in Gaūt of the ages bytwen .xv. and .lx. come out of the towne of Gaūt in theirshyrtes / bare heeded with hal∣ters about their neckes / and so mete the erle by∣twene Bruges and Gaunt. and the erle to doo with them his pleasure / outher to let thē lyue or to put them all to dethe at his pleasure. Whan this aunswere was made / & the relacyon therof

declared to them of Gaunt / by the counsayls of these thre coūtreis. Than they were more abas∣shed than euer they were before. Than the bay∣lyfe of Heynalte sayd / to them. Sirs: ye be in great parell / euery mā take hede to himselfe. I thynke if ye take this way / and put yourselfe at his wyll. he wyll nat put all to dethe / that he se∣yth in his presens. paraduenture some he wyll / as such as hath displeased hym more thā other. I thynke he shall haue suche meanes of pytie / that paraduenture suche as weneth them selfe to be moost in parell / may hap to come to par∣don and mercy. therfore sirs / I wolde coūsayle you take this offre: and refuse it nat. for if ye do I thynk it wyll be longe / or ye recouer agayne suche a nother offre. Sir quod Phylip Dart∣well we haue no such charge to go so far / as to bryng the good people of Gaunt in to y^• poynt. for I ensure you / they wyll nat so do. For sir: whan we be come agayne to Gaunt / and haue shewed them therles pleasur. knowe for trouth they wyll nat do it. If they wyll / I ensure you / they shall nat be let for vs. sir we thanke you for the traueyle and good dyligence / that ye haue ho••d in this mater. And so than they of Gaunt toke the•• leaue of y^• coūsayls of these thre coū∣treis / and made well semblant that they wolde in no wyse agre to this purpose. and so depar∣ted and returned to Gaunt / through Brabant.

SO thus brake vp this coūsayle at Tour nay / and euery man went home. Than therle of Flaunders demaūded what aunswer they of Gaunt made / and it was shewed hym. The erle as than sette lytell prise by them / for he knewe well / they hadd endured and suffred so moche / that they coulde nere suffre no longar. wherfore he thought he shulde haue shortely an honorable ende of the warre. & to bring Gaunt in to that poynt / y^• all other townes shulde take ensample by it. ¶ The same season y^• comons of Parys began agayne to murmure / bycause the kynge came nat thyder. and they feared lest the king wolde haue come sodenly on thē / with a certayn men of warr / and ouerryn the cytie. and to haue put to dethe whome he hadde lyst. And for dought of that parell / they made great watche euery nyght / in the stretes and market places / and reysed vp their cheynes: y^• no man shulde ryde nor entre in among them. and if a∣ny persone were founde abrode after .ix. of the clocke / without he were well knowen amonge them / he was but deed. So they were in Pa∣rys ryche men and other men of armes / to the nombre of .xxx. thousande / as well harnessed at all peces / as any knyght ought to be. And also they had seruauntes right well harnessed / bea∣rynge great malettes of yron and stele / to con∣founde helmes. And whan they were nombred and viewed / they thought thēselfe able to fight with the greatest prince in all the world. These people were called the rowtes and malettes of Parys.