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.

¶ Of the order of the batayle of the gauntoise / and howe they discōfited the erle and them of Bruges / and by what meanes. Cap. CCCxCix. (Book 399)

ANd whā it came to the saturday in y^e mornyng / the weder was fayre and clere & a holyday called in Bruges for that day of custome they made processyōs. Than ty∣dinges cāe to them / howe y^e gauntoyse were cōe thyder. And than ye shulde haue sene gret murmuring{is} in Bruges / so that at last / worde therof cāe to therle and to his cō∣pany. Wherof the erle had great marueyle / and sayde. Beholde yonder vngracyous people of Gaunt. I trowe the deuyll hath brought them to their distruction. Nowe is the tyme come to haue an ende of this warre. And so thanne his knightes and squyers came to hym / and he re∣ceyued them graciously. and sayd to them. We shall go and fyght with yonder vnhappy peo∣ple of Gaunte. yet quod the Erle / they had ra∣ther dye by the swerde / than by famyne. Than the erle was counsayled to sende thre men of ar¦mes in to the felde / to se the demeanoure of his enemyes. And so than the marshall of Flaun∣ders apoynted out thre squyers / valyaunt men of armes / to go and se the behauyng of the gaū¦toyse. ¶ As Lambert of Lambres / Damas of Buffey / and Johan of Beart. And so they thre departed fro Bruges / and rode towarde their ennemyes. And in the meane tyme / whyle these thre went forthe: they of Bruges made them re¦dy to yssue out / to go and fyght with the gaun∣toyse. Of whom I shall shewe / sōwhat of their order.

THis saturday in the mornynge. Phyl∣lyppe Dartuell ordayned and cōmaun¦ded / that euery man shulde make hym redy to god. And caused masses to be songe in dyuers places / by certayne freers that were with him. And so euery man cōfessed hym / and prayed to god for grace & mercy. And ther were certayne sermōs made / enduryng an hour and an halfe. And there it was shewedde to people / by these freers and clerkes / figurynge them to the peo∣ple of Israell / whome kynge Pharaon kepte long in seruytude. And howe after / by y^e grace of god they were delyuered / and ledde in to the lande of Behest / by Moyses and Aaron. And kyng Pharaon and the Egypciens slayne and taken. In lykewise quod these freers / ye good people. ye be kept inseruytude / by youre lorde the erle of Flaunders / and by your neighbours of Bruges. Before whome nowe ye becōe / and shall be fought with / by all lykelyhode. for your enemyes haue great wyll to fight with you / for they feare lytell your puyssaūce. But sirs / take no hede to that. For god / who knoweth and se∣ythe all thynge / shall haue mercy on you. Nor thynke nothynge / of that ye haue lefte behynde you. For ye may well knowe / it is without re∣coueraunce / if ye be disconfyted. Therfore sell your lyues valyantly: and dye if there be none other remedy honorably. And be nat dismayed thoughe great puyssaunce of people yssue oute of Bruges agaynst you. For vyctorie lyeth nat in puyssaunce of people: But it is all onely in god. And by his grace / it hath ben often tymes sene / as well by the Macabeus / as by the Rho∣mayns. That a small people of good wyll / tru∣stynge in the grace of god / hathe disconfyted a¦great nombre of people. And sirs / in this qua∣rell ye haue good right and a Juste cause. And therfore by many reasons / ye ought to be har∣dy / and of good cōfort. Thus with suche word{is} and other / these freers preched to y^e people that mornynge: wherwith they were well content. And thre partes of the hoost were houseled / she wynge theym selfe to haue great trust in God. And after these masses songe / than they assem∣bled toguyder on a lytell hyll. And there Phy∣lyppe Dartuell by great sentence / shewed them fro poynt to poynt / the ryght that they thought

〈◊〉〈◊〉 had in their quarell. And howe that often ••mes the towne of Gaunt had requyred their ••ode〈…〉〈…〉 Erle / to haue mercy on them. but they coulde neuer come to no poynt with hym / But to the great confusyon and domage of y^• towne of Gaunt: and to the enhabytaūtes therof. Also sayeng / howe they were than come so farforthe that to recule agayne they coude nat. And also / than to retourne (all thynges consydered) they coude wynne nothynge therby. For they hadde lefte nothynge behynde them / but pouertie and heuynesse. And moreouer he sayd. sirs / thynke nother of your wyues nor chyldren / but thynke of your honour. Thus suche fayre word{is} Phi∣lyppe Dartuell shewed among thē / for he was well langaged / and coude speke rightwell / and well it became hym: and finally he sayd. Now fayre lordes. Lette vs truely and equaly de{per}te oure vitayle eche to other lyke bretherne / w^tout any maner of outrage. for whan this is spende it must behoue vs to seke for newe / if we thinkē to lyue. And so than right humbly / the chayres were discharged and the bred was deuyded by the constables▪ and the two tonnes of wyne / the bottomes were set vpwarde. And so there they dyned with the bredde and with the wyne / and were contente with their small repaste / for that tyme. And felt them selfe better disposed / bothe in courage and in their membres / than̄e & they had eaten more meare. And whan̄e this dyner was past / than they set them selfe in order / and drewe them selfe within their rybaudeur. The whiche were hyghe stakes / bounde with yrone and sharpe poynted / whiche they vsed euer to beare with them in their warre. And so they set them before their batayle / and closed them selfe within them. And in this estate / the thre squy∣ers that were sende fro therle / to se their demea nynge founde them. For they aproched so nere / that they might well auiewe them / for they cāe iuste to their stakes. But the gauntoyse neuer styred for all theym / but lette them alone. And made semblaunt / that they were right ioyefull of their comynge.

THan these currours rode to Bruges to therle / and founde hym in his lodgyng / with a great nombre of knightes and squyers with hym. So they came through the preace to the erle / and they spake out a loude / bycause the Erle wolde they shulde be herde. And so there they shewed / howe they hadd rydden so nere to the gauntoyse / that they myght haue shotte at them / if they had lyst. But they suffred them to passe peasably. And also they shewed / how they had sene their baners. Than the erle demaun∣ded what nombre of people they were / by esty∣macyon. They answered / that surely: as farre as they coude disery / they past nat a fyue or sixe thousande. Than the erle sayd well. Let euery man appareyle hymselfe / I wyll go fight with them they shall nat de{per}te without batayle▪ and therwith the trumpettes dyde sowne throughe Bruges / and than euery man armed him. And assembled in the market place / and set thēselfe in order with their baners / as was the vsage. And before the Erles lodgynge assembled: lor∣des / knightes / and squyers. Whan euery thing was redy: than therle went to the market place and sawe there great nombre of people well or∣dred and araynged / wherof he reioysed. And so at his cōmaūdement / euery man drewe in bone order in to the feldes. It was great pleasure to beholde them. They were a .xl. thousande ar∣med men. And so / what a hors hacke and a fote: they came nere to the place where the gauntois were / and there they rested. And by that tyme that therle was come thyder / it was past noone and the sonne began to declyne. Than sōe sayd to the erle. sir / ye se yonder your enemyes / they be but a handefull of men / as to the regarde of your company. And sir / they can nat flye away We wolde counsayle you / nat to fight with thē this night. Let them alone tyll to morowe. and sir / therby ye shall se what they wyll do. They shall be febler than they be nowe / for they haue nothynge to eate. The erle acorded well to that counsayle / and wolde that it shulde so haue ben done. But they of Bruges were so hote & hasty to fight / that they wolde nat abyde. But sayd: set on them / they shall nat long endure. And so than they of Bruges began to shote gonnes at thē. And than they of Gaūt discharged at ones thre. C. gonnes at one shotte: and so tourned a bout the plasshe of water. and caused the son / to be in the eyen of thē of Bruges / the which gre∣ued them sore: and so entred in among thē and cryed Gaunt. And as soone as they of Bruges herde them crye Gaunt / and herde so many gō∣nes come in among them / and sawe howe they ser full front on them. Lyke fals herted people & of yuell courage / they gaue way to the gaūtois to entre in among them. And so without any de fence / they cast downe their weapens and tour ned their backes. Than y^• gaūtoyse seyng well howe their enemyes were disconfyted / kept thē selfe styll close toguyder / and beate downe on bothe sydes and before theym. And euer wente

forth cryeng Gaūt. sayeng also / folowe folowe our enemyes are discomfyted / and let vs entre in to Bruges with thē. God hath regarded vs this euenyng by his pytie. And as they sayd so they dyd / for they pursued thē of Bruges sharp lye. And as they ouer toke them they slewe thē / and taryed nat / but kept on styll their way / and euer they of Bruges fledde on before. There were many slayne & beaten downe / for among them of Bruges there was no defence. I trowe there was neuer so vnhappy people / nor more recreantly maynteyned them selfe. For all the great pride and bobance / that they were of be∣fore. Some wolde thynke and suppose by yma¦ginacyon / that there had ben some treason / the whiche was nat so. It was non other / but their symple defence / & yuell fortune that fell on thē.