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 towne of Bruges was taken by the gaūtoyse▪ and howe the erle of Flaunders saued hym selfe / in a poore womans house in the towne of Bruges. Cap. CCCC. (Book 400)

WHan the erle of Flaun∣ders / and the cōpany y^• was about him. sawe the yuell or der and rule of them of Bru¦ges. & sawe howe they were discōfyted by their owne fol∣lye / and coude se no recoue∣raunce / for they fledde awaye before the gaun∣toyse. Therle than was abasshed / and all they that were about him. And so discōfyted / y^• they fledde away / euery man to saue hymselfe. Of a trouthe / if they of Bruges wolde haue retour ned agayne / and assayled the gauntoyse with their helpe / they had bene lykely to haue recoue red all agayn. but they saw no remedy / for they fledde towarde Bruges as fast as they myght. the fader taryed nat for the sonne / nor the sonne for the fader. So than the men of armes and all brake their array / but they hadd no lyst to take the way to Bruges. the prease was so great in the way towarde Bruges / y^• it was maruayle tose and to here / the clamoure and crye of them that were slayne and hurt. And the gaūtoyse fo lowyng them of Bruges / cryeng Gaunt gaunt styll goynge forwarde / and beatyng downe of people. The moost parte of the men of armes / wolde nat put themselfe in that parell. Howbe¦it / therle was counsayled to drawe to Bruges / and to be one of y^• first that shulde entre. & than to close the gates / to thentent that the gauntoys shulde nat be lordes of Bruges. Therle seyng none other remedy / nor no recoueraūce / by aby¦dynge in the felde. For he sawe well euery man fledde / and also it was darke nyght. Wherfore he beleued the coūsayle that was gyuen hym / & so toke the way towarde Bruges / with his ba∣ner before him. And so came to the gate / and en¦tred with the first and a .xl. with him. Than he set men to kepe the gate / and to close it if y^• gaū¦toyse dyde folowe. Than the Erle rode to his owne lodgyng / and sende all about the towne / commaundyng euery man on payne of dethe / to drawe to the market place. Thentensyon of the erle / was to recouer the towne by that mea∣nes / but he dyde nat. as ye shall here after.

In the meane tyme that therle was at his lo∣gyng / & sende forthe the clerkes of euery warde fro strete to strete / to haue euery man to drawe to the market place / to recouer the towne. The gauntoise pursewed sofiersly their enemyes / y^• they entred in to the towne with them of Brug{is} And assone as they were within the towne / the first thyng they dyde / they went streyght to the market place / and there set them selfe in array. The erle as than had sende a knight of his / cal¦led sir Robert Marshall to the gate / to se what the gaūtoise dyde. And whan he cāe to the gate he founde the gate beaten downe / and the gaū∣toyse maisters therof. and some of them of Bru¦ges met with hym & sayd. sir Robert / retourne and saue your selfe if ye can / for y^• towne is won by them of Gaunt. Than the knight retourned to therle as fast as he might / who was comyng out of his lodgynge a hors backe / with a great nōbre of cressett{is} & lyghtes with hym / & was go yng to the market place. Than the knight she∣wed therle all that he knewe. howe beit the erle wyllyng to recouer the towne / drewe to y^• mar¦ket place. And as he was entryng / such as were before hym. seyng the place all raynged with y^• gauntoyse / sayd to therle. sir / retourne agayne / if ye go any farther / ye are but deed / or taken w^t your enemyes. For they are raynged on y^• mar¦ket place / and do abyde for you. They shewed hym trouthe. And whan the gaūtoyse sawe the clerenesse of the lyght{is} / comyng downe y^• strete they sayd. yonder cometh the erle / he shall come in to oure hādes. And Philyppe Dartuell had commaunded / fro strete to strete as he wente. That if the Erle came amonge theym / that no man shulde do to hym any bodely harme / but

take hym a lyue. and than to haue hym to gaūt and so to make their peace as they lyst. Therle who trusted to haue recouered all / came ryght nere to the place / where as the gauntoyse were. Than dyuers of his men sayd. Sir / go no far∣ther / for the gauntoyse are lordes of the market place and of the towne. If ye entre in to y^e mar∣ket place / ye are in daūger to be slayne or taken A great nombre of the gauntoyse / are goynge fro strete to strete / sekynge for their ennemyes. They haue certayne of them of the towne with them / to bringe them fro house to house / where as they wolde be. And sir / out at any of the ga∣tes ye can nat yssue / for the gauntoyse are lord therof. Nor to your owne lodgynge ye can nat retourne / for a great nombre of the gauntoyse are goyng thyder. and whan therle herde those tidynges / whiche were right harde to hym / as it was reason. He was greatly than abasshed. and ymagined what parell he was in. than̄e he beleued the counsayle / and wolde go no farther but to saue hym selfe if he myght: and so tooke his owne counsayle. He cōmaunded to put out all the lyghtes / and sayd to thē that were about hym. I se well there is no recouery. Let euery man departe / and saue hym selfe as well as he may. And as he cōmaunded it was done. The lyghtes were quenched and cast in to the stret{is} / and so euery man departed. Therle than went in to a backe lane / and made a varlette of his to vnarme hym / and dyd cast away his armure / & put on an olde cloke of his varlettes. And than sayd to hym. Go thy way fro me / and saue thy selfe if thou canst: and haue a good tonge / and thou fall in the handes of thyne enemyes. And if they aske the any thyng of me / be nat be kno∣wen that I am in the towne. He answered and sayd. {ser} / to dye therfore / I wyll speke no worde of you. Thus abode there the erle of Flaūders all alone. He might than well saye / that he was in great daunger and harde aduenture / for at that tyme / if he had fallen in the handes of his enemyes / he had bene in daunger of dethe. For the gaūtoyse went fro house to house / serchyng for the Erles frendes. And euer as they founde any / they brought them in to the market place. and there without remedy / before Philyp dart well and the capitayns / they were put to dethe. so god was frende to the erle / to saue him out of that parell. He was neuer in suche daunger be∣fore in his lyfe / nor neuer after. As ye shall here after in this hystorie.

This about the hour of mydnight / the Erle went fro strete to strete / and by backe lanes. so that at last he was fayne to take a house / or els he had be founde by thē of Gaunt. and so as he went about y^e towne / he entred in to a poore wo¦mans house / the whiche was nat mete for suche a lorde. ther was nother hall / palys / nor chābre it was but a poore smoky house. there was no∣thyng but a poore hall blacke with smoke / and aboue a smale plācher / and a ladder of .vii. step¦pes to mount vpon. And on the plancher / there was a poore couche / wher as the poore womās chyldren lay. than therle sore abasshed & trym∣blyng / at his entryng said. O good womā saue me / I am thy lorde therle of Flaūders. but now I must hyde me / for myne enemyes chase me. & if ye do me good now / I shall rewarde you her after therfore. The poore woman knewe hym well / for she had ben often tymes at his gate to fetche almes / and had often sene hym / as he wēt in and out a sportyng. And so incōtynēt as hap was she answered. For if she had made any de∣lay / he had bene taken talkynge with her by the fyre. than she sayd. sir / mount vp this ladder / & ley your selfe vnder the bedde y^• ye fynde there / as my chyldren slepe. and so in the meane tyme the woman sat downe by the fyre with another chylde / that she had in her armes. So the Erle moūted vp the plancher as well as he myght / & crept in bytwene the couche and the strawe and lay as flatte as he coude. & euyn ther with / some of the rutters of Gaūt / entred in to y^e same hous for some of them sayd. How they had sene a mā entre in to the house before thē. and so they foūd the woman syttyng by the fyre with her chylde. than they sayd. Good woman / where is the mā that we sawe entre before vs in to this house / & dyde shytte the dore after hym. sirs quod she / I sawe no man entre in to this house this nyght / I went out rightnowe & cast out a lytell water / and dyd close my dore agayne. if any were here I coulde nat tell howe to hyde hym. ye se all the easment that I haue in this house. Here ye may se my bedde / & here aboue this plācher lyeth my poore chyldren. Than one of thē toke a candell and moūted vp the ladder / & put vp his heed a∣boue the plācher. & sawe ther none other thyng but the poore couche / where her chyldren lay & slept. And so he loked all about / and than sayde to his company. Go we hens / we lese the more for the lesse. the poore woman sayth trouth / her is no creature but she and her chyldren. & than they de{per}ted out of the house. After y^• / ther was none entred to do any hurt. all these wordes the Erle herde ryght well / where as he laye vnder the poore couche. ye may well ymagin / thā that

he was in great feare of his lyfe. He might well saye? I am as nowe / one of the poorest princes of the worlde. and myght well say / that the for∣tunes of the worlde are nothynge stable. yet it was a good happe / that he scaped with his lyfe Howe be it / this harde and peryllous aduēture myght well be to hym a spectacle all his lyfe af∣ter: and an ensample to all other. ¶ Nowe let vs leaue the erle of Flaunders in this harde estate / and speke of them of Bruges / and howe the gauntoyse parceyuered.