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 letters sent to Tourney fro Philyp Dartuell. and howe the frēch kynge and his counsayle / were enfor¦med of the answers that the flemyn∣ges had made to the comyssaries. Cap. CCCC .x. (Book 410)

RIght dere and good frē∣des. Please it you to knowe that we haue receyued your letters. makynge mencyon of .ii. of your burgesses / and yuell bearers of letters / to Gaunt and to Bruges / fro the comissaryes of Fraunce / who be retayned by vs. & at your requestes to be delyuered out of prisone. wherby the good loue and affectyon that hath bene / bytwene you and the comons of Flaūders / shulde perceyuer as ye write. the whiche loue right dere frendes: semythe to vs to be ryght lytell. For it is come to our know∣ledge / that the frenche kynge / and the dukes of Burgoyne and of Brytayne / assembleth them togyder / to come & ayde the erle of Flaunders. and to recouer his countrey / and to fyght with vs (for all y^• letters that ye haue sent vs. to treat for peace) Wherfore / we thynke this no way to treat for peace. But we shall take hede therof / and are redy & shalbe / euer at our defence / day and nyght. And as for the prisoners your bur∣gesses / we shall kepe thē with vs: tyll we know the certētie of the assēbles of these said lordes / & tyll it be our pleasure to delyuer thē. For whan your burgesses were last in Fladūers / to treat for peace. ye knowe well / ther it was ordeyned and cōmaunded / that no person fro thens for the

with letters nor otherwyse / shulde go nor come without sauecōducte. & these sayd comyssaries haue done the contrary / to thentent to make de¦bate and dyscorde. Wherfore dere frendes / we desyre you that ye wyll sende no parsone / bur∣ges nor other in to Flaunders / fro you nor fro none of the lordes. but if there be any thyng tou chynge your owne cawses / that we may do for you. we shall do: in lyke maner as we wolde / ye shuld do for vs. for we haue aspeciall trust and affyaunce in you / as we ought to haue in our good neyghbours. For it is the generall enten∣cyon of all Flaunders / that all marchantes and their marchādyses: shulde passe & repasse safe∣lye / out of the one countrey in to the other / with¦out any interupcyon or let. And thus god kepe you. written in our hoost before And warpe / the xxii. day of the moneth of October. The yere of our lorde god / a thousande thre hundred four∣score and two. By Philyp Dartuell regarde of Flaunderrs.

ABoute a thre dayes after that y^e first letters were sent to the lordes comis∣saryes of Fraūce. as the lordes were in the hall in counsayle / there was brought to them these other letters by a varlet of Doway / and he shewed them / howe that they of the host before Ande warpe / had sent it to thē. So there the letter was receyued / and redde at good ley∣sour. & than finally the lordes of Fraunce / sayd to them of Tourney. Sirs: we counsayle you for the best / that ye make none alyaunce / nor a quayntance with them of Flaūders. for and ye do / ye shall haue no thanke therof in Fraunce. nor receyue no letters sent to you fro them. for if the kynges counsayle knowe that ye do / ye shall receyue blame and domage therby / for the ma∣ter can nat longe contynue as it is. and they of Turney answered / and sayd: howe they wolde perceyuer in their counsayle. sayng / that by the grace of god / they wolde do nothynge / wherby they shulde haue any reprofe. & so a thre dayes after / the commissaryes departed fro Tour∣ney / and went to the kynge to Peron. and with hym was his thre vncles / the dukes of Berrey / Burgoyne / and Burbon.

ANd the day before the erle of Flaunders was come to the kyng / to shewe him the greues y^t he had / and to do feaulte for the coun∣tye of Arthoyse / the whiche was fallen to hym the same yere / by the dethe of his mother. And whan y^e sayd comyssaries were cōe to the kyng / before him and all his counsayle / there was red the two letters / that Philyp Dartuell and they of Flaunders had sent to them of Tourney. the which they toke in great dispyte / and sayd: that in the begynninge of the kynges raygne / suche pride / as was than vsed in Flaunders / Ought nat to be suffred. With the whiche wordes / the erle of Flaunders was no thynge dyscontent. And so there the Erle before the kynge and his counsayle / made his complayntes / which were well harde. And the kynge answerde hym / and sayd. Cosyn / retourne you in to Arthoyse / and breuely we shalbe at Aras. for we can nat shew better that the quarell shulde be ours / but to a proche our enemyes. the erle was well content with that aunswere / and so departed and went to Hedyn. And the kynge (as he that wolde go in to Flaunders / to abate the pride of the flem mynges / as his predecessours had done before) set all his clerkes awarke / and sent letters and messangers in to euery cost of his realme. com∣maundynge euery man without delay: in their best aparell for y^e warre / to come to hym to Ar∣ras / at a day lymited. shewyng them: howe by the pleasur of god / he wolde go and fight with the flemynges in Flaunders. No man durste disobey / but euery man made them redy bothe nere and farr. as they of Auuergne / of Rouer∣gue / of Tholousyn / of Gascoyne / of Limosyn / of Poyctou / of Xaynton / of Bretayne / & of Bur bonoyse / of Forestes / of Burgoyne / of Doul∣phyn / of Sauoy / of Barroyse / of Lorayn / and of all the cyrcuites and countreys of Fraunce. And so euery man came towarde Arras in Ar∣thoyse. There was so great an assemble of men of warre / that it was marueyle to consyder.