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 ordynaunce that the frenche kyng made for to entre in to the countie of Flaunders / after that the passages were stoped and broken. Cap. iiii. C .xii.

SO this mater passed ouer and was forgote / and Philyppe Dartuell depar∣ted fro Bruges and wente to Ipre / wher as he was re¦ceyued with great ioy. and Peter de boyse went to Cō∣mynes / wher as all men of the coūtrey were as∣sembled. they made all y^e bridge to be vnuayled redy to be broken downe incōtynent / if nede re∣quyred / but they wold nat clerely pull it downe as than. for the aduaūtage of them of the coun∣trey to passe and repasse / with their beastes o∣uer the water of Lyse. The same proper hour that Philyp Dartuell came to Ipre / tydinges came / howe that at the bridge of Amenyn / the frenchmen were dystrussed / and howe the Hase of Flaunders was nere taken. Of these tydin∣ges Philyppe Dartuell was greatly reioysed / and laughyng / to encourage them that were a¦bout him / sayd. Sirs: by the grace of god and the good ryght that we haue / this mater shall take suche an ende / y^• if the kyng with his yong counsayle passe the ryuer of Lyse / he shall nat retourne agayne into Fraunce. Thus Philyp Dartuell was fyue dayes at Ipre / and preched openly in y^e market place / to encourage his peo¦ple / and to cause thē to kepe their promyse. And also he shewed them / howe the frenche kynge / without any tytle of reason / was comyng to di∣stroy thē / wherfore he sayd. Good people be nat abasshed though he cōe on vs / for he shall nat be of puyssaunce to passe the ryer of Lyse. I shall cause the passages to be well kept / and I haue ordeyned to be at Commynes / Peter de Boyse with agreat nombre of men. he is good & trewe and loueth the honoure of Flaunders / and Pe∣ter de Myrt is at Warneston / and all the other passages on the water of Lysear broken / so that they can cōe ouer at no place / but at one of those two. and also I haue harde tidyng{is} of our men that we sent in to Englāde / we shall haue short∣ly great comfort of y^e englysshmen / for we haue good alyaunce with them. Therfore let vs lyue in hope / for honoure shall be with vs. therfore good frendes of Ipre be ye true / and kepe fayth¦fully the promyse that ye haue promised ••o me / and to the good towne of Gaunt / who hath en∣dured so moche payne / to mayntayne the right and fredome of Flaūders. and all suche as wyll kepe true promyse with me / lette them holde vp their handes towarde heuen / in token of loy∣alte. And therwith all suche as had harde hym speke lyfte vp their handes. Than Philyp dis∣cended

fro the scaffolde / wher as he hadde pre∣ched / and went to his lodgynge & taryed there all that day / & the next day depted and wente to¦warde And warpe to the sege / and he passed by Courtrey / and there taryed two dayes.

NOwe let vs leaue to speke of Philyppe Dartuell / and retourne to y^e yong kyng Charles of Fraūce who was at Aras / hauyng great wyll and desire to entre into Flaunders / to abate the pride of the flemynges. And dayly there repayred to him men of warre fro all par∣tes. And whan the kynge had soiourned there viii. dayes / than he went to Lens in Arthoyse / and ther taryed two dayes / and the thirde day of Nouembre he departed and wēt to Seclyn / and there rested. And there the chiefe constable of Fraunce / and the marshals of Fraunce / of Burgoyn / and of Flaūders / were in counsayle howe they shulde be ordred. for it was a comon saynge in all the hoost / howe it was a thyng im¦possyble to entre into Flaunders. seyng howe the passages were so strongely kept. And also dayly it rayned so sore / that the wayes were so enpayred / that men coulde skant go forthe / and some of the wyse men of Fraunce sayd. home it was a great outrage to enterprise that voyage in that season of the yere / and to bring the kyng so farre forwarde into that countre. sayng also howe it had bene better for hym to haue taryed tyll. Somer / than to make warre in that coun∣trey / where as he hadde neuer bene before / and specially in that season of the yere. and also they sayd / howe the ryuer of Lyse is so yuell to passe / that there is no place to skape / but at certayne places. Thanne the marshals demaunded fro whens the ryuer dyde come / and it was sayde / howe it came fro Ayer / and fro saynt Omers. well {quod} the constable / sythe it hath a begynning we shall passe it well inough / lette vs ordre our peple / and let vs take the way to saynt Omers / and there shall we passe y^e ryuer at our ease / and so entre into Flaunders. and let vs go alonge the countrey / and the flemynges are so proude that outher before Ipre or in some other place / they wyll cōe and fyght with vs. And so to this purpose agreed all the marshals and thervpon rested all that nyght. Than the next mornyng / the lorde Dalbret / the lorde of Coucy / sir Ayme¦mon of Pompers / sir John̄ of Uyen admyrall of Fraunce / sir Willyam of Poyctres / the ba∣starde of Langres / the Begue of Uyllanes / sir Raoll of Coucy / the erle of Conuersant / the vy∣count Dacy / sir Raoll of Rayneuall / the lorde of saynt Just / sir Arture of Hedyn / sir Anton y Darchyes / the lorde of saynt Pye / sir Willyam of Bordes / the lorde Lōgeuple / y^e lorde of Sul∣ly / sir Trystram of Lestouet / sir Olyuer Cles∣quyn / sir Moryce of Treguidy / {ser} Guy of Bay∣eur / sir Lucas of Lestrughen / {ser} Nycholas Pa∣mell / the two marshalles of Fraunce / sir Loys of Saurere / and sir Loys of Blanuell / y^e mar∣shall of Burgoyne / the marshall of Flaunders / and sir Anguerant of Helwyn. all these came to the constable of Fraunce to take aduyse / howe they shuld passe outher by Lyle to go to Comy¦nes / or els to Arualueston / where as the passa∣ges were kept / or els to go hygher vp towarde the Gorge of Uenoy / and to saynt Uenant / and so to passe y^e ryuer of Lyse. And so among these lordes there were dyuers opinyons / and suche as knewe the countre sayde. Surely as at this tyme / it is no goynge into that countrey nor in to the land of Cassell / of Surmes / nor of Uer∣thes. why what way shall we than holde {quod} the constable? Than y^e lorde of Coucy sayd: I coū∣sayle let vs goo to Tourney / and there lette vs passe the ryuer of Lescaulte / and take the way to Andewarpe / that way is easy ynoughe / and there lette vs fyght with our enemyes / we sha'l haue no let / and we be ones passed y^e ryuer and Tourney. and than let vs go streight to Ande∣warpe / and do ryghtfull iudgement on Philyp Dartuell / & so we shall be daily refresshed with vitayle & ••uruyance out of the cost of Haynalt / the which shall folowe vs / fro Tourney along by y^e ryuer. These wordes were well harde and with dyuers well vpholden / but y^e cōstable and marchals inclyned rather to go the right way / nother on the ryght hande nor on the lyfte. and to sustayne their opinyon they layd dyuers rea¦sons. sayng: if we shuld go & seke for any other passage but y^e right way it myght be sayd / that we do nat lyke good men of warre / at lest with out we assay to passe by Comynes / the whiche is kept. & also if we withdrawe our selfe fro our enemyes warde / they wyll be reioysed therby / and haue newe refresshynge & take newe coun∣sayle / and say / howe we be fled away. And also there is one poynt that ought to be dowted / we knowe nat in what astate they be in / with y^e en∣glisshmen / for by incydēt if ayde shulde come to them out of y^t cost / it shulde be a great let for vs therfore we thynke it were best to delyuer y^e ma¦ter as shortly as coud be deuised / therfore a god¦des name let vs take the way to Comynes / and god shall helpe vs / we haue or this tyme passed and repassed great ryuers / more greater than

the ryuer of Lyse / it can nat be kept long fro vs. at lest whan we are at the ryuer syde than let vs take aduyse. Suche as be in our cōpany in the voward haue sene this .xx. or .xxx. yere / often ty¦mes passed / a more daūgerous ryuer than this is. and if we be ones ouer / our enemyes shalbe a hundred tymes more abasshed / than and we went at our ease / on y^e right hande or on the left out of our right way. and also beyng ones ouer we may reken our selfe lordes of all Flaunders. And so euery man acorded to this last apoynt∣ment / the which was kept and nat broken. and bycause y^e all the lordes were as than togyder / they sayd. it is nedefull that we aduyse and re∣garde y^e ordre of our batayls / and apoynt them that shall go with the constable in the vowarde and to knowe who shall make y^e wayes before the batayle / and who shalbe the fotemen and to ordeyne thē that shalbe currers to discouer our enemyes. & who shall be in the kynges batayle / and what seruyce they shall do / and who shall beare the Oriflambe of Fraūce / and to apoynt thē that shall assyst it / and to knowe who shall be in the wynges / and who in the reregard. Of all these thynges they toke aduyse & counsayle / and it was determyned by the sayd lordes and offycers / that {ser} Joys of Halwyn and the lorde of Rambures / shuld be gouernours of the fote men / such as shulde go before the hoost & make the wayes. And to cut downe hedges / wodes / and busshes / and to fyll valeys and pull downe hyls / and to do all other necessary thynges / and of them there were in nombre a .xvii. hundred and .lx. and than in the vowarde were the mar∣shals / of Fraunce / of Flaunders / and of Bur∣goyne / and they hadde vnder their rule a .xvii. hundred men of armes / and seuen hūdred cros∣bowes / besyde four thousande men a foote that the erle of Flaunders had delyuered them / well pauessed and harnessed. And it was ordeyned that therle of Flaunders and his batayle / wher¦in he hadde men of armes / knyghtes / squiers / and fotemen / to the nombre of .xvi. thousande shulde be the wynge to the vowarde / for to re∣comfort it if nede required. Also it was ordey∣ned / that bytwene the batayle and the erls vo∣warde / the kynges batayle shulde folowe. and therin to be y^e kynges thre vncles / Berry / Bur∣goyn / and Burbon / the erle of Marche / sir Ja∣mes of Burbon his brethren / the erle of Clere∣mount and Dolphyn of Auuergne / the erle of dampe Martyn / the erle of Sanxere / sir John̄ of Boloyne / and to y^e nombre of sixe thousande men of armes and two thousande crosbowes / genoways & other. And than it was ordeyned for the reregarde / two. M. men of armes & two hundred archers. & chyefe gouernour of them was sir John̄ dartoyse erle of Ewe / {ser} Guy erle of Bloyse / sir Warans erle of saynt Powle / sir Wyllm̄ erle of Harecourt / the lorde of Chaste∣lon / & the lorde of Sere. and to beare the Ory∣flambe was apoynted sir Peter villers / & sour knyghtes to acompany hym. As sir Robert of bayeux / sir Moris of sancourt / {ser} Guy of Tri∣guidy / and Bandon de laheuse / and to kepe the baners the Bourge of ruet / and the Bourge of moūt dowset. These lord{is} entēded surely neuer to retourne in to Fraunce / tyll they had fought with Philyppe Dartuell and his puyssaunce. and therfore they made all thyng redy to fyght the next day if nede requyred. Also the lorde de la Bret / the lorde of Coucy / & sir Hugh of Hau∣lon were apoynted to set and ordre the batayls in aray. and the marshals of y^e lodgynges were apoynted to lodge the kyng and y^e batayle / and that was sir Willyam of bannes / and the lorde of Champreny. Also it was ordeyned y^t the day that the batayle shulde be on / the kynge to be a horsebacke / and none other but he / except .viii. valyant men / to be a horsbacke about hym. As the lorde of Rayneuall / the Begue of villanes / sir Aymemon of Pomyers / sir Anguerant of Halwyn / the vycount Dacy / sir Guy of Bay∣eux / sir Nycholas Penuell / and sir Willyam of Bourdes. Of the whiche eyght / the lorde of Rayneuall and sir Anguerant of helwyn / to be in the fronte before the kynge. And the Begue of Uyllayues / and the vycount Dacy / who is called in dyuers places before the Uycoūt dan noy / these two knyghtes to be besyde hym. and behynde hym the other foure knyghtes before named / and sir Olyuer Clyssone Constable of Fraunce / and sir Willm̄ Poycters bastarde of Langres shulde ryde before / and dyscouer and aduyse the maner of their enemyes / the daye of the batayle. And whan̄e all these thynges were apoynted & determyned / euery thynge as was nedefull. Thanne the counsayle brake vp / and euery man departed to their lodgynges. And suche as hadde nat bene at the counsayle: were shewed what they shuld do and also it was or∣deyned y^t the next day / the kyng shulde departe and to passe through the towne of Lysle / & nat to rest there▪ but to lodge at the abbay of Mar∣quettes / and the vowarde to passe farther to∣warde Comynes and Warneston / as soone as they myght.