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 frēchmen that were pas¦sed the ryuer of Lyse / put them selfe in batayle before the flemynges. Cap. CCCC .xiiii. (Book 414)

I Repute and also euery man ought to reken this en¦terprise to be of great valy∣antnesse / for them that pas∣sed. For the knightes & squi¦ers of the vowarde / whan it was late / stale fro thost and went to the passage to passe with their cōpany∣ons. So there passed the lorde de Lauale / the vycount of Rohan / the lorde de La belyer / the lorde of Cambort sir Olyuer / the lorde of Cles∣quyn / the barroys of Barres / the lorde of Co∣let / sir Raynalde of Thouars / the lorde of pou¦sanses / sir Wyllyam of Lignacke / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Water pas

〈◊〉〈◊〉 / the lorde of Thouars ▪ sir Loyes of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 / sir Trystram de la Gayle / the vycount of 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣aur / and the lorde of Mailly. And what of bre∣tons / poicteuyns / beruyers / francoys / burgo∣nyens / stemynges / arthoysens / troyens / & hey∣nouers a great nombre. Whan they were pas∣sed the ryuer / the same nyght they were to the nombre of four hundred men of armes / of cho∣sen men of warre. There was nat a varlet that passed ouer. And whan sir Loyes of Sanxere sawe so many passed ouer / as sixe baners and xxx. penons. He thought it shulde haue bene a great shame for hym / without he passed in lyke wise. And so he and his knightes and squyers entred in to y^• barkes / and with hym passed the lorde of Haygest / sir Perciuall of Raynuall / & dyuers other. And whan they were all togyder they sayd. Nowe it is tyme that we go toward Comynes and loke on oure enemyes / and se yf we may lodge in the towne / than they dyde on their bassenettes and made thē selfe redy. And so went forthe through the maresses / a long by the ryuersyde in good order / with their baners and penons wauyng before them redy to fight And the lorde of saynt Pye was in the formast front / and chyefe gouernour and leader of that company / bycause he knewe the countre better than any other that was there. Thus as they were comyng in good order towarde y^• towne / Peter de Boyse and the flemynges / who were redy raynged on the causey dyd cast their eyen a long the ryuer syde / and sawe these men of ar¦mes aproche / wherof they had marueyle. than Peter de Boyse said. What d••uyls of hell hath brought these men of armes hyder? which way haue they passed the ryuer of Lyse? And some that were by hym sayd. We are sure they be pas¦sed by some bark{is} or botes w^t out our knowledge for ther is no bridge nor passage bytwene this & Curtrey / that they coude passe. what shall we do? shall we go and fight with them? Nay nat so quod Peter / lette them come / and lette vs a∣byde in oure strength / they be beneth and we a highe ouer them / therfore we haue a great ad∣uauntage on them. And if we shulde dyscende downe to fight with theym / we dyde nat well. Lette vs abyde tyll it be darke night / and than let vs take coūsayle what is to be done farther. They be no suche nombre that can long endure agaynst vs in batayle. We knowe all the shyfte in the countre and so do nat they. His coūsayle was beleued / for the flemynges neuer remoued out of their place / but helde thē selfe styll at the foote of the bridge / and raynged all a louge the causey in good order of batayle. and made 〈…〉〈…〉¦tenūce by semyng / as though they set nothyng by them. And they that were passed / came tho∣rough the maryse by the ryuer syde aprochyng to Comynes. The constable of Fraunce / who was on thother syde of the ryuer dyde cast his eyen / and sawe on the other syde the men of ar∣mes / with their baners and penons in a lytell batayle comynge towardes Comynes. Than his blode began to trymble / for feare y^• he had of them. for he sawe well there were a great nō∣bre of flemynges raynged in good order of ba∣tayle agayust them. Than he said in great dis∣pleasur. O saynt Jues. O saynt George. O la¦dy of heuen / what is this that I se yonder? I se in parte the chefe flour of all our army / the whi¦che are nowe in an harde aduenture. Wolde to good I were deed / syth I se them do so great an outrage. O sir Loyes of sanxere / I wolde haue thoughtye had ben more atem{per}ate and wyser than I se ye be nowe. Howe is it / that ye durst put in aduenture / so many noble knightes and squiers as be nowe in your company? & so fewe in nombre / agaynst ten or .xii. thousande fierse and proude people / who wyll take none to mer¦cy. And if ye nede we can nat helpe you. O Ro∣hen. O Lauall. O Rieux. O Beaumanoyr. O longuyle. O rochfort. O mauuy. O malestroit O cōuersant. O suche and suche I cōplayne of you all. that without my counsayle / ye wyll put yourselfe in this aduēture. Wherfore am I cō∣stable of Fraūce? if ye lese / the faut shalbe layd to me. and it shalbe sayd / that I sent you thider He had gyuen a cōmaundement before / y^• none shulde departe fro the hoost / to i••opart to passe the bridge. But whan̄e he sawe so many noble men passed / and sawe the dealyng of thē. than he sayd with an highe voyce. I abandon y^• pas¦sage to euery man that wyll assay to passe / by a¦ny maner of meanes. And with those wordes / knightes & squyers auaunced thē selfe to fynde way and engin / howe to passe the bridge. but it was incōtynent night / so that of necessyte they must leaue their labours / as in castyng of bor∣des and plankes on y^• ioystes / & some layd their pauesses to passe ouer. so that the flemyng{is} had moche a do to defēde thēselfe / for they wys•• nat well to whō to take hede. For they sawe beneth the bridge in the maryse / a great nōbre of men of armes standyng close to gyder / and styll m•• comyng to them. And also they sawe them that were on the other syde of the bridge / scrimys∣shyng sore with them / & dyde what they might to make the bridge agayne.

THus as ye haue herde before / the frenche men passed by the barkes that nyght / and came priuely tho∣roughe the marysses and myre to their anclees. Nowe beholde and consyder the payne that they endured / and the valyantnesse of them. Seyng / howe in so long nightes and wynter / as in Decembre. They a bode all the longe colde night in their harnesse / on their fere in y^• myre / their bassenett{is} on their heedes without meate or drinke. Certaynly I say / this ought to be reputed for a great valyāt¦nesse. And trewely they were but a handfull of men / to the regarde of the flemynges that were within Comynes / and about in the countre. so thus they stode and nouther durste enuade nor assayle / but determyned to stande so styll tyll it were fayre day / sayeng eche to other. We shall se whan it is day / the flemynges wyll come out of their strēgth and assayle vs. And whan they come / let vs crye our cryes all with one voyce / euery man his owne crye orels his lord{is}. thogh it so be / that the lordes be nat here: for by suche cryes / we shall abasshe them / and than lette vs stryke in among them with good courage and wyll. It is in god / to gyue vs grace to discon∣fyte them / for they are but yuell armed. And we haue good speares well heeded / and good swer¦des. The habergyns that they beare shall nat defende them. Thus in this good conforte they abode all that night. And y^• constable who was on the other syde of the ryuer towarde Lysle / had great feare in his hert of thē / and wysshed hym selfe and all his puissaūce / within y^e towne of Comynes. Than the marshals of Burgoyn and of Flaunders / sayd to conforte hym. Sir / be nothynge abasshed. they that be passed ouer be chosed men of warre / valyaunt and of great wysdome. They wyll do nothyng but by good order and discrecyon. Sir / they wyll nat fight this day / the night is to nere aprochynge. And sir / ye haue abādoned the passage to passe who wyll. To morowe assoone as it is day / we shall do oure beste to passe the bridge. We haue pro∣uyded this daye for woode and tymbre / more than we shall nede. I trust we shall be soone o∣uer / and reconforte them if they haue any nede / and yonder vnhappy people: shall nat en∣dure agaynst vs. Thus the cōstable was recōforted / by the sayeng of suche valyant {per}sons as were in his cō¦pany.