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 frenche men that were passed the ryuer of Lyse / disconfyted the flemyng{is} and slewe many of thē / and wan the passage of Comynes. Cap. CCCC .xv. (Book 415)

PEter de Boyse: who knewe well that these mē of armes in the marysse / were nere ioyning to Comynes. thought him selfe in no sure¦tie / bycause he knewe natte what thēde shulde be. How be it he sawe well / y^• he had in his cōpany a sixe or seuyn thousande men. Than he sayd to thē. Sirs / yonder men of armes that haue passed the ryuer / they be nat made of stele. They haue all this laste day traueyled / and all this nyght stamped in the myre. I thinke nowe at the bre∣kyng vp of this newe mornyng / it were best we set on them. We are men ynoughe to close thèm rounde about. and if we beate them ones / ther is none wyll medyll with vs after. let vs make no noyse tyll the tyme come to do our feate. On the othersyde / the french knightes that were in the marysses / nat farre fro their enemyes / were nat at their ease / They stode so in the myre. sōe to the ancles / some to the mydde legge. Howe be it / the greate pleasure and desyre that they had to cōquere the passage with honour / made them forget their payne and traueyle. yf it had bene in Somer as it was in wynter / it had ben but a pleasure for theym. but as than the erthe was colde and wete / and the nightes long. and some tyme rayned on their heedes / the whiche ran downe by their bassenettes. For they stode euer redy to fight / and loked euer whan̄e they shulde be assayled. The remembraunce wher∣of / made them to forgette their paynes. There was the lorde of saynt Pye / who aquyted him selfe right nobly. He was the formast / and euer went priuely: to spye / se / and harken / the dea∣lyng of his enemyes. And whan he retourned he shewed his companye / howe there was no noyse amonge them. Sayeng / paraduenture they do it / bycause they wyll be redy to do that is their purpose. Thus he wente in and out to spye what his enemyes dyde / tyll at last about the breakyng of the day / the flemynges all in a plumpe without any maner of noyse / came sof∣tely towarde the maryse. Whanne the lorde of saynt Pye / who was watchyng for them / sawe

certaynly that they were comyng: than he cam to his company and sayd. Sirs / let vs sette on them / for our enemyes are comynge at hande. They come fayre and softely without noyse / we¦nyng to sette on vs / or we beware of them. ther¦fore nowe / lette vs all shewe ourselfe lyke men of warre: for incōtynent we shall haue batayle. And with those wordes / euery man apparelled hymselfe redy / and set them selfe in as good or∣der as coude be deuysed.

ANd so whan they aproched / they made their cryes / as they were apoynted be∣fore to do. And receyued the flemmynges with the speare poyntes / in suche wyse / that y^e mayle in their cootes / coulde holde out no more: than two or thre folde of clothe wolde haue doone. The constable of Fraunce / herde well the crye and noyse / and sayd. Sirs / surely our compa∣ny are fightynge / god ayde them: for we canne nat / as at this tyme. Thus the frenche men re∣ceyued the flemynges / with y^e good speare hee∣des of Burdeaux. The whiche went throughe / habergyns / shulders / bellyes / and heedes: in suche wyse / that the flemyng{is} gaue backe / and the frenche men wanne grounde. There was Peter de Boyse in the formast front / hurt with a speare through the shulder / & also in the heed. And he had bene deed without remedy / if his men had nat saued hym. For he had a .xxx. gret varlettes / whome he had apoynted to wayte e∣uer on his owne person. And so they toke hym in their armes / and bare him out of the prease. the myre was so great / that euery man waded to the mydde leg. The men of armes / who had bene vsed to great feates of armes / They beate downe the flemynges / and slewe them without mercy. Some cryed saynt Pye Lauall / San∣xere / Rieux / Anghien / and other cryes. The flē¦myng{is} began to be abasshed and to be discom∣fyted / and began to recule backe: and to fall one vpon a nother. And the frenche men entred in a¦mong the thyckest of them / and spared no more to slee thē / than they had ben dogges. and sure∣ly they had good cause so to do. For if y^e flemyn¦ges had achyued the prise ouer them / they had bene serued of the same sauce. ¶ Whan the flemynges sawe howe they were assayled so va¦lyauntly / and that the men of armes had con∣quered the causey / and the bridge. Than they determyned to set fyre in their owne towne / for two causes. The one was / to thentent to cause the frenchmen to recule backe. And secondly to cause their owne company also to recule backe to the towne. And as they deuysed so they dyd they put fyre in to dyuers howses in the towne. thynkynge therby / to haue abasshed their ene∣myes / whiche auayled them nothynge. for the frenchmen: as valyauntly as they dyd before / so they pursewed them styll / betyng and sleyng of them. Than the slemynges forsoke the towne and entred in to the feldes / and drewe togyder. and than sent about in y^e countrey / to styrre and reyse vp the people. As to Uertaygne / to Pro∣pringne / to Uergues / to Rolers / and to Mesi∣ers / to Warneston / & to all other townes about / to cause them to come to Comynes. And belles began to braule / wherby it myght well be kno∣wen / that ther was besynesse in hande. so some drewe to the noyse / and some went to saue them¦selfe and their goodes / to Ipre / and to Cour∣trey. women and children forsoke their houses / and left their bestes / corne / and other mouables behynde them. and some went towarde Comy nes to ayde their company / where as they were fyghting. In y^e meane season whyle these frēch¦men / that had passed the ryuer of Lise by the ly¦tell barkes / were in hande with their enemyes. The constable with the great bande of the vo∣warde / dyd what they myght to passe y^e bridge / and there was great prease / bycause the consta¦ble hadde abandoned the passage to euery man who so wolde aduenture. So euery man prea∣sed forthe / they had no lette to passe. So these lordes, passed the same day y^e bridge with moch parell / for they were fayne to lay pauesses and targes on the ioystes of the bridg to passe ouer. The same nyght they had caused to be brought two lode of nayles / the which greatly dyd helpe them to amende y^• bridge. and so within a short tyme the bridge was made agayne: good and stronge. And so all the company passed ouer the same tuisday in the mornynge / and so fought at the passage. Therle of Flaunders vnderstode howe they fought at the passage of Comynes / and he sent thyder a sixe thousande men a fote / to ayd their company / but or they came all was done / and y^e bridge newe made. Than the con∣stable sent them to the bridge of Warneston / to make that bridge agayn / that all their caryage myght easly passe ouer.