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 Ipre and dy∣uers other / put them selfe vnder the obeysance of the french kyng / and of the ordre of the kynges hoost. Cap. CCCC .xvii. (Book 417)

ANd on the thursday in the mornyng the rerewarde dislodged fro comynes / and drue to their company / who were on the mount of Ipre. And there the kyng and the lordes toke counsayle what was best to do / whether they shulde go before Ipre / or before Courtrey / or before Bruges. in the meane season the french forangers ran ouer the countrey / and they founde catayle and other thynges / that it was maruayle to consydre. for after they were ones ouer the passage at Comy¦nes they lacked no thynge. Whan they of Ipre sawe the kynge with all his puyssaunce so nere them / and the passage at Comynes conquered they were nat well assured of them selfe / and so they drewe togyder to coūsayle. The rych and notable men of the towne / wolde euer that they shulde haue sent to crye the kyng mercy / and to sende hym the keyes of the towne. but the capi∣tayne who was of Gaunt / and set ther by Phi∣lyp Dartuell / wold in no wyse that they shulde yelde. sayng sirs: our towne is stronge inough and well prouyded / we may byde a siege longe ynogh if nedebe. and in the meane tyme Phi∣lyppe Dartuell our regent wyll gather his pu∣yssance / and come and fyght with y^e kyng / and rayse the siege: thinke nat the contrary. The o∣ther answered / and sayd: we be nat in surety of this / for we thynke it can nat lye in Philyppe Dartuells power / to withstand the kyng / with out the helpe of the englysshmen / the whiche is nothyng lykely. therfore we thynke it were best to yelde vs to the french kyng / & to none other. So moche rose wordes bytwene thē / that they rose agaynst the capitayne and slewe him / who was called Peter Uanelayre. And whan they of Ipre hadde done this dede / they caused two freres to go to the kynge and to his vncles / de∣syring the kyng that he wolde take an amyable treaty with them of Ipre. The kynge than by the aduyce of his counsayle / gaue saue conduct to .xii. of them of Ipre and an abbote / to come and go saue / to knowe what wolde be their de∣syre / than y^e frers returned to Ipre. And so than

xii. were chosen out in the towne & an abbote / to go to the kyng on y^e mount of Ipre. and whan they came before the kyng they kneled downe / and offred hym to become alwayes vnder his obeysance / without any meane or reseruacion. The kyng than by the consent of his counsayle / as he y^t thought to reduce the countrey by faire meanes if he myght / receyued their offre / on a cōdicyon: and that was this. that they of Ipre shulde pay to the kynge .xl. thousande frankes towardes his charges comynge thyder / to the whiche they of Ipre made no refuse / but were ryght ioyfull therof. Thus they of Ipre were taken to mercy / and they desyred the kyng and his vncles / to come in to their towne to refressh them / wherof they sayd all the towne wolde be ryght gladde. the kyng agreed therto / consyde ryng howe fro thens he myght go in to Flaun∣ders / to whiche parte he wolde. So thus they of Ipre returned in to their towne / and the peo∣ple therof were right ioyfull / whan they knewe how they were receyued to mercy. And so anon this .xl. thousande frank{is} was gadered among them / and payed to the kynge or he entred in to Ipre.

ALl this tyme the kynge lay styll on the mount of Ipre / and than there came ty∣dynges to him / howe y^t the parysiens rebelled / and had determyned / as it was sayde amonge them selfe / to haue beaten downe the castell of Beautye / standyng in the wode of Uyncenes. and also the castell of Lowre / and all the strong howses about Parys / to thentent y^t they shulde nat be greued by any of them. There was one amonge them thought to haue said well / but he spake right yuell: as it apered after / for he sayd. Sirs: let vs nat do thus / iyll such season as we knowe howe the kynge our lorde dothe / in his iourney in Flaūders. if they of Gaunt come to their entent / as we trust they shall / than it wyll be good tyme to do it. let vs nat begyn a thyng and afterwarde repent vs. He that sayde this / was called Nycholas the flemynge. and so by his wordes the parysiens seased to do that out∣rage / but they helde them selfe styll in Parys / and prouided for all thynges. as harnes and o∣ther abylment{is} / as richely / as though they had bene great lordes. And they were of harnessed men cape a pe / lyke men of armes / mo thā .xxx. thousand / and as many with malles / and day∣ly they caused harnes to be made / and solde to euery man that wold bye. beholde and se what a myschiefe shulde haue fallen / if the kyng & the noble chiualry that was with hym had bene di∣scomfyted in Flaūders. it may be well thought that all noblenes shulde haue ben deed / and lost in all Fraunce / & as well peraduenture in other places. The rebellyon called the Jaquery / was neuer so great nor horible as this was likely to haue bene. In lykewise at Reynes / at Chalons in Champayne / and on the ryuer of Marewe / the villayns rebelled / and thretened the gentle∣men / ladyes / and chyldren / suche as were aby∣dinge behynde the kynge. Also at Orleance / at Bloys / at Rohan in Normandy / and at Beau uoysen / the dyuell was entred in to their heed∣des to haue slayne all noblemen / if god had nat purueyed of remedy. as ye shall here af•• in this hystorie. Nowe let vs retourne to Flaunders.

WHan they of Cassell / of Bergues / of Bourbourcke / of Grauelyns / of Fur∣nes / of Dunkyrke / of Propringe / of Tourront / of Uaylant / and of Messyne / vnder stode howe they of Ipre were become frenche / and had yelded vp their towne vnder the obey∣sance of the frenche kyng / and that gracyously he had receyued theym to his mercy / they were greatly reioysed / and recomforted. And thus whan̄e they had well ymagyned / all these sayd townes / toke their capitayns and bounde them fast / to thentent that they shulde nat skape. and so they brought theym to the mount of Ipre to please the kyng / and cryed hym mercy on their knees / sayng. Noble kyng we put our bodyes goodes / and townes / to be vnder youre obey∣sance. and sir / to shewe more playnly that ye be our ryght lorde / we haue brought you here our chyefe capitayns that Philyppe Dartuell had sette to rule vs / and agaynst our wylles to obey them. sir / do your pleasure with thē / as it shall lyke you best. for sir: they haue ruled vs at their pleasure. Than the kynge was counsayled to take them to mercy / so that amonge them they shulde gyue to the kyng .lx. thousande frankes / towarde his charges / and therby all their ca∣tayls / and other thynges that they had abrode in the feldes / shuld be saued / and nat brent nor distroyed. Of the whiche cōposicion they were ryght gladde / and thanked the kynge and his counsayle / that they were so skaped. but all the capitayns that had bene sette by Philyp Dar∣tuell / in the sayd townes / were all beheeded on the mounte of Ipre. Of all these apoyntmen∣tes and treaties / the erle of Flaunders was nat made preuy to noue of them / nor he was nat cal led to counsayle. Somewhat it anoyed hym /

for all that voyage he and his men lay euer on a wynge / bycause they were flemynges. and it was ordeyned and cōmaunded / in the kynges name on payne of dethe / y^t no man in the hoost shulde speke any flemysshe.