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 kynge departed fro the moūt of Ipre / and howe Phi∣lyppe Dartuell and the flemynges a∣pareled them selfe to fyght. Cap. CCCC .xviii. (Book 418)

WHan the frenche kyng with all his hoost / vowarde and rerewarde / had lyen on the mount of Ipre as longe as it hadde pleased him / and that his men had solde there moche marchādise / of suche stuffe as they had won abrode in the countrey, to them of Lysle / of Doway / and of Tourney / they solde for a franke that was worthe foure. and there were some bretons y^t thought to wyn more than̄e other / they charged their wagans and horses with stuffe. as with cloth lynen and wollen / golde and syluer / plate and vessell / and dyd sende it in to sauegarde / ouer the ryuer of Lyse / and some in to Fraunce by their seruaun∣tes. So than the kynge went to Ipre and lod∣ged in the towne as many as myght / and there they refresshed them a fyue or sixe dayes. They of Bruges were well enfourmed howe y^e kyng was at Ipre / and howe that all the countre to Grauelynge / was yelded to hym. so they wyst nat what to do / outher to yelde or nat / howbeit they dyd no more at that tyme. the moost prīcy∣pall cause that moued thē nat to yelde / was by∣cause they hadde agreat nombre of their men of the towne with Philyppe Dartuell / at the siege of Andwarpe / to y^e nombre of seuen thousande. and also in the towne of Gaunt / they had lying in hostage of the moost notablest marchauntes of Bruges / to the entent that Peter de Boyse shulde be the more surer to rule them. Also Pe∣ter de Boyse and Peter de Myrt / was there a monge them / shewyng and sayeng to thē thus. Fayre sirs: and good men of Bruges / dismay you nat / though the kynge be come to Ipre. ye knowe well / howe auncyently all the puyssance that was sent by kyng Philyppe to Courtrey / by our auncetours / they were all discomfytted and slayne. in lyke wise so shall they all be slayn and disconfyted / for Philyppe Dartuell hathe a great puyssance. he wyll nat leaue the mater thus / he wyll fyght with the kyng / he may well do it / for the right is ours / and fortune is fauo∣rabell to them of Gaunt. so nowe if he may di∣scomfyte the kyng / there is nat one shall skape nor repasse agayne the ryuer of Lyse. & so thus in an hour / all our countrey is wonne agayne. And soo thus ye of this towne shall be reputed good and true / mayntayninge your fraunches and to be in the grace of Philyp Dartuell / and of vs of Gaunt.

THese wordes and suche other lyke / she∣wed dayly by Peter de Boyse / and by Peter de Myrt / refrayned them of Bruges to fall to any treatie with the french kyng. In this meane season the burgesses of Gaunt / that had bene in Englāde aryued at Calayes / and with thē sir Willym̄ Fermeton an englysshe knyght sent in to the countre of Flaunders / by the kyng of Englande / to conclude with the flemynges a peace to be taken / bytwene thē and their coun treys. Than the capitayne of Calys sir Johan Deluerays / sayd to them. sirs: ye are welcome / but as at this present tyme / ye may passe no far∣ther / for the frenche kyng is at Ipre / and all the countrey bytwene this and that / is tourned to hym. shortly ye shall here other tydinges / for it is sayde / that Philyp Dartuell assembleth his power to fyght with the kyng / and than it shall be knowen who shall haue the better. If the fle∣mynges be discomfyted / than ye haue nothyng to do in Flaunders / and if the kyng lese y^e felde / than all is yours. Thus the men of Gaunt and sir Willyam Fermeton taryed styll at Calays.

¶ Nowe lette vs speke of Philyppe Dartuell howe he parceyuered. He hadde great desyre to fyght with the kynge / and that he well shewed / for he came to Gaūt / and there he ordeyned that euery man that was able to beare armes / and the towne kept / shulde folowe hym. euery man obeyed him / for he made them to beleue that by the grace of god / they shuld discōfyte the french men / and shuld be styll lordes of Gaunt / and of dyuers other countreys. And so he hadde with hym out of the towne / a ten thousande men in harnes / for the arerebande. and so he came be∣fore Courtrey / & he had sent to Bruges / to Au∣dyn / to Ardanbourc / to Sluse / and to the four mestyers / and to the chatelayne of Grātmont / Teremonde / & Aloys. and so he raysed among

th••m a .xxx. thousade / and so lodged one nyght before Andewarpe / and the next day he depar∣ted and went before Courtrey / and he hadde in his company a fifty thousande men in harnes.

TJoynges came to the kynge and to the lordes of Fraunce / that Philyppe Dar¦tuell and his puyssance aproched fast towarde them and it was said y^e he had in his company a threscore thousande men. Than the vowarde departed fro Jore and the reregarde / and all the hoost. Whyle the lordes were thus in the fel∣des they endured moch payne / for it was in the hart of wynter / in the begynnig of December / and it rayned nygh euery day. the lordes were fayne to lye euery nyght in the hygh wayes / for euery houre they loked for batayle. For it was dayly said in the hoost / howe their enemyes cō∣meth to morowe / and that was sayde by the fo∣ragers that went dayly forthe a foragyng. the kynge was lodged in the myddes of his felde a monge his men. And in that Philyppe Dart∣well and his cōpany taryed so long or he came / the lordes of Fraunce were sore dyspleased / for the wether was soo sore / that they wolde fayne the mater had bene determyned. With the kyng was the floure of all chiualry of Fraūce. Phi∣lyp Dartuell and y^e flemynges were to proude / whan they were so hardy to fight with y^e kyng. for if they had leyen styll at y^e siege before And∣warde / and a fortefyed them selfe there / and by the reason of the rayne / and foule wether that fell. The frenchmen wolde neuer haue gone to haue fought with them there / and if they had / they coulde nat lightly haue fought with them / but to their great payne and parell. But Phi∣lyppe glorifyed so in his fayre fortune and vi∣ctory / that he had before Bruges / that it semed to him / that no thynge coude go agaynst hym / for he hoped well to be lorde of all the worlde. this was all his ymaginacyon / for he doughted nothyng the french kyng / nor all his puyssance / for if he had he wolde nat haue done as he dyd. as ye shall here after.