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 constable and admyrall of Fraunce / and the bastarde of Lan∣gres wente to se the flmynges / and howe they fortifyed them selfe Cap. CCCC .xx. (Book 420)

THe frenche kynge and the lord{is} about hym / knewe right well howe the flemyn∣ges aproched nere to them. And sawe well ther was no remedy but batayle / for ther was no mocion made of tre∣tie of peace. The wednisdaye there was a crye made in the towne of Ipre / y^t all maner of peple as men of warre / shulde drawe to y^e felde to the kynge / and to do as they oughte to do. Euery man obeyed the kynges cōmaundement as rea¦son was. And drue to the felde / except suche bar lett{is} as were cōmaūded to kepe their maysters horses. Howbeit in the bowarde they had ma∣ny horses for y^e aduēturers / and to dyscouer the feldes. Thus this wednisday the frenche men kept the feldes nere vnto Rosebeque. & at night the kyng made a supper to his four vncles and t•• the cōstable of Fraūce / & to the lorde of Cou∣cy and to other great lordes straūgers / of Bra∣bant / of Heynalte / of Hollande / of zelande / of Almayne / of Lorayne / & of Sauoy / who were come thyder to serue the kyng / wherof he than∣ken them greatlye. The same nyght the erle of Flaūders kept the wache / and with hym a sixe hundred speares and .xii. hūdred men of other persons of warre. And after supper whan these lordes were departed / the constable abode styll to speke with the kyng and his vncles. It was ordayned by the kynges counsayle / that the cō∣stable of Fraunce sir Olyuer of Clysson shulde leaue his office for the next day / bycause it was thought y^t they shulde haue batayle / and that the lorde of Coucy shulde occupy the offyce for that ••yme / and sir Olyuer to be about the kyn∣ges person. And so whan he wolde haue taken leaue of the kyng / the kynge sayd to hym ryght swetely and amiably. Sir cōstable / we wolde that ye rendre vp your offyce in to our handes / for this night and to morowe all day. We haue ordayned another to occupy the rome / and we wyll that ye abyde about our persone. Of these wordes the constable had great marueyle / and answered and sayde. Right dere sir / I knowe well I can nat haue so great honour / as to ayde to kepe youre persone. But sir / this shulde be right displesaunt to all my company / and to all theym of the vowarde / if they haue nat me in their company. Paraduenture they maye lese more therby than wynne. Sir / I say it nat by∣cause I shulde thynke my selfe so valyant / that for lacke of me they shulde nat do well. But sir / sauyng the correctyon of your coūsayle / I say that all these fyftene dayes past / I haue done none other thynge / but pursewed myne offyce / to the honoure of you and of your people. And sir / I haue shewed euery man what they shulde do. And sir / if they fight to morowe / and se nat me amonge them / they wyll be abasshed / wher by I shall receyue blame. And some wyll saye / that I haue deuysed many thynges / and flye a way fro the first strokes. Sir / I requyre your grace breke nat that hath ben first ordayned / I ensure you ye shall haue profyt therby. So the kynge and suche as were about hym / wyst nat what to say. At last the kyng right sagely said. Constable / I knowe well ye haue in all causes right well acquyted your selfe and shall do. the kyng my father that deed is / loued and trusted you aboue all other / and for the great trust and affyaunce that he had in you / therfore I wolde haue you aboute me in this besynesse. Ryght dere sir quod the constable / ye are so well acom¦panyed / and with so valyant and so noble men and are so ordred by delyberacion of wyse coun¦sayle / that there is nothynge can be amended. Wherfore sir / ye and youre counsayle ought to be content. And I therfore requyre you in god¦des behalfe / to suffre me alone in myne offyce. And I truste to morowe ye shall haue so good fortune in your iourney / that your frendes shal be gladde and your ennemyes displeased. To the whiche wordes the kynge gaue none aun∣swere of a great space / but at last sayd. Consta¦ble / in the name of god and saynt Denyce exer∣cyse your offyce at your pleasure / I wyll speke no more therof. For ye se farther in this matter than I do / or suche as moued first the matter. Be to morowe with me at my masse. sir quod

the constable with right a good wyll. & so toke leaue of the kyng and retourned to his logyng And on the thursdaye in the mornynge / euery man apparelled thēselfe redy armed saue their heedes / for they knewe well by all lykelyhodde / that they shulde haue batayle the same day. the frenche kyng herde masse be tymes in the mor∣nyng / and all the great lordes with great deuo¦cyon / prayeng to god to sende thē honoure that daye. The same mornynge there arose a great myst / so that one coulde nat se an acre of brede before hym / wherof the lordes were ryght sore displeased / but they coude nat amende it. And after masse the kynge and the constable / and o∣ther great lordes wente to / counsayle / to deter∣myne what they shulde do. And ther it was or∣dayned / that sir Olyuer of Clysson cōstable of Fraunce / sir Mathue of Uyenne admyrall of Fraūce / and sir Wylliam of Poicters bastarde of Langres. These thre shulde go and vysette the demeanour of the flemyng{is} / as nere as ther might and to come agayne and make report to the kynge and to his vncles / of the trouthe of euery thynge. and in the meane tyme / the lorde de Labreth & sir Hughe of Chatelone shulde or¦der the ba••aylles. So thus these thre departed fro the kyng moūted on good horses / and rode streyght where as they thought to fynde their enemyes. The same mornyng in y^e great myst the flemynges rose and drewe toguyder in the same stronge place that they had fortifyed / and so stode toguyder all in one batayle tyll it was eyght of the clocke / and coude here nothyng of the frenchmen. And than by great pride the ca∣pitaynes sayd eche to other. What do we here / thus standyng styll on our fete and take colde? Why do we nat go forthe with great courage / sythe we haue so great wyll to fight with oure enemyes? We tary here for nothynge. the frēch men wyll neuer seke vs here. Lette vs go at the leest to the mount Dorrel / and take the aduaun¦tage of the hyll. These wordes so multiplyed / that they all agreed to auaunce forthe / to take y^e hyll that was bytwene them and the frēchmen. And so than to escape fro the dyke that was be∣fore them / they went about the lytell wode that was behynde them / and toke the playne feldes And as they came about this wode / the forsaid thre knyghtes aduysed them by great ••eysar / & so rode in costyng their batayle / within a bowe shot of them. and whan they were passed on the lyft syde / than they rode agayne on their ryght syde / so that they well aduysed their hole batell. The flemynges sawe them right well / but they brake none aray for all them. Than 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Dartuell sayd softely to his capitayns. 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 dresse vs and make vs redy to the batayle / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 our enemyes are nere vs. I se right well y^• thre knightes that haue passed and ••••passed by vs / haue well auiewed oure batayle. ••h••sie th••y drewe all in to one batayle as they wente to the hyll. Than Philyppe sayd a loude. sirs / whan we come to the batayle / lette vs thynke on oure enemyes / howe they were disconfyted at the ba¦tayle of Bruges / by reason that we helde oure selfe close toguyder. Let vs beware that we o∣pyn nat / euery man beare his weapen ryght be¦fore hym / and enterlase your staues ouer your armes / one within another / wherby they shall nat entre vpon vs. And lette vs go a good pase by leysar / and nother tourne on the lyfte hande nor on the right. And shote our gonnes all ato∣nes / and shote with oure cros bowes. And this we shall abasshe our enemyes.

wHan Philyppe Dartuell had thus or∣dred his men and sette his batayle in arraye / and shewed theym what they shulde do. Than he made out a wynge of part of his men / suche as he best trusted / and by him was his page with his courser / to whōe he sayd Go thy waye with my horse behynde yonder busshe / and whan thou seyst the frenchmen flye than bring me my horse and crye my crye. than men wyll gyue the roume / to the entent that I may folowe in y^• chase with the formast. y^• page dyde as he was commaunded. Than he set be∣syde hym on a wynge .xl. archers englysshmen whome he had in wages. ¶ Nowe beholde if Philyp ordred hym selfe well or nat. I thynke and so dyde many / suche as were expert in ba∣taylles / that he dyde nat well nor wysely in one thynge. And that was / whan̄e he depatrted in the mornynge out of the stronge place that he was in. For it is to be thought / that the frenche men wolde neuer haue sought theym there / to haue fought with thē / for they coulde nat haue done it without great domage. But lyke foles they thought to shewe them selfe valyaunt and lytell fea∣ryng their enemyes / and so they were serued therafter.