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 englysshe men toke the towne and mynster of Grauelynge / and howe the erle of Flaunders sent to speke with thē. Cap. CCCC .xxx. (Book 430)

AT all this agremēt was nat sir Hugh Caurell / for he was gone to se a cosin of his the Capitayne of Guynes / called sir Johan Droithton and so he was there all day / and retourned agayne the nexte day. Than the bysshoppe sent for hym to the castell / for the knightes had sayd to the bys∣shoppe. howe they wolde haue the aduyse of sir Hughe Caurell or they dyde any thynge / by∣cause be had moost sene & vsed the warre. than the bysshop sayd to hym (as ye haue herde be∣fore) and commaunded hym to say his aduyse. Than sir Hughe answered hym and sayde. sir ye knowe well on what condycion we be depar¦ted out of Englande. Our enterprise toucheth no thynge the warre bytwene the kynges▪ / but all onely agaynst the Clemētyns / for we be sou¦dyers of pope Urbane. Who hath clene assoy∣led vs from all synne and payne / if we do oure power to distroy the Clementyns. If we go in to Flaunders / thoughe the countrey hath bene conquered by the frenche kyng and the duke of Burgoyne / yet for all that we shulde do amysse For as I vnderstande / the Erle of Flaunders and all the flemynges / be as good Urbanystes as we be. Also sir / we haue nat men ynowe to entre in to Flaunders / for they are all redy and vsed in the warre / and they are a great nombre of people. They haue done nothyng els / but ly¦ned in warre this thre or foure yere: and also it is a stronge countrey to entre in to. Also the flē∣mynges haue done vs no trespasse. But sir / yf we shall ryde lette vs ryde in to Fraunce / there be our enemyes in two maners. The kyng our lordes warr is nowe opyn. And also the french¦men are good Clementyns / cōtrarie to our be∣leue and agaynst our pope. Also sir / we shulde abyde for our marshall sir Wyllm̄ Beauchāpe / who shulde hastely come to vs with a good nō∣bre of men: And the last worde that our kynge sayd / was that he wolde sende hym to vs. But sir / my counsayle is if we shall nedes ryde / let vs drawe towardes Ayre or Moustrell. Ther is none I thynke as yet / that wyll cōe agaynst vs. And alwayes men wyll come to vs oute of Flaūders / who hath lost all that they haue. they wyll be gladde to go with vs / in hope to wynne some what agayne. They beare yuell wyll in their hertes to the frenchmen / who hath slayne in the warres: their fathers / bretherne / kyns∣men and frēdes. Sir Hughe coude scant speke these wordes / but that the bysshop toke the ma¦ter hote and hasty / and sayde. A sir Hughe / ye haue so well lerned to ryde in Fraunce / that ye can nat ryde in to none other place. We can nat better ryde to our profyte / thanne to entre in to the fronter of Flaūders by the see cost: as to the towne of Bourbourge / of Dunesshe / of Mes∣port / of Bergues / of Cassell / of Ipre / & of Pro∣prigne. In these sayd countreis as I am enfor¦med by the burgesses of Gaunt / they had neuer warre that greued them. Let vs go thyder and refresshe vs and abyde there / for our marshall if he wyll come. Howe be it wese nat yet but ly∣tell aparence of his comynge. Whan sir Hughe Caurell / sawe that the bysshop dyde take hym vp so shortely. And he consydred well / howe he was their chyefe capitayne / and that he was a great man and of great lygnage / he helde his peace. For he sawe well also / howe that his opy¦nyon shulde nat be susteyned / nother by {ser} Tho¦mas Tryuet nor by sir Wylliam Helmon. than he departed and sayd. Sir / if ye ryde forthe / sir Hughe Caurell shall ryde with you. nor ye shal nat go that way but y^• he dare well go the same. I beleue well quod y^• bysshoppe / ye haue good wyll to ryde forthe / therfore make you redy / for we wyll ryde to morowe.

oN this purpose they were all agreed / and their rydinge forthe was publys∣shed throughe out the towne. And in the mornynge the trumpettes sowned / and eue∣ry man departed in to the feldes / and tooke the way to Grauelyng. And they were in nombre / aboute a thre thousand men armed / and so they came to the porte of Grauelynge. Thesee was as than but lowe / and so they passed forthe and assayled the mynster / the which they of y^• towne had fortifyed. The towne was closed but with pales / the whiche coude nat long endure. Nor also the men of the towne were but see men. If ther had ben gentylmen / it wolde haue helde lē¦gar than it dyde. Nor also they coūtre was nat ware therof / for they feared nothyng thēglyssh¦men. Thus thēglysshmen cōquered y^• towne of Grauelyng & entred in to it / and than drue to y^• mynster / wherinto the people of y^• towne were drawen. And putte therin all their goodes / on

trust of the strēgth of the place / and their wyues and chyldren / and made rounde about it great dykes / so that the englysshmen coude nat haue it at their ease / for they were ther two dayes or they wanne it. yet finally they wan it / & slewe all them that kept it with defence / and with the resydue they dyde what they lyste. Thus they were lordes and maysters of Grauelynge / and lodged toguyder in the towne / and founde ther plentie of prouisyon. Than all the countrey be∣ganne to be afrayed / and dyde put their good{is} in to the fortresses / and sende their wyues and chyldren to Bergues / to Bourbourcke / and to saynt Omers. The erle of Flaunders who lay at Lysle / whan̄e he vnderstode these tidynges / howe that the englysshe men made hym warre and had taken Grauelynge: than he beganne to dout of them of Franke and of Bruges / and called his counsayle to hym and sayde. I haue great marueyle of the englysshe men / that they ronne this on my lande. They demaunded ne∣uer nothynge of me? and thus without any de¦fyaunce to entre in to my lande. Some of his counsayle answered hym and sayde. Sir / it is a thyng well to marueyle of. But it is to be sup¦posed / that they repute you therle of Flaūders to be frenche / bycause the frenche kyng hath so rydden in this coūtre / that all is yelded to hym. Why quod therle / what is best than to be done? Sir quod they / it were good that ye sende sir Johan Uillayns and sir John̄ Moulyn / who be here presente (and also they haue a pensyon of the kynge of Englande) in to Englande to speke with the kyng there fro you / and to shewe him sagely all this busynesse. And to demaūde of him / why he dothe make you warr. we thyn¦ke whan he hereth youre messangers speke / he wyll nat be content with theym that thus war∣reth agaynst your countre / but call them backe to their great blame. yea quod the Erle / but in the meane tyme whyle they go in to Englande / they that be nowe at Grauelynge wyll go far∣ther: and do great domage to them of Franke. sir quod they / than let thē first go to thē at Gra∣uelynge / and desyre of them a saue conducte to go to Calayes / and so in to Englande. And to knowe of them / what it is that they demaunde of you. We thynke these two knyghtes are so well aduysed / and wyll handell them so wysely that they shall sette the countrey in rest & peace. I am content it be thus {quod} the erle. Than these two knightes were enfourmed by the erle & his counsayle / what they shulde say to the bysshop of Norwych / & to shewe him what charge they haue to go in to Englande / to shewe the mater to the kyng there / and to his vncles.

iN the meane season that these knygh∣tes prepared to go to Grauelynge / to speke with the bysshop of Norwyche. All the countre arose / about Burbourcke / Ber¦gues / Cassell / Propringe / Furnes / Newport / and other townes. And they came to Dōkyrke / and there abode in the towne. Sayeng / howe they wolde shortely issue out and defende their fronters / and fight with the englysshmen. And these men of Flaunders had a capitayne / cal∣led sir Johan Sporequyn / gouernoure of all the landes of the lady of Bare / the which lande lyeth in the marchesse about Ipre. And this sir Johan Sporequyn / knewe nothynge that the erle of Flaunders wolde sende in to Englande For the Hase of Flaunders was newly come to hym with .xxx. speares. And shewed hym howe that the erle was at Lysle about a maryage to be had / bytwene his suster and thē lorde Del∣baryn. So these two knightes dyde as moche as they coulde / to styrre the countrey to ryse / so that they were to the nōbre of twelfe thousande pykes / with pauesses and cootes of steele: hoc∣tons / shapeause / and bassenettes. And in a ma∣ner / they were all of the lande of y^• lady of Bar∣res / bytwene Grauelynge and Donkyrke / as I was enfourmed. And a thre leages in y^• way there stode the towne of Mardyke / a great vyl∣lage on the see syde vnclosed. And thyder came some of the englysshmen and scrimysshed. And so thus came to Grauelynge / sir Johan Uyl∣layne and sir Johan de Moulyne / for the Erle of Flaunders / by a saueconduct that he had at∣tayned fro the bysshoppe / or he came fro Bur∣bourcke. Than they came to the bysshoppe of Norwiche / who made to theym by semblaunt ryght good chere. He had with hym at dyner y^• same day all the lordes of the host / for he knewe well / the erles knightes shulde come to hym the same tyme. And his mynde was / how he wolde that they shulde fynde them all toguyder. than these two knightes beganne to speke and sayd. Sir / we be sende hyder to you / fro the Erle of Flaunders our lorde. What lorde quod the bys¦shoppe? They answered agayne and sayde. fro the erle: there is none other lorde of Flaūders. By the good lorde quod the bysshoppe / we take for the lorde of Flaunders the frenche kynge / or els the duke of Burgoyne our enemys. For by puyssance but late / they haue conquered all the countre. Sir quod the knightes / sauyng your

displeasure. The lande was at Tourney / clere¦lye rendred agayne and put in to the hand{is} and gouernyng of the erle of Flaunders / who hath sent vs to you. Desyring you that we two / who haue pensyon of the kynge of Englande / may haue a sauecōduct to go in to Englāde to speke with the kynge / to knowe the cause why / with∣out any defyaunce / he maketh warre agaynst the erle and his countre of Flaūders. Sirs {quod} the bysshop / we shall take aduyce and answere you to morowe. So thus they went to their lo¦gynge and left the englysshmen in counsayle / & so all that day they toke counsayle togyder / and concluded as ye shall here.