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 duke Frederyke of Ba∣uyer aryued in the frēche kyng{is} hoost and howe therle Guy of Bloyse and his men cāe to Arras / and howe the kynges vowarde toke Cassell. Cap. CCCC .xxxvii. (Book 437)

TIdynges cāe to the fren¦che kyng as he lay at Arras howe the englysshmen were departed fro the siege and y^e gauntoyse in lykewise / and euery man de{per}ted to theyr holdes. Thā the kyng was counsailed to make hast and to folowe them / to thentent they shulde nat scape. And so he depar¦ted fro Arras and went to Mount saynt Eloy a fayre abbey / and there he taryed foure dayes / abyding tyll the duke of Berry was come. styll people gadered thider fro all parties / and than it was reported by the constable and marshals / and by sir Guyss harde erle Dolphyn mayster of the cros bowes / howe that the kyng had ther mo than a hundred thousande men. Than the kyng departed fro Moūt saynt Eloy / and toke his way to saynt Omers and cāe to Ayre / wher¦of the vycount of Meaulx was capitayne. And there the kyng taryed two dayes / and alwayes styll aproched men of warre. and the constable and they of the vowarde were on before / and lo¦ged at the towne of mount Cassell. And so the kynge came to saynt Omers / and there abode and taryed for his people that came from all {per}∣ties. And whan̄e duke Frederyke of Bauyers came to the hoost / the great barownes of Fraū¦ce went and mette with hym to do hym honour bycause he came fro so farre a countrey to serue the kynge. The kyng made hym great chere / & gaue hym great thankes for his comynge: and lodged hym all the voiage after / as nere to his person as myght be. In the kynges hoost there were to the nōbre of thre thousand horses / wher¦fore it was greatly to be marueyled / howe pro∣uisyon myght be had to suffyce suche an hoost. Howe be it somtyme they lacked and somtyme they had great habundaunce.

tHe erle Guy of Bloyse beynge at Be∣aumont in Heynault / though it were so that he was nat in good helthe / for the longe malady that he was in / ymagyned in him self / that it shulde nat be honorable for him to lye styll / and so many great lordes beynge in the felde / and also he was sent for / he was one of the chiefe apoynted to the reregarde. Therfore he thought it were better for hym to go forthe & putte hym selfe at the pleasure of god than to a∣byde behynde / and that men shulde suppose in him any cowardnes. This gētyll knight went forthe / but he coude in no wyse endure to ryde / therfore he was caryed in a horselytter: and so toke leaue of the lady his wyfe and of Loys his sonne. Dyuers of his coūsell were agaynst his voyage / bycause the season was very hote for a sicke man. But euery man that herde spekyng therof / reputed in hym a great valyantnesse. & with hym departed out of Heynault: the lorde of Sanzest / the lorde of Hauselles / sir Gerard of Warryers / sir Thomas of Dystre / the lorde of Doustrenent / sir Johan of Guysenell / who was made knight the same vyage / and dyuers

other. So thus this erle passed by Chambrey / and so cāe to Arras. And the more he rode and traueyled the better he had his helth•• his owne men were before with the kyng. And whā they herde howe their lorde was comynge / they cāe and mette hym. And so than he was to the nom¦bre of foure hundred speares / and prouisyon e∣uer folowed after hym out of Heynaulte great plentie.

¶ Nowe lette vs speke of the kynge. tHe frenche kyng so spedde in his iour¦ney / that he came to saynt Omers and there rested / and refresshed hym & his vowarde. The cōstable and the marshals went towarde Mount Cassell / that the Englyssmen kepte. They assayled the towne and wanne it with assaute / and all that were within slayne. Suche as scaped wente to Bergues / where as sir Hughe Caurell was / & with hym thre thou∣sande englysshmen / but the bysshoppe of Nor∣wiche was gone to Grauelynge / the soner to be at Calays if nede were. All the countrey about Cassell was brent and pylled by thēglysshmen. and the frenche kyng de{per}ted fro saynt Omers / and lay at an abbey called Raynombergues / & ther rested all that friday. The saturday in the mornyng the vowarde / the constable & the mar¦shals / the lorde of Coucy and a great nombre of good men of armes went to the castell of Tru∣ghen / where ther were a thre hūdred men of ar∣mes / that kepte it all that season. And there the frenchmen made a great and a sharpe assaut / & the englysshmen that were within defended thē selfe marueylously. How be it by pure dedes of armes the Castell was conquered / and all that were within slayne / for the cōstable wolde take none to mercy. And in the base court / ther was foūde the fayrest white horse that might be sene the whiche was presented to the constable / and he sende him incōtynent to the kyng. The horse pleased so the kyng / in suche wyse: that he rode theron the sonday all day. Than came therle of Bloys in to the hoost: he was of the reregarde as he was the yere before / at the batayle of Ro∣sebeque. Therle of Ewe / therle of Harcourt / y^e lorde of Chatellon / and the lorde Fere: all these in his cōpany. And styll aproched men of warr on all sydes. The season was clere and fayre or els there wolde haue ben moche a do / ther was suche a nombre of men and horses.