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 they of And warpe were put out of the towne / & none abode there but gauntoyse. And howe Amergot Marsell toke the castell of Marquell in Auuerne: and howe it was gyuen vp by cōposycion for fyue thousande frankes / to the erle Dolphyn of Au∣uergne. Cap. C C C C .xl.

SUche as were a slepe in theyr beddes in Ande warpe / were sore abasshed whan they herd that cry / and saw their towne taken and coude nat remedy it. For the gaūtoyse brake vp their houses byforce / & slewe them without any defence makyng / they were taken so sodenly / wherfore there was no recoue¦ry / therfore euery man saued him selfe y^• might best. The men fledde out of their houses all na∣ked & lept ouer the walles / and left all behynde them / and waded throughe the dykes and wa∣ters about the towne. The ryche men bare no∣thyng away with thē / for they were happy that might saue thē selfe a lyue. Ther was the same night a great nombre slayne in the towne / and drowned in the dykes and waters. Thus it for tuned of this aduenture. And in the moruynge whan the gauntoyse sawe howe they were lor∣des of the towne / than they put all women and chyldren out of the towne naked / in their shert{is} and smockes / or in the worst tayment they had and so they went to Tourney. & suche as were escaped some went to Mount to Achacondent to Ualencennes / and to Tourney. Tidynges came to many places howe And warpe was ta∣ken / wherof they of Gaunt were greatly reioy∣sed and sayd / howe Fraunces Atreman had a∣chyued a great and an highe enterprise / whiche ought to tourne to his great valur and prayse. Thus Fraunces Atreman abode capitayne of And warpe / and wanne there great riches and great prouisyon / which came well to poynt for the towne of Gaunt: as whete / otes / and wyne the whiche they of the towne had gadered togy¦der out of Fraunce / Flaunders / and Turney. But all that was of Heynalte was saued / they toke nothyng therof but that they payed for.

In y^• same season ther fell nere suche a lyke aduēture in Auuergne / where as englysshmen helde dyuers castels / marchyng on the lande of the erle Dolphyn / and of the bysshop of saynt Fleure & of Cleremont. And bycause they that were there in garyson / knewe well howe all the countre was voyde of men of warre / and howe that the lordes and knightes therof / or at leest: moost parte of them were with the kyng in his voyage in Flaunders. Therfore they thought they wolde assay to steale and to scale some tow¦ne or fortresse. And so it happed that Amargot Marsell capitayne of Aloyse a right strong ca¦stell within a myle of saynt Fleure / toke a .xxx. of his company / and rode couertly towarde the lande of therle Dolphyn. And his entent / was to assay to take by stelthe y^• castell of Marquell wherby the erle Dolphyn beareth his armes. & so he came thyder throughe the wodes / and ta∣ryed in a lytell woode nere to the castell tyll the sonne went downe / and that all the beestes and men of the castell were entred in. & in the meane

season that the capitayne called Grandon Bu∣yssell satte at supper. The Englysshmen redy apparelled to do their en••prise / dressed vp their ladders and entred into the castell at their ease. They of the castell were walkyng beneth in the courte / and whan they sawe their enemyes on the walles / they cryed treason treason. & whan the capitayne herde that / he thought there was no remedy but to saue him selfe by a preuy way that he knewe / whiche went out of his chambre in to the great towre / whiche was cheife defēce of all the castell. He drewe thyder and toke the keyes with hym and closed him selfe in y^e towre whyle that Amergotte entended to other thyn∣ges. And whan they sawe y^t the capitayne was scaped in to the towre / whiche was to strong to be wonne by them. Than they sayd they hadde done nothyng / and repented thē that they were entred / for they were enclosed within the castell and coude nat get out agayne at the gate. than Amergotte went to the towre to speke with the capitayne / and sayd to hym. Grandon delyuer me the keyes of the gate of the castell / and I pro¦myse the / we shall departe hens without doyng of any more hurt. No {quod} Grandon / but ye wyll lede away my catell / wherin I haue great trust Gyue me thy hāde quod Amergot / and I shall swere to the by my faythe / that thou shalt haue no domage. Than the folysshe capitayne putte out his hande at a lytell wyndowe / to thentent that he shulde swere to hym. And as soone as Amergotte had his hande in his / he drewe it to hym and streyned hym sore: and drewe out his dagger and sware / that without he wolde dely¦uer all the keyes to him / he wolde nayle fast his hande to the gate. Whan Grandon sawe hym¦selfe in that case he was sore abasshed / and nat withoute a cause. For he sawe well that Amer∣got wolde nayle fast his hāde to the gate / with¦out he delyuered the keyes. and so he delyuered them with the other hande / for they were nere hym. Nowe quod Amergotte to his company haue I natte well disceyued this foole / I shall lerne well suche dedes. Than̄e they opyned the towre and so were maysters therof / and put the capitayne & all they that were within clene out / and dyde them no more hurt of their bodyes.

tIdynges came to the erle Dolphyns wyfe / who laye in a castell in a good towne called zaydes / but a lytell myle thens / howe the castell of Marquell was taken by the Englysshmen. The lady was sore abas∣shed / bycause her lorde was nat in the countre. She sende to the knightes and squyers of the countre to come to ayde her to cōquere agayne the castell. Knightes and squyers came anone to the lady and layde siege to the castell / but the englysshmen made no force therof / and so helde it fyftene dayes. Than̄e the lady fell in treatie with them and a composycion was taken. And so Amergot departed and had fyue thousande frankes / and than retourned to his owne gary sone agayne. In lykewise they of Caluylcell / wherof Peter de Brenoise was capitayne / and dyde moche hurt about Auuergne and Lymo∣syn. The Englysshmen the same tyme helde in the fronters & lymyties of Auuergne / of Quer∣cy / and of Lymosyn / mo than threscore stronge castels: so that they might go and come fro for∣teresse to fortresse / tyll they came to Burdeux. And the fortres that dyde moost hurt was Uā∣tatoure / one of the strōgest castels of the worlde and chiefe capitayne therof was a bretone / cal∣led Geffray Testenoyre. this was a cruell mā and had pytie of no man / for as soone he wolde put to dethe a knight or a squyer as a vyllayne for he sette by no body. He was so feared of his men / that none durst displease hym. He hadde with hym a foure hundred companyons in his wages / and well and truely he payed them fro moneth to moneth. He helde the countre about hym in peace & in subiectyon / none durst ryde in his countre he was so feared and douted. he had all maner of purueyaunce about hym. No man of the worlde coude haue better: as clothe of Brusels and of Normandy / of peltre ware and of mercery / and of all other thynges neces∣sarie: he solde it to his people and abated it on their wages. also he had to sell all prouisyon as yron / steele: leddar / spyce / and of all other thyn¦ges / as plentyfull: as thoughe it hadde bene at Parys. And somtyme he moued warre as well to the Englysshmen as to the frenchmen / to the entent to be the more redouted. The Castell of Uantatour was euer purueyed of all thynges to abyde a Siege / and it shulde endure seuyn yere. ¶ Nowe lette vs retourne to the bu∣synesse of Flaunders.