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 french Kynge assayled Burbourke / and howe he ordayned that who soeuer brought thyder a fa¦gotte shulde haue a blanke. Cap. CCCC .xli. (Book 441)

THe saturday as is said before / the frenche kyng cāe before Burbourke. There was neuer sene a goodlyer army / and euery man redy apparelled to assaut the tow¦ne / with great courage and wyll. And they sayd / the towne shulde nat long endure agaynst them / howe be it first it cost thē many of their men. Some had great marueile why they went nat incōtynent to the saut. some said agayne / that the duke of Bretayne and the erle of Flaūders / who were on the farther syde of the towne / were in trea••••e with the Englyssh¦men to yelde vp the towne without any assaut. The bretons / burgonyōs / normayns / almayns and other peple / who thought surely that with∣in the towne was great pyllage and protyte for them / yf they might wynne the towne byforce. Wherfore they were sore displeased y^• they went nat streyght wayes to the assaute. Some scry∣mysshed at the barryers without any commaū¦dement or ordynaunce of the constable or mar∣shalles. The mater multiplyed in suche wyse / that the frenchemen shotte fyre in to the towne / so that there was fyre in mo than in .xl. places / so that they myght se the flame and smoke in e∣uery parte of the hoost. Than began̄e the crye and assaut / and there was in the formast front / sir Wyllyam of Namure and his cōpany / who valyantly dyde assayle. There was done ma∣ny a feate of armes. The assaylātes with great courage and wyll entred in to the dykes / some to the knees in water and myre / and came and shotte and fought at the pales with thenglyssh∣men / who defended theym selfe as well as any men myght do / and it was nede for them so to do. They within had so moche to do / that they wyste nat well what to do. They were assayled on euery syde / and styll brent the houses of the towne / whiche abasshed the englyssmen moost of any thyng. But for all that they went nat fro their wardes / but abode styll at their defences. And sir Mathue Reedman and sir Nycholas Traicton / and suche as were stablysshed in the towne. They dyde as moche as they myght to quenche the fyre / but the wether was so fayre & the season so drie / that the houses flamed. And for certayne / if the assaute had begonsoner the same saturday / and that the night hadde nat so soone cōe / they had wonne the towne by assaut / but it behoued them to cease the assaut / bycause of the nyght. Of sir Wyllyam Namures com∣pany there were a .xxxvi. sore hurt and slayne / and of them of the hoost. as the heraldes repor∣ted / there were slayne and hurte mo than fyue hundred. Than ceased the assaut bicause of the night / and the frēchmen drewe to their lodgyn∣ges / and entended to their hurte people / and to bury the deed. And it was sayd in y^e hoost / that the next day in the mornyng / they wolde newe agayne assaut the towne. Sayeng surely / how they wolde wynne it / and that it shulde nat en∣dure agaynst them. The englysshmen all that nyght entended to repayre their pales whiche were broken / and to quenche the fyre in the tow¦ne. So they sawe them selfe all thynges consy∣dered in a harde case / for they sawe well they were closed in rounde about / so that they coude in no wyse flye out.

aNd on the sonday in the mornyng af∣ter the kynge had herde masse. There was a crye made in the host / that who soeuer brought a fagot before the kynges tent / he shulde haue a blanke of Fraūce / and as ma∣ny fagottes as many blankes. To thentent to caste in to the dykes for men to passe to the pa∣les / and on the monday to gyue assaute. Than there was good makyng of fagottes / and brin¦gynge of theym before the kynges tent / so that within a whyle there was a great stacke of thē. So thus they draue of the sonday without a∣ny assaut. And some said the same sonday / that the duke of Bretayne / who was on the farther syde of the towne / fell in treatie with thēglysshe¦men / for they sawe well what case they were in. He counsayled them to yelde vp the towne / sa∣uynge their bodyes and goodes / to the whiche counsayle they were gladde to folowe. And de∣syred the duke for goddes sake and gentylnesse that he wolde helpe to make a treatie for them: and for that cause the sonday / the duke sende to the kyng and to his vncles / to his counsayle / to the constable / and to therle of saynt Poule / that they shulde helpe to make this treatie. And to counsayle the kyng to take the fortresse as they were offred. For as to assayle theym it shulde cost the kynge moche of his people / and as for Bourbourke it wolde be harde to wynne. For therin were a fewe poore menne of warre / that wolde defēde themselfe to the dethe. The kyng and his vncles / bycause the duke of Bretayne spake for them: sayd he wolde here their treaty with a good wyll. So thus the sonday passed all in peace / and as it was said: in the euenyng on assuraunce. Johan of Newcastell Gascone and Raymonette of saynt Marke / came to the

lodgynge of sir Guy dela Tremoyle to sporte them / and taryed there all night / and on the mō¦day in the mornynge they retourned to Bour∣burke / and at their departure sir Guy sayde to them. Sirs: or it be night ye shall be my priso∣ners. Sir quod they / we had rather be yours than a poorer knyghtes. The same euenyng ti∣dynges came to the hoost howe And warp was taken by stelthe / wherwith the capitayne ther∣of was sore displeased bycause he was ther / the whiche was losse of the towne: but he was excu¦sed bycause the erle of Flaunders had sende for hym. The same sonday at night the erle Blois kept the watche / wenynge to assayle the towne in the mornynge.

oN the monday in the mornyng there was a crye made / that no man shulde be so hardy to make any assaute to the towne / tyll they were commaūded. Whan this crye was publysshed throughe the hoost / euery man ceased. And some ymagined that the En∣glisshmen shulde departe by some treatie / sithe they were cōmaunded nat to assayle the towne And at noone there yssued out of the towne / su∣che as shulde comune for the treatie. Sir Wyl¦lyam Helman / sir Thomas Tryuette / sir Ni∣cholas Traicton / sir Mathue Reedman / and to the nombre of .xiiii. knyghtes and squyers. And the duke of Bretayne / the cōstable of Frā¦ce / and the erle of saynt Poule brought them in to the kynges tent. The kyng was gladde to se them / for as than he hadde sene but a fewe En∣glisshmen except sir Peter Courtney / who had ben before at Paris to do dedes of armes with sir Guy de la Tr••moyle: but the same tyme the kynge and his counsayle agreed them so / that they fought nat toguyder. And bycause that in tyme passed great renome and brute ran / howe that the Englysshmen were valyant in armes. Therfore the yonge kyng was gladde to se thē & their treatie aueyled moche the better. Thus this monday they were in the kynges tent. and with the kyng ther was the duke of Berry / the duke of Burgoyne / the duke of Burbone / the duke of Bretaygne / the erle of Flaunders / and the constable of Fraunce and no mo. The duke of Bretayne toke great payne in this treatie. so at last they concluded / that they shulde departe fro Burbourke and leaue the towne of Graue∣lynge / and to take with them as moche as they coude cary of their owne. of this treatie dyuers bretons / frenchmen / normayns / and burgony∣ous were sore displeased. for they had hoped to haue had parte of their goodes / but they fayled of their entēt{is} / for the kyng wolde haue it thus / as is sayd before. After this treatie these knigh¦tes toke leaue of the kyng and of his vncles / of the duke of Bretayne / of the erle of Flaunders / and of the cōstable. Than therle of saint Poule toke and had theym to supper in his lodgynge and made them right good there ▪ and after sup¦per he conueyed them to the gates of the towne wherof they thanked hym greatly.