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 truse taken bitwene En¦glande and Fraunce was publisshed in Englande and in Scotlande. Cap. CCCC .xlvi. (Book 446)

AT thende of two dayes / the heraulde was answered by sir Symon Bulle / cham¦berlayne with the king. and so y^• mater was set at a good poynt. For to say the trouth all thynges consydered / the lordes of Englande that had bene beyonde the see and toke▪ the truse / dyde nat honorably to cō¦sent to sende their men to ouer ron Scotlande seyng they knewe the truse was taken. the best excuse that they coulde make / was: howe they

were nat boūde to sende worde therof to y^e scot∣tes / but that the frenchemen were bounde ther∣to. So than it was sayd to the heraude / that in the name of god he was welcome. And howe y^t it was thentency on of the kynge of Englande / of his vncles / and of their counsayle: y^t all that they had sworne and {pro}mysed to do / they wolde in no wyse breke it / but wolde cōfyrme it to the best of their powers. For in that hath ben done to the contrarie / they that had moost done had moost lost. Of all this the haraulde desyred to haue writyng to thentent he might be beleued. There was gyuen hym great gyftes so that he was well cōtent / and thanked the kyng and the lordes. And so departed fro London and retur¦ned in to Scotlande / where the messangers of Fraunce were styll taryeng for his answere / de¦syring to knowe howe the englysshmen wolde do. And whan it was knowen what answere y^e king of Englande and his vncles had made by their letters sealed / they were than greatly con∣tented and reioysed. Thus endured the trewse for a yere bytwene Englande and Scotlande / and was publysshed throughe bothe Realmes for the more suretie. And the ambassadours of Fraunce retourned in to their countre / and pas¦sed throughe Englande safely without parell. And shewed the frenche king and his vncles at their returnyng howe they had spedde / and the lettes that they founde in their iourney. And so shewed all the case / as ye haue herde before.

wHan sir Geffray de Charney and the knightes and squiers of the realme of Fraunce / suche as had bene in Scot∣lande / sawe that there was peace bytwene En∣lande and Scotlande. Than they tooke leaue of the lordes of Scotlande / and specially of the erle Duglas / and the Erle of Moret / who had kepte them ryght good company: And they of Scotlande sayd vnto them at their de{per}tynge. Sirs / ye haue sene the maner and condycion of our cositre / how be it ye haue nat sene all our puyssaunce. Knowe for certayne / that Scot∣lande is the lande in all the worlde that the En¦glysshmen 〈◊〉〈◊〉 moost. For we may as ye haue sene / entre in to Englande at oure ease / & ryde farre in to the countre without daunger of the see: so that & yf we were men ynowe / we might do them moche more hurt than we do. wherfore sirs / and ye wold shewe this to suche knightes and squyers as wolde auaūce them selfe to get honoure / and to come in to this countre to seke dedes of armes / we thike they shulde do a gret feate. For if we had but a thousande speares of knightes and squyers of Fraūce with our peo∣ple that we haue in this countre / we shulde do suche a dede in Englande / that it shulde be spo¦ken of .xl. yere after. Sirs / we desyre you remē¦bre this whan ye come in to Fraunce. They an¦swered and sayd / they wolde nat fayle to do it / for it was a mater nat to be forgoten. So thus they departed and toke the see and thought to haue sayled to Scluse / Howe be it the wynde was contrarie to them whan̄e they were on the see / so that they were fayne to take lande in ze∣lande / in a towne called Uorell. thā they thoght they were in sauegarde / but it was nat so: For the Normayns but a lytell before had ouer ron the countre therabout / & done to the zelanders great domage / Wherfore these knightes & squi¦ers of Fraunce were in great daūger / for while this brute was thus in the towne / their shyppe was entred / their cofers broken & their armure taken / and they all in great parell to be slayne.

THe same daye there was in the towne a squyer of the erle of Bloyes / called Ja∣cob Grasyns / he dyde helpe to ayde the frenche men as moche as he might. He spake to y^• may¦sters of the towne and dyde so moche by his lā∣gage / that parte of their goodes was restored agayne to them / and to bring thē out of the pa∣rell and daunger that he sawe they were in (for he knewe well the people of the towne were sore moued agaynst them / and were in mynde to ly in waite for them on the see / and to execute that purpose they had warned other townes by) the sayed squyer shewed them what daunger they were in / & the countre was sore moued agaynst them. But he sayd / for the loue of the kyng and for thonour of the realme of Fraunce / he wolde ordayne some remedy for them. Than he went to a maryner and hyred a shippe to go wher as pleased hym with his company: sayeng / howe he wolde sayle to Dondrest. So the maryner made couynaunt with him / and so he entred in to the shyppe / and all the sayde frenchmen with hym. And so first the maryner set his course to Donderst. Whan̄e Jacob sawe his tyme / than he sayd to the mariners. Sirs / take hede what I say. I haue hyred this shyppe for this viage to sayle whyder as me lyst / therfore tourne yo•• sayle towarde streneghen / for I wyll sayle thy∣der. The maryners wolde nat agre therto but sayd. Sir / ye sayd ye wolde sayle to Dondrest / and thyder wyll we bringe you but to none o∣ther place. than Jacob sayd / marke well what

I say. Do as I commaunde you / or els ye shal dye therfore / than the maryners durst no more stryue it lay nat in their powers. So they tour¦ned the helme and sayle / and sayled toward the towne of Streneghen / and came thyder with∣out any parell. The towne belonged to the erle of Bloyes and there they refresshed them / and so departed at their pleasure / and retourned in to their countre by Brabant and by Heynault. Jacob dyde thē this seruyce a squyer of Guyes the erle of Bloyes.

wHan̄e sir Geffray of Charney and sir Johan of Blassey / and the knightes & squyers that had bene in Scotlande were retourned in to Fraūce / they were enquy¦red of the tidynges of Scotlande. There they shewed all that they had herde and sene / & she∣wed the myndes of the barons and knightes of Scotlande. Sir Johan of Uyen admyrall of Fraunce spake with sir Geffray of Charney / & he shewed him all as ye haue herde before. than the Admyrall aduysed well / and so dyde other barōs of Fraūce / howe they might haue a fayre entre in to Englande by Scotlande / also they knewe well that naturally the scottes loued nat the englysshmen. Sir Amery of Marse confyr¦med the same: sayeng / howe he was desyred of the kynge of Scottes and by his counsayle / to shewe the same to the frenche kynge and to his counsayle. So thus the frēchmen had an yma∣ginacyon y^t the truse ones expyred / they wolde sende a great puyssaunce in to Scotlande to wast parte of Englande. This purpose was cō¦cluded by the duke of Berry & the duke of Bur¦goyne / who had as than the gouernynge of the realme / but they kept it secrete.