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.

¶ How the lorde of Destornay made his assemble to wynne agayne And∣warpe / and howe by his policye he wanne it. Cap. CCCC .xlvii. (Book 447)

WE haue herde here before / howe Fraunces Atremanne in the meane tyme whyle the frēche king was in his iourney in Flaunders / toke by stelthe the towne of Ande∣warpe / wherof they of Tourney and of other townes therabout were sore dismayde / for the garyson there before the truse was taken / dyde moche domage in the coūtre of Turnesyn / and specially all the lādes of the lorde of Destornay was in their obeysaūce. And at the feest of Chri¦stēmas / they gadered vp the rentes as capons / and other thynges in his townes / wherwith he was sore displeased / and his seruaūtes and frē∣des. He sayd / that whatsoeuer truse or respyte of warre was taken bytwene Englande / Fraū¦ce / and Flaunders: he wolde in no wyse kepe truse with the gaūtoise. For they had done him so moche hurt that he was nat able to beare it / but in a maner vndone therby. So thus this lorde of Destornay dyde cast his aduyce to get agayne Andwarpe / and atchiued his entent by the ayde of some knightes and squyers of Frā¦ce / of Flaunders / and of Heynalte / who helped hym to his purpose. yet whan he sende for thē / there were many that knewe nothyng what he wolde do. This chaunce happed the .xvii. day of May. the lorde of Destornay knewe by his spyes / that Fraunces Atreman was as than in Gaunt and nat in Andwarpe. For he trusted so on the truse bitwene them and Fraunce / that he feared nothyng / whiche was a great folly. For he tooke nat so good hede to Andewarpe as he shulde haue done: as ye shall herafter.

The lorde of Destornay made an assemble of foure hundred knyghtes and squyers good men of armes. And so he came into the wode of Lart agaynst the gate towarde Grauntmount right nere to the gate of Andwarpe. And with hym there was sir Johan of Molyn / sir Jakes de la Tremoyle / sir Gylbert / sir Johan Cacq̄∣lon / sir Roulande Despyre / sir Blaynchard de Calonne / and the lorde of Destripouylle / who was ther made knight. I shall shewe you now the maner howe they of Andwarpe were discey¦ued. They toke two cartes laded with vitayle and four carters in gray cotes harnessed vnder neth / right hardy and aduenturous felowes. So they came and draue their Cartes before Andwarpe / & shewed the watchmen howe they had brought prouisyon out of Heynault to vi∣tayle the towne. The watchemen thought no∣thyng but good / and so lette downe the portco∣lyse. Than the carters priuely losed the horses fro the cart / the watchmen sayd. sirs / why driue you nat forthe your cartes / and the watchemen toke the forehorses by the heed and drewe them forthe? And so they passed in & the cartes abode styll in the gate and on the bridge. Than̄e the watchmen sawe well they were betrayed / and

began to fight with the carters / who defended them selfe right well / for they were well armed vnder their cotes. And so they slewe two of the watchmen / and incontynent they were rescued for the lorde of Destornay and his cōpany pur¦sewed fast after and entred in to the towne. thā the watchmen fledde into the towne / and cryed treason treason. But or the towne was reysed / the mē of armes were entred and slewe all that they encountred / that made any defence / and so cryed the towne is wonne. Thus Andwarpe was taken agayne / and there were of the gaun¦toyse slayne and drowned a thre hundred / and there was founde great richesse parteyning to Fraunces Atreman. It was sayd / it amoūted to a fyftene thousande frankes.

THese t••••ynges were sone knowen in dy¦uers places howe Andwarpe was takē / the truse duryng by the frenchmen. And speci∣ally they of Gaūt were sore displeased therwith as it was reason / for it touched thē right nere. Than they toke counsayle togyder / and deter∣myned to sende to the duke of Burgoyne / she∣wyng hym howe in the assuraūce of peace / And¦warpe had ben taken fro hym: desyring him / y^• it might be restored agayne / or els y^• truse was broken. So they sende to hym / but the duke ex∣cused hym and sayd: that he medled nothynge with that mater / and so prayed god to helpe thē For he sayd / he knewe nothyng of the lorde De¦stornayes en••prise. but he sayd / he wolde write to hym with a good wyll / and so he dyde / com∣maundynge hym to rendre agayne Andwarpe to the gaūtoyse. Sayeng / howe it was nat ho∣nourable to take any towne / castell or fortresse / duryng the peace. The lorde of Destornay an∣swered to the dukes letter / and sayd to the mes∣sangers. Sirs / alwayes the garysone of And∣warpe hath made me warre / bothe in the warr season and in peace tyme / and hath takē fro me myne herytage / and as for me I neuer agreed to be at peace with them. Thus I haue taken Andwarpe by good feate of warre / and I pur∣pose to kepe it as my proper herytage / tyll Flā∣ders and Gaunt be all one / for I haue nothyng els / for all is lost by the warre. So thus the ma¦ter abode / the gaūtoyse coude get nothyng els. Of the yuell kepynge of Andwarpe Fraunces Atreman was sore blamed / and specially of the lorde of Harsels / so that there were great & hey¦nous wordes bytwene them. Fraunces sayde: howe he had done better seruice to Gaunt / than euer he dyde. Their lāgage multiplyed so farr that eche of them belyed other / with foule wor∣des. And anone after the lorde of Harsels was slayne: some sayd it was by the meanes of Frā¦ces Atreman & Peter de Boyse for enuy. The same season the gaūtoyse made a request to the kyng of Englande ▪ to haue some noble man of his blode to be gouernoure of Gaunt. So the kyng and his counsayle sende to Gaunt a valy¦ant knyght and ryght sage / to haue the gouer∣nyng of Gaunt / he was called sir Johan Bour¦chyer / he had the gouernynge of Gaunte more than a yere and an halfe.