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 frenchmen brent in the lā¦des of syr John̄ of Heynault. Cap. xliiii. (Book 44)

NOwe lette vs speke of kyng Philyppe / who great¦ly fortifyed his nauy that he hadde on the see. Wherof syr Kiry Bahuchet and Barbe Noyre were captayns. And thei had vnder them a great retynu•• of Genowayes / normayns / bretons / & pycardes: they dyd that wynter great damage to the realme of Englande: somtyme they came to Douer / sandwyche / Wynchelse / Hastynges / and Rye: and dyd moche sorowe to thenglysshe men / for they were a great nombre as a .xl. M. men. Ther was none that coude yssue out of en glande: but they were robbed / taken / or slayne / so they wan great pyllage / & specially they wan a great shyppe called the Christofer / laden with wolles as she was goyng into Flaunders. The which shyppe had coost the kynge of Englande moch money / and all they that were taken with in the shyppe were slayne and drowned. Of the which conquest the frenchmen were ryght ioye∣ouse. The frenche kyng than sent and wrote to the lorde of Beamont / y^• lorde of Breme / to the Uidame of Chalon / the lorde John̄ de la Boue the lorde John̄ and Gararde of Loyre / that they shulde make an army and to ryde into the land of syr John̄ of Heynalt / & to burne and dystroy there asmoche as they might. They obeyd and gathered togyder to the nombre of .v. C. speres and so in a mornynge they came before the tow∣ne of Simay / & gathered to gyder there a gret pray / for they of the countrey thought that the frenchmen wolde nat a cōe so farre / nor to haue passed the wode of Thyrach. So the frēchmen burnt the subarbes of Simay / and dyuerse o∣ther vyllages there about nygh all the lande of Simay except the fortresses / than they went to Aubēton in Thyerach / and ther deuyded their boty. In the same season the soudyours of Cā∣bray came to a lytell strong house without Cā∣bray called Relenques / pertayning to syr John̄ of Haynalt. And a bastarde sonne of his kept y^• house with a .xv. soudyours with hym / so they were assayled a hole day togyder / and y^e dykes wer so frosen that a man might well come to the walles. And so they within trussed all that they had / and about mydnight departed and set fyre themselfe on the house: the next day whan they of Cambray came thyder agayne / & sawehowe it was brent they dyd bete downe all that stode / And the capitayne of the house and his compa∣ny went to Ualencennes. ye haue well harde by

fore / howe sir Gualter of Manny toke y^• castell of Thyne: and set therm a brother of his called Gyles of Manny / he made many skirmysshes with them of Cābray / and dyd them moch trou¦ble. And so it hapened on a day that he went fro his garyson with a sixscore men of armes / and came to the barrers of Cambray / and the brunt was so great that many armed them within the cyte / and came to y^e gate wher as the skirmyssh was. Wher as sir Gyles had put backe them of Cambray / than they yssued out: and among the cambreses ther was a yong squyer a gascoyne / called Wyllyam Marchant: who went out into the felde well horsed / his shelde about his necke and his spere in his hande. And whan {ser} Gyles of Māny sawe hym he rode f••er••ly to hym: and ther {ser} Gyles was strykē through all his harnes to y^e hert / so that y^• spere went clene through his body & so he fell to the erth. Than ther was a ••y¦ers skirmysshe & many stryken downe on bothe partes / but finally they of Cambray obtayned the place and drewe a way their ennemies / and toke with them sir Gyles of Manny hurt as he was / and so brought hym to Cambray w^t great toye. Than incontynent they dysarmed hym / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dyd gette surgions to dresse his wound: for they wold gladly that he might escaped: but he dyed the next day after. Than thei d••••myned to send his body to his two bretherne John̄ and Tyr∣rey / who were in the garyson at Bouhayne in Ostrenant: for though that the countrey of Hei¦nalt at that tyme was in no warr / yet all the frō ters to warde Fraūce were euer in good awayt So than they ordayned a horse lytter right ho∣norably and put his body therin / and caused .ii. freres to conuey it to his bretherne / who recey∣ued hym with great sorowe. And they bare hym to the freres at Ualencennes / and there he was buryed: and after that the two bretherne of Mā¦ny came to the castell of Thynel and made sore warre agaynst them of Cambray incounter∣uengyng the dethe of their brother.

¶ In this season: captayne of Turney & Tur∣neyses / was sir Godmarde Fay & of the fortres∣ses there about / and the lorde of Beauye•• was within Mortayn on the ryuer of Lescaute / and the stuarde of Carcassonne was in the towne of saynt Amande: {ser} Amery of Poyters in ••ouay the lorde Galoisde la Baulme / and the lorde of Uyllars / the marshall of My〈…〉〈…〉s / and the lorde of Marneyl in the cyte of Cambray. And these knyghtes / squyers / and soudyers of Fran¦ce desyred none other thyng: but y^e they myght entre into Heynault / and to robbe and ••yll the countrey. Also the bysshoppe of Cambray who was at Parys with the kyng / cōplayned howe the heynowes had done hym domage / brēt and ouer ron his contrey more than any other men. And than the kyng gaue lycence to the soudiers of Cābresys to make a rode into Heynalt: th•••• they of the garysous made a iourney / and were to the nombre of .vi. C. men of armes. And on a saturday in the mornyng they departed fro Cā∣bray: and also they of la Male Mayson / rode forth the same day and mette togyder and went to the towne of Aspre / y^e which was a good tow¦ne and a great without the walles. The peo〈…〉〈…〉 ther were in no dout for they knewe of no warr towardes thē: so the frenchmen entred & founde men and women in their houses / and toke them and robbed the towne at there pleasur. And tha sette fyre in the towne: and brent it so clene that nothynge remayned but the walles: within the towne ther was a priory of blacke monk{is} with great byldinges besyde the church / which helde of saynt Wast of Arras. The frenchmen also robbed the place / and brent it to the yerth / and with all their pyllage they retourned to Cābray These tidynges anone came to the knowledge of therle of Heynault / who was a bedde and a ••••epe in his lodgyng: called the sale / and soden∣ly he rose and armed hym and called vp all such knyghtes as were about hym / but they were lo∣ged so abrode / that they were nat so sonne redy as therle was / who without taryeng for any {per}∣son came into the market place of Ualencēnes / and caused the belles to be souned alaram / than euery man a rose and armed them and folowed therle their lord / who was ryden out of y^e towne in great hast and toke the way towarde Aspre: and by that tyme he had ryden aleage / tidyng•• came to hym howe the frenchmen were depted. Than he rode to thabbey of Fountnels / where as the lady his mother was: and she had moche a do to repayse hym of his dyspleasure: for he sayd playnly that the dystruction of Aspre shuld derely be reuenged in the realme of Fraunce. The good lady his mother: dyd asmoche as she coude to swage his yre / and to excuse the kynge of that dede. So whā therle had ben ther a cer∣tayne space / he toke leaue of her and retourned to Ualencēnes: and incōtynent wrote letters to the prelates and knyght{is} of his contrey to haue their aduyce and counsayle in that behalfe. And whan sir John̄ of Heynalt knewe her of / he toke his horse and came to therle his nephue: and as sone as the erle sawe hym / he sayd a fayre vncle your absence hath sette the frenchmen in a pride

A sir {quod} he with your trouble and anoyance / I am sore dyspleased: howe beit in a maner I am glad therof. Nowe ye be well rewarded for the seruyce and loue that ye haue borne to y^• french∣men Nowe it behoueth you to make a iourney into Fraunce agaynst the frenchmen a vncle {quod} therle / loke into what quart ye thynke best and it shalbe shortly done. So thus the day of par∣lyamēt assigned at Mons came and thyder re∣soried all the counsayle of the countrey: and also of Nolande and zelande / ther were di••iers opy∣nyons. Some wolde that certayne sufficyent {per} sons shulde be sent to the french kyng / to knowe if he were cōsentyng to the hurt done in Henalt / or by what tytle he shulde make warre into the erles lande without any defiaunce. And some o∣ther wold that therle shulde be reuenged in lyke maner as the frenchmen had begon / how beit fi¦nally all reasons debated: it was thought that therle coude do no otherwyse but to make warr into Fraunce. And it was ordayned that therle shulde make his defyaunce to the frenche kyng / and than to entre byforce into the realme of Frā¦ce: & to bere these defyāces was ordayned / thab¦bot Thybalt of saynt Crispyne. So thā the let∣ters of defyance were written & sealed by therle / & by all y^e nobles of the cōtrey. Than therle thā¦ked all his lordes / and other of their good con∣fort / and of their promyse to ayde to reuēge him agaynst the frenchmen. Thabbot of saynt Cri¦spyne came into Fraunce / and brought these de fyances to kyng Philypp̄ / who made light ther¦of: and sayd how his nephue was but an outra∣ous folc / & howe that he was a marchāt to haue his cōtrey brēt. Thabbot returned to therle & to his counsayle / & shewed howe he had sped. And than therle prepared for men of warre in his cō¦trey / and in Brabant / and in Flanders: so that he had 〈◊〉〈◊〉 great nombre togyder. And so set for∣warde / towarde the lande of Symay: for therl¦les intent was to go and brenne the landes of y^• lorde of Bremus / and also Aubenton / and Thy¦erache.