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 lady of Brabant caused to be called a counsayle wherat there was the duke of Burgoyn / the duke Aubert and she / in the cytie of Cam∣bray / to treat for the mariage of their chyldren. Cap. CCCC .xlix. (Book 449)

THe duches of Brabāt beyng a wydow (for y^• duke Wyncelent of Boesme was deed / for whose deth she had greate sorowe at her▪ harte) lay at Brusels. and it great∣ly displeased her: y^• trowble that she sawe in Flaunders / & gladly she wolde haue made a peace and she might / for she vnder¦stode that the gauntoyse dayly fortifyed them selfe / by reason of the englisshmen / who promy∣sed them great comforte. Also she sawe well her nefewe y^• duke of Burgoyne / who shulde be by right enherytoure of Flaunders / and one of the greattest enherytours of the worlde / as than̄e likely to be / was sore troubled by the gaūtoyse. Also she sawe well that the duke Aubert chefe of Haynault / and the duches his wyfe: had fayre chyldren to gyder / two sonnes and doughters as thā vnmaryed. Also she knewe that the duke of Lācastre was in treaty of maryage for Phi¦lyppe his doughter / had by the lady Blaunche his first wyfe / and the eldest sonne of duke Au∣bert / who shuld be right enherytour to the erle∣dome of Haynault / of Holande / and of zelande.

And so the sayd lady douted that if there were alyaunce made bytwene Englande and Hay∣naulte / that the frenche men wolde haue indy∣gnacion therat. and so ther by the ioly countre of Haynalt / outher couertly or openly / suche as shulde passe out of Fraunce in to Flaunders / comynge or goyng / shulde be sore troubled and greued. and the rather / bycause that duke Au∣bert by the meanes of the holāders and zelan∣ders suche as be marchyng on the see syde / dyd comforte dayly y^• gauntoyse in dyuers maners. wherof the duke of Burgoyne & his counsayle / were well infourmed therof. wherfore he loued duke Auberte neuer the better / and yet he was therof nothyng gylty. for as for the holanders / and zelanders / the warre of Flaūders touched thē no thynge / they wolde nat therfore defende their marchaundyses to rynne. The sayd good lady consideryng all these thynges and parels that myght ense we / she aduysed to bringe these two dukes togyder / y^• duke of Burgoyne and the duke Aubert / and y^• she wolde be the meane to treate bytwene them. Also she though to en∣treat the duke of Burgoyne that the gauntoyse myght cōe to mercy. So this lady on this ad∣uyse and ymaginacyon / wolde nat let it slepe / but set clerkes and messāgers a warke / and she dyd somoche bytwene these two dukes / y^• there was a day assygned to mete at Cambray / they and their coūsayls. howbeit bothe duk{is} knewe nat the full entent why this lady caused y^• coun∣sayle. To this counsayle acordyng as they had promysed in the moneth of January / about the xii. day / there came to the cytie of Cambray the duke of Burgoyne / the duke Aubert and their counsayls / and the duches of Brabant who o∣pened to thē all the mater / why they were there assembled. First she shewed to y^• duke of Bur∣goyne / howe he was a great lorde / and lykely to be / and howe he had fayre chyldren / & howe that he shuld be happy to bestowe thē well and nobly / and to the moost auauntage for him and his countrey. saynge / howe as than in her opy∣nion / she knewe no place so metely for them / as the coūtrey of Haynalt / Holande / and zelande / to bringe their coūtreys to a perfyte peace / and to gyue feare and doute to their enemyes. For fayre nephewe {quod} she: I knowe for trouthe that the duke of Lancastre is right puyssant in En∣gland / and dothe that he can that his doughter were maryed to Wyllim̄ of Heynalt your sōne and heyre. And sir: I had rather se the profyt of you and of your chyldren / than of the englysshe men. Fayre aunt quod the duke I thanke you: I beleue you well / I am content and ye canne bringe it a boute / to let my doughter Marga∣rete be maryed to the heyre of Haynalt. Than the lady went fro one parte to the other / to treat for this maryage. The duke Aubert to whome these tydinges were newe. answered right cur∣tesly / and sayd: howe he hadde there as than no counsayle / suche as he wolde haue. What coun∣sayle wolde ye haue quod the duches / or what want you to do well / and to bringe your coun∣trey in peace? I lacke my wyfe {quod} the duke / and without her I wyll do nothyng in this mater / for she hathe as moche parte of my chyldren as I. Also fayre aunt ▪ it is metely that the nobles of the countrey be enfourmed therof. well {quod} the duches I pray god all be for the best. And than she thought at their departinge / to desyre them to mete agayne in the same place in Lent tyme / and to bringe their wyues and their counsayls with them. This lady dyde all this so secretly / that fewe folkes knewe wherfore the coūsayle was. Thus the two dukes departed fro Cam∣bray. The duke of Burgoyne went to the cytie of Arras / where as the lady his wyfe was. and the duke Aubert returned in to Holāde / where as the lady his wyfe was. And the Duches of Brabant retourned in to her countrey / and e∣uer secretly she wrote and sent to eyther party / and tooke great payne to bringe agayne these lordes and their wyues in to the cytie of Cam∣bray: for greatly she desyred this mariage to be confyrmed / for to bringe in vnite and concorde / Flaunders / Brabant / and Haynalt to gyder.

SO moche dyd this good lady / y^• she and the sayd dukes / their wyues and coun∣sayls came agayne to Cambray / and ther was done great honoure / for eche of them enforsed them selfe to do honoure eche to other. There was the duches Margarete of Burgoyn / and the duches Margaret of Heynault / who helde sore in this treaty. saynge / y^• if her sonne shulde mary Margarete of Burgoyne / she wolde al∣so that her doughter shuld mary John̄ of Bur∣goyne / and so to make a crosse maryag•• / wher∣by shulde be y^• more coniunction of loue. And so two of the chyldren of Burgoyne shulde be ma∣ryed in to one howse. The duke of Burgoyne thought it was ynough to mary his doughter / and excused Johan his sonne. saynge / howe h•• was to yonge of age to be maryed. for the duk•• of Burgoyne had ymaginacion to mary Jo〈…〉〈…〉 his sonne with Katheryne of Fraunce / suster〈…〉〈…〉 his nephewe the french kyng. So thus on 〈…〉〈…〉

poynt the treaty was lyke to haue fayled / for the duches of Bauiers sayd / howe there shulde be made no maryage of any of her chyldren / with out they were both maryed. Alwayes she helde this purpose / ther coude no man breke her ther∣of. The duches of Brabant hadde great payne to go fro the one to the other / and to bringe the treaty toguyder. So moche she dyd alegynge and she wynge so good reasons / specially to the duke and duches of Burgoyn / that finally they went through / and concluded that y^• sonne and doughter of the duke of Burgoyne / shulde be maryed to the sonne and doughter of the duke Aubert of Bauiers. And y^• let of the mater fyue dayes before / was for a mater that the duke of Burgoyns coūsayle feared. for they vnderstod that duke Aubert had nat bene in trewe posses∣sion of Heynalt / but in possibylite therof / for as than lyued erle Willyam of Haynault his bro∣ther / and lay sore sycke at Ouesnoy / the whiche erle myght recouer and ouerlyue duke Aubert his brother. and if he so dyd they thought clere¦ly and feared greatly / that his other bretherne shulde haue the gouernynge of Haynault / and the chyldren of duke Aubert to be put clene out. For this dought they made a delay in this ma∣ryage the space of fyue dayes / tyll at last it was clerely knowen / that duke Aubert hadde no mo bretherne but the Erle of Haynault / so that he coulde nat put the herytage fro duke Aubertes chyldren. Whan̄e these thynges were knowen / there was than̄e no lenger delay / but these ma∣ryages were sworne & couenaunted / that Wil∣lym̄ of Haynalt shulde haue in maryage Mar¦garet of Burgoyne. And Johan of Burgoyne to haue to his wyfe Margarete of Haynault / and that all these shulde retourne to Cambray / ••o parforme the solempnisacion of these mary∣ages at the vtas of Ester than next after. In the ••ere of our lorde a thousande thre hundred four ••ore and fyue.