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 erle Mountfort toke the towne and castell of Hanybout. Cap. lxvii. (Book 67)

THus therle of Moūt∣fort entred ito Renes with great feest: and lodged his host styll in the feldes / and made the peace agayne by twene the burgesses & the commons. Than he made ther baylyffes / pronost / aldermen / sergyantes / and other officers: and taryed ther thre dayes. Than he dyslodged: and drue towarde y^• stron gest castell in all Bretayn called Hanybout stā¦dynge on a port of the see / and the see rennynge rounde about in gret dykes. Whan sir Hēry of ••ēfort sawe how therle wolde go thyder: he fea¦red his brother who was captayn ther / than he cāe to therle in coūsell & sayd: sir it hath pleased you to admyt me as one of your counsaylours / and sir I haue gyuen you my fayth and allegi∣ance. I vnderstande ye purpose to go to Hany∣bout: sir knowe for trouth the towne and the ca¦stell a•• of suche strength / that they be nat easy to wynne: I thynke surely ye may well lese your tyme there a hole yere / or ye wynne it perforce. But sir if it wyll please you to byleue me / I shal shewe you the wayes howe to wynne it / whaūe force can nat helpe subtylte & craft must auayle If ye wyll delyuer me. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. hūdred men of armes to be rueled as I woll haue thē: I shall go with them halfe a leage before your hoost with y^e ba∣ner of Bretayn before me. And my brother who is gouernour of the castell and of the towne / as sone as he shall se the banner of Bretayne / and knowe that it is I / he woll opyn the gates and let me entre and all my company. And assone as I am within I shall take hym as prisoner / and take possessyon of the towne and gates: and I shall rendre my brother into your handes to do pour pleasure with hym / without he woll obey as I woll haue him. So that ye promyse me by the fayth of your body that ye shall do his {per}son no bodely hurt: the which request therle promy¦sed & sayd. If ye bringe this about / I shall loue you the better euer after. Than sir Henry Pen∣fort departed with his company apoynted / and agaynst euenynge he came to Hanybout / and whan his brother Olyuer Pēfort knewe of his cōmyng / he opyned the gates and let hym entre wenynge he had ben come to haue ayded hym: and so came and mette his brother in the strete. Assone as sir Henry sawe hym / he aproched to hym and toke hym by the arme / and sayd Oly∣uer ye army prisoner / howe so {quod} he. I haue put my trust in you / thynkyng that ye were come hy¦therto ayde me to kepe this towne and castell. Brother {quod} sir Henry the mater gothe nat so / I take possession of this towne for therle Mount¦fort / who is nowe duke of Bretayne: to whome I haue made fealtie and homage / and the most part of the contrey hath obeyed vnto hym. And so shall you do in likewyse / and it wer better ye dyd it by loue than byforce: ye shall deserue the more thanke. Somoche Olyuer was styred by his brother that he agreed to hym: and so therle entred and toke possession of the towne and ca∣stell / and set ther a gret garison. Than he went withall his host to ••ennes and made such trea¦tie with them / that they yelded vp and dyd feal∣tie and homage to hym / as to their soueraygne lorde. And there he stablysshed all maner of offi¦cers / and taryed ther thre dayes: and frothens he went and layd siege to a strong castell called Roche Peron: captayne therin was {ser} Olyuer of Clysson cosyn germayne to y^• lorde Clysson / and therle lay ther at siege .x. dayes / and coude fynde no wayes howe to gette the castell it was so strong / and the captayne wolde in no wyse a¦gre to obey / nother for fayre wordes nor foule. So the erle left that siege and departed for that tyme / and went & layd siege to an other castell a .x. leages thens called Aultoy: and therin was captayne sir Geffray Malestroyt / and in his cō¦pany sir Juon of Triguyde: therle assayled the castell two tymes / but he sawe well he might ra¦ther lose ther / than wynne. Than he agreed to a truse for a day / at the instance of sir Henry de Leon / who was euer styll about hym. Soo the treaty toke such effect that they were all frend{is}: and the two knyght{is} dyd homage to therle / and so departed and left styll the same two knightes to be captayns ther / and of the contrey there a∣bout. Thanne he went to an other castell called Goy la Forest: and he that was captayne there sawe howe therle had a great hoost / and howe the contrey was sore yelded to hym / and so by y^• counsell of sir Henry de L••on with whome the captayne had ben in cōpany in Pruce / in Gra∣nade: and in dyuers other strange contreis / he acorded with therle and dyd hym homage: and therle left hym styll captayne ther. Than therle went to Caraches / a good towne and a stronge castell: and therin ther was a bysshoppe / who was lorde therof. This prelate was vncle to sir Henry de Leon / so that by sir Henris meanes / the bysshoppe agreed with therle and toke hym as his lorde: vnto suche season as somme other shulde come and shewe more ryght to the duchy of Bretaygne