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 was ta∣ken at Nauntes and howe he dyed. Cap. lxxii.

AS I hard reported ther were certayne burgesses of y^• cite sawe howe their goodes went to wast both without & ••in / & had of their chyldren and frendes in prison & dou∣ted that wors shulde come to them after: than they aduysed and spake togy∣der secretly / so that finally they cōcluded to tre∣at with the lordes of France. So y^• they myght come to haue peace & to haue their chyldren and frēdes clerely delyuerd out of prison. They ma∣de this treatie so secretly: that at laste it was a∣greed that they shulde haue all the prosouers de∣lyuerd

/ and they to set opyn one of y^e gates that the frenche lordes myght entre / to take the erle Moūtfort in the castell / without doyng of any maner of hurt to the cyte / or to thynhaby tantes or goodes therin. Some sayed this was pur∣chased by the means and agrement of sir Hen¦ry de Leon / who had ben before one of the erles chiefe counsaylours. Thus as it was deuysed / so it was done in a mornyng: the frenche lordes entred and went streyght to y^• castell and brake opyn the gates / and ther toke therle Moūtfort prisoner and ledde hym clene out of the cytie in∣to their felde / without doyng of any more hurt in the cyte. This was the yere of our lorde god M. C C C .xli. about the feest of all saynt••. Thā the lordes of Fraunce entred into the cytie with great ioye: and all the burgesses and other dyd fealtie and homage to the lorde Charles of Blo¦ys as to their ryght souerayne lorde / and there they taryed a thre dayes in gret feest. Than sir Charles of Bloys was coūselled to abyde ther about the cytie of Nauntes tyll the next somer / and so he dyd: and set captayns in suche gary∣sons as he had won / than the other lordes went to Parys to the kyng / and delyuerd hym therle of Mountfort as prisoner. The kynge set hym in the castell of Loure wher as he was longe / I at last as I harde reported ther he dyed.

¶ Nowe let vs speke of the countesse his wyfe / who had the courage of a man / and the hert of a lyon. She was in the cytie of Renes whanne her lorde was taken: and howe beit that she had great sorowe at her hert / yet she valyantly re∣cōforted her frendes and soudyers / and shewed them a lytell son that she had called John̄ / and sayd a sirs be nat to sore a basshed of the erle my lorde whom we haue lost (he was but a man) se here my lytell chylde who shalbe by the grace of god his restorer / and he shall do for you all & I haue riches ynough ye shall nat lacke: & I trust I shall purchase for suche a capitayne / that ye shalbe all reconforted. Whan she had thus con∣forted her frendes and soudyers in Renes / than she wēt to all her other fortresses and good tow¦nes / and ledde euer with her John̄ her yonge sonne: and dyd to thē as she dyde at Renes and fortifyed all her garisons of euery thyng y^• they wanted: and payed largely & gaue frely where as she thought it well enployed. Than she wēt to Hanybout / and ther she and her sonne tary∣ed all that wynter / often tymes she sent to byset her garysons / and payed euery man full well and truely their wages.