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 sir Charles du Bloys besie∣ged the countesse of Mountfort in Hanybout. Cap. lxxx. (Book 80)

WHan the cytie of Renes was gyuen vp: y^e burgesses made their homage & fealtie to the lord Char¦les of Bloys. Than he was coun∣selled to go and lay siege to Hany boute wher as the countesse was: sayeng that therle beyng in prison / yf they myght gette the countesse and her sonne / it shulde make an ende of all their warre. Than they went all to Hany bout: and layed siege therto and to the castell al¦so / as ferr as they might by lande: with y^e coū∣tesse in Hanybout / ther was the bysshop of Le∣on in Bretayne / also ther was sir yues of Tri∣biquedy / the lorde of Landreman / sir Wyllm̄ of Nuadudall / and y^e Chatelayne of Guyngnape the two bretherne of Nuyreth / sir Henry and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Olyuer of Pēnefort: and dyuers other. Whan the countesse and her company vnderstode that the frenchmen were commyng to lay siege to y^e towne of Hanybout: than it was commaūded to sounde the watche bell a la•• / and euery man to be armed and drawe to their defence. Whan sir Charles and the frenchmen came nere to the towne: they commaunded to lodge ther that nyght / some of the yong lusty companyons cāe skirmysshyng to the barrers / and some of them within yssued out to theym: so that ther was a great affray / but the genowayes and frēchmen loste more than they wanne. Whan night came on / euery man drewe to their lodgynge: y^• next day the lordes toke counsayle to assayle the bat¦rers to se the maner of them within: and so the thyrde day they made a great assaute to the bat¦rers / fro mornyng tyll it was noone. Than the assaylantes drewe a backe sore beaten / and dy∣uerse slayne: whan the lordes of Fraunce sawe their men drawe a backe they were sore dysplea¦sed / and caused the assaut to begynne agayne more ferser than it was before / and they within defended thēselfe valyantly. The countesse her selfe ware harnesse on her body: and rode on a great courser fro strete to strete / desyringe her peple to make good defence: and she caused da∣moselles and other women to cutte shorte their kyrtels / and to cary stones & pottes full of chalk to the walles / to be cast downe to their ennemy¦es. This lady dyd ther an hardy enterprise / she moūted vp to y^e heyght of a towre / to se how the frenchmen were ordred W^tout. She sawe howe that all the lordes and all other people of thoost were all gone out of ther felde to thassaut: than she toke agayne her courser armed as she was / and caused thre hundred men a horsbacke to be redy / and she went with theym to another gate wher as there was non assaut. She yssued out and her company / and dasshed into the frenche lodgynges / and cutte downe tentes and set fyre in their lodgynges / she founde no defence ther but a certayne of varlettes and boyes / who ran away. Whan y^e lordes of France loked behynde them & sawe their lodgynges a fyre / and harde the cry and noyse ther: they retourned to y^e felde cryeng treason treason / so that all thassaut was left. Whan the countesse sawe that / she drewe to gyder her cōpany: and whan she sawe she coud nat entre agayne into the towne without great damage / she toke an other way and went to the castell of Brest / the whiche was nat ferr thens. Whan sir Loys of Spayne / who was marshal of the host was come to the felde / and sawe their lodgynges brennyng: and sawe the countesse & her cōpany goynge away / he folowed after her with a great nombre: he chased her so nere / that he slewe and hurte dyuerse of theym that were behynde yuell horsed. But the countesse and the moost parte of her company rode so well / that they came to Breste / and there they were recey∣ued with great ioye. The next day the lordes of Fraunce / who hadde lost their tentes and their prouisyons: thanne tooke counsayle to lodge in bowers of trees more nerer to the towne / and

they had great marueyle whan they knewe that the countesse herselfe had done that enterprise. They of the towne wyst nat wher the countesse was become / wherof they were in great trouble for it was fyue dayes or they harde any tidyn∣ges. The countesse dyd somoche at Brest: that she gate togyder a .v. hundred speres / and than about mydnight she departed fro Brest / and by the sonne rysing she came along by the one syde of the hoost / and came to one of the gates of Ha∣nybout the which was opyned for her: and ther in she entred and allher cōpany with gret noyse of trumpettes and canayrs / wherof the frenche hoost had great marueyle: and armed thē and ran to the towne to assaut it / and they within re∣dy to defende: ther began a feerse assaut & endu¦red tyll noone / but the frenchmen lost more than they within. At noone thassaut ceased: than they toke counsell that sir Charles du Bloys shulde go fro that sege and gyue assaut to the castell of Alroy the which kyng Arthure made / and with hym shulde go the duke of Burbone / therle of Bloys / the marshall of France / sir Robert Ber¦trande: and that sir Henry de Leon and part of the geneuoys and the lorde Loys of Spayne / and the vycont of Rohayne withall the spanyer des / shulde abyde styll before Hanybout: for they sawe well they coulde haue no profet to as∣sayle Hanybout any more. But they sent for. xii great engyns to Renes / to thyntent to cast into the towne and castell day & night. So they de∣uyded their host: the one styll before Hanybout the other with sir Charles of Bloys before Aul¦roy: they within Alroy were well fortifyed and were a two. C. companyons / able for to mayn∣tayne the warre. And sir Henry of Penfort and sir Olyuer his brother were chyefe capitaynes ther / a foure leages fro that castell was y^e good towne of Uannes parteyning to the countesse / and capitayne ther was sir Gelfray of Mala∣trayt / nat farre thens also was the good towne of Guyngnape / the cathelayne of Dyuant was captayne ther: he was at Hanybout with y^e coū¦tesse / and had lefte in the towne of Dynant his wyfe and his chyldren / and had lefte ther capy∣tayne in his stede Raynolde his son. Bytwene these two townes stode a stronge castell partey∣nyng to sir Charles du Bloys 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was well kept with soudyours burgonyons. Captayne there was sir Gerarde of Maulayne / and with hym an other knyght called Pyer Portbeufe: they wasted all the contrey about them / and cōstray∣ned sore the sayd two townes / for ther coude no ther marchandyse nor prouisyon entre into any of thē but in great danger. On a day they wold ryde towarde Uānes / and an other day towar∣de Guyngnape: and on a day sir Raynolde of Dynant layed a busshment / and the same day 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Gerarde of Maulayne rode forthe and had ta∣ken a .xv. marchantes and all their goodes / and was driuyng of them towardes their castell cal¦led Rochprion and so fell in the busshment: and ther sir Raynolde of Dynant toke sir Gerarde prisoner and a .xxv. of his company / and rescu∣ed the marchantes and ledde forthe their priso∣ners to Dynant / wherof sir Raynolde was mo¦che praysed and well worthy.

¶ Nowe let vs speke of the countesse of Moūt fort / who was besieged in Hanybout by sir Lo¦ys of Spayne / who kept the siege ther: and he had so broken and brused the walles of y^e towne with his engins. So that they within began to be a basshed / and on a day the bysshop of Leon spake w^t sir Henry of Leon his nephue / by whō as it was sayd that therle Moūtfort was taken So longe they spake togyder that they agreed y^• the bysshop shulde do what he coude to cause the cōpany within to agre to yelde vp the town and castell to sir Charles de Bloys: and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hen∣ry de Leon on thother syde shuld purchase pece forthē all / of sir Charles de Bloyes: and to lese nothyng of their goodes. Thus the bysshop en¦tred agayne into the towne: the countes incōty∣nent douted of some yuell purchase / than she de¦syred the lordes and knightes y^t were ther / that for the loue of god they shulde be in no dout / for she sayd she was in suretie that they shuld haue socours within thre dayes: howbeit y^e bysshope spake somoch and shewed so many reasons to y^e lordes / that they were in a great trouble all that night. The next mornyng they brewe to coūsell agayne: so that they wer nere of acorde to haue gyuen vp the towne / & sir Hēry was cōe nere to the towne to haue taken possession therof: than the countesse loked downe along the see out at a wyndo in the castell / & began to smyle for great ioy that she had to se the socours commyng / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 which she had so long desyred. Than she 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out a loude and sayd twyse: I se the socurs of Englande cōmyng / than they of the towne ••an to the walles and sawe a great nom•••• of 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣pes great and small fresshly decked cōmyng to∣warde Hanybout / they thought well it was the socours of England / who had ben on the see .lx. dayes by reason of contrary wyndes.