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.

¶ Of the batell of Gernzay bytwene sir Robert Dartoys and sir Loys of Spayne on the see. Cap. lxxxxi. (Book 91)

SIr Robert Dartoyes erle of Rychmont / and with hym therle of Pennefort / y^e erle of Salisbury / therle of Suffolke / therle of Quen∣fort / the baron of Stafford the lorde Spenser / the lord Bourchier: and dyuers other knyghtes of En∣glande and their cōpanyes / were with the coun¦tesse of Mountfort on the see. And at last came before the yle of Gernzay: than they {per}••eyued y^e great flete of the genowayes / wherof sir Loys of Spaygne was chiefe captayne. Than their marynars sayd sirs arme you quickely / for yon¦der be genowayes and spaniardes that woll set on you: than thenglysshmen sowned their trum¦pettes and reared vp their baners and stander∣des with their armes and deuyses / with the ba∣ner of saynt George. And sette their shippes in order with their archers before / and as y^e wynd serued them they sayled forth / they were a xlvi vessels great and small: but sir Loys of Spay¦gne had .ix. greatter than any of the other / and thre galyes. And in the thre galyes were y^e thre chiefe captaynes: as sir Loyes of Spayne sir Charles / and sir Othes / and whan they apro∣ched nere togyder / the genowayes beganne to shote with their crosbowes / and the archers of Englande agaynst theym: there was sore sho∣tynge bytwene them and many hurte on bothe parties. And whan̄e the lordes / knyghtes / and squyers came nere togyder there was a sore ba¦tayle: the countesse that day was worth a man / she had the harte of a lyon and had in her hande a sharpe glayue / wherwith she fought feersly. The spanyardes and genowayes that were in the great vessels / they cast downe great barres of yron and peaces of tymbre y^t which troubled sore thenglysshe archers: this batayle beganne about the tyme of euynsonge and the nyght de∣parted them for it was very darke / so that one coude scant knowe an other. Than they with∣drewe eche fro other and cast ankers and abode styll in their harnes for they thought to fight a∣gayne in the mornynge / but about mydnight ther rose suche a tempest so horryble as though all the worlde shulde haue endedd. There was none so hardy but wold gladly haue ben a land the shyppes dasshed so togyder / that they went all wolde haue ryuen in peaces. The lordes of Englande demaunded counsayle of their ma∣ryners what was best to do / they aunswered to take lande assone as they might / for the tempest was so great that if they toke the see / they were in daunger of drownyng. Than they drewe vp their ankers / and bare but a quarter sayle / and drewe fro that place: the genowayes on the o∣ther syde drewe vpp̄ their ankers and toke the depe of the see for their vesselles were greatter than thenglysshe shyppes / they might better a∣byde the brunt of the see / for if the great vessels had cōe nere the lande they were lickely to haue ben broken. And as they de{per}ted they toke foure englysshe shyppes laded with vytell and tayled them to their shyppes / the storme was so hede∣ouse that in lasse than a day they were driuen a hundred leages fro the place wher they were be fore / and the englysshe shyppes toke a lytell ha∣uen nat ferre fro the cytie of Uannes / wherof they were ryght gladde.