Here begynneth the thirde and fourthe boke of sir Iohn̄ Froissart of the cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spaygne, Portyngale, Scotlande, Bretayne, Flaunders, and other places adioynyng, translated out of Frenche in to englysshe by Iohan Bourchier knyght lorde Berners, deputie generall of ye kynges towne of Calais and marchesse of the same, at the co[m]maundement of our most highe redouted souerayne lorde kyng Henry the eyght, kynge of Englande and of Fraüce [sic] [and] highe defender of the Christen faithe. [et]c

¶Howe sir Iohan Holāde / the duke of Lancastres constable toke his leue of the duke / and he and his wyfe re∣tourned by the king of Castyle / who made hym good chere / and howe sir Iohan Dambreticourt wente to Pa∣rys to acomplysshe a dede of armes / bytwene hym and Bouciqualt. Cap. C.vi. (Book 106)

YE maye well knowe that euery man eschewed this sicke∣nesse that was amonge the En∣glysshmen / and fledde therfro as¦moche as they myght. All this season sir Iohan Holande the dukes consta∣ble was still with the duke / & certayne knigh¦tes and squyers / seynge the season of warre paste / thynkynge to eschewe the peryll of the sickenesse / sayd to the constable. Sir / let vs retourne & we wyll go to Bayone or to Bur∣deux to take fresshe ayre / and to esche we this sickenes / for whan so euer the duke of Lanca∣stre wyll haue vs agayne / lette hym write for vs / and we shall soone be with hym / whiche were better than to kepe vs here in daunger and parell. They called so often on hym that on a day he shewed the duke their murmura∣ryons. Than the duke sayde. Syr Iohan / I wyll ye retourne and take my men with you / and recomende me to my lorde the kyng / and to all my bretherne in Englande. With right a good wyll sir quod the constable. But syr / though sycke men haue had great curtesy by the constable of Castyle / as in suffering them to entre to a byde there at their case tyll they recouer their helthes / yet they maye nat re∣tourne agayne to you in to Castyle nor in to Portugale. and if outher they or we take our waye to Calays throughe Fraunce / than we must be bounde to beare none armure in syxe yere after against the realme of Fraūce / with¦out the kynge our souerayne lorde be present in propre persone. Than the duke sayd. Syr Iohan / ye knowe well that the frenchemen will take on you and on our men (in case they se them in daunger) all the vaūtage they can do. Therfore I shall shewe you whiche way ye shall passe curtesly through the realme of Castyle. And whan ye come in to the entre of Nauarre sende to the kynge / he is my cosyn / and in tyme past we hadde great alyaunce to guyder whiche are nat as yet broken / for sith the warre began bytwene y^e kyng of Castyle and me / we haue amiably written eche to o∣ther / as cosyns & frendes / nor no warre hath ben made by see bitwene vs but the frēchmen haue. wherfore I thynke he wyll lightly suf∣fre you to passe through his realme. & whan ye be at saynt Iohan Pie de porte / than take the waye to Bisquay and so to Bayon / than ye be in our herytage: And fro thens ye may go to the cytie of Burdeux without daunger of the frenche men / and there refresshe you at your ease. And whan ye haue wynde and we¦der at wyll / than ye maye take the see & lande in Cornwall or at Hampton / or there as the wynde wyll serue you. Than sir Iohan said your counsayle shalbe fulfylled without any faute.

IT was nat long after but that the Con¦stable and his company departed / and there taryed with y^e duke and duches / no mo but his owne housholde seruauntes. And sir Iohan Holande had his wyfe with hym and so came to the cytie of Camores and there he founde the kynge of Castyle / sir Gaultier of Passacke / and sir Wyllm̄ of Lignacke / who made hym good chere / as lordes and knygh∣tes do whan they mete eche with other. And truely the kyng of Castyle was gladde tose the departyng of the Englysshmen / for than it semed to hym y^t his warre was at an ende / and thought that there wolde neuer issue a∣gayne out of Englande so many good men of warre / in the duke of Lancasters tytell / to make warre in Castyle. Also he knewe well

howe there was great trouble and dyscorde within the realme of Englande. Whan the ti¦dynges sprede abrode in Castile / in the good cyties and townes (where as the Englysshe men lay sicke and were there to seke for their helthe) howe that sir Iohan Hollande was ••ome thyder to retourne agayne in to Englā¦de. They were ryght gladde therof / and so drewe to hym / to the entent to retourne with hym / As the lorde of Chameulx / sir Thomas Percy / the lorde Lelynton / the lorde of Bra∣seton / and dyuers other / to the nombre of a thousāde horses. suche as were sicke thought them selfe halfe hole / whan they knewe they shulde retourne / their voyage paste was so paynfull to them.

WHan sir Iohan Hollande toke leaue of y^e kyng of Castyle / the kyng gaue to hym and to his cōpany great gif∣tes / with mules and mulettes of Spaygne / and payde for all their costes. And than they rode to saynt Phagons and there refresshed thē thre dayes / and in euery place they were welcome and well receyued / For there were knyghtes of the kynges that dyde conducte theym / and payde alwayes for their costes. So longe / they code that they passed Spay∣gne and came to Naueret / where as the ba∣tayle had ben before / and so to Pauyers and to Groyne / and there rested. for as than they were nat in certayne if the kynge of Nauerre wolde suffre them to passe throughe his re∣alme or nat. Than they sent to hym .ii. knigh¦tes / sir Peter Bysset and sir Wylliam Nor∣wiche. They founde the kynge at Tudela in Nauer / and there spake with hym / & spedde so well / that they had graūt to passe through Nauer / payeng for that they shulde take by the way: and as soone as these knyght{is} were retourned / they departed fro Groyne and so came to Pampylona & passed the mountains of Roūceaux / and lefte the way in to Bierne / and entred in to Bisquay so to go to Bayon / at last thyder they came / and there sir Iohan Holande taryed a long space with his wyfe / and other of the Englysshmen rode to Bur∣deaux. Thus this armye brake vp.

So it was / in the season whyle these war∣res endured in Castile / & that y^t englisshmen kepte the feldes. The lorde Bouciqualt the elder of the .ii. bretherne sent by an herault to sir Iohan Dābreticourt / desyring to do with hym dedes of armes: as thre courses with a 〈◊〉〈◊〉/thre with an axe / and thre with a dag∣ger all or 〈…〉〈…〉 the knight was agreed therto. And after that sir Iohan Dambreti∣court sent dyuers tymes to accōplysshe their feate / but Bouciqualt came nat forwarde / I can not tell what was y^e cause / nor I wyll nat say but that he was a tight good knight / and mete to haue done a greatter feate in armes than that was. And whan sir Iohan Dābre∣ticourt was come to Bayone in the company of sir Iohan Holāde / he was in dyuers yma¦ginacions on his chalēge / and thought that honorably he might nat departe out of those partes (seyng he was chalenged to do dedes of armes / & had graunted therto) without he fulfylled the same / for if he returned in to En¦gland w^tout doyng of any thyng / he thought that the frenchmen wolde saye that he de{per}ted for feare. Than he toke coūsayle of sir Iohn̄ Holāde and of other / what were best for him to do. He was counsayled to take the waye through Fraūce / with the safeconducte y^t the duke of Burbon had gotte hym / & so to go to Parys / and there to demaunde for sir Bouci¦qualt or els by the way / therby at lest his ho∣nour shulde be excused. This counsayle the knight beleued & folowed the same / and so de¦{per}ted fro Bayon and entred in to Biern / & so came to Artoys & there founde therle of Foiz who made hym good chere / & at his de{per}tyng the erle gaue hym .ii.C. Florens and a good horse. Than he rode forthe through Byern & entred in to the coūtre of Bigore and so in to Tholousin & in to Carcassynois / and in his cōpany was Wylliam of Souuayne & other squiers of Heynault / retournyng in to their countreis. So longe he rode that he came to Parys / & at that tyme the kyng was in Nor¦mandy / and sir Boucikalt as it was shewed hym was in Aragon. Than sir Iohn̄ Dam∣breticourt to acquyte his enterprice / presēted hym selfe before certayne of the great barons of Fraunce beyng at Parys / and shewed thē howe he was come thyder to acquite hymself of his chalenge. And whan he hadde taryed there .viii. dayes he de{per}ted & came to Calais and they of Heynault in to their owne coun∣treis. Thus lytell and litell the army y^t went into Spayne and into Portugale brake vp.