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 syr Iohan Boesme launce¦led these prisoners to Moūte Ferant and howe they of the countrey were glad whan they herde of this enter∣prise / and howe Generot & his com∣pany were sette to raunsome and de¦lyuered by the money that Perot of Bitrne lente hym. Cap. C.xviii. (Book 118)

IN rydyng & ledynge these prysoners / Boesme lauce aduysed and remem¦bred hymselfe howe that a moneth before he had ben in the towne of Mount fe∣rante in Auuergne / spor∣tyng amonge the ladyes and damosels there / and howe they hadde desyred hym at a tyme /

sayeng. Fayre brother Boesme launce / ye ryde often tymes abrode in to the feldes. may it nat so fortune y^t at somtyme ye myght rencounter your enemyes? I shall shewe you why quod one of the damosels (such one as was in great fauoure with Boesme launce) Syr quod she / I wolde fayne se an englysshman? asquyer of this countrey called Gurdines / hathe shewed me often tymes howe the englysshmen are ex∣perte men of armes / the whiche semeth ryght well to betrewe / for they ryde often tymes a∣brode / and do many propre deades of armes / and taketh dyuerse of our castels / and kepeth them. At whiche tyme this gētleman Boesme launce answered her and sayd. Dame / if euer it be my fortune to take any / ye shall se hym. Syr I thanke you quod the damosell. Thus after the foresayde enterprise / whan this pro∣myse came in to his mynd / he forsoke than the way to Cleremonte / whiche was nat farre of / and tourned to the way to Mountferant / nat farre thence. Of his comyng to Mountferant and of the iourney y^t he had atchyued agaynst the aduenturers (who sore troubled the coun∣trey) all the people of Moūtferant were right ioyfull / and made hym good chere. Than he toke his lodgynge and vnarmed hym / the la∣dyes and damosels came to make hym chere / and receyued him ryght swetly / he was a sage knyght. Than he thanked them / and sayde to her that had desyred hym before to se some en∣glysse man. Dame / I wyll acquyte me to you I made you promyse nat past a moneth a go / that if it myght be my fortune to take any en∣glysshe man / to shewe hym to you / and as this day god hath gyuen me y^e grace to mete with some that be ryght valyant / for in armes they haue gyuen vs ynoughe to do / howe be it we hadde the victory. They be no englysshe men naturally borne / they be gascoyns / and make warre for the englysshmen. they be of Byerne and hyghe Gascoyne / ye shall se them at good leyser / for the loue of you I haue brought them to this towne / and he•• they shall remayne tyll their raūsomes be payed. The ladyes and da∣moselles laughed at him / and tourned the ma∣ter to a great sporte / and sayd to hym. Sir / all we thanke you. And so there he taryed a thre dayes amonge them / & he kept good company with his prisoners / and put them to raunsome for he sawe well they were but poore compa∣nyons aduenturers / and he thought it were better to hange them / drowne them / or raun∣some them / rather thanne to suffre so many of them to abyde styll in the towne. And so whan he departed thence he sayd to Geronet. Syr / ye shall abyde here with a certayne / for all the reste of your company / and the other shall de∣parte and go seche your raunsome / And that ye shall paye / I shall apoynte them that shall receyue it / and whanne the money is payed ye shall departe. Therfore remembre well nowe what I do for you? if any of ours herafter hap to be in lyke case / do in lykewyse. Syr quod Geronet / I am bounde so to do / and so we be all. Thus Boesme launce departed / and re∣tourned agayne to the syege of Vandachor. And a twelue of the prysoners taryed styll in Mounteferante / and the other departed and went to Galuset / to Perot of Bernois to haue of hym .xxii. hundred frankes. They that ta∣ryed styll at Moūtferant lay and made good there / and no great watche layde on them / but they went vp and downe in the towne at their plesure / and so were there a fyftene dayes / and in that season they lerned moche of the state of the towne / the whiche cost after a hūdred thou∣sande frankes.

WHan the capytayne of Galuset was infourmed of the aduenture of Gere not of Mandurant / how that he and his company were ouer throwen by sir Iohan Boesme launce / he made lytell therof / and said to theym that came to hym for the money for their raūsomes. Syrs / ye are come for money for their delyueraunce / howe saye ye it is nat so? yes truely sir quod they / we trust they shall nat be alwayes in this losse / they haue no ga∣ges. well sirs quod he / as for me I nother care for their pledges nor yet for their losses / they shall haue nothynge of me. I made them nat to go for the / they rode at their owne aduēture / therfore ye may shewe them / let aduenture de∣lyuer them. Thynke you that I wyll enploye my money after that sorte? nay surely. I canne haue alwayes cōpanyons ynowe to ryde more sagely than they dyd. As forme I wyll quyte out no man / without he be taken in my com∣pany. This was the fynall answere that they coulde gette for Geronet. Than they sayde a∣monge themselfe / it were best that two or thre of vs retourne agayne to Geronet / and shewe him all the case. So thre of them retourned to

Mountferante / and as they rode they passed by Cleremoūt / and sawe well the walles were nat of no great heyght. Than they sayd one to another. this towne is prignable / if we come hyder on a nyght we maye gette it / there is no great watche kepte. We muste one tyme bar∣gayne and another tyme bye / we can nat both bargayne and bye all in one daye. Thus they rode forthe and rode to Mountferante / and there founde Geronet and his companyons / and there shewed him all the answere that they had of Perot of Bernoys / wherof they were a basshed / for they wyste nat howe nor where to gette their raunsome. Thus all a daye and a nyght they were in great dyspleasure. the next daye Geronet sayde to them that had brought those newes. Syrs / I requyre you retourne agayne to our capytayne / and shewe hym fro me y^t I haue to my power whyle I was with hym / serued him truely / and wyll do yet if it be his pleasure. And shewe hym if I tourne and become Frenche to delyuer my selfe / he shall wyn but lytell therby. And if I do it god kno∣weth it shall be full sore agaynst my wyll / and I shall forbeare it as longe as I canne. And shewe hym that if he wyll nowe delyuer vs fro hence / that within a moneth after I shal bring hym to suche a botye / that he and his compa∣ny shall wynne a hundred thousande frankes. With that message the thre companyons re∣tourned agayne to Galuset / and shewed Pe∣rot their message. Thanne he studyed a lytell and sayd. It maye well be as he sayeth / at ad∣uenture I shall delyuer him incontyuent. and so opened a cofer wherin was more than thre∣score thousande frankes / nat gathered of his rentes that he hadde in Byerne / but the moste parte of pyllage. For the towne he dwelte in be fore the warres was but of twelue houses / and the erle of Foiz was chefe lorde therof / and the towne was called Dadam / within thre leages of Ortays. Than he tolde oute .xxii. hundred frankes / at a pynch a frende is knowen / I shall put them in aduenture / he is well able to wyn them agayne and mo / and he wyll. Thus they departed fro Galuset & retourned to Mount ferante / it was a .xiiii. great leages bytwene / but they had a good sauecōduct / wherby they passed in and out without daunger.

Whan Geronet knewe howe he and his com¦pany shuld be delyuered / he was right ioyfull and sente for them that shulde receyue the mo∣ney and sayde. Syrs / holde tell your money / here is all that we owe you. So they tolde out xxii. hundred frankes. Than they rekened for their expenses in their lodgynges / and payed euery thynge with the largeste / so that euery man was contente. And whan all was payed / than Gerenot hyred men and horses to bringe theym to Galuset. Whan syr Iohan Boesme launce was certifyed of the receyte of the mo∣ney / I thynke he dyd sende for it / or els lefte it styll there on trust of the strength of the gary∣son. For the same season sir Peter of Gyache / as than chauncellour of Fraunce / left the•• his treasoure / the whiche he lost the same yere all / or most parte. Whan Geronet was retourned to Galuset / the companyons made hym good chere / and after a thre or foure dayes Perot le Bernoys called hym and sayde. Geronet / the promyse that ye made to my seruantes was cause of your delyueraunce / and nothyng els / for I was nat boūde to paye your raunsome / seynge ye departed without my leaue / ye rode forthe but at aduenture / therfore nowe holde your promyse / or els there shall be displeasure bytwene you and me / for I wold ye knowe I haue nat lerned to lese / but rather to wynne. Capytayne quod Geronet / ye haue reason to say as ye do / and sir I saye thus to you that if ye lyste I shall set you in the towne of Mount ferant within .xv. dayes / in the whiche towne is great treasure and pyllage / for it is ryche of marchaundyse / and ryche villaynes be therin great plenty. the chauncellour of Fraunce syr Peter of Giache / as it is infourmed me / hathe great ryches within the same towne. And I knowe well it is the towne most symplest kept and leste taken hede to of any towne in the re∣alme. Syr this is that I can saye / and this is the promyse that I haue made. In the name of god quod Perot le Bernoys / it is well sayd and I consente therto / ye knowe well the ma∣ner of the towne / and howe it is kepte and for∣tifyed. This enterprise dothe it requyre any great nombre? Syr quod Geronette / a thre or four hundred speares shall well accomplysshe our feate / for within the towne there be no men of great defence. Well quod Perot I am con∣tente / and I shall singnyfye other capytayns of the fortresses here aboute of the mater / and we shall assemble to gyder and go thyder.