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 Geronet lette in Perot le Bernoys and his company in to the towne of Mountferant / wherof the countrey was a frayde / and howe the kynge and his vncles beynge at Parys were therwith sore dysplea∣sed / and also the erle Dolphyn of Au¦uergene. Cap. C.xx. (Book 120)

THan Geronet sayd to the man y^t they had taken. Without thou fulfyll oure desyre thou arte but deed incontynente. What wolde you that I shulde do quod he. I wyll quod Geronet that thou go to the gate and a wake the por∣ters / and say howe the capytayne wolde haue the gate opened / or els let them delyuer to the the keys / to lette in a certayne marchauntes of Mounte Pellyer / who be without with far∣delles of marchandyse to come in to the fayre. Sirs quod the man / What and they wyll nat byleue me. yes I warante the quod Geronet / tell theym by the token that he was nat at the watche this last night / but sent his sonne. And without thou do this message well and wysely I shall slee the with my dagger / and do so that through thy faute I lese nat myne enterprise. Whan the poore man sawe howe he was ma∣nassed / and perceyued howe they were redy to slee him / he was sore abasshed / and sayd. Sir I shall do that ye cōmaunde / to the vttermest of my power. And so he came to the gate and knocked so longe tyll he a woke the porters. Than they sayd: What arte thou that wakest vs this tyme of the nyght? I am suche a one quod he / and named his name / I haue ben all this nyght busy in makyng of certayne geare of the capytayns / and so haue borne it home / and whyle I was there / worde came to hym howe certayne marchauntes of Mount Pel∣lier are without the gate with their marchan∣dyse / and are sore trauayled and weate with the fowle wether / wherfore the capitayne com∣maundes you by me to open the gates and let them come in / or els gyue me the keyes and I shall let them in / by the same token that he was nat at the watche him selfe this nyght / but sent

his sonne. That is trewe {quod} the porters abyde a lytell / thou shalt haue the keyes incontynent. Than one of them rose and toke the keys han∣ginge on a pyn / and opened a lytell wyndowe and delyuered out the keyes. The man toke theym And than incontynente Geronet toke them / and at aduenture put in the right key in to the locke and opened y^e gate / and than went to the vtter gate / but in no wyse he coulde o∣pen it. Perot and his company were without taryenge for openynge of the gate. Than Ge∣ronet sayd / sirs helpe your selfe / auaunce forth for I can in no wyse open this seconde gate / breke it vp with your axes / otherwyse ye can nat entre in to the towne. Than they without had redy axes and wedges and hewed y^e gate lyke carpenters. And as soone as they coulde gette in a hole they put in axes and wedges to Geronet / that he and his company shuld hewe a sonder the barres of the gate. Than dyuerse men herynge that noyse arose out of their bed∣des / and had meruayle what it myght be / for they thought full lytell that the englysshe men shuld haue reysed them out of their beddes / at that tyme of the night. Than the kepers of the gate who had yuell kept their warde / herynge men speke and horses braye and crye / knewe well they were dysceyued / and rose and came to the wyndowes of the gate / and beganne to cry with an hygh voyce / trayson tray••on. than all the towne began to ryse in great feare / and many thought to saue their goodes and them selfe and fledde to the castell / but the•• were but a fewe that entred. For the Chatelyn within the castell whanne he vnderstode that the en∣glysshe men had wonne the towne / for feare of lesynge of more / he wolde nat lette downe his bridges. Some of his frendes that came first he lette them come in by meanes of a planke / And whanne he herde the great brewte in the towne / than he drewe in a gayne the planke / and after that he wolde no more put it forthe / but wente aboute to se what defence he shulde make if the castell were assayled. thus I haue shewed you howe the fyrste gate was opened / and the second broken with axes and wedges / and than they entred fayre and easely. These capytayns and their companyons or they en∣tred in to any house / they rode all the streates in the towne togyther / to se if there were any assemble to make any defence. And whan they had sertched euery place / and founde no man to make any resistence / but a certayne suche as were gone to haue entred into the castell made a lytell defence / but soone they were taken and slayne. What shulde I make longe processe / Thus the towne of Mounte Ferante in Au∣uergne was taken on a thursday at nyght / the thyrtenth day of February / by Perot le Ber∣noys and his company? And whan they sawe howe they were lordes of the towne they toke vp their lodgynges at their ease / without set∣tynge of any house a fyre / or doynge of any o∣ther vyolence. For Perot le Bernois had char¦ged on payne of dethe no man to vyolate any maner of woman or mayden / nor to sette any house a fyre / nor to take no good nor prisoner lytell nor greate / tyll he had fyrste knowledge therof. And also / that no man shulde be so har∣dy to hurte any churche or trouble any man of the churche / nor to take any thynge out therof. This maner euer Perot vsed whan so euer he wanne any towne or fortresse. But Geffary Tele noyre dyd always the contrarye / for he neuer cared for churche nor for nothynge els / so that he myght haue it and get good / he ca∣red nat howe.

THe same mornynge whanne tydinges of this dede came to the knowledge of them of Cleremounte / whiche was but a small leage thens / they were sore abasshed and good cause why / for their enemyes were nere them. They wyste nat what to saye or do / but toke good bede to defende their towne. These ne∣wes spredde a brode to the castell Neuffe / to Thyon / to Vyc / to Issoire / to Ryon / and fro thence to Auige Perse / & to castell of Mounte Pencyer. And all these townes and countreys that I haue named / the moste parte pertay∣ned to the duke of Berrey. In farre countreys these tydynges spred a brode / howe these en∣glysshe men and gascoyns had wonne and ta∣ken the good towne of Mount ferante in Au∣uergne. As many as herde therof meruayled greatly / and were in doute / and the countreys adioyning were halfe a frayde / as Auuergne / Burbonoys / Forestes / and to Berrey. Whan these newes came to Parys the kyng and his vncles were sore displeased / whiche was good reason / for the same tyme the erle Dolphyn was at Parys for the orderynge of that coun∣trey / for he hadde the soueraygne charge of

kepynge therof / with the erle of Armynake. Therfore this dede was greatly to their dis∣pleasure / for they thought they shulde beare some blame for that dede / bycause it was vn∣der their rule: But their excuse was reasona¦ble / for it was well knowen howe they were in treatie with all the companions / wherfore they thought the countre at that tyme hadde ben in good suretie. Than incontynent the erle Dolphyn departed fro Parys to go in to Auuergne / to sette an order in the countre and lefte all his trayne behynde hym: And so rode but alonely with his page / and toke his waye by Moulyns in Burbonoyes to go to Auuergne / and chaunged euery daye fresshe horses. And as he rode in this haste at saynt Pier the mynster he herde other tidynges / y^t he hadde nat herde before / as I shall shewe you. ∴ ∴