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 after the departynge of the duke of Lācastre all that euer he had wonne in Galyce / the frenchmen re∣couered it in lesse than fyftene dayes / and howe the englisshmen that had ben there ī that warre defamed and spake yuell of the coūtrey of Galyce / and howe the frenche kynge sent for the duke of Irelande. Ca. C.xxiiii. (Book 124)

IT hath been resyted here before in this hystory / howe the englisshmen dyd in Galyce / & howe the duke and the duchesse / and his doughter came to y^e Porte of Portyngale / and there taryed a season with kynge Iohan of Portu∣gale / and with the yonge quene / doughter to the duke of Lancastre (as ye haue herde here before) It anoyed greatly the duke / and nat without a cause / in that he had done nothynge for his profyte all that season in Castyle / but that he hadde done was to his great domage / his men deed of sykenes of the best of his com∣pany / knyghtes and squyers. And suche con∣quest as he hadde made with great payne and cost / he sawe well it shulde besoone recouered agayne by the kynge of castell. And in dede so it was. for as sone as he was departed and en∣tred in to Portugale / and that the spanyardes and knyghtes of Fraunce / suche as were ta∣ryed there with syr Olyuer of Clesquyn con∣stable of Castyle / sawe that the duke of Lan∣castre was departed / and that in maner all his englysshe men were departed fro hym. Than they sette forwarde to reconquere agayne all that had ben loste of the realme of Castyle / the whiche was sone done / for they of the townes / castels / & cyties in Galyce / had rather to haue ben vnder the obeysaunce of the kynge of Ca∣style / than vnder the duke of Lancaster / with∣out

he had been able to haue kepte the felde / to haue defended the countrey. For they of Ca∣style / Lombardy / and of Italy / of vsage euer they saye (Lyue he that is strongest / and he that wynneth) All that euer the duke of Lan∣castre had wonne fro the feast of Easter to the begynnynge of Iuly / all was wonne agayne and refresshed with newe frenchmen and men of Castyle / and the englysshmen that were left there by the duke in garysons (who thought to haue taryed there peasably all the wynter) were sone put out / outher by fayre meanes or perforce / and some slayne / suche as wolde nat yelde vp / and some returned by sauecōducte to passe by Portugale / & so to Bayon or to Bur¦deaux. And of all this the duke of Lancastre was well aduertysed / he beynge in the cytie of Porte in Portugale / but he coude nat remedy it / whiche was ryghtsore dypleasaunte to his herte. It is nat to be beleued the contrary / for the more noble / valyaunt / and sage that a man is / displeasures to hym be the more bytter and paynefull. howe be it the duke wolde say often tymes (and bare out a good face) If we haue lost this yere / by the grace of god a nother sea∣son shall be for vs. the fortunes of this worlde are meruaylous / they can nat be always per∣manente. Also the kynge of Portugale gaue hym alwayes good comforte / and sayde. Syr ye may abyde here and kepe your astate / and wryte to youre bretherne and frendes in En∣glande / that they maye sende you this nexte Marche a fyue or syre hundred speares / and two thousande archers / and I shall gather to gyder my power and people / who haue good myndes to make warre into Castyle / & so we shall make a good warre. somtyme one coun∣trey wynneth and a nother leseth. The duke of Lancastre thanked the kynge of Portugale of his good comforte and offre. Howe beit for all that the kyng was y^e dukes sonne in lawe / and had maryed his doughter / and that he sayde was of a good wyll. yet for all that the duke di∣scouered nat all his corage / for he knewe well Englande was in trouble / and great debate a monge the lordes / and howe the lordes hadde maters yno we to attende vnto / as well for the kepynge of the fronters agaynst Scotlande / as for to treate with the duke of Bretaygne. And the kyng knewe well that whan the duke came out of Englande / there was a do to sette forwarde his armye / wherfore he thought it shulde be harde to get any newe ayde thence / seinge the realme at so many great charges all redy / and also he thought well that suche en∣glysshmen as were retourned wolde no more come thyder agayne / but thought rather that they shulde dyscorage other to come. the duke considered all these maters in his mynde / and whan he had ben a season at the cytie of Porte with the kynge of Portugale / than on a daye he sayd. Syr / it shulde be for my profyte to re∣tourne to Bayon / and to the marches of Bur∣deaulx for dyuerse reasons. He sawe well his beynge in Portugale coulde do him lytell ad∣uaūtage / for there he was nat on his herytage that he desyred / but he sayde his goynge in to the archebysshoppriche of Burdeaux and of Aulose / and so to retourne by Bygore / and so by the lande of the lombrisience / of the countie of Foyze / and countie of Armynake / and so by Garonne / Dordone / and entrynge in to Pier gourte and Querchyn / Rochelloys / Xayn∣tone / Cristynge / Poictou / Auuergne and Ly∣mosyn / wherin were many garysons and ca∣stels holden of the englisshe parte / who wolde all make warre for his sake. Wherfore he sayd it were better for hym to be amonge theym to counsaile and encorage them / than to be in any other place. And also he sayde howe Portu∣gale was farre of to here any newes out of En¦glande / and also he knewe well y^t the englyssh men wolde be lothe to come thyder bycause of the long voyage by see / and also he knewe well that shyppes of Spaygne / of Galyce / and of Castyle were goynge and comynge on the see in and out to Flaunders with their marchan∣dyses / whiche was also great daunger for en∣countrynge of them. All these thynges consy∣dred / the duke of Lancastre prepared for his departynge / and had shyppes apoynted hym by the kynge / and a patrone called Alphons Bretat. Whan these galyes were redy and the wynde good / the duke and the duches and her doughter / toke leaue of the kynge of Portu∣gale and of the quene / and so toke shyppynge and entred on the see / abydynge goddes plea∣sure and wyndes. They had wynde and we∣ther at pleasure / so that they aryued at Bayon of whose comynge they of the countrey were ioyfull / desyringe sore to se them.

Whan the duke and the duches and their doughter were aryued at Bayon. Tydynges

therof spredde abrode / and they of Burdeloys were ryght ioyfull therof. Than sir Iohan of Harpdame senesshall of Burdeaux / and the senesshall of the landes came thyder to se the duke / and so dyd other gentlemen of the coun∣trey / as the lorde of Mucydente / the lorde of Duras / the lorde of Rosem / the lorde of Lan∣duras / the lorde Lespare / the lorde of Newe∣chasteaur / and other knyghtes and squyers of the countrey. Thus they came dayly / some at one tyme some at another / all they offred hym their seruyce / as they ought to do to their lord. Thus the duke taryed at Bayon / and often ty¦mes sente in to Englande to the kynge his ne∣phewe / and to his other bretherne. But for all his writynge he was nothynge comforted / no∣ther with men of armes nor archers / for as the worlde wente than / the dukes busynesse was lytell taken hede vnto / nor lorde / knyght / nor squyer to make any hast to auaunce forwarde to the ayde of the duke of Lancastre. for suche as had ben in Portugale made suche reporte through the realme of Englande / that no man had corage to auaunce thyder / but euery man said. the voyage in to Castyle is to farre of fro vs. It is more profytable for vs to haue warre with Fraunce / for that is a good swete coun∣trey and temperate / and good lodgynges and fayre swete ryuers. And in Castyle there is no thynge but harde rockes and Mountaynes / whiche are nat good to eate / and an vntempe∣rate ayre / and troubled ryuers / and dyuerse meates / and stronge wynes & hote / and poore people / rude / and yuell arayed / farre of fro our maner. wherfore it were folly to go thyder / for if we entre in to any great cytie or towne there wenynge to fynde maruayles / we shall fynde nothynge but wyne / larde / and empty cofers. This is contrarye to the realme of Fraunce / for there whan it is fortune to wyn any towne or cytie / we fynde suche rychesse that we be a basshed therof / and it is good to make warre where we may haue profyte. let vs aduenture there / and leaue the vnhappy warre of Castyle and Portugale / where is no thynge but pou∣uertye and domage. Thus the englysshe men sayde in Englande / suche as had been in Ca∣style / so that the lordes perceyued well howe that voyage was out of the fauoure of the en∣glysshe men. Also the realme was in trouble / and the iustyce of Triuylyen and outher but newly done / and the duke of Irelande depar∣ted out of the Realme / and kynge Rycharde came to the guydynge of newe counsayle / the whiche he hadde nat well lerned. So by rea∣son of suche insydentes the matters abode in harde case for the duke of Lancastre / beynge in the cytie of Bayon / where he helde all that season.

ALl these busynesses as well in Castyle and Portugale / as in Englande (and of the departyng of the duke of Irelande) was well knowen with the frenche kynge and his counsayle. Than to haue more parfyte know∣ledge / it was ordayned by the frenche kynge and by his vncles to sende to Trecte to y^e duke of Irelande / where as he was / and to gyue hym a sure saueconduct to come into Fraunce and to tarye there as longe as bothe partyes were pleased. It was behouable to sende for hym by specyall messangers / and sure wry∣tyng fro the kyng / or els the duke of Irelande wolde nat haue come there / for he knewe well that he was out of the loue and fauoure of the lorde Coucy / who was a great baron in the re∣alme of Fraunce / and was of a great lynage. He had no cause to loue hym (as ye haue herde before) for acordynge to the trouthe the duke had nat well acquyted hymselfe to his wyfe / who was doughter to the lorde Coucy. And certaynly it was the principall thing that toke awaye the good renome of his honour / bothe in Fraunce and in other places. And in lyke∣wyse he was blamed / defamed / and hated in Englande / as well as in Fraunce. Whan the frenche kynge had concluded to sende for the duke of Irelande / the lorde of Coucy spake as moche agaynst it as he myght / but there were so many reasons layde to hym (and also by∣cause the kyng wolde haue it) that he was con¦tente to suffre it. The frenche kynge who was but yong desyred greatly to se the duke of Ire¦lande / bycause he was reputed to be a good knyght / and also bycause it was sayd howe he was so well beloued with the kynge of En∣glande. Thanne he was sente for by a knyght and a clerke / a notary of the kynges. Whan the Duke of Irelande herde fyrste howe the frenche kynge had sente for hym / he had mar∣uayle therof / and hadde dyuerse imagynacy∣ons for what entente he shulde be sente for in to Fraunce / howe be it fynally he thought the

myght go surely in to Fraunce to se the kynge by reason of his saueconducte / and to returne agayne at his pleasure. Than he departed fro Trecte / and rode forthe with theym that the kynge had sent to hym / and rode so longe that they came to Paris / for as than the kyng was there in his castell of Lowre. There the duke was well receyued of the kynge and of his vn∣cles. The frenche kynge desyred him to abyde there styll and apoynted hym a place to kepe his house & astate in / for the duke had ynough so to do / for he had conueyed out of Englande good ynough. And also y^e constable of Fraūce ought hym certayne money for the raunsome of Iohan of Bretayne / the whiche was nat all payed as than. Thus the duke wente whan it pleased hym to se the kynge / and hadde good chere. and at all feastes / iustes / and triumphes the duke was alwayes sente for. ∴ ∴