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 the erle of Arundell beyng on the see more than a moneth came to the hauyn of Marante / a lytell fro Rochell: And howe he sent a messā∣gere to Perotte le Bernoys / that he and other capitayns shulde kepe the feldes. Cap. C.xxxiii. (Book 133)

IT is long sythe I ma¦de any mencyon of the En¦glysshe armye on the see / wherof Rycharde Erle of Arundell was capitayne / and w^t hym many knygh∣tes / squyers / and archers of Englande. I shall nowe somwhat speke of hym / for the mater requyreth it.

yE haue herde here before of the trea∣tie that the kyng of Englande made with the duke of Bretaygne. This nauy on the see all this season / laye euer coo∣stynge the fronters of Bretaygne and Nor∣mādy / if ioynde and wether draue thē thens / they euer came thyder agayne. And they had in their flete some small vesselles called Ba∣lyngers / who wente euer and scoured the see The flete had layne at ancre more than a mo¦neth agaynst the ysle of Breshatte in Bre∣tayne. And there they herde tidynges / howe the duke of Bretaygne was gone to Bloyes to speke with the dukes of Berrey & of Bur∣goyne / And howe they were so agreed / that the duke was gone to Parys. And the renoe¦ranne throughe Bretaygne / howe the duke hadde good chere of the Frenche kynge / and was welcome to hym and to all his cousayle at Parys / and shulde nat departe thens tyll the maters were in good estate. Whanne the erle of Arūdell herde those tidynges he was pensyue: and wente to counsayle what was best to do / & whyder they were best to drawe to enploye their season. Than they determy∣ned to drawe to Rochellois though they had no castelles there / yet they hadde men ynowe there to kepe the Felde / and to abyde all the puyssaunce of Xaynton and of Poyctou / so that they shulde signify their estate in to Au¦uergne and in to Lymosynne / so that they myght sende to passe throughe Bretaygne. As than the treuse was nat confyrmed on the ryuer of Loyre: but they were a treatynge to begynne the fyrste daye of Auguste. And sir Helyon of Lignacke was goyng or cōmyng (as the erle of Arundell ymagined) outher to the duke of Lancastre to Bayone / or elles retournynge in to Fraunce. They hadde in their nauye a Breton bretonaunt of the na∣cyon of Wannes / seruaunt to sir Wyllyam Helmon / who coude speke well foure maner of languages / That is to saye / Bretysshe / Englysshe / Spaynysshe / and Frenche: and gaue hym in commaundement to go a lande and sayde to hym. Go thou the moost preuy∣est wayes thou canste (thou knowest all the preuy wayes of the countrey) and gette the to the garyson of Chaluset / and haue vs all recommaunded to Perotte le Bernoys / and shewe hym fro vs / that he sette forthe a com∣pany of men of armes / suche as be in gary∣sons forthe kynge of Englande / and make warre in his tytell / y^u shalte beare no letters for feare of takynge. Thou mayest go lyke a marchaunt of Rochell to by wynes: and saye to Perot that he reyse vp these men of warre

and kepe the coūtreys of Berrey / Auuergne / and Lymosyn in doute / and kepe the feldes / for we shall lande in Rocelloyes / and shall make there suche warre / that it shalbe herde of and well knowen. The Breton sayde he shulde do his message / if he hadde no great lette by the waye. He was set a lande on the sandes / and (as he that knewe all the coun∣trey of Bretayne) went of from all the great townes / and passed by the countrey of Poy∣ctou and entred in to Lymosyn / and so came to Chalucet / wherof Perot le Bernoys was capitayne. The messangere came to the bar∣ryers / and gaue knowledge of his cōmynge to them of the garyson. After he had ben exa∣myned at the gate he was lette in / and so bro∣ught before Perotte / and dyde well his mes∣sage / wherof Perot had great ioye / For he greatly desyred to here tidynges of the army on the see. Than he sayd to the Breton / thou arte welcome: Bothe I and all my compani¦ons haue great desyre to ryde forthe abrode / and so shall we do / and accomplysshe that thou hast shewed vs.

THus Perotte le Bernoys made hym prest and sente to Carlate to the Bourge of Champaygne / to the capitayne of Ousacke / O∣lyue Barbe / and to the capitayn of Aloyse besyde saynt Floure / Aymergotte Marcell / and to other capitayns a longe the countrey in Auuergne an Lymosyn. oesy∣ryng all these to make thē redy / for he wolde ryde oute abrode / for he sawe it than a good season for them. cōmaundynge them to leaue sure men in their garisons tyll their returne. These companyons who hadde as great de∣syre to ryde abrode as Perot (for they coulde nat ware ryche withoute some other loste) made thē redy and came to Chalucet / where they assembled. They were well to the nom∣bre of foure hundred speares / they thought themselfe suffycient to do a great feate. they knewe no lorde in the countrey as than able to resyste them / nor to breke their enterprice. for the siege of Vandachore of sir Wyllyam of Lignacke nor of Boesme Laūce / was nat defeated as than. Thus they rode forthe and were lordes of the feldes and passed Auuer∣gne on the ryght hande / and tooke the ryght waye to Berrey: for they knewe well y^e duke was nat as than there / but was in Fraunce with the kyng at Moūtereau or faulte you. ¶Nowe lette vs leaue to speke of Perot le Bernoys and of his enterprice / and speke of the erle of Arundell and of his armye on the see / and shewe howe he perceuered after he was departed fro the cost of Bretayne.

WHan the erle of Arundell & suche lordes as were with hym were departed fro the cost of Bretay∣ne / they sayled with good wynd and wether / for y^e tyme was fay∣re & pleasunt / and goodly to beholde y^e ship¦pes on y^e see. They were a sixscore one and o∣ther / with baners and stremers wauynge in the wynde / glytrynge with the lordes armes agaynst the sonne. Thus they went saylyng by the see fresshly (like a horse newe cōmyng out of the stable brayeng and cryeng / and fo∣myng at the mouth) The see was so prompt and so agreable to thē / as thoughe by fygure the see shulde haue said to them. be mery sirs I am for you / and I shall bring you to good porte and hauen without peryll. Thus these lord{is} sayled frontyng Poyctou and Xaynton & cast ancre before Rochell / in y^e hauen towar¦de Marant. Than some of their cōpany se∣yng the fludde cōmyng / entred or it were full water in to bottes mo than two hundred one and other / and arryued nere to the towne of Marant. The watche of Marant had spied the Englysshe flete / and sawe howe the bot∣tes were commyng to lande warde with the fludde. Than he blewe his trūpe and made great noyse / to awake the men of the towne to saue them selfe / so that many men and wo∣men toke their goodes and wente and saued them in the Castell / the whiche came well to passe for them / or els they had lost all. Whan they sawe the Englysshmen come at their he lys / they toke that they had and lefte the rest / and saued their bodyes. The Englysshe ar∣chers and other entred in to the towne / & fell to pyllage (therfore they came thyder) but ly¦tell they founde there / sauyng coffers voyde and emptye / all their goodes was withdra∣wen in to the Castell. As for Corne / wyne / salte becone / and other prouision they foūde ynoughe / for there was more than four hun∣dred

tonne of wyne in the towne. Wherfore they determyned to abyde there a certayne space to kepe that prouisyon. It came well to passe for them / for they sayde if they shulde departe thens / all shulde be withdrawen in to the fortresses / and caryed awaye by the ry¦uer to Fountney / as moche as they myght / and the reste distroyed. They taryed all that night in the towne. They came thyder in the euenyng / and sente worde to them on the see what case they were in / and the cause why they taryed. The erle of Arundell and the o∣ther lordes sayde / howe they had done well. This nyght passed. The nexte mornynge whan the tyde began to retourne / they disan¦cred all their small vesselles / and euery man wente in to them / and putte all their harnesse in to bottes and barges / and lafte their great shippes styll at ancre / for they coude nat cum nere to the lande for lacke of water. and they laste an hundred men of armes and two hun¦dred archers styll there to kepe their shippes whiche laye at the mouthe of the hauyn. thā with their smalle vesselles they arryued at Marant / and toke lande at their leysar / and so lodged all bytwene Marant and y^e towne of Rochell / the whiche was but four leages fro thens. Tidynges spredde abrode in the countrey / howe the Englysshe men were ar∣ryued at Barante / a four hundred fightyng men: the playne countrey / the good townes and castelles were a srayde and made good watche. Than they of the vyllages fledde a∣maye / and caryed their good{is} in to Forestes and in to other places / as shortely as they myght. ∴ ∴