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 duke of Guerles after he had dyscomfyted the brabansoys he wente agayne to Nymaye. And howe tydynges came to the frenche kynge / and howe the kyng sente am∣bassadours to the kyng of Almayne. Cap. C.xxxvii. (Book 137)

I Haue great payne to recorde or to wryte of this shamefull dyscomfyture of the brabansoys / for blemys¦shynge of their honoures. but bycause I promysed / and said in the begynnyng of my boke / that if I shall write truely this hy¦story / I must make true relacion of the mater / who so euer it do touche. Nowe to procede fur¦ther / the yonge duke of Guetles had and op∣taygned this iourney / in the yere of our lorde god a thousande / thre hundred / fourscore and eyght / aboute Mawdlyn tyde / in the moneth of Iuly. And whanne this dyscomfyture and chase was passed / and the felde clene delyue∣red (whiche was done within the space of two houres) Than the guerloys assembled togy∣der in the felde / and mad good chere and were ioyfull. They had good cause so to be / for their good aduenture / for they had as many pryso∣ners or mo / than they were themselfe in nom∣bre. Than their haraudes sought out the deed bodyes of bothe partyes / and amonge other there was slayne a yonge man / sonne to therle of Namure / called Vassyer of Colles / lorde of Balaster / of whose dethe the duke of Gnerles was sory and sore dyspleased / and that he she∣wed well / for greatly he complayned his deth / and sayde / howe the dethe of a yonge knyght dyspleased hym greatly / for he was a ryght lusty knyght / pleasaunte and ioly / and also the yere before he had ben in Pruse with the duke of Guerles. Some counsayled the duke to re∣tourne to the towne of Graue / and there to re∣fresshe theym / and to brynge thyder their pri∣soners. Naye nat so quod the duke / for army departynge fro Nymay I auowed to our la∣dy there that if I spedde well / to returne thy∣der to offre to our lady / wherfore I wyll with a mery chere that we all retourne thyder / and thanke our lady / who hath sent vs the vyctory of our enemyes. No man durste saye naye a∣gaynst the dukes mynde. And so they rode thy¦der a good pase / it was but two good leages fro thence as the batayle was / anone they came thyder. Whan tydynges came to Nymay of the trouthe of that busynes / men / women / and children were ioyfull / and the clergy issued out and receyued the duke with great ioy. and the duke of Guerles incontynent with his knygh¦tes wente to the churche / where the ymage of our lady was / in whome the duke had great affyaunce / and there in the chapell he was vn∣armed of all his peces in to his doublet / and gaue all his armure to the churche / in the ho∣nour of our blessed lady / thankynge her of the iourney that he hadde atchyued. And there all the penons of the lordes that were taken that day were hanged vp before our lady. I canne nat tell if they be there as yet or nat. Than the duke went to his lodgynge / and so dyd euery manne with their prisoners / for they thought surely they shulde well paye for their scot / ther∣fore they made good chere.

GReat brute spred abrode of this duke of Guerles / who had thus ouer throwen the brabansoys / wherby he was more douted than he was before. The duches of Brabante (who laye at the dukes wood with her trayne) whan she sawe howe yuell the mater wente a∣gaynst her / and that the syege of Graue was raysed / she was sore displesed and good cause why / for it touched her nere. Than she sette a garysone at the dukes wood / to kepe fronter there / and so retourned through Champayne and came to Bruselles / and wrote often tymes to the duke of Burgoyne / aduertysynge hym of her a state / for all her hope of recoueraunce was in hym. ye may well knowe and byleue that this discomfyture of the brabansoys was soone knowen in the french kinges courte / but

they made lytell accōpte therof / syth they sawe the kynge had suche affection to go to Guer∣les. The kynges counsayle wrote to syr Wyl∣lyam of Tremoyle and to sir Geruais of My¦rande / who were soueraygne capytays of the men of warre that the duke of Burgoyne had sente in to the countrey / and to the kepers of the thre castels on the ryuer of Meuse / Buth / Gaulgeth / and Nulle. Commaundyng them to kepe well their fronters and nat to make any issue out wherby to take any domage / tyll they here more / shewynge theym surely howe the kynge in pr••pre persone shortly wolde go se the duke of Guerles in his owne countrey. This sir Willyam was sore dyspleased of the aduenture that was fallen on their party. but the tydynges of Fraunce comforted hym a∣gayne / and ordred hym selfe acordynge as he was commaunded.

NOwe lette vs retourne to the counsayle of Fraunce who had great desyre to go in to Guerles. They toke suche dyspleasure with the defyaunce that the duke had sente to the kynge / that they nother regarded the be∣gynnynge / myddes / nor ende / and sayd / what so euer it coste / they wolde make the duke re∣pent his dede and to denye it / or els they wold distroy and burne his landes and his fathers also / the duke of Iulyers. Dukes / erles / ba∣rones knyghtes squyers / and all other were warned euery man to be redy / acordyng as it apertayned for so longe a voyage. And it was ordeyned that one of the marshals of Fraunce shulde abyde styll in the realme / that was syr Loys of Porteuyr / and he to take hede of the fronters on the other syde of the ryuer of Dor∣done to the see / for in Languedoc / bytwne the ryuer of Gyronde / dyscendynge to the ryuer of Loyre there was truce had bytwene them. And it was ordeyned that the other marshall syr Moton of Blamuyll shulde go with the kyng. It was maruayle to thynke of the great prouysyon that the lordes made. Fyrste for the kyng / and for the dukes of Berrey / Burgoyn Tourayne / and Burbon / at the cyties of Rey¦nes / Chalous / Troys and in all the coūtreys of Champayne / Raynes / in the bysshopprike of Laon / and Landers. And cartes and carya¦ges were taken vp in all partyes. It was mar¦ueyle to consyder the great aparell that was made for this iourney in to Guerles. All this season the duke of Bretaygne was at Parys / and coulde nat be delyuered by the kyng / who was most parte al that season of Moustreuell Faulte yon. But alwayes he had good chere / and was alwayes serued with fayre wordes and curteyse / and the lordes wolde desyre hym nat to thynke longe / for shortly he shulde be de¦lyuered / but they shewed hym that the kynge had so moch a do for his vyage in to Almayne / that he coulde attende to nothynge els. The duke was fayne to suffre for he coulde do none other seyng he was at Parys / and he thought he wolde nat departe without the good wyll of the kynge. There he laye at great coste and charge.

WHan the certayne was knowen of this voyage in to Guerles / and tayles rey¦sed throughe the realme to paye euery man their wages that shulde serue the kynge. Many of the wyse men of the realme as well some of the counsayle as other / sayd / howe it was a great outrage to counsayle the kyng to go farre of to seke for his enemyes / and that he shulde therby put his realme in a great aduen¦ture / for the kynge was yonge / and greatly in the fauoure of all his people. Wherfore it had ben suffycyente for hym to haue suffred one or two of his vncles to haue gone thyder with the constable of Fraunce / and a sixe or seuen thou∣sande speares / and nat the kyng in propre per∣sone. The kynges vncles were of the same op∣pynyon / and often tymes they counsayled the kynge to forbeare his iourney him selfe. But whan so euer they spake to hym therof he was dyspleased / and wolde saye. If any of you go without my company / it shall be agaynst my wyll / and besyde that ye shall haue no money / otherwyse I can nat restrayne you. Whan the dukes of Berrey and of Burgoyne herde the kynges answere / and sawe the great affection that the kynge hadde to go that voyage / they aunswered and sayd. Syr / a goddes name ye shall go / and without you we wyll do nothing therfore sir be of good comfort. Than the kyn∣ges counsayle regarded one thyng the whiche they thought ryght necessary (and that was this) Bytwene the frenche kynge & the kynge of Almayne of longe tyme there had ben ordy¦naunces made bytwene them / and that was / that none of them shulde entre with any army in to any of their neyghbours landes / nor the

frenche kynge to make no warre agaynst the kynge of Almayne / nor he agaynst the kynge / on payne to ryn in the sentence of holy church. and therto they were bounde and solempely sworne the day of their coronacyon / to the en∣tente to kepe their realmes in peace and reste. wherfore than it was aduysed that if the kyng shulde go this voyage in to Guerles (the whi∣che is holden of the kynge of Almayne) that fyrst he and his counsayle shulde suffycyently informe the kyng of Almayne / howe the duke of Guerles had shamefully defyed the frenche kynge / with fell wordes / out of the style and vsage that lordes are wonte to dfye eche o∣ther in warre. and to the entente to cause the duke to denye his dede / and to repente hym / The frenche kynge wyll come in to Almayne / nat agaynst the kyng of Almayne nor his sig∣nory / but agaynst his enemye / and to seke him out where so euer he can fynde hym. To go on this message was charged syr Guy of Han∣corte / a ryght sage and dyscrete knyght / and with hym one of the maysters of the parlya∣ment / called mayster yues Orient. These two were called before the counsayle and charged to go this voyage to the kynge of Almayne / and they were well informed what they shuld do and say.thus they departed and toke their waye by Chalous in Champayne / and rode with a good trayne lyke notable persons / am∣bassadours fro the Frenche kynge. And they founde the lorde of Coucy at Chalous / who lay there and retayned knyghtes and squiers of Barre / Lorayne / and Champayne / to go in that voyage with hym in the vowarde. He made to these ambassadours good chere / and made theym a great dyner at their lodgynge / and the nexte daye they departed and rode to∣wardes saynte Menehont / and towardes the coūtrey of Lusenburgh / there to here certayne tydynges of the kynge of Almayne.