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

¶How the frenche kyng gaue leaue to the duke of Bretayne to retourne in to his coūtrey / and howe the coun¦trey of Brabant wolde nat consente too the kynges passage nor his are∣my / and howe the ambassadours of Fraunce sped. Ca. C .xxxviii. (Book 138)

WHyle these frenche am¦bassadours wente to speke with the kyng of Almayne / in y^e meane tyme the french men lette nat styll to make their prouysions / and com¦maundement gyuen / euery manne to be in the felde by the myddes of Au∣guste / in Champayne or there aboute / for the kynge wolde be redy by that tyme they wolde nat tary for any aunswere fro the kynge of Al∣mayn. Than the frenche kyng and his vncles thought it good that the duke of Bretaygne shulde departe home. He was sente for to the kynge / to Monstreuell faulte you / and there he had good chere of the kyng and of the duke of Burgoyne / and of the duke of Tourayne / for as than the duke of Berrey was nat there / he was in his owne countrey assemblyge men togyder / and had sente his cōmaundement in to Poyctou to knyghtes & squyers there / that they shulde drawe in to the felde. The kynge and the duke of Burgoyne treated amyable the duke of Bretaygne / and shewed hym no∣thyng but loue. ye haue herde here before how the duke had rendred agayne to the constable his thre castels / and the towne of Iugon / but as for the hundred thousande frankes that he had receyued / he was lothe to rendre them a∣gayne / for he axed alowaunce for suche prouy∣syons as he had made / and fortifyenge of his garysons / castels / and townes / and retayning of men of warre / and kepynge theym all the wynter / for he thought to haue had warre. but the kyng and his counsayle fedde hym with so swete pleasaunte wordes / that fynally he was agreed to pay agayne the hundred thousande frankes in fyue yere .xx. thousande euery yere tyll it were paied. Than the duke of Bretayne departed ryght amyably / and the kynge gaue hym many fayre iouels. And so he returned to Parys / and there the duke of Burgoyn made hym a great dyner / and there they toke leaue eche of other. Thanne the duke of Bretaygne payed for all his dyspenses / and toke the waye to Estampes / & rode through Beaulce to Bo∣gency on y^e ryuer of Loyre / and there his men wente on before and passed through the coun∣treys of Bloys / Mayne / Thourayne / Aniou / and entred in to Bretayne / but the duke hym selfe had redy at Boygēcy his nauy / and there he entred into a fayre shyp / and with hym the

lorde Mountforde & the lorde of Malestroit / and so sayled downe the ryuer of Loyre / and passed vnder the bridge of Bloys / and so went a longe the ryuer to Naūtes in his owne coun¦trey. ¶Nowe let vs leaue to speke of the duke of Bretayne / and as farre as I coulde here he helde well the couenaunte made bytwene the frenche kynge and hym / and dyd nothyng af∣ter to be remembred tyll I closed this boke / I can nat tell what he wyll do herafter / if he do I shall speke therof acordyng as I shall knowe. Nowe I wyll retourne to the frenche kynge / who prepared for his iourney in to Guerles.

Whan y^e lorde of Coucy was cōe to the kyng to Monstreau / he shewed the kyng & his coun¦sayle howe he had sped / and howe that all the knyghtes & squyers in Bare / in Lourayne / in Burgoin / & to the riuers of Ryne and Some were redy to go with hym. the kyng had ther∣of gret ioy / & sayd by the grace of god he wold the same yerese his cosyns the duke of Iuliers and Guerles. Fyrste they determyned whiche way they shulde take / for the surest & way shor¦test (some sayd) y^t the ryght way was to go by Thyreashe and to passe by the fronter of Hay¦nalt / and of Liage / & to passe through Brabāt / and so to entre in to Guerles / and to passe the ryuer of Meuse at Trecte / and so to entre into the lande of Iuliers and fro thence in to Guer¦les. Of this determynacion the kynge and his counsayle wrote to the duches of Brabant and to the countrey / shewnge them the waye that the french kynge purposed to kepe. It pleased ryght well the duches / but the countrey wolde nat agre therto but sayd howe the kynge and the frēchmen shulde haue no passage that way for it shulde be greatly to their domage. The good townes and the knyghtes of Brabante were of y^e opynyon / and sayd to their lady the duches / that if she cōsented to suffre the frenche men to entre into her countrey / they wolde ne¦uer ayde nor socoure her agaynst the duke of Guerles / but surely they sayd they wolde close their townes / and go and defende their landes against y^e frenchmen / sayeng howe they shuld lese more by their passinge through their coun¦trey / than if their enemies were in the myddes therof. whan the duches parceyued the wylles and ententes of the people / aswell knightes as other / she sawe no remedy / but to dyssymule the mater. than she charged sir Iohan Orpen and syr Iohan of Graue / and Nycholas de la Money / to go in to Fraunce to speke with the frenche kyng & with the duke of Burgoyn / to excuse the countrey of Brabant / that he shuld nat take his voyage that waye / for they of the countrey thinke they shuld be sore greued and distroyed if he shulde passe through their coun¦trey / and she cōmaunded them to saye / that as for herselfe she coude be well content therwith / and had done all that she coulde that it myght so haue ben. They acordynge to their ladyes mynde departed fro Brusels & rode towardes Parys / and dyd so moche by their iourneys that they came to Moustreau fault yon / where the kynge and his vncles were / and there was nothynge spoken of / but of their goynge in to Guerles. The duchesse ambassadours fyrste came to y^e duke of Burgoyne / and shewed him their letters and their message. And he at the request of his aunte was meane to the kynge and to his counsayle / and also the lorde of Cou¦cy dyd what he myght. In so moche that their firste purpose as passynge through Brabant to entre in to Guerles was broken / and the du¦ches and the countrey excused. Than it was aduysed that they shuld go along the realme / whiche way they sayd was moste honourable for the kynge / and also for the brabansoys / bur¦gonyons sauoysyns / and other.

THan it was cōcluded / and such named as shulde go in vowarde. There were ordeyned a .xxv. hundred hewers of woodes / hedgers & dykers / to make playne the wayes. The frenche men had way good ynough tho∣rough the realme tyll they came to Ardayne. Than their good wayes began to fayle / than they founde hygh wodes dyuers and sauage / and walles / rockes / & mountaynes. These py∣oners were sente before the vangarde with a thousande speares / to aduyse the best passage for the kyng and for the hoost / and for their ca¦ryage / wherof they had a .xii. M. cartes be∣syde other caryages / and they to hewe downe the hygh wodes of Ardane and to make them playn / and to make newe wayes where neuer none was before / nor no man passed that way. Euery man toke great payne to do their dyly¦gence / and specyally suche as were aboute the kynge / for they had neuer so great affection to go in to Flaūders / as they had than to go into Guerles. and the lorde of Coucy was sent to A••••gnon / to hym that called hym selfe pope Clement / I knowe nat for what cause / & the

vicount of Meaulx / sir Iohan Roy / and the lorde de la Bone / had the goueruaūce of his men tyll he retourned agayne.

Nowe let vs somwhat speke of sir Guy of Hācourt & of maister yues Orient who were sent to the kynge of Almayne. They rode so long that they came to Cōualence where the kyng was. And whan they hadde refresshed thē they went towardes the kyng / who was enformed of their cōmyng before: and he had great desyre to know what entent they came for. He assembled his counsayle / & than these two lordes came before the kyng of Almayn and curtessy dyd salute hym & delyuerd their letters of credēce fro the french kyng. y^e kyng toke & reed them / & than regarded thē & said. sir Guy / shewe forthe your charge / y^e knyght spake ryght sagely & by great leysar: & she∣wed the kyng & his coūsaile how the frenche kyng w^t his army royall wyll come in to the frōters of Almayne / nat to make any warre agaynst hym / but agaynst his enemy y^e duke of Guerles / who had highly defied the kyng their maister with shamfull wordes / & out of the style of all other defyaūces / y^e whiche the frenche kyng nor his coūsaile can in no wyse suffre. Wherfore sir {quod} they / the kyng requy∣reth you / as ye be a noble king & of his blode and he of yours / as all y^e worlde knoweth: y^t ye wyll nat sustayne / ayde nor mentayne the pride of this duke: but ye to holde y^e aliances and cōfyrmacions sōtyme done & sworne by∣twene thempire of Almayne & the realme of Fraūce y^e whiche he wyll fermly kepe on his {per}te: Than y^e kyng answered & said. sir Guy we are enformed y^t our cosyn the frēche kyng wyll assemble togider great nōbre of people He neded nat for so smal a mater to assemble suche people / & to spende so moche to seke his ennemy so farr of / for if he had desired me / w^t lesse trauayle I coude well haue caused y^e du¦ke of Guerles to hame cōe to mercy & reason. sir {quod} the knight / we thanke you y^t it pleaseth you to say so / but the kyng our maister regar¦deth but lytell his expenses nor trauell of his men / but he regardeth his honour / & to this his coūsaile is agreed. & syth y^t you nor your coūsayle is nat myscontent with our maister (who wyll in no wyse violate nor breke y^e or∣dinaūces & confirmaciōs of olde tyme made bitwene y^e two realmes of Fraūce & almain) but kepe & mentayne it / on the paynes y^e is or¦dayned / therfore sir we be sent nowe to you. Well {quod} the kyng I beleue you well. & as for our cosyn y^e frenche kyng shalbe welcome in to these {per}tes / as forme I thynke nat to styrre Ther w^t the messāgers were ryght ioyous / & thought they had sped very well. thā they de¦syred to haue letts agayne / y^e kyng said they shulde haue. That day they taryed & dyned with the kynge & had good chere / & after dy∣ner they wente to their lodgynges. Wherto shulde I make long {pro}cesse / they sped so well that they had letters & suche answere as plea¦sed thē well. Than they toke leaue of y^e kyng of Almayne / & retourned the same way they came. Nowe let vs speke of the frēche kyng.