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 sir Iohn̄ Hollande slewe sir Rycharde Stafforde / & howe therle of Stafforde came to the kyng to de∣maunde iustyce. Cap. xii. (Book 12)

IN the marches of sait Iohn̄ of Beuerley in y^e dyo∣ces of yorke / The kynge of England was lodged with a great nombre of erles / ba∣rons / and knightes / for eue∣ry man lay as nere the kyng as they might / and specially his two vncles / {ser} Thomas Holande erle of Lien and sir Iohan Holande his brother. In the kynges company there was a knyght of Boesme was come to se the quene of Englande / and for loue of y^e quene the kyng and the lordes made hym good chere. His name was sir Myles / he was a fresshe lu∣stye knight after the vsage of Almaygne. And so it fortuned besyde a vyllage nere to sait Io∣hans of Beuerley / y^t there fell wordes bitwene this knight & two squyers of sir Iohan of Hol¦landes brother to the kynge / and to the wordes there came two archers of sir Iohan Staffor∣des. The wordes so multiplyed / that the two archers toke parte with the straunger / and bla¦med the two squyers / sayng: Sirs / yedo wrō∣ge to medyll with this knight / for ye knowe he is belongyng to the quene / and of her countre. ye ought rather to support him than otherwise Than one of the squyers sayd: What enuyous knaue? Hast thou to do thoughe I blame hym for his folly. What haue I to do quod the ar∣cher? I haue right well to do therwith / for he is companyon to my mayster / Therfore I wyll nat be in the place / to suffre hym to receyue a∣ny villany. yea quod the squyer / if I thought thou woldest ayde hym agaynste me / I wolde put this swerd through thy body / & made coūt∣naūce /

as thoughe he wolde haue stryken him. The archer stepped backe with his bowe / whi¦che was redy bente: And sette an arowe therin and drewe it vp / and shotte agaynst the squyer that the arowe pearsed thoroughe body & hart / and so fell downe deed. Whan the other squyer sawe his felowe deed he fledde awaye / and sir Myles retourned to his lodgynge. The two archers went to their maister and shewed hym all the aduenture. Sir Richarde Stafforde sayde / Thou hast done right yuell. Sir quod the archer / I coude do none otherwise without I wolde haue been slayne my selfe / and I had rather haue slayne hym thā he shulde haue slay¦ne me. Well quod sir Rycharde / Go thy waye that thou be nat founde / and I shall entreate for thy peace with sir Iohan of Holande / by my fa¦ther or by some other. So the archer de{per}ted.

TIdynges anone was brought to sir Iohan of Holande / that an ar∣cher of sir Richarde Staffordes / had slayne a squyer of his / y^t man that he loued best in all the worlde / and it was shewed hym the maner howe: And that it was for the cause of sir Myles the straū¦ger. Whan sir Iohan of Holande was well en∣fourmed of this aduenture / he was ryght sore displeased and sayd. I shall neuer eate nor dri∣ke tyll it be reuenged. Than he lepte on his hor¦se and toke certayne of his men with hym / and departed fro his owne lodgynge. It was as than right late and so rode in to the feldes / and enquered / Where sir Myles was lodged. It was shewed hym / he was lodged in the rere∣garde with the erle of Deuurynters and therle of Stafforde. Than sir Iohan Hollande toke the waye thyder warde / and sought to fynde sir Myles: And as he and his men rode vp & dow¦ne amonge the hedges and busshes / in a straite waye he mette at aduenture with sir Richarde Stafforde / and bicause it was night he demaū¦ded who was there? I am quod he Rycharde Stafforde. And I am Hollande quod the o∣ther / and I seke for the. One of thy seruauntes hath slayne my best beloued squyer: And ther∣with drewe out his sworde and strake Richar∣de Stafforde / so that he slewe hym & fell dow∣ne deed / whiche was great pytie. So he pas∣sed for the and knewe nat well what he had do∣ne / but he sawe well one falle to the grounde. Sir Richarde Staffordes men were sore dis∣mayd whan they sawe their maister deed. than they cryed: A Holande Holande / ye haue slay∣ne the sonne of therle of Stafforde. This wyll be heuy tidynges to the father whan̄e he kno∣weth therof. Some of sir Iohan of Holandes seruauntes herde well these wordes / and sayde to their mayster. Sir / ye haue slayne sir Ry∣charde Stafforde. Well quod sir Iohan Hol∣lade / what than? I had leauer haue slayne him than a worse: The better haue I reuenged the dethe of my squyer. Than sir Iohan of Hol∣lande wente streyght to saynt Iohans of Be∣uerley / and tooke the fraunchesse of the towne and abode there styll / For he knewe well there wolde be moche a do in the hooste / for the dethe of that knight: And he wyst nat what the kyn∣ge wolde saye or do in the mater. So to eschue all paryllce / he tooke sentuarye in the towne of saynt Iohans of Beuerley.

TIdynges anone came to the Erle of Stafforde / howe his sonne was slay∣ne by yuell aduenture. Thafie the erle demaunded who had slayne hym: And suche as were by hym whan he was slayne sayd. sir / the kynges brother / sir Iohen of Holande dyd slee hym: And shewed hym the cause why / and howe it was. ye maye well knowe / that he that loued entierly his sonne and hadde no mo but hym / and was a fayre yonge knyght and a cou¦tagyous / was marueylously sore dyspleased / and sente incontynent for all his frendes to ha∣ue their counsayle / howe he shulde vse hym sel∣fe in the reuengynge of his dethe. The moost wysest man of his counsayle sayd. Sir / to mo¦rowe in the mornynge / shewe all the matter to the kyng / and desyre hym to haue lawe and iu∣styce. Thus they suaged som what his yre / and so passed that night. And the nexte mornynge Rycharde Stafforde was buryed in the chur∣che of the vyllage therby. And at his buryeng were all those of his lynage / barons / knightes and squyers that were in armye. And the obsequy done / the erle of Stafforde and a thre score of his lygnage mounted on their horses and so came to the kynge / who was well enfor∣med of that yuell aduenture. And so the Erle founde the kyng and his vncles toguyder / and a great nombre of knightes with them. Whan the erle came before the kyng he kneled downe / and all wepynge / sayde with a soroufull harte. Sir / ye are kynge of Englande / and haue so∣lemly sworne to kepe Englāde in all right / & to do iustyce. {ser} / ye knowe how your brother w^tout

any tytell of reason hath slayne my sonne and ayre. Sir / I requyre you do me right and iu∣styce / or els ye shall haue no worse enemy than I wyll be. And sir / I wyll ye knowe / the dethe of my son toucheth me so nere / that and it were nat for brekynge of this voyage that we be in / I shulde bring the host in to suche trouble / that with honour it shulde be amended / and so coū¦teruenged / that it shulde be spoken of a hūdred yeres hereafter in Englande: But as nowe I wyll cease tyll this voyage in to Scotlande be done / for our ennemyes shall nat reioyse of the trouble of the erle of Stafforde. The kyng an¦swered. Knowe for trouthe that I shall do you iustyce and reason / as fatforthe as all my baro¦nes wyll iudge. I shall nat fayle therof / for no brother that I haue. Than they of the erles ly∣nage sayd. Sir / ye haue sayd well / we thanke you therof. Thus the lynage of sir Richarde Stafforde was apeased / and so helde on their iourney in to Scotlande. And all the iourney the erle of Stafforde made no semblant of the dethe of his sonne / wherin all the barons repu∣ted hym right sage. ∵ ∴