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 Admyrall of Fraunce was ordayned by the Frenche kyng and his counsayle as ambassadour / to go to the kynge of Castyle. And howe the Duke of Berrey sente to the erle of Foize to treate for a mary∣age / bytwene the duke of Berrey & the erles doughter of Boulonge. Cap. C.li. (Book 151)

THe admyrall of Fraūce taryed nat long at Paris / but made hym quickely re¦dye to departe / and tooke his leaue of the kyng and of his vncles / and tooke his waye by Burgoyne / bycause he wolde go by Auygnone to se the pope and his brother / and so he dyde.

¶Nowe lette vs leaue spekyng of hym / and speke somwhat of Geffray. Tete noyre / who was enclosed and besieged within the castell of Vandachore. But fyrste we wyll speke of the duke of Berrey who had great desyre to mary / as he well shewed within that yere. Whan he sawe that he had fayled of the duke of Lancasters doughter. he was enfourmed that the erle of Boulonge had a fayre dough¦ter named Iane / doughter to the lady Elya∣nour of Comynges / howe be it she was nat with her father nor with her moder / she was in the countrey of Bierne with the Erle of Foiz her great frende and cosyn. She hadde ben there brought vp and nourysshed & well entreated the space of nyne yeres / in the ca∣stell of Ortayes / without cost or charge to fa¦ther or mother. The erle often tymes hadde been desyred to haue had her maryed: but al∣wayes the erle aunswered that the damosell was to yonge. Specially sir Bernarde bro∣ther to the erle of Armynacke hadde desyred to haue her / and promysed that if he myght haue her in maryage / the warre shulde ende bytwene them / for the chalenge of the lande of Byerne. But for all those promyses / the erle wolde nat agree therto / but aunswered euer / howe that his cosyn was to yonge. but amonge his owne men he wolde saye other∣wyse. For as sir Espaygne du Lyon shewed me / he wolde saye / howe they of Armynacke myght well repute hym for a beest / if he shul¦de graunt their desyre / seynge it was to his dōmage. For if he shulde graunt theym his cosyn in maryage / he shulde strength them / and enfeble hym selfe. Sayeng / howe they of Armynake helde by force and nat of right the countie of Comynges / the whiche hery∣tage is by his mother and aunte to my cosyn of Boloyne. I wyll well they knowe I shall mary her in so stronge a place and puissaunt to make warre with them for the herytage of Comynges. For as nowe there is none to an¦swere but a deed man.

THus whan the erle of Armynacke & sir Bernarde his brother / sawe that they coulde nat come to their pur∣pose / as long as her aunte lyued. Than they sayde to the duke of Berrey / that this lady shulde be a fayre maryage for Iohn̄ of Ber∣rey his sonne. And by their settynge on / the duke sente suffycient and noble messangers in to Byerne to the erle of Foiz. Desyringe hym that all yuell wyll might be sette aparte and euery thynge pardoned of tymes paste / and that he myght haue the damosell of Bou¦longe / for Iohan his sonne in maryage. So that the erle of Boulonge / father to the da∣mosell dyde therto agree and assent. Therle of Foiz made good chere to these ābassadors but he excused hym for that maryage / & sayd howe the lady his cosyn was to yonge: And also he sayde / howe that whan the countesse of Boulonge her mother delyuered her in to his charge / She caused hym to swere / that he shulde neuer mary her in no place / with∣her knowledge and consent. And in no wyse he sayde he myght / nor wolde nat breake his promyse nor othe / and he sayd none ought to desyre hym thervnto. This excuse the Erle made / for he knewe well that his cosyn of Co¦mynges / who was with the erle of Vrgell her brother in the realme of Arragon / wolde nat agree thervnto. Thus the ambassadors of the duke of Berrey retourned without a∣ny thyng doyng to their purpose. And whan they were gone (as sir Espaygne du Lyon shewed me) the erle sayde ah. The duke of Berrey and his coūsayle myght well repute me for an ignorant / whan he wolde haue me to enforce myne ennemyes. Iohan of Berry is cosyn germayn to myne aduersaries of Ar¦mynake. that bargayne shall I neuer make / I shall rather mary her in to Englande. It hath been spoken of to sir Henry of Lanca∣stre erle of Derby / sonne to the duke of Lan∣castre. If I thought nat greatly to displease the Frenche kynge / there shulde none other haue her but he. & as yet I knowe nat what I wyll do / for I shall rather mary her at my pleasure / than they of Armynake shulde ha∣ue her agaynste my wyll. In me it lyeth to do or to leaue. I nede nat to trouble my selfe in the mater.

Whan the duke of Berrey knewe the certē∣lie that the duke of Lācastre shulde mary his doughter to y^e king of Castyls son̄e / & that he coude nat breke that maryage in no wyse: he was a .v. or sixe dayes so pensyue / that none about hym durst demaūde what he ayled: at last he declared his entent to thē of his coun∣saile. than they said to hym. sir / if ye haue fay¦led of the duke of Lancasters doughter / ye maye recouer another / as great and as good (as she is) howe be it she is very yonge for your age. Wherfore we can nat tell if the erle of Foiz wyll refuce it for that cause / who hath the lady in his gouernaunce. Ah quod the du¦ke / that is the doughter of the Erle of Bou∣longe / the erle of Foiz hath refused Iohan of Berrey / howe be it in the name of god let vs yet assaye. Than the duke wrote to the Erle of Foiz / signifyeng hym ryght swetely that he wolde sende to hym four lordes: as therle of Xancere / the lorde de la Ryuer / sir Guy de la Tremoyle / and the Vycount Dassey / to treate with hym to haue for hym selfe in ma∣ryage the doughter of Boulonge / beyng vn∣der his kepyng / so it maye be to his pleasure. and desyred the erle to sende hym an answere in writyng the hole of his mynde / to thentent that his messangers shulde nat traueyle in vayne / nor lese there payne. The erle of Foiz receyued the messāgers that brought the writ¦tynge ryght amyably / and wrote agayne by them to the duke of Berrey: sayeng / howe he was right gladde of those tidynges / & wolde be redy to receyue the sayd lordes / outher in Foiz or in Byerne / so that the Erle of Bou∣longe and the coūtesse / father and mother to the lady be agreed thervnto. And at their re∣tourne whan the duke of Berey herde his an¦swere he was right ioyfull / and all that wyn¦ter styll he pursued / what here & there / that he myght attayne to this maryage the nexte so∣mer after. He coude nat bring his purpose a∣boute shortely / for he knewe well the erle of Foiz was no man lightly to be wonne / for he was sure he shulde haue many delays. wher¦fore the duke thought to worke wysely / & sent specyall messangers to pope Clement / who was cosyn and nere a kyn to the damosell of Boulōge. The pope was right ioyouse whā he knewe y^t his cosyn might to highly be ma∣ryed / as to the duke of Berrey / vncle to the Frēche kyng. Than the pope wrote to therle of Foiz / signifyeng hym right honorably / & aduysinge hym that he shulde nat vary fro y^e treatie of that maryage / for therby their ly∣nage shulde be enhaunsed. Thus the erle of Foiz receyued letters fro all parties & he an∣swered them all / for right well he coude dissi¦mule in suche busynesse. He helde all the par∣ties in good loue and fauour / bothe the pope and y^e duke of Berrey. yet there was nat the wysest of thē bothe nor of their counfayls / y^t coude knowe perfitely what the erle of Foiz thought surely to do. ¶Nowe lette vs som¦what leaue speakyng of this mater / and re∣tourne to the siege of Vanchadore.

ye haue herde here before in this hystorie / how sir Wyllm̄ Lignac and sir Iohn̄ Boem¦launce / & dyuers other knightes and squiers of Auuergne and Limosin had besieged y^e ca¦stell of Vāchadore / and Geffray Tete noyre within: But they coude nat wyn it by no ma¦ner of assaut / for they within were prouyded of all thynges necessary for .vii. yere / though they had no refresshyng. They without ofte tymes wolde come out of their bastydes and scrimysshe. Durynge the siege many feates of armes were done / & dyuers hurt on bothe {per}tes. And so it fortuned at a scrimysshe Gef∣fray Tete noyre was there hym selfe / & auaū¦sed so forwarde / that he was striken through the bassenet in to the heed with a quarell / so that he was fayne to kepe his bedde / wherw^t all his company was sore displeased / and the season that he lay there was no scrimysshīg. of this hurt if he had ben well kept he might sone haue ben hole / but he kept hym selfe but yuell and specially fro lechery / the whiche he derely bought / for it cost hym his lyfe: but or he died he knewe well before there was no re¦medy but dethe / For it was playnly shewed hym / by reason of his yuell rule. He was in ieo{per}dy of dethe for his hed apostumed / wher¦fore he was counsayled to declare his wyll & to make hym redy to god ward: thā he made his testament. First he caused to come before hym all the soueraygne companyons of the garyson / suche as were best expert in armes. Than he sate vp in his bedde and sayd. sirs / and derely beloued companyons / I knowe well I am in great daunger of dethe: we ha∣ue a long season ben toguyder / & kepte good company: I haue ben your maister and true

capitayne to my power. Wherfore I wolde gladly in my lyfe dayes se that ye hadde ano∣ther capitayne / that trewly shulde acquyte hym to you all / and to kepe this fortresse. for I shall leaue it well prouyded of euery thyn∣ge necessary parteyning to a castell of warre bothe of wyne / vitaylles / and artyllary / and other thynges requysyte. Wherfore I de∣maunde of you all in generall / if ye be aduy∣sed of any capitayne or capitayns metely to be chosen to gouerne you and this castell / as men of warre aduenturers ought to do / for suche hath ben alwayes the warre that I ha∣ue vsed. I haue made warre moche vnder the shadowe of the kyng of Englandes qua¦rell. I haue alwayes be desyrous to be there as somwhat was to be gotton / & so alwayes companyons aduēturers ought to do / suche as desyre feates of armes to aduenture them selfe. Here in these fronters is a good coun∣trey and frutefull / and great profyte to be go¦ton therin / thoughe the Frenche men nowe besiege vs / it wyll nat endure alwayes: the siege and their bastydes wyll breke one day. Sirs / answere me to my demaunde. Haue ye chosen any capitayne amonge you? The companyons stode styll and gaue none aun∣swere. and whan he sawe that they spake nat he beganne to speke agayne with swete wor∣des and sayd. Sirs / I thynke surely of this my demaunde ye haue thought before but ly∣tell. Wherfore sirs / as I haue layne here in my bedde / I haue thought and deuysed for you. Sir quod they we beleue it well: and it shalbe more agreable to vs that it cometh of you / rather than of vs. And sir / shewe it vs if it please you. Sirs quod he I shall de¦clare it to you / and name hym that I meane. ∴ ∴