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 Geffray Teate noyre dyde chose a capitayne ouer his company: and howe he made his testament / & so dyed. And howe the duke of guer∣les departed fro his countre to go in to Pruce / and of the incydence that fell to him in the lande of the duke of Stulpe / where he was taken priso∣soner and discōfyted. Cap. C .lii. (Book 152)

FAyre sirs quod Gef∣fray / I knowe well ye ha∣ue alwayes serued and ho¦noured me / as men ought to serue their soueraygne and capitayne / and I shall be y^e gladder if ye wyll a∣gre to haue to your capitayne one that is dis¦cended of my bloode. Beholde here Aleyne Rour my cosyn and Peter his brother / who are men of armes and of my blode. I re••re you to make Aleyne youre capitayne / and to swere to hym faythe / obeysaunce / loue / and loyalte here in my presence / and also to his brother: Howe be it I wyll that Aleyne ha∣ue the souerayne charge. Sir quod they we are well content / for ye haue ryght well cho∣sen. There all the companyons made theym seruyaunt to Aleyne Roux and to Peter his brother. Whan all that was done / than Gef∣fraye spake agayne and sayde. Nowe sirs / ye haue obeyed to my pleasure / I canne you great thanke / wherfore sirs / I wyll ye haue parte of that ye haue holpen to conquere. I saye vnto you / that in yonder chest that ye se stande yonder / therin is to the some of .xxx. thousande frankes / I wyll gyue them accor∣dynge to my conscyence. Wyll ye all be con∣tent to fulfyll my testament / howe saye ye? Sir quod they / we be right well contente to fulfyll your commaundement. Than̄e firste quod he / I wyll and gyue to the Chapell of saynt George here in this Castell / for the re∣paracious therof a thousande and fyue hun∣dred frankes: And I gyue to my louer / who hath truely serued me two thousāde and fyue hundred frankes: And also I gyue to Aleyne Roux your newe capitayne foure thousande frankes: Also to the varlettes of my chambre I gyue fyue hūdred frankes. To myne offy∣cers / I gyue a thousande and fyue hundred frankes. The rest I gyue and bequeth as I shall shewe you. ye be vpon a thyrtie com∣panyons all of one sorte / ye ought to be bre∣therne and all of one alyaunce / withoute de∣bate / ryotte / or stryfe amonge you. All this that I haue shewed you / ye shall fynde in yonder Cheste / I wyll that ye departe all the resydue equally and truely bitwene you thyr tie. And if ye be nat thus contente / but that the deuyll wyll set debate bytwene you / than beholde yonder is a stronge axe / breke vp the

coffer and gette it who can / to those wordes euery man answered and said. Sir and dere maister / we are and shalbe all of one accorde Sir we haue so moche loued & douted you / y^e we wyll breke no cofer / nor breke no poynt of that ye haue ordayned and commaunded.

Thus Geffray Teate Noyre made his te¦stament and lyued nat past two dayes after / and was buryed in y^e chapell of saint George within the castell. His wyll was accomplys∣shed / and the .xxx. thousande frankes deuy∣ded as he had ordayned. And Aleyne Roux and Peter Roux his brother / were capyta∣yns of the castell of Vāchadore. All this sea∣son y^e siege styll endured / but there were but fewe scrimysshes made. Howbeit whan the dethe of Geffray Teate noyre was knowen in Auuergne and Lymosyn / the knyghtes & squyers there were ryght ioyfull therof / and douted lesse than they dyde before. For this Geffray in his tyme was sore douted / for he was a good and a sage capitayne and expert in all warre.

NOwe lette vs retourne to the duke of Guerles and shewe what fell to hym in this season / bycause I haue spoken of hym before: For by his meanes the Frenche kyng / his vncles / and his brother / & other nobles of Fraunce came to the entre of the countrey of Guerles: and the kyng de{per}∣ted thens and the duke / hauyng no great do∣mage. And whan the duke of Guerles sawe that all the mē of warre were departed / and that he was apeased with the duches of Bra¦bant and with all his enemyes / by reason of the composicion that was made / as to rendre vp the towne of Graue vpon certayne poyn∣tes and artycles / ordayned bytwene y^e duke of Burgone / the duches of Brabant / and the duke of Guerles. Than he thought (to then tent to employ his season) to go in to Pruce / He made hym redy / and gate hym company of knyghtes and squyers of his owne coun∣trey / and other places. And about the vtas of saynt Martyn he rode forthe throughe Al∣maygne / and in euery place where as he pas∣sed he had good chere. And so longe he rode that he came to the lande of Pruce / I knowe nat by what insydence. Certayne men layde in wayte on hym / and in the feldes set on him or he was ware / and ouerthewe hym and all his men / so that they lost all their horses / ar∣mure / vessell / golde and syluer / and were all ledde prisoners to a towne / and there sware faythe and trouthe to paye their ran̄somes / and specially y^e duke of Guerles became pri∣soner and made promyse to pay his ran̄some to a squyer called Arnolde / his surname I knowe nat. Than y^e duke and his men were ledde to a stronge towne in the lande of the duke of Stulpe / whether y^e duke was there or nat I was nat enformed therof. but whan the great maysters of Pruce herde howe the duke of Guerles was taken as he was com∣myng in to their countre / they were sore dis∣pleased therwith / and sayd: howe the mater shulde nat rest in that case / for they to suffr•• it shulde be greatly to their blame. Tha•••• they reysed vp men and departed fro Cōnys∣bredge / and came with a great strength of men towardes the towne and castell / where as the duke of Guerles was in prison. Whan the squyer that had taken the duke was en∣fourmed of the cōmyng of the great mayster of Pruce with suche a puyssaunce doughted greatly / and determyned nat to abyde their cōmyng to the castell / but thought to departe But or his departure he came to the duke of Guerles and sayd to hym. Sir duke / ye are my prisoner and I am your mayster. ye are a gētylman and a true knight: ye haue swor∣ne and gyuen me your faithe where soeuer I go and wyll go / ye ought to folowe me: I can nat tell if ye haue sente for the great may¦ster of Pruce or nat / he cometh hyder with a great puyssaūce: I thynke nat to abyde hym tary you here if ye lyst / I wyll cary with me your faythe and promyse. The duke to those wordes gaue none answere: and the squyer toke his horse and departed / and wente to a place stronge ynoughe: And at his de{per}tyng he sayde agayne to the duke. Sir / ye shall fynde me in suche a place / he named hym a stronge castell and oute of all hyghe wayes. And whan he was gone the great mayster of Pruce came to the duke of Guerles where as he was / for there was none to lette hym / and so delyuered the duke out of prison: and if he hadde founde the squyer there / surely he had been slayne. Than the great mayster of Pruce retourned to Connysbredge / and the duke of Guerles with hym.

I Shall shewe you what fell of this busynesse. True it was / great brute ran in dyuers countreis / and speci∣ally in Almaygne of the takyng of the duke of Guerles / euery man that herde it hadde great marueile therof. Thus whan the duke of Guerles was come to Connisbredge and was delyuered / as ye haue herde: than he re∣membred hymselfe / howe he was bounde by his faythe to the squyer that tooke hym / and remembred the wordes that the squier spake at his de{per}tyng. than he thought in hym selfe that in no wyse he wolde breke his promyse / but truely acquyte his faythe / and sayd to the great maister of Pruce / that he wolde no len¦gar tary there / but go to the squyer that had his faythe. And so determyned to do for any thynge that the great mayster coulde saye or do: Nouther dispensacyon / absolucyon / nor other thyng / coude nat cause the duke to ab∣steyne / but that he wolde nedes go to y^e town where as the squyer was / whōe he called his maister: euery man that herde therof / repu∣ted it for a great valyauntnesse. Whan this came to knowledge of his frendes and kyns∣men / than they treated for his delyueraunce. and so he was delyuered by the helpe & mea∣nes of the duke of Stulpe / who toke great payne in the mater: Howe be it the duke of Stulpe or he cōsented that the duke of guer∣les shulde be delyuered out of daunger / and out of his lande / wolde in any wyse that the duke of Guerles shulde swere and scale / that he and his heyres neuer after that daye / nor none other man for hym / shulde take any vē∣geaunce for that mater / by waye of dissymu∣lacion or otherwyse. Thus he was fayne to do or he departed. This aduenture had the duke of Guerles that yere. ¶Nowe let vs retourne to sir Iohan of Vyen admyrall of Fraunce / and shewe what he dyde and what he sayd to the kyng of Castyle / on the Frēche kynges behalfe. ∴ ∴