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

¶Of the dethe of pope Vrbayne of Rome called the Antepape / & howe pope Clement wrote to the Frenche kyng and to his vncles / & to the vni∣uersite: & of the election of pope Bo∣niface by the cardinalles of Rome. Cap. C.lxvi. (Book 166)

ABout the sayd season dyed at Rhome pope Vr∣bane the .vi. the romayns were sore displeased with his dethe / for he was well beloued. he was buryed in the churche of saynt Peter and after his obsequy done well and reuerēt¦ly. Than the cardynalles went in to the con∣claue to chuse a newe pope / and so they dyde / or that pope Clement knewe therof in Auy∣non / for it was ten dayes past or they knewe it. And assone as pope Clement and his car∣dynalles knewe therof / they assembled togy∣der at the popes palays / and had great cōmu¦nycacion toguyder / and were in great hope that the busynesse of the churche shulde leue and be concluded / and to come to a full vny∣on / for the errour had longe endured. They thought that the cardynals at Rome shulde nat agre so soone to entre in to conclaue / but rather to submitte themselfe to pope Clemēt at Auignon. They sent also worde to the frē¦che kyng of y^e dethe of Vrban called the ante∣pape / and desyred hym (the soner to come to their purpose) that he wolde write to his co∣syns the kynge of Almayne and the kynge of Hungy / to therle of Vertues & to the duke of Austrych / who had euer holden with pope vr¦bane / that they shulde nowe cease / & helpe to make rest and peace in y^e churche / & to shewe them by his letters / that in our faythe there ought to be no varyacion. for as there is but one god in heuyn / so ther ought to be but one god in erthe. The same season y^e duke of bur¦goyne was with the kyng at Parys / to whō pope Clement & the cardynals wrote in lyke maner. than the kyng shewed his vncle these newes / and was right ioyfull & saide. Fayre vncle / we haue had gret desyre to go w^t great puissaūce to Rome to distroy thenfidels / but as nowe our iourney is well shorted / for Vr¦bane the antepape is deed / as Clement hath written to vs / and he thynketh that the cardy¦nals wyll nat entre in to cōclaue to chuse any newe pope / but rather to come to Auignon & to submyt thē selfes vnder pope Clemēt. and we are desyred by hym & by the cardynals at Auignon / for the more suretie to write plea∣saūt letters to our cosins y^e kyng of Almayne and to his brother the kyng of Hūgry / & to y^e erle Vertues a to y^e duke of Austriche. What coūsayle wyll ye gyue me to do. The duke of Burgoyne sayd. Sir / trewe it is pope Vr∣bane is deed / but as yet we knowe nothynge of the state of the cardynals at Rome / nor of the Romayns / nor whether they wyll kepe their olde opinyon or nat. I feare it wyll be harde for them to leaue it / for the Romayns are maysters ouer the cardynalles. Byforce they made them to chuse the archebysshoppe of Bare / and made hym pope / and so mayn∣teyned hym to thende. And so if nowe by {per}∣force they cause the cardynalles to entre in to conclaue / and to chuse a Pope at their plea∣sure. Wherfore sir: ye shall nat nede to entre so farre into the mater / as to desyre them that wyll do but lytell for you / as they haue she∣wed yet hydervnto. Suffre sir tyll ye here other newes. And paraduenture it maye so be / that the cardynalles at Rome shall nat be all of one accorde / and paraduēture wyll dis∣symule with the Romayns / and chuse none other pope but Clement. And to apease their furour to promyse them / to cause Clement to come to Rome / whiche he wyll do right glad¦lye on that condycion. And if the mater go so than shall it be tyme for you to write to all y^e princes christned / that are of the opinyon cō∣trarye to you / in the best maner ye canne to a voyde the Scisme / and to bring the churche to an vnyon & peace / as by reason euery man ought to do. But as yet ye be nat sure howe the mater gothe: it is best ye abyde the aduē∣ture therof. It shall nat be longe or we here other tidynges.

WHan the duke of Burgoyne hadde sayde these wordes to the kyng and to his coūsaile / there was none that spake contrarye therto. The kynge thought his wordes were resonable & sayd. Fayre vn¦cle / we beleue it is good reason that ye saye /

yese more clerer in the mater thā we do / and as for the busynesse or the Churche / we wyll do nothynge therin / but by youre counsayle and aduyse. Thus they cessed of that cōmu∣nycacion. Great murmuracyon there was a monge the clerkes of the Vniuersite of those tyding{is} / wherby they cessed to rede or to stu∣dye. And entended to nothynge / but to her∣ken and to knowe howe the Cardynalles of Rome maynteyned them selfe. Wheder they wolde electe a newe pope / or els to retourne to the pope at Auignon. They dyde cast ma¦ny doughtes and argued one with another. They knewe well howe Clement had writ∣ten to the kynge and to the duke of Thou∣rayne and to the duke of Burgoyne / and to the kynges counsayle. In lykewise letters were written generally to the vnyuersite / y^t they shulde conclude to an vnyuersall peace in the churche. Thus the clerkes deuysed a∣monge themselfe / and suche as wolde the ad¦uauncement of Clement sayde. Nowe it is tyme that the kyng and the lordes of Fraūce write to the great princes of Christendome: As to the kynge of Almaygne / the kynge of Hungry / the lorde of Myllayne / and to the duke of Austryche: and to suche other as are of our opynion / to thentent y^t they shulde re∣tourne to the same state. suche writyng maye moche aueyle. In thre dayes thre tymes the notable clerkes of the vniuersyte of Parys assembled togyder / and at last came to saynt Poules to speke with the kyng and his coū∣sayle / to desyre hym to set to his hande to op∣presse the Cysme of the churche / & to entende to the ordynaūce of pope Clement / who had humbly written to hym. But whan they cāe to saint Poules they were nat answered / the kynge dissymuled the mater with thē / so that they were yuell cōtent. Finally the kyng con¦tented thē / sayeng howe shortely they shulde here other newes / and so they dyd / for the car¦dinals of Rome entred in to the cōclaue and made a newe pope / the cardynall or Naples a noble and a valyant clerke. He was called Bonyface. Whan the Frenche kyng and his coūsayle herde therof they were pensyue / for than they well ymagined howe that y^e cysme was lykely to endure longe. Than the duke of Burgoyne sayde to the kyng. Sir / nowe regarde wheder your writynges hadde nat ben loste or no. It is nowe fallen as I sayd. Fayre vncle quod the kyng / ye saye trouthe. Than̄e graces were opyned to all clerkes at Rome by Bonyface / and all promyses certi∣fyed there / of suche as were vnder his obey∣saūce / and suche as wolde receyue suche gra∣ces wente towardes Rome. And whan they approched the marchesse of Danconne / they rode in great paryll / For sir Bernarde de la Salle / who kepte the fronters there / & made warre to the Romains in the quarell of pope Clement / toke suche clerkes as paste by and dyde them moche trouble / and many slayne and loste. ¶ Nowe lette vs leaue spekynge of these popes / and tourne to other maters. ∴ ∴