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 enterpryse and voyage of the knyghtes of Fraunce and En∣glande / and of the duke of Burbone who was chefe of that army / at the requeste of the genouoys / to go in to Barbary to besiege the strong tow∣ne of Auffryke. Cap. C.lxix. (Book 169)

I Shall nowe declare the maner of an hygh and noble enterprise that was done in this seasō by knigh¦tes of Fraūce / of England / & of other countreys / in the realme of Barbary. Syth I haue concluded the armes that was doone at saynt Ingylbertes / nowe wyll I shewe of other maters / for to me it is great pleasure to declare them / for if pleasure had nat inclyned me to write and to enquyre for the trouthe of many matters / I had neuer come to an ende as I haue done. Nowe sayeth the texte of the mater that I wyll procede on / y^t in this season newes spredde abrode in Fraunce and in dy∣uers other coūtreys that the genouoys wolde make an army to go in to Barbary with gret prouysion / as well of bysquet as fresshe water and wyneger / with gales and vesselles for all knyghtes and squyers that wolde go in that voyage. the cause that moued them thus to do I shall shewe you. Of alonge tyme the affry∣cans had made warre by see on the fronters of the genouoys / and pylled and robbed their Ilandes / suche as were obeysant to them / and also the ryuer of Genes lay euer in parell and daunger of them of Auffryke / whiche was a stronge towne on y^e parties / garnysshed with gates / towres / and hyghe and thycke walles / depe dykes. And lyke as the stronge towne of Calays is the key wherby who soeuer is lord therof may entre into the realme of Fraunce / or in to Flaunders at his pleasure / and maye by see or by lande sodenly inuade with great puyssaunce / & do many great feates. In lyke wyse by comparyson this towne of Auffryke is the key of the barbaryns and of the realme of Auffryke / and of the realmes of Bougne / and Thunes / and of other realmes of the infy¦deles in those parties. This towne dyd moch dyspleasure to the genouoys / who are greate

marchauntes / and by them of Aufryke they were often tymes taken on y^e see / as they went or returned fro their feate of marchaundyses. Than the genouoys who were ryche & puys∣saunt bothe by lande and by see / hauyng great sygnories / they regarded the dedes of the af∣frycans / and also consydred the complayntes of suche isles as were vnder their obeysaunce / as the isle Dable the isle of Syre / the isle of Guerse / the isle of Bostan / the isle of Gorgen∣nem / and vnto y^e Gulfe of Lyon / & to the isles of Sardonne and Finisse / and vnto the isle of Mayllorke / whiche thre isles be vnder the o∣beysaunce of the kynge of Aragon. Than the genouoys by comon acorde agreed to sende in to the frenche courte / and to offre to all knigh∣tes and squiers that wolde go with them to be siege this towne of Aufryke / to fynde them ga¦lees / and other vessels charged with bysquet / swete water / and wyneger / at their coste and charge / so that one of the frenche kynges vn∣cles or els his brother the duke of Thourayn / who was yonge and lusty / and lykely to con∣quere honour / shulde be capytayne generall. And the genouoys furthermore promised .xii. thousande crosbowes genouoys well furnys∣shed / and eyght thousande of other with spea∣res and pauesses / at their cost & charge. This the genouoys dyde bycause they knewe that there was a trewce bytwene Englande and Fraunce for thre yere / wherfore they supposed that knyghtes and īquyers as well of Fraūce as of Englande / wolde be glad to be doynge in some parte.

WHan tydynges came first into Fraūce of this voyage / the knightes and squi¦ers of the countrey were right ioyfull / and the messangers fro Genne were aunswe∣red that they shulde nat departe tyll they were well herde and so to haue socour / their request was so reasonable / as to the augmentynge of the crysten faythe. Thus they were caused to tary a season at Parys. There to debate that mater / and to se who shulde be chefe soueraygne of the armye for that voyage / and to whome euery man shulde obey. The duke of Thou∣rayne of his owne volūtary wyll / offred hym selfe to go. but the kyng and his vncles wolde in no wyse agree therto / sayenge howe it was no voyage for hym / and they consydred well howe y^t genouoys desyred outher to haue him or els one of the kynges vncles. Than it was agreed that the duke of Burbone vncle to the kynge shulde be souerayne and chefe of that armye / & shulde haue in his company the lorde of Coucy. Whan the ambassadours of Gene were aunswered that it was concluded with∣out fayle y^t they shulde haue ayde of knightes and squyers of Fraunce / and the kynges vn∣cle the duke of Burbone to be souerayne and chefe capytayne / wherof these ambassadours were well contente / and toke their leaue of the kynge and of his counsayle / and retourned in to their owne coūtrey. Tydinges anon spred abrode in y^t realme of Fraunce af this voyage into Barbary. To some it was plesaunt / and to some nat delectable / and many that wolde haue gone wente nat. There was none that went but on their owne charge and coste. No lorde sente any but of their owne seruauntes. Also it was ordeyned that none shuld passe of the nacyon of Fraunce / without lycence of the kynge / for the kynge wolde nat that so many shulde haue gone to leaue the realme destitute of knyghtes and squyers. Also it was agreed that no varlettes shulde passe / but all gentle / men / and men of feate & defence. Also to please all other nacyons / knyghtes & squiers straun∣gers had fre lyberty to come and to entre into this honorable voyage / wherof all knyghtes straungers greatly praysed the frenche kynge and his counsayle for that dede. The duke of Burbone who was one of the chefe of the re∣alme / sent incontynent his officers to Gennes to make prouysyon acordynge to his astate. The gentle erle of Auuergne sent also to Gen¦nes to make his prouysions / and the lorde of Coucy was nat behynde. Also syr Guy de la Tremoyle / and sir Iohan of Vyen admyrall of Fraunce / and all other lordes and knightes suche as were ordeyned to go in that voyage / sent to make their prouysions / euery man af∣ter his degre. Also so dyd sir Philyppe de Ar∣thoys erle of Eawe / and sir Phylip of Bare / the lorde of Harcourt / sir Henry Dantoinge. Also out of Bretayne and Normandy many lordes & other aparelled them selfes to go into Barbary. Also of Haynalt the lorde of Ligne / the lord of Haureth / and for thē of Flaunders there was great {pro}uysion made. Also the duke of Lācastre had a bastard sonne called Henry of Lancastre / he had deuocion to go in y^e same voyage / & he prouyded him of good knightes

and squyers of Englande / that acompanyed hym in that voyage. The erle of Foiz sent his bastarde sonne called Iobbayne of Foiz / well prouyded with knightes & squiers of Bierne. Euery man prouyded them selfes nobly and eche for other / and about the myddes of May the y^t were furthest of fro Gene set forwarde to come to Gennes / whereas y^e assemble was apoynted / and where as all their galees and vesselles were assembled. It was a moneth or they coude all assemble there. The genouoys were right ioyfull of their comyng / and gaue great presentes to the chiefe lordes / the better therby to wynne their loues. They were nom¦bred whan they were togyther by y^e marshals xiiii. hundred knyghtes and squyers. Than they entred in to the galees and vesselles that were prouyded for them / well furnisshed of all thynges necessary. Thus they departed fro the porte of Gennes aboute the feest of mydso∣mer / in the yere of our lorde god a thousande thre hundred fourscore and ten.

GReat pleasure it was to behold their departynge and to se their standar∣des / getorns / and penons wanynge in the wynde and shynynge against the sonne / and to here y^e trompettes & claryons sownyng in the ayre / with other mynstrelsy. The fyrste night they lay at ancre at the entryng in to the high see. all varlettes & horses abode behynde / a horse that was worthe fyfty frankes at their departyng was solde for ten frankes / for there were many knyghtes and squiers that wyste nat whan they shulde returne. they coulde nat haue fyue horses kept at Gennes for a franke a daye / and therfore at their departynge they made money of them / and that was but lytell. There were a hūdred galees garnisshed with men of warre / crosbowes / & pauesses / and mo than a .C. of other vessels laden with {pro}uysion & other necessaryes. The next day at the breke of the daye they weyed ancres / and rowed all that day by force of owers and the nyght folo∣wynge / costyng the lāde. The thyrde day they came to Portefyn / and there cast ancre / and ta¦ryed there all that night / and the next day they came to another porte & towne called the porte Vēder / and there taryed and refresshed them. The next day they passed further into the gret see in the name of god & our lady / and saynte George / & firste they founde the isle of Dable / and than y^t isle of Guerfe / the isle of Argenen / and the isle of Sardyns / & passed the Gulfe of the Lyon / which was a daungerous & a dout∣full passage / but they coulde nat eschewe it the waye y^t they toke / they were there in great pa¦rell all to haue ben lost. the season was so trou∣blus & tempestes so terryble / that y^e wysest ma¦ryner y^t there was coulde gyue no coūsaile but to abyde the aduēture / & the wyll of god / wher¦by the flete departed a sonder some here and some there / they wyst neuer where. This tem∣pest endured a day & a night. whan this tēpest was sest / and y^e wyndes pacifyed / than the pa∣trons & pylottes set their courses to drawe to the isle of Cōmeres / a .xxx. myle fro Auffryke. and fro the towne thyder as they entented to go. For at the goynge out of the Gulfe of Ly∣on / the patrones sayde one to a nother / if it fortune that we be driuen a sonder by force of wynde and wether / than lette vs drawe to the isle of Cōmeres / and there lette vs tary eche for other. And as they hadde deuysed so they dyd / for the fyrst that came thyder taryed tyll the last came / and or all coulde assemble there togyder it was a nyne daies. This isle of Cō∣meres is a pleasaūt isle / thought it be nat gret. There the lordes refresshed theym and than∣ked god / whhan they sawe they had loste none of their company. Thanne the lordes and pa∣trons toke counsayle what was best for them to do / consyderinge they were so nere y^e towne of Aufryke.

¶Nowe I wyll leaue to speke of these lordes of Fraunce for a season / and speke of other ma¦ters that was done in that season in Fraūcel and specyally in the countrey of Auuergne / in the marches of the lande of the erle Dolphyn / who was forthe in the sayd voyage. ∵ ∵