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

¶How the treatie of peace renewed at Towers in Thourayn / bytwene the Frenche kynge and the duke of Bretayne and of the mariage of the doughter of Fraunce to the lonne of Bretayne / and of Iohn̄ of Bretayne erle of Pointhieur and the doughter of the duke of Bretaygne. Cap. C.lxxxi.

YE haue herde here before in dyuers places in this hystory / howe the duke of Bretayne and syr Olyuer of Clysson / as than constable of Fraunce / hated mor∣tally eche other / and besyde the hatred that the duke had to syr Olyuer / he had gret enuy that he was so great with the kinge / and so secrete of his counsayle / and gladly he wolde haue troubled hym / but he doughted y^e kynges dis∣pleasure / and often tymes the duke repented hym that he had nat slayne hym whan he had hym in prisone in the castell of Ermyn / for he thought if he had slayne hym / than he shulde neuer haue had more trouble by hym. The y∣uell wyll that he had to hym caused hym to be harde mynded to be obedyente to the crowne of Fraunce / howe be it he knewe well he dyd yuell / therfore he suffred all thynge to passe at aduenture / and helde in his loue the englysshe men / and prouyded suffycyently his townes and fortresses with artyllery & vytayles / and sent priuely in to Englande for men of armes and archers / & dyd set them in his garysons / and made to be beleued that he loked to haue warre but his men kn••we nat with whome / howe be it all that euer he dyd was knowen in Fraūce / and many spake largely against him. He knewe well that certrayne lordes of Fraunce were nat contente with hym / but he dyd set ly∣tell therby / but so passed on his tyme. He had great affyaunce in his cosyne the duchesse of Burgoyne / as it was reason / for he had of her a specyall supporte and ayde / for the lady by∣cause of lygnage loued hym / and bycause that the erle of Flaunders her father / who was co∣syn germayne to the duke had alwayes loued and comforted hym in all his trybulacyons. This lady of Burgoyne was a good lady / so that the duke her husbande wolde nat gladly displease her / and good cause why / for y^e duke by her helde great herytages / and had by her fayre chyldren. all the realme of Fraunce was bounde to loue her / and she had nat ben / great dyscensions had moued bytwene the parties / for natwithstandynge that the duke of Bre∣tayne had ben at Paris with the french kyng / and made to hym homage / yet I can nat well say if it was with good herte or no / for as sone as the duke was retourned in to Bretaygne / there apered in hym but small amendemente / he had sworne obeysaunce and to be obedyent to the pope at Auignon / but he was nat / for ra¦ther he dispysed hym in his wordes. Nor also he wolde suffre no man to be promoted in his countrey by that popes bulles / but helde hym selfe newter in dyuers thynges / & wolde gyue the benefyces hym selfe. No clerke coulde at∣teygne to any promocyon of any benefyce in his countrey / without he had ben well pleased therwith. Also any cōmaūdements that came out of the parlyament chambre of Parys / he sette nothynge therby. The prelates and bys∣shoppes of Bretayne lost great parte of their iurisdictions by this duke / so that great com∣playntes therof was made in the parlyament of Parys / but they hadde small remedy. And whan he was sent for to come to Parys{is} or els to sende thyder some able personages to make aunswere to suche matters as shulde be aled∣ged agaynste hym / and whan any of the kyn∣ges offycers came in to Bretaygne to somon hym to apere / thanne he wolde nat be spoken withall / but euer made sondry seues. And whan the kinges officers dyd departe againe thens / than he wolde say. I wyll go to Parys to se what ryght I shall haue there. It is nat

yet thre yeres sence I was there / to se what ryght I shulde haue / but I coulde se nor here of no ryght there mynystred / the lordes of the parlyament tourne euery thynge as they lyst. They reken me very yonge and ignorante / to be ledde as they lyst / but I wolde they knewe that if all my men of the duchy of Bretaygne / were all of one accorde / and obedyent to my pleasure / as they ought to be / I wolde gyue the realme of Fraunce so moche to do / that I wolde bringe theym that be vnreasonable to reason / and suche as hath done trewly shulde be rewarded acordyngly / and suche as haue deserued to haue iustyce / shulde haue as they haue deserued / and suche as wolde haue right shuld haue it. Thus many complayntes were made often tymes to the kynge / and suche as were of his secrete counsayle said. This duke is ryght presumptuous and proude / sythe he wyll be brought to no reason / and if he shulde be thus suffred in his lewde opinyon / it shulde greatly enfeble the noblenesse of this realme / for by hym other lordes shall take ensample to do yuell / and therby the iurysdictyon of the realme lytell and lytell shall be loste. Than it was deuysed to withstande / and to fynde re∣medy for suche inconuenyentes / and to sende swetely to hym to come to Towrs in Thou∣rayne / and there to mete with the french kyng and with the duke of Berrey / and the duke of Burgoyne / the bysshop of Charters / the bys∣shoppe of Dothune. These four were specy∣ally named / bycause the duke loued them best aboue all other lordes of Fraunce / excepte the erle of Estampes / and the lorde Coucy.

THus there was sente in to Bretayne to the duke the erle of Estampes and mayster Iue of Noyent. They toke great payne and traueyle to moue the duke to mete with the frenche kynge at Towrs. they spake so fayre with fresshe coloured wordes / armed with reason / that the duke agreed to go to Towrs / but further he sayd in no wyse he wolde go / and also that he shulde nat se his enemy syr Olyuer of Clysson in no wyse. All this was acorded & agreed / or he wolde come to Towrs. These ambassadours retourned in to Fraunce and shewed the kynge and his counsayle howe they had spedde. They were contente therwith / sythe they coulde brynge hym to none other purpose. The kynge and his coūsayle made them redy to go to Towrs and to tary there a two or thre monethes / for they thought their treatie with y^e duke of Bre¦tayne shulde nat sone be acomplisshed. Thus the frenche kinge / the duke of Thourayne his brother / the dukes of Berrey and Burgoyne / and Iohan of Burgoyne his sonne / the duke of Burbon / the lorde Coucy / the erle of Mar∣che / the Erle of saynte Poll / and other of the counsaile of Fraūce came to Towrs in Thou¦rayn. Also thyder came the constable of Fraū∣ce and Iohan of Bretayne his sonne in lawe / and their counsayles / for they hadde maters there to do. And a fyftene dayes after / thyder came the duke of Bretayne. or he came it was sayd he wolde nat come / for he had thre tymes sent to excuse hym selfe / sayenge he was speke and coude nat ryde / how be it finally he came / and was lodged at his ease. There was syr Roger of Spaygne to haue ben aunswered / but the kynge and the counsayle had somoche to do with the duke of Bretayns maters / that they coulde entende to nothyng els. This syr Roger was there more than two monethes or he coulde be aunswered / but daily he was an∣swered y^t he shulde be herde / but it was longe fyrste. Also the same tyme there fell another let / for thyder came fro kyng Rycharde of En¦glande syr Iohan Clapam / one of the kyn∣ges counsayle and of his chaumbre / and Ry∣charde Choall clerke and doctour of lawe / to speke with the Frenche kynge and his coun∣sayle / for the same matter that syr Thomas Percy and the lorde Clyfforde had ben at Pa¦rys for with the kynge. Whan the englysshe men were come to Towrs / all other treaties were closed vp and entended to their delyue∣raunce. It was shewed me that they brought letters of credence to the kynge and to the du∣kes of Berrey & Burgoyne. they were herde. Their credence was / that the kynge of En∣glande and his Vncles wolde knowe if the frenche kynge and his counsayle were in wyll and mynde to kepe their metyng at Amyence to treate for a peace to be had bytwene the two kynges / their alyes and confederates. The frenche fynge (who as he shewed / desyred no thynge so moche as peace / and answered and said / that he was redy to accomplysshe all pro¦messes / sayenge that as soone as he had dely∣uered the duke of Bretayne and were depar∣ted fro Towrs / he wolde entende to nothynge

e••s / tyll he were come to Amyence / and there to abyde for the englysshe ambassadours / and there to make them as good chere as he coude. Here with the englysshe ambassadours were well cōtent / and were a fyue dayes at Towrs with the kynge / and than tooke their leaue of the kynge and of the other lordes. The kynge gaue them great gyftes and their costes there payed for / and so departed. and all that season they sawe nat the duke of Bretayne nor spake nat with hym / for the duke welde nat / leste the frenche men shulde haue any suspecte in hym. Thus the englysshmen retourned to Calays and so to Douer / and to London and founde the kynge and his counsayle at Westmynster / and there shewed what they had done / herde / and sene. The answere that they brought plea¦sed well the kynge and his counsayle / and or∣deyned for their iourney to go to Amyence.

¶Nowe let vs som what speke of the messan∣gers that were sente to the frenche kynge / fro the Vycount of Chastellon / out of Foize and Bierne.

SIr Roger of Spayne & sir Espaygne du Lyon / who were sent in to Fraunce fro the Vicounte of Chastellen / they toke on theym great payne and traueyle to pursewe their cause / for certayne clerkes and knightes of the kinges counsayle / aduysed the kynge to take the countie of Foiz / and to attrybute it to the crowne of Fraunce / sythe they of the coun¦trey wolde agree therto. The kynge enclyned well therto / but the duke of Burgoyne who was sage and ymagynatyue wolde nat agree therto / but sayd alwayes. Let the kynge take agayn his money / and somwhat more. Howe be it as it was shewed me the duke of Bur∣goyne coulde nat be herde. But the duke of Berrey toke the busynesse him / by meanes as I shall shewe you. ye haue herde here be∣fore what fell bytwene hym and the olde Ga∣scon erle of Foize / whan the duke sente in to Bierne to the erle suche notable persones / as was the erle of Sanxete / the vicount Dassey the lorde de la Ryuer / and syr Wyllm̄ of Tre∣moyle / to treate for the maryage of the lady Iahan of Boloyne / whome the erle of Foize had in kepinge / and at that tyme the erle was well content with the maryage that y^e duke of Berrey shulde haue her / so that he wolde pay thyrty thousande frankes for the kepyng and bringynge vp of the lady / and the duke payed the said some / and so had the lady to his wyfe. The duke of Berrey remembred the mater than / and sente for syr Roger of Spayne and for syr Espayne du Lyon / to come speke with hym in his chambre / and so secretly he sayde to them. Syrs if ye wyll come to a good con∣clusyon in your sute. ye shall attayne therto by my meanes / but fyrst I wyll haue agayne the thyrty thousande frankes / whiche I payed to the olde erle of Foiz whan I had my wyfe. I haue alwayes ymagyned that if I myght o∣uer lyue the erle of Foiz to haue the money a∣gayne. Whan these two knyghtes herde the duke say so / they regarded eche other & spake neuer a worde. Than the duke sayd agayne. Syrs to say trouthe I haue taken your wor∣des fro you / speke togyther and aduyse you well / without this treatie ye shall nat attayne to your purpose / for my brother of Burgoyne wyll do as I wyll haue hym / he hath the go∣uernaunce of the countrey of Picardy / and I of Languedocke / agaynste my wyll no man wyll speke. The Vycount of Chastellon shall fynde good ynough / for the erle that is deed had more rychesse than the kynge hath in his treasour. Than syr Roger of Spayne sayde. sir though we wolde agre to your demaunde / yet we haue nat here with vs the treasure to contente you withall. Ah syr Roger quod the duke / that shall nat let nor hyndre the mater / and ye promyse the dette on your faythe and writynge I wyll beleue you / and if it were in a greater mater than that is. Syr quod the knyght I thanke you / we shall sheke togyder and to more we gyue you an answere. It plea¦seth me well quod the duke. They departed fro the duke and went to their lodgynge / and toke counsayle togyther whether they shulde retourne agayne home without agrement or els acorde to the dukes demaunde / so that the heritage might clerely remayne & abyde with the Vycount of Chastellon. The nexte daye they retourned to the duke and offered hym all his demaunde / and so there syr Roger of Spayne and syr Espaygne du Lyon became dettours to the duke of Berrey for .xxx. thou∣sande frankes / on the condicion that he shulde be meane that the kynge shulde take agayne the sōme of money that he had lente to the erle of Foize / and that the Vicount of Chastellon might peasably enioy the herytage. well quod

the duke lette me alone / I shall do it I truste. After that day the duke of Berrey (who desy∣red to haue these .xxx. thousande frankes) was so good an adūocate for the vycount of Cha∣stellon / that he concluded his busynesse at his owne wyll. The kynge and his counsayle put all the mater to his pleasure. and so these two knyghtes had letters sealed of the confyrma∣cyon of the countie of Foiz to be the trewe en∣herytaūce of the Vicount of Chastellon / with letters therof adressed to y^e bysshop of Noyon and to the lorde de la Ryuer / beynge at Tho∣louse. The ••enour of the letters as I was en∣fourmed by suche credyble persones as went on the same legacyon / was as foloweth.

CHarles by the grace of god kynge of Fraunce / we sende and cōmende vs to the ryght reuerende bysshoppe of Noyon / and to our knight and chambrelayne the lorde de la Ryuer. We wyll that ye suffre the vycount of Chastellon enherytour of Foiz and of Bierne / to enioy & possede his heritage of the countie of Foiz / with the purtenaūces / so that ye take in to your possessyon the sōme of .lx. thousande frankes at one payment / and the money payed / than our seneschall of Tho¦louse to make a sure quytaunce of the recryte therof. Also at a nother paymente I wyll ye re¦ceyue twenty thousande frankes for your co∣stes and charges in goynge and retournyng / and that money payed than make quytaunce therof vnder the seale of offyre of Tholouse. Also we wyll that syr yuan and syr Gracyen of Foiz / bastarde sonnes to the erle Gascon of Foiz / haue parte and ceasonable assignement bothe in landes and goodes of that was their fathers / by the aduyse and dyscrecyon of syr Roger of Spayne and of the vicount of Bru¦ny quell / syr Raynolde of Newcastell and the lorde of Corase / to whome we shall write that they maye so aquyte them to dyscharge our conscyence / for we made suche promyse to the erle their father. And if there be any faute in these four lordes or any rebellyon in the Vy∣count / than we disanull all this sayde treatie / and wyll that it stande as boyde. In wytnesse her of to these letters we haue sette to our seale in out cytie of Towrs / the .xxii. yere of oure teygne / the twenty day of the moneth of De∣cembre.

THese letters made and sealed / and de¦lyuered / the knyghtes of Foiz retour¦ned fro Towrs / their leaue taken. This season syr Loys of Sanxere marshall of Fraunce / lay in the marches of Carcassone as soueraygne gouernour there / instytuted by the kynge. The bysshoppe of Noyon and the Lorde de la Ryuer sent for hym to Tholouse / and whan he was come thyder they sayde to hym. Syr marshall / the vycount of Chastel∣lon (reputeth hym selfe to be enherytour of the country of Foiz) and we haue sent in to Fraūce to the kynge to knowe what he and his coun∣sayle wyll saye in that mater / wherfore be ye redy with menne of armes on the fronters of Foiz / and as soone as syr Roger of Spayne and syr Espayne be returned / or that we haue other message fro the Kynge that they agree nat on any peace / and that the king wyll haue the lande of Foiz / than entre you incontynent and take possessyon acordynge to y^e right and puyssaunce that the kynge hathe gyuen vs in that quarell. Thus the marshall was redy pro¦uyded / and euery day loked for aunswere fro the kynge. ¶Nowe we wyll leaue speakyng of this mater / and shewe somwhat of the duke of Bretayne.

YE haue herde here before what trea∣tie was at Towrs in Thourayn / by¦twene the frenche kyng and the duke of Bretaygne / the whiche duke dyde put the kynge and his counsayle to moche payne / for he wolde fall to no reason. It was sayde the kynge demaunded of hym and he refused. In lykewyse he demaunded / and the kynge refu∣sed. Moche treatie there was / but no conclu∣sion taken. The duke he was redy to serue the kynge and to do hym homage / as farre forthe as he was bounde to do. Thanne the kynges counsayle sayd to hym. Sythe ye knowledge yourselfe to be the kinges liegman / why wyll ye nat than obey to reason? Why syrs quod he wherin am I rebell? Than they layde to him dyuers poyntes. Fyrste in the beleuynge on the pope at Auygnon / whome they sayde the kynge toke for the trewe pope / ye dyffer ther / fro and dyssymule the mater / for ye wyll obey none of his cōmaundementes / but gyue all the benefyces your selfe in Bretaygne / and suche as brynge any bulles fro the pope ye wyll nat knowe theym / this is agaynste the magesty

royall / and great synne to your cōscyence and soule. Than the duke aunswered and sayde. As for my conscyence there is no man ought to speke therof nor iudge it but all onely god / who is soueraygne iudge in all suche causes / and syth•• ye argue and appose me in that ma∣ner▪ I shall aunswere you. As for these popes who are indyfferent / there is no sure declara∣tion made of them / and the season that the first tydynges came of the chosynge of pope Vr∣bayne / I was in the towne of Gaunt / with my cosyn the erle of Flaunders / and there he re∣ceyued letters sealed with the popes seale / as than called Robert of Quesne cardynall / and in his letter he certifyed to the erle my cosyn / that by the grace of god and by the deuyne in spyratyon he was chosen pope / and hadde to name Vrbayne. Howe than canne this be vn∣done agayne / me thynke it were harde to do? I wyll nat argue agaynst the kinges maieste / for I am his cosyn and lyege man / and shall well and trewly serue hym whan so euer I be requyred / as farre forthe as I am bounde to do but I wyll speke agaynst them that coun∣sayle nat the kynge well. Why syr quod they / shewe vs who they be that do nat counsayle the kynge as they ought to do / and we shall fynde remedy for them. Syrs •• he ye knowe them better than I do / for ye company with them oftener than I do / but as touchynge the benefyces of my countrey / I am nat so haute nor so cruell agaynst suche as desyre them / but that I suffre the clerkes of my countrey to en∣••oy them / by the bulles of pope Clement / but suche cerkes as be nat of the same countrey I refuse them / and the cause why I shall shewe you. They wolde beare away the rychesse of my countrey out therof / and deserue it nat / whiche is agaynst ryght and consyence / wher fore I can nat agree therto. And where as ye saye that I am rebell and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to agaynst the kynges offycers / whanne they come in to my coūtrey, that is nat so, nor wyll nat be. ye ought to knowe / and if ye do nat lerne it / the fee of the ••uchy of Bretayne is of so noble a condycion / that soueraygnely there ought none to enter∣prise any mater there / but alonely their owne naturall lorde / that is to say / the duke of Bre∣tayne holdeth his court open to here all rygh∣tes / and his offycers to execute all ryghtes in the lande of Bretaygne / and to do acordynge to their offyce. And if I haue any offycer that dothe contrary to ryght / that outher straun∣ger or other haue cause to complayne / I pu∣nysshe them and shall do / that other shall take ensample by them. more ouer I say that some of the kynges counsayle do so that they ought to be reproued / for they do as moche as they maye do / to norysshe warre and hatred by∣twene the kyng and me / the cause why is clere ynough. they suffre my cosyn Iohn̄ of Bloys to do two thynges agaynst me vnreasonable. The fyrste is / he writeth hym selfe Iohan of Bretayne / by reason of that name it semeth he entendeth to attaygne to the herytage of Bre∣taygne / of the whiche he is without and shall be / for I haue chyldren / sonne and doughter that shall succede after me. Secondely he bea¦reth the ermyns whiche are the armes of Bre¦taygne / but of trouthe to do me dyspleasure withall / sir Olyuer clysson mayntayneth him in that opinyon / and as longe as he is in that case I wyllagre to no treatie with the kynge. As for warre I wyll make none to the kyng / bycause he is my naturall lorde / but if by yuell informacyon y^e kyng make me warre / I shall defende me / & he shall fynde me in myne owne countre. all this I wyll that the kyng knowe.

THus the treatie bytwene the kynge and the duke of Bretayne contynued rygorously / for the duke was lorde and mayster of his counsayle / but the frenche kynge was nat so of his / but was ruled by syr Olyuer Clisson / and the Begue of Vyllains / syr Iohan Mercyer / and by syr Willyam of Montague, the duke of Burgoyne / who had clere vnderstandyng of euery thynge / suffred the duke of Bretaygnes reasons and defen∣ces to be sayde in place / and couertly he sustey¦ned them / and had the duke of Berrey of his opynyon / for he hated inwardly them of the kynges priuy chambre / bycause they had dy∣stroyed his treasourer Betysache shamfully / by iustyce at Besyers (as ye haue herde here before) but he suffred it / for he sawe no tyme to be reuenged. In this dyfference the duke of Bretaygne taryed at Towrs thre monethes / that their treatie coulde come to no good con∣clusyon / and were at the poynte to haue depar¦ted / and the kynge was in wyll that as soone as he was retourned in to Fraunce to make a great assemble to make warre the next somer after in to Bretayne agaynst the duke / & su∣che of his acorde / & to leaue all other busines

but the dukes of Berrey & of Burgoyne / the lorde Coucy / therle of saint Poll / sir Guy of Tremoile / the chanceller of Fraūce / and dy∣uers other prelates & high barons of Fraūce suche as were there / ymagined to withstāde this rigorous rebelliōs / & spake togider and said to the kyng. sir / we that be the iouerayn lordes & piers of your realme / and be nere of your lygnage / we shulde haue a treatie this next lent for a peace to be had at Amiēce with thenglysshmen. Wherfore sir ye had nede to make haste / & leaue this yuell wyll bytwene you and the duke of Bretayne / for if the duke de{per}te hens without any agrement made by∣twene you / thenglysshmen wyll be y^e harder in all their treaties / for they wyll thynke thē to be ayded and cōforted by the duke of Bre∣tayne and by his countrey / for the duke hath thenglisshmen at his hande whan he wyll / & if we haue warre atones / bothe with the En¦glysshmen & bretons / as we haue had or this they wyll put vs to great payne. These lord{is} dyde so moche with the kyng & his coūsayle / that at last they founde a meane bytwene the kyng & the duke / I shewe you what it was / & surely without the same meanes had ben founde / they shulde haue come to no con¦clusion of good acorde. So it was y^e frenche kyng had a doughter. & the duke of Bretaine had a sonne. there was a maryage made by∣twene this son̄e & this dought. In lykewise Iohn̄ of Bretayne had a son̄e by the dought of sir Olyuer of Clysson & the duke of Bre∣tayne had a doughter and it was thought to make sure peace / y^t the mariage bytwene thē two were necessary. These maryages were agreed & concluded / howbeit for all these aly¦aunces / yet Iohn̄ of Bretayne shulde leaue the armes of Bretayne & beare them of Cha∣stellon / & bycause he was extracte by his mo¦ther syde of a duke of Bretayne (for his mo∣ther was doughter to a duke of Bretaygne) therfore he was alowed to bere in his armes a bordet of ermyne with thre labels goules / on the heed of a scochyn of ermyns. Thus he bare these deuises / & euery thynge was ape∣sed. So the duke of Bretayne gate the loue of the kyng & of his vncles / and dyned with the kyng / and so Iohn̄ of Bretayne was erle of Pon••hieuts. And thus shewed great loue togyder by meanes of these mariages / howe be it the duke in no wyse wolde se nor speke with sir Olyuer of Clysson / he had suche dis∣pleasure to hym / howebeit sir Olyuer made lyght therof / for he hated the duke also with all his puissaūce. These mariages thus acor¦ded / & the lordes sworne and bounde to ful∣fyll thē / whan the chyldren shulde be sōwhat of more age. Than these lordes determyned to departe fro Tourse & to drawe to Parys / for the tyme aproched that they shulde be at Amyence personally. The frenche kyng / his brother / his vncles and his coūsayle / to mere there with the kyng of Englande / his vncles and counsayle / who shulde be there. So the duke of Bretayne toke leaue of the Frenche kyng and of his brother & vncles / and of su∣che other as he loued best / and so de{per}ted fro Tourse & went in to his owne coūtre: and in lykewise so dyd all other lord{is}. The duke of Berrey / the duke of Burgoyne / & the lorde Coucy taryed there styll / I shall shewe you why.