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 therle of Bloys and Mary of Namure his wyfe / solde the coun¦tie of Bloys & all their landes to the duke of Thourayne / the frenche kyn¦ges brother. Cap. C.lxxxii. (Book 182)

YE haue herde here before in this hystorie / howe Loys of Bloys / son̄e to therle Guy of bloys died whan he was yonge / in y^e towne of Beauniont in Heynalt / wher by the lady Mary doughter to the duke of Berrey was a widowe / & therby she lost her welthe of this worlde / for the chylde was a gret enheritour / & if he had lyued he had ben a great lorde. I speke of it bycause it shulde be knowen in tyme to come thenheritaūce / to whome it went out of the right lyne / and by what maner. therle of Blois & Mary of Na¦mure his wyfe / were nat in y^e case to engēdre children togider / for by great drīkyng & mo∣che eatynge of wete & delycate meates / they were ouergrowen with fatnesse / so that the erle coude nat ryde / but was alwayes caried in a lytter fro one place to another / or whan he wolde go a huntyng or haukyng / whiche sporte was gretly vsed w^t the lord{is} of Fraūce The same season whyle the Frenche kynge was at Tourse / the duke of Thourayne had

an ymaginacion whiche he brought to effect as I shall shewe you. The duke of Thou∣rayne knewe well / he had moche rychesse ly∣ing by hym / paraduenture a myllion of Flo∣reyns / whiche had by reason of his mari¦age with the lady Valentyne of Myllayne / doughter to the erle of Vertus. He wyst nat howe to enploy these flornes. Than he remē¦bred howe the erle Guy of Bloys had great herytag{is} / and that after his dethe they were likely to go to dyuers {per}sones. The erldome of Bloys shulde retourne to Iohan of Bre∣tayne / for he was the erles cosyn germayne / and the landes of Heynault shulde go to the duke Iulyers and to the duke of Lancastre / except Chinay whiche shulde go to them of Conflans by homage / and the coūtie of So¦issons / whiche parteyned to therle of Bloys and was aūciently alyed to hym. The lorde of Coucy was enherytour therof / by reason of his delyueraūce out of prisone in Englād Also the landes of Drages & Monny shulde retourne to other heyres: And the landes of Holande and zelande / shulde retourne to the erle of Heynaulte. Thus these fayre heryte∣ges shulde be sparcled abrode: & this knewe well the lordes of Fraūce. wherfore the duke of Thourayn who had money lyeng by hym thought to bye these lādes / if he might haue any resonable bargayne. Thā he thought to entreate the kyng to moue therle of Blois in this mater / and specially at the lest to bye the countie of Bloys / whiche was a fayre and a noble countrey / and well syttinge for hym / for the countie of Bloyes marched on the du¦chy of Thouraygne: and to the Countie of Bloys parteyned many goodly fees. This duke of Thourayne rested styll on his pur∣pose / & seased nat tyll he spake with y^e kynge his brother & y^e duke of Burbone / & with the lorde of Coucy: bycause he was great with y^e erle of Blois / and had to wyfe the doughter of his cosyn germayne the duke of Loreyne. The duke of Thourayne and the other lor∣des of his affyuite kept this mater secretely fro y^e duke of Berey / I shall shewe you why The lady Mary his dought was endowed in all the countie of Bloys to the sōme of .vi. M. frankes by yere: and the duke of Berrey trusted by reason of his doughters dowrie y^e the countie of Bloys shulde be his after the erles dethe. this duke of Berrey was a mar∣ueylous couytous prince. the duke of Bur∣goyne in lyke wise trusted the landes of Hol∣ande / zelande / & Heynalte to be his / bycause that Margarete his eldest dought was ma∣ried to Wylliam / son̄e to therle of Heynalte: wherby he thought outher by bieng or by sōe other incident y^t chose landes shulde returne to his son̄e erle of Ostrenant / otherwyse cal∣led Iohn̄ of Burgoyne / who as than had ma¦ried Margarete eldest doughter to therle of Heynalte. Thus the kyng and these said lor¦des purposed y^t at their de{per}tyng fro Tourse iii Thourayn to ryde by Blois to se their co¦syn therle Guy of Bloys / who was an eight myle fro Tourse / in a castell of his owne cal∣led y^e Castell morant & there to treate of this marchādise with hym & with his wyfe the la¦dy Mary of Namure / who was a couytous lady. So it was there was a valiant knight and of great prudence bayly of Blois / called sir Raynolde of Sens / who had {per}fyte infor∣macion of all this busynes / by what meanes I knowe nat. Whan he knewe it he had gret pyte therof / for loue of therle his lorde / for he thought by reason of his sale of his lādes / he shuld be dishonored for euer / & disherite the true rightfull heyres / whiche shulde be dam¦nacion to his soule. He thought to lette this mater if he coude / & so rode fro Blois & spa∣ke with therle & said. sir / the frenche kynge & the duke of Thourayn / the duke of Burdon and the lorde Coucy cometh hyder to you. y^t is true {quod} therle / why speke you that? Sir {quod} he I say it bycause ye shalbe requyred to sell your enheritāce / wherfore ye haue nede to ta¦ke good aduise therin. of those word{is} therle had great marueyle & said / I can nat let men to speke & make request{is} / but or I make any suche bargayne to sell myne enherytaūce / or to disheryte myne heyres to my shame & re∣buke / I shall rather sell or ley to pledge all y^e plate I haue. Well sit {quod} the knight / remēbre well the mater whan tyme is / for this that I haue shewed you is without dout. Bayly {quod} the erle / I am nat so yong nor folysshe to en∣clyne to any suche treaties. thus the bayly de¦{per}ted fro therle & rode againe to Blois / for he wolde nat be sene there at the kynges cōmyn¦ge. Whan the kyng and these said lordes cāe to the castell / the erle made them good chere / as it was reason. The erle and the countesse were right ioyfull / that y^e kyng wolde visyte

them in their owne castell. Than the kynge to drawe the erle to his loue / & to bring hym to his entent sayd. Fayre cosyn / I se well ye be a lorde of our realme garnysshed with ho¦nour and larges: and haue ben at great cost / and to ayde you / and somwhat to recōpence you / We wyll you gyue and ayde / that shall be well worthe to you twentie thousande frā¦kes in the countie of Blois. Therle thanked the kyng of his gyfte / but he had neuer pro∣fite therof / for he had neuer nothyng. Than the kynge began to treate the Erle to sell the countie of Bloyes to the duke of Thourayn The kynge and the duke of Burbone spake fyrst / and founde therle very colde and tarre of in that mater. Than the lordes drewe to the countesse of Bloyes / and shewed her so many colored reasons / and she hers / that af∣ter her husbandes dethe / she was lyke to be but a poore lady. Wherfore they said it were moche better for her to be a ryche lady and a puissaunt of golde and syluer / and iewelles / than to be poore. Sayeng howe she was ly∣kely to ouerlyue her husbade. Therfore they desyred her to counsayle her husbande to ma¦ke this marchaundyse. The countesse / who was a couytous lady: And for loue to haue the floreyns / she enclyned to their desyres / and she dyd so moche with the helpe of other as the ayde of a varlet of the Erles chambre called Sohier borne at Malygnes / sonne to a weyuer of clothes / but he was so great w^t the erle of Bloyes / that all thynge was done by hym / & without hym nothyng done. And the erle had gyuen hym in fees and herytag{is} more than fyue hundred frankes by yere. Be holde and consydre what myschefe great lor∣des be brought vnto by meane of seruaūtes. This Sohier had nother wytte nor reason / to be greatly alowed / but it was alonely the folysshe loue that his maister hadde to hym. In lykewise the duke of Berrey the same sea¦son had one with hym called Iaques Thy∣baulte / who was of no reputacion / yet the du¦ke at dyuers tymes had gyuen hym the sōme of two hundred thousande frankes / and yet all was but loste. This Sohier coulde nor can nat excuse hym selfe / but that if he had ly∣sted he myght well haue broken that marchā¦dise / y^t therle his mayster made. but to please the kynge / the duke of Thourayne / the duke of Burbone / the lorde of Coucy and the coū¦tesse / who was agreed therto by couitousnes of the florens. He rowned so in his maisters eare / that the Erle wente from his promyse that he had made to his bayly. And to there the reuercion of the countie of Bloyes after his discease was solde / for the somme of two hundred thousande frankes / and the duke of Thouraygne to delyuer to the lady of Du∣noyes for her dowrie / whiche was assygned to her / sixe thousande frankes. And further∣more he shulde haue made another sale of all his landes in Heynaulte: And the Duke of Thourayne to haue payde for that two hun∣dred thousande frankes. Howe be it therin the erle of Bloys reserued to knowe the erle of Heynaltes pleasure therin / who was his naturall lorde / to whom he owed faythe and homage for those landes. Howe be it y^t kyng and the duke of Thourayn toke that charge on them / and to discharge the erle / what soe∣uer shulde fall after. Thus or they departed they bounde the erle by promyse and by wri∣tynges sealed / as they might well and easely do / for he had there none of his coūsayle saue Sohier / who neuer was at scole / nor knewe no letter on the boke: Moche after this ma∣ner went this marchandise. and I haue writ¦ten this mater as iustely as I coude / to then∣tent that herafter in tyme to come / by reason of writyng / the trouthe shulde be knowen. For the erle Guye of Bloys my lorde & may¦ster / as he that was ignorant and yuell coun¦sayled / more by his wyfe and varlet Sohier thā by any other / made this yuell bargayne. And whan these maters were concluded and surely made by the kyng / the duke of Thou∣rayne / and their counsayle / than the lordes toke their leaue and retourned in to Fraūce. Great brute was made of these sales in dy∣uers countries.