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 in great dylygence the pro∣uost of Parys pursewed syr Peter of Craon. Cap. C.lxxxvi.

AS at that tyme the four so¦uerayne gates of the cytie were euer kepte opyn nyght and day whiche ordynaunce was made euersythe the batayle of Rosebe¦que / where the Frenche kyng disconfited the ••••mynges / and that the parisyēce wolde ha∣ue rebelled / and that the malettes were laide downe / to the entent to kepe vnder the pari∣syence. and by the counsayle of sir Olyuer of Clysson / all the chaynes in the streates were layde downe / and the gates taken of their ho¦kes. In this case the cytie was in a ten yere / so that euery man myght entre night or daye in to Parys who so lyst. Lo / it maye be well consydred what fortune is. The cōstable ga∣dred the rodde wherwith hym selfe was bea¦ten / for if the gates of Parys had ben closed and the chaynes lyfte vp / sir Peter of Craon durst neuer haue done that he dyde / for if he had •• he coude nat haue gone out of the towne as he dyde. But bycause he knewe well he might issue out at all houres / that made him execute his yuell purpose. Wha he departed fro the Constable / he thought surely he had ben slayne / howe be it he was nat / wherwith he was sore displeased. Whan he issue out of Parys / it was about one of the clocke after mydnight / and passed by the gate saynt An∣thony. And some sayd he passed the ryuer of Seyne at the bridge of Charenton / & than toke the waye to Charters / and some sayde he issued out of Parys at the gate of saynte Honour / vnder Mount marter: and passed the ryuer of Seyne at Ponthieur. Where so euer he passed / he was by eight of the clocke at Charters / and suche as were well horsed with hym / all folowed hym nat / but brake a sondre for lesse suspeciousnesse / and for feare of pursute. And whan this sir Peter of Cra¦on came first to Parys / he had lefte at Char∣ters with one of the chanons there / who had ben a seruaunt of his beforetyme / a twentte fresshe horses. It had ben better for the cha∣non he had neuer knowen hym / how be it of his purpose nor of the executynge therof / he knewe nothyng therin. Whan sir Peter was retourned to Charters / he dranke and chaū∣ged his horses and dyde of his harnesse / and toke the waye to Mayne / and rode so fast / y^t he came to a castell of his owne called Sa∣ble / and there rested hym selfe / and sayde he wolde go no further / tyll he herde tidynges of sir Olyuer of Clysson / and howe the ma∣ter went. ye maye be sure that the same fry∣day after the dede was done / great brute ran all about the cytie of that dede / & many bla∣med greatly sir Peter of Craon. The lorde of Coucy as soone as he knewe therof in the mornynge lepte on his horse with eyght per∣sons with hym / and rode to the Constables lodgyng to visyte hym / for they loued entier¦lye togyder / and called eche other brother in armes / his visytacion dyd the Cōstable gret good. In lyke maner other lordes acordyng to their tourne came and visyted hym / & spe∣cially the duke of Thourayne who was sore displeased for that dede. And the kynge and he sayd bothe / howe that sir Peter of Craon had done that dede in dispyte of theym / and howe it was a thyng prepensed by false tray¦tours / to put the realme to trouble. The du∣ke of Berrey / who was than̄e was at Parys / dissymuled the mater and made no great bu∣synesse in the cause. And I sir Iohan Frois∣sarte auctour of this cronycle / as I was cre∣dably enformed of this aduenture / there had ben nothyng done / if the duke of Berrey had lyste. for if he had wolde / he myght well ha∣ue broken that enterprise / I shall shewe you the reason howe.

THe same thursday of Corpus Christy day / there came to the duke of Ber∣rey a clerke / secretorie to sir Peter of Craon / and sayde to hym in secrete ma∣ner. sir / I wyll shewe you a thyng in secret∣nesse / whiche is lykely to come to a poore cō∣clusyon. And sir / ye are more lykely to reme∣dye it than any other. What mater is that {quod} the duke. Sir quod he I shall shewe you / but I wolde nat be named the bringer oute therof. Spare nat quod the duke / I shall beare out the mater well ynoughe. Well sir quod the Clerke / I doubte me greatlye that sir Peter of Craon wyll slee or cause to be murthered / the constable sir Olyuer of Clys¦son / for he hath assembled toguyder in to his house / within the Churche yarde of saynte Iohanes / a great noumbre of menne / and hath kepte them there couertly / euersyth the feest of Whitsontyde. And sir / if they shulde do that dede the kynge wyll be sore dysplea∣pleased

/ and bringe the Realme in to great trouble / therfore sir I shewe it to you. for sir I am abasshed therof my selfe / though I be sir Peters seruaunt / and haue made seruyce to hym / yet I dare nat consente to this out∣rage. And sir / and ye prouyde nat for the ma¦ter / there is none can do it. And sir / for god∣dessake take hede to this that I haue shewed you. And sir / to eschewe that maye falle I dare nat retourne to hym. The duke herde hym well and said. Abyde here with me this nyght / and to morowe by tymes I shall en∣forme the kyng therof. It is nowe farforthe dayes / I wyll nat trouble the kynge ther∣with / but to morowe without faute we shall prouyde for the mater / sithe that sir Peter of Craon is in the towne / I knewe nat therof before. Thus the duke draue of the matter / and in the meane tyme this myschiefe felle. Than the Prouost with mo than̄e threscore horses issued oute of the cytie at the gate of saynt Honour / and folowed the tracke of sir Peter of Craon / and came to Ponthieur to passe the ryuer of Seyne / & demaūded of the kepar of the bridge / if any horses passed that waye that mornynge / and he sayd yes: howe that there passed about a twelue horse / but I sawe no knyght nor persone that I knewe. What waye toke they quod the Prouost? sir quod he the waye towardes Wannes. Ah {quod} the prouost it maye well be / I thynke they wyll ryde to Chierbourge. Than̄e the pro∣uoste tooke that waye and leste the waye to Charters / and therby the loste the iuste pur∣sute of sir Peter of Craon. And whanne he had rydden tyll noone / than he mette with a knyght of the countrey who had been a hun∣tyng of the Hare / and he shewed hym howe that he sawe the same mornynge about a fyf∣tene men a horsebacke / trauersyng the feldes and (as he thought) toke the waye to Char∣ters. Than the prouost and his company en¦tred in to the waye to Charters / and so rode tyll it was nere hande nyght / and than came to Charters. And there it was shewed hym / howe sir Peter of Craon hadde been there with the chanon aboute eyght of the clocke / and there vnarmed hym and toke fresshe hor¦ses. Than the prouost sawe well he had lost his payne and shulde do to folowe hym any further / Sayeng / seyng that he was so farre past. Than the Saturdaye he retourned to Parys / bycause the certentie / whiche waye sir Peter of Craon toke was nat knowen at Parys. Therfore the kynge and the duke of Thourayne who had a great affection to ha¦ue sir Peter of Craon taken / sente sir Iohn̄ of Barrois with a threscore horse out of Pa¦rys to sertche for hym. And they issued out at the gate saynt Anthony / and passed the ry∣uers of Marne and Scyne / at the bridge of Charenton / and rode all about the countrey and came towardes Estampes / and finally at dyner they came to Charters / and there herde sure tidynges. And whan̄e the Bar∣rois knewe y^t sir Peter of Craon was gone / and sawe that he shulde but traueyle in vay∣ne / to folowe any further. Than he retour∣ned agayne the sondaye to Parys / and she∣wed the kyng what he had done / and in lyke¦wise so had the prouost done. The saturday there was founde in a vyllage as they went a sertchyng two squyers and a page / partey¦nyng to sir Peter of Craon. They were ta∣ken and brought to Parys and sette in pri∣sone / and on the Mondaye beheeded. First they were brought to y^e place where the dede was done / and there eche of them had their right hande striken of / and than to the halles and there beheeded and hanged on the gybet and the wednisday after the kepar of sir Pe¦ter of Craons house in Paris was executed and beheeded. many men said he had wrong But bycause he shewed nat the cōmynge of sir Peter in to Parys / he was put to dethe. in lykewise y^t chanon at Charters with whō sir Peter dyde refresshe hym and chaunged his horse / he was accused and taken and put in the bysshoppes prisone / and toke fro hym all that he had / and depriued hym of all his benefyces / and was condempned to perpetu¦all prisone / to lyue with breed and water / all the excusacyons that he coude make auayled hym nothyng. He was reputed in the towne of Charters to be a noble wyse man. sir Pe∣ter of Craon beyng in his castell of Sable / was sore displeased whan he knewe that sir Olyuer of Clysson was nat deed / nor had no hurte / but that within sixe wekes he shulde be hole. Than he consydred that he was nat in good suretie in that Castell / and feared to be enclosed / in suche wyse / that he shulde nat issue whan he wolde. Than̄e he tooke a certayne with hym & issued out secretly / and

rode so longe that he came in to Bretaygne / and there foūde the duke / who receyued hym and knewe all the mater / and howe the Con∣stable was nat deed: Than he sayde. Ah sir Peter of Craon ye are vnhappy / that coude nat slee the Constable / whan ye had hym vn¦der youre handes. Sir quod sir Peter / the deuyll was on it. I thynke all the deuylles in hell dyde helde hym out of my hādes / and out of my companyons. I am sure there was stryken at hym mo thanne threscore strokes / with swordes and iauelyns. And whan̄e he fell fro his horse / in dede I thought surely he had bene deed: and so he had been / and it had nat ben his fortune to fall in at a bakers dore the whiche stode halfe opyn / for if he had fal∣len in the strete he hadde neuer rysen a lyue. Well quod the duke / as nowe it wyll be none otherwyse / I am sure I shall here shortely some newes fro the frenche kyng / & I thynke I shall haue warre with hym (as ye haue). Kepe you priuely with me y^e mater shall nat thus rest / and sithe I haue promysed to ayde and susteyne you I wyll kepe promyse. ∴ ∴