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 aduenture of a daunce that was made at Parys in lykenesse of wodehowses / wherin the Frenche Kynge was in parell of dethe. Cap. C.xcii.

IT fortuned / that sone after the retaynmge of this foresayd knyght / a mary∣age was made in the kyn∣ges house / bytwen a yonge knyght of Vermandoys / and one of the quenes gen∣tylwomen / and bycause they were bothe of the kynges house / the kinges vncles and other lor¦des / ladyes / and damoselles made great try∣umphe. There was the dukes of Orlyaunce / Berrey / and Burgoyne / & their wyues / daun∣synge and makynge great ioye. The kynge made a great supper to the lordes and ladyes and the quene kepte her estate / desirynge eue∣ry man to be mery. And there was a squyer of Normandy called Hogreymen of Gensay / he aduysed to make some pastyme. The daye of the maryage whiche was on a tuesday before Candelmas / he prouyded for a mummery a¦gaynst nyght. He deuysed syxe cotes made of lynen clothe / couered with pytche and theron flare lyke heare / and had them redy in a cham¦bre. The kynge put on one of them / and therle of Iouy / a yonge lusty knyght another / and syr Charles of Poicters the thyrde / who was sonne to the erle of Valentenoys / and to syr y∣uan of Foiz another / and the sonne of the lord Nanthorillet had on the fyfte / and the squy∣er hym selfe had on the syxte. And whan they where thus arayed in these sayd cotes and so∣wed fast in them / they semed lyke wylde wode houses full of beare fro the toppe of the heed to the sowle of y^e foote. This deuyse pleased well the frenche kynge / and was well content with the squyer for it. They were aparelled in these cotes secretly in a chamre that no man knewe therof / but such as holpe them. Whan syr yuan of Foiz had well aduysed these cores / he sayd to the kynge. Syr cōmaunde straytely that no man aproche nere vs with any torches or fyre / for if the fyre fasten in any of these cotes / we shall all be brent without remedy. the king aunswered and sayd / yuan ye speke well and

wysely / it shall be doone as ye haue deuysed / and incontynent sent for an vssher of his cham¦bre / cōmaundyng him to go in to the chambre where the ladyes daūsed / and to cōmaunde all the varlettes holdinge torches to stande vp by the walles / and none of them to aproche nere to the wovehouses that shulde come thyder to daunce. The vssher dyd the kynges cōmaun∣dement / whiche was fulfylled. Sone after the duke of Orlyance entred in to the hall / acom∣panyed with four knyghtes and syxe torches and knewe nothynge of the kynges cōmaun∣dement for the torches / nor of the mummery that was cōmynge thyder / but thought to be holde the daunsynge / and began hym selfe to daunce. Therwith the kynge with the fyue o∣ther came in / they were so dysguysed in flaxe that no man knewe them. Fyue of them were fastened one to another. The kynge was lose and went before and led the deuyse.

WHan they entred in to the hall euery man teke so great hede to them / that they forgate the torches. The kynge departed fro his company and went to the la∣dyes to sporte with them / as youth requyred / and so passed by the quene and came to the du∣chesse of Berrey / who toke and helde hym by the arme to knowe what he was / but the kyng wolde nat shewe his name. Than the duches sayd / ye shall nat escape me tyll I knowe your name. In this meane season great myschyefe fell on the other / and by reason of the duke of Orlyance / howe be it / it was by ignoraunce / and agaynst his wyll / for if he had consydred before the mischefe that ••ell / he wolde nat haue done as he dyd for all the good in the worlde / but he was so desyrous to knowe what perso∣nages the fyue were that daunced / he put one of the torches that his seruaūtes helde so nere / that the heate of the fyre entred in to the flaxe (wherin if fyre take / there is no remedy) and sodaynly was on a bright flame / and so eche of them set fyre on other / the pytche was so fa∣stened to the lynen clothe and their shyrtes so drye and fyne / and so ioynynge to their flesshe that they began to brenne and to cry for helpe. None durste come nere theym / they that dyd brente their handes / by reason of the heate of the pytche. One of them called Nanthorillet / aduysed hym howe the botry was therby / he fled thyder / and cast himselfe in to a vessell full of water / wherin they rynsed pottes / whiche saued hym / or els he had ben deed as the other were / yet he was sore hurt with the fyre. whan the quene herde the crye that they made / she douted her of the Kynge / for she knewe well that he shulde be one of the syxe / wherwith she fell in a sowne / and knightes and ladyes came and comforted her. a pyteous noyse there was in the hall. The duchesse of Berrey delyuered the kynge fro that parell / for she dyd caste ouer him the trayne of her gowne / and couered him fro the fyre. The kynge wolde haue gone fro her. Whyder wyll ye go quod she / ye se well howe your company brennes? What are ye? I am the kyng quod he. Haste you quod she and gette you in to other apparell / that the quene maye se you / for she is in great feare of you. Therwith the kynge departed out of the hall / and in all haste chaunged his apparell / and came to the quene. And the duchesse of Ber∣rey had somwhat comforted her / and had she∣wed her howe she shulde se the kynge shortely. Therwith the kynge came to the quene / and as soone as she sawe hym / for ioy she enbrased hym and fell in a sowne. Than she was borne in to her chambre / and the kynge wente with her. And the bastarde of Foiz who was all on a fyre / cryed euer with a loude voyce. saue the kynge / saue the kynge. Thus was the kynge saued. It was happy for hym that he went fro his company / for els he had ben deed without remedy. This great myscheife fell thus about mydnyght in the hall of saynt Powle in Pa∣rys / where there was two brente to dethe in the place / and other two / the bastarde of Foiz and the erle of Iouy borne to their lodgynges and dyed within two dayes after in gret my∣sery and payne. Thus the feest of this mary∣age brake vp in beuynesse / howe be it there was no remedy. The faulte was onely in the duke of Orlyaunce / and yet he thought none yuell whanne he put downe the torche. Than the duke sayde. Syrs lette euery man knowe there is no man to blame for this cause but all onely my selfe / I ame sory therof. If I had thought as moche before / it shulde nat haue happened. Than the duke of Orlyaunce went to the kynge to excuse hym / and the kyng toke his excuse. This case fell in the yere of oure lorde god a thousande thre hundred fourscore and twelue / the tuesday before the feest of Can¦delmas / of whiche fortune great brute spredde

abrode in the realme of Fraūce / and in other countreys. The dukes of Burgoyne and of Berrey were nat there present at that sea∣son / They hadde taken their leaue before of the kyng / and were gone to their lodginges.

THe next daye these newes spredde a∣brode in the cytie / and euery manne had merueyle therof. and some sayd howe God had sente that token for an ensam¦ple / and that it was wysedome for the kynge to regarde it / and to withdrawe hym selfe fro suche yonge ydell wantonnesse / whiche he had vsed ouermoche beynge a kyng. The cōmons of the cytie of Parys murmured & sayd. Beholde the great myshappe and mys∣chiefe that was lykely to haue fallen on the kynge / He myght as well haue been brent as other were. What shulde haue fallen than of the kynges vncles and of his brother. They myght haue ben sure none of them shulde ha¦ue scaped the dethe: yea / and all the knygh∣tes that myght haue been founde in Parys? As soone as the dukes of Berrey and of Bur¦goyne herde of that aduenture / they were a∣basshed and marueyled greatly. They lepte on their horses and rode to the kyng / and cō∣forted and counsayled hym / whiche was ne∣cessary / for he was sore troubled / and the pa∣ryll that he was in / was styll in his ymagi∣nacion / he shewed his vncles howe his aunt of Berrey had saued hym. But he sayde he was very sorie for the dethe of the erle of Io∣uye / of sir yuan of Foiz / and of sir Charles of Poicters. His vncles reconforted hym & sayde. Sir / that is loste canne nat be recoue¦red: ye muste forgette the dethe of them / and thanke god of the fayre aduenture that is fal¦len to your owne persone. For all the realme of Fraunce by this incydent myght haue ben in great daunger of lesynge. For ye maye thynke well that these people of Parys wyll neuer be styll / for God knoweth / if the mys∣fortune had fallen on you / they wolde haue slayne vs all. Theriore sir / aparell you in estate royall and lepe on your horse and ryde to our lady in pylgrimage / and we shall ac∣company you / and shewe youre selfe to the people / for they desyre soore to se you. The kynge sayde he wolde so do. Than the kyn∣ges vncles toke aparte the duke of Orlyaūce and in curtesse maner somwhat blamed hym of his yonge dede that he had done. He aun∣swered and sayde / howe he thought to haue done none yuell. Than anone 〈◊〉〈◊〉 y^e kynge and his company lepte on their horses / and rode throughe the cytie to apease the people / and came to our lady Churche / & there herde masse and offred / and thanne retourned a∣gayne to the house of saynt Poule / and lytell and lytell this mater was forgotten / and the obsequyes done for the deed bodyes.

Ah erle Gascoyne of Foiz / if this had for∣tuned in thy lyfe dayes / thou shuldest haue had great displeasure / and it had been harde to haue peased the / for thou louedest hym en∣tierly. All lordes and ladyes through the re∣alme of Fraūce / and elswhere / that herde of this chaunce had great marueyle therof. ∴ ∴