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

¶The deuyse / and of the conquest that kyng Richarde had made in Ir¦lāde / and howe he brought in to his obeysaunce four kynges of that coū∣trey. Cap. CC.ii. (Book 202)

SIr Iohan quod he / ha∣ue ye nat founde in the kyn¦ges courte sythe ye came hy¦der / no man that hath tolde you of the voyage that the kyng made but late in to Ir¦lande / and in what maner the foure kynges of Irelande are come in to the obeysaunce of the kynge of Englande? And I aunswered no. Than shall I shewe you {quod} the squyer / to the entent that ye maye putte it in perpetuall memorie / whan ye re∣tourne in to your owne countrey / and haue leysar therto. I was reioysed of his wordes and thanked hym. Than he began thus and sayd. Sir Iohan / it is nat in memorie / that euer any kyng of Englande made suche ap∣pareyle and prouision for any iourney to ma¦ke warre agaynst the yrisshmen / nor suche a nombre of men of armes nor archers. The kyng was a nyne monethes in the marchesse of Irelande to his great cost / & charge to the realme / for they bare all his expēses. And the marchaūtes / cyties / and good townes of the realme thought it well bestowed / whan they sawe the kynge retourne home agayne with honour. The nombre that he had thyder / ge∣tylmen and archers / were foure thousande knyghtes and .xxx. thousande archers / well payde wekely / that euery manne was well pleased. but I shewe you / bycause ye shulde knowe the tronthe. Irelande is one of the y∣uell countreis of the worlde to make warre vpon / or to bring vnder subiection. For it is closed strongely and wyldely with highe fo∣restes and great waters and maresshes / and places inhabytable. It is harde to entre to do them of the countrey any dōmage / nor ye shall fynde no towne nor persone to speke w^t all. For the men drawe to the woodes / and dwell in caues and small cotag{is} / vnder trees and among busshes and hedges / lyke wylde sauage beestes. And whan they knowe that any man maketh warre agaynst thē / and is entred in to their coūtreis / than they drawe toguyder to the straytes and passages / and defende it / so that no man can entre in to thē. And whan they se their tyme / they wyll sone take their aduauntage on their enemyes / for they knowe the countrey and are lyght peo∣ple. For a man of armes beyng neuer so well horsed / and ron as fast as he can / the yrisshe men wyll ryn a fote as faste as he and ouer∣take hym / yea / and leape vp vpon his horse behynde hym / and drawe hym fro his horse / for they are stronge men in the armes / and haue sharpe weapons with large blades w^t two edges / after the maner of darte heedes / wherwith they wyll slee their enemy / & they repute nat a man deed / tyll they haue cutte his throte / and opyn his bely and taken out his herte / and cary it awaye with thē. some saye / suche as knowe their nature / that they do eate it / and haue great delyte therin. they take no man to raunsome. And whan̄e they se at any encountre / that they be ouermat∣ched / than they wyll departe a sonder / and go and hyde theym selfe in busshes / wodes / hedges / and caues / so that no man shall finde theym. Also syr Wylliam of Wyndsore / who hath moste vsed the warres in those parties / of any other englysshe man / yet he coulde ne∣uer

lerne the maner of y^e countrey / nor knowe their condycions. They be herde people and of rude engen and wytte / and of dyuers fre∣quentacyons and vsage / they sette nothyng by iolyte nor fresshe apparell / nor by noble∣nesse / for though their rleame be soueraynly gouerned by kynges / wherof they haue plen¦tie / yet they wyll take no knowledge of gentyl¦nesse but wyll contynewe in their rudenesse / acordynge as they are brought vp. Trouthe it is that foure of the princypall kynges and moste puyssaunt / after the maner of the coun∣trey / are come to the obeysaunce of the kynge of Englande by loue and fayrenesse / and nat by batayle nor constraynte. The erle of Or∣monde who marcheth vpon them hath taken great payne / and hath so treated with them / that they came to Duuelyn to the kynge / and submytted them to hym / to be vnder the obey¦saunce of the crowne of Englande / wherfore the kyng and all the realme reputeth this for a great and an honourable dede / and thynketh this voyage well be stowed / for kynge Ed∣warde of good memory dyd neuer so moche vpon them as kynge Rycharde dyde in this voyage. The honour is great but the pro∣fite is but lytell: For though they be kynges yet no man can deuyse nor speke of ruder per¦sonages.

I Shall shewe you somwhat of their rudenesse / to the entente it maye be ensample agayne peo∣ple of other nacyons / I knowe it well / for I haue proued it by them selues / For whan they were at Duue∣lyn I hadde the gouernaunce of them about a moneth / by the kynges commauudement and his counsayle / to thentent that I shulde lerne them to vse them selfe accordyng to the vsage of Englande / & bycause I coulde spe∣ke their language / as well as Frenche or En¦glysshe / for in my youthe I was brought vp amonge theym. I was with the erle of Or∣monde / father to the Erle that nowe is / who loued me right well / bycause I coulde as thā ryde and handell an horse metely well. And it fortuned one tyme that the sayde erle (who as than was my maister) was sent with thre hundred speares and a thousande archers in to the marchesse of Irelande / to make warre with the yrisshe men / for alwayes the En∣glysshe men haue had warre with thē / to sub¦due and putte them vnder. And on a daye as the sayd Erle went agaynst thē / I rode on a goodly horse of his / lyght and swyfte: Thus I rode & folowed my mayster. And the same day the yrisshe men were layde in a busshe∣ment / and whan̄e we came nere theym / they opyned their busshement. Thanne the En∣glisshe archers began to shote so egerly that the yrisshe men coulde nat suffre it / for they are but simply armed / therfore they reculed and wente backe. Than̄e the Erle my may∣ster folowed in y^e chase / and I that was well horsed folowed hym as nere as I coude. and it fortuned so that my horse was afrayd / and toke his bridell in his tethe and ranne away with me / & whether I wolde or nat / he bare me so farforthe amonge the yrisshe men / that one of them by lyghtnesse of ronnynge lepte vp behynde me / and enbrased me in his ar∣mes / & dyde me none other hurt / but so ledde me out of the way / and so rode styll behynde me the space of two houres. And at the laste brought me in to a secrete place / thycke of busshes / and there he founde his company who were come thyder and scaped all daun∣gers / for the Englysshe men pursued nat so farre. Than as he shewed he had great ioye of me / and ledde me in to a towne and a strō∣ge house amonge the woodes / waters / and myres. The towne was called Harpely / and the gētylman that toke me was called Brine Costeret. He was a goodly man / and as it hath ben shewed me / he is as yet a lyue / how be it he is very aged. This Brine Costeret kepte me seuyn yere with hym / and gaue me his doughter in maryage / of whom I hadde two doughters. I shall shewe you howe I was delyuered.

IT happened at the seuin yeres ende one of their kynges named Arthur mackemur / kyng of Lynster / made an armye agaynst duke Lyon of Clarence / sonne to kyng Edwarde of Englande / and a¦gaynst sir Wyllm̄ of Wynsore. And nat farre fro the cytie of Lynster the Englysshe men & yrisshe men mette toguyder / and many were slayne and taken on bothe parties / But the Englysshe men opteygned the vyctorie and the yrisshe men fledde / and the kyng Arthur saued hym selfe / but Brine Costeret my wy∣ues

father was taken prisoner vnder the du∣ke of Clarence baner. He was taken on the same courser / that he toke me on. The horse was well knowen amonge the erle of Ormon¦des folkes / and than he shewed howe I was alyue and was at his maner of Harpelyn / & howe I had wedded his doughter / wherof the duke of Clarence / sir Wylliam Wynsore / and the Englysshe men were ryght gladde. Than̄e it was shewed hym that if he wolde be delyuered out of prison / that he shulde de¦lyuer me in to the Englysshe mennes hādes / and my wyfe and chyldren. With gret payne he made that bargayne / for he loued me well and my wyfe his doughter and our chyldren Whan he sawe he coulde make his fynaunce none otherwyse / he accorded therto / but he re¦teigned myne eldest doughter styll with him So I and my wyfe and our seconde dough∣ter retourned in to Englande / and so I went and dwelte besyde Bristowe on the ryuer of Syuerne. My two doughters are maryed / and she in Irelāde hath thre sonnes and two doughters / and she that I brought with me hath foure sonnes and two doughters. & by∣cause the langage of yrisshe is as redy to me as the Englysshe tong (for I haue alwayes cōtynued with my wyfe / and taught my chil∣dren the same speche) Therfore the kyng my souerayne lorde and his counsayle / cōmaun∣ded me to gyue attendaūce on these four kyn¦ges / and to gouerne and bringe them to rea∣son / and to the vsage & customes of Englāde seyng they hadde yelded them to to be vnder his obeysaunce / & of the crowne of Englāde and they were sworne to holde it for euer. & yet I ensure you / for all that / I dyde my po∣wer to ensygne and to lerne them good ma∣ner / yet for all that they be ryght rude and of grose engyn / moche payne I hadde to make them to speke any thyng in fayre maner / som¦what I altred them but nat moche / for in ma¦ny cases they drewe to their naturall rude∣nesse. The kyng my soueraygne lordes en∣tent was / that in maner / countenaunce / and apparell of clothyng / they shulde vse accor∣dyng to the maner of Englande / for the kyn¦ge thought to make them all four knyghtes they had a fayre house to lodge in in Duue∣lyn / and I was charged to abyde styll with them and nat to departe. And so two or thre dayes I suffred them to do as they lyst / and sayde nothynge to them / but folowed their owne appetytes. They wolde sytte at the ta¦ble and make coūtenaunce nother good nor fayre. Than I thought I shulde cause thē to chaunge that maner. They wolde cause their mystrelles / their seruauntes / and var∣lettes / to sytte with them and to eate in their owne dysshe / and to drinke of their cuppes. And they shewed me / that the vsage of their countre was good / for they sayd / in all thyn¦ges (except their beddes) they were and ly∣ued as cōmen. So the fourthe day I orday∣ned other tables to be couered in the hall / af∣ter y^e vsage of Englande. And I made these four kynges to sytte at the hyghe table / and there mynstrels at another borde / and their seruantes and varlettes at another byneth them / wherof by semynge they were displea¦sed / and behelde eche other & wolde nat care / and sayd / howe I wolde take fro them their good vsage / wherin they hadde been noris∣shed. Than I answered them smylyng to a peace theym / that it was nat honourable for their estates to do as they dyde before / and that they must leaue it / and vse the custom of Englande / and that it was the kynges plea∣sure they shulde so do / and how he was char¦ged so to order them. Whan they harde that they suffred it / bycause they had putte them selfe vnder the obeysaūce of the kyng of En∣glande / and parceuered in the same as long as I was with them. yet they hadde one vse whiche I knewe well was vsed in their coū¦tre / and that was they dyde were no breches I caused breches of lynen clothe to be made for them. Whyle I was with them I caused them to leaue many rude thynges / aswell in clothyng as in other causes. Moche ado I had at the fyrst to cause them to weare gow∣nes of sylke furred with Myneuere & gray / For before these kynges thought them selfe well apparelled whan they hadde on a man∣tell. They rode alwayes without sadelles & styropes / and with great payne I made thē to ryde after our vsage. Andon a tyme I de¦maunded thē of their beleue / wherwith they were nat content / and sayd / howe they bele∣ued on god and on the trynite / aswell as we. Than I demaūded on what pope was their affection The aunswered me on hym of Ro¦me. Than̄e I demaunded if they wolde nat gladly receyue the order of knyghthode / and

that the kyng of Englande shulde make thē knyghtes / accordynge to the vsage of Fraū∣ce and Englande / and other countreis. they aunswered howe they were knyghtes all re∣dye / and that suffyced for theym. I asked where they were made knyghtes / and howe and whan. They answered / y^t in the age of se¦uyn yere they were made knyghtes in Ire∣lande / And that a kynge maketh his sonne a knyght. and if the sonne haue no father a∣lyue / than the nexte of his blode maye make hym knyght. And than̄e this yonge knyght shall begyn to iuste with small speares / su∣che as they maye beare with their case / and rynne agaynst a shelde / sette on a stake in the felde / and the more speares that he breaketh / the more he shalbe honoured. I knewe their maner well ynough / though I dyde demaū∣de it. But than I sayd / that the knighthode that they had taken in their youthe / suffyced nat to the kynge of Englande. But I sayde he shulde gyue theym after another maner. They demaunded howe. I aunswered / that it shulde be in the holy churche / whiche was the moost worthyest place. Than they encly¦ned somewhat to my wordes. Within two dayes after the erle of Ormonde came to thē who coude right well speke the langage / for some of his landes laye in those parties. He was sente to them by the kynge and his coū∣sayle. They all honoured hym and he them. Than he fell in swete communycacion with them / and he demaunded of them howe they lyked me. They aunswered and sayde / well for he hath well shewed vs the vsage of this countrey / wherfore we ought to thanke him / and so we do. This aunswere pleased well the erle of Ormonde. Than he entred lytell and lytell to speke of the order of chiualry / whiche the kyng wolde they shulde receyue He shewed it them fro poynt to poynt / howe they shulde behaue them selfe / and what par¦teygned to knyghthode. The erles wordes pleased moche these four kynges / whose na∣mes were these. Fyrst the great Ancle kyng of Mecte. The seconde Brine of Thomōde kynge of Thomonde. The thyrde Arthure of Mackequemur kynge of Lynster. The fourthe Conhue / kyng of Cheueno & Darpe They were made knightes by kyng Richar∣de of Englande in the Cathedrall churche of Duuelyn / dedycate of saynt Iohan Baptyst It was done on our lady day in Marche / as than it fell on a Thursday. These four kyn∣ges watched all the night before in the chur∣che / and the nexte daye at highe masse tyme / with great solēpnyte they were made knigh¦tes / and with them sir Thomas Orphen / sir Ioatas Pado / and sir Iohan Pado his co∣syn. These kynges sate that day at the table with kyng Rycharde. They were regarded of many folkes / bicause there behauyng was straunge to the maner of Englande / and o∣ther countreis / and euer naturally men desyre to se newelties. Than I sir Iohn̄ Froissart sayde. Henry / I beleue you well: & I wolde it had cost me largely that I had been there. And surely this yere past I hadde come hy∣der and it hadde nat been / for that I herde of the dethe of quene Anne of Englande / whi∣che dyde lette me. But one thynge I wolde desyre of you to knowe / howe these four kyn¦ges of Irelande came so soone to the kynge of Englandes obeysaunce / whan kynge Ed∣warde the kynges graunfather / who was so valyaunt a prince and so redouted ouer all / coude neuer subdue them nor putte them vn∣der / and yet he had alwayes warre with thē. and in that they are subdued nowe / ye sayd it was by treatie / and by the grace of god. In dede the grace of god is good / who so can ha¦ue it / it is moche worthe. But it is sene nowe a dayes / that erthely princes getteth lytell w^t¦out it be by puissaūce. I desyre to know this for whan I shall cōe in to Heynalt / of which countrey I am of / I shalbe examyned of this and many other thynges / bothe by duke Au∣bert of Bauier / erle of Heynalte / of Holande and of zelande / and also by his sonne Wyllm̄ of Bauyere / who writeth hym selfe lorde of Frese / whiche is a great countrey and a puis¦saunt / whiche coūtrey the sayd duke and his sonne claymeth to haue by ryght successyon / and so dyde their predecessours before them / but the Fresons wolde neuer fall to any rea∣son / nor come vnder obeysaūce / nor as yet do nat vnto this day. than answered sir Henry Christall & sayd. Sir Iohan / to shewe you the very trouth I can nat / but as many a one saythe / & it is to suppose / y^t the great puissaū¦ce y^t the kyng had ouer with him / and taryed there in their countrey nyne monethes / and euery man well payed / abasshed the yrisshe men. Also the see was closed fro them on all

partes / wherby their lyuēges and marchaū∣dises myght nat entre in to their countreys / thoughe they that dwell farre within the re∣alme cared lytell for it (for they knowe natte what marchaundyse meaneth / nor they lyue but grosely and rudely like vnto beestes) yet suche as lyueth on the marchesse of England and by the See coost / vse feate of marchaun¦dyse with vs / and in to other places. Kynge Edwarde of noble memorie in his tyme / had to answere so many warres / what in Fraūce Bretayne / Gascone / and Scotlande / so that his people were deuyded in dyuers places / & sore occupyed / wherfore he coude nat sende no great nombre in to Irelande. But whan the Irysshmen sawe y^e great nombre of men of warre that kyng Rycharde hadde in Ire∣lande this laste iourney / The yrisshmen ad∣uysed them selfe and came to obeysaūce. And in dede / of olde tyme there was a kyng in En¦glāde named Edwarde / who is a saynt and canonysed / and honoured through all this re¦alme. In his tyme he subdued the Danes / & disconfyted them by batayle on the See thre tymes. And this saint Edwarde kyng of En¦glande / lorde of Irelande and of Acquitayn the yrisshmen loued and dredde hym moche more / than any other kyng of Englande that had been before. And therfore our souerayne lorde kyng Richarde / this yere past / whan he was in Irelande / in all his armories and de¦uyses / he lefte the beryng of the armes of En¦glande / as the lybardes & flour delyces quar¦terly / and bare the armes of this saynt Ed∣warde / that is a crosse patent golde and gou¦les with four white martenettes in the felde / wherof it was said / the yrisshmen were well pleased / and the soner they enclyned to hym / For of trouthe / y^e predecessours of these four kynges obeyed with faithe and homage to y^e sayd kyng Edwarde / and they repute kynge Richarde a good man and of good cōscience and so they haue done to hym faithe & homa∣ge / as they ought to do: and in like maner as their predecessours sōtyme dyde to saynt Ed¦warde. Thus I haue shewed you the maner how the kyng our souerayne lorde hath this yere accomplysshed and furnysshed his voy¦age in Ireland: put it in your memoriall / to the entent / that whan ye shall retourne in to your owne countrey / ye may write it in your cronicle / with many other hystories that de∣pende to the same matter. Than I thanked hym / and sayd it shulde be done. So I toke leaue of hym. Than I mette with Marche the heraulde / and I demaūded of hym what armes this Henry Christell bare / and I she∣wed the heraulde / howe this sir Henry had shewed me the maner of the kynges torney in Irelande / and the state of the foure kyn∣ges / who had ben (as he sayd) in his gouer∣nyng / more than fyftene dayes at Duuelyn. The heraulde answered me and sayd. Sir / he beareth in his armes Syluer / a cheuerne goules / thre besans goules. All these thyng{is} I dyde putte in writynge / bycause I wolde nat forgette them.

THus I taryed in the kynge of En∣glandes courte / as longe as it plea¦sed me / nat always in one place / for the kynge often tymes remoued / to Eltham / to Ledes / to Kyngstone / to Shene / to Char¦sey / or to Wyndsore / aboute the marchesse of London. And I was enformed of a trouthe that the kyng wrote to his vncle the duke of Lancastre / for they of Acquitayne spedde so in their busynesse / that their countrey abode styll to the crowne of Englande. Than̄e it was concluded by generall counsayle of En¦glande / that the gyfte that the kynge hadde gyuen to the duke of Lancastre / must nedes abyde styll as his owne: howe be it the duke of Gloucestre wolde that his brother myght haue enioyed the kynges gyfte / but his say∣ing coulde nat be herde in that case / For they of the Realme of Englande (bycause of dou∣tes and casualtyes in tyme to come) herde well the wordes of theym of Burdeaux and of Bayone. And consydred well / that yf the herytage of Acquitaygne were putte fro the Crowne of Englande / it shulde be in tyme to come a great preiudice to the realme / whi¦che they wolde in no wise shulde fortune / for alwayes Burdeux & Bayon / and the frōters and marches of Gascon / had kept & augmen¦ted greatly / the honour of the realme of En∣glande. These thyng{is} were well cōsydred of the wyse men of the kynges coūsayle / y^e duke of Gloucestre absent / for before hym no man durst speke. so the mater abode in this case. ¶We shall leaue of this matter / and speke of the kynge of Englandes ambassadours: as the erle of Rutlande and therle marshall /

and other / that were sente in to Fraunce to treate of the maryage bytwene kynge Ry∣charde their lorde and the doughter of Char¦les Frenche kyng / who was but eyght yeres of age / and I shall shewe you howe they spedde. ∴ ∴