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 a Squyer named Roberte the Hermyte / howe he was sente to the treaties of the peace holden at Ba∣lyngham & howe he was after sente in to Englande to kynge Rycharde and his vncles. Cap. CC.iiii. (Book 204)

SO it was / whan this Roberte the Hermyte re∣turned in to Fraūce out of the parties of Surey / and toke shyppyng at Baruch. Whyle he was vpon the see a great tempest of wynde rose / in suche wyse that they feared to be perys¦shed / and euery man tell to make his prayers to god. And at the ende of this tempest / and that the wether began to waxe fayre and clere / there apered to Robert y^e Hermyte an ymage more clere than Crystall / and sayd thu••. Ro∣bert / thou shalte issue and escape this parell / and all thy company for loue of the / for god hath herde thyne orisons and prayers / and he sendeth the worde by me / that thou shuldest make hast in to Fraunce / and go to the kynge and shewe him thyne aduenture / and say vnto him / that in any wyse he enclyne to haue peace with his aduersary kynge Rycharde of En∣glande / and amonge them that be treaters of the peace / preace thou forthe and shewe them thyne aduysyon / for thou shalte be herde. and say that all suche as be of the contrary opiny∣on against the peace / shall bye it derely in their lyfe tyme in this worlde. And therwith y^e clere¦nesse and voyce vanysshed away. Than Ro∣bert abode in a great study / but he remembred well what he hadde sene and herde / by the de∣uyne inspyracyon. And after this aduenture they had fayre wether and the wynde at their wysshynge / and than aryued in the Ryuer of Gennes: and there Robert the Hermyte toke leaue of his company / and went by lande fro thence tyll he came to Auygnon. And the fyrst thynge he dyd he went to the churche of saynt Peter / and there foūde a good vertuous man a penytenser and of hym he was cōfessed / and shewed hym all his aduenture / and demaun∣ded counsayle what was best to do. Than his goostly father charged hym in any wyse / that he shulde speke nothynge of this mater tyll he had shewed it fyrste to the frenche kynge / and loke what counsayle the kynge dyd gyue him so to do. This Robert folowed his counsayle and arayed hym selfe in symple habyte all in gray / and so poorely departed fro Auygnon / and iourneyed so longe that he came to Pa∣rys / but the kynge was at Abbeuyle / and the treatie beganne at Balyngham bytwene the frenche men and Englysshe men (as ye haue herde before) Than this Robert came to Ab∣uyle and drewe to the kynge / and a knyght of his acquayntaunce brought him to the kyng / whiche knyght was of Normandy / and was called sir Willyam Martell / he was of the kyn¦ges priuy chambre. Than Roberte the Her∣myte shewed the Kynge all his hole iourney and aduēture. The kyng herde hym well / and bycause the duke of Burgoyne and syr Ray∣nolde Corby chauncellour of Fraunce (who were of the kynges opynyon to haue peace) were at Balyngham in y^e treatie holden there / the kynge sayd to Robert. Our counsayle as nowe is nat here / they be at Balyngham. ye shall abyde here with me / and whan they be re¦tourned I shall speke with myne vncle of Bur¦goyne and with our chauncelloure / and than we shall do in this mater / as they shall aduyse me. syr quod this Robert / as god wyll so be it.

THe same weke the Frenche kynges counsayle returned fro Balyngham to Abbeuyle / and brought with them the artycles of the maner of the peace / whiche the englysshe men had deuysed. and the ma∣ters were so weyghty that the treatie was put ouer tyll another daye / vnto suche tyme as bothe kynges were aduertysed of eche others demaundes / and their pleasures therin to be knowen. Than on y^e frenche partie the frenche kynge drewe a parte his vncle of Burgoyne and the chauncellour / and shewed them what enfourmacyon Robert the Hermyt had made vnto him / and the kynge demaunded of them if it were a thynge lysytte and lawfull to be∣leue. They studyed a lytell and at last sayde. Syr / we requyre youre grace lette vs se this hermyte and here hym speke / and thervpon we wyll take aduyse. Than he was sent for. Whan he came before the kynge he made his reuerence. Thanne the kynge sayd Roberte / shewe vs here at length all the hole mater / as ye enfourmed me before. Sir quod he gladly.

Than as he that was nothynge abasshed / re∣hersed all the hole mater / as ye haue herde be∣fore. Whan he had doone he departed. Than the kynge asked of his vncle what was best to be done. Syr quod he / the chauncellour and I shall take aduyse agaynst to morowe. Well quod the kynge / so be it. Than the duke and the chauncellour counsayled togyther on this mater. They sawe well the kynge greatly en∣clyned to this Robertes wordes / therfore they thought it good to aduyse the kynge to ioyne this Robert in cōmyssion with them to go a∣gayne to Balyngham to the treatie of peace / for they thought his langage so fayre and so swete / that he shulde styrre the hartes of them that shulde here hym speke / to haue peace / and to shewe the deuyne vysion that he had / to the lordes of Englande. This they thought law∣full ynough to be done / and the nexte day they shewed this to the king. And than after whan the duke and the chauncellour wente agayne to Balyngham / they had this Roberte with them. And whan all the lordes frenche and en¦glysshe were assembled togyder in counsayle / than this Robert came before them / and there well and wisely he declared all the vysion that he hadde on the see / and affermed that it was inspyracyon deuyne sente by god / bycause he wolde it shulde be so. Some of the lordes of Englande toke good hede to this mater and enclyned therto / as the duke of Lancastre / the erle of Salysbury / the lorde Thomas Percy and other / the bysshops of Lyncolne and Lon¦don / but the duke of Gloucestre and the erle of Arundell / toke no hede nor set nothynge ther∣by. Whan they were in their lodgynges they sayd / they were but fantasies / and wordes fay¦ned by the frenchmen to abuse them all / howe be it they determyned to write to kynge Ry∣charde the maner and sayenge of this Robert the Hermyte / and thervpon sent a knyght cal∣led Rycharde Credon to kynge Rycharde{is} who he founde in Kent / at the castell of Lea∣des / and delyuered him letters sent fro his am¦bassadours in the marches of Calays / wher∣in was conteyned the hole sayenge of this Ro¦bert. The kynge tooke great pleasure in these letters / and sayd howe he wolde gladly speke with this Robert the hermyte / he beleued this vysion to be of trouthe. Than the kyng wrote agayne to the duke of Lancastre and to the erle of Salysbury / that if it myght be by any meanes / that a good peace myght be taken by¦twene hym and the frenche kynge / their real∣mes and alyes / for he sayde surely he thought that the warre had ouerlonge endured / and that it was tyme to haue peace. And ye haue herd here before howe the treaters bare them / and how the lordes departed one fro another / and howe the treuce was taken to endure for foure yere. This was the entent of the lordes of the englyssh party / except the duke of Glou¦cestre / for he thought whan so euer he came in to Englande / neuer to agree to any peace by∣twene Fraunce and Englande. He dyssimu∣led as moche as he might / to thentent to please the king and his brother of Lancastre. Thus by this meanes Roberte le Hermyte came to knowledge.

ANd as ye haue herde here before / how the erle of Rutlande / therle Marshall / the archebysshop of Dunelyn / the lorde Hugh Spenser / the lorde Lewes Clyfforde and o∣ther / had been sent in to Fraunce to treate for kynge Rychardes maryage / and were retour¦ned agayne in to Englande / and brought the kynge good tydynges / so that the kynge was well pleased / as ye haue herde before. Than Mychelmas came / and the generall coūsayle began / suche as englysshe men call the terme / wherin all maters be debated / and at the be∣gynnynge of the sayd terme the duke of Lan∣castre returned out of Gascon in to Englande and had nat ben receyued there / as he thought he shulde haue been (as ye haue herde before) So whan the duke of Lancastre was retour∣ned / the kyng made hym good chere. Tydin∣ges anone came in to Fraunce howe the duke of Lancastre was retourned in to Englande. than the frenche kynge and his counsayle de∣termyned to sende Robert the Hermyte into Englande with letters to the kynge / who de∣syred to se hym / and that the erle of saynt Poll shulde acquaynte hym with y^e kyng and with the lordes / that they myght here hym speake of the busynesse of Surey and Tartary / and of the greate Turke and Turkey / where he had ben longe / for it was thought that the lor∣des of Englande wolde gladly here speakyng of suche maters. Than this Robert the Her∣myte was warned to make hym redy to go in to Englande in cōmyssion / wherof he greatly reioysed / bycause he had neuer been there be∣fore

So he had letters delyuered hym / dy∣rected to the kyng of Englande and to his vn¦cles. Thus Robert departed fro Parys with seuen horses at the cost and charge of the fren∣che kynge / and rode tyll he came to Boloyne / and there tooke the see and aryued at Douer / and spedde so in his iourneys that he came to Eltham and founde the kynge there / and the Duke of Lancastre / the erles of Salysbury / and Huntyngdon / & the lorde Thomas Per∣cy / and for the honour of the frenche kynge he was well receyued / and specyally of the kynge who desyred greatly to se hym. Than he de∣lyuered his letters of credence / whiche were redde ouer by the kynge and the other lordes. The duke of Gloucestre was nat the•• he was in Essex / at a Castell of his called Plasshey. Whan this Robert had been with the kynge and with the duke of Lancastre at Eltham a fyue daies he departed thens to gose the duke of Gloucestre / and so toke leaue of the kynge and of the lordes and came to London / and the next day rode fyftene myle fro London to a towne called Brendwode / and the next day to Plasshey / and there he founde the duke and the Duchesse / and their chyldren / who ryght goodly receyued hym acordyng to his degre. Than Robert delyuered hym his letters sent fro the frenche kyng. And whan the duke sawe they were of credence / he drewe this Robert a parte / and demaunded what credence he had. Robert aunswered hym and sayd / syr I shall shewe therin to you at good leyser / I am nat come to departe agayne so soone. Well quod the duke ye be welcome. This Robert knewe well ynough that the duke of Gloucestre was a sore dyslymulynge prince / and contrary to any peace / and thought it harde to breke hym fro his opinyon / for he knewe well he was al∣waies contrary to the peace / whiche was well sene at the treaties at Balyngham / for he ne∣uer demaunded but to haue warre. yet for all that Robert the Hermyte spared nat to speke to the duke on the forme of peace. Alwayes he founde the duke colde in aunswers / and sayd the mater lay nat in hym / for he had two elder bretherne / the duke of Lancastre and the duke of yorke / to whome the mater partayned ra∣ther than to hym / and also that if he wolde con¦sent therto alone / peraduenture the other lor∣des / prelates / and counsaylours of good tow∣nes / wolde nat accepte it. Well quod Robert the Hermyte / for the loue of our lorde Ihesu Christ be ye nat contrarye to the peace / for ye maye do moche / and also ye se well howe the kyng your nephue enclyneth to the peace / and wyll by maryage haue the Frenche kynges doughter / by whiche coniunctyon shalbe gret alyaunce of peace and loue. Than the duke aunswered and sayd. What though ye be bele¦ued and herde at this tyme / with the kynges and lordes of bothe realmes / and that ye haue good audyēce with them and with their coun¦saylours / the mater is so hygh and weyghty / that it is conuenyent that greater personages than ye / shulde me••le therwith / I haue tolde you / and often tymes I haue said that I shall neuer be contrary to the peace / so it be to the honoure of the kynge and the Realme of En∣glande. In tyme paste peace was taken by∣twene the king our father and our brother the prince of Wales / and kinge Iohan of Fraūce / and the frenche party sworne and bounde vp∣pon payne of sentence of the pope / and yet it helde nat / for the frenchmen fraudulently haue broken all couenauntes / & haue taken agayne possessyon of all the landes and lordeshyppes that were yelded & delyuered at the peace ma∣kyng / to our sayd souerayne lorde and father / and to our predecessours / and moreouer of the sōme of .xxx. thousande frankes / that the re∣dempcyon mounted vnto / there is yet to paye syxe hūdred thousande frankes. wherfore such maters (to remembre) troubleth sore our co∣rages / and we and many of this realme mar∣ueyle greatly howe the kynge our souerayne lorde / leaneth to so yonge aduyse & counsayle / and regardeth none otherwyse the tyme pas∣sed / and the tyme present / but enclineth to alye hym by maryage with his aduersary / and by that alyaunce dysheryte the Crowne of En∣glande / & his successours to come / of y^e clayme of Fraunce. Ah ryght dere lorde quod Robert our lorde Iesu Christ suffered passyon on the Crosse for vs all synners / and pardoned his dethe to them that crucyfied him: in lykewyse a man must pardon that wyll come to the glo∣ry of heuen / and sir all yuell wylles / hates / and rancoures were pardoned / the daye that the peace was made and sealed at Calays by our predecessours / and nowe warres haue been a game newly renewed bytwene your men and ours / I thynke surely through faulte on bothe parties / for whan the prince of Wales duke of

Acquytayne was retourned out of Spayne in to Acquytayne / there were a certayne ma∣ner of people callyng themselfe companyons / wherof the moste partye were englysshe men and gascons / holdynge of the kynge of En∣glande and of the prince of Wales. These peo¦ple assembled them togyther and entred in to the realme of Fraunce / without any tytell of reason / wherby ensued mortall & eruell warre greater than was before. These companyons called the realme of Fraunce their chambre / they were so set to do yuell dedes / y^t they coude nat be resysted. And whan y^e realme of Fraūce sawe and felte them so harmed by this people / and sawe well the lengar they contynewed the more they multyplyed & more hurte they dyd. than kyng Charles of Fraūce / sonne to kyng Iohan / was coūsayled by his subgiettes to re¦syst & subdue suche enemyes / outher by warre or otherwyse / and many great barons of Ga∣scoyne came to the frenche kyng / suche as said they were sore ouerlayde with their lorde the prince of Wales / & many iniuryes done to thē / whiche they shewed to the frenche kynge they might nat nor Wolde nat suffre no lenger / and so they beganne the warre bycause of their re∣sorte to the prince of Wales. Than this kynge Charles by counsayle of them and of his sub∣giettes / enhardyed himselfe to the warre with these barones of Gascoyn / for to mete against these companyons. And in this newe warre many lordes retourned to the frenche kynge / and dyuers lordeshyppes / cyties / townes / and castels / for the great oppression that the prince of Wales dyd to thē / and consented to be done by his cōmyssioners. Thus the warre was re¦newed / wherby many great myschyefes haue fallen / to the dystruction of moche people and countreys / and the faythe of Christ sore febled and decayed / & the enemyes of god ryssen and coraged / and haue all redy conquered moche parte of Grece. the emperour of Constantyno¦ple / hath nat the power to resyst the puyssaūce of the great turke / called Basant Lamora∣baquyn / who hathe conquered the realme of Armony / excepte all onely a towne standynge on the see syde / called Tourche / whiche the ve∣nysians and genouoys kepe agaynst y^e turke / and the emperour of Constantyne the noble / who is of your blode / he was sonne to the em∣peroure Hugues of Luzignen and of my la∣dy Mary of Burbon / cosyn germayne to my lady the quene your mother / he shall nat be a∣ble of longe to resyst the puyssaūce of this gret turke. and if peace maye be had bytwene En∣glande and Fraunce / as I trust by the grace of god it shall be / than knyghtes & squyers suche as demaunde for dedes of armes for their ad∣uauncement / shall drawe them to that parte / and shall helpe kynge Lyon of Armony to re∣couer agayne his herytage / and to put out the turkes. for surely the warre hath ouerlonge en¦dured bytwene Fraunce and Englande / and surely who so euer it be that is or wyll be a∣gainst the peace shall derely aunswere therto / outher quycke or deed. Howe knowe you that quod the duke of Gloucestre? Syr quod Ro∣bert / all that I say cometh by dyuyne inspyra¦cyon / and by a vysione that came to me vpon the see / as I retourned fro Baruch•• a porte in Surey / besyde the isle of Rodes. Than he de¦clared all his hole vysion / the rather therby to moue the dukes herte to pytie and reason / but this duke was herde herted agaynst the peace and kept styll his opynion / and by his wordes condempned and dispysed greatly the frenche men / for all y^t euer Robert the Hermyte coude say. but bycause that this Robert was a straū∣ger / and shewed by his wordes and werkes that he wolde all were well / and also bycause the duke sawe that the kyng his nephue encly∣ned to haue peace / he dyssymuled and spake fayre / what so euer his herte thought. Two dayes this Robert taryed at plasshey with the duke and had good chere / and the thyrde day departed and retourned to London / and fro thence to Wyndesore / where the kynge made hym good chere for loue that the frenche kyng had sent him thyder / and bycause he was wyse and eloquēt / and of swete wordes and honest. It is nat to be doubted / but that the kynge de∣maūded of hym howe he founde his vncle the duke of Glocestre. And Robert answered him well to the poynte. The kyng knewe well his vncle of Gloucestre enclyned rather to warre than to peace / wherfore he fauoured moche better his other two vncles dukes of Lanca∣stre and yorke. whan Robert the hermyte had ben a moneth with the king he toke his leaue / and at his departynge the kynge gaue hym great gyftes / and so dyd the dukes of Lanca∣stre and yorke / and the erles of Huntyngdon and Salysbury / and the lorde Thomas Per¦cy. The kynge caused hym to be conueyed to

Douer / and there passed ouer in to Fraunce / and he founde the frenche kyng and the quene and his vncles at Paris / and there shewed the kinge all his voyage / and what good chere he had in Englande. Thus dayly messangers went in & out bytwene these two kynges / and amyable letters sent bytwene them. the kynge of Englande desyred nothyng so moche as to come to this maryage / and semblably the fren¦che kynge had lyke desyre / for he thought his doughter shulde be a great estate if she might be quene of Englande.