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
About this Item
Title
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
Author
Froissart, Jean, 1338?-1410?
Publication
Imprinted at London :: In Fletestrete by Rycharde Pynson, printer to the kynges moost noble grace,
And ended the last day of August: the yere of our lorde god. M.D.xxv. [1525]
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Subject terms
Europe -- History -- 476-1492 -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A71319.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 8, 2024.
Pages
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
¶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.
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 ye 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 ye 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 ye 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 ye 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.
descriptionPage cclx
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 ye 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
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
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 ye 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
descriptionPage cclxi
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 / yt they coude
nat be resysted. And whan ye 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 ye 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 yt 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
descriptionPage [unnumbered]
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.
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