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 army that the french kyng sente in to Frese in the ayde of his co∣syns / and the lorde Valeran Erle of saynt Powle and the lorde Charles de la Brete were capytaynes. Cap. CC.xv. (Book 215)

THe frenche kynge as∣sembled an armye of fyue hūdred speares / as well of pycardes as of frenchmen / and made capytayns ouer thē / the lorde Valeran erle of saynt Powle & the lorde Charles de la Bret / who were valyaūt knygh¦tes and well expert in armes / and they were apoynted to leade this company to the towne of Encuse in base Frese / whe•• as the assemble shulde mete / and there to take the see to entre in to high Frese (as they dyd) Whan these two knightes / the lorde Lygne and Iumont sawe the kynges good wyll / and that these men of warre were dyspatched & their wages payed / they came to the kynge and thanked him / and toke their leaue and retourned in to Heynalt / to their lorde the duke Aubert and to the lorde Gillyam his sonne / to whome they were right welcome / for they had well sped. There they

shewed the good answere and good chere that they had with gyftes of great presentes. whan duke Auberte knewe that the Frenche kynge had sente hym fyue hundred speares / than he assembled all his noble men / knyghtes / squy∣ers and other of Haynalt / as the lorde of Ver∣tayne seneschall of Haynalte / who was a valy¦aunt man and greatly renomed in armes / the lordes of Lygne and Comygnes / who was made marshall / and the lordes of Haureth / of Nychelet / of Lalyne / of Hordayne / of Chyne of Cantan / of Quesnoy / of Fleron and Iohn̄ his brother / the lordes of Bouset and of Ieu∣mont / who were fresshe knightes on their ene¦myes / also there was Robertle Rour / and the lordes of Mōth••aulr / of Foūtayns / of Seuls and of Sars / William of Hermes / Pynchart his brother / the lordes of Lens / of verlamont / of Ausealr / of Trascigmes / Octes Seaus∣••es / Gyrarde his brother / the lorde Dyctre and Iohan his brother Bridaulx of Monta¦guy / Damaulx de la powle and Guy his bro∣ther / the lorde of Mastynge / syr Floridas of Villyers / who was a valyaunt man / and had doone many dedes of armes amonge the tur∣kes and sarazins and sir Eustace of Vertayn Fierebras of Vertayne who was newly come out of Englande / syr Rase of Montiquy / the lorde of Rorsyn / sir Iohan Dandr••gntes and Persant his brother / & dyuers other knightes and squiers. All these he assembled at Monts and desyred them to go with hym / and euery man to bringe with hym company acordynge to their degrees / and that they wolde auaunce them to the towne of Encuse in base frese and theraboute / and so to go with hym by seem to hygh Frese about the myddes of August next after / there he sayd he wolde ••ary for them / for he wolde go thyder before to moue the holan∣ders and zelanders to serue hym in lyke ma∣ner. Than these sayd knyghtes and esquyers of Haynalt without any contradictyon acor∣ded to his desyre / promysinge to do hym ser∣uyce as his trewe subgiettes / whiche they ful∣fylled in dede and dyligently prepared for the same / so that by the begynnyng of the moneth of August / in the yere of our lorde god a thou∣sande thre hundred fourscore and syxtene / they were all redy aparelled and assembled by com¦panies at Anners / there to take the water / and fro thence to Encuse / where the hole assemble shulde mete. ¶Nowe whyle this assemble was thus made in Haynalte / it were to be demaunded if the ladyes and gentle women and other / were ioyouse of this iourney? We ought to say naye / for than they sawe their fa∣thers / their bretherne / their vncles / their hus∣bandes / and their louers and frendes departe to y^t peryllous warre. for some of them knewe well / howe that in tyme paste the haynoways wente with their lorde in to Frese / and neuer retourned agayne / wherfore they feared leste it shulde hap so than to these / as it dyd on their predecessours. The duchesse of Brabant had defended all men in the countrey of Brabant / no man to be so hardy to go oute of the coun∣trey in that iourney. The ladyes and gentle∣women of Haynalt desyred often tymes their frendes and louers to leaue that iourney / but they coulde nat lette the mater / howe be it they were sore displeased in their myndes with the basterde of Vertayne Fierebrase / for they said he was one of the chyefe setters on of that bu∣synesse. Thus after that the duke Aubert and Guillyam his sonne had herde the aunswere of his men of Haynalte / than he went in to ze∣lande / shewynge them his busynesse. and they assented to his request / by the chiefe settynge on of the lorde de la Vere / and syr Floris de Boesell / Floris / Dabell / the lorde of zenem∣brige / syr Clays de Boysell / Phylyp Corteen and dyuers other gentlemen. All these and o∣ther made them selfes redy / in suche wyse that it apered well by their dylygence / that they had great desyre to auaunce them selfe to that iourney.

IN lyke wyse the duke and his sonne went in to Holande and made there lyke requestes to y^e lordes and good townes / as they had done in zelande. The ho∣landers were therof ryght ioyouse / for of all men they hated the fresons / for they were euer at warre togyther specyally on the see and on the borders of their countrey / and therfore the lordes of Holande / suche as the lorde Tarte∣rell / and dyuers other noble men knyghtes and squyers / herynge the requestes of their lordes duke Aubert and the erle of Ostrenant they offered themselfe / promysynge comforte and ayde to the best of their powers / and that they well shewed / for incontynent they made them redy / and auaunced forwarde. In lyke wise dyd the men of the good townes and of

the countrey. They sent forthe with these lor¦des a great nombre of crosbowes and moris¦pykes / and other men of warre. So daylye men asembled at the towne of Encuise / and shyppes and vesselles came thyder / in suche wyse / that the maryners were estemed to the nombre of .xxx. thousande. It was sayd that there came out of the towne of Harle .xii. hū¦dred / whiche shyppes were well prouyded of all thynges necessary. And of a trouthe / if the ladyes and other damoselles were so∣roufull in Heynalt / in lykewise so were they of Hollande and zelande. Sir Danyell of Marebbed and Guillyam of Oruenbourge they durst nat apere before the ladyes & gen∣tylwomen / for they had sore sette forwarde the busynesse / for they hadde great wyll and desyre to be reuenged of the Fresons / bicau∣se of a batayle that hadde been there before / wherin the Erle Wyllyam was pituouslye slayne / and lost .xxxiii. cotes of armes of his lynage / wherfore these two knyghtes wolde neuer take any treson to mercy nor raūsome. So within a certayne space euery man was come to Encuise. Fyrst came the Englysshe men and than the henous / and their capyten was the seneschall of Iumont and the lorde of Comegynes / who was marshall. Than came hollanders and zelanders. The frēche men came nat so soone. So they taryed a .xi. dayes for the Frenche men / in whiche season there fell a debate bytwent the hollanders & the Englysshe men / and if the erle of Ostre∣naunt had nat ben / all the Englysshmen had ben slayne. Whiche stryfe was apesed & than the frenchmen came. Than there was great ioye made / and cōmaundement gyuen / that euery man shulde entre in to suche shyppes / as they were assygned vnto before / whiche was done. And whan they were all shypped they hoysed vp sayles and sayled forthe. the wether was fayre / it semed as it was dispo∣sed to do thē pleasure. There were so many shippes that if they had bē araynged one af∣ter another / they wolde haue stretched fro en¦cuse to the boundes of Condren / whiche was in highe Frese / where they purposed to ar∣ryue (as they dyde) whiche was .xii. leages by water / but they sayled a front right ordi∣natly. ¶Nowe wyll we leaue spekyng of them and speke of the Fresons / who (as I was enformed) were aduertysed long before of duke Aubertes cōmyng / with great puys∣saunce on them.

WHan the fresons knewe and vnder∣stode that they shulde haue warre / all the wyse men of the countre assē∣bled toguyder / to take counsayle and aduyse what they shulde do. Whan they had long de¦bated the mater / their entēcion was to fyght with their enemyes / as soone as they myght knowe that they were entred in to their coun¦trey / sayeng howe they had rather dye as fre Fresons / thā to be in seruage vnder any kyn¦ge or prince / or vnder subiectyon. And ther∣fore they sayd / to dye in the quarell they wol¦de fight with their enemyes. And concluded amonge themselfes / to take no man to raun∣some / howe great soeuer he were. Amonge them there was one man farre excedynge in greatnesse aboue all other. He was hygher than any other man in that countrey by the heed. He was called Iuye Iouer / and some called hym the great Fresone. This manne was greatly commended in Pruce / in Hun∣gery / in Turkey / in Rodes / and in Cypres. He hadde done many noble feates of armes / so that he was greatlye renomed. Whan̄e he harde the opynions of y^e Fresons / howe they wolde fight with their enemyes / he aunswe∣red and sayde. ¶O / ye noble and free Fre∣sons / knowe for trouthe there is no chaunce but maye tourne. Though by your valyant¦nesse / ye haue or this tyme discon••••ted y^e hey∣no wayes / the hallanders / and the zelanders. Knowe for trouthe / that suche as come nowe vpon you / are people more experte in y^e warr̄ thanne they were before: And beleue verily / they shall do otherwyse than their predeces∣sours dyde. They wyll nat gyue it vp: they wyll menteyne their dedes. Therfore I wyll counsayle you to sufire them to entre / and let vs kepe our forteresses / and lette them kepe the feldes / where they shall beate them sel∣fes. Our countrey is nat to susteyne thē long We haue many dykes. They canne nat go farre in the countrey. They canne nat ryde abrode in the Countrey / and full yuell they maye go a foote / wherby they shalbe so we∣rye / that they shall waste theym selfes / and so retourne agayne. The moost they can do is to brenne a tenne or .xii. vyllages / whiche shall natte greatly greue vs. They shall be

soone made agayne if we shulde fight with them. I feare me we be nat stronge ynough to fyght with them at ones / for as I am en∣formed / they be to the nombre of an hundred thousande armed heedes. Whiche was of a trouthe / they were as many or mo. To his wordes consented thre other knightes of the Fresons / the fyrst named sir Fewe of Dore∣kerque / the seconde sir Gerarde of Canym / and the thirde sir Tiny of Walturge / but the people wolde in no wyse consente to that de∣uyse / no more wolde other noble men called the Elyns / that is to saye / the gentylmen or iudges of the causes. They replyed so with this great freson / that he was cōcluded with them / that as soone as they knewe their ene∣myes entred in to their countre / they shulde go and fyght with them. They abode all on that opinyon / and so made them selfe redy. But to saye the trouthe / they were but poore¦lye armed. Many had no armure / but their cootes of wadmoll / and course grose clothe. Some armed with lether / and some with ru¦stye mayle: and some there were ryght well armed.

THus they armed theym / and whan they were redy they wente to their churches and toke y^e crosses and ba∣ners / and made thre batayls / and in euery ba¦tayle ten thousande fyghting men / & came to a narowe passage well viked / nere to y^e place where their enemyes shulde lande. and they sawe well howe their enemyes were come / & had great desyre to take lande / whiche was on saynt Bartylmewes daye on a sonday / in the foresaid yere. And whan y^e Fresons sawe thē aproche / they issued out vpon the dikes a sire thousande / to haue lette the landynge of their enemyes. Among the fresons ther was a woman apparelled all in blewe / who all in a rage / went fro the fresons and came nere to the heynowes / within the shotte of a bowe. Than she tourned her backe towarde y^e hey nowes and plucked vp her clothes and she∣wed her bare arse / cryeng in her langage. {ser}s take this to your welcome. As soone as they sawe the leudnesse of this woman / they shot at her arowes and quarels / so that she was stryken i•• ••he legges and loynes. The aro∣wes came flyeng at her as thycke as snowe. Than some lepte out of the shippes in to the water / and ran after this folysshe woman w^t their swerdes and ouertoke her / and hewed her in to small peces. Thā euery man issued out of their vessels / and so came agaynst the fresons / who receyued them right valyantly and putte them of with longe pykes & longe staues bounde with yron. To saye y^e trouthe in takyng of lande there was many dedes of armes done on bothe parties / & many slayne and sore hurte. But biforce of the Englisshe archers and cros bowes of Heynaulte / Hol∣lande / and zelande / They wanne the dyke a∣gaynst the fresons / and vpon that dyke they araynged their baners in good order / tary∣eng for their cōpany / their reuke was more than halfe a myle longe. Than the Fresons that were putte fro the dykes came to their cōpany / who were mo than .xxx. thousande / closed toguyder in a grounde dyked rounde aboute with a great depe dyke / and it was nat so farre of / but they myght well se their enemyes / wheee they were raynged on the fyrst dyke. Thus they contynued tyll all the heynowayes were a lande / and all their bag¦gage / and certayne tentes reyred vp. There they rested them that sondaye / and the mon∣daye aduisynge the Fresons their enemyes / In whiche two dayes dyuers scrymisshes were made / and on the Tuesday bothe par∣ties were redy. Than certayne newe knigh¦tes were made / and it was ordayned to fight with the fresons. Than they auauuced fore∣warde in good order of batayle / and their ar¦chers before them and amonge them / & than sowned trumpettes and clarions / and so cāe a fayre pase to passe ouer the dike. Than the fresons came to defende the passage / and the archers shotte agaynst them fiersly / and the fresōs couered them selfes with targes / and with the erthe of the dyke that was bytwene them & their enemyes: Howe be it they were so nere aproched / that certayne of the holan∣ders entred in to the dyke and made bridges with speres and pykes / and so with valyant corage began to enuade the fresons / who de∣fended their force right valyantly / and gaue suche strokes against them that wolde moūt vp out of the dyke / that many were ouerthro¦wen downe agayne: But the Heynowayes / Frenche men / Englysshe men / Hollanders / and zelanders were so well armed / that the fresons coude do them no dōmage nor hurt / but cast them downe to the grounde. There

were suche noble dedes done and atchyued / that it were impossible to shewe it. the newe made knyghtes dyde nobly their deuoyre / & the Fresons defended marueylously. They were great and bygge men / but they were y∣uell armed: many were barelegged and bare foted. In this assaut the lorde Lygne / the se∣neshall of Heynault / and the lorde Iumont / and dyuers other / as they wente aboute this dyke / They founde awaye wherby they pas∣sed ouer the dyke / and so came on the fresons with the poyntes of their speres / wherof the Fresons were fore abasshed / so that dyuers of them lepte the dyke. So perforce the Fre∣sons were fayne to opyn and sparcle abrode here and there. In this batayle the great fre¦son was slayne and the other began to flye. The chase was horryble and cruell / for none was taken to raūsome / and specially the ho∣landers slewe all they myght attayne vnto / In so moche that suche as were taken by the Heynowes / frenche men / or Englysshe men the hollanders slewe them in their handes. Amonge the hollanders / the lorde Wyllyam of Oruenbourge and his two sonnes / Iohn̄ and Henry (who were made knyghtes the same mornyng) acquyted themselfe maruey lously well / and slewe many Fresons / for it semed well by them / that they loued but litell the fresons. Thus finally the Fresons were discōfyted / and the moost parte slayne in the felde / but fewe were takenne prisoners / and caryed to Haye in Hollande / and there were kepte a long season after. The lorde of Cun¦dren (who was lorde of that coūtrey / where the felde was) was the mondaye before yel∣den to the duke Aubert and his two sonnes / and yet for all that they were in y^e felde with the fresons. The two sonnes were longe af∣ter with y^e duke. After this disconfyture they entred in to the countrey of Condren / & toke townes and fortresses / howe be it they cōque¦red but lytell / for the Fresons dyde thē great dōmage by preuy encoūtrynges. And whan they shulde take any prisoners / they wolde neuer yelde / but fought to the dethe: sayeng they had rather dye free Fresons / than to be vnder the subiectyon of any prince or lorde. If any prisoners were taken / there coude no raunsome be gotten for them / for their fren∣des wolde nat quyte them out / but rather suf¦fre them to dye in prisone. They wolde ne∣uer quyte none of their people / withoute it were to delyuer man for man. And if they sawe that there were none of their people in prisone / they wolde slee all their enemyes & take no prisoner. Thus about the ende of .v. wekes / and that the heynous and other had taken and beaten downe certayne townes / vyllages / and fortresses / of no great valure. The leason beganne to waxe colde maruey∣lously / and rayned nerehāde euery day / and the sees full of tempestes and wyndes. The duke Aubert and his sonne / consydringe the season / purposed to returne in to base Frese / fro whens they came / and so in to Hollande / the more easy to passe the colde wynter. So they departed and came to Encuyse / & there gaue lycence to euery man to de{per}te / and spe∣cially to the straūgers / and payde thē truely their wages / and thāked them of their good ayde and seruyce. Thus brake vp the iour∣ney of Frese / and had cōquered but lytell all that season. But within two yere after / the sayd two noble princes assembled agayn the seconde tyme a great armye / and wente in to Frese & made a great cōquest / and dyd there many noble dedes of armes / as ye shall here after. But as nowe we shall leaue spekyng therof / and declare y^e maner of the maryage of the kynge of Englande to the doughter of Fraunce. ∴ ∴