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

¶Howe the siege before Nycopoly in Turkey was reysed by Lamora∣baquy / and howe the Frenche men were dyscomfyted / & howe the hun∣garyons fled. Cap. CC .xvii. (Book 217)

YE haue herde here before howe the kynge of Hungery and the lordes of Fraunce were pas∣sed the ryuer of Dunce / and were entred in to Turkey / and all the sōmer after the moneth of Iuly they had done many enterprises / and had brought dyuers townes to their subiection / for there was none that resysted them / and had besieged y^e towne of Nycopoly / and hadde nere brought it to a small estate / nigh redy to yelde / for they coude here no newes of Lamorabaquy. Than the kyng of Hungery said to the lordes of Fraūce and to other. Syrs thanked be god we haue had a fayre seasone / we haue dystroyed parte of Turkey / I reken this towne of Nycopoly¦ours whan we lyst. it is so sore ouerlayde that it canne nat longe holde / wherfore all thynges consydred I coūsayle (this towne ones won) that we go no further at this season / we shall drawe agayn ouer the Dunce in to the realme of Hungery / where I haue many cyties / tow¦nes / and castelles redy furnysshed to receyue you / as reason is / seyng ye be come so farre to ayde me to make warre agaynst the turkes / whome I haue founde herde and cruell ene∣myes / and this wynter we shall make newe prouysion agaynst the next somer / and sende worde to the frenche kyng what case we be in / so that this nexte sōmer he maye refresshe vs with newe men / and I beleue whan he kno∣weth what we haue done & howe euery thyng standeth / he wyll haue great affection to come hyther in his owne person / for he is yonge and couragyous / and loueth dedes of armes. and whether he cometh or nat / by the grace of god this next sōmer / we shall wynne the realme of Armony / and passe the brase of saynt George / and so in to Surrey / and wynne the portes of Iaphes and Baruth / and conquere Iherusa∣lem and all the holy lande. and if the sowdan come forewarde we shall fyght with hym / for he shall nat departe without batayle.

THese or lyke wordes sayd the kynge of Hungery to the lordes of Fraunce & rekened Nycopoly as their owne / howe be it fortune fell otherwyse. All that sea∣son the kynge Basaach called Lamorabaquy had reysed an army of sarazyns / some out of farre countreys / as out of Perce. many great men of the sarazyns came to ayde Lamoraba¦quy to dystroy crystendome. They were pas∣sed the Brase saynt George to the nombre of two hūdred thousande men. To say the trouth the chrysten men were nat a certayned what nombre they were of. This kynge Basaache and his men aproched nere to Nycopoly by couerte wayes / they knewe in feates of warre as moche as myght be / and this kynge was a valyaunt man / whiche shewed well by reason of his polycy / he ordered his bataylles thus. All his hoost was in a maner as wynges / his men comprised well a great myle of grounde / and before the hoost to shewe a face redye in a bande an eyght thousande turkes / the two wynges of the batayle were open a forefronte

and narowe behynde/and Lamorabaquy was in the herte of the batayle / thus they rode all in couerte. These eyght thousande Turkes were ordeyned to make a face / and y^t as sone as they shulde se the crysten men a {pro}che / than they to recule lytell and lytell in to the herte of the batayle / and than the two wynges whiche were open before (the crysten men beyng ones entred bytwene theym) to close togyther and ioyne in to one company / and than to fyght with their enemyes. This was the ordre of their batayle.

THus in the yere of oure lorde god a thousande thre hūdred fourscore and syxtene / the monday before the feest of saynt mychell about ten of the clocke / as the kyng of Hungery sate at dyner at the siege of Nycopoly / tydynges came to the hoost howe the turkes were comyng and the scoutes that came in shewed howe they had sene the tur∣kes / but their reporte was nat trewe / for they had nat tydden so forwarde / that they had a∣uewed the two wynges / nor the batayle be∣hynde / they had sene no mo but y^e fore ryders and bowarde / for as soone as they had sene theym they retourned. The same seasone the greatest parte of y^e host were at dyner. Than tydynges was brought to the erle of Neuers / and to all other ingenerall by their scurers / who said. Syrs arme you quyckly that ye be nat surprised / for the turkes are comynge on you. These tydynges greatly reioysed the cry¦sten men / suche as desyred to do dedes of ar∣mes. Than euery man rose fro their dynners and put the tables fro them / and demaunded for their harnesse and horses / and they were well chafed before with drynkynge of wyne. Than euery man drewe in to the felde / baners and standerdes dysplayed / euery man to his owne baner. Than the baner of our lady was dysplayed / therwith the valyaunt knyght sir Iohan of Vien admyrall of Fraunce / and the frenche men were the fyrst that drewe in to the felde fresshely aparelled / makynge small ac∣compte of the turkes / but they knewe nat that they were so great a nombre as they were / nor that Lamorabaquy was there in his owne persone. As these lordes of Fraunce were into the felde / there came vnto theym the kynge of Hungeryes marshall in great hast / who was a valyaunte knyght / called Henry of Osten¦lenyhall / vpon a good horse with a penon of his armes / of syluer a crosse sable ancored / cal∣led in armure / the yron of a mylstone. Whan he came before the baner of our lady he stode styll / and (to the moste parte of the barones of Fraunce) he sayd openly. Syrs I am sent hy¦ther to you fro the kynge of Hungery / and he desireth you by me / that ye sat nat on your ene¦myes vntyll suche tyme as ye haue worde a∣gayne fro him / for it ought to be doughted lest our scoutes haue nat brought the certaynte of the nombre of the turkes / but within these two houres ye shall here other tydynges / for we haue sent other foreryders forth to auewe our enemyes more substancially than the first dyd and syrs ye maye be sure the turkes shall nat indomage vs / if ye tary tyll all our hole puys∣saunce be togyder. Syrs this is the ordre that the kynge and his counsayle hath ordered / I muste retourne agayne to the kynge. Whan he was de{per}ted the french lordes assembled thē to¦gyder / to knowe what was best for them to do. Than it was demaunded of the lorde Coucy what he thought best to be done / he answered and said. I wolde counsayle to obey the kyng of Hungeryes cōmaundement / for that ordre semeth to be good. And as it was enfourmed me syr Phylippe of Arthoys erle of Ewe and constable of Fraunce / was nat contented that the aduyse had nat fyrst haue ben demaunded of hym. Than he for pride and dispyght helde the contrary opynyon / and sayd. ye syr ye / the kynge of Hungery wolde haue the floure and chiefe honour of this iourney / we haue the vo∣warde / he hath graunted it to vs / and nowe he wolde take it fro vs agayne / beleue hym who wyll for I do nat / & than he sayd to the knyght that bare his banner / in the name of god and saynt George / ye shall seme this daye a good knyght. Whan the lorde Coucy herde the con∣stable speke these wordes / he toke it done of a great presumpcyon. Than he loked on syr Io¦han of Vyen / who bare the standarde of our lady / and demaūded of hym what he thought best to be doone. Syr quod he where as wyse reasone canne nat be herde / than pride muste reygne / and sythe that the erle of Ewe wyll ne¦des set on / we must nedes folowe / howe be it we shulde be the stronger and if our puyssaūce were hole togyther. Thus as they deuysed in the felde / styll the turkes aproched / & the two wynges eche of .lx. thousande men beganne

to aproche and to close / and had the chrysten men bytwene them / so that if they wolde haue reculed they coulde nat / for they were closed in with the sarazyns / the wynges were so thicke. Than dyuers knyghtes that were well expert in armes / sawe well the iourney shulde be a∣gaynst them / howe be it they auaunced and fo¦lowed the baner of our lady / borne by the valy¦aunt knight syr Iohn̄ of Vien. Euery knyght of Fraunce was in his cote armure that euery man semed to be a kinge / they were so fresshly aparelled. As it was shewed me whan they be¦gan fyrste to fyght with the turkes / they were nat past a seuen hundred men. Lo beholde the great foly and outrage / for if they had taryed for the kynge of Hungery who were threscore thousande men / they had been lykely to haue doone a great acte / and by them and by their pride all was lost / and they receyued suche dō¦mage / that sythe the batayle of Rounseualx / where as the .xii. peres of Fraūce were slayne crystendome receyued nat so great a dōmage howe be it or they were dyscomfyted a great nombre of turkes were slayne / for the frenche men dyscomfyted the fyrst batayle of the tur∣kes / and had them in chase tyll they came in to a valey / where Lamorabaquy was with his hole puyssaunce. Than the frenchmen wolde haue retourned to their hoost / but they coulde nat / for they were closed in on all partes. there was a sore batayle / the frenche men endured longe. Than newes came to the kyng of Hun¦gery howe the frenche men / englysshmen / and almayns were fyghtyng with the turkes / and had broken his cōmaundement and counsayle gyuen thē by his marshall / wherwith he was sore dyspleased / and nat without good cause. Than he sawe well howe he was lykely to lese that iourney / Than he said to the great may∣ster of the Rodes / who was by hym. Syr we shall this day lese the iourney by reason of the pride of the frenchmen / for if they wolde haue beleued me / we had been stronge ynough to haue fought with our enemyes. and therwith the kynge of Hungerye loked behynde hym / and sawe howe his men fled a waye and were discomfyted in them selfe. Than he sawe well there was no recouery / and suche as were a∣boute hym cryed and sayd. Saue your selfe / for if ye be slayne all Hungery is loste / ye shall lese the felde this daye / by reason of the pride of the frenche men / their valyaūtnesse turneth to folyssh hardynes / for they shall be all slayne or taken / none is lykely to scape / therfore syr if ye beleue vs saue youre selfe / and scape this daunger.

THe kynge of Hungery was sore dys∣pleased whan he sawe howe he had lost y^e iourney by dysorderyng of the frenche men / and sawe no remedy but to flye or els be taken or slayne. Great murder there was / for in flyenge they were chased and so slayne. They of Hungery fledde without or∣dre / and the turkes chased theym / howe be it god ayded the kinge of Hūgery and the great mayster of the Rodes / for they came to the ry∣uer of Dunce / and founde there a lytell barge parteynynge to the Rodes / they entered in to it but with seuen persones / and so went of the shore / or els they had been slayne or taken / for the turkes came to the Ryuer syde / and there slewe many a crysten man / suche as had folo∣wed the kynge to saue them selfe.

NOwe lette vs speke of the frenche men and almayns who fought valyauntly. Whan the lorde of Mount caurell a ryght va¦lyaunt knyght of Arthoys sawe that the dys∣comfyture ranne vpon them / he had by hym a sonne of his a yonge man / than he sayde to a squyer of his. Take here my sonne and leade hym away by yonder wynge whiche is open and saue hym / & I wyll abyde the aduenture with other of my felowes. Whan the chylde herde his father say so / he sayd howe he wolde nat departe / but the father dyd so moche that perforce the squyer led hym away out of pa∣rell and came to the ryuer of Dunce / but there the chylde had suche care for his father that he tooke small regarde to hym selfe / so that he fell in to y^e ryuer bytwene two barges / and there was drowned without remedy. Also syr Wyl∣lyam of Tremoyle fought in that batayle va∣lyauntly / and there was slayne and his sonne by him / and syr Iohan of Vyen bearynge the baner of our lady was slayne / and the baner in his handes. Thus all the lordes and knigh¦tes of Fraūce that were there were distroyed / by the maner / as ye haue herde. Syr Iohan of Burgoyne erle of Neuers / was so rychely besene / and in lykewyse so was syr Guy de la Ryuer / and dyuers other lordes and knygh∣tes of Burgoyne / that they were taken priso∣ners

And there were two squiers of Picardy ryght valyaunt men / called Gyllyam Dewe / and the Bourge of Maytequell / these two by valyauntnesse two tymes passed through the felde / and euer retourned in agayne and dyd marueyls / but fynally shere they were slayne. To say the trouthe the frenche men and other straūgers that were there acquyted them selfe valyauntly / but the frenchmens pride lost all. There was a knyght of Pycardy called syr Iaques of Helley / who had dwelte before in Turkey / and had serued Lamorabaquy / and coude somwhat speke the langage of Turkey whan he sawe the batayle loste he yelded hym selfe / and the Sarazyns who are couetous of golde and syluer toke and saued hym. Also a lquyer of Tornasys called Iaques du Fay / who had before serued the kynge of Tartary called Tauburyn / as soone as this Iaques knewe y^t the frenche men came to make warre in Turkey / he toke leaue of the kynge of Tar¦tary and departed / and was on the sayd felde / and taken prisoner by the kyng of Tartaries men / who were there in the ayde of Lamora∣baquy / for kynge Tauburyn of Tartary had sent to hym great nombre of men of warre.

THe frenchmen were so richely arayed that they semed lyke kynges / wherby they were taken and their lyues sa∣ued / for sarazyns & turkes are couetous / they trusted to haue great raunsomes of these that were taken / and reputed them greater lordes than they were. Sir Iohan of Burgoyn erle of Neuers was taken prisoner. In lykewyse were the erles of Ewe and de la Marche / the lorde Coucy / syr Henry of Bare / syr Guy de la Tremoyle / Bouciquant and dyuers other. And syr Philyp of Bare / syr Iohan of Vyen / Willyam of Tremoyle and his sonne slayne / and dyuers other. This batayle endured thre houres fyghtynge / and the kinge of Hungery lost all his baggage and all his plate and io∣welles / and was gladde to saue hym selfe / but with seuen persons with him in a lytell barge of the Rodes / els he had been taken or slayne without recouery. There were mo men slayne in the chase than in the ba∣tayle / and many drowned / happy was he that might scape by any maner of meanes.

WHan this dyscomfyture was doone and passed / and that the turkes suche as were sent thyder by the Sowdan were withdrawen in to their lodginges / whi∣che was in to tentes and pauylyons that they had conquered / whiche they founde well reple¦nysshed with wyne and meate redy dressed / wherwith they refresshed them / and made ioy and reuell / lyke suche people as had ateygned vyctorye on their enemyes. Than Lamora∣baquy with a greate nombre of mynstrelles acordyng to the vsage of their countrey / came to the kynge of Hungeryes chefe tent / whiche was goodly aparelled and hanged with riche stuffe / and there he toke great pleasure / and glorifyed in his herte of the wynnyng of that iourney / and shanked their god acordynge to their lawe. Than he vnarmed hym / and to re¦fresshe hym he sate downe on a tapyte of sylke and caused all his great lordes to come to him to iangle and to talke with them. He made as great myrthe as myght be / and sayd howe he wolde shortely with great puyssaunce passe in to the realme of Hungery / and cōquere the countrey / and after other countreys vpon the crysten men / and to bringe them to his obey∣saunce / for he sayd he was content that euery man shulde lyue after their owne lawes / he de¦syred nothynge but the signory / but he sayd he wolde reygne lyke Alysaunder of Masydone who was twelue yere kynge of all the worlde / of whose lynage he sayde he was dyscended. All y^t herde him agreed to his sayenge. Than he madethre cōmaundemētes. The fyrst was that who so euer had any prisoner crysten / to bringe hym forthe the seconde daye after in to his presence. the seconde was that all the deed bodyes shulde be vysyted and sertched / and such as were likely to be noble men to be layde aparte by them selfe in their raymentes tyll he came thyder hym selfe / for he sayd he wolde se them. The thyrde was to enquyre iustely if the kyng of Hungery were deed or a lyue. All was done as he cōmaunded.

WHan Lamorabaquy had well refres∣shed hym / than to passe the tyme he went to y^e place where the felde was / to se the deed bodyes / for it was shewed hym that he had many of this men slayne / and that the batayle had cost hym greatly / of the which he had great marueyle / and coulde nat byleue

it. Than he mounted on his horse and a great nombre with him / he had with hym two of his bretherne called Basaache and Surbasaach / as some people sayd / but he wolde nat be kno∣wen of them / for he sayd he had no bretherne. Whan he came to the place where the batayle was / he founde it of trouthe that there were many deed and slayne / he sawe y^t for one cry∣sten man deed / he founde .xxx. turkes slayne / wherwith he was marueylously dyspleased / and openly sayde. Here hath been a cruell ba∣tayle and marueyloussly defended of the cry∣sten men / but I shal make them that be a lyue to bye it derely. Than the kynge went to his lodgynge / and so passed that nyght in great furour of hert / and in the mornyng or he was vp moche people came to his tente to knowe what they shulde do with the chrysten priso∣ners / the renome ranne that they shulde all be put to dethe without mercy. Lamorabaquy (for all his dyspleasure) ordeyned that suche crysten men as were in the batayle in great a ray / and lykely to be great men / shulde be all sette togyther in one parte / for it was shewed hym that they myght well pay great raunso∣mes. Also there were dyuers sarazyns and pa¦nyms / of Perce / of Tartary / of Arabye / and suryens that had many prisoners / by whome they thought to haue great aduauntage / as they had in dede / they hyd them out of the way so that they came nat to knowledge. Amonge other syr Iaques of Helley was brought be¦fore Lamorabaquy / he that had him durst nat hyde hym no lenger. Syr Iaques de Helley was beknowen with some of the kynges ser∣uaūtes / who toke hym fro them that had him / whiche was happy for hym / as ye shall here after / for many crysten men were afterwarde cruelly slayne and put to dethe.

Kynge Basaach had cōmaunded to en¦quyre whiche were the greatest of the crysten men / and that they shulde be set a syde / to the entent to saue their lyues. So they were tryed out and set a parte. Fyrst the lorde Iohan of Burgoyne Erle of Neuers / who was chiefe aboue all other / and than syr Phylyppe of Arthoys erle of Ewe / the erle of Marche / the lorde Coucy / syr Henry of Bare syr Guy of Tremoyle / and other to the nom∣bre of eyght persones. And Lamorabaquy went to se and to speke with them / and beheld them a longe seasone / and he coniured these lordes by their faythe and lawe / to saye the trouthe / if they were the persones that they named them selfe for / and they sayde ye. And yet to knowe the more certaynte he sente to them the frenche knyght syr Iaques of Hel¦ley / to knowe them / for he had serued Lamo∣rabaquy before / therfore he had his lyfe graū∣ted hym. He was demaunded if he knewe the frenche knyghtes prysoners. He aunswered and said / I thynke if Ise them I shall knowe them. Than he was cōmaunded to go and a∣uewe theym / and to shewe playnely their na∣mes. He dyd as he was cōmaūded / and whan he came to them / he shewed them his aduen∣ture / and howe he was sente thyder to knowe surely their names. Than they sayde. Ah syr Iaques / ye knowe vs all / and ye se well howe fortune is agaynst vs / and how we be in daun¦ger of this kynge / therfore to saue our lyues make vs rather greater than we be in dede / and shewe the kyng that we be suche men able to pay great raunsomes. syrs quod he so shall I do / for I am boūde therto. than this knight retourned to Lamorabaquy and to his coun∣sayle / and syd howe those knyghtes whiche he hadde spoken with / were of the greatest men in all Fraunce / and were of the Kynges lyngage / and said they were able to pay great raunsomes. Than Lamorabaquy sayd howe their lyues shulde be saued / and all other pri∣soners to be slayne and hewen all to peces / in example of all other. Than the kynge shewed hym selfe before all the people that were there assembled / to whome they all made lowe reue¦rence. They made a lane for hym to passe tho∣rough / euery man with his sworde naked in his hande / and so came thyder where the sayd lordes of Fraunce stode togyther. Than the king wolde se the correction of the other / whi∣che thynge the sarazyns were desyrous to do.

THan they were all brought before La¦morabaquy naked in their shyrtes / and he behelde them a lytell and than tourned fro them warde / and made a sygne that they shuld be all slayne / and so they were brought through the sarazyns / that had redy naked swordes in their handes / and so slayne and hewen all to peces without mercy. This cruell iustyce dyd Lamorabaquy that daye / by the whiche mo than thre hūdred gentlemen

of dyuers nacyons were tourmented & slayne for the loue of god / on whose soules Iesu haue mercy. Amonge other was slayne syr Henry Dantoigne of Heynalt / and so it was the lord Boucyquante marshall of Fraunce was one of theym that was brought naked before the kynge / and had ben slayne with other / and the erle of Neuers had nat espyed hym. As sone as he sawe hym he went streyght to the kynge and kneled downe / and desyred hym effectu∣ously to respyte fro the dethe that knyght syr Boucyquant / sayenge howe he was a great man in Fraūce / and able to pay a great raun∣some. Lamorabaquy condyscended to the re∣quest of the erle of Neuers / and so syr Boucy∣quant was sette amonge them that shulde be saued. Thus cruell iustyce was done that day vpon the crysten men / and bycause that La∣morabaquy wolde that his vyctory shulde be knowen in Fraunce / he apoynted out thre of the frenche knyghtes to come before hym wher of syr Iaques of Helley was one. Than the kyng demaūded of the erle of Neuers whiche of tho thre knyghtes he wolde chose to sende in to Fraunce to the kynge and to the duke of Burgoyne his father. Than the erle of Ne∣uers sayd / syr and it please you I wolde that this knyght syr Iaques of Helley shulde go thyder fro you and fro vs. So syr Iaques ta¦ryed with Lamorabaquy and the other two knyghtes delyuered to dethe and so slayne / whiche was pytie. Than Lamorabaquy was well apeased of his furoute / and vnderstode howe the kyng of Hungery was scaped away a lyue. Than he determyned to retourne in to Turkey to a cytie called Burse / and so he dyd and thyder all y^e prisoners were brought / and than his army departed / and specyally suche as were of farre coūtreys / as Tartary / Perce Mede / Sury / Alerandre / and of Lecto. than syr Iaques Helley was delyuered to retourne in to Fraunce / and he was cōmaunded to re∣tourne throughe Lombardy / and to recom∣maunde Lamorabaquy to the duke of Myl∣layne / and also he was streyghtly cōmaunded that in euery place as he passed / to manyfest and publisshe the victory that Lamorabaquy had vpon the crysten men. The Erle of Ne∣uers wrote to the frenche kynge for hym selfe / and all his company / & to his father the duke of Burgoyne / and to the duchesse his mother. Whan this knyght had his charge as well by writyng as by credence / he departed and toke his way towardes Fraunce. Or he departed he was sworne and promysed as soone as he had done his message in Fraūce / incontynent to retourne agayne thyder / whiche othe and promesse he acōplysshed lyke a trewe knight. Nowe we wyll leaue speakynge at this tyme of Lamorabaquy and of the lordes of Fraūce prisoners / and we wyll speke of other maters that fell the same season. ∴ ∴