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 erle Marshall in En∣glande apealed by gage of vtteraūce the erle of Derby / sonne to the duke of Lancastre / in the presence of the kynge and his counsayle. Cap. CC.xxviii.

KInge Richard of En∣glande hadde a condycion that if he loued a man / he wolde make hym so great and so nere him that it was marueyle to consydre / and no man durste speke to the contrary. and also he wolde lightly beleue / so∣ner than any other kynge of remembrance be¦fore hym. and suche as were nere aboute hym and in his grace / tooke no ensample of other that had ben great with the kyng before them / as the duke of Irelande / who was put out of Englande / and also syr Symon Burle who by reason of suche counsayle as he gaue to the kynge / he was beheeded / and syr Robert Tre¦uylyan / & syr Nycholas Bramble and other that had been of the kynges counsayle / wher∣fore they suffred dethe / for the duke of Glou∣cestre dyd all his payne to dystroy them / and yet fynally he loste his lyfe / as ye haue herde. wherof suche as were than aboute the kynge was nothynge sory / wherby some that were aboute the kynge rose in to suche pride that it was marueyle / and in so moche that they coulde nat coloure nor hyde it / and specyally the erle Marshall / who was as great in the kynges fauoure as myght be / and to the en∣tente to please the kynge and to flatter hym / he made the kynge beleue that he was a trewe faythfull and a secrete seruaunt / and that he coulde nat endure to here any worde spoken a¦gaynst the kynge / and tolde the kynge many thynges to haue the kynges loue / howe be it often tymes a man thynketh to be auaunced / and is pulled backe / and so it fortuned of the erle Marshall / I shall shewe you howe.

ye muste knowe that the erle of Derby and the duke of Gloucestre deed / had to their wy∣ues two susters / doughters to the erle of Her∣forde and of Northamton / constable of En∣glande. so the chyldren of the erle of Derby and the duke of Gloucestre were cosyn ger∣mayns by their mother syde / and within a de∣gre as nere of kynne by their fathers syde. To say trouth the dethe of the duke of Gloucestre was ryght dyspleasaunt to many great lor∣des of Englande / and often tymes they wolde speke and murmure therat / whan they were togyder / and the kynge than was so hygh vp∣pon the whele that no man durste speke / but

the kynge knewe it / for he had caused to be spo¦ken abrode in the realme that / what so euer he were that spake any word of the duke of Glou¦cestre or of the erle of Arundell / he shulde be re¦puted as a traytour / wherfore the people durst nat speke. And on a day the erle of Derby and the erle Marshall communed togyder of dy∣uers maters / at last amonge other they spake of the state of the kynge and of his counsayle / suche as he had about hym and beleued them / so that at the last the erle of Derby spake cer∣tayne wordes whiche he thought for the best / wenynge that they shulde neuer haue ben cal∣led to rehersall / whiche wordes were nouther vylenous nor outragyous / for he sayde thus. Saint Mary fayre cosyn. what thynketh the kynge oure cosyn to do? wyll he driue out of Englande all the noble men / within a whyle there shalbe none left? it semeth clerely that he wylleth nat the augmentacyon of his realme. The erle marshall gaue none aunswere / but dissimuled the mater / and toke it that he spake agaynst the kynge / and thought in hymselfe that the Erle of Derby was ryght lykely to make great trouble in Englande / bycause he was so great with the londoners / and the dy∣uell was redy to styre his brayne / and that thynge that shall fall can nat be eschewed.

SO he thought to shewe this ma¦ter to the kynge / whan noble mē shulde be presente / and on a day to please the kynge / he sayde. Ryght dere syr / I am of youre lygnage / and ame your lyege man and mar∣shall of Englande / Wherfore sir / I am boun∣de to you by myne Alliegeaunce / and othe sworne my handes in yours / that I shulde be in no place hearynge / any thynge contrarye to your mageste royall / and shulde kepe it se∣crete / I ought to be reputed as a false tray∣tour / whiche I wyll nat be / for I wyll trewly acquyte me agaynst you / and all the worlde. The kynge loked on hym / and demaunded and sayd. Why say you these wordes / we wyll know it? My right redouted souerayne lorde quod the erle Marshall / I saye it bycause I canne nat suffre any thynge that shulde be pre¦iudyciall or agaynst your grace. syr cause the erle of Derby to come before you / and than I shall shewe you more. Than the erle of Der∣by was sente for / and the kynge cōmaunded the erle Marshall to stande vp / for he was on his knee whyle he spake to the Kynge. And whan the erle of Derby was before the kyng / who thought none yuell / than the erle Mar∣shall sayde. Syr erle of Derby / I say to you / ye haue thought yuell and spoken otherwyse than ye ought to do / agaynste your naturall lorde the kynge of Englande / whan ye sayde that he was nat worthy to holde lande or re∣alme / seynge without lawe or iustyce / without counsayle of any of his noble men / he distour∣beth his Realme / and without tytell or good reason putteth out of his realme and dystroy∣eth them / who ought to ayde and susteyne him wherfore here I cast my gage and wyll proue with my body agaynst yours / that ye are an yuell false traytour. The erle of Derby was sore abasshed with those wordes / and stepte backe a lytell and stode styll a season without demaundynge of his Father or of any other what aunswere he shulde make. Whan he had studyed a lytell he stept forthe with his cappe in his hande / and came before the kynge and the erle Marshall / and sayd. Erle Marshall / I saye thou arte an yuell and a false traytour / and y^t I shall proue / my body agaynst thyne / and in that quarell here is my gauge. Therle Marshall whan he herde howe he was apea∣led shewed howe he desyred the batayle. With that the erle of Derby aunswered and sayde. I sette your wordes at the kynges pleasure / and other lordes that be here / and I tourne your wordes to a mocke and myne to be true. Than eche of these erles drewe to their com∣pany and lygnage / so that the manner of ta∣kynge of wyne and spyces was lette passe / for the kyng shewed hym selfe to be right sore dis∣pleased / and so entred in to his chambre / and left his two vncles without and all their chyl∣dren / and the erles of Salysbury and Hun∣tyngdon his bretherne. Than anone after the kynge sent for his vncles / and entred in to his chambre. Thanne the kynge demaunded of them what was best to do in this mater. Syr quod they cause your constable to come before you / and than we shall shewe you our opyny∣ons. Than the erle of Rutlande who was con¦stable was sente for / and whan he was come / than he was commaunded to go to the erle of Derby and to the erle Marshall / and to take suretye of theym / that they go nat out of the

realme of Englande without the kynges ly∣cence. The constable dyd as he was cōmaun∣ded / and than retourned agayne to the kinges chambre.

YE maye well knowe this matter greatly troubled the courte / and many lordes and knyghtes were sore dyspleased of that aduenture and secretly they greatly blamed the erle Marshall / but he made as though he had ser nothyng by the mater / his hert was so proude & presumptuous. Thus the lordes de∣parted for y^t day. The duke of Lācastre what so euer coūtynaunce he made / he was sore dis∣pleased with these wordes / and he thought the kynge shulde nat haue taken the mater as he dyd / but shulde rather haue tourned it to no∣thynge / and so thought the moste parte of all the lordes of Englande. The erle of Derby went and lay at London / and helde his estate at his owne lodgynge / and there were pled∣ges for him / the duke of Lancastre his father / the duke of yorke / the Erle of Northumber∣lande / and dyuers other lordes. And the erle Marshall was sente to the towre of London / and there helde his estate. These two lordes made prouysyon / for that was necessary for them for their batayle. The erle of Derby sent his messangers in to Lombardy to the duke of Myllayne syr Galeas / for to haue armure at his pleasure. The duke agreed to the erles desyre / and caused the knight that the erle had sent thyder / whose name was Fraunces / to se all the dukes armorye. And whan the knyght had chosen suche as he lyked / than the duke fur¦thermore for loue of the erle of Derby / he sent four of y^e best armorers that were in Lombar¦dy to the erle in to Englande with the knight / to the entent that they shulde arme and make armure acordynge to the erles entente. The erle Marshall on his parte sent in to Almayn and in to other places to prouyde him for that iourney. The charge of these two lordes was greate / but the erle of Derby was at moost charge. The erle Marshall whan he beganne that busynesse / he thought to haue had more ayde of the kynge than he had / for suche as were nere aboute the kynge sayd to him. Syr ye haue nothyng to do to medle bytwene these two lordes / dyssymule you the mater / and let them deale / they wyll do well ynough. Sir ye knowe well the erle of Derby is well beloued in the realme / and specyally with the Londo∣ners / and if they se that ye shulde take parte with the erle Marshall / ye were lyke to lose their loue therby for euer. The kynge vnder∣stode well their wordes / and knew well it was trewe / he than dissymuled the mater as moche as he coulde / and suffred them to make their prouysyon where they lyst.

THe newes spredde abrode in dy∣uers countreys of the defyaunce bytwene the erle of Derby and the erle Marshall / Many men spake therof in dyuers maners / and specyally in Fraunce. They sayd lette theym alone / the knyghtes of En∣glande are ouer proude / at length they wyll dystroy eche other / for it is the worste nacyon in the worlde vnder the sonne / for in y^t realme dwelleth the moste presumptuous people that canne be. Other there were that spake more so berly / and sayde / that the kynge of Englande shewed no wysdome / nor was nat well coun∣sayled / whanne for wylde wordes he to suffre suche two noble men of his blode to enterprise armes in defyaunce / he shulde rather whan he herde the wordes fyrste / haue sayde to them bothe. ye are two lordes of my blode and lyg∣nage / wherfore I cōmaunde you bothe to be in peace / and lette nouther hate nor rancoure engendre bytwene you / but be frendes / louers and cosyns togyther / and if this lande canne nat contente you / go in to what countrey ye wyll / and seke aduentures of armes there. If the kynge had sayde those wordes and apea∣sed these lordes thus / than he had done wyse∣ly. The duke of Lancastre was sore dysplea∣sed in his mynde to se the kynge his nephewe mysse vse hym selfe in dyuers thynges / as he dyd. he consydred the tyme to come lyke a sage prince / and somtyme sayd to suche as he tru∣sted best. Our nephue the kynge of Englande wyll shame all or he cease: he beleueth to lyght¦ly yuell counsayle who shall distroy hym / and symply (if he lyue longe) he wyll lese his re∣alme / and that hath been goten with moche coste and trauayle by our predecessours and by vs: he suffreth to engendre in this realme bytwene the noble men hate and dyscorde / by

whom he shulde be serued and honoured / and this lande kepte and douted. He hath caused my brother to dye / whiche is one thynge to be noted / and the erle of Arundell / bycause they shewed hym trouthe / but he wolde nat here them nor none other that wolde coūsayle hym agaynst his appetyte. He canne nat better dy∣stroye his realme than to put trouble and ha∣tred bytwene the noble men and good townes the frenche men are right subtyle / for one mys∣chiefe that falleth amonge vs / they wolde it were ten / for otherwyse they canne nat reco∣uer their dōmages / nor come to their enten∣tes / but by our owne meanes and dyscorde by¦twene our selfe. And wese dayly that all real∣mes deuyded are dystroyed / it hath been sene by the realme of Fraunce / Spayne / Naples / and by landes of the churche / as we maye se dayly by the two popes / whiche is and shall be to their dystructyon. also it hath been sene by the countrey of Flaunders / howe by their owne meanes they are distroyed. Also present¦ly it is sene by the lande of Frece / with whome our cosyns of Haynalt are in warre / and howe the frenche men amonge theym selfe are dy∣stroyed / in lykewyse amonge ourselfe with∣out god prouyde for vs we shall dystroy our selfe / the apparaunce therof sheweth greatly. Nowe the kynge suffereth that my sonne and heyre shall do batayle for a thynge of nought / and I that am his father maye nat speake to the contrary for myne owne honoure and for my sonnes / for my sonne hathe the body of a knyght mete to entre in to armes agaynst the erle Marshall / howe be it take the best therof they shall neuer loue agayne togyder as they dyd before. Thus said the duke of Lancastre.

ALl the seasone that these two lor∣des dyd prouyde to do dedes of armes at vtteraunce / the duke of Lancastre came neuer at y^e kyng nor but lytell at his sonne / and that he dyd for a polycy / for the Duke knewe well y^t his sonne was marueylously well be∣loued in Englande / both with noble men and with other / and specyally with the londoners / for they had promysed and sayd to hym. Syr be ye of good comforte in this busynesse / for howesoeuer the matter tourne / ye shall scape with honour / whether the kynge wyll or nat / or all the Marmosettes aboute hym / for we knowe well this mater is made and conueyed by enuy / to the entente to driue you out of the realme / bycause ye be well beloued with ma∣ny men. and if so be that ye departe in trouble ye shall entre agayne with ioye / for ye ought rather to rule than Rycharde of Burdeaulx / for they that wyll seke out the profoundenesse of the mater / maye well knowe fro whence ye came / and fro whence he came / wherby they maye knowe y^t ye be more nerer to the crowne of Englande than Rycharde of Burdeaulx / though we haue made to hym faythe and ho∣mage / and haue helde hym for our kyng more thanne this twenty yere / but that was by fa∣uour and purchase of his grauntfather good kynge Edwarde / who douted of this poynte that we nowe speke of / and on a tyme great question was made bytwene kyng Edwarde your grauntfather by youre father syde / and duke Henry of Lancastre your grauntfather by your mother syde / the Lady Blaunche of Lancastre / but the lordes of Englande that than reygned apeased the matter / for kynge Edwarde was so valyaunt a man and so hap¦py in all his enterprises / that he had the loue of all his people poore and riche / nor also your grauntfather of Lancastre wolde nothynge to the Kynge but well and good / and serued the kynge in his tyme nobly and trewly / so that he is as yet to be recommaunded. These maters well consydred by kynge Rycharde / he myght well repente hym that he is no bet∣ter gouerned than he is. Suche wordes these londoners spake / thoughe they knewe but ly∣tell of the trouth / that they spake was of a syn∣guler fauoure. The erle of Derby receyued their wordes well a worthe / and dayly prepa∣red for the batayle / and he desyred his frendes to be at that iourney / and so euery man pre∣pared hymselfe / accordynge to the Erles de∣syre.

THe kynge all the season that these two lordes prepared for their ba¦tayle / he had many ymagynacy∣ons / whether he shuld suffre them to fyght or nat. Thoughe he were kynge of Englande / and more douted than any other kynge before hym / yet nyght and daye he kept about hym a garde of two thousande archers /

who were payed their wages wekely / for the kynge trusted nat greatly in theym that were nexte of his blode / excepte his brother the erle of Huntyngton and the erle of Salisbury / and the erle of Rutlande his cosyn germay∣ne / sonne to the duke of yorke / who was well in the kynges fauoure / and certayne knygh∣tes of his chambre: as for all other he cared lytell for. Whan the day aproched / that these two lordes shulde do their dedes of armes / as they hadde promysed / and had euery thyn¦ge redy prepared. Than on a daye / certayne of the kynges counsayle came to the kynge / and demaunded what was his entencyon / that these two lordes shulde do / and sayde. Sir / wyll ye suffre theym to fyght? ye true¦lye quod the kyng / why shulde they nat. We wyll se their dedes of armes. Paraduenture we shall knowe therby / that we knowe nat as yet / & shulde be right necessary to knowe to the entente we shulde prouyde for it / For there is none so great in Englande / but if he displease me / I shall cause hym to make me amendes / For if I shulde any thynge sub∣mytte me to my subiettes / they wolde soone ouercome me. And I knowe for certaygne / that some of theym of my blode haue hadde dyuers treatyse toguyder agaynste me and myne estate / and the moost princypall of thē was the duke of Gloucestre / For in all En∣glande was natte a worse hedde agaynst me than he was. Nowe I shall haue peace fro hense forwarde / for I shall do well ynough with all the other. But sirs / I praye you shewe me why ye make this demaūde to me. Sir quod they / we are bounde to counsayle you. And sir / we often tymes here wordes spoken / that ye canne nat here. For sir / ye be in youre chambre / and we abrode in the coū∣trey or in London / where many thynges be spoken / whiche greatlye toucheth you / and vs also. Sir / it were tyme to prouyde reme∣dye / and so ye muste do. Sir / we counsayle you for the best. Howe so quod the Kynge? Speke further and spare natte / for I wyll do euery thynge parteynyng to reason / and minyster Iustyce in my realme. Sir quod they / the renoume ronneth through out En∣glande / and specially in the cytie of London whiche is the soueraygne cytie of youre Re∣alme. They saye / ye are cause of this enter∣price bytwene these two lordes / and that ye haue sette the erle Marshall to fyght with the erle of Derby.

THe Londoners / and dyuers other noble men and prelates of y^e realme saye: Howe ye take the ryght waye to distroye your lygnage / and the realme of Englande. Whiche thynge they saye / they wyll natte suffre. And if the Londoners rise agaynste you / with suche noble men as wyll take their parte / ye shall be of no puyssaūce to resyst theym. And also they haue you in a marueylous suspecte / bycause ye be alyed by maryage with the Frenche kynge / wherby ye be the worse beloued of all youre people. And sir / knowe for certayne / that if ye suffre these two Erles to come in to the place to do batayle / ye shall nat be lorde of the felde / but the Londoners / and suche lordes of their {per}te wyll rule the felde / for the loue and fauoure that they beare to the erle of Derby / and the erle Marshall is soore hated / and specially the Londouers wolde he were slayne. And thre partes of the people of Englande saye / that whan ye harde y^t wordes fyrst bytwene these two erles / that ye shulde haue done o∣therwyse than ye dyd / and that ye shulde ha∣ue broken the quarell / and haue sayd. Sirs / ye are bothe my cosyns and lyegmen / ther∣fore I commaunde you to kepe the peace fro hens forthe. And shulde haue taken the Erle of Derby by the hande and haue ledde hym in to youre chambre / and haue shewed hym some signe of loue. And bycause ye dyde nat thus / the brute ronneth / that ye beare fauour to the erle Marshalles partie / and are aga∣ynst the erle of Derby. Sir / consyder well these wordes that we shewe you / for they be trewe. Sir / ye had neuer more nede of good counsayle than ye haue nowe. Whan the kyn¦ge herde these wordes he chaunged county∣naūce / the wordes were so quickely spoken. Therwith the kynge tourned fro them / and leaned out at a wyndowe / and studyed a cer∣tayne space / and than he tourned agayne to them that had spoken to hym / who were / the archebysshoppe of yorke / and the Erles of Salisbury & of Huntingdon his bretherne / and thre other knightes of his chambre / than he sayde to them. Sirs / I haue well herde you / and if I shulde refuce your counsayle I were greatly to blame. Wherfore sirs / con¦syder

what is beste for me to do. Sir quod one of theym that spake for all. The matter that we haue spoken of / is ryght peryllous. ye muste dissymule the mater / if ye wyll ha∣ue youre honour saued / and to make peace. And sir / ye ought rather to entertayne the ge¦neraltie of your realme / than the ydell wor∣des of two knyghtes. But sir / the brute tho∣roughe out all the Realme of Englande is / howe the erle Marshall hathe greatlye tres∣passed / and hath renewed to many yuell thin¦ges / and daylye reneweth / and the realme ta¦keth all his wordes in vayne / and saith / how that by his ydell words / he wolde reise a {pro}∣cesse agaynst the erle of Derby / and to brin∣ge the lande in to trouble. First. They say it were better that he abode the payne / and the erle of Derby to be quyte. Sir / we thynke that or they shulde arme thē to mete togyder that ye shulde sende to them & cause thē to be bounde to abyde youre ordynaunce / in this enterprise. And whan they be furely bounde to abyde youre sentence / than ye maye gyue theym this Iudgemente. That within fyf∣tene dayes after / the erle Marshall to auoy∣de the realme / without any truste euer to re∣tourne agayne. And therle of Derby in lyke¦wyse to auoyde the realme / and to be banys∣shed for tenne yere. And whan he shall de∣parte the realme (to please the people with∣all) release foure yere of the tenne / and so let hym be banysshed for sixe yere without par∣done. This is the counsayle sir that we wyll gyue you. For sir / in no wyse let them be ar∣med one agaynst another / for the inconueny∣entes that maye fall therby. The kynge stu∣dyed a lytell and sayde. Sirs / ye counsayle me trewly / and I shall folowe youre coun∣sayle.

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