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 of Derby aryued in Englande / and howe he was recey∣ued of the londoners. Cap. CC.xl. (Book 240)

THus the duke of Bre¦taygne and the erle of Der¦by were louyngely conclu∣ded togyder / and the erle ta¦ryed there a certayne space & made as though he wold haue taryed styll there / and in the meane seasone the erle made his prouy∣syon at Wannes. And whan all thynge was redy / the duke and the erle came thyder / and whan the wynd serued / the erle of Derby and his company tooke the see / he had with hym thre shyppes of warre to conducte hym in to Englande / and the further they sayled the bet¦ter wynde they had / so that within two dayes and two nyghtes they aryed at Plūmouth in Englande / and issued out of their shyppes and entred in to the towne lytell and lytell. the bayly of Plūmouthe / who had charge of the towne vnder the kynge / had great marueyle whanne he sawe so moche people and men of warre entre in to the towne. But the bysshop of Caunterbury apeased him / and sayd howe they were menne of warre that wolde do no harme in the realme of Englande / sent thyder by the duke of Bretaygne to serue the kynge and the realme. Therwith the bayly was con¦tente / and the erle of Derby kept hym selfe so priuy in a chaumbre / that none of the towne knewe hym. Than the bysshoppe of Caun∣terbury wrote letters sygned with his hande to London / sygnyfienge the cōmynge of the erle of Derby / and sente them by a suffycyent man in post / who tooke fresshe horses by the waye / and came to London the same daye at night / and passed ouer the bridge and so came to the mayres lodgynge / who as than was a bedde / and as sone as the mayre knewe that a messāger was come fro the bysshop of Caun∣terbury / he rose out of his bedde and made the messanger to entre in to his chambre / who delyuered hym a lettre fro the bysshoppe of Caunterbury. The mayre redde it and reioy¦sed greatly of those newes / and incontynent he sente of his seruauntes fro house to howse / princypally to suche as were of counsayle of sendynge for the Erle of Derby. They were all gladde of that tydynges / and in contynent there assembled togyther of the moste nota∣blest men of the cytie to the nombre of two hun¦dred / & they spake togyder / and helde no longe counsayle for the case required it nat / but they sayd / lette vs apparell our selfe and go and re¦ceyue the duke of Lancastre / saythe we agreed to sende for hym / the archebysshoppe of Caun¦terbury hathe well doone his deuoyre / seynge he hath brought hym in to Englande. Than they dyd chose certayne men to go abrode to publysshe the erles cōmynge to lordes knygh∣tes / and squyers / suche as were of their party / and mo than fyue hundred of the londoners tooke their horses / and they had so great de∣syre to go forthe that they were lothe to tarye one for a nother. The erle of Derby taryed nat longe at Plummouth / but the nexte daye as soone as their horses were vnshypped / they

rode towardes London. And all that season sir Peter of Craon and y^e bretons were styll with the erle. The mayre of London & they that hadde the gouernyng of the cytie / were the fyrst that mette the erle in the feldes / and humbly receyued him / and euer as they rode forwarde they mette more people. The fyrst daye they cāe and laye at Guyldforde / a fyue and twentie myle fro Lōdon. The next day a great nombre of the men / women / and chyl¦dren of London and the clergy came to mete with the erle / they had suche desyre to se hym And whan they cāe in to his sight they cried welcome noble erle of Derby & duke of Lan∣castre / God sende you ioye / welthe / and pro∣speryte. Sithe ye wente out of Englande / the realme hath ben in no prosperyte. Nowe we truste ye shall bringe vs in to a reasona∣ble estate / for we haue lyued in great displea¦saunce and desolacyon / by the meanes of Ri∣charde of Burdeaux and his counsayle / and specially he ought moost chefe to be blamed. For a kyng that shulde gouerne a Realme and people / ought to haue suche discrecyon / to knowe gode and yuell asondre / otherwise he is nat worthy to gouerne a Realme. And this Rycharde of Burdeaux hath done con∣trary / whiche shalbe well knowen and pro∣ued vpon him. with suche wordes and other the people brought the erle to London. The mayre rode cheke and cheke by hym / whiche was great pleasure for the people to se / and the mayre sometyme sayde to the erle. Sir / beholde howe the people reioyse of your cō∣myng. That is trewe quod the erle. And al∣wayes as he rode he enclyned his heed to the people on euery syde. Thus the Erle was brought on his lodgynge / and euery man de∣parted tyll after dyner. Than the mayre and the notable men of the cite / and dyuers other lordes and knyghtes / prelates / bysshoppes / and abbottes / suche as were in London cam to se the the erle. Also the duchesse of Glouce¦stre and her two doughters came to se therle who were his cosyn germayns. Affren their brother was with kynge Richarde / more for feare than̄e for loue. With these ladyes was the countesse of Arundell and her chyldren / and also the countesse of Warwyke / with dy∣uers other ladyes / suche as were at London The people of London were so ioyfull of the erles cōmyng / that there was no more wor∣kynge in London that daye / than and it had ben Easter daye.

TO come to a conclusyon of this busynesse. The people toke coū¦sayle and aduyse to ryde aga∣ynst the kynge / whom the Lon∣doners named Richard of Bur¦deaux / kynge without tytell or honour / for the vyllaynes of London hadde the kyng in suche hate / that it was payne for them to here spekynge of hym / but to his cō∣dempnacion and distruction / for they hadde treated the erle of Derby to be their kynge / and he was moche ordred by their counsayle The erle of Derby toke on hym to be kyng / and so to endure for euer he and his heyres / and therto the Londoners dyde swere and seale. And promysed / that all the resydue of the realme shulde do the same / so solempnely that there shulde neuer questyon be made therof after. Also they promysed hym to aide and to assyste hym alwayes. These promy∣ses and boundes ones taken and concluded / than it was ordayned that .xii. hundred men of London well armed / shulde ryde with the erle towardes Bristowe / and to do so moche that Richarde of Burdeaux myght be taken and brought to London / and than to take ad¦uyse what shulde be done with hym / and to be iudged by the lawe / and by the thre esta∣tes of the realme. Also it was ordayned (to make the lesse brute and sclaundre) that the men of warre of Bretaygne / suche as were come thyder with the erle shulde be retour∣ned home agayne. For it was sayde / howe they hadde men ynoughe to do their dedes without them / so that the erle had all the bre¦tons before hym / and thanked them of their seruyce that they hadde done hym / and gaue them great rewardes so that they were well content / and so retourned to Plūmouthe to the shyppes / and so in to Bretayne.

¶Nowe lette vs speke of the erle of Derby who ordayned to ryde to Bristowe.

THe erle of Derby was cheife of that armye / as reason was / for it touched hym most nerest. Thus he departed fro London / and as he rode / the countrey fell in to hym. Tidyn∣ges cāe in to the kynges host / of the cōmyng

of the erle of Derby and of the Londoners / many knyghtes / squyers / and other knewe it or the kynge hadde knowledge therof / but they durst nat speke therof. Whan the tidyn∣ges spredde more abrode / suche as were next the kyng were in great feare. for they knewe well the kynge and they bothe / were lykely to fall in paryll / bycause they hadde so many ennemyes in the realme. and suche were thā their ennemyes / that hadde made good face before. For many knightes / squyers / and o∣ther / suche as hadde serued the kyng before / departed fro the courte without any lycence. Some wente home to their owne houses / & some toke the nexte waye they coude streight to the erle of Derby to serue hym. As soone as Affren of Gloucestre and Rycharde son̄e to the erle of Arundell knewe that the Erle of Derby and the Londoners were cōmyn∣ge / they gote their men toguyder and depar¦ted / and rode streyght to the erle of Derby / whome they founde beyonde Oxenforde / at a towne called Soucetour. Therle of Der∣by hadde great ioye whan̄e he sawe his co∣syns / and demaunded of the state of the kyn¦ge / and howe they were departed fro hym / They aunswered and sayde. Sir / at our de¦partynge we spake nat with hym. For as soone as we knewe of your commynge / we lepte on our horses and departed to come to serue you / and to ayde to reuenge the dethe of our fathers / whome Richarde of Burde∣aulx hathe caused to be slayne. Sirs quod the erle ye be ryght welcome / ye shall ayde me and I shall helpe you. For it is behoua∣ble that oure cosyn Rycharde of Burdeaux be brought to London. so haue I promysed to the Londoners / and I wyll kepe my pro∣myse / for therto they wyll ayde me. And we haue men ynowe to fyght with hym if nede be. And if he wyll haue batayle he shall ha∣ue it. ∴ ∴