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

¶How newes of the taking of kyng Rycharde was knowen in Fraunce by the cōmyng thyder of the lady of Coucy / and howe the frenche kynge was dyspleased. Cap. CC.xlvi. (Book 246)

WHan the lady of Coucy was aryued at Bouloyne / she hasted her to go to Parys. Great mur∣murynge there was in Fraunce of the sodayne incidentes y^t were fall in Englāde / they knewe somwhat by mar¦chaūtes of Bruges / but whan the lady of Cou¦cy aryued / than the trouth was knowen. She went firste to her husbandes house / as it was reason. Anon the frenche kynge herde worde howe the lady of Coucy was come to Parys / Than the kynge sent for the lorde of Coucy / who had ben all nyght with his wyfe. Whan he was come the kynge demaūded of the state of kynge Rycharde of Englande / and of the quene his doughter. The lorde durst nat hyde the trouth fro hym / but shewed hym playnely euery thynge / as his wyfe had shewed hym / whiche newes were sore dyspleasaunt to the frenche kynge / for he knewe well the englyssh¦men were sore & harde men to apease / and so with dyspleasure the frenche kynge retourned agayne in to his olde sicknes of fransey / wher¦of the nobles of y^t realme were sore displeased but they coude nat amende it. Than the duke of Burgoyn said / I thought neuer otherwyse for it was a maryage without good reasone / the whiche I sayd playnly ynough whan the mater was fyrst spokē of / but as than I coulde nat be herde / for I knewe well y^e londoners ne¦uer loued parfytely kynge Rycharde. All this myschefe is engendred by the duke of Glouce¦stre / it is tyme nowe to take hede what the en∣glisshmen wyll do / sythe they haue taken their kyng and put him in prison. by all lykelyhode they wyll put hym to dethe / for they neuer lo∣ued him / bycause be loued no warre but peace they wyll crowne to their kynge the duke of Lancastre / he shall so bynde hym selfe to them that whether he wyll or nat / he shall do all that they wyll / & sayd moreouer / nowe shall be sene what they of Burdeaux wyll do / for there he was borne / and was well be loued with them and also with them of Bayon & of Dax / and in all the lymytes of Burdeloys / it were good

that y^t constable of Fraūce sir Loys of Sanx∣ere were signyfyed of this mater / and that he drewe hym to y^t fronters there / & with him syr Raynolde of Barroys of Barreys and other barones and prelates and to treate with them and my brother the duke of Berrey to go in to Poictou / & to drawe to the fronters of Xain∣tes / of Blaues / and of mirebell / wherby if they of Burdeaux wyll any thynge entende to our treaties / that they may be receyued / for nowe shall we haue them or neuer. As he deuysed it was ordeyned / the whiche was a substanciall deuyce. for whan they of Burdeaux / of Bay∣on / and of Dax / vnderstode that their kynge Rycharde was taken and sette in the towre of London / and duke Henry of Lancastre crow∣ned kyng / they had gret marueyle therof / and in the begynnyng wolde nat beleue it / but ly∣tle & lytle they knewe the trouth therof. Than the sayd thre townes were closed and no man suffred to issue out nor to entre in / they were sore troubled and sorowfull / and specyally the cytie of Burdeaux / for kynge Rycharde was norysshed amonge them / therfore they loued hym / and whyle he was kynge if any of Bur∣deloys came to hym they were well receyued / and alwayes y^e kinge was redy to fulfyll their desyres / wherfore they sayd whan they knewe the trouth. Ah Richarde gentle kyng / ye were as noble a man as euer reigned in any realme / this trouble y^t londoners haue caused / for they coulde neuer loue you / specyall sythe ye were alyed by maryage with the frenche kyng / this myschiefe is so great that we can nat suffre it? They haue holden you kynge this .xxii. yere / and nowe to condempe you to the dethe / for sythe ye be in prison & haue crowned the duke of Lancastre / they wyll surely put you to deth. So they of Burdeloys made great lamenta∣cyons / in so moche that the seneschall of Bur∣deaux a ryght valyaunt knyght of Englande wrote letters / therin conteynynge the wordes and lamentacyons of them of the cytie of Bur¦deaulx / of Bayon / and of Dax. Also he wrote howe they were nere at the poynte to yelde vp their townes to the frenche kyng. He sent this lettre by a trusty seruaūt of his by the see / who had good wynde and aryued at Cornewayle in Englāde / and than he rode so longe that he came to London / there he foūde kynge Henry and delyuered his letters / whiche were dyre∣cted to the kynge and to the londoners. They were opened and reed / and the kynge and the londoners tooke counsayle vpon that mater. They of London aunswered lyke theym that were nothyng abasshed of that tydynges / but sayde / as for these townes wyll neuer tourne frenche / for they can nat lyue in their daunger nor they canne nat suffre the extorcion and pol¦linge of the frenchmen / for vnder vs they lyue franke and free / and if the frenche men shulde be lordes ouer them / they shulde be taxed and tayled / & retayled two or thre tymes in a yere / the whiche they are nat nowe acustomed vnto whiche shulde be a harde thyng nowe for them to begynne. Also these thre cyties are closed in roūde about with great lordes / who are good englysshe / and longe haue been / as the lorde Pyuiers / the lorde Musydent / the lorde Du∣ras / the lorde Landuras / the lorde Copane / the lorde Rosem / the lorde Logeren / and dy∣uers other barones and knyghtes / by whome they shulde haue warre at their handes / for they shulde nat issue out of their cities but they shulde be taken. For all the seneschalles wry∣tynge we haue no doute y^t they shulde become frenche / howe be it / good it is to sende thyder some valyaunt wyse man that is beloued a∣monge theym / some suche as hath gouerned there or this / and that is the lorde Thomas Percy. Thus as it was deuysed it was acom¦plysshed / he was desyred to go thyder / and to take hede of that coūtrey. He fulfylled the kyn¦ges cōmaundement / and made hym redy to departe. it was about Christmasse / at whiche tyme the wyndes be sore and ieoperdous / he toke shyppynge in Cornewayle. He had with him two hundred men of armes and four hun¦dred archers. And with hym was his nephue Hugh Hastynges / Thomas Colleuyll / Gyl∣lyam Lysle / Iohan Graily / bastarde sonne to the Captall of Beufz / Guillyam Traicton / Iohan Danbreticourt / and diuers other / and also the bysshop of London / and mayster Ry∣charde Doall. They taryed tyll it was mydde Marche or they toke the see. and or they came to Burdeaux the duke of Burbon was come to the cytie of Dagen to treate with theym of Burdeloys / and he dyd so moche by his fayre wordes and good assuraunce / that the coun∣sayles of Burdeaux / of Bayon / and of Dax were sent to the cytie of Dagen. The duke re∣ceyued them frendly and gaue them fayre wor¦des and many promyses / and shewed them

that if they wolde turne frenche / and be vnder the obeysaunce of the frenche kynge / what so euer they wolde demaunde shulde be graun∣ted them / and sealed perpetually to endure. Many thynges they promysed and sware to seale / and to kepe for euer. They aunswered / whan they were retourned agayne in to their cyties they wolde shewe all this to the people / and so take counsayle and than gyue answere. Thus they departed fro Dagen and fro the duke of Burbon and retourned to their tow∣nes / and shewed all this to the people / but all tourned to nothynge / for the comynaltyes of the sayde cyties consydred the busynesse / and knewe well howe the realme of Fraunce was vexed and troubled with tayles and fowages and shamfull exaccions all to get money. than they sayd / if the frenche men gouerne ouer vs they wyll bringe vs to the same vsage / yet it is better for vs to be englysshe / for they kepe vs franke and free. If the londoners haue depo∣sed kynge Rycharde & crowned kinge Henry what is that to vs? we haue and shall haue al∣wayes a kynge / and we vnderstande that the bysshop of London and syr Thomas Percy shortely wyll be here / they shall enfourme vs of the trouthe / we haue also more marchaundyse of woll / wyne / and clothe with the Englysshe men than with the frenchmen. let vs be ware we make no treatie / wherby we shulde repent vs after. Thus the treatie with the frenche men was broken and lefte of. Than anone af∣ter the bysshop of London and y^e lorde Percy with their charge of men of warre aryued at Burdeaux / wherof moche people were great∣ly reioysed / and some displeased / suche as had rather haue been frenche than englysshe. All these englysshe lordes were lodged togyther in the abbey of saint Andrewe / and whan they sawe their tyme they shewed to the people the state of Englande / and y^e cause why they were sent thyder / and they dyd so moche that euery thynge was apeased bothe there and in all o∣ther places: For harde it was to haue caused them to haue tourned frenche.

THan it was determyned by the coun¦sayle of Fraunce / sithe the kyng was in sycknesse by reason of the displea∣sure that he toke for the deposyng of his sonne in lawe kynge Rycharde / y^t they shulde sende some notable wyse personage in to Englande to knowe the state of the quene. to do this mes¦sage was apoynted syr Charles de la Brethe and Charles of Hangers / who (as they were cōmaunded) departed fro Parys and came to Boloygne / and there taryed / for they had sent an haraulde to kynge Henry / for without as∣suraūce they durst nat go / for all the truce that was bytwene bothe realmes. Kynge Henry / who thought hym selfe moche bounde to the Frenche kynge / for the chere that he hadde in Fraunce / toke counsayle and concluded / and so the haraulde was answered that it was the kynges pleasure that they and their company shulde come in to Englande / and to come the streyght way to the kyng / and nat to ryde out of the way without lycence. The haraulde re¦tourned to Boloyne and shewed what he had done / wherwith they were content / and so shyp¦ped their horses / and toke the see and aryued at Douer / where they founde redy a knyght of the kynges howse / ••oho receyued theym. they had sene hym before with kyng Henry in Fraunce / wherby they were soner aquaynted. so they taryed at Douer tyll their horses were vnshypped / and than they rode to Caunterbu¦ry. And where so euer they bayted or lay their hostes were payed. At laste they came to El∣tham / and there they founde kyng Henry and parte of his counsayle. The kinge made them good chere for the loue of the frenche kynge. Than they shewed the kyng the cause of their cōmynge. The kynge aunswered and sayde. Sirs / ye shal go to London / and there I wyll be within this foure dayes and assemble my counsayle / and than ye shall haue aunswere of your demaunde. That daye they dyned with the kynge / and after dyner they rode to Lon∣don and the sayde knyght of the kynges styll with them / who sawe them well lodged. The kinge acordyng to his promyse came to West∣mynster / & these frenche knyghtes had know∣lege of the kynges cōmynge thyder / and made them redy to go whan they shulde be sent for. The kynge had his counsayle with hym / and than it was deuysed what answere they shuld haue. than they were sent for / and than it was shewed them that where as they desyred to se the quene / their desyre shulde nat be denyed / so that they wolde swere and promesse / that nouther they nor none of their menne shulde speke any worde of that was fallen vpon king Rycharde / for it was said to them / that if they

dyd they shulde rynne in great dyspleasure of the people / and be in great parell of their ly∣ues. The two knightes sayd they wolde in no wyse breake the ordre that they had sette / but obey their cōmaundement. They sayd whan they had ones sene and spoken with her / than they wolde retourne and departe. Anon after the erle of Northum berlande brought theym to Haueringe of the bowre to the yonge quene who was there as than / and with her the du∣ches of Irelande doughter to the lorde Coucy and y^e duchesse of Gloucestre with her dough∣ters / and other ladyes and damoselles. The quene receyued them swetely / and demaūded of them howe the frenche kinge her father dyd and the quene her mother. They sayde well / and so cōmuned with her a gret season. They kepte well their promesse / for they spake no worde of kynge Rycharde. Than they tooke leaue of the quene and retourned to London. Than shortely after they wente to Eltham to the kynge and there dyned / and y^e kyng gaue them fayre presentes and iowelles / and ryght amyably they toke their leaue of the kynge / who sayd to them. Syrs / ye may say whan ye come in to Fraunce / y^t the quene of Englande shall haue no hurte nor trouble / but shall al∣waies kepe her estate as to her belongeth / and shall enioy all her right / for as yet she shall nat knowe the mutacyons of the worlde. Of these wordes spoken of the kynges mouth / the two knyghtes were well content / and so departed and lay at Dertforde / and the next day at Os∣prynge / and so to Caunterbury / and than to Douer. And all their costes and charges com¦mynge & goynge the kynges offycers payed. Than they tooke the see and aryued at Bo∣loyne and so to Parys / and there founde the kyng and the quene / and shewed them all that they had sene and herde. ¶Nowe let vs som∣what speake of Englande. ∴ ∴