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 great solemynetie that the erle of Foyz made at the feest of faint Nycholas: and the tale that the Ma∣stot of Banlyon shewed to sir Iohn̄ Froyssart. Cap. xxviii. (Book 28)

AMonge other solem∣ynities that the erle of Foyz kepte on the hyghe feestes of the yere / he kept euer the fest of saynt Nycholas in great solemynytie / he and all his lande / as great as at the fest of Ester. And this was shewed me by a squier of his house the thirde day that I came hyder / and I sawe it my selfe right well apparent / for I was there on the same day. First all the cler¦gie of the towne of Ortayse / and all the people / men / women / & chyldren with processyon came to the castell to fetche the erle / who all a fote de∣parted fro his castell / and went with the clergy a processyon to the churche of saynt Nycholas / and there the clergy sange a psalme of the psal∣ter. Benedictus dominus deus meus, qui docet manus meas ad praelium, et digitos meos ad bel lum. &c. And whan this psalme was songe / than they began to syng as they dyde on Chri∣stmas day or Eester daye / in the popes chapell or in the Frenche kynges / for he had with hym many syngars / the bysshoppe of Pauyers san∣ge the masse / and there I herde as good play∣eng at organs / as euer I herde in any place. to speke breuely and accordyng to reason / the erle of Foiz than was right parfyte in all thynges / and as sage and as parceyuing / as any hyghe prince in his dayes. There was none coude cō¦pare with hym in wytte / honour / nor in larges At the feest{is} of Christmas whiche he kept euer right solemyne / came to his house many knigh¦tes and squyers of Gascone / and to euery man he made good there. There I sawe the Burge of Spayne / who layde the wodde and the Asse on the fyre toguyder / of whom sir Espayne de Lion shewed of his force / and I was gladde to se hym: and therle of Foiz made hym good sē∣blant. There I sawe also knightes of Aragon & of Englande of the duke of Lācastres house / who as than laye at Burdeux. The erle made them good chere and gaue them great gyftes / I acquaynted my selfe with those knyghtes / & by them I was enformed of many thyng{is} that fell in Castell / in Nauar / & in Portyngale: of the whiche I shall speke of whan tyme re••reth herafter. And on a day I sawe asquyer of Gas¦cone called the Bastot of Manlyon / a man of a fyftie yere of age / an expert man of armes and a hardy / be semynge. He a lighted at my lod∣gynge in Ortaise at the signe of the Moone / at Erualton de Pyns. He brought with hym his somers and caryages / as thoughe he had ben a great barone / & was serued bothe he & his ser∣uaūtes in syluer vessell. and whan I herde his name and sawe therle of Foiz and euery mā do hym so moche honour. than I demaūded of sir Espaygne de Lion / and sayd. Sir / is nat this the squyer that departed fro the castell of Try∣galet / whan the duke of Aniou laye at siege be∣fore Maluoysin? yes truely quod he it is the same / and he is a good man of armes & a good capitayne. and so than I fell in aquayntaunce with hym / for he was lodged there as I was. & a cosyn of his called Erualton capitayn of Car¦late in Auuergne / with whome I was well ac∣quaynted / helped me to be aquainted with him and in lykewise so dyd the Burge of Compare and at a tyme as we were talkyng & deuysinge of armes / sytting by the fyre abyding for myd∣night / that therle shulde go to supper / than this squiers cosyn began to reken vp his life / and of the dedes of armes that he had ben at. sayeng / howe he had endured as moche losse as profite Than he demaunded of me and sayd. sir Iohn̄ haue ye in your hystorie / any thyng of this ma¦ters that I speke of? and I answered & said. I coude nat tell / tyll I here thē / shewe forthe your mater and I wyll gladly here you: For parad∣uēture I haue herde som what but nat all. that is true quod the squyer / than he began to saye thus. The first tyme that I bare armure was vnder the captall of Beufz at y^e batayle of Poy¦ters. and as it was my happe / I had that daye thre prisoners / a knight & two squiers / of whōe I had one with another four .E. thousande frā¦kes. The next yere after I was in Pruce with the erle of Foyz and the Captall his sonne / vn∣der whom I was / & our retourne at Meulx in Brye / we founde the duchesse of Normandy that was than / and the duchesse of Orlyance / & a great nombre of ladyes and damoselles / who were closed in and besieged by them of the Ia∣query: and if god had nat helped thē / they had ben enforsed & defouled / for they were of great puissance / and in nōbre mo than ten thousande and the ladyes were alone / and so we in y^e ayde of those ladyes dyd sette on thē / and there were slayne of the Iaquery mo than sixe thousande / and they rebelled neuer sythe. at y^t tyme it was truse bytwene Fraunce and Englande / but the kyng of Nauar made warre in his owne qua∣rell / agaynst the frenche kyng and Regent. the erle of Foiz retourned in to his owne countre / but my maister the captall and I & other abode styll with the kyng of Nauar for his wages. & than we & other that ayded vs made great way

in Fraūce / and specially in Picardy / and toke many townes and castelles in the bysshoprike / these of Beauuoise and Amyens / and as than we were lordes of the feldes and ryuers / & con∣quered great fynance. And whan the truse fay∣led bytwene Englande and Fraunce / than the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Nauarre seased his warre / and toke a peace bytwene the Regent and hym. Than the kyng of Englande with a great puyssance pas∣sed the see / and came and layde siege to the tow¦ne of Remus. Than the kyng of Englāde sent for my maister who was at Cleremont in Bea¦moysin / and there made warre for the kynge a¦gaynst all the countrey. Than we came to the kyng of Englande and to his chyldren. & than ••••od the squyer to me. Sir Iohan / I thynke ye knowe all redy all that mater / and howe the kyng of Englande wedded his wife / and howe he came before Charters / and howe the peace was made there bytwene these two kynges. That is true sir quod I in writyng I haue it / and the contynue of all the treaties. Than the Bastot of Manlyon spake agayne and sayde. whan this peace was thus made bitwene these two kynges / It was ordayned / that all men of warre and companyōs shulde a voyde / & leaue their fortresses and castels that they helde. than all maner of men of warre and poore company∣ons drewe toguyder / and the capitayns tooke counsayle what they shulde do. And than they sayde. Thoughe these two kynges haue taken peace toguyder / yet we muste lyue. Than they wente in to Burgoyne / & there were capitayns of all nacyons / Englysshe / Gascons / Spany / ardes / Naue••o••se / Almayns / Scottes / and of all maner of nacyons: and there I was as a ca¦pitayne / and there we foūde in Burgoyne and about the ryuer of Loyre of our cōpany / a .xii. thousande of one and other. And in the same cō¦pany ther were a thre or four thousāde of good and chosen men of warre / and as subtell in all dedes of armes as might be / and apte to aduise a batayle / and to take their aduantage / and as hardy to scale and assayle towne or castell. and that was well sene at y^e bataile of Brinay / wher as we ouerthrue the cōstable of fraūce & therle of Forestz / and two thousande speares knight{is} and squiers. This vataile dyd great profite to the cōpanyons / for before they were but poore / and than they were all riche by reason of good prisoners / townes and castels that they wan in the bisshoprike of L••on / & on the ryuer of Rone and whan they had ••he {pro}ont saynt Esprite they departed their warre / & made warr to the pope and to the cardynalles / who coude nat be quyte of them / nor had nat ben tyll they founde ano∣ther remedy. The pope sent in to Lōbardy for the Marques of Moūtferant a right valyant knight / who had warre with the lorde of Myl∣layne. Whā he was come to Auignon the pope and the cardynals spake to hym in suche wyse / that he entreted with the capitayns / Englysshe gascons / and almayns for threscore thousande frākes / that the pope and cardynals shulde pay to certayne of these capitayns and to their cō∣panyes / as sir Iohan Hastourde a valyant en∣glysshe knyght / sir Robert Briquet / Carsnell nandon le bagerant / the bourge Camus / & dy∣uers other: & so than went in to Lōbardy / and gaue vp y^e poūt saynt Esprite. & of all their rou¦tes they toke but the .vi. parte / but we taried be hynde. sir Seguin of Bate••oile / sir John̄ ioell sir James Plāchyn / sir John̄ Aymery / the bur¦ge of Piergourt / Espiot / Loys Rābalt / Lymo¦syn / Iaques tryturell / I / & dyuers other. & we kepte styll & lay at saynt Clement / at Barell / at Terrare / at Brinay / at the pont saynt Denys / at thospitall of Ortifart / for we had mo than .xl fortresses & houses / in the conutreis of forestz / Velay / base Burgoyn / & on the ryuer of Loyre and we raūsomed all the coūtre / they coude nat be quyte of vs / nother for payng well nor other¦wise. & in a night we toke the fortresse of Chari¦te / and there we abode a yere & a halfe & all was ours fro Charite to Puy in Auuergne: sir Se¦guyn of Batefoile had lefte his garison of anse & helde Bride in Auuerne / wherby he had gret profite / what there & in the coūtre / to the value of a .C.M. frankes / & on the ryuer of Loyre to Orlians & the ryuer of Dalyer was all ours. & the archprest who was capitayne of Neuars & was good frenche coude nat remedy the coun∣tre / but in that he knewe many of the cōpanyōs and so by his desyre sōtyme the lesse hurte was done / & the archprest dyd the same tyme moche good in Neuernoise / for he caused y^e cite of Ne¦uers to be closed / els it had been ouerron & rob∣bed diuers tymes / for we had in those marches townes / & castelles / mo than .xxvi. There was neyther knight nor squyer nor riche man / with out he were agreed with vs / that durst loke out of his house. And this warre we made in the tytell of the kyng of Nauar.

¶Howe dyuers capitayns englisshe and other were discōfited before the towne of Sāxere by the frenchmen.

IN the same season fell the batayle of Co¦cherell / where the captall of Beufz was capitayne: for the kyng of Nauar & dy∣uers knightes and squyers of our com∣pany went to hym. sir Iaques Planchyn & sir Iohan Ioell went to serue hym with two hun¦dred speares. The same season I kept a castell called the Becke Dalyer nere to Charyte / go∣yng toward Barbanoise / and I had vnder me a .xl. speares / and I made in the countre myl∣les greatly to my profyte / about saynt Purcyn and saynt Peter de moustier. & whan I herde howe the captall my mayster was in Constan∣tyne and assembled men of warre. for the great desyre that I had to se hym / I departed fro my garyson with a .xii. speares / and I fell in com∣pany with sir Iohan Ioell & sir Iaques Plan¦chyn / And without any busynesse or reencoun∣ter we came to the captall. I thynke sir Iohan ye haue all redy the knowlege what became of that busynesse: That is true quod I / for there was taken the captall of Beusz / and sir Iohan Ioell slayne and sir Iaques Planchyn: That is true quod the B••tefoyle of Manlyon / there I was also taken / howe be it I fortuned mete∣ly well: ther was a cosyn of myne who was cal¦led Bernard of Terryde / he dyed after in Por∣tyngale at the batayle of Iuberot. & this Ber∣narde who was as than vnder sir Aymenon of Pomyers / he toke me and raūsomed me in the felde at a thousande frankes / & gaue me a good sauecōducte to retourne to my garyson of Bec Dalyer. assoone as I came to my castell I sent a seruaunt of myne with a thousande frankes / to my cosyn to Parys / and had my quytaunce for the same. The same season sir Iohan Ay∣mery an Englysshe knight and the greattest ca¦pitayne that we had rode forthe / costyng the ry¦uer of Loyre to come to Charite / and he was en¦coūtred by abusshment of the lorde Rugemōt and the lorde of Wodnay / & by some of the arch¦prestes men. They were farre stronger than he and so there he was taken and ouerthrowen / & raunsomed to a .xxx. thousande frankes / which he payed incontynent. Of his takyng and losse he was sore displeased and sware / that he wold neuer entre in to his owne garyson / tyll he had won agayne as moche as he had lost. Than he assembled togyder a great nombre of company¦ons / and came to Charyte on Loyre / and desy∣red the capitayns ther / as Lamyt and Carsnell and the burge of Piergourt and me / for I was there as than to sporte me. Ther he desyred vs all to ryde forthe with hym: We demaunded of hym wheder he wolde ryde? By my faythe {quod} he / we wyll passe y^e ryuer of Loyre at saint Thy¦balte: and lette vs scale and assayle the towne & castell of Sāxere. For quod he / I haue sworne and auowed / that I wyll nat entre in to no for∣tresse that I haue / tyll I haue sene the chyldren of Sanxere. And if we maye gette that gary∣son and the erles chyldren within / Iohn̄ / Loys / and Robert: Than we shall be well reuenged / and therby we shalbe lordes of the countre / and I thynke we shall lightly come to oure entent / for they take no hede of vs / and this lyeng styll here dothe vs no maner of {pro}fyte. That is true sir quod we / & so all we promysed to ryde with hym / and incontynent we made vs redy. And so it fortuued / y^e all oure purpose was knowen in the towne of Sanxere. The same tyme ther was▪ there a capitayn a valyant squyer of But goyne of the lowe marchesse called Guyssharte Albygon / who toke great hede to kepe well the towne and castell of Sanxer / and the chyldren within. This sir Guysshart had a mōke to his brother / of the abbey of saynt Thybalt / whiche is nere to Sanxere. This monke was sent to Charyte on the ryuer of Loyre for his brother / to beare a certayn raūsome thider y^t the townes owed by couynant. so we toke no hede to him & he knewe all our ententes / howe I can nat tell / and all our names that were capitaynes there / and what nombre we were of / and what houre we shulde departe / and howe we were determy¦ned to passe the ryuer at the porte of saynt Thy¦balte: And so he retourned and went to San∣xere / and shewed his brother all oure myndes. Than therle there and his bretherne prouyded for remedy / and they sente for knightes & squy∣ers of Berry and Burbonoyse / and to the capi¦tayns & garysons therabout / so that they were a foure hundred speares of good men of warre and made abusshment of two hundred speares without the towne of Sanxere in a wode. and we knewe nothyng of all this / and at the sonne goynge downe / we departed fro Charyte and rode a good pase tyll we came to Penly / and at the porte there / we hadde redy bootes & barges to passe vs ouer & oure horses. And so we paste ouer the ryuer of Loyre as we had ordayned / and we were ouer by mydnight / and bycause y^e daye came on / we ordayned a hundred speares to abyde there to kepe oure horses and bootes / and the remynaunt of vs passed forthe / for•• by the frenche busshment. Whan we were paste a quarter of a myle / than they brake out of their busshment / and rode to them that we had lefte

behynde vs at the ryuer syde. & anone they had disconfyted them and all slayne or taken / & our horses wonne / and the botes arested. and than they mounted on our horses and came after vs on the spurres / and were as soone in the towne as we. They cryed our lady of Sāxere for the erle was there hym selfe with his men / and his bretherne / sir Loyes and sir Robert had made the busshement. So thus we were inclosed on all partes / for they a hors backe assoone as they cāe to vs / they a lighted afote and assayled vs fiersly. And the thynge that moost greued vs / was we coude nat enlarge our selfe to fight / we were in suche a narowe waye closed on bothe si¦des / with hay / hedges / and vyngardes / & also some of our enemyes suche as knewe the coūtre were rydden about and gette in to the vyngar∣des / and dyd hurt vs sore with castyng of sto∣nes and we coude nat go backe / & moche payne to gette to the towne / it stode so hygh on a moū¦tayne. So we were sore traueyled / & sir Iohn̄ Aymery was hurt our souerayne capitayn / by the hādes of sir Guysshart Albygon / who toke hym prisoner & had moche a do to saue his lyfe he put hym in to a house in y^e towne / and made hym to be layde on a bedde / and sayd to the ow¦ner of the house. kepe well this prisoner / and / se his woundes staunched / for if he lyue / he shall paye me .xx. thousande frankes. & so sir Guys∣shart lefte his priso••er and retourned to the ba¦tayle / and quytte hymselfe lyke a good man of armes. & there was w^t the chyldren of Sāxere / come thider to their ayde and to the countreis / sir Guysshart dalphyn / the lorde Marney / sir Gerarde and sir Wylliam Burbone / the lorde of Cousant / the lorde de la Pier / the lorde de la Palys / the lorde of Neutry / the lorde de la coise and the lorde of Syette / and dyuers other. I say sir to you / this was a batayle right fell and cruell. we defēded our self as long as we might so that on bothe part{is} there were slayne dyuers persones / and many hurte: for by that they she¦wed they had rather haue taken vs a lyue than to slee vs / and finally we were all taken / Car∣sayle launt / Nandon / le bourge de Pyergourt Espyot / the burge of Lespare / Angerot le moūt gyse / Philyppe of Roe / Peter of Corthue / the Pesat of Palyuiers / the bourge of Darusen / & all our capitayns•• and I my selfe and we were brought to the castell of Sāxere. Neuer before in the realme of Fraunce / the companyons lost so moche as they dyde at that iourney / howe be it Guysshart Albygon loste his prisoner by ne∣glygence / he bledde so sore that he dyed•• for de∣faute of lokyng vnto. Thus ended Iohan Ay∣mery / by this iourney that was thus done be∣syde Sanxere / Charyte was delyuered / & all the garysons therabout by composycion / that we shulde be quyte out of prison / and so we had saue conducte to departe out of the countre whi¦der we lyst. And it fortuned as than for vs / that the same season sir Bertram of Clesquy / the lor¦de of Beayne / sir Arnolde Dandrehen / and the erle of Marche / they toke their voiage to go in to Spaygne to ayde the kyng Dampeter / but first I was in Bretayne at the bataile of Alroy vnder sir Hughe Caurell / and there I recoue∣red my losse / for the iourney was ours. and I had to my {per}te good prisoners / by whom I had two .M. frankes. Than I went with ten spea∣res with sir Hugh Caurell in to Spayne / and there helped to put kyng Dampeter out of his realme. And than whan y^e alyances were made bytwene the kyng Dampeter and the prince of Wales / and that he wolde abyde in Castell / I was there in the company of sir Hugh Caurell and I retourned with hym in to Acquitayne. Than the warre renewed bytwene the frenche kyng and the prince: than we had moche a do / for we had sore warre / and many capitayns en¦glysshe and Gascoyns were slayne / and yet I thāke god I am a lyue. Ther dyed sir Robert Briquet bytwene the lande of the duke of Orli¦ance and the countre of Bloyse / in a place cal∣led Oliuet / and there he & all his company were ouerthrowen by asquyer of Heynalt a valyant man of armes & a good capitayne / called Alars Doustienes / surnamed Barbason / for he was of that lynage. He was as than gouernoure of Bloys / and kepar of all the countre / sette there by the lordes therof / as Loys / Iohn̄ / and Guy. So it was his fortune to encoūtre with sir Ro¦bert Briquet & sir Robert Cheney. & they and all their cōpany were slayne / for ther were non taken to raunsome. and at the batayle of Ny∣orthe in Xayntaine / Carsnell was slayne by sir Bertram of Clesquy / and a seuyn .C. englyssh men were slayne there / & at saint Seuere were slayne other englysshe capitayns / as Rychard Elys and Richarde Helyn. I knewe but fewe expert my selfe but y^t were slayne. I haue hold fronter & made warre for the kyng of Englāde for myne herytage lyeth in Burdelois. Som∣tyme I haue been so ouerthrowen and pulled downe / that I had nat wherwith to lepe a hors backe. And another tyme I haue been riche y∣nough whan good fortunes came / & in a season I and Raymonet de la Pee were companions

togyder: and we had in Tholousyn on the frō∣ters of Bygore. The castell of Maluoysin / the castell of Trygalet / and the castell of Vāteulx / whiche as than dyde vs great profyte. Than̄e the duke of Anion toke them fro vs / byforce of puyssaunce. but than Raymonet de Pee tour∣ned Frenche / and I abyde styll good englisshe and shall do whyle I lyue. True it was / whan I had loste the castell of Trygalet / and was cō¦ducted to the castell Cuyllet / and that the duke was gone backe agayne in to Fraunce / I de∣termyned to do somwhat / outher to gette some profyte or els to lose all / or to dye in the payne. I caused by spyall / the towne & castell of Thu∣ry in Albygo is to be well a viewed / whiche ca∣stell after aueyled to me / what by good fortu∣nes and ••atesfyeng of the countrey a hundred thousande frankes. I shall shewe you howe I wanne it.

WIthout the towne there is a fayre foū∣tayne / and of vsage euery mornynge / the women of the towne wolde come thyder with pottes and other vesselles on their heedes / to fetche of the clere water ther. Than I toke fyftie cōpanyons of the garyson of Cu∣illet / and we rode all a daye throughe wodes & busshes / and the nexte night about mydnight / I sette a busshment nere to Thury / and I and a sixe other all onely / dyde on vs womens aray and with pottes in our handes. And so we cāe to a medowe right nere to y^e towne / and hydde ourselfe behynde great cockes of hay that were there standyng / for it was about the feest of saīt Iohan / whan they make hay. & whan the hour came that the gate was opyned to lette the wo∣men go out for water / we seuyn toke our pott{is} and fylled them at the fountayne and wente to∣warde the towne / oure faces wrapped in ker∣chers / so that we coude nat be knowen: the wo¦men that we mette goyng for water said to vs. Ah saynt Mary gosseppes / ye were vp be ty∣mes: We aunswered in their lauguage with a faynt voyce / that is true. And so paste by them and came to the gate / and we founde no body there but a souter dressynge forthe of his bag∣gage. Than one of vs blewe a horne to drawe thyder out cōpany out of the busshment. The souter toke no hede but whan he harde y^e horne blowe he demaūded of thē. What is this? Who was that blewe the horne? One answered and sayd. It was a preest wente into the feldes. Ah that is true quod the souter / it was sir Fraūces our preest / gladly he gothe a mornyng{is} to seke for an Hare. Than our company came and we entred in to the towne / where we foūde no man to drawe his swerde to make any defence. thus I toke the towne and castell of Thury / wher∣by I haue had great profite yerely / more than the castell of Trygalet with the appurtenaūce is worthe. But as nowe I wote nat what to do for I am in a treatie with therle of Armynake and with the dolphyn of Auuergne / who hath expresse authoritie by the Frenche kyng / to bye all townes and fortresses of the companyons / such as they holde in their handes whersoeuer they be / outher in Auuergne / Rouerg••e / Ly∣mosyn / Quercy / Pyergourt / Albegois / Agen & of all suche as hath or dothe make any warre in the kyng of Englandes tytell / and many are departed and haue rendred their fortresses / I can nat tell if I wyll rendre myne or nat: With that worde sayd the Burge of Compayne. Co¦syn / it is true: For of Carlat whiche I holde in Auuergne / I am cōe hyder to here some tidyn∣ges / For sir Loys of Sanxere marshall of Frā¦ce wyll be here shortely / he is as nowe at Tar∣be / as I haue herde of suche as come thens. w^t these wordes they called for wyne and dranke. Than the Bastot sayd to me. sir Iohan / are ye well enformed of my lyfe? yet I haue had other aduētures whiche I haue nat shewed / nor wyll nat speke of all. sir {quod} I / I haue well herde you.