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 spanyardes / howe they or∣dered them selfe and their batayle. Cap. xxxiiii. (Book 34)

NOwe let vs retourne to the kynge don Iohan of Castell / and of the knyght{is} and squyers of Fraūce and of Gascone / who were ther with him: And such as they had sent to aduyse their ene¦myes / retourned agayne and sayd. Sir kyng / and ye lordes and knightes here present / we ha¦ue rydded so forwarde / that we haue sene oure enemyes. And accordyng as we can iuge / they be nat paste ten thousande men in all / one and

other / and they be about the mynster of Iube∣rothe / and ther they be rested and sette in order of batayle / and there they shall be founde / who soeuer wyll seke for them. Than the kyng cal∣led to hym his counsayle / and specially the ba∣rons and knightes of Fraunce / and demaūded of them what was best to do: They answered and sayd. Sir / we thynke it were best let them be fought with all incontynent / we se nothyng elles. For by that is reported / they be a frayed & in great doute / bycause they be so farre of fro any fortresse. Lixbone is farre of a sixe leages / they can nat ronne thyder with their ease / but they shalbe ouertaken by y^e waye / without they take the aduaūtage of the night. Therfore sir / we counsayle sithe ye knowe where they be / or∣der your batayls and go and fyght with them / whyle your people be of good wyll to do well. Than the kyng demaunded of thē of his owne countre their opinyons / as of sir Dangonyes Mendant / sir Dygo Parsement / Pier Gous∣sart of Moūtdasque / and Pier Ferrant of Va¦lesque / and of the great mayster of Caletrane: They answered the kynge and sayd. Sir / we haue well harde the knightes of Fraunce / howe they wolde haue you hotely to sette on your ene¦myes. Sir / we wyll that ye knowe and they al∣so / that are we can come to thē it wyll be nyght / for ye se the sonne draweth downe warde / and as yet ye haue nat ordred youre batayls. Sir / therfore we thynke it were good ye taryed tyll the mornynge / and lette vs drawe so nere them and laye so good spyall in dyuers places / that if they wolde dislodge aboute mydnight and de∣parte / than lette vs also dyslodge / for they can nat flye nor scape vs / the countre is so playne. & there is no place to hyde them by Lixbone / whi¦che we can nat gette with our ease. sir this coun¦sayle we gyne you. Than the kyng stode styll a lytell and caste downe his loke to the erthe / and after he tourned his regarde on the straūgers. Thā the marshall sir Raynolde Lymosin sayd to please the frēchmen / in the langage of Spay¦gne / to the entent he might the better be vnder∣stande of euery man: and so turned hym to the spanyardes / suche as had gyuen the kyng that counsayle / Sayeng and callyng euery man by his name. sirs / howe can ye be more sage in ba¦tayls or more vsed in armes / than these valyant knightes be that be here present? Howe can ye deuyse any thyng beyond them / that shulde be of any valure? for they haue done nothyng els all their life dayes / but traueyll fro realme to re¦alme to fynde and to do dedes of armes. Howe can you or durst you deuise any thyng agaynst their wordes / whiche are so noble and so highe for to kepe the honour of the kyng and of his re¦alme / wherin ye haue greatter parte than they? For ye haue there your herytages and your bo∣dyes / and they haue nothyng there but nowe al onely their bodyes / whiche they wyll firste and formast put in aduenture: and so they haue de∣syred of the kyng to haue the first batayle / and the kyng hath graunted them. Than regarde their great and noble courage / whan they wyll first of all aduenture thē selfe for you. It shulde seme that ye haue enuy at them / & that ye wolde that profyte nor honoure shulde come to them / whiche ye ought nat to do / but to be all of one ac¦corde and wyll. And also / by you and by youre counsayle / the kyng hath ben here in the feldes longe at great cost and charge / for hym & for all his / and layne at siege before Lixbone / & coude neuer haue the aduenture of batayle tyll nowe with hym that writeth hym selfe kyng of Por∣tyngale / wherin he hath no right / for he is a ba¦starde and nat dyspensed with all: and now he is in the felde with suche frēdes as he hath / whi¦che is no great nombre. And if nowe by crafte he shulde agayne withdrawe hym selfe and nat fought with all / ye put your selfe than in aduē∣ture / that all the hole hoost shulde ryse on you & slee you / or els that the kyng shulde repute you for traytours / and strike of your heedes and cō¦fyske all your landes. Therfore I se no better way for you than to be styll / and let them alone that hath sene more than you in suche busynes∣ses / for ye neuer sawe that they haue done nor neuer shall. And than y^e kynge loked vp and by semynge was gladde with those wordes / & the spanyard{is} were abasshed / and feared they had done gretter trespace than they dyd / for though the marshall reproued them and spake agaynst them / yet they had well spoken and truely coū∣sayled the kyng / but what for valyantnesse & to please the strangers / who desyred batayle / the marshall spake as he dyde.

Than euery man was styll / and the kynge sayd. I wyll in the name of god and saynt Ia∣mes / that our enemyes be fought with all: and all suche as wyll be made knyghtes to cōe forth before me / for I wyll gyue thē thordre of knight hode / in the honour of god and saynt George. Than ther came forthe many squyers of Frāce and of Byerne / & there they were made knigh∣tes of the kyng{is} hande: as sir Roger of spayne / Edmōde son to sir Roger of the coūtie of foiz / {ser}

Bertrand of Barroge / sir Peter of Salebere / sir Peter of Valentyne / sir Wylliam of Quere sir Angers of Sollenayre / sir Peter of Vande sir Wyllyam of Montigny / and of one & other / to the nōbre of a hundred and .xl. and ther were certayne barons of Bierne that raysed vp ther first their baners / and also dyuers of Castell / & also sir Iohan of Rey. There might haue ben sene amonge these newe knightes great noble∣nesse / and they maynteyned them selfe so good¦ly / that it was pleasure to beholde thē / for they were a fayre batayle. Than the lorde of Loyn∣giache came before the kyng / and all other that were strangers / what soeuer nacyon they were of / so they were no spanyard{is} / they were all na∣med in the name of strangers. Than they said to the kynge. Sir / we become fro farre partes to serue you. Sir / we requyre you do vs that grace / to let vs haue the first batayle. I am con¦tent quod the kyng / in the name of god and saīt Iames / & saynt George be in your ayde. than the spanyardes sayd one to another softely / be∣holde for goddessake beholde / howe our kynge putteth all his truste in these frēchmen. He hath no parfyte trust in none other: they shall haue the first batayle / they prayse vs nat so moche y^t they wyll take vs with them / they wyll do their dede by them selfe / and than lette vs do ours be our selfe / let vs let them alone with their enter∣prise: they haue made their auaunt / howe they be stronge ynough to discomfyte the Portuga∣loys. Lette it be so we are content / but it were good we demaunded of the kynge / wheder he wyll abyde with vs / or els go with the frenche∣men. So thervpon they were long in murmu¦ryng / wheder they shulde demaūde it or els be styll / for they douted greatly the wordes of sir Raynolde Lymosin / how be it all thynges con∣sydred / they thought it none yuell to demaunde hym the questyon. Than sixe of the moost nota¦blest of them wente to the kynge / and enclyned them selfe and sayd.

RIght noble kyng / we se & vnderstand well by aparent signes / that this day ye shall haue batayle with youre ene∣myes / god sende grace it be to your honoure & vyctorie / as we greatly desyre. Sir / we wolde knowe wheder your pleasure lyeth / to be amon¦ge the fenēchmen or els with vs. Fayre sirs {quod} the kyng / though I haue graunted the first ba¦tayle to these knightes and squyers straūgers / who are come farre of to serue me / and are va∣lyant and expert men in warres / yet for all that I renounce you nat / for I wyll be and abyde a¦monge you: therfore sirs / helpe to defende me. Of this answere the spanyerdes had great ioy and were well contented and sayd. sir / so shall we do / and nat to fayle to dye in the quarell. for sir / we are sworne to you and so haue promised by the faithe of our bodyes whan ye were crow¦ned. For sir / we loued so well the kyng your fa∣ther / that we can nat sayle you in any wise. that is our trust quod the kyng. So thus the kyng of Spayne abode among his owne men / who were well a twentie thousande horsmen / all co∣uered in stele. Sir Raynolde Lymosin was in the first batayle / for it was his right so to be / by cause he was marshall.

The same saturday was a fayre daye / & the sonne was tourned towarde euynsong. Than the first batayle came before Iuberoth / where the kyng of Portugale and his men were redy to receyue thē. Of these frenche knightes there were a two thousāde speares / as fresshe and as well ordred men as coulde be deuysed. And as soone as they sawe their enemyes / they ioyned toguyder lyke men of warre / and aproched in good order tyll they came within a bowe shotte And at their first comyng ther was a harde rē∣countre / for suche as desyred to assayle to wyn grace and prayse / entred in to the strayte way / where the Englysshmen by their policy had for¦tyfied thē. And bycause thentre was so narowe there was great prease and great mischefe to y^e assaylātes / for suche englysshe archers as were there shot so holly toguyder / that their arowes pearsed men & horse / and whan the horses were full of arowes they fell one vpon another. than the Englysshmen of armes / the portugaloys / & Lyxbonoyes / came on them cryeng their cryes our lady of Portugale / with good speares and sharpe heedes / wherwith they strake and hurte many knightes and squyers. There was the lorde of Lanache of Bierne beaten downe / and his baner won and he taken prisoner / and ma∣ny of his men taken and slayne. also sir Iohan of Ree / sir Geffray Richon / sir Geffray of par¦teney / and all their cōpanyes that were entred within the strayte / There horses were so hurte with tharchers / that they fell on their maysters and one vpon another. There these frenchmen were in great danger / for they coulde nat helpe one another / for they had no roume to enlarge them selfe / nor to fight at their wyll. And whan the portugaloys sawe that myschefe fall on the first assaylers they were gladde / and as fresshe

and coragyous to fyght as any men might be. There was the kynge of Portugale with his baners before hym / mounted on a good horse / trapped with the armes of Portugale / and he had great ioye to se y^t myschefe fall on his ene∣myes: and to conforte his people he laughed & sayd a highe. On forthe good men / defēde you and fight with good wyll / for if ther be no mo but these we nede nat to feare / and if I knewe euer any thynge in batayle / all these be ours. Thus the kyng of Portugale reconforted his people who fought valiātly / and had enclosed in the streight all the first assaylers / of whome ther were many slayne. True it was that this first batayle whiche these knightes of Fraūce and of Bierne ledde / had thought to haue ben quickelyer ayded of the spaynerdes than they were / For if the kyng of Castyle and his com∣pany / who were a twentie thousande men / had come by another parte and assayled the portu∣galoys / it had been lykely the iourney to haue ben theirs / but they dyde nothynge / wherfore they were to blame and receyued domage. Al∣so in dede the frenchmen sette on to soone / but they dyde it to thentent to haue won honoure / and to maynteyne the wordes they had spoken before the kyng: and also as I was enformed / the spaynierdes wolde nat sette on so soone / for they loued nat the frenchmen / for they had said before: Lette them alone / they shall finde right well to whōe to speke / these frēchmen ar great vantours and highe mynded / & also our kyng hath no {per}fite trust but in thē / and sith the kyng wolde they shulde haue the honour of the iour¦ney / let vs suffre them to take it / or els we shall haue all at our entētes. Thus by thse meanes the spanynierdes stode styll in a great batayle / and wolde nat go forwarde / whiche was right displesant to the kyng / but he coude nat amēde it / but the spaynierdes sayd / bycause ther was none retourned fro the batayle. sir / surely these knightes of Fraūce haue disconfyted your ene¦myes / thonour of this iourney is theirs / God gyue grace quod the kyng that it be so / Let vs ryde than somwhat forwarde / that they rode a crosbowe shotte forwarde and than agayne rested: It was a great beautie to se them / they were so well moūted & armed / and in the mean season the frenchmen fought / and suche as had leysar to a light fought valiātly. dyuers knigh¦tes and squyers of eyther partie dyd many fea¦tes of armes one vpon another / & whan their speares fayled / they toke axes and gaue many great strokes on the helmes / sleyng and may∣mynge eche other.

Who soeuer were in suche case of armes as the frenchmen and portugaloys were at Iube¦roth / must abyde the aduenture as they dyde / without they wolde flye awaye / and in flyeng there is more paryll than to abyde the batayle / for in flyeng lightly are moost slayne / & in ba∣tayle whan one seith he is ouermatched he yel∣deth hym selfe prisoner: It can nat be said but that the knightes of Fraunce / of Bretayne / of Burgoyne / and of Byerne / but that right va∣liantly fought / but at their first encountre they were hardely handled / and all that was by the counsayle of the Englysshmen to fortyfie their place. So at this first batyle the portugaloys were strōger than their enemyes / so they were all taken or slayne / but fewe that were saued / so that there were at that firste brunt a thousande knightes and squyers taken prisoners / wher∣of the portugaloys were ioyfull / and thought as that day to haue no more batayle / & so made good chere to their prisoners / and euery man sayd to their prisoners. Sirs be nat abasshed for ye are won by clene feate of armes / we shall kepe you good company as we wolde ye shuld do / if ye hadde vs in lyke case / ye shall come to Lixbone and refresshe you there / and shalbe at your ease / and they thanked theym whan they sawe none other bote. & so there some were put to their fynaunce incōtynent / and some wolde abyde their aduenture / for they ymagined that the kynge of Spaygne with his great armye wolde shortely come and delyuer them. ∴ ∴