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 castelles of Conuall / of Bygore and of Mesnyll were taken and all they within taken slayne and hanged. Ca. xxxix. (Book 39)

THen syr Gaultyer of Pas∣chat sente to Basse for the grete engyne whiche was taken downe and brought thyther & raysed vp on his wheles as it sholde be / and also they apparelled other instrumentes for y^e assawre / and when al was redy then syr Gaultyer who gretly desyred to wynne this castell caused his Trompettes to sowne to the assawte / there was the seneshall of Tholouse with his company on y^e one syde and syr Roger of spayne seneshal of Carcassō on the other syde / also there was the lorde of Barbaran / syr Benedic and lorde of Benoch / the lorde of the countye of Desterac / syr Ray∣monde of lysle and other knyghtes and squy∣ers of the countrey / then they began the sawte and they within to defende themselfe whiche was nede for they sawe themselfe in a harde parte / they knewe wel how syr Gaultyer wol¦de take none to mercy / therfore they thought to defende themselfe as longe as they myght & to sell theyr lyues derely / there the Geneways crosse bowes shot sore and hurte many with∣in so that there were none within but doubted gretely / and there syr Gaultyer of Pasac dyd

meruayles in armes and sayd to his compa∣ny / what syr•• shall these rascalles holde vs in hande all this daye thus / yf it were agaynste good men of armes I wolde not meruayle / for in them were mo feaces of warre then in these rascalles that be within. It is myne entent to dyne within the castell. Nowe it shall be sene yf ye wyll accomplysshe my desyre / with those wordes suche as desyred his good wyl aduaū¦ced themselfe forthe / they toke many ladders & set them vp agaynst the wall where as the en∣gyne stode with the crosse bowes / who shot so fyersly that none within durst shew themselfe Thus by clene assawte y^e Frensshe men entred in to y^e castel of Conual theyr swordes in theyr handes chasynge theyr enemyes / & there were many slayne & the other taken / then euery mā entred in at y^e gates / then it was demaunded of syr Gaultyer what sholde be done with thē that were taken. By saynt George sayd he / I wyll they be all hanged / and incontynent his commaundement was done / and Espaygnoy let began fyrst. So the lordes dyned in the ca∣stel / and the other people in the towne / & there they taryed all that day••. And syr Gaultyer de¦lyuered agayne to y^e lorde of Conuall his tow¦ne & castell / & then ordeyned to departe thens.

THus after the takynge of the castell of Conuall as ye haue herde / the Frenssh men wente to another holde called Mastull whiche had done grete domage to y^e countrey with other & there they made assawte / & they w^tin defended themselfe / but y^t was not longe for by clene assawte they were wonne and the castell also / and all that was within slayne & hanged vp. And when they of Ratchfort and of other castelles knewe howe syr Gaultyer had wonne so many castelles / and that he toke none to mercy / but outher slayne or hanged / they doubted moche for comynge to the same ende / wherfore they departed in y^e nyght tyme I can not tell whether they wente vnder the grounde or aboue / for bytwene y^e castell of Ro¦chefort and the castell of Royr were caues vn∣der the erthe / for auncyently they perteyned to Raynolde of Mountalban. So the Frenssh∣men founde these castelles clene voyde when they came thyder / then they newely repeopled it with men of warre & prouysyon. Then they toke theyr way towarde Tholous to go in to Bygore / for on y^e fronter of Tarbe there were two castelles the one called Thedos Iulyan / and the other Nauaret whiche gretely trauay¦led the countrey and y^e good towne of Tarbe and the londes of the lorde Dauchyn.

WHen syr Gaultyer of Pasac and the lor¦des of Fraunce and of Languedoc had well refresshed theym in the Cyte of Tholous then they departed & toke the waye in to Bygore / and so came before the castell of ledos Iuly ā / & there taryed & sayd they wolde goo no further tyll they had wonne it / thyder came to syr Gaultyer of Pasac y^e Seneshal of Nob••san perteynynge to the Erle of Foys for syr Gaultyer had sente for hym to helpe to dry¦ue out of the countrey the pyllers and robbers who had renne as well in the countrey of No∣bessan as in other places. Also y^e Erle of Foys consented that he sholde so do / or elles he durst not haue done so / they were before dos Iulyā xv. dayes or they had it / y^t castell was stronge and a good capytayne therin a squyer of Gas∣coyn called Bruer de Brome. ¶Howbeit they at the last hadde it / not by assawte / but by treaty / they within departed theyr lyues and goodes saued. And also they were falsely con∣uayed to Lowrde by a squyre called Bertram of Mountdyghen. And when these lordes of Fraunce had Dos Iulyen then they toke ad∣uyse whether they myght kepe it styll or rase it downe to the erthe / then it was counsayled to bete it downe bycause of them of Lowrde who were crafty and subtyle / fearynge y^t whē they sholde be gone that they wolde wynne it agayne / so it was better downe and as yet the stones lye on a hepe & lykely neuer to be buyl∣ded agayne / thus became of Dos Iulyan / thē they wente before Nauaret wherin there was also companyons aduēturers who had kepte it more then a yere / & when they knewe howe they of dos Iulyā were departed in lyke wyse dyde they and had a saufconduyte & wente to lowrde whiche was theyr chefe refuge for they knewe well no man wolde seke thē there with out they wolde lese theyr payne for y^e castell of Lowrde was impossyble to be taken by force.

WHen the Frensshe men had rased the castel of Dos Iulyā / then they wente to Nauaret and founde it all voyde / then it was ordeyned to be beten downe & so it was / Wherof they of Tarbe were nothynge myscontent / for y^t garyson had done thē grete domage / then they wente to the castell of Dau¦chen in Bygore standynge amonge the moun¦taynes in the entre of Byerne. And there they

were a .xv. dayes and in that season made dy∣uers assawtes and wanne the base courte and al theyr horses / but there was a stronge towre on the rocke y^t coulde not be wonne. And whē the lordes sawe howe they lost there but theyr payne / & y^t Wyllyam Morenton who kepte y^e holde wolde not yelde it vp / nor sell it / nor her∣kē to no treatye / thē they departed & retourned to Tarbe / & then syr Ganltyer of Passac gaue leue to all his men of warre to departe / & they were payde of theyr wages / or had suffycyent sygnement / so y^t they were pleased / & he wente to Carcasson and theraboute / and refresshed hym. And whyle he lay there / tydynges came to hym out of Fraunce and a cōmaundement fro the kynge that he sholde drawe to the gary¦son of Bounteuyll Xainton on the marches of Burdeloys & Poyctou / whiche garyson was kepte by a capytayne called Saynt Foy a gas¦coyne. And it was sayd in fraunce y^t syr Iohn̄ Harpedan seneshall of Burdeaus made a gre¦te assemble of men of warre at Lyborne to ray¦se the bastydes y^t they of Poictou & of Xainton hadde layde before Bounteuyll. To the kyn∣ges commaundement obeyed syr Gaultyer as it was reason and toke with hym a .lx. speres and a .C. crosse bowes Geneuoys / and so de∣parted fro Carcasson / & passed by Rouergue / Agen / and costed Pierregourt and so came to Bounteuyll and founde there the seneshalles of Rochel / of Poictou / of Pierregourt / and of Dagen and a grete nombre of men of warre. ¶In farre countres it maye be well meruay∣led of the noble royalme of Fraunce / therin is so many Cytees / townes / castelles / whiche be without nombre / and that as well in farte par¦tyes therof / as in the harte of the royalme / ye shall fynde goynge from the cyte of Tholous to the cyte of Burdeaus stondynge on the ry∣uer of Garon. Fyrst Langurant / Rions / Cal∣diac / Bangou / saynt Macayre / the castell of Dorthe / Candoch / Geronde / larull myllant / saynt Basyll / Marmande / Cōmont / Tannus Lemnas / Dagenes / Montour / Agyllon / tho∣uars / porte saynt Mary / clermont / Agen / am∣byllart / castell sarasyne / Iehedo / verdun / and vell mote / and then takynge the way by the ry¦uere of Dordone whiche falleth in to Garon / ye shall fynde these castelles on the one syde & on y^e other. Brouech / Frousach / liborne / saynt Milion / Chatellon / the mote / saynt Pesant / Montremell / & saynt Foy / Bergerach / Mort¦quinormons / and the castell oftene. And these castels some were Englysshe & some Frensshe & so contynewed all the warre season / the Gas¦coynes wolde haue had it none otherwyse to haue chosen / for in .xx. yere they neuer made othe nor promyse to ony man / true it was of y^e Gascoynes. Fyrst by theyr meanes kynge Ed¦warde had chefe possessyon of Gascoyne / and also the prynce his sone and after they put the agayne fro it as it is clerely conteyned in this hystory / & by the good wyt & aduyce of kynge Charles sone to kynge Iohn̄ / he drewe to his loue by fayre meanes & grete gyftes y^e grettest lordes of all Gascoyne / as y^e erle of Armynake & the lorde Dalbret. The prynce lost them by pryde / for I Iohan Froysarde who wrote this hystory the same season that I was at Buroe∣aus / & y^t the prynce wente in to Spayne y^e En¦glysshe mē were so prowde y^t they set nothyng by ony nacyon but by theyr owne / for the gen∣tylmen of Gascoyne & of Acquitayne suche as lost theyr goodes in y^e warre / yet they coulde gete no maner of offyce in theyr coun••rees / for the Englysshemen sayd they were not worthy nor able to haue ony wherwith they were sore grudged in theyr myndes / and when they my¦ght they shewed it for bycause of the hardnes that y^e Erle of Armynacke & the lorde Dalbret founde in y^e prince / they forsoke hym & became Frensshe / & so dyde dyuers other knyghtes & squyers of Gascoyne / kynge Phylyp of Fraū¦ce / & kynge Iohn̄ his sone had lost thē by pry∣de & hyghe mynde / in lyke wyse so dyde y^e prin¦ce & kynge Charles wynne them by fayrnes / by larges and humylyte / for so wolde Gascoy¦nes be delte withall / & kynge Charles to the entente that the loue of these lordes sholde the longer contynewe / he made a maryage bytwe¦ne the syster of the lady Isabell of Burbon / & the lorde Dalbret / & bytwene them were fayre chyldren / & for this cause the loue endured the longer / & on a tyme at Paris where as I was I herde the lorde Dalbret speke a worde / whi¦che I well noted / but I byleue he spake it but in sporte / howbeit he spake it in grete sadnes to a knyght of Brytayne who had serued hym before / for the knyght had demaunded hym of y^e busynes of his countrey / & howe he was con¦tente to be frensshe / he answered and sayd / I thanke god I do metely well / howbeit I had more money / & my mē also / whē we made war for the kynge of Englonde then we haue now for when we rode forthe at aduenture we foū∣de euer some ryche merchaunt other of Tho∣lous / Condon / or Bergerath lyghtely there was no day but we gate cuer some good pray

Then we were fresshe & Ioly / & nowe we be as deed then the knyght began to laughe and sayd truely this is a lyfe of Gascoynes / lyght¦ly they wolde euer haue other mēnes domage Therfore I that harde these wordes say as I thought y^t the lorde Dalbret repented hym in y^t he was become frensshe as y^e lorde of Musy∣dent Gascoyne who was taken at the batayle of Anne•• / & sware in to the handes of the duke of Aniow y^t he wolde come to Parys / and be∣come frensshe euer after / so he came to Paris & kynge Charles made hym good chere / but for all y^t euer the kynge dyd / y^e lorde of Musydent departed agayne fro Parys without ony leue & wente in to his coūtrey & became agayne En¦glysshe / & brake all y^e promyses y^t he had made with the duke of Aniow. In lykewyse so dyde the lorde of Rousen / the lorde of Duras / & the lorde of Languerant. Suche is the nacyon of Gascoyne they be not stable / for they loue yet the Englysshe men better then the frensshemē for theyr warre agaynst y^e Frensshe men were more profytabe for them then agaynst the En∣glysshe men / this is the pryncypall incydent y^t moost inclyneth them therto.