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 pope Vrban & pope Clemēt were at grete dyscorde togyder / and howe the crysten kynges were in va¦ryaunce for theyr lectyons / and of the warres bytwene them. Ca. xlii. (Book 42)

THe same season there came to Au••¦gnyon to se the pope Clement / syr Othes of Bresnyl to haue money for y^e warre he had made for hym agaynst y^e Romayns & Bertram of A••gles / who wrote hymselfe pope Vrban y^e vi. as it is cōteyned in his hystory here before & there syr Othes shewed dyuers thynges to the pope / & to y^e Cardynalles / wherin he was wel byleued & harde / but as for money he coul¦de gete none / for y^e popes chambre was so cle∣ne voyded fro golde & syluer / y^t y^e Cardynals coulde not haue y^e money y^t perteyned to theyr hattes. So this syr Othes of Bresnyll depar¦ted fro thē not wel content. At Auyg••yon the¦re was delyuered hym a .M. frankes / & he set lytell therby / wherby pope Clementes warre was sore weked / for syr Othes wolde in no wy¦se medle ony more in the popes warres. Thē Margaret of Duras who was at Gaiecte / & was aduersary agaynst the quene of Naples wyfe sōtyme to kynge Lewes duke of Aniow She sente for this syr Othes to ayde her in y^• warre y^t she made agaynst the Napolytanes / and this syr Othes a certayne space exscused hymselfe / and dyssymuled and foded forth the tyme as he that wyst not what to do / then so∣me of his counsayle dyde put hym in mynde to go to this Margaret of Duras who was

enherytoure to Naples & to Cycyle / & to helpe to ayde & to defende her heritage / & to take her to his wyfe / for she was contente to mary hym bycause he was of a noble blood & of hyghe ex¦traccyon / & was lorde & kynge of the countrey called Daure / and some other of his coūsayle counsayled hym contrary / saynge how he my∣ght therby come to an euyll ende / for the chyl∣drē of kynge Lewes of naples who was crow¦ned kynge in the Cyte of Bare thoughe they were but yonge / yet they had grete frendes & kynsmen / & specyally the frenlshe kynge theyr cosyne germayne who wyl ayde them / & theyr moder Iohan duches of Amowe & of Mayne¦al these doubtes some of his counsayle shewed hym / wherfore syr Othes forbare a longe sea∣son & dyssymuled the mater and toke none of bothe partyes. The same season y^e sowdyours of pope Clement enclosed in y^e Cyte of Peras pope Vrban / & was besyeged by the lorde of Moctroy a valiaunt knyght of the countye of Genes & of Sauoy syr Talebart a knyght of the Rodes / and syr Bernarde de la sale. And there pope Vrban was sore constrayned & on y^t poynte to haue ben taken / for as I was then enformed for the some of .xx.M. frankes a ca∣pytayne almayne / who had a grete company with hym called the erle Courant wolde haue delyuered pope Vrban in to y^e handes of pope Clement / whervpon syr Bernarde de la sale was sent to Auygnyon to pope Clement for y^e sayd some of money / but the pope nor the Car¦dynalles there coulde not make the money for y^e popes courte was so poore that they had no money / and so syr Bernarde de la sale retour∣ned euyll content to the syege of Pruce / and so then they dyssymuled the matter / and the Pru¦cyens in lykewyse / and also this erle Courant and so pope Vrban yssued out of Pruce & out of peryll and wente to Rome and abode there

I Knowe ryght well that in tyme to come there wolde be had moche of these thyn∣ges howe the churche sholde fall in suche trou¦bles & endure so longe / but it was a plage sent fro god / for the clargy to aduyse & to consydre well theyr grete estate & superfluyte that they were in but many dyde sette lytell therby / for they were so blynded with pryde that eche one thought to be as good as another / wherfore it wente euyll / & yf our fayth had not ben confyr¦med in y^e handes & grace of y^e holy goost who ••nlumyned the harte of them y^t were gone out of the ryght way / & helde them ferme in vnyte elles our fayth had be gretely defourmed / but the grete lordes of the erthe at the begynnyng dyd nothynge but laughe at the chyrche / tyl I Cronycled these Cronycles in the yere of our lorde Ihesu Cryst .M.CCC.lxxx. and .x. mo¦che of the comon people meruayled howe the grete lordes as the Frensshe kynge / the kynge of Almayne / and other kynges and prynces of crystendome / dyd prouyde no remedy in that case. There was one thynge reasonable to ap¦pease the comon people / & to escuse the hyghe prynces & kynges / dukes & Erles / & other lor∣des. As by ensample the yolke of the egge can not be without the whyte / nor the whyte with out the yolke / no more maye the Clergy & the lordes be one without another / for the lordes are gouerned by y^e Clergy / or they coulde not lyue but as beestes & the Clergy were not / & y^e Clergy counsayleth and exhorteth the lordes to do as they do. And I say surely I haue ben in my tyme in dyuers partyes of the worlde / what for to accomplysshe my pleasure / and to se noueltyes in the worlde / and to haue know¦ledge of the conquestes & aduentures wryten in this boke. And truely the season y^t I wente thus aboute in the worlde I coulde lyghtly se no grete lorde / but that he had a marmoset / or of y^e Clergy / or a boy of symple lygnage moun¦ted vp to honoure / by reason of theyr Iange∣lyng & raylynge / excepte the erle of Foys / for he had neuer none suche / for he was naturally sage / for his wysdome was better / than ony y^t coulde be gyuen hym / yet I say not that suche lordes as are ruled by suche marmosettes be fooles / but rather more then fooles / for they be sore blynded / & yet they haue two eyen / whan the knowledge came fyrst to y^e frensshe kynge Charles of the dyfference bytwene these two popes he dyd put the matter on y^e Clergy whi¦che way he sholde take them / they of the clergy of Fraunce determyned & toke pope Clement for the moost surest parte / and to the Frensshe opynyon acorded the kynge of Castel and the kynge of Scottes bycause all the season that the scysme was thus in the chyrche / Fraunce / Castell & Scotlande were ioyned togyder by alyaunce / & the kynge of Englonde / & y^e kynge of Portyngale were of the contrary oppynyō agaynst theyr enemyes / the erle of Flaundres neuer inclined in his courage to pope Clemēt y^t he sholde be ryght pope bycause Vrbā was fyrst chosen at Rome / who was archebysshop of Bare. This Clement beynge Cardynall of Geane wrote lettres vnto the noble Erle of

Flaunders howe there was a pope chosen by due electyon at Rome & named Vrban / wher∣fore he wolde not byleue after on y^t Clement / & as longe as he lyned he was of that opynyon / so was the kynge of Almayne and all the Em∣pyre / and also y^e kynge of Hungry. Thus then I put in wrytynge the state and dyfferences y^t I had sene in my dayes in the worlde and in y^e chyrche / it was no meruayle thoughe y^e lordes of the worlde suffered & dyssymuled y^e matter. This brought to my remembraunce howe y^t when I was but yonge / and pope Innocent caygned in Auygnyon / he helde in pryson a freer mynoure called freer Iohn̄ Roche Tayl¦lad / this clerke as it was sayd / & I haue herde it pryuely in dyuers places / he shewed & aled∣ged dyuers auctorytes of the incydentes and fortunes y^t fell after in his dayes in y^e royalme of Fraunce. And also he spake of the takynge of kynge Iohn̄ / and shewed certayne thynges reasonable howe the chyrche sholde suffre mo¦che for y^e grete superfluytes y^t he sawe in them and while he was in prison it was shewed me what he sayd to the Cardynall of Ostie called Dearras / and to y^e Cardynall of Auxere who wente to vysyte hym and to argue with hym / thē he layde to them an ensample as hereafter ye shall here.

LOrdes sayd this freer / there was ones a fowle appered in this worlde with∣out ony fethers / & when al other fowles knew y^t he was borne they came to se hym bicause he was so fayre and pleasaunt to beholde. Then they ymagyned amonge them what they my∣ght do for this byrde / for without fethers they knewe well he coulde not lyue / and they sayd they wolde he sholde lyue bycause he was so fayre / thē euery fowle there gaue hym of theyr fethers / and the fayrer byrde the mo fethers he gaue hym / so that then he was a fayre byrde & a well fethered and began to fle. And y^e byrdes that had gyuen hym of theyr fethers whē they sawe hym flee they toke grete pleasure / & whē this byrde sawe hymselfe so well fethered and that all other fowles honoured hym / he began to ware prowde and toke no regarde of them that had made hym / but pycked and spurred at them and was contrary to them. Then the other byrdes drewe togyder and demaunded eche other what was best to be done with this byrde that they had made vp of nought & now so dysdayneth them / then the Pecocke sayd / he is gretly beautyed by reason of my fethers / I wyl take them agayne fro hym / in the name of good sayd the Fawcon so wyll I haue myne / and so sayd al the other byrdes. And then they began to take agayne fro hym al the fethers y^t they had gyuen hym. And whē this byrde saw that / he humbled hymselfe & knowledged of y^e welth and honour that he had / not of hymselfe but of them / for he knewe that he came in to y^e worlde naked and bare / and y^e fethers that he had they myght wel take fro hym agayne whē they lyst / then he cryed them mercy / and sayd that he wolde amende hymselfe and noo more be prowde / & so then agayne these gentyll byr¦des had pyte on hym & fethered hym agayne / & sayd to hym we wolde gladly se y^e f••e amōge vs / so thou wylte be humble as thou oughtest to be / but knowe surely / If thou be ony more prowde and dysdaynous we wyll take from y^u all thy fethers and set the as we founde y^u fyrst ¶Thus sayd y^e freer Iohn̄ y^e Cardynalles that were in his presence. Syrs thus shall it fall on you of the chyrche / for the Emperour of Rome and of Almayne and the other kynges crystened / & hyghe prynces of the worlde haue gyuen you the goodes & possessyons & ryches to the entente to serue god / and ye spende it in pryde and superfluyte. ¶ye rede not the lyfe of saynt Syluester pope of Rome after saynt Peter / ymagyne and consyder howe the Em∣perour Cōstantyne gaue hym fyrst y^e dysmes of y^e chyrche and on what condycyon. Saynt Syluester rode nother with .CC. nor .CCC horse abrode in the worlde / but he helde hym∣selfe symply closed in Rome / and lyued sober∣ly with them of the chyrche / when the aungell of god shewed hym how y^e Emperour Coustā¦tyne who was as then but an infydell sholde fende for hym / in lykewyse the Emperour had it by reuelacyon of an aungell that Syluester sholde shewe hym y^e way of helthe / for he was syke of the lypper / so y^t his fless he fell in peces & whē Syluester came before hym he shewed hym the way of baptyme / & so crystened hym / and incontynent he was hole / for the whiche y^e Emperoure Constantyne byleued in god and all his Empyre / and gaue to Syluester & to the chyrche all the dysmes / for before the Em∣peroure of Rome helde them / and besyde that gaue hym many fayre gyftes & grete sygnyo∣ryes augmentynge out fayth and the chyrche but it was his entencyon that the goodes and syguyoryes that he had gyuē hym y^t he sholde gouerne it humbly and truely / and not to spē∣de it in pompe and pryde / but nowe a dayes

they of the chyrche do the contrary wherwith god is dyspleased / and hereafter wyll be more dyspleased / so that the grete lordes of the erthe wyll ware colde in theyr deuocyons / and not be so lyberall in gyuynge ony thynge to y^e chir¦che. But rather to be redy to take fro it / y^t was gyuen before and I thynke it wyll not be lon∣ge or this besene. ¶Thus this freer Iohn̄ of Roche tayllayd whome the cardynalles helde in pryson in Auignyon shewed to them these wordes / and dyuers other wherof the cardy∣nalles were abasshed / and wolde gladly haue put hym to dethe yf they myght haue founde ony iust cause agaynst hym. But they coulde fynde none / & so suffred hym to lyue / but they durst not let hym out of pryson / for he shewed his matters so parfyte / and layde for hym hy∣ghe scryptures / that peraduenture he myght haue made many in the worlde to haue arred / Howbeit suche as toke more hede to his sayen¦ge then I dyde sawe many thynges fall after accordynge as he sayd and wrote in pryson / & all y^t he sayd he wolde proue by the apocalyps the true prowes wherwith he armed hymselfe who saued hym fro brennynge / and also some of the Cardynalles had pyte on hym and wol∣de not do theyr vttermoost to hym.

NOwe let vs leue to speke of these narra¦cyons and retourne to our pryncypall matter & hystory of Spayne / of Portyngale / of Fraunce and of Englonde / and recorde the fortunes that fell in that season whiche be not to be forgotten. ¶ye haue herde here before howe kynge Iohn otherwyse called mayster denyce of portyngale bastarde broder to kyng Don Ferant was in possessyon of the royal∣me of Portyngale / by the helpe all onely of .iiii. Cytees in Portyngale. But as for the no∣bles and knyghtes of the royalme of Portyn∣gale at the begynnynge acquyted them truely to kynge Don Peter & to kynge Iohn̄ of Ca∣stell and to his wyfe the lady Beatryce & yet thoughe some helde the opynyon of that lady / neuerthelesse other named her a bastarde for she was doughter to a lady in Portyngale cal¦led Elynoure / who had as then her fyrst hus∣bande on lyue a knyght of y^t countre syr Iohn̄ Laurence of Coygne / and y^e kynge of Portyn¦gale had taken her fro hym / and the kynge ma¦ryed her and put her husbande out of Portyn¦gale who wente and dwelled with the kynge of Castell for he durst not dwell in Portynga¦le for fere of the kynge who helde his wyse / & yet he was of hyghe lygnage. These thynges are to be meruaylled at. For kynge Ferant of Portyngale reputed his doughter as lawful∣ly begotten for he had a dyspensacyon of pope Vrban the .vi. And then y^e peas was made by¦twene the .ii. kynges of Castell & Portyngale & that a knyght of the royalme of Portyngale called syr Iohn̄ Ferant Andere who was che∣fe of counsayle with the kynge of Portyngale treated of peas and made y^e mariage bytwene kynge Ferant of Portyngalles doughter and kynge Iohn̄ of Castell who was as thē a wyd¦dower / and had maryed before y^e doughter of Don Peter kynge of Aragon / thoughe y^e kyn¦ge of Castell & his counsayle dyd cast all these doubtes / and howe they fered lest the kynge of Portingales doughter sholde not be taken as heyre of Portyngale after her faders dysseas but to put in suretye therof y^e kynge of Castell the kynge of Portyngale caused dyuers of the chefe lordes of Portyngale to swere that after the kynges dysseas to take her as theyr lady / & to tourne the royalme of Portyngale to y^e kyn¦ge of Castel. Also y^e kynge of Portyngale had bounde certayne good townes to the kynge of Castel to take hym as theyr kynge on y^e payne of forfayture of .ii. thousande frankes / & thou∣ghe this knyght Iohan Ferant Andere dyde his busynes for a good entente to make peas & concorde bytwene Castell and Portyngale at y^e instaunce of his lorde / yet y^e comons of Lyr∣bone slewe hym / and chase to theyr kynge this mayster Deuyce / for they sayd they wolde not be vnder the subiectyon of them of Castell / they hated them so moche / for they coulde ne∣uer loue togyder / & also they sayd y^t the crow∣ne of Portyngale myght not go to a woman / and that the quene of Castell was not true he∣ry¦tour but a bastarde & worse then a bastarde for kynge Ferantes lyuynges / and after his dethe Iohan Ferant of Coygne lyued / who was husbande to that ladyes moder / and ther¦fore they chase this mayster Denyce and was crowned by these .iiii. Cytees Lyrbone / Vyc / Eure / and the porte of Portyngale / they sayd they wolde haue a kynge amonge them / & one of the chefe incydentes that moued y^e comons to be agaynst the kynge of Castell was as I shall shewe you. The Spanyardes whom I call Castellyans when the maryage was ma∣de bytwene them and Portyngale / and that y^e kynge of Portyngale had graunted that after his dysseas the royalme sholde go to the kyng of Castell / euer when the Spanyardes mette

ony of the Portyngales they wolde mocke thē and say / syrs whether ye wyll or not nowe ye shall come to our daunger / we shall holde you vnder subiectyon and seruage / and kepe you lyke slaues and Iues / and do with you as we lyst / & they wolde answere & saye they trusted that sholde neuer be / & neuer to be vnder sub∣iectyon of ony other man lyuyng excepte god / and for suche causes and wordes reprouable of the Spanyardes / y^e Portyngales toke this mayster Denyce basterde broder to kynge Fe¦rant & made hym kynge / in his broders dayes there was no rekenynge made of hym / nor the kynge / that the comons wolde neuer haue cho¦sen hym to theyr kynge / and forsake his dou∣ghter as they dyd. Howbeit often tymes this sayd knyght syr Iohn̄ Ferant Andere sayd to the kynge / how that this mayster Denyce his basterde broder had gretely the grace of the co¦mons of the royalme / wherfore he sayd it had ben good he had ben put to dethe / but kynge Ferant answered and sayd howe the comons sholde neuer haue puyssaūce to do ony thynge agaynst the wyll of the noble men of his coun¦trey / and how that his sone in lawe the kynge of Castell sholde euer be puyssaunt ynough to constrayne them / and to chastyce them yf they rebelled after his dyssease / Wherfore he sayd there was noo cause to put his bastarde bro∣der to deth nor put hym in pryson / sayng how he was his broder and a man of relygyon and had ynoughe to lyue on besyde the crowne of Portyngale / and so he was lefte alyue.

THese foresayd poyntes and artycles be true / for I the auctoure of this booke haue ben sufficyently enfourmed therof by the nobles of Portyngale / it is a thynge to be mer¦uayled at / to make a bastarde a kynge / & they of Portyngale saye / and as yet sayth / that the quene of Castel the lady B••autryce / doughter to y^e lady Elynour of Coygne was a bastarde therfore they wolde not take her as quene of Portyngale / nor none heyre that came of her / the same opynyon the erle of Foys layde to y^e knyghtes of his countrey when they wente in to Spayne to ayde the kynge of Castel / for he had ben suffycyently infourmed in the matter bytwene Portyngale and Castel / wherfore he sayd to thē at theyr departyng. Syrs ye haue nothynge to do to busy yourselfe bytwene Ca¦stell and Portyngale / for the quene of Castell who was doughter to kynge Ferant of Por∣tyngale / it is a warre euyll begon / there maye moche euyl come to them that be busye in that matter / but they answered hym syth they had receyued wages of suche a man as the kynge of Castell was / they must nedes go and serue hym / and so they wente / & moost parte of them there dyed / as ye haue herde here before.

NOwe let vs retourne to the busynes of Portyngale. For they be not for to be lefte for the grete aduentures that there hathe fallē. And to cronycle al thynges as they haue fallen / to the entente that in tyme to come they sholde be founde / wryten / and regystred / yf ad¦uentures were not knowen it were grete do∣mage. And by clerkes y^t auncyently haue wry¦ten and regystred the hystoryes and bookes / therby y^e hystories are knowen / there is not so perpetuall a memory as is wrytynge / & truely I saye to you & wyll that they that come after me sholde knowe / that for to knowe the trouth of this hystory I haue taken therin grete pay¦ne in my dayes / and haue serched many royal¦mes and countreys to knowe the trouthe / and haue had acquayntaūce of many valyaunt mē and haue sene dyuers bothe of Fraunce / of En¦glonde / of Scotlande / Castell / Portyngale / & of other landes / Duchyes / and Countyes / su∣che as they and theyr landes hath ben conioy∣ned in these warres / & with them I haue spo∣ken and ben instructed and infourmed / and I wolde not that ony enquest sholde passe vn∣knowen / syth I knewe it to be true and nota∣ble. And whyle I was in Byerne with y^e erle Gaston of Foys / I was there enfourmed of dyuers busynesses / suche as fell bytwene Ca∣stell and Portyngale / and when I was re∣tourned agayne in to my countrey in the coun¦tye of Heynalte / and in the towne of Valen∣cennes / and that I had refresshed me there a season / then I determyned me to folowe the hy¦story y^t I had begon / then I aduysed in myne ymagynacyon / howe I coulde not suffycyent¦ly be instructed by the herynge of them that su¦steyned the opynyon of the kynge of Castell / but that in lykewyse I ought to here the Por∣tyngales as well as the Gascoynes and Spa¦nyardes that I herde in the house of the erle of Foys / and in the waye goynge thyder and re∣tournynge / I toke noo regarde to the payne or trauayle of my body / but so I wente to Bru¦ges in Flaundres to fynde there some of y^t roy¦alme of Portyngale and of Lyxbone / for there were euer some of y^• countrey / beholde if myne aduenture were good or no yf I had sought a

season .vii. yere I coulde not haue come to a better poynte then I dyd then / for then it was shewed me that if I wolde go to Meldeboure in Selande I sholde fynde there a knyght of Portyngale / a valyaunt man and a sage / and of the kynge of Portyngales counsayle / who was newly come thyder / & was goynge thens by see in to Pruce / & howe he coulde iustly and playnly shewe me of the busynes and aduen∣tures of Portyngale / for he knewe & had ben ouer all the countrey. These tydynges reioy∣synge me and so I wente fro Bruges with one of Portyngale in my company / who knewe ry¦ght wel this knyght / and so we came to Sluse and there toke the see / and dyd so moche by the grace of god that we came to meldeboure / and the Portyngales that were in my company a∣quaynted me with this knyght / and I founde hym ryght gracyous / sage / honourable / cour∣toys / amyable / and acquayntable / & so I was with hym .vi. dayes or there aboute. And this knyght enfourmed me of all y^e busynes bytwe¦ne the royalme of Castel and Portyngale syth the dethe of kynge Ferant tyll the departynge of that knyght out of that countrey / he shewed me euery thynge so playnly and so gracyously that I toke grete pleasure to here hym / and to wryte it. And when I was enfourmed by hym of all that I desyred to knowe / I toke leue of hym / and he conueyed me to my shyp / & so dyd dyuers other ryche merchauntes of his coun∣trey / who were come fro Bruges / & fro other places to se hym / & in his company there was the sone of Nauarre in Portyngale / & dyuers other knyghtes and squyers of that royalme / but he had the chefe honoure amonge them / & certaynly by that I coulde se and ymagyne of hym and of his estate he was worthy to haue honour / for he was of noble porte / and goodly stature / and lykely to be a valyaunt man. And whē I retourne agayne fro Rome in to myne owne countrey I shall busy me to make rela∣cyon of the wordes of this gentyll knyght cal∣led syr Iohn̄ Ferant Porteler / and shall crony¦cle all that hathe fallen in Portyngale and in Castell vnto the yere of our lorde .M.CCC.lxxx. and x.