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 they of Portyngale sent out messageres in to Englonde to shewe tydynges of theyr coūtrey to the kyn∣ge of Englonde and to the grete lor∣des there. Ca. xliii. (Book 43)

HOwe sheweth the hy¦story y^t after this mayster Denys kyng Iohn̄ of Por¦tyngale had dyscomfyted kynge Iohn̄ of Castell at y^t batayle of Iuberoth nere to y^e abbaye called y^e Cabbase where as so many noble knyghtes & squyers of Fraunce / Gascoyne / and Byerne were slay¦ne / and that the kynge of Portyngale for that fayre & vyctoryous iourney was gretely doub¦ted and honoured of the Portyngales / & was receyued after his vyctory in to Lyxbone with grete glory of al the people / & there with grete tryumphe was crowned with lawrell / as aun¦cyently kynges were wonte to be crowned / af¦ter they had dyscomfyted ony kyng in batayle and there in Lyxbone was grete feest or the de¦parture of suche knyghtes and squyers as we¦re there / and the counsayles of the good tow∣nes and cytees of y^t royalme. Then there was a parlyament and a counsayle holden / howe they might perceyuer in theyr opinyon on honou¦rably / for certayne of the sages of the royalme sayd howe it was necessary for them to se how they myght fortefye themselfe agaynst y^e kyng of Castel & his puyssaunce / so y^t they myght ho¦nourably abyde in theyr victory / & multiply & exalte in this parlyament at Lyxbone holdē in the cathedrall chyrche of saynt Dominicke. There were many deuyses recyted whiche ne¦de not to be rehersed / but the rest and conclu∣syon of this parlyament was that they sholde sende in to Englonde to the duke of Lancastre who claymed of ryght the enherytaūce of Ca¦stell / by reason of y^t lady Constaunce his wyfe eldest doughter to kynge Don Peter of Ca∣stell / and to wryte to hym that if euer he wolde clayme ony ryght in the royalme of Castell / & to set forwarde his busynes / whiche longe ha∣th hanged in balaunce / and in aduenture to be lost / y^t wolde come in to Portyngale with a company of men of armes and archers / for as then it was tyme conuenyent for hym so to do Then the erle of Nauarre constable of Por∣tyngale in fayre language sayd. Syth we be agreed to sende in to Englonde to the duke of Lancastre by whome we thynke to be ayded / whiche is the moost profytablest waye for vs / to cause our enemyes to feare vs / therfore let vs aduyse in our royalme sage personages & notable to do this message / & to enfourme so y^e duke of Lancastre and his counsayle to come in to this countrey so stronge as to resyst our

enemyes with suche ayde as he shall haue of vs / for we may well suppose that the kynge of Castell wyll gete grete ayde of the Frensshe kynge. The Frensshe men of warre wote not where better to enploy theyr season / for they haue peas w^t Englonde vnto the feest of saynt Iohn̄. And also the Frensshe men haue ferme peas with y^t Flemynges / who hath occupyed them before dyuers yeres. The erle of Nauer¦res wordes were well accepted / and euery mā sayd howe he spake well to the poynte / and y^t so they wolde do. Then there were named by sad dely beracyon of counsayle that the grete mayster of saynt Iaques in Portyngale and Laurence Fongasse a ryght sage and dyscrete squyer who coulde ryght well speke y^e langua¦ge of Fraunce / howe they sholde goo on this message in to Englonde / for they coulde sende none of the counsayle of Portyngale that bet¦ter coulde doo that message then they. Then there were letters wryten in good Frensshe & in Latyn to the kynge of Englonde / to y^t duke of Lancastre / & to his bretherne y^e erle of Cam¦brydge and Bokyngham. And when these let¦ters were wryten and grosed vp in Frensshe & in Latyn / then they were redde before y^t kyng & his counsayle there / & well lyked / & so sealed & delyuered to the grete mayster of saynt Ia∣ques / & to Laurence Fongase / who toke on thē y^e charge to bere them in to Englonde / so they myght passe the daungere of the see / & encoūte¦ryng of ony enemyes & robbers of y^e see / for as wel there were robbers on y^e see as on y^e lande So they toke a shyp called y^e Lyn whiche wol¦de sayle with all maner of wyndes more sure∣lyer then ony other shyp. So on a day they to¦ke theyr leue of the kyng & of the archebysshop of Connymbres / and of the grete counsayle of Portyngale / and wente to the see / and sayled towarde Englonde / and were .iii. dayes on y^e see without syght of lande / and on the fourthe day they sawe Cornewall.

THey sped so well by theyr iourneys / & by the ayde of god and good wynde y^t they costed Cornewell and y^t boundes of En∣glonde / and so aryued saufely without peryll in the hauen of Hampton / and there cast ancre and so yssued out of theyr shyppe / and wente & refresshed them in y^t towne / & there they we∣re examyned by the baylyffe of Hampton & su¦che other as were kepers of y^• cost of what coū¦trey they were / & fro whens they came / & why∣ther they wolde / they answered to all theyr de¦maundes / & sayd howe they were of the royal∣me of Portyngale / and sente thyder fro theyr kynge and his counsayle / then they were wel∣come and had good chere / and when they had refresshed them there and prouyded for horses for them / and for theyr seruauntes. Then they rode to London by guydes / for they knew not the countrey / and so were lodged at the sygne of the Fawcon / and sente backe agayne theyr horses / and it fortuned so well for them that y^e kynge and his vncles were at Westmynstre / wherof they were ioyfull / they came to Londō in the fore noone / & so dyned / and after dyner they toke theyr letters & wente to the duke of Lancastre & to the duches. And when y^t duke & the duches knewe of theyr comynge they were ryght ioyfull / for they desyred to here tydyn∣ges fro Portyngale / there had ben shewed thē dyuers tydynges / but gretely they dyd nor by¦leue it / bycause they had no letters therof out of y^• countrey. Then y^e grete mayster of saynt Iaques & Laurence Fongase entred in to the dukes chambre / and the duches there present / and because y^t Laurence Fongase coulde spe∣ke frensshe he spake fyrst / & when he had made his reuerence to the duke and to the duches / & delyuered them letters fro Portyngale / y^e du∣ke toke his / & the duches hers / and so red theyr letters / & then the duke sayd to the messageres Syrs ye be ryght welcome into this coutrey and to morowe ye shall go to the kynge / & we shall do you the ayde we can / as it is reason. Then the duches drewe Laurence Fongase a parte & demaūded of hym tydynges out of Ca¦stell & Portyngale / to euery thynge this Lau∣rence answered. Then y^t duke called for wyne and spyce / & so they dranke / & toke theyr leue & retourned to theyr lodgynge / & in y^e mornyng they wente agayne to y^e duke / who had herde masse / and so then they entred in to a barge & wente by water to Westmynstre / where y^e kyn¦ge and the moost parte of his counsayle was. The duke entred in to the counsayle chambre & sayd to the kynge. Syr here is y^e grete may∣ster of saynt Iaques in Portyngale who hath brought you letters fro y^e kynge / wyl it please you to se them / with a good wyll sayd y^e kynge Then the .ii. messagers kneled downe before the kynge / & Laurence Fongase delyuered his letters / the kynge toke them / and caused them to be redde / also they delyuered letters to the erle of Cambrydge / & to the erle of Bokynghā eche of them redde theyr letters. The kyng an¦swered y^e messageres ryght swetely and sayd.

¶Syrs ye are welcome in to this countrey / your comynge dothe vs grete ioy / and ye shal not departe without answere suche as shall please you and all your busynes / let myne vn∣cles here haue them in remembraunce / so they thanked the kynge and departed out of y^• coun¦sayle chambre / and wente downe in to the pa∣lays abydynge for the duke of Lancastre who taryed tyll it was hyghe noone. Then the du∣ke of Lancastre toke his two bretherne with hym to dyner / and wente by water / and these messageres with thē. The erle of Cambrydge knewe ryght well the grete mayster of saynt Iames and Laurence of Fougase / for he had sene them before in Portyngale / wherfore af∣ter dyner he comoned with thē of dyuers thyn¦ges in the presence of his other two bretherne and demaunded them of the maryage of Ca∣stell / and of her that sholde haue ben his dou∣ghter in lawe the lady Beautyce. To all his demaundes the ambassadours answered wy∣sely and truely / wherby the lordes were ryght well contente and pleased.

TRewe it was that before these ambassa¦dours were comen into Englonde the duke of Lancastre / and the erle of Cambrydge his broder had dyuers counsayles togyder for the ryght they claymed by theyr wystes. The Erle of Cambrydge as ye haue herde before / was not well contente with kynge Ferant of Portyngale nor with the men of warre there / for they had lodged .xv. dayes in the feldes be¦fore y^e Castellyans / and yet kynge Ferant nor the Portyngales wolde neuer fyght with thē yet the erle the same tyme shewed y^e kynge his defaulte & sayd / syr I haue here in my compa∣ny of poore Englysshe mē a .C. speres & a .M. archers. And al we are wyllyng to fyght with our enemyes / and to abyde the aduenture that god wyll sende vs / but kynge Ferant answe∣red euer that he was not counsayled to fyght / wherfore when the Erle saw that he departed thens / and toke with hym agayne his sone out of Portyngale / and when he was departed / then the kynge of Portyngale accorded with kynge Iohn̄ of Castell / & maryed his dough¦ter to hym to make the peas / and this treatye was made by syr Iohn̄ Audre a knyght of por¦tyngale. The kynge there had all his trust in hym. The kynge of Portyngale demaunded of his doughter whether she had rather haue the kynge of Castel / or the erle of Cambrydge sone. She answered and sayd howe she loued better Iohn̄ of Englonde then Iohn̄ of Castel The kynge demaunded why she sayd soo / she answered / bycause Iohn̄ of Englonde was a goodly personage and of her age / & that was the cause she wolde not haue the kynge of Ca∣stell / howbeit her fader to haue peas with the Spanyardes made that maryage. Also the erle had sayd to the duke of Lancastre his bro¦der that kynge Ferant ones deed / he doubted that the comons of the royalme of Portyngale wolde rebell agaynst the lady Beautryce / for the moost parte of the royalme (For al y^t theyr kynge had maryed her moder the lady Elya∣noure of Coygne.) yet they helde not the kyn∣ges doughter to be borne in lawfull maryage but reputed her as a bastarde / and mermured theron whyle the erle was there. Wherfore he was the gladder to take away his sone thens. The duke of Lancastre to whom y^• matter tou¦ched nerer then to the erle of Cambrydge by∣cause he had maryed the eldest syster heyre to Castell / and he had a fayre chylde by the lady Constaunce his wyfe / wherfore he euer desy∣red to be truely and iustly enfourmed of y^t bu∣synes in those partyes / and dyd set his mynde howe he myght exalte and further his tytle / & he sawe clerely that as then he coulde not haue so good an entre in to Castell as by the royal∣me of Portyngale / specyally seynge howe he was desyred and requyred of the kyng of Por¦tyngale / and of the barons and comons of the royalme / & also consyderynge howe the kynge of Portyngale that was then was a noble sa∣ge prynce and valyaunt / seynge howe he had dyscomfyted the kynge of Castel in playne ba¦tayle and all his puyssaunce / Wherby the du∣ke y^e soner enclyned to go in to Portyngale. And also the kynge of Englonde and his coun¦sayle was agreed therto / but to the entente to be iustly enfourmed of all the busynes / state / and condycyon of the countrey of Castell / and of the ryght that the lady Beautryce claymed to the crowne of Portyngale / and also of the ryght of kynge Iohn̄ of Portyngale whome the comons had crowned to theyr kynge. For this entente on a daye the duke made a dyner to these ambassadours of Portyngale in his owne lodging / and after dyner he made euery man to departe / & called these ambassadours to hym ryght amorously / and demaunded of them of the busynes of Portyngale / and by∣cause that Laurence Fougase coulde speke / Frensshe the duke addressed his wordes vnto

hym & sayd. Laurence I requyre you to shew me from poynte to poynte the conducyon and maner of your londe of Portyngale / & what hath fallen there / and in Castell syth my bro∣der the erle of Cambrydge was there / for the kynge of Portyngale hath wryten to me that there is no man in Portyngale y^t can enforme me more iustly then ye can do / and in this ye shall do me a grete pleasure / syr sayd y^• squyer I shall fulfyll your pleasure / and then began to speke and sayd in this maner.

Syrsyth the departure of your broder the erle of Cambrydge out of Portyngale there hath fallen grete trouble and dyscencyō in the royalme / and in grete aduenture to ha∣ue ben lost / but thanked be god the busynesses there / are as nowe in good poynte and ferme¦ly stablysshed / but and god had not wrought by his grace the matter had gone euyll / and all thrughe the defaulte of kynge Ferrant last dysseased. This is the oppynyon of the moost parte of the royalme / for kynge Ferrant in his dayes loued sore a lady wyfe to a knyght of his called syr Iohn̄ Laurence of Coygne / and bycause of her beautye he wolde haue her by force. The lady withstode the kynges desyre as longe as she myght / but at the laste he had her and sayd. Dame I shall make you quene of Portyngale / for thoughe I loue you / it is not for your hurte / but to exalte you / for I wyl mary you. Then the lady on her knees wepyn¦ge sayd / syr sauynge your dyspleasure. I can haue none honour to be quene of Portyngale for you knowe and so doth all the worlde that I haue an husbande all redy / and haue hadde this .v. yere / Elyanoure sayd the kynge make none escuse / for I wyll haue none other wyfe but you / but I shall quyte you from your hus∣bande or I mary you. The lady coulde gete none other wordes of the kynge / and she shew¦ed all the matter to her husbande / and when y^t knyght knewe therof / he was sory and malen∣eolyous / and regarded and studyed what we∣re best for hym to do / and sayd to hymselfe / I wyll not thus leue my wyfe / howbeit he doub¦ted the kynge / and wente out of the royalme of Portyngale / into Castell to kynge Henry who receyued hym / and reteyned hym to be of his house as longe as he lyued / and soo dothe kynge Iohn̄ that nowe is. Thus the kynge of Portyngale to accomplysshe his folysshe pleasure / sente for the knyght and for the lady but the knyght was goone. Then the kynge sente for the bysshophe of Connymbres / who was as then chauncelloure of Portyngale / and of the kynges counsayle / and the kynge shewed hym his entent / how he wolde wedde Elyanoure of Coygne / and the bysshop fered the kynge bycause he knewe hym of an hyghe and a fyerce condycyon / therfore he durst not saye contrary to the kynges pleasure / and also syr Iohn̄ Ferant Audere / who was chefe of counsayle with the kynge to please the kynge ayd to y^e bysshop. Syr ye may wed them wel ynoughe / ones y^e kynge shal make recompence for all / so y^e bysshop wedded them / & this lady was crowned quene / & so reputed in al y^e grete Cytees in Portyngale / and had as moche ho∣noure and reuerence as euer hadde ony other quene in the royalme of Portyngale / and the kynge had by her a doughter / who as nowe is quene of Castell. True it was that whyle kyn¦ge Ferant lyued / he sente on a day / to Lyxbone for all the prelates and noble men of the coun∣trey / and for the counsayles of the Cytees / por¦tes / and townes of Portyngale / and this was or your broder the erle of Cambrydge came in to Portyngale / and there the kynge made eue¦ry man to swere and to promyse that after his dyssease they sholde take his doughter the la∣dy Beautryce / Who was as then but fyue ye∣res of aege / for herytoure of y^e royalme of Por¦tyngale euery man sware whether they wol∣de or not. Howbeit the moost parte of them y^t were there knewe ryght well that she was but a bastarde / and borne in aduoutrye / for her mo¦ders husbande was styll lyuynge / called syr Iohn̄ Laurence of Coygne / who lyued in Ca¦stell with the kynge there as longe as kynge Ferant of Portyngale lyued / and lenger / how bert syr I thynke surely yf the kynges dough∣ter had ben a sone / that all the comonaltye of Portyngale wolde soner haue agreed to hym thē to his doughter. For to her they sayd they wolde neuer agree / but had rather dye then to be vnder the subiectyon of the royalme of Ca∣stell. ¶For as yet the royalme of Portyngale and the royalme of Castell neuer loued parfy∣tely togyder / But hathe often tymes haryed / and made warre eche with other / In lykewy∣se as the royalme of Scotlande dothe with y^t royalme of Englonde.

THen the duke of Lancastre demaunded of Laurence Fongase / where kynge

Iohn̄ that nowe is broder to kynge Ferrant was in kynge Ferrantes dayes. Syr sayd the squyer he was in the royalme of Portyngale in a house of relygyon wherin be knyghtes of an ordre in whyte habytes with a reed crosse and he was souerayne of that house / and was called mayster Deuyce. The kynge set lytell by his broder but made hym ruler of that hou¦se of Denyce / nor also kynge Iohn̄ that nowe is / medled nothynge with the busynes of the royalme / nor thought nothyng of the crowne therof. For yf kynge Ferrant of Portyngale had thought ony thynge of that is fallen syth he loued his lady Elyanoure & the lady Beau¦tryce her doughter / he wolde haue slayne his broder who is nowe kynge / but bycause he sa∣we that he kepte his house with the bretherne of his ordre so mekely and duely he had no su∣specte in hym / but so let hym lyue in peas. And syr as for the dyssencyon that is nowe bytwe-Portyngale and Castell / surely syr to saye the trouthe therin / y^e Spanyardes are cause ther of / Why so sayd y^e duke / I shall shewe you sayd the squyer. The Castellyans when they sawe that kynge Ferrant had maryed his dough∣ter to theyr kynge / then they began to be prow¦de / and began to speke grete wordes / whiche sore greueo the Portyngales / for the Spany∣ardes wolde say. Oye Portyngales rude peo¦ple lyke beestes / The tyme nowe is come that we shall haue a good market of you / for ye ha∣ue ben and shall be ours / we shall deuyde and set you in companyes as we do the Iues who dwelleth by truage vnder vs / ye shall be our subiectes with other venymous wordes / often tymes they sayd thus when they met the Por∣tyngales. And whyle kynge Ferrant lyued / & had maryed his doughter in to Castell / they engendred suche an hate that they murmured and sayd / it were better to be deed thē to be vn¦der the daunger and subieccyon of y^e Castelly∣ans / and so kynge Ferrant fell syke whiche en¦dured a hole yere. And when he was deed and buryed in the chyrche of saynt Fraunce a re∣lygyous house of freers in the cyte of Lyxbone Then the cytees / good townes / and castelles in Portyngale closed theyr gates / & they sente for the kynge that nowe is to Lyxbone / who knewe ryght well the ententes of the .iii. other cytees / as Connymbres / Porte / and Eure. Then they sayd. Mayster Deuyce (so he was called as then) We wyll make you kynge of this royalme thoughe ye be a bastarde / but we say that your cosyn the lady Beautryce quene of Castell is borne rather a basterde than you for as yet lyueth her moders fyrst husbande. / And syth it is so that the crowne of Portynga¦le is fallen in two wayes / we wyll take for vs the moost profytable / and also the moost parte of the royalme enclyneth to make you our kyn¦ge / and that the crowne of Portyngale shall not go to a woman / nor we wyll not be vnder the subieccyon of the kynge of Castell / nor of the Castellyans / we had rather ye sholde take all that we haue / to ayde and to maynteyne vs and our fraunches / thē the Castellyans sholde be maysters ouer vs / wherfore syr receyue our gyfte / for we wyl it shal be thus / then this may¦ster Denyce who is as nowe kynge wolde not receyue theyr offre at the fyrst nor seconde re∣quest but answered and sayd. Good people I knowe well of good affeccyon and entyer loue ye offre me the crowne of Portyngale / whiche is a grete thynge / and where as ye saye that I haue as grete ryght or more to the crowne as my co••yn the quene of Castell. In lykewyse I thynke the same / for true it is she is a basterde for as yet lyueth her moders husbande and is in Castel / but there is one poynte / ye all alone can not do this matter / it behoueth that al the nobles or grete parte of them agre therto / thē they of Lyxbone answered and sayd / syr we ha¦ue ynowe / We knowe all redy the courage of dyuers / and also the oppynyon of them of the .iii. chefe cytees of this royalme besyde vs / as Connymbres / Porte / and Eure / then the kyng sayd / let it be as ye wyl I am content / ye know well that this lady Elyanoure who is called quene of this royalme is as yet here in this cy¦te / and her counsaylloure with her syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere who wyll kepe the crowne of Portyngale and the herytage therof for y^e que¦ne of Castell / for he made fyrst the maryage to make peas bytwene Castell and Portyngale & peraduenture the kynge of Castell wyll sen∣de for hym hastely to helpe to subdue his rebel¦les. Wherfore nowe at the obsequye of my bro¦der whiche shal be shortely / wherat most parte of the nobles of this royalme and Cytees wyl be / it were good to prouyde for remedy in that behalfe / then they that were presente sayd / syr that ye saye is true we shall prouyde therfore / as we shall here syr Iohn̄ Ferrant speke / and so as then theyr counsayle ended.

IT was not longe after but that the obse¦quye was kepte at Lyxbone in the freers where as kynge Ferrant lyeth / and there were many of the nobles of Portyngale / for they we¦re desyred so to be by y^e quene and by syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere who gouerned the quene / & there was the kynge that nowe is with a grete nombre of the comons of the countrey / and spe¦cyally of the thre cytees Connymbres / Eure / and y^e porte of Portyngale / for they all agreed and consented to them of Lyxbone. And when the obyte was done syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere desyred in the quenes name the nobles that we¦re there presente that they sholde not departe thens that daye nor the nexte / saynge howe the quene wolde haue theyr counsayles what shol¦de be done to sende in to Castel for kyng Iohn̄ and his wyfe the lady Beautryce theyr lady / who was herytoure by ryght to the royalme of Portyngale / all the nobles or a grete parte of them that herde his wordes made lytel ther of / for they doubted sore the comons that were there essembled / for they had herde dyuers of them murmure saynge how they wolde crow∣ne to be theyr kynge mayster Denyce. Also syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere had herde lyke wordes Therfore he desyred the nobles of the royalme to abyde there with hym to ayde and susteyne his opynyon / but they fayled hym / for as sone as the kynges obyte was done in the foresayd freers / and y^t quene Elyanour was retourned to her lodgyng / then euery man cryed to horse and so al or the moost parte mounted on theyr horses / & so departed fro Lyxbone / some tary¦ed ftyll suche as were on the kynges partye y^t nowe is / and they wente to theyr lodgynges / and kepte themselfe pryuely and dyssymuled the matter / for they well ymagyned the matter to fall as it fell / as I shall shewe you howe. when the kynges obyte was done the comons of Lyxbone and of the other thre cytees suche as were there retourned not shortely to theyr lodgynges but wente to the cathedral chyrche of Lyxbone called saynt Domynycke / and the¦re they assembled and mayster Denyce with them / there they had grete counsayle togyder Whiche counsayle endured not longe. For the kynge that nowe is sayd vnto them. ¶All ye good people I vnderstande ye wolde make me your kynge. And surely I saye it is my ry∣ght. And yf ye wyll perceyuer in that purpose it is tyme to sette a worke / and to shewe your dede and ••uyssaunce / for ye knowe ryght well that syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere dothe procure the nobles of the royalme to sende for y^e kynge of Castell / and he sayth and maynteyneth that the crowne of Portyngale perteyneth to the kynge of Castel by the ryght of my cosyne his wyfe / and I saye yf ye wyll ayde me it is my ryght rather then hers / ye knowe all the ma∣ner / for I am a man / & broder to kynge Ferrāt and sone to good kynge Peter of Portyngale who gouerned you valyauntly. True it is my cosyne the quene of Castell was doughter to kynge Ferrant / but that was not by lawfull maryage. Then they of Lyxbone sayd vnto hym. Syr all this is true / we wyll haue none other kynge but you / and we wyll make you our kynge / loke theron who wyll / but ye shall swere vnto vs that ye shall be good to vs and kepe Iustyce / and ye shall not flatter no more with the grete lordes then with the small peo∣ple / and ye shall kepe and susteyne with good herte with the ayde that we shall gyue you / all the ryght perteynynge to Portyngale. Then the kynge answered and sayd. Syrs all this I swere / but pryncypally I requyre you to go with me to y^e lodgynge called y^e Monnoy whe¦re syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere is with Elya∣noure of Coygne / for I wyll that he be slayne for he hath deserued it agaynst me / and agayn¦ste you when he susteyneth and maynteyneth other quarelles agaynst your wylles / t••enne they all with one voyce answered. We wyll that this be done / for surely he is disobeysaunt and a rebell agaynst you / Wherfore lette hym be put to dethe / and all the other that be rebel∣lyons agaynst you Wherby other of the roy∣alme shall take ensample. Then they depar∣ted togyder from the mynstre of saynt Domy¦nycke to the nombre of .xv.C. all of one oppy∣nyon / and the kynge that nowe is with them / and soo they wente thrughe the towne to the lodgynge called the Monnoy where the que∣ne and syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere were. And when they came there / they brake vp the ga∣tes of the lodgynge and entred therin perforce and they wente in to the chambre where as the quene was / Who was ryght sore afrayde whē she sawe so moche people comynge vpon her / then incontynent she fell downe on her knees before this mayster Denyce / and prayed hym to haue pyte and compassyon vpon her / sayn∣ge vnto hym that she knewe nothynge of ony dyspleasure that she hadde done agaynst hym or agaynst ony other. And also she sayd vnto hym howe that as touchynge the crowne and herytage of Portyngale she claymed no parte

But mayster Denyce I requyre you and all the people here present to consydre how kynge Ferrant made me quene agaynst my wyl / then this mayster Denyce sayd. Fayre lady doubte ye nothynge / for ye shall haue no hurte / for we be not come therfore / but for this traytoure / Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere / he shall dye to begyn withall / and then lette the kynge of Castell re∣uenge his deth yf he can / he hath ben to longe his proctoure in this countrey / with that wor¦de auaunced forth suche as was ordeyned ther to / who toke the knyght and put hym to dethe & more hurte they dyd not to no persone / but so retourned to theyr lodgynge / and the kynge y^t nowe is wente to his.

ANd after the dethe of Iohn̄ Ferrant / the lady Elyanoure who had ben que∣ne of Portyngale / toke counsayle and deter∣myned herselfe to go out of Portyngale in to Castell to the kynge there / and to the quene her doughter / for she was in suche fray by the dethe of her knyght syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Audere that she thought no lenger to abyde in Por∣tyngale / for she sawe she coulde haue there no ther honoure nor rest / then she caused mayster Denyce now kynge to be desyred to suffre her to departe / and he lyghtly agreed therto / and sayd howe that it pleased hym well y^t she shol∣de peparte / for he sayd she had good cause soo to do. The lady departed fro Lyxbone with all her company / and she rode so longe by her iourneys that she came to Syuyll where the kynge of Castell and the quene laye / and the same season that this lady came thyder / there were assembled nere all the nobles of Castell / for there they had a grete counsayle on the bu∣synes for Portyngale / for kynge Iohn̄ there toke counsayle howe he myght do / scynge the royalme of Portyngale was fallen to hym by successyon / by the dethe of kynge Ferrant / fa∣der to the quene his wyfe / Who agreed or he dyed that it sholde so be / and all the countrey in lyke wyse. This lady Elyanoure was re∣ceyued with the kynge and with the quene her doughter ryght honourably as it was reason Then she was examyned of all the busynes in Portyngale / and she shewed them the trouthe of that she hadde sene and knowen / and also she sayd howe that it well appered that by all lykelyhede the comons of Portyngale wolde crowne to theyr kynge mayster Denyce / with out the kynge of Castell there agaynst made resystence and defence / and for that cause they hadde slayne her knyght syr Ihon̄ Ferrant of Audere bycause he susteyned / and alwayes he had done the kynge of Castelles quarell / and in all that this lady sayd she was wel byleued for they sawe it well apparent. And also cer∣tayne barons and knyghtes of the royalme of Portyngale suche as hadde better affeccy∣on to the kynge of Castell / thenne to she kyn∣ge that nowe is / bycause of kynge Ferrantes doughter / and for to accomplysshe and fulfyll theyr othes that they had made to the kynge of Castell / at the desyre of theyr kynge Iohn̄ Fer¦rant when he gaue his doughter in maryage to the kynge of Castell / therfore to acquyte theyr promyse they departed out of the royal∣me of Portyngale and wente in to Castell / and lefte theyr owne landes and herytages on the aduenture to recouer them agayne / as the erle Alphons Seroll / y^e grete pryour of saynt Ihn̄s in Portyngale / syr Delagare his bro∣der Ange Syluaste of Geneull / Iohn̄ Aussall and dyuers other to the nombre of .xxv. Wher¦by y^e royalme of Portyngale was sore febled / and the royalme of Castell enforced. Then the kynge of Castell made his somons thrughe out all his royalme that all noble men / and all other able to bere armure bytwene .xv. and .xl. sholde in all hast come to hym in to the felde of Sebyll / for he sayd he wolde with puyssaun∣ce entre in to the royalme of Portyngale / and conquere it as his owne herytage / at his com¦maundement euery man obeyed as it was rea∣son / for suche as helde of hym / and so they ca∣me to the felde of Sebyll / and there assembled to the nombre of .lx.M. men of one and other.

ANd when syr Laurence of Coygne hus¦bande to the lady Elyanoure whome kynge Ferrant of Portyngale toke to his wy∣fe and was quene of Portyngale vnderstode that she was come out of Portyngale in to Ca¦stell. Then he wente to certayne of the kynge of Castelles counsayle / and sayd to them as in demaundynge of them counsayle. My lor∣des and my grete frendes howe shall I do w^t Elyamoure my wyfe who is come out of Por¦tyngale in to this countrey / I knowe ryght well kynge Ferrant toke her by force agaynst her wyll / and nowe kynge Ferrant is deed / and ye knowe well by reason I ought to haue my wyfe agayne / what counsayle wyll ye gy∣ue me therin / and suche as he spake vnto gaue hym counsayle and sayd. Iohn̄ we counsayle

you to make no sc••••blaunt therof / nor demaun∣de her not agayne / nor take her not / for if ye do ye shall gretely abate the honoure of the lady and also blemyssheth the honoure of the quene of Castell her doughter / for then ye sholde ma¦ke her worse then a basterde / ye se howe y^e kyng of Castell wyll demaunde and thynke to con∣quere the royalme of Portyngale as his owne ryghtfull herytage by the ryght of his wyfe. Thus ye shode open clerely whiche is nowe somwhat in doubte and trouble / and without ye take good hede it wyll cost you your lyfe yf ye make y^e quene of Castel a bastarde / for they of this countrey susteyne her quarell / and say that she was borne in iust maryage by dyspen∣sacyon of the pope. Well sayd the knyght / then what is it best for me to do / we shall shewe you sayd they / the best that we thynke is y^t as sone as ye can gete you out of Castell and go agay¦ne to your enherytaunce in to Portyngale / & leue the lady Elyanoure here with her dough¦ter / we se none other saufegarde for you but this / by my fayth sayd y^e knyght I byleue you well for ye counsayle me truely and lyke good frendes. So this syr Iohn̄ Laurence of Coy∣gne taryed not longe after in Castell / but de∣parted and wente to Lyxbone / & there he foun¦de mayster Denyce now kynge and sayd how he was come to serue hym / and wolde be vn∣der his obeysaunce / for he wolde take hym for his kynge. Mayster Denyce had grete ioye & sayd howe he was welcome to hym / & so gaue hym agayne all his herytage and made hym capytayne of Lyxbone. Thus syr as I haue shewed you fell the busynes bytwene Portyn¦gale and Castell.