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 Laurence Fongase am∣bassadoure fro the kynge of Por∣tyngale in to Englonde / shewed to the duke of Lancastre the ma∣ner of the dyscorde that was by∣twene the royalmes of Castell & Portyngale. Ca. xliiii. (Book 44)

THe duke of Lancastre toke grete pleasure to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Laurence Fongase spe•••• he spake so attemperaci•••• ••o good Frensshe / and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bycause the matter touch•••• hym nere and to the en••e•••• that he wolde come to the botom of his desy•••• he sayd Laurence speke on hardely / I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 harde no straunger speke this two yere tha•• had rather here speke then you / for ye go to•• trouthe of the matter. Also the letters that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 haue brought to me fro the kynge of Portyn∣gale / testefyeth howe there is nothynge th•••• hath ben done bytwene Portyngale and Ca∣stell / but that ye can iustly informe me ther••▪ Syr sayd the squyer lytell thynge hath the•••• ben done as in dedes of armes / but that I ha∣ue ben at them / wherfore I can well speke of them / and syth it is your pleasure and volan∣te y^t I shall pursewe my wordes I shall shewe you euery thynge as I knowe. Thus as I shewed you before kynge Iohn̄ of Castel ass••∣bled his people as soone as he myght / and so came with a grete puysaunce and strength to¦wardes Lyxbone or the kynge of Portyngale that nowe is was crowned to put the Portyn¦gales in feare / and to shewe howe he hadde ryght to the herytage of Portyngale. And so fyrst he came before saynt yrayne whiche was the entre of Portyngale / & there he rested two dayes / they of the towne with the gouernours therof were in grete feare with his comynge / bycause of y^e grete nombre of men of warre y^t were with hym / and soo they yelded vp theyr towne to hym. And after he had taken theyr possessyon / and lefte men of armes to kepe the towne for feare of rebellyon. Then he depar∣ted with all his oost / and soo wente tyll he ca∣me before the towne of Tuy whiche was ry∣ght stronge / there he layde his syege / and a grete parte of them of Tuy helde with the que∣ne of Castell / For the lady Elyanoure had it lymytted to her for her dowry / Wherfore ly∣ghtely they yelded them to the kynge of Ca∣stell / and became his subiectes / and was vn∣der his obeysaunce. And when the kynge of Castell hadde taken possessyon there / he lefte men of armes to kepe it. And when he hadde soo done / he passed the ryuer and wente to the towne of Valencennes in Portyngale / and thereto layde his syege / and he sente his messa¦gere vnto them that were whithin / that they sholde yelde them and theyr towne vnto hym.

And they of Valence answered and sayd / let the kynge of Castell passe forth and go to Lix¦bone / and as soone as they myght knowe that he hath wonne that cyte outher by loue / feare / or perforce / that then incontynente they wol∣de delyuer vp the keyes of theyr towne to hym This answere pleased ryght well the kynge of Castell / and so departed fro Valence / In ly¦kewise dyd they of another cyte called Serpe whiche was stronge and fayre / the kyng thou¦ght to haue gone thyder / but when he knewe theyr composycyon / he was content and came not there / but so toke the waye to Lyxbone / for he knewe yf he myght subdue that cyte he shol¦de haue all the resydue of the countrey at his case / and where soeuer he wente he had with hym the quene his wyfe to shewe therby to y^e Portyngales that the ryght was his and that by good and iust cause he wolde conquere his wy••••es herytage.

THus kyng Iohn̄ of Castell came with all his oost before Lyxbone / and there layde a grete syege / & shewed wel by his syege that he wolde not departe thens tyll he had y^e cyte at his pleasure / and gretly thretened may¦ster Denyce / who was within y^e cyte and sayd howe that yf he myght gete hym / he sholde dye an euyll dethe / and all the rebelles with hym. The kynge of Castelles oost was grete for he had moche people / for the Spanyardes and Frensshe men that were there closed so y^e Cyte aboute that none coulde yssue out nor entre w^t out he were taken or slayne / & somtyme it fell by skyrmysshes and otherwyse that the Spa∣nyardes toke some Portyngales / then y^e Spa¦nyardes wolde put out theyr eyen / or stryke of a fote or an arme or some other membre / and so sente them in agayne in to the cyte commaū¦dynge them to saye that they dyd / they dyd in dyspyte of y^e Lyxbonoys and of theyr mayster Denyce whom they wolde make theyr kynge and also shewe them playnly that we shall hol∣de this syege here so longe that we shall haue them perforce / by famyne or otherwyse / & then they shall all dye an euyll dethe / and set fyre on the cyte without mercy or pyre. And when the Lyxbonoys toke ony of them they dyd not so / for the kynge that nowe is of Portyngale ma¦de them to be well kepte at theyr ease / & so sent them agayne in to the oost without ony hurte or domage of theyr persones / wherfore some sayd in y^e oost that it was done of a grete gen∣tylnes / for he rendred good for euyll. And syr whyle this syege endured whiche was an ho∣le yere and more / euery weke there was one or two skyrmysshes and dedes of armes done / & some hurte and slayne on the one parte or on the other. The kynge of Castell helde as well his syege by water as by lande and had plen∣te of vytaylles / for it came to his oost from all partyes out of Castell / and on a day it happe∣ned at a skyrmysshe that was made at one of y^e gates / syr Iohn̄ Laurence of coygne who was capytayne of the Cyte yssued out of the barry∣ers with his penon of the armes of Coygne be¦fore hym / and with hym a good nombre of pro¦pre men of warre / and at that skirmysshe there was done many a propre feate of armes / and many a darte cast. By my fayth sayd the duke of Lancastre of all the feates of armes that the Castellyans and they of your countrey dothe vse / the castynge of theyr dartes best pleaseth me / & gladly I wolde se it / for as I here say yf they stryke one aryght / without he be well ar∣med the darte wyll perce hym thrughe / by my fayth syr sayd the squyer ye saye trouthe / for I haue sene many a grete stroke gyuen w^t them / whiche at one tyme cost vs derely and was to vs grete dyspleasure / for at y^e sayd skyrmysshe syr Iohn̄ Laurence of Coygne was stryken w^t a darte in suche wyse that the heed perced all the plates of his cote of mayle and a iacke stop¦ped with sylke and passed thrughe his body / so that he fel downe deed / and therwith seased the skyrmysshe bycause of y^e dethe of y^t knyght and so was the lady Elyanoure a wydowe in one yere of bothe her husbandes.

FOr this syr Iohan Laurence of Cygne was made grete mone / for he was a va¦lyaūt knyght & full of good counsayle / & after his dethe there was chosen to be capytayne of Lyxbone a cosyne of his a ryght valyaunt mā called pouuasse of Coyne / he made agaynst y^e Spanyardes thre or foure yssues / and dyd to them grete domage. ¶Thus contynued the syege at Lyxbone / and surely often tymes they within the towne were sore abasshed / for they coulde se no comforte come to them frome ony parte / and when they sawe that none came out of Englonde wheron lay all theyr trust. Thē the kynge that nowe is was counsayled to ha∣ue taken a shyp / and so to haue come hyder in to Englonde / for syr Iohn̄ Vadigothz of passe

syr Iohn̄ Cete Dore / and the archedeacon of Lyxbone whom they had sent hyther in to En¦glonde to the kynge here & to you / & to the erle of Cambrydge your broder for to haue some cōforte & ayde / when they retourned in to Lyx∣bone they brought tydynges howe y^t ye wolde haue comforted them / in the name of god sayd the duke / all that is of trouthe / & so had I done and was redy and at y^e poynte to haue depar∣ted / but as then the warre of Flaundres and of Gaunte dyd let me / for the Gauntoys came hy¦der for ayde and helpe / and so all suche or the moost parte of them that sholde haue gone w^t me in to Portyngale wente in to Flaundres with y^e bysshop of Norwyche syr Henry percy & so that letted my iourney in to Portyngale / in the name of god sayd y^e squyer / it was thou∣ght amonge vs that there was some grete let in Englonde so y^t you coulde not come hyder / howbeit we dyd as well as we myght / & mayn¦teyned ourselfe valyauntly agaynst the kyng of Castell and all his puyssaunce / whiche was no small thynge / for he had mo then .lx.M. mē by see and by lande / and thretened to byrne / & to exyle vs without mercy. And syr thus why∣le this syege endured an erle of our countrey of Portyngale called the erle of Angouse dyd vs on a day grete socour / wherby he attayned grete honoure / for he with .xx. Galeys aryued at the porte of Portyngale with a good nom∣bre of men of armes & prouysyon / & so came say¦lynge by y^e see before Valence / and thrughe y^e grace of god he came by y^e kynge of Castelles army as they lay at ancre before Lixbone who were mo then a .C. grete vesselles / howbeit he dyd his entrepryse so gracyously / and had the wynde at so good a poynte / that in dyspyte of all his enemyes / he entred saufely without pe∣ryll with all his galeys in to the hauen of Lyx¦bone / and at his comynge in conquered .iiii. shyppes of his enemyes / & brought them with hym in to y^e hauen / of whose comynge all that were in Lyxbone were ryght ioyous / for it cō∣forted them gretely. By my fayth sayd the du∣ke of Lancastre the erle of Angouse at y^t tyme dyd you a fayre seruyce. But nowe fayre Lau¦rence shewe me howe was this syege raysed / and by what maner / I wolde gladly here you speke therof / syr sayd the squyer I shall shewe you with ryght a good wyll.

AS I haue shewed you the syege endu∣red more then a yere before Lyxbone / & the kynge of Castell had sworne and auowed that he wolde not departe frome the syege tyll he had the cyte vnder his obeysaunce / without the puyssaunce of a gretter kynge then he was raysed hym therfro by force. And truly al thyn¦ges consydered the kynge of Castel kepte wel his auowe / for y^e puyssaunce of a gretter kyng then he was raysed hym / and caused hym to de¦parte / I shall shewe you howe / a pestylence & mortalyte meruaylous ferefull fell in his oost in suche wyse that mē dyed sodeynly / spekyng one to another / there dyed mo then .xx.M. per¦sones / wherof y^e kyng was sore afrayde / wher∣fore it was counsayled hym to departe thens / and to drawe to saynt yrayne / or to some other parte / and breke vp the syege / and to gyue le∣ue to his people to departe tyll the pestylence were seased / whiche he dyd sore agaynst his wyll / bycause he had sworne so solemply to ke¦pe y^e syege / howbeit of necessyte he was fayne to departe. Therfore syr we say / and hath ben sayd in Portyngale / and it is the comon opy∣nyon / that god dyd sende that pestylence in to the kyng of Castelles oost to ayde vs and our kynge that nowe is / for in the cyte wherin we were closed / there dyed nother man nor womā of y^• sykenes / this grace god dyd for vs. And when the kynge of Castell dyslodged fro Lyx¦bone / the kynge of Portyngale that nowe is caused all suche as were within the cyte to be armed / and to lepe on theyr horses / and to fo∣lowe the trayne of the kynge of Castelles oost and there we dyd then grete domage / for they dyslodged not in good aray / wherby they ••ost parte of theyr men & promocyon / but the kyng of Portyngale made a crye / that on payne of dethe no ma to take ony thynge y^t they founde in the felde / nor to brynge ony thyng therof in to the cyte / but commaunded euery thynge to be brente to the entent that it sholde brynge no infeccyon in to the cyte. So prouysyon & eue∣ry thynge was conuerted in to flame of fyre / howbeit I thynke suche as founde other gol∣de or syluer in money or place brent it not / but saued it as well as they myght. So thus the kyng of castel wente to saynt prayne at y^e entre of his countrey / & there taryed a season / & sent for more socour in to Fraūce / & specyally in to Gascoyne & Byerne / & in to y^e lādes of y^e erle of Foys / & he sent thyder .iii. somers laden w^t no∣bles of castel & floreyns to gyue in prest to kny¦ghtes & squyers / for he knewe well otherwyse

he sholde not haue them come out of theyr hou¦ses. And when the barons and knyghtes of y^e royalme of Portyngale on y^e partye of y^e kyng that nowe is sawe howe the kynge of Castell had raysed his syege / whiche had endured mo¦re then a yere / they toke then grete courage / & so dyd all the comons of the countrey / and spe∣cyally they of Porte Ewre / and Connymbres Then they toke counsayle togyder shortely to crowne to theyr kynge mayster Denyce whom they had chosen and gyuen hym theyr loue / & sayd how that it was goddes wyll y^t he sholde be theyr kynge / for he had shewed his vertue agaynst the Spanyardes / then a commaun∣dement was made thrughout all Portyngale euery mā to come to Cōmmbres at a certayne daye lymytted to the Coronacyon of mayster Denyce / all suche as toke his parte came thy∣der / and accordynge to the puyssaunce of that royalme there was moche people / there kyn∣ge Iohn̄ of Portyngale was crowned by the bysshoppes and prelates of the royalme with grete solempnyte as it aperteyned / on trynyte ••ondaye the yere of our lorde god .M.CCC.lxxx. and .iiii. In the cathedrall chyrche of Cō∣nymbres called saynt Maries / whiche daye y^e kyng made newe knyghtes / what of his owne countrey as of straungers to y^e nombre of .lx. There was kepte a grete feest .ii. or .iii. dayes and there the kynge renewed all homages of Erles / barons / knyghtes / and squyers / and su¦che as helde of hym / and there the kyng sware to kepe the royalme in ryght and Iustyce / and to maynteyne al theyr iurysdyccyons / and eue¦ry man sware to take hym for theyr kynge and his heyres comynge of hym / male / or female that to dye in the payne neuer to forsake them thus kynge Iohn̄ of Portyngale was crow∣ned kynge.

WHen the kynge of Castell knewe how the comons of Portyngale had crow∣ned mayster Denyce to theyr kynge / & had sworne to hym faythe and homage / then he was more dyspleased then he was before / for he had thought they wolde not haue done it so sodeynly bycause he had many of the no∣bles of Portyngale with hym / then he sayd. I se well it behoueth me perforce to conquere y^t is myne yf I wyll haue it / there shall neuer be peace bytwene Castell and Portyngale tyll y^e Portyngales haue amended y^t they haue done And so after the kynge was crowned he came to Lyxbone / and there taryed & toke grete dy∣lygence to set in a good way y^e busynes of his royalme / & to gete therby the grace / good wyl and loue of his people / and sent his knyghtes and men of warre in to dyuers garysons / in to townes & castelles on the fronters of Spay¦ne / for y^e kynge of Castell lay at Sybyll. The kyng of Portyngale sent in garyson to Tren¦touse syr Iohn̄ Ferant Perteler / an experte man of armes / a valyaunt knyght & of hyghe entrepryse / and with hym syr Martyn Vas of Coygne / & his broder syr Wyllyā Vas two ex¦perte knyghtes / & they had vnder them .CC. speres of good men of warre well horsed / & to y^e castell of Lene towarde Iuberoth was sente syr Iohn̄ Radygos with a .l. speres / and to y^e cyte of Valence in Portyngale was sente syr Iohn̄ Iames of Saulles / to lye in garyson agaynst the stronge towne of Tuy / whiche was as then yelden to y^e kynge of Castell whē he came towarde Lyxbone / and in Tuy there lay in a garyson a grete nombre of men of ar∣mes Frensshe and Castellyans / and to y^e cyte of Serpe was sente syr Nondech Radygo a noble knyght with .l. speres / but to Porte / to Ewre / and to Connymbres was sente no men of warre / for the kynge thought them stronge ynoughe of themselfe / and true and faythfull to hym. Thus syr in the same yere y^t the kyng was thus crowned / the garysons were well prouyded for / and often tymes there were en∣countrynges / skyrmysshes / and assawtes on bothe partyes / one tyme our men wanne / and another tyme they lost as the aduenture of ar∣mes falleth / but specyally there was afore en∣countre by them of the garyson of Treucouse agaynst the Castellyans. A Laurence sayd y^e duke of Lanclastre passe not the matter so bre¦uely / but let me knowe howe it was and what was done when they mette in the feldes / for I wolde gladly here spekyng of dedes of armes Syr sayd the squyer I shall shewe you what was there done / for at the same renconntre I was present & bare y^t day y^e baner of syr Iohn Ferant Perteler by whom the busynes began for he was as then capytayne of Treutouse.

THe kynge of Castell had prouyded mē of warre on y^e fronters of Portyngale who somtyme do to vs domage assembled thē selfe togyder and toke y^e feldes / and somtyme lost and somtyme wanne. And so on a season a vii. capytaynes of Spanyardes good knygh¦tes and of hyghe lygnage assembled them to∣gyder with the nombre of .iii.C. speres well

horsed hauynge grete desyre to do vs domage as they well shewed / for they came and entred in to Portyngale and toke a grete praye and many prysoners / and yf they had wolde they myght haue entred agayne in to Castell with out ony encountrynge / but they were soo hy∣ghe mynded and prowde that they sayd they wolde goo and se the garyson of Treutouse / they of y^e playne countrey fledde before them / soo that tydynges of them came in to Treu∣touse / and when syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Partelere knewe the Castellyans rode abrode / he called for his harneys / and caused the trompettes to besowned / and so awoke all the knyghtes and squyres in the towne / euery man armed hym in grete haste / and mounted on theyr horses / and yssued out of Treutouse / and when they were in y^e feldes they were a .CC. & so put thē∣selfe in good ordre / and shewed howe they had grete affeccyon to fynde theyr enemyes / and demaunded of them that came flyenge in to y^e towne where theyr enemyes were / and they answered and sayd howe they were not farre thens / and howe they rode but a softe pace by∣cause of the grete praye that they caryed with them / With those tydynges syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Partelere was ryght ioyous and sayd to his company / as to syr Iohn̄ Martyne of Vas / & syr Wyllyam Vas his broder. Syrs I requy¦re you let vs auaunce forwarde I wyll not en¦tre in to ony towne or Castell in Portyngale tyll I haue sene our enemyes / and fyght with them / and put to my payne and trauayle to re∣couer the praye and prysoners that they leede with them / and then he sayd to me. Laurence dysplay my baner / for it is tyme / we shall fyn∣de shortely our enemyes / then I dyd as he cō∣maunded me / and so we rode forthe a good pa¦ce / and at the last we sawe where the dust rose with the horses of our enemyes / then we toke the vauntage of the sone and came on them / & when y^e Castellyans sawe vs they helde them∣selfe close togyder / and ordred themselfe / and set theyr prysoners and pray on theyr one syde & we approched so nere togyder that we my∣ght speke to them / and they to vs / and then we sawe howe they had .iii. baners / and .iiii. pe∣nons / and to our Iudgement a .CCC. horse. Fyrst there was syr Iohn̄ Radigos de Caste∣nans knyght and baron in Castell / syr Sylue grefye of Albenes / syr Adioutall of Tolet of Cassell / syr Iohn̄ Radigo of Eure / and Dio∣stenses of Angouse / & when we were before thē we lyghted on foote / and in lykewyse soo dyd they / and delyuered theyr horses to pages and varlettes / and or we began to cast darces or to doo ony feate of armes the capytaynes spake eche to other / I that was there present herde all the wordes that were spoken on bothe par∣tyes / for my mayster syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Parte¦lere whose baner I bare was one of y^e formest and y^e wordes that were spoken were by hym and to hym. Fyrst he demaunded why they ro∣de in Portyngale ledynge away suche prayes and prysoners as they had taken / then syr Adi∣outall of Tolet answered and sayd they wol∣de ryde as they lyst / to punysshe them that be dysobeysaunt to the kynge of Castel to whom the herytage of Portyngale perteyned / and by rause they founde them rebelles / therfore they sayd they ouer rynne y^• countrey & take prayes and prysoners. Well syrs sayd syr Iohn̄ Fer∣rant ye shall not lede them longe / for we wyll rescue them / ye haue noo ryght to come and to ouer rynne this countrey / ye knowe wel ynou¦ghe we haue a kynge all redy who wyll kepe his royalme in ryght and kepe Iustyce / & pu∣nysshe theues and robbers. Therfore we saye vnto you in his behalfe / all that ye haue taken in the royalme of Portyngale leue it behynde you and departe hens / or elles in our ryght & iust quarell we wyll fyght with you / then the Spanyardes answered / y^e prysoners that we haue taken we wyll not delyuer agayne / but as for y^e other praye we wyll take aduyse. Thē the .vii. capytaynes of Castell drewe them to∣gyder / and shewed that for all that they were come to se the garyson of Treutouse / yet they wolde haue ben glad to haue departed with∣out batayle / and when they had counsayled / thē they sayd howe they wolde leue theyr pray behynde them / but the prysoners they wolde lede with them / Nay not so sayd the Portyn∣gales / for we wyll ye leue all / or elles ye shall haue batayle / and so wente togyder / and there was a sore batayle for there were on bothe par¦tyes good men of warre / and the felde where as they fought was fayre and playne they cast eche at other dartes so sore that who soo euer was stryken without he were wel armed was slayne or sore hurte / there were many propre feates of armes done / and there syr Iohn̄ Fer∣rant Partelere fought with an axe ryght va∣lyauntly / and so dyd his .ii. companyons / on the other partye the Spanyardes fought ry∣ght valyauntly. Thus they fought the space of .iii. houres / whiche was meruayle that mē coulde endure so longe in theyr armure fygh∣tynge /

but the grete dysyre that eyther partye had to wynne honoure caused them to endure the more payne / and syr surely Spanyardes and Portyngales are harde men in batayle / & specyally when they se it is of necessyte / thus they fought longe that no mā knewe who had the better / theyr batayle was so egall. And syr thanked be god there was nother baner nor penon on our syde that day ouerthrowen / but fynally theyr syde began to open and were be∣ten downe on euery syde / so that the dyscomfy¦ture fell on them / then theyr pages fled awaye to saue themselfe / and of the .vii. capytaynes y^t were there present / there scaped away but one & that was y^e meanes of his page who brou¦ght hym his horse / he dyd his mayster good seruyce that day / and y^t was Adyentall Cassel all the other .vi. were slayne / for there was ne∣uer a man taken to raunsome. Thus syr Iohn̄ Ferrant Partelere & his company obtayned the vyctory of theyr enemyes / who were thre agaynst two / and this was on a tuysday in the moneth of Octobre nere to Treutouse / in the yere of our lorde .M.CCC.lxxx. and .iiii.