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 duke of Lancastre assay∣led the lordes / knyghtes / & squyers / that were in the bastydes before brest in Bretayne / and howe they defen∣ded themselfe. Ca. lxvii. (Book 47)

THus the duke of Lan∣castre and his company to∣ke lande a lytell besyde the castell of Brest and lefte all theyr horses & prouysyō styl in theyr shyppes / but all the ladyes & damoyselles toke lande to refresshe them y^e fyrst day they dyd no thynge but apparelled themselfe to lodge on y^e erthe / for .ii. or .iii. dayes in pauylyons along y^e see syde / & so there they lay all y^t day and that nyght / & the nexte mornyng y^e constable & mar¦shall of the army sowned theyr trompettes to cause euery mā to be armed / & so they dyd & in good ordre wente towarde y^e castell to y^e basty¦des whiche were strongely made in maner to haue endured a .ix. or .x. yeres & aboute y^e basti¦des / there were dykes / gates / towres / & good walles all made of grete tymbre / then the kny∣ghtes & squyers of Englonde suche as desyred dedes of armes came to the barryers of y^e basti¦des / & there begā to skyrmysshe w^t feruent wyl to wyn y^e bastydes / & the Bretons knyghtes / &

squyers that were within the bastydes were redy to defende them / and to the entente to fy∣ght more at large hande to hande / they dyd put away the barryers of theyr defences wher¦in they dyd grete foly / but they trusted to mo∣che in theyr owne chyualry / there was doone many a goodly feate of armes / and herde ren∣countrynges / and sore foynynge with speres / and they dyd best that had best breth / howbeit there were many of y^e Englysshmen / & therfore they gaue the Bretons moche a do / and so by clene force of armes the Englysshmen wanne the baylles so y^t within the closure of y^e towne there were mo then .C. men of armes so that y^e Bretons were at the poynte to haue lost all / & when syr Iohn̄ of Malestroyte & the vycount of Combor sawe the maner / then he cryed his crye and sayd what how syrs / shall we lose all thus / on forwarde in fyghtynge we sholde not faynte but outher dethe or honoure. Then the bretons closed togyder with grete courage / & pytched theyr speres and glayues in the erthe and helde strongly theyr place and fought cou¦ragyously / there were many fayre dedes of ar∣mes done / so that by force the Englysshe men were fayne to recule backe / for they were soo wel resysted that they coulde gete no grounde on them / so that they were clene beten out of y^e baylles / and so as on that day they coulde not wyn it agayne. And at another corner of theyr bastydes they had a towre of stone descendyn∣ge downe from a rocke / whiche the Bretons helde to theyr aduaūtage for kepynge of theyr bastydes. Therat was made a grete assaulte with archers and other in the meane season whyle the other men of armes were fyghtyng at the barryers / and there the Englysshe men passed ouer a lytell dyke that was there / and so came to the foote of the towre w^t pycke axes and mattockes in theyr handes / and so began to myne sore y^e towre / and suche as were with in defended themselfe & theyr towre valyaunt¦ly / but the Englysshe archers shotte soo hooly togyder that none durst appere at theyr defen¦ce without they were sore pauessed / and y^e En∣glysshe men vndermyned so sore the founda∣cyon of the towre that it raue clene in sondre / & the one parte fel downe / and they y^t were with in when they sawe it wolde fall / they drewe them all in to the parte that stode. Then y^e En¦glysshe men made a grete showte / and by that tyme it was late / then they sowned y^e retrayte for they sayd they had done ynoughe for that daye. So then the Englysshe men departed & sayd to the Bretons / syrs abyde there al nyght and make good watche / for to morow we wyll come / and loke on you agayne / ye se well ynou¦ghe what case ye be in / there is nothyng before you to shadowe you from vs.

THe entente of the Englysshe men was the nexte daye to retourne agayne to assayle the bastydes / and to conquere them & all suche as were within them / whiche was ry¦ght well in theyr puyssaunce soo to haue done So thus the Englysshe men passed the nyght it is often tymes sayd / moche thynges sholde fall of mennes thoughtes yf there were no coū¦tre thoughtes there agaynst / I say it bycause thoughe there were in the Englysshe oost sub¦tyll and wyse men of warre / yet the Bretons y^t were within the bastydes were suffycyently prouyded with wysdome / and welconsydered what thynge myght auayle them / & what thyn¦ge was for theyr domage / they sawe well they must nedes departe thens / or elles to be taken or slayne / then they determyned to truise that they myght / and to departe and leue theyr ba¦styde / as they ordeyned so they dyd / and lepte on theyr horses / and lefte theyr bastydes & to∣ke the feldes / and so toke the way to Hambont a .iiii. myle thens / they dyd wysely therin / for they feared no pursute of the Englysshe men / bycause theyr horses were not a lande. Thus syr Iohn̄ Malestroyte and his company rode y^e same nyght to Hānybout / they founde it opē then they feared but lytell the Englysshe men The nexte day the trompettes blewe and eue∣ry man in the oost armed hym / and drewe to∣warde the assaulte of the bastyde. Then they herde tydynges how the Bretons were depar¦ted and had lefte the bastyde voyde / then y^e En¦glysshmen repented them in that they had not layde a busshment for them / wherby they shol¦de not haue lost so theyr pray. Then they bra∣ke downe the bastyde & set fyre theron. Thus by the duke of Lancastre y^e bastydes were ray¦sed before Brest / & the same day the duke & syr Iohn̄ Holande & certayne other lordes wente to se the castell of Brest & the ladyes w^t them & there they ete a drāke & made chere & so wente agayne to theyr lodgynges / & y^e nexte day whi¦che was y^e .iii. day they refresshed theyr shyp∣pes w^t fresshe water & the .iiii. daye toke shyp∣pynge & so departed.

THe fourthe day after the duke and his company and the maryners toke coun¦sayle togyder whiche waye they sholde drawe

and whether they sholde take lande at Lyx∣bone or at the porte of Portyngale / or in Bys∣quay / or at Coulongne / and longe they were in counsayle or they were fully determyned / & Alphons Vietat patron of the galeys of Por∣tyngale was sente for to them / and y^e questyon was demaunded of hym / and he answered & sayd. Syrs for this cause I was sente to you out of Portyngale fro the kynge my mayster and syr knowe for trouthe that where soeuer ye aryue in his countrey / ye shall be ryght wel¦come to hym / & it shall be ryght ioyfull to hym for gretely he desyreth your comynge and to se you. So thus the space of an houre they were at a poynte to haue landed at the porte of Por¦tyngale a .xxx. myle from Lyxbone / Howbeit after they chaunged theyr purpose / for it was sayd amonge them that it were ferre more ho∣nourable for them to lande in the marches of theyr enemyes then in the lande of theyr fren∣des / saynge also that yf theyr enemyes knowe y^t they be landed on them they shal be the more feared then they rested to take lande at Cou∣longne in Galyce / y^e maryners set theyr course that way / and had wynde and wether at wyll and so after they departed fro Brest y^e .v. daye they came to the hauen of Coulongne and ta∣ryed for the fludde / wherfore they sholde not approche nere to the lande.

NOwe shall I shewe you of the knygh∣tes of Fraunce as the lorde of Barroys syr Iohn̄ Braquemont / syr Iohn̄ of Castell Morant / syr Peter of Bellames / syr Trystrā and other that were come in pylgrymage to y^e towne of Compostella / where lyeth the body of saynt Iames / and whē they had done theyr pylgrymage / and offered / and were in theyr lodgynges tydynges came to them howe the Englysshe men were on that coost / and by ly∣kelyhode to aryue at Coulongne or they coul∣de vntrusse theyr harneys and discharge theyr mules. Then they armed them quyckely / and determyned to go thyder to defende the porte / castell and towne there / and suche as knewe y^e countrey sayd syrs auaunce forwarde shorte∣ly for yf the Englysshe men happen to wynne the towne or Castell of Coulongne they wyll be lordes of all the countrey aboute / these kny∣ghtes dyd suche dylygence that they came the same nyght to the towne of Coulongne whi∣che was a .xiiii. longe myles thens / and a coū∣trey full wylde to laboure in. They came so to the poynte that they entred in to y^e towne and Castell the same season that the Englysshmen came in to the hauen / & of theyr comynge they of the towne and castell were ryght ioyfull / & all that nyght came after them theyr caryages and somers / and in the mornyng it was grete beautye to beholde entrynge in to the hauen y^e galeys and shyppes charged with men and prouysyon / and to here the trompettes & clary¦ons sounde / and the trompettes and claryons of y^e towne and castell dyd sounde in lykewyse agaynst them / thē y^e Englysshe men knew wel that men of warre were in the towne and Ca∣stel. Then they yssued out of theyr galeys and shyppes in to y^e feldes / not as then approchyn∣ge the towne / for they sawe well y^e towne was stronge and well prouyded of men of warre / & without the towne there were certayne fissher houses. There y^e Englysshe lordes made theyr lodgynges / and soo laye styll a .iiii. dayes do∣ynge none other thynge / but dyschargynge of theyr shyppes / they had so grete prouysyon / & theyr horses were set a lande / whiche had ben on y^e see a .xv. dayes sore oppressed what with the furoure of the see / and with the nombre of people in euery shyppe / yet they had ben well kepte / and had haye / ootes / and fresshe water sufficyent / whā euery thynge was voyded out of the galeys and shyppes / then it was demaū¦ded of y^e duke what he wolde haue done with his nauey / he answered and sayd / I wyll that al the maryners be payde of theyr wages / and then let euery man do his owne profyte I gy∣ue them good leue / for I wyll that euery man do knowe that I wyll neuer passe agayne the see in to Englonde tyll I haue my full plea∣sure of the royalme of Castell / or elles I wyll dye in the quarell / then y^e maryners were pay¦de so that euery man was contente / and so de∣parted when they myght out of the hauen of Coulongne / and some wente in to Portynga∣le / and some to Lyxbone / and some to Bayon or to Albay in Bretaygne / or in to Englande soo that none abode there behynde. Thus the duke of Lancastre and his men lodged with∣out Coulongne in suche lytell houses as they founde there / and abrode in the feldes in bow¦ers made of grene bowes lyke men of warre.

ABoute the space of a moneth and more the duke laye at Coulongne and reme¦ued not without it were a huntynge or a haw∣kynge / for y^e duke & other lordes of Englande had brought with them hawkes and houndes for theyr sporte / and sparowe hawkes for the

ladyes. Also they brought with them in y^e shyp¦pes mylles to grynde corne and ouyns to bake in / theyr foragers wente dayly a foragynge where as they thought to spede / howbeit they founde no grete plenty of forage / for they we∣re lodged in a poore countrey and a deserte / Wherfore they were dryuen to go ferre of for forage. And also they of the garyson of Cou∣longne as y^e barroys of barres who ryght wel coulde take a vauntage of his enemyes if nede were and his other companyons / When they sawe the Englysshe foragers ryde forthe so fo¦lysshly / they thought on a daye to be before thē and to make them pay for all they had before / so on a daye they armed them a .CC. and rode by guyde in the nyght aboute the woodes and mountaynes / and so at the brekyng of the day they came to a wood and to a mountayne cal∣led the Espynet and there taryed / For it, was shewed them howe the Englysshe foragers ro¦de abrode / & true it was to y^e nombre of .iii.C. And when these foragers had ben a brode a .ii. dayes and gotten moche forage / then they re∣tourned towarde theyr oost / and theyr waye laye to passe the pace of the pynet. Then they of the busshment brake out on them and cryed Barroys of barres. Then the foragers were abasshed / for the moost parte of them were vn∣armed / they had a syxe socore archers who dyd put themselfe in good ordre of defence / and be∣gan to shote / and dyd hurte and wounde men and horses / and when theyr shot was past they cast away theyr bowes and fell to other defen∣ce with suche wepons as they had / & some hyd them to saue themselfe / what sholde I make longe tale of these Englysshe foragers / there were slayne a .C C. and the other saued them∣selfe as wel as they myght in busshes & hedges where as horsmen coulde not come to them / & suche as fled came to Coulongne & there shew¦ed how y^e barroys of barres had ouerthrowen them / then they of the oost began to styre and to arme them / & syr Thomas Moreaux mar∣shal of the oost with a .CCCCC. mounted on theyr horses with the penon of saynt George & set forth with grete desyre to fynde the frensshe men / and rode soo longe that they came to the Espynet / and there they founde theyr men ly∣enge deed / and no thynge elles / for the frensshe men were departed / soo they retourned with∣out doynge of ony thyng elles / and when they were w^tin halfe a myle of theyr oost they sawe where the frensshmen entred in to theyr gary∣son of Coulongne / Wherwith they were sore dyspleased / but they coulde not amende it / and that day the marshal was sore blamed of some of the oost in that he sente forthe or suffered to go forth ony foragers without sure conduyte / consyderynge theyr enemyes beynge lodged so nere them in a sure holde / and of suche nom∣bre able to ouerthrowe .v. or a .vi.C. foragers / the duke of Lancastre & the Constable so bla∣med hym that he was sore ashamed therof / but he excused hymselfe & sayd howe they had ben forth more then .x. tymes before / & had no hurte Well sayd the duke take better hede another ty¦me / for a case may fall in an houre or in a daye that peraduenture shall not fall agayne in an hundreth dayes.