¶Howe syr Symon Burle wolde ha¦ue had by his counsayle saynt Tho∣mas of Cauntorburyes shryne remo¦ued to the castell of Douer / wherby he acheued grete hate. Ca. lv. (Book 55)
SIr Symon Burle was capytayne of the castel of Do¦uer / and he herde often tymes newes out of Calays by the fysshers / for they kepte styll theyr custome of fysshynge. Somtyme before Boloyne & before the porte of Whytsande and when other frensshe fysshers met with them they wolde tel eche other tydynges somtyme more then they knewe / for the fysshers of the see what soo euer warre was bytwene Englande and Fraunce / they dyd no hurte one to another / but were as frendes aydynge eche other and bought & sol∣de eche with other fysshe if one sped better then another for yf they sholde haue made war one wt another / there durst none haue gone a fyssh¦ynge wtout conduyte of men of warre / thus syr Symon Burle vnderstode by ye fysshers that surely the frensshe kynge wolde passe ouer in to Englande and take landyng at Douer and at Sandwytche / syr Symon byleued wel tho∣se wordes and thought it was true and so dyd all englande / so on a daye he came to Cauntor¦bury and wente to the abbaye / and there they demaunded of hym tydynges / and he shewed as moche as he knewe / and by his wordes he shewed that saynt Thomas shryne whiche is goodly and ryche was not there in surety by∣cause the towne was not stronge / and he sayd that if the frensshemen sholde come thyder whi¦che by all lykelyhode they wolde do / for Coue∣tyse of wynnynge the robbers & pyllers wolde robbe that towne and abbey chyrche and all / & they wyll cary awaye with them the shryne yf they fynde it here / wherfore I wolde counsayle and aduyse you to cary it to ye castell of Douer there it shal be in suretye thoughe al englande were lost / then the abbot and all the couent to∣ke his counsayle / though he ment well in grete dyspyte and dyspleasure / sayenge syr Symon wyll ye depose our chyrche fro our sygnory / yt ye be afrayde make yourselfe sure / for thoughe ye close yourselfe with in ye castell of Douer forfere / yet the frensshmen shall not be so hardy to come hyder to vs / and so Symon Burle mul∣typlyed so moche inwardes in maynteynynge his request ye the comons of the countrey were sore displeased with hym and reputed hym not profytable for yt countrey / and ryght well they shewed after theyr dyspleasure as ye shall here in the story / So syr Symon Burley wente to Douer agayne.
THe frensshe kynge came to Lysle to she∣we that ye iourney pleased hym / and to approche the soner to his passage / so the kyng approched / and it was sayd in Flaunders and in Actoys / they shall take shyppyng outher on Satterday / monday / or tuysday / so that in eue¦ry day in y• weke it was sayd he sholde departe to morowe or ye nexte day after / and his broder the duke of Tourayne / & the bysshop of Beaw¦uoys chauncellour of Fraunce & dyuers other grete lordes toke theyr leue of ye kyng at Lysl and they retourned to Parys / & it was shewed me howe the kynge had gyuen the gouernyng of the royalme to his broder the duke of Tou∣rayne tyll his retourne agayne / with the ayde of dyuers other lordes of Fraunce suche as we¦re not ordeyned to go in to Englande as ye erle of Bloys and other / & yet all the season ye duke of Berry was behynde & came but fayre & ease∣ly / for he had no grete appetyte to go in to En∣glande / & his longe taryeng was dyspleasaūt to the kynge & to the duke of Burgoyne and to the other lordes / they wolde gladly he had ben come / styll grete prouysyon was made whiche was costly and dere a thynge not worth a fran¦ke was solde for .iiii. howebeit for all that mo∣ney was not spared / for euery man desyred to be well stuffed of euery thynge / in maner of en¦uy euery mā to be better appoynted then other and thoughe the grete lordes were well payde theyr wages other poore companyons bought the bergayne / for they were owynge for a mo∣nethes wages / and yet coulde gete nothynge / the treasourer of the warres and clarkes of ye chambre of accomptes sayd / syrs abyde tyll the nexte weke and then ye shall be payde / and soo they were answered wekely / & yf ony payment were made to them / it was but for .viii. dayes / and were owynge .viii. wekes / soo that some