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 a squyer called Iaques le Grys was accused in the par∣lyament house at Parys before all the lordes there present / by a knyght called Iohn̄ of Carong∣ne / and what Iugement was gyuen vpon them / and howe they Iusted at vtteraunce in Pa¦rys / in a place called saynt Kathe¦ryne behynde the temple. And howe Iaques le Grys was con∣founded. Ca. lxi. (Book 61)

IN this tyme grete bru¦te there was in fraunce and in the lowe marches of a fe∣ate of armes that sholde be done at Parys in vtteraun¦ce / for soo the matter was Iudged in the parlyament chambre at Parys. The whiche plee hadde en¦dured a yere bytwene these two partyes / the one was asquyer called Iaques le Grys / and the other partye was a knyght called Iohn̄ of Carongne / and they were bothe of the lande & housholde of the erle Peter of alanson / & they were welbyloued of theyr lorde / and specyally this squyer Iaques le Grys was byloued and trysted with his lorde aboue ony other perso∣ne in his courte or housholde / and bycause that mortall batayle folowed bytwene them / and they beynge bothe of one lordes housholde / euery man hadde grete meruayle therof. Soo that out of dyuers countreys grete multytude of people came to Parys at the daye of batay∣le for to se it / I shall shewe you the hole matter I as was then enfourmed.

SOo it was that on a season this kny∣ght called Iohn̄ of Carongne toke an entrepryse vpon hym to goo ouer the see for the auauncement of his honoure / where vnto he hadde ben longe tyme to accomplysshe ¶Soo he departed from his lorde the erle of Alanson to doo his voyage. And also he toke his leue of his wyfe / who as then was reputed a fayre lady and a yonge / and he lefte her in a castell of his owne on the marches of Perche / otherwyse called Argentuell / and so entred in to his voyage / and his wyfe laye styll at her ca¦stell in a wyse and sage maner.

¶Soo here beganne the matter by the deuyl∣les temptacyon whiche entred in to the body of the squyer Iaques le Grys / who was with the erle of Alanson his lorde / for he was as one of his counsayle. And so he determyned in his mynde to doo an euyll dede whiche he derely bought afterwarde. Howbeit the euyll that he dyd coulde neuer be proued in hym / nor he wol¦de neuer confesse it: This squyer Iaques le Grys sette his mynde on the wyfe of the fore∣sayd knyght Iohn̄ of Carongne in the absen∣ce of her husbande / and he knewe well that she was in the castell of Argentuell but with her owne company and housholde seruauntes.

¶And soo on a mornynge he toke a good hors and departed from Alanson and so rode on the spurres with grete haste tyll he came to the la∣dyes castell / and when he was thyder come the ladyes seruauntes made hym good chere by∣cause theyr mayster and he were companyons and felowes togyder / and serued bothe one lor¦de and mayster / and as for the lady she thou∣ght none euyll in hym for she knewe nothynge of his entente / nor wherfore he was come thy∣ther / Howbeit swetely she receyued hym / and ledde hym in to her chambre / and shewed hym parte of her busynes: Then this squyer Fa∣ques le Grys to accomplysshe his folysshe ap∣petyte desyred the lady that he myghte se the dongeon / for he sayd it was a grete parte of his comynge thyder to se it. The lady lyghtly graunted hym his desyre / and soo she and he wente thyder all alone / and nother chamberer nor varlet entred with them / for the lady had noo mystrust in hym of ony dyshonoure / and as sone as they were entred in to the dongeon Iaques le Grys closed the doore after theym.

The lady knewe not therof / for she wente on before / and thought that the wynde had shotte the dore and so when they were togyder thus alone Iaques toke the lady in his armes and enbraced her / and dyscouered to her his entent The lady was sore abasshed and wolde glad∣ly haue gone to the dore / but she coulde not for he was a bygge man / and so layde her downe on the carpe•• and so by force dyd his pleasure with her and when he had done what he lyst he opened the dore and so departed / and the la∣dy sore dyspleased and abasshed of y^t aduēcure 〈…〉〈…〉 alone in the donteon∣but at the kny¦ghtes departed she sayd wypynge / Iaket Ia∣ket ye haue not well done thus to shame me / but the blame shall not rest on me / but on you yf god suffre my husbande ones to retourne home agayne. Soo Iaket toke his horse and departed and rode agayne to his mayster the erle o•• Alanson and was there at his rysynge aboute .ix. of the clocke and at .iiii. of y^e clocke mo••e mornynge he was sene there before / I shall shewe you why I speke these wordes by∣cause of the grete plee that folowed after / for y^e comyssaryes of the parly ament of Parys had the matter in eramynacyon. Thus the lady of Carongne abode styl in her castel after this so¦rowfull deed was done to her / and dyscouered the matter to no creature / but kepte her sorowe as secrete as she myght for she sawe wel to spe¦ke as then therof the myght haue more blame then honoure / but she remembred well the day houre and tyme that the dede was doone / and soo after the tyme came that the lorde of Ca∣roagne came home from his voyage / the lady his wyfe made hym good chere / the day passed and the nyght came / and the knyght wente to bedde and the lady wolde not / wherof the kny∣ght had grete meruayle and often desyred her to come to bedde and euer she blessyd her and walked vp and downe the chambre studyenge and musynge fynally when all her seruauntes were gone to bedde / then she came to her hus∣bande and fell downe on her knees and lamen¦tably shewed hym all her aduenture / the kny∣ght coulde not byleue her. Howbeit the lady 〈◊〉〈◊〉 soo moche that he agreed well that it was so and sayd certaynly lady syth y^e matter is so as ye shewe me I pardon you / but the knyght shall 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or his dede by the aduyse and coun∣sayle of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 frendes and youres. And yf your 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be founde vntrue ye shall neuer come in my company. The lady euer more and mo∣re 〈…〉〈…〉 that it was true so that night passed. The nexte daye the knyght wrote ma∣ny letters and sente them to all his wyffes fren¦des / and also to his owne / soo that in a shorte tyme they were all come and assembled togy∣der at the castell of Argentuell / and when they were all in a chambre / then he began to shewe them the cause why he hadde sent for them / and there made his wyfe to shewe them all the mat¦ter fro poynte to poynte / wherof they all hadde grete meruayle / so there he demaunded of thē counsayle / and he was counsayled that he shol¦de drawe to his lorde the erle of Alanson and shewe hym all the matter / and soo he dyd / and the erle who gretely loued this foresayd Ia∣ques le Grys wolde not byleue hym / and soo gaue daye to the partyes to be before hym at a day lymytted. And also he commaunded that the lady that hadde appeched Iaques le Grys sholde be there presente for to shewe the more playnly the trouthe of the matter / and soo she was with a grete nombre of her lygnage / soo the pletynge was grete and longe in the erles presence. And Iaques le Grys was accused of his dede by the knyght the lorde of Carongne by relacyon of his wyfe who shewed there the case as it was fallen / Iaques le Grys exscused hymselfe sayenge howe he was not gylty ther∣in / and the lady layde it sore to his charge / and he euer denyed it / and hadde meruayle by his wordes why the lady dyd hate hym / he proued by them of the erle of Alansons house that the same daye at foure of the clocke in the mornyn¦ge he was sene there in his maysters castell / and his mayster sayd and affyrmed that at .ix. of the clocke he was with hym at his vp rysyn¦ge / wherfore the erle sayd it was not possyble for hym to go and come and to do that dede in foure houres and an halfe to ryde .xxiii. myles wherfore the erle sayd to the lady howe she dyd but dreame it / wherfore he wolde maynteyne his squyer and commaunded the lady to speke noo more of the matter. But the knyght who was of grete courage / and well trusted and by leued his wyfe wolde not agree to that oppe∣nyon / but soo wente to Parys / and shewed the matter there at the parlyament / and there ap∣peled Iaques le Grys who appered and an∣swered to his appele and there layde in pled∣ges to accomplysshe the ordenaunce of the par¦lyament.

THe plee bytwene them endured more then a yere and an halfe / and they coul¦de not be agreed / for the foresayd knyght helde

hymselfe sore of the informacyon of his wyfe and bycause the matter was so sore publysshed abrode he sayd he wolde maynteyne his qua∣rell to the dethe / wherwith the erle of Alanson was sore dyspleased with the poore knyght / & often tymes wolde haue had hym slayne / but that the matter was in the parlyament / so lon∣ge theyr plee endured y^t the parlyament deter∣myned bycause the lady coulde make no proffe agaynst Iaques le Grys but by her owne wor¦des / that there sholde be batayle at vtteraunce bytwene them / and soo on a daye prefyxed the knyght and his wyfe / and the squyer beynge present Iudgement was gyuen / that the nexte mondaye after mortall batayle sholde be done bytwene the knyght and the squyer / whiche was in the yere of oure lorde god .M.CCC. lxxx. and .vii. At whiche tyme the frensshe kyn¦ge and his lordes were at Sluse to the entente to passe ouer the see in to Englande / and when the kynge herde of that matter howe a daye of batayle was taken to be at Parys / the kynge sayd he wolde se that batayle bytwene the kny¦ght and the squyer / the duke of Berre / the du∣ke of Borgoyne / the duke of Borbone / and the constable of Fraunce / who had also grete desy¦re to se that batayle sayd to the kynge / syr it is good reason that ye be there and that it be do∣ne in your presence / then the kynge sent to Pa∣rys comaundynge that the iourney & batayle bytwene the squyer and y^e knyght sholde be re¦longed tyl his comynge to Parys / and so his cōmaundement was obeyed.

SO the kynge then retourned fro Slu∣se and helde the feest of Crystmas at Arras / and the duke of Borgoyne at Lysle. And in the meane season all other men of warre passed and retourned in to Fraunce / euery man to his place as it was ordeyned by the marshalles / but the grete lordes retourned to Parys to se the sayd batayle. Thus the kyn¦ge and his vncles and the constable came to Parys. Then the lystes were made in a place called saynt Katheryne behynde the temple / there was soo moche people that it was mer∣uayle to beholde / and on the one syde of the ly∣stes there was made grete scaffoldes that the lordes myght the better se the batayle of the .ii. champyons / and so they bothe came to the fel∣de armed at all peaces / and there eche of them was set in theyr chayre / the erle of saynt Poule gouerned Iohn̄ of Carongne and the erle of Alansons company with Iaques le Grys / and when the knyght entred in to the felde he came to his wyfe who was there syttynge in a chay¦re couered in blacke / and he sayd to her thus / Dame by your enformacyon and in your qua∣rell I do put my lyfe in aduenture as to fyght with Iaques le Grys / ye knowe if the cause be iust and true / syr sayd the lady / it is as I haue sayd wherfore ye maye fyght surely / the cause is good and true / with those wordes the kny∣ghte kyssed the lady and toke her by the hande and then blessyd hym and soo entred in to the felde / the lady sate styll in the blacke chayre in her prayers to god and to the vyrgyne Mary humbly prayenge them by theyr specyall gra∣ce to sende her husbande the vyctory accordyn∣ge to the ryght he was in / this lady was in gre¦te heuynes ••or she was not sure of her lyfe / for yf her husbande sholde haue ben dyscomfyted she was Iudged without remedy to be brente and her husbande hanged / I can not say whe∣ther she repented her or not y^t the matter was so forwarde / that bothe she and her husbande were in grete peryll / howbeit fynally she must as then abyde the aduenture. Then these two champyons were set one agaynst another and so mounted on theyr horses / and behaued them nobly / for they knewe what perteyned to dea∣des of armes / there were many lordes and kny¦ghtes of Fraunce that were come thyder to se that batayle / y^e two champyons iusted at theyr fyrst metyng but none of them dyd hurte other And after the Iustes they lyghted on foote to perfourme theyr batayle and soo fought valy∣auntly. And fyrst Iohn̄ of Carongne was hur¦te in the thyghe wherby al his frendes were in grete fere / but after that he fought so valyaunt¦ly that he bette downe his aduersary to the er∣the / and threst his swerde in his body and soo slewe hym in the felde / and then he demaunded yf he had done his deuoyre or not / and they an∣swered that he hadde valyauntly acheued his batayle. Then Iaques le Grys was delyue∣red to the hangman of Parys / and he drewe hym to the gybet of Mountfawcon and there hanged hym vp. Then Iohn̄ of Carongne ca∣me before the kynge and kneled downe / and y^e kynge made hym to stande vp before hym / and the same daye the kynge caused to be delyue∣red to hym a thousande frankes / and reteyned hym to be of his chambre with a pencyon of .ii. hundred pounde by the yere durynge the ter∣me of his lyfe / then he thanked the kynge and the lordes and went to his wyfe and kyssed her and then they wente togyder to the chyrche of

our Lady in Parys and made theyr offerynge and then retourned to theyr lodgynges / then this syr Iohn̄ of Carongue taryed not longe in Fraunce but wente with syr Iohn̄ Bouce∣quant syr Iohn̄ of Bordes / & syr Loys Grat / all these wente to se and vysyte the holy sepul∣ture / and to se Lamorabaquyn of whome in those dayes there was moche spekynge / and with them wente Robonet of Bolowne a squy¦er of honoure with the Frensshe kynge who in his dayes made many voyages aboute in the worlde.