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

¶How the kyng of Aragon dyed and howe the archebysshoppe of Burdeaus was sette in pryson in Barcelona. Ca. lxi. (Book 61)

THe same season aboute Candelmas kynge Peter of Aragon fell syke in his bed / and when he sawe y^t he shol∣de dye he caused his two so∣nes to come before hȳ Iohn̄ the elder and Martyne du∣ke of Blasmont in Aragon and sayd to them / fayre sones I leue you in good poynte / and all the busynes of the royalme standeth well and clere kepe peas and loue bytwene you / and ke∣pe fayth and honoure eche to other ye shall doo the better as for the feates of the chyrche accor¦dynge to my conscyence and for the moost sure way / I haue alwayes holden the new tralyte bytwene y^e .ii. popes / and so I wolde ye sholde do tyl the determynacyon bytwene them apere more clerely. The two sones answered & sayd / syr gladly we shall obey that ye commaunde & ordeyne as it is reason / thus in this case dyed kynge Peter of Aragon who had ben a ryght valyaunt prynce in his dayes and gretely had augmented the crowne and royalme of Ara∣gon and had conquered the royalme of May∣iorke / and had anexed it to his owne crowne / and he was buryed in the good cyte of Barce∣lona / & there he lyeth / and when his dethe was knowen in Auygnyon with pope Clement & his Cardynalles they wrote incotynent to y^e frensshe kynge and to his vncles / to the duke of Barre and to the duches who was of theyr oppynyon / and they were fader and moder to the yonge quene that sholde be in Aragon the lady yolent / and also they wrote to her that all these sholde styre and moue the yonge kynge of Aragon to be of theyr opynyon / the frensshe kynge / the duke of Berre and the duke of Bor∣goyne sente in to Aragon in legacyon a cardy¦nall to preche / and to styre the yonge kynge & his broder and the people of that royalme of Aragon to take the oppynyon of Clement / the Cardynall dydde soo moche with the ayde of the lady yolent of Barre as then quene of Ara∣gon who gladly enclyned to that way bycause she was so instantly requyred therto by her fa∣der and moder / and by the frensshe kynge / and dukes of Berre and Burgoyne her cosyns soo that she brought the kynge and the royalme to be of the oppynyon of pope Clement. Howbeit the kynge wolde haue ben styl a newter as his fader was.

IN the same season that the kynge of Aragon thus dyed / there was at Bar∣celona the archebysshoppe of Burde∣aus whome the duke of Lancastre had sente thyder in ambassade / I shall shewe yon / the cause why. ¶The prynce of wales bycause he was duke and lorde of the countrey of Ac∣quytayne and that all his neyghbours doub∣ted hym / as the Frensshe kynge / the kynge of Aragon / the kynge of Spayne / and the kynge of Nauare yea. And also kynges that were sa∣razyns that harde grete spekynge of hym / for the good fortune and noble chyualrye that he was of / and he hadde a certayne alyaunce and confyderacyon with kynge Peter of Aragon / whiche leage was sworne and sealed bytwene them / and it was confyrmed by the kynge of Englande fader to the prynce.

ANd amonge other thynges it was com¦prysed that the kynge of Englande nor the duke and lorde of Acquytayne sholde ma∣ke ony warre nor consente to make ony warre agaynst the roayalme of Aragon / for the whi∣che the kynge of Aragon sware and sealed for hym and for his ayres that euery yere he shol∣de serue the prynce of Acquytayne with the nombre of fyue hundred speres agaynst who so euer he hadde to doo withall / or elles to sen¦de vnto hym as moche money as sholde wag•• fyue hundreth speres. ¶And soo it was that

as then there was .x. yeres rynne in aterages that the kynge of Aragon had payde nothyng nor done ony seruyce to y^e kynge of Englande nor to his deputyes / and when the duke of Lan¦castre wente out of Englande / he hadde with hym letters patentes sealed with the grete sea∣le of Englande / wherby he was stablysshed to be the kynges Lyeutenaunt in the marches of Burdeaus / Bayon / and Acquytayne / and the kynge gaue hym fall puyssaunce and auctory∣royall to demaunde all ryghtes and due accy∣ons as well of the royalme of Aragon as elles where / and wolde that the duke sholde haue y^• profyte without ony excepcyon / and what soo euer he dyd / to be ferme and stable so thus whē the duke of Lancastre had ben a season in the towne of saynt Iames in Galyce / he remem∣bred hymselfe of the busynes of Aragon / and perceyued well by reason of his commyssyon / howe the kynge of Aragon was sore in his det in a grete some of money longe renne in arera¦ges whiche he thought if he myght gete / it shol¦de gretely ayde hym in his warres of Castell / and soo he sente to the archebysshop of Burde∣aus / and to syr Iohn̄ Harpedan who was se∣nesshall of all Burdeloys commaundynge thē bothe or at the leest one of them to go in to Ara¦gon to y^e kynge there / and to shewe hym playn¦ly howe he was in grete arrerages with the kynge of Englande and with the duke of Ac∣quytayne / the archebysshoppe and the Senes∣shall behelde well the duke of Lancastres let∣ters / and soo toke counsayle togyder theron / and there they determyned that it was best y^t the Senesshall sholde ••••ry styll at Burdeaus and the bysshop to take on hym the charge of that voyage / and soo he dyd / and he came in to Aragon in so euyll a season that the kynge the relaye syke and dyed / and after the kynges de∣the the archebysshop poursued his cause and folowed the kynges chyldren and y^e counsayle of the royalme who came to the kynges enter∣ment to y^e cyte of Barcelona / and this bysshop pursued his ambassade so affectuously that he was set in a courtoyse pryson so that he coulde not departe when he wolde / when these tydyn∣ges came to Burdeaus to y^e senesshall there / he sayd I thought neuer none other wyse / for y^e ar¦chebysshop is hasty & heedy / I thynke nowe it had ben better that I had gone / for I wolde haue spoken moore mekely / there is a maner thrughout all the worlde howe to demaunde a mannes ryght / the senesshall sente these tydyn∣ges to the duke of Lancastre in to Galyce who was therwith ryght sore dyspleased and euyll contente with the kynge of Aragon and his counsayle that they had put the archebysshop in to pryson for doynge of his ambassade / then the duke of Lancastre wrote to the company∣ons of the garyson of Lourde / that they sholde make warre agaynst them of Barcellona whe¦re as the archebysshoppe of Burdeaus was in pryson.

IOhn̄ of Byerne who was capytayne the¦re and senesshall of Bygore / Pier Dau∣chyn / Ernalton of Resten / Ernalton of saynt Colombe and other of the garyson of Lourde were gretely reioysed when they herde that ty¦dynges / and then began to rynne in to the roy∣alme of Aragon to the portes of Barcelona so that no merchaunt durst go abrode. ¶Also in Aragon there was another myschefe / for the yonge kynge Iohn̄ of Aragon wolde haue ben crowned kynge of Aragon / but the good tow∣nes wolde not consente therto without he swa¦re fyrst solemply that he sholde neuer demaun∣de tayle / taxe / nor inposycyon in all y^e countrey and dyuers other thynges that he sholde swere and put it in wrytynge sealed yf he wolde be crowned kynge / whiche thynge semed to hym and to his counsayle to be ryght preiudycyall Wherfore he thretened to make them warre / and specyally to them of the cyte of Barcelona for the kynge sayd they were to ryche and to prowde.

IN the same season there was in Langue docke and on the fronters of Auuergue and of Rouergue to warde Pezanas and y^e cy∣te of Duzes / a maner of men of armes called y^e Rowtes / & they dayly multyplyed to do euyll / and .iiii. men of armes were capytaynes who demaunded warre agaynst euery man / they ca¦red not agaynst whom / theyr names were Pe∣ter of Mount fawcon / Geffray Chastelyer / Hamgue de forge / and the goulent. They had a foure hundreth men vnder them / who ryfled and pylled the countrey where as they were conuersaunt / and when they were enfourmed that y^e archebysshop of Burdeaus was in pry∣son in Aragon / and that the duke of Lancastre was not contente with the Aragonoys / and also that the kynge of Aragon was euyll plea∣sed with the good townes of his royalme and countrey. And they were of these tydynges

gretely reioysed / for suche people as they were are rather pleased with euyll dedes then with good. They toke counsayle bytwene them & determyned to approche to Aragon and to ge∣te some forterers on those fronters / thynkynge then that the duke of Aragon or elles some of y^e good townes wolde entreate with the to theyr profyte. So they rode costynge the countrey & set theyr myndes to gete yf they myght the ca∣stell of Dulcen beynge in y^e archbysshopryche of Narbone bytwene the royalme of Aragon and Fraunce on the departynge of bothe roy∣almes / they came thyder at suche a poynte and by nyght / that they founde it but symply wat∣ched nor kepte / they dyd soo moche y^t they wan it & were lordes thereof / wherby al the countrey was afrayde & specyally they of Parpygnen / for it was but .iiii. legges thens / also they of Lourde gate y^e same weke a castell in Aragon a .iiii. legges fro Barcelona called the olde ca∣stell of Rolbays perteynynge to the countesse of Castell Boze cosyn germayne to the erle of Foys. The lady was gretely abasshed when her castell was so taken / she sente to her cosyn the erle of Foys desynge hym for goddes sake to rendre agayne to her the sayd castell whiche they of his coūtrey of Berne had taken fro her y^e erle sent to her y^t she sholde not be afrayde for ony thynge / certefyenge her y^t it was taken but alonely to make war agaynst thē of Bercelona who helde in pryson for a smal cause y^e bysshop of Burdeaus / sayenge howe she sholde haue it ryght well agayne without ony domage / y^e la∣dy was well peased with his answere & dyssy∣muled the matter and went and lay at another castell nere to Roqueberton and they of the ca¦stell of Rolbays / and of Dulcen and of Lourde made sore warre on the fronters of Aragon / & to say the trouth the kynge there dyssymuled y^e matter to chastyse therby y^e good townes y^t we¦re agaynst hȳ / so that y^e good townes were sore dyspleased with the kynge / for they of Barce∣lona of Perpygnen & of other townes coulde not exercyse theyr merchaūdyse / but they were taken and raunsomed / then they of Barcelona aduysed to delyuer the archebysshop of Bur∣deaus out of pryson and for his delyeraunce to speke with the kynge as it was reason / and soo pryuely by a meane they treated with the kyn∣ges broder syr Martyne duke of Blasemont who was gretly in y^e grace of all y^e people desy∣rynge hym to be meane to the kynge his bro∣der y^t they myght be in peas w^t them of Lourde & of Rolbays he promysed them to do his best / to kepe them in his fauoure / and he dyd so mo∣che with the kynge his broder that the arche∣bysshop of burdeaus was delyuered out of pry¦son and sente in to Burdeloys / and alone after the erle of Foys dyd so moche that the vycoun∣tesse recouered agayne her castel / and suche as helde it departed / this seruyce dyd the erle of Foys that yere to the duke of Lancastre.

WHen the kynge of Aragon sawe that the countesse of castell Boze had soo soone agayne recouered her castell he sent for her / and she came to hym / then the kynge layde to her charge howe she had suffered y^e englyssh men to entre in to her castell to make warre to his royalme / saynge how she had done to hym a grete trespace / the lady truely excused her & sayd / syr as god knoweth & by the fayth I owe to you / the day and houre that tydynges came to me of y^e takynge of my castell by the of Lour¦de I neuer had before no treaty w^t the englyssh mē / but syr incōtynent I sent to my cosyn y^e erle of Foys prayng hȳ for goddes sake to gete me agayne my castell / seynge that they y^t had got∣ten it were of his countrey of Byerne and were yssued out of Lourde / and the erle sente to me & bad me not doubte / sayenge how the takyng of it was but to make warre agaynst them of Barcelona / wel sayd y^e kynge proue your wor¦des by your cosyn the erle of Foys and ye shall enioy peasybly styll your castell w^t a good wyl syr sayd y^e lady / she sent to her cosyn the erle of Foys / who was at Ortays in Byerne / prayng hym to apease the matter with y^e kynge of Ara¦gon. The erle then sent letters to y^e kynge by a knyght of his called syr Cycarte of Saurelyn desyrynge the kynge to suffre his cosyn the vy∣countes to be in peas and to lyue in rest vnder hym / or elles surely he wolde dysplease hym / y^e kynge of Aragon toke the excusacyons in gre and made grete chere to the erles knyght / and sayd howe the countesse had but wel donesyth her cosyn the erle of Foys dyd so largely excu∣se her / thus the lady lyued in peas / but the mer¦chauntes of Barcelona and of y^e fronters there aboute were not in no rest for them of Lourde but often tymes were taken and pylled with∣out they were agreed and patesed with them & so they had dyuers in Castellon & in Aragon / In lyke wyse so dyd they of y^e garyson of Dul∣cen & dyd worse then they dyd before for they were more egre & ouer ran y^e countrey of Ara∣gon / then they of Lourde dyd / bycause they were poore they cared not whom they toke as

well offycers of the kynges & squyers as mer∣chauntes / soo that the kynges counsayle toke aduyse bycause the good townes murmured & sayd howe the kynge dystroyed them and he ought to susteyne them.

WHen the yonge kynge of Aragon vn∣derstode y^t his men murmured & spa∣ke of hym otherwyse then they sholde do bycause of them of the garyson of Dulcen / he was therwith sore dyspleased / bycause he was newly fallen to his faders herytage who was so well byloued in his royalme of all his people / then he spake to a cosyn of his a grete baron in Aragon syr Raymon of Baghes and sayd syr Raymon I desyre you to ryde to Dul¦cen / and demaunde of them that be there what thyng they desyre of me or of my royalme / and trete so with them that they may departe thēs outher by fayrnes or otherwyse. The knyght departed and sente to Dulcen an heraulde be∣fore hym shewynge them howe he wolde trete with them / when Mountfawcon & le Goulus and the other capytaynes vnderstode that syr Raymon of Baghes wolde trete with them / then they thought at the leest to gete some mo∣ney / and sayd to the heraulde / syr saye to your mayster fro vs / that he maye come to vs surely for we wyll no hurte to hym. The heraulde re¦tourned to syr Raymon who vpon his wordes departed fro Paregant and came to Dulcen / and demaūded of them why they taryed there on y^e fronters of Aragon / they answered & sayd we abyde here the army of fraunce y^t sholde go in to Castel to go in cōpany with them. A syrs sayd syr Raymon yf ye tary therfore ye shall abyde a grete season. The kynge of Aragon wyll not retayne you so longe nor yet the coun¦trey suffre you so longe / well syr sayd they if he wyll not enterteyne vs so longe we can not do withall / yet we must lyue / yf he or the countrey wyll by this our garyson we wyll departe or elles not / well sayd syr Raymon what wyll ye desyre to departe / they answered .lx.M. fran∣kes / we be .iiii. capytanes that is to eche of vs xv. M. frankes / in the name of god sayd syr Raymon that is money ynoughe. I wyll spe∣ke with the kynge and so departed / and sayd it were better for the comon profyte of y^e coun∣trey that the kynge payde that money then to take a greter domage / and that he sayd to ap∣pease them. Howbeit he thought the contrary.

THus he departed fro them & gaue them vnderstandynge that they sholde haue as moche as they desyred and more / and rode to the kynge to Perpyghnen and shewed hym what these pyllers desyred / Well sayd y^e kynge it is behoueable that y^e countrey be delyuered of them / and that they be payde as theues and brybours sholde be payde / yf I may gete them they shall be hanged / other payment gete they none of me / but all the dyffyculte is how to ge∣te them out of theyr garyson / syr sayd syr Ray∣mon y^t shall be done ryght well / let them alone Well sayd the kynge doo as ye thynke best / I wyll medle no more therin / but that I wolde they were delyuered out of the countrey / then on a day syr Raymon gathered a company to∣gyder of men of armes a .v. hundred speres se∣cretly and made a squyer of Gascoyne capytay¦ne a valyaunt man of armes called Nandon Seghen and layde them in a busshment with∣in a lytell myle of Dulcen & sayd to them / syrs when they of the garyson yssue out do so that they may all be taken or slayne that the coun∣trey maye be clene ryd of them. Then syr Ray∣mon sente to them of Dulcen that they sholde lepe on theyr horses and yssue out and rynne before y^e towne of Perpyghnen to put the vyl∣laynes therof in fere / elles they wolde not obey nor gyue nothynge. They of Dulcen were ry∣ght ioyfull of these tydynges thynkynge that all had ben trouth and so armed them the same day that the busshment was layde for them / & so departed fro the garyson and rode towarde Perpyghnen and so came to the barryers and made theyr musters and in theyr retournynge thynknge to haue passed surely in peas when they were in the myddes of the way they were sodaynly encountred by Nandon Seghnen & his company to the nombre of .v.C. speres / & so dasshed in amonge them / then they saw wel howe they were dysceyued and trapped / and then they drewe togyder and fought as longe as they myght endure / whiche was not longe for there were many of them were euyll armed and so shortely they were dyscomfyted / There was slyne Geffray chastelyer / Hauge desorge Guyot Moresque / Iohn̄ de Guenlant / & ma∣ny other / & there was taken Peter of Mount∣fawcon / Amlardan of saynt Iust & a .xl. other and brought prysoners to Perpyghnen / & as they passed thrughe the stretes / they of y^e tow∣ne yssued out of theyr houses & halowed after them as thoughe they had ben wolues / and so they were set in prysones. The same season the

duke of Berre was come to Carcassone / & on y^e fronters of Aragon he came fro Auygnyon fro the pope / and there he herde howe they of Dulcen were slayne and taken / then he wrote to the kynge of Aragon and to his cosyne yo∣sant of Bare desyrynge them to sende Peter of Mountfawcon and his company / who incon∣tynent were delyuered and sente to the duke of Berre / that grace y^t duke dyd to them / or elles they had all dyed.