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 batayle of armes was done at Burdeaus before the lene shall there & dyuers other. Ca. lxii. (Book 62)

THe same season there was at Burdeaus a feate of armes done before the sene∣shall syr Iohn̄ Harpedon & other bytwene the lorde of Rochfoucaulte a frensshmā sone to the captall of Buze 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and syr wyllyam of Mountferant an Englysshman to rynne .iii. courses with .iii. speres .iii. strokes with a sworde .iii. with a dagger / and .iii. with an axe. This dede of ar∣mes was done before y^e lordes and ladyes of y^e countrey then beynge at Burdeaus. The erle of Foys sente thyder knyghtes of his house to serue & to counsayle y^e lorde of Rochfoucaulte sone to his cosyn germayne / and also he sent to hym good ho•••• & harneys spere heedes / dag∣gers▪ wordes & a••es./ Howbeit he was ryght wel purueyed of them before on a day these .ii. knyghtes armed them wel accompanyed with grete cheualry on eyther partye. The lorde of rochfoncaulte has in his company a .CC. kny¦ghtes and squyers all of his lyg••age / and syr wyllyam of Mountferant had as many or mo with hym was the lorde of Rohen / the lorde of 〈…〉〈…〉 lorde Duras / the lorde of Curton 〈…〉〈…〉 of Languras / the lorde de la Barde / the lorde of Mountcroy at in Pyergourt and all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of his lyguage. ¶Bycause this feate of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sholde be done bytwene suche .ii. no∣ble 〈…〉〈…〉 knyghtes many came thyder 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them farre & nere / when these two knygh∣tes were mountedon theyr horses w^t theyr 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and targes redy apparelled / theyr speres were 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them & ranne togyder fyersly / 〈…〉〈…〉 eche other on theyr helmes that y^e 〈…〉〈…〉 and theyr helmes stryken of theyr heedes in to the felde and so passed forth theyr course bare heeded excepte theyr coyues. Thē all the lordes and ladyes sayd and euery man to other howe they hadde nobly encountred at theyr fyrst metynge / then theyr helmes were newe set on and fastened / and so they ranne va¦lyauntly theyr .ii. course / and also the .iii. bre∣uely / al theyr feates were nobly accomplysshed to the grete pleasure of all the lordes and lady¦es and other regarders / and euery man sayd howe eche of them hadde valyauntly acheued theyr feates / and the seneshall of Burdeaus syr Iohn̄ Harpedon gaue the same daye a supper to them and to al the lordes and ladyes y^t were there presente. And the nexte daye euery man wente to theyr owne herytages / & the lorde of Rochfoncaulte prepayred hymselfe to go in to Castell / for the kynge Iohn̄ there had sente for hym / and the season drewe nere / & syr wyllyam of Mountferant ordeyned to go in to Portyn gale / for the kynge there had also sent for hym.

IN suche a noble hystory as this is / whi∣che I syr Iohn̄ Froysart haue pursued hytherto / and that god hath sent me that grace to lyue so longe to se so many thynges as I ha¦ue done / then it were noo reason that I sholde forgete out ony thynge that I haue knowen to be done / and bycause that by y^e warres of Bry∣tayne the .ii. sones of Charles of bloys who of longe season called hymselfe duke of Bretayne by maryage of y^e lady Iahan of Bretayne who ought to haue ben ryghtful enherytour of Bre¦tayne as it hath ben shewed before in this hy∣story whose sones were in Englande in hosta∣ge for theyr fader / as yet I haue made no men∣cyon of them where they became / nor how they came out of pryson and daunger of the kynge of Englande / wherin theyr fader y^e lorde Char¦les of Bloys had lefte them / ye knowe wel and it hath ben wryten here before howe kynge Ed¦warde of englande to make his warre of fraū¦ce the fayrer and stronger he alyed hymselfe w^t the erle of Montforde and alwayes dyd coun∣sayle and ayde hym to his power / and dyd soo moche that the erle of Monforde came to his entente and was duke of Bretayne otherwyse he coulde neuer haue come therto / for in Bre∣tayne y^e lorde Charles of Bloys of .vii. he had euer .v. on his party / it hath ben shewed before howe in the yere of our lorde a .M.CCC. and xlvii. there was a grete batayle in Bretayne before the Ree doryent where the countesse of Mountfordes party / as syr Iohn̄ of Harcell

and other dyscomfyted syr Charles of Bloys and there he was taken prysoner & led in to en∣glande where he had good chere / for the quene of Englande y^e good quene Phylyp whos ser∣uaunt I was in myne yongth / she was of ry∣ghtfull gouernacyon cosyn germayne to y^e lor∣de Charles of Bloys / & she dyd put to her pay¦ne for his delyuerauce / howbeit the counsayle of Englande wolde not that he sholde be dely∣uered / the duke Henry of Lancastre sayd and other lordes of englande that yf he were out of pryson by hym myght be made many grete re∣coueraunces for the royalme of Fraunce / for kynge Phylyp as then frensshe kyng was his vncles / and they affyrmed that as longe as he were kepte in pryson / theyr warre in to Fraun¦ce sholde be y^e easyer / howbeit for all those wor¦des that was shewed to the kynge by the good meanes of the noble and good quene he was set to his fynaunce to paye .CC.M. nobles / whiche was as then a grete some to be payde for lordes as then lyued in another maner thē they do nowe / for as nowe men may pay more then theyr predecessours myght haue done / for nowe they tayle theyr people at theyr pleasure and before they lyued but on theyr rentes and reuenues / for as nowe the duchy of Bretayne w^tin a yere or two is able to pay to helpe theyr lorde .ii.M. nobles or more. The lorde Char∣les of Bloys layde to the kynge of Englande his .ii. sones in pledge for y^e sayd some / & after∣warde the lorde Charles of Bloys had so mo∣che to do in pursuyng his warre for the duchy of Bretayne and to pay his souldyours / and to kepe his estate alwayes hopynge to come to a good ende of his warre so y^t he was not able to quyte out his sones out of Englande for y^e ho∣ly man in pursuynge of his herytage dyed as a saynt in a batayle in Bretayne before aulroy by the ayde of the Englysshe men who were agaynst hym / when he was deed yet the warre ended not / but then kynge Charles of fraunce who in his lyfe doubted gretly the fortunes of the warres / when he sawe that the erle Mount¦forde & the Englysshe men seased not but styll wente forwarde / & wanne townes & fortresses in Bretayne / he fered y^t yf y^e erle Mountforde myght come to his entente of the duchy of Bre¦tayne / that he wolde not holde nor do homage to hym / for he had promysed his alleageaunce to the kynge of englande who ayded & alwaye hadde done to maynteyne his warre / then he treted w^t the erle Mountforde & his counsayle as it hath ben shewed here before / wherfore I wyll speke no more therof / but y^e erle of Moūt∣forde abode as duke of Bretayne with that he sholde do homage and holde soueraynte or the crowne of fraunce / and by the same trety y^e du∣ke sholde ayde & helpe to gete delyuered out of pryson in englande his .ii. cosyns sones to the lorde Charles of Bloys / whiche artycle he ne∣uer dyd accomplysshe / for alwayes he doubted that yf they retourned they wolde put hym to some busynes for y^e duchy of Bretayne & fered lest they of Bretayne wolde receyue them as theyr lordes / for they more enclyned to thē then to hym / wherfore he wolde not speke for theyr delyueraunce. Thus these .ii. chyldren abode so longe in Englande in pryson / somtyme in y^e kepynge of the lorde Roger Beawchamp and the lady Sybyll his wyfe / and somtyme with syr Thomas Dambrychcourte / on a tyme the yonger Guy of Bretayne dyed / then Iohn̄ of Bretayne abode styll in pryson alone / he was often tymes sad of his beynge in pryson / but he coulde not amēde it. And often tymes when he remembred the losse of his yonge dayes as he that was of the moost noble generacyon of the worlde / & was lykely to lese / he wolde often ty∣mes wepe / and wysshed hymselfe rather deed then a lyue / for a .xxxv. yeres or theraboute he had ben in the daunger of his enemyes in En∣glande / and coulde se noo maner of meanes of his delyueraunce / for his frendes and kynne drewe of fro hym / and the some that he laye for was so grete that he wyst not how it sholde be payde without god helped hym / and the duke of Anioy for all his puyssaunce and prosperyte and that he had wedded his syster germayne / by whom he had .ii. fayre sones / Loys & Char∣les for all this he dyd nothynge for hym. Now shall I shew you howe this Iohn̄ of Bretay∣ne was delyuered.