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 Borbon was chosen to goo in to Castell and dy∣uers other / and howe syr Iohan Bucke admyral of flaunders was taken prysoner by the Englysshe men. Ca. lxxii. (Book 72)

THen yt was deuysed what capytaynes sholde go in to Spayne. Fyrst they apoynted y^e gentyll duke of borbone y^t he sholde be soue∣rayne capytayne aboue all other / & or he departed there was apoynted .ii. other capytaynes to be in y^e vowarde / and the duke of Borbon in the rere∣warde with .ii.M. speres knyghtes & squyers these .ii. capytaynes y^t sholde be in y^e vowarde were syr Wellyam of Lygnac / & syr Gaultyer hf Passac / these .ii. lordes when they knewe y^t they sholde be the capytaynes of certayne men of armes to go in to Castel / they prepayred thē selfe for y^t iourney then knyghtes and squyers were sente for all aboute the royalme of fraun¦ce to go to Castell / and the passages were ope∣ned as well in Nauare as in Aragon / thenne knyghtes and squyers departed fro Bretayne Poycton / Aniowe / Mayne / Torayne / Bloys / Orleaunce / Beause / pycardy / borgoyne / berre & Awuergne / & fro all the boundes of the royal me of fraunce / euery man toke theyr way to go in to Castell / & of all the formest company syr wyllyam of Lygnac / & syr Gaultyer of Passac were leders / & to exalte theyr honoure they de∣parted in good araye / & all theyr companyes in good ordre.

THus whyles these knyghtes & squyers of the royalme of fraunce prepayred thē to goo in to Castell / & suche as were fyrst redy fyrst departed & specyally they y^t were of farre countreys / for there were many y^t desyred de∣des of armes / the same season the englysshmen were on y^e see bytwene Englande & Flaunders wherof Rycharde erle of Arundell was admy∣ral & in his cōpany y^e erle of deuonshyre & y^e erle of Notynghā & the bysshop of Norwyche / they were a .v.C. men of armes &. M. archers / they had lyen at ancre a grete season abydyng some aduēture & often tymes refresshed thē on y^e cost of englande & aboute y^e yles of Cornewall / bre∣tayne & Normādy / & they were sore dyspleased in y^t the flete of flaunders was scaped fro thē / & were gone to rochell / & specyally y^t the cōstable of fraunce was gone fro Lentrygner to sluse & passed by Calays & met not w^t hym / for gladly they wolde haue fought w^t hym / & yet y^e consta∣ble had as many shyppes as they / but they pas∣sed by thē by reason of y^e wynde & the fludde y^t they had in y^e nyght tyme / y^e englysshe nauy lay at ancre before Mergate at y^e Tames mouthe towarde Sandwyche abydynge theyr aduen∣ture / & specyally abydyng for y^e shyppes y^t were gone to Rochell / for they thought they wolde shortly retourne & so they dyd / for when y^e mer∣chauntes of flaunders / of rochel / of Haynalte & other places / who for doubte of y^e englysshmen were conioyned togyder / departed out of flau¦ders / they {pro}mysed eche other to go & to retour∣ne togyder / & to take eche others parte / & when they had all done theyr busynes in Rochel & in y^e coūtrey of Xainton & had charged theyr shyp¦pes w^t wynes / then as soone as they had good wynde they dysancred & departed out of y^e ha∣uen of Rochell & toke theyr way by y^e see to goo in to flaunders & to Sluse & fro whens they de¦parted / they sayled so longe y^t they passed y^e ra∣se saynt Mathewe in Bretayne without peryll or domage & so costed base Bretayne / & thē nor mandy & so came ryght ouer y^e Tames mouth where as y^e englysshe nauy lay / the flemynges perceyued where they laye / & they in the hyghe shyppes sayd to theyr cōpany / syrs aduyse you wel we shall be met by y^e englysshe armye / they they haue perceyued vs they wyl take y^e aduaū¦tage of y^e wynde & tyde / we shal haue batayle or it be nyght / y^t tydynges pleased not well al par¦tyes & specyally y^e merchauntes of flaūders / of Haynalte / & of other countreys who had theyr merchaūdyse there abrode / they wolde gladly haue ben thens yf they myght. Howbeit syth they sawe no remedy but fyght / they ordred thē selfe therto / & they were crosse bowes and other mē harneysed defensably arayed mo thē .vii.C & amonge thē there was a valyaunt knyght of flaunders who was theyr capytayne & was as then admyrall of the see set there by the duke of Borbone called syr Iohn̄ Bucke ryght sage & hardy in armes / & had done before grete doma¦ge on the see to the englyghmen / this syr Iohn̄ Bucke set euery thyng in good ordre & decked his shyppes wel & wysely as he y^t coulde ryght wel do it & sayd syrs be not abasshed we are mē ynowe to fyght w^t y^e englysshe army & y^e wynde wyl serue vs y^t euer as we be fyghtyng we shal aproche nerer & nerer to Sluse we shall coost flaundres / some toke good cōforte w^t those wor¦des & some not / so they put thēselfe in good or∣dre & defence / & made redy theyr crosse bowes & gonues.

THe englysshe shyppes aproched & they had certayne galays fournysshed w^t ar∣chers / & they came formest rowynge w^t owers and gaue the fyrst assaulte and archers shotte fyersly and lost moche of theyr shotte for the fle¦mynges couered them vnder y^e deckes & wold

not apere but draue euer forth with the wynde and whē they were out of y^e englysshe archers shot then they dyd let fly theyr quarelles wher with they hurted many / then approched y^e gre∣te shyppes of Englande / the erle of Arundel w^t his company & the bysshop of Norwyche with his / & so the other lordes they russhed in amon∣ge the flemynges shyppes & them of Rochell / yet the flemynges & crosse bowes defended thē selfe ryght valyaūtly for theyr patron syr Iohn̄ Bucke dyd euer comforte thē / he was in a gret strong shyp wherin he had .iii. gonnes shotyn∣so grete stones that where soeuer they lyghted they dyd grete domage / & euer as they fought they drewe lytell & lytell towarde flaunders / & some lytell shyppes with theyr merchauntes to¦ke the coostes of Flaunders & the lowe water & therby saued them / for y^e grete shyppes coulde not folow them for lacke of water / thus on y^e se there was a harde batayle & shyppes broken & sunken on bothe partyes / for out of the toppes they cast downe grete barres of yron / where as they wente to the botom / this was an harde ba¦tayle & well fought / for it endured a .iii. or .iiii. houres / & when the day fayled they withdrewe eche fro other & cast ancre & there rested all ny∣ght & dressed theyr hurte men / & when y^e fludde came they dysancred & drewe vp sayles and re¦tourned agayne to the batayle / w^t the englyssh∣men was Peter du Boys of Gaunt with a cer¦tayne archers & maryners / who made the fle∣mynges moche a do / for he had ben a maryner wherfore he knewe the arte of the see / & he was fore dyspleased y^t the flemynges & merchaun∣tes endured so longe / alwayes y^e englysshmen wanne aduauntage of y^e flemynges & so came bytwene Blanqueberg & Sluse agaynst Ga∣gant there was y^e dyscomfyture / for they were not socoured by no creature / nor also at y^t tyme there were noo shyppes at Sluse nor men of warre / true it was there was a squyer a man of armes at Sluse called Arnolde the mayre / when he harde howe there was batayle on the see bytwene the armye of Englande & them of Flaunders he toke a barke of his owne and en¦tred therin and with hym a certayne men of Sluse / and twenty crosse bowes / and rowed by force tyll he came to the batayle / but y^t was at the poynte of the dyscomfyture / for by that tyme the englysshmen were seased of the moost parte of the flemysshe shyppes and had taken syr Iohn̄ Bucke theyr capytayne & his shyp & all that were within it / and when this Arnolde the mayre sawe y^e maner of that batayle he ma∣de his crosse bowes to shote .iii. tymes & then retourned and was chased into the hauen of Sluse but the englysshmennes shyppes were so grete that they coulde not approche so nere y^e lande as the barke dyd / and therby he saued hymselfe and his company.

THe men of the towne of Sluse were so∣re abasshed when they harde of those ty¦dynges so that they wyst not what to do other to gyue vp theyr towne and forsake all or elles to entre in to the shyppes that laye there and so defende the hauen / surely yf the Englysshmen had knowen the case they were in / they had ben lordes of the towne and of the castel or yf they had byleued Peter du Boys / for he sore coun∣sayled them that they sholde incontynent haue set on the towne of Sluse / they had wonne it yf they had soo done / but the englysshmen had no courage therto but sayd it were a grete foly for vs to entre in to y^e towne of Sluse / for then they of Bruges / of Dan / and of Ardenbourge shall come and besyege vs / & so peraduenture shall lese al that we haue wonne / it is better for vs to kepe it and to make wyse warre then fo∣lysshly to lese all / thus the englysshmen kepte styll the see but they determyned to brenne the nauye of shyppes y^t lay at ancre in the hauen of Sluse / of suche shyppes as they hadde wonne they toke parte of thē suche as were most olde and drye and lyghtest and gresed them wel bo∣the within and without and set fyer on them & so lete them go with the wynde and with y^e ty∣de in to the hauen to y^e entente that they sholde haue fastened and set fyer on other shyppes y^t lay there of Spayne and of other places / how∣beit as god wolde that fyer dyd noo hurte nor domage to none other shyp.