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 Lancastre and his men rode towardes the cyte of Besances / and howe the tow∣ne made composycyon with them Ca. lxxv. (Book 75)

THus the duke Lanca∣stre departed and all his mē and suche as were ordeyned to abyde in garyson abode and the duke and the duches rode towardes Besances / one of y^e last townes bytwe∣ne Galyce and Portyngale the ryght waye to Porte and to Connymbres / and bycause y^e du∣ches of Lancastre and her doughter sholde go to se the kynge of Portyngale therfore they hel¦de that way / when they of Besances knewe y^t y^e duke was comynge on them with all his oost then they drewe to counsayle and were of ma∣ny oppynyons. Fynally they determyned for y^e best and sent to the duke and duches .vi. of the chefe of the towne to desyre and trete for an ab∣stynence of warre for .viii. dayes / & in y^e meane seaseon they to sende to the kynge of Castell / shewynge hym without he came soo stronge to fyght with the duke / to yelde vp theyr towne without ony other meane. Then there depar∣ted fro Besances .vi. men & rode to mete with y^t englysshmen. Fyrst they encountred with the vowarde whiche the marshall led. There they were stopped and demaunded what they were and what they wolde / they answered how they were of Besances and that by appoyntemente of the towne they were charged to goo and spe∣ke with the duke / the marshall sayd to syr Iohn̄ Soustre / syr go and brynge these men to y^e du∣ke in saufgarde for fere lest our archers do slee them / and then he sayd to them / syrs goo your wayes this knyght shal be your guyde / so they rode forthe and at the last founde out the duke and duches and her doughter and syr Iohn̄ Ho¦lande / syr Thomas Percy & dyuers other with them sportynge them vnder the shadowe of the fayre Olyue trees / & they behelde wel syr Iohn̄ Soustre comynge to themwarde. Then syr

Iohn̄ Holande demaunded of hym and sayd / syr Iohn̄ are those your prysoners / nay syr sayd he they be no prysoners / they are men of Besan¦ces sent by the mershall to speke with my lorde y^e duke as I thynke they wyll make some tretye the duke and the duches herde al those wordes Then syr Iohn̄ Soustre sayd to them ye good men auaunce forth / beholde here your lorde & lady▪ Then these .vi. men kneled downe & sayd My ryght redoubted lorde and lady the como¦naltye of the towne of Besances haue sente vs to your presence / syr they vnderstande howe ye are comynge or sendynge your armye agaynst thē they desyre of your specyal grace to forbere them these .ix. dayes / and in the meane season they wyll sende to the kynge of Castell to the towne of Valcolyue and shewe hym what daū¦ger they be in / and syr without there come with in these .ix. dayes suche socoure to them as to fy¦ght with you / they wyll yelde them vnto your obeysaunce / and yf ye lacke ony prouysyon of vytayles or ony other thynge in the meane sea∣son / ye shall haue out of the towne for your mo∣ney at your pleasure for you & for all your men. Therwith the duke stode styll and spake noo worde / and suffred the duches to speke bycause it was in her countrey / then she behelde the du∣ke and sayd / syr what say you / madame sayd he and what say you / ye are herytoure her / that I haue is by you / therfore ye shall make them an∣swere / wel syr sayd she / me thynke it were good to receyue them as they haue demaunded / for I byleue the kynge of Castell hathe as nowe noo grete desyre so shortly to fyght with you / I can not tell sayd the duke wolde to god he wolde co¦me shortely to batayle / then we sholde be the so∣ner delyuered / I wolde it sholde be within .vi. dayes / wherfore as ye haue deuysed I am con∣tente it so be / then y^e duches tourned her towar∣de the .vi. men and sayd / syrs departe when ye lyst your matter is sped / soo that ye delyuer in hostage to our marshall .xii. of the best of your towne for suretye to vpholde this tretye / well madame sayd they we are contente / & syr Iohn̄ Soustre was commaunded to shewe this tre∣tye to the marshal / and so he dyd wherwith the mershall was well contente / and the .vi. men re¦tourned to Besances / and shewed howe they had sped / then .xii. men of the moost notablest of the towne were chosen out and sente to the marshall. Thus the towne of Besances was in rest and peas by the foresayd tretye. Then they of the towne sente the same .vi. men that wente to y^e duke to the kynge of Castell and his coun∣sayle. The kynge as then knewe nothynge of that composycyon nor howe the englysshe men were before Besances.

IN the meane season that these syxe men were goynge to the kynge of Castell / the duke ordeyned that the duches and her dough∣ter Katheryne sholde goo to the cyte of Porte to se the kynge of Portyngale and the yon∣ge quene her doughter / and at theyr departyn∣ge the duke sayd to the duches. ¶Madame Costaunce salute fro me the kynge and the que¦ne my daughter and all other lordes of Portyn¦gale / & shewe them suche tydynges as ye know and howe they of Besances be at composycyon with me / and as yet I knowe not wheron they grounde themselfe / nor whether that our aduer¦sary Iohn̄ of Trystmor haue made them to ma¦ke this tretye or wyl come and fyght with vs or no / I knowe well they loke for grete comforte to come to them out of fraunce / and suche as de¦syre dedes of armes and aduauncement of ho∣noure wyl come as soone as they can / wherfore it behoueth me alwaye to be redy and to abyde batayle / this ye may shewe to the kynge of Por¦tyngale and to his counsayle / and yf I se that I shall haue ony thynge to do / I shall shortely sende the kynge worde therof / Wherfore saye that I desyre hym to be redy to ayde and to de∣fende our ryght and his / in lyke maner as we haue promysed and sworne togyder / and ma∣dame when ye retourne agayne to me leue our doughter katheryne there styll with the quene her syster / she can not be in better kepynge / syr sayd the lady all this shall be doone. Then the duches and her doughter and all other ladyes and damoyselles toke theyr leue and departed syr Thomas Percy the admyral accompanyed them and syr non Fythwaren / and y^e lorde Tal¦bot and the lorde Iohn̄ Dambretycourte / and syr Namburyne of Lyuyers and a hundred spe¦res / and two hundred archers and soo came to the cyte of Porte in Portyngale.