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
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Title
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
Author
Froissart, Jean, 1338?-1410?
Publication
Imprinted at London :: In Fletestrete by Rycharde Pynson, printer to the kynges moost noble grace,
And ended the last day of August: the yere of our lorde god. M.D.xxv. [1525]
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Subject terms
Europe -- History -- 476-1492 -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A71319.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 8, 2024.
Pages
¶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.
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 ye last townes bytwe∣ne
Galyce and Portyngale the ryght waye to
Porte and to Connymbres / and bycause ye 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 yt
ye duke was comynge on them with all his oost
then they drewe to counsayle and were of ma∣ny
oppynyons. Fynally they determyned for ye
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 ye 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 yt
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 ye 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
descriptionPage lxxxviii
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
ye 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 ye 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 ye 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 ye 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.
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