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 syr Iohn̄ Holande and syr Raynolde de Roy fought togyder in lystes before the duke of Lanca∣stre in the towne of Besances. Ca. lxxviii. (Book 78)

Here before ye haue her¦de howe the towne of Be∣sa••ces was put in compo∣sycyon with y^e duke of Lan¦castre and howe it was yel¦den vp to hym / for y^e kynge of Castell dyd comforte it nothynge / and howe y^e du∣ches of Lancastre and her doughter came to y^e cyte of Porte in Portyngale to se the kynge & the quene there / and howe the kynge and y^e lor∣des there receyued them ioyfully as it was rea¦son / and thus whyle the duke of Lancastre so∣iourned in the towne of Besances tydynges ca¦me thyder fro Valeolyue brought by an heraul¦de of fraunce who demaunded where was the lodgynge of syr Iohn̄ Holande / and so he was brought thyder / then he kneled downe before hym and delyuered hym a letter and sayd / syr I am an offycer of armes sent hyder to you fro syr Raynolde du Roy who saluteth you / yf it plea∣se you to rede your letter / then syr Iohn̄ sayd w^t ryght a good wyll / and thou arte ryght welco∣me and opened his letter and redde it wherin was conteyned howe syr Raynolde du Roy de¦syred hym in the way of amours and for the lo∣ue of his lady to delyuer hym of his chalenge / iii. courses with a spere .iii. strokes w^t a sworde iii. with a dagger and .iii. with an axe / & that if it wolde please hym to come to Valeolyue he wolde prouyde for hym & .lx. horse a sure saufcō¦duyte yf not he wolde come to Besances with .xxx. horses so that he wolde gete for hym a sauf∣condyte of the duke of Lancanstre / When syr Iohn̄ Holande had red these letters he began to smyle & behelde the heraulde & sayd / frende y^u arte welcome / thou hast brought me tydynges y^t pleaseth me ryght wel / & I accepte his desyre y^u shalte obyde here in my house w^t my company & to morowe y^u shalte haue answere where our armes shal be accomplysshed outher in Galyce or in Castell / syr sayd y^e heraulde as it pleaseth god & you. ¶The heraulde was there at his ease / and syr Iohn̄ / wente to the duke and foun∣de hym talkynge with the marshall / then he she¦wed them his tydynges and the letters / Well sayd the duke / and haue ye accepted his desyre

ye truely syr sayd he / and I desyre nothynge so moche as dedes of armes / and the knyght hath desyred me / but nowe syr where shall it be your pleasure that we doo our armes / the duke stu∣dyed a lytell and then sayd / I wyll that they be done in this towne / make a saufconduyte for hym as it shall please you and I shall seale it. In the name of god sayd syr Iohn̄ that is well sayd / the saufcondyte was wryten for hym & .xxx. knyghtes and squyers to come saufe and go saufe / then syr Iohn̄ Holande delyuered it to the heraulde and gaue hym a mantell furred with myneuer and .xii. aungell nobles. The he¦raulde toke his leue and retourned to Valeo∣lyue to his mayster and there shewed howe he had sped and delyuered the saufconduyte / on y^e other parte tydynges came to the cyte of Porte to the kynge of Portyngale and to the ladyes there howe that these dedes of armes sholde be done at Besances / Well sayd the kynge I wyll be therat and the quene my wyfe with other la∣dyes and damoyselles / & the duches of Lanca∣stre who was as then there thanked the kynge in that she sholde at her retourne be accompa∣nyed with the kynge and with y^e quene / it was not longe after but the tyme approched. Then the kynge of Portyngale / the quene / the duches and her other doughter with other ladyes and damoyselles rode ••orth in grete aray towarde Besances / & when the duke of Lancastre knew that y^e kynge came thyder he toke his hors and many other lordes and yssued out of Besances and met the kynge and y^e ladyes / there y^e kynge and the duke made grete chere togyder / and so entred togyder in to y^e towne & theyr lodgynge appoynted as it aperteyned accordynge to the maner of y^e countrey / and that was not so easye nor large as thoughe they had ben at Parys.

ABoute a .iii. dayes after that the kynge of Portyngale was come to Besances thyder came syr Reynolde du Roy well accom∣panyed with knyghtes and squyers he hadde a vi. score horses / and they were all well lodged / for the duke of Lancaste hadde prepayred redy theyr lodgynges. Then y^e nexte daye syr Iohn̄ Holande & syr Raynolde Roy were armed and mounted on theyr horses & soo came to a fayre place redy san••ed where they sholde doo theyr armes / and scafoldes redy made for the kynge & for the ladyes / & for the duke & other lordes of englande / for they were all come thyder to se y^e dedes of armes of these .ii. knyghtes / they came in to the felde as well appoynted as coulde be deuysed / & there was brought in theyr speres / theyr axes and theyr swordes and well horsed / and so eche of them a good dystaunce fro other made theyr tournes & fryskes fresshly / for they knewe well they were regarded / euery thynge was ordeyned at theyr desyre and all theyr ar∣mes graunted excepte the vtteraunce / howbeit no man knewe what sholde fal of theyr bodyes for syth they were thyder come they must nedes mete at y^e poynte of theyr speres / and after that with theyr swordes / and then with axes & dag∣gers / loo what daunger they were in to the en∣tente to exhaulte theyr honoure / for theyr lyues lay but in the mysaduenture of one stroke / thus they ranne togyder and met as euen as thou∣ghe they hadde rynne by a lyne and strake eche other in the vysoure of theyr helmes so that syr Raynolde du Roy brake his spere in .iiii. peces and y^e sheuers flewe a grete hyght in to y^e ayre / whiche course was gretely praysed / syr Iohn̄ Holande strake syr Raynolde in lykewyse in y^e vysoure but the stroke was of no force / I shall shewe you why / syr Raynolde had the vysoure of his helme made at auaūtage for it was tyed but with a small lase / the lase ••rake with y^• stro¦ke & the helme flewe of his heed so that the kny∣ght was bare heeded / and so passed forth theyr course / and syr Iohn̄ dyscharged and bare his staffe fresshely / then euery man sayd it was a goodly course.

THen these knyghtes retourned to theyr owne places and syr Raynolde was hel¦med agayne and had a newe spere / and so they ranne togyder agayne they were bothe wel hor¦sed and coulde well guyde thē / they strake eche other on the helmes so that the fyer flewe out / y^e speres brake not / but syr raynoldes helme agay¦ne flewe of his heed. A sayd the Englysshmen y^e frenssheman hath auauntage / Why is not his helme as fast bocled as syr Iohn̄ of Holandes is / we thynke he dothe wronge / let hym set his helme in lyke case as his companyon hathe do∣ne his / holde your peas syrs sayd the duke of Lancastre / let them dele in armes / let euery mā take his aduauntage as he thynketh best / yf syr Iohn̄ Holande thynke y^t the other knyght ha∣ue aduauntage let hym set on his helme in lyke maner / but as for me sayd the duke and I were in lyke armes as these .ii. knyghtes be I wolde haue my helme as fast bocled as I coulde / and I thynke here be many of the same oppynyon. then the englysshe men spake no moo wordes / and the ladyes and damoyselles sayd howe the knyghtes had iusted well and goodly / and the

kynge of Portyngale sayd the same and spake to syr Iohn̄ Ferant and sayd / syr Iohn̄ in our countrey knyghtes iust not in this goodly ma∣ner / syr sayd he these knyghtes do iust wel / and syr I haue sene or this y^e frensshmen iust before y^e kynge your broder when we were at Elyres agaynst the kynge of Castell / lyke iustes I sa∣we there bytwene syr wyllyam Wyndsore and another frensshe knyght / but theyr helmes we∣re faster tyed then this knyghtes helme is / then the kynge regarded agayne the two knyghtes to se theyr thyrde course.

THus they ranne togyder y^e thyrde cour∣se and regarded eche other wysely to ta¦ke theyr aduauntage / they myght well so doo / for theyr horses serued them at theyr wysshyng and so they strake eche other agayne on the hel¦me in suche wyse y^t theyr eyen trimbled in theyr heedes and theyr sta••es brake / and agayne syr Raynoldes helme flewe of his heed and so eche other passed forth theyr course and demeaned themselfe fresshly / so that euery man sayd howe they had nobly iusted / but the englysshmen bla¦med gretely syr Raynolde du Roy in that his helme was no faster set on his heed / but the du∣ke of Lancastre blamed hym nothyng but sayd I thynke hym wyse that can in feates of armes seke his lawfull aduauntage / it semeth well y^t syr Raynolde is not to lerne to iust / he knowe∣th more therin then syr Iohn̄ doth / thoughe he haue borne hymselfe ryght well. So thus after theyr courses with theyr speres they toke theyr axes and dyd theyr armes with them and gaue eche other .iii. grete strokes on theyr helmes / & then they fought with theyr swordes and after with theyr daggers / & when all was done there was none of them hurte. The frensshmen brou¦ght syr Raynolde to his lodgynge / and the En¦glysshmen syr Iohn̄ Holande to his / the same day the duke of Lancastre made a dyner to all the frensshmen in his lodgynge and the duches set at the table by the duke / and syr Raynolde du Roy bynethe her / after dyner they wente in to a counsayle chambre / and y^e duches toke syr Raynolde by the hande and made hym to entre as sone as herselfe / and there she comoned with hym and other of the frensshe knyghtes tyll it was tyme to call for drynke / then y^e duches sayd to the frensshe knyghtes / syrs I haue meruayle of you / that ye do susteyne y^e wronge oppynyon of a bastarde / for ye knowe well and soo dothe all the worlde that Henry that was somtyme called kynge of Castel was a bastarde / therfore what iust cause haue you to susteyne that qua∣rell / and ayde to your power to dysheryte the ryght ayre of Castell / for I knowe well and soo dothe all the worlde that I and my syster were doughters by lawfull maryage to kyng Peter Wherfore god knoweth what ryght we haue to the royalme of Castell / & the good lady whē she spake of her fader she wepte / then syr Ray∣nolde du Roy made his obeysaunce and sayd. Madame we knowe ryght well that all is of trouth that ye haue sayd / howbeit y^e kynge our mayster is of the contrary oppynyon agaynst you / and we be his subiectes and must make warre at his pleasure / and go where as he wyl sende vs / We maye not say nay. So the duches departed to the duke / and y^e frensshe knyghtes dranke and then toke theyr leues / and wente to theyr lodgynge / and there euery thynge was re¦dy to departe / and then they mounted and de∣parted fro Besances and rode the same daye to Noy / and there they rested / and then rode forth tyll they came to Valeolyue.