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

¶How a grete myscheffe fell in Englande bytwene the gen¦tyll men and comons for accompte of suche mo∣ney as hadde ben rey¦sed of the comons. Ca. lxxxi. (Book 81)

HEre before ye haue herde howe the Frensshe armye with shyppes on y^e se that were assembled at Sluse to haue gone in to Englande was dasshed & broken vp / yet to shewe courage and desyre to goo another season in to englande / and that it shol∣de not be sayd that the Frensshe men were recre¦aunt to haue made that voyage. Therfore it was ordeyned that incontynent at the entre of May and that the see myght be fayre and plea∣saunt. The constable of Fraunce sholde make a iourney in to englande with .iiii. M. men of ar¦mes and .ii.M. crosse bowes / and they sholde all assemble togyder at a cyte agaynst the fron∣ter of Cornewall called Lentrygnyer and there to be made all theyr prouysyon and it was or∣deyned euery man to haue a horse the more ease¦ly to ••yde abrode in Englande / for it was thou¦ght without horse they coulde make noo warre that sholde auayle them / soo there was assem∣bled at this hauen of Lentygnyer a goodly ap∣parell of shyppes / barkes / Bagengers and ga∣leys wel fournysshed with wynes / salte flesshe and bysquet and other thynges so largely that it was suffycyent for them to lyue by a foure or

fyue monethes without takynge or byenge of ony thynge in the countrey for y^e constable and his company knewe well that as soone as the Englysshe men knewe of suche a company of men of warre comynge on them / they wolde dy¦stroye theyr owne goodes abrode in the playne countrey rather then we sholde haue ony case therof. Therfore the constable made his prouy¦syon redy on that syde the see. Also there was ordeyned another flete of shyppes at the hauen of Harflewe for the lorde of Coucy / the lorde of saynt Poule and the admyrall of Fraunce shol¦de there take shyppynge with two thousande speres in lykewyse to goo in to Englande / and as the brute wente all this was done to drawe backe agayne the duke of Lancastre and the du¦ches out of Castell. The same season the duke of Borbon was at Parys and thought surely that the duke of Lancastre sholde retourne ho∣me agayne in to Englande / wherfore he thou∣ghe he sholde haue no thynge to doo to go in to castell nor to trauayle his body so farre forthe. So it was determyned that in the Constables armye sholde goo / Bretons Augenyms / Poye¦tenyns Manceaus and Xayngrons / with kny¦ghtes and squyers of the lowe marches / and with the lorde of saynt Poule and with the lor∣de of Coucy sholde go frensshmen / Normans / & Pycardes / and with the duke of Borbon shol∣de goo two thousande speres of Berrey / Auuer¦nake / of Lymosyn / Borgoyne and of the bace marches. Thus in that season the matters we∣re concluded in Fraunce and euery man knewe what he sholde do / outher to go in to Englande or in to Castell.

ANd true it was the royalme of Englan¦de the same tyme was in grete peryll & in a gretter ieoperdye then when the vyllaynes of Essex and Kent rebelled agaynst the kynge and the nobles of the royalme at whiche tyme they came vnto London / I shall shewe you the reason why / at that season all the noble men of the royalme toke one parte togyder with the kynge agaynst the comons / but nowe it is not soo / the nobles vary amonge themselfe. The kynge is agaynst his owne vncles / the duke of yorke and the duke of Glocestre and they were agaynst hym and all this varyaunce dyd ryse by the meanes of the duke of Irelande who ba∣re all the chefe rule aboute the kynge / and the comons of Englande in dyuers cytees knewe well of this dyscorde / they that were sage men reputed it for a grete euyl and fered that moche trouble sholde growe therby / but suche as were lyght persones made noo rekenynge therof / so∣me sayenge that it was for enuye that the kyn∣ges vncles hadde agaynst the kynge theyr ne∣phewe / and bycause they sawe howe the crow∣ne of Englande began to growe farre of frome them / and some other sayd how the kynge was but yonge / and byleued yonge counsayle / and howe that it were better for hym to byleue hys vncles who mente noo thynge to hym but al ho¦noure and pro••yte nor to the royalme of En∣glande / rather then to be ruled by the prowde duke of Irelande who neuer sawe ony thynge perteynynge to honoure / nor neuer was in ony batayle. Thus euery man dyffered from other in the royalme of Englande / Whiche trybula∣cyons were well knowen in Fraunce / wherfore they made this grete prouysyon to goo thyder with all theyr puyssaunce thynkynge to doo a grete feate / on the other syde / the prelates of en∣glande were in hatred one with another as the archebysshop of Cauntorbury who was of the Neuelles blood / with the archebysshop of yor∣ke. And yet they were countrey men borne / but they hated mortally eche other bycause the lor∣de Neuell hadde the rule and gouernaunce of Northumbrelande and soo to the marches of Skotlande aboue the erle of Northumbrelan∣de and his chyldren / the lorde Henry and the lorde Raffe of Percy / whiche rule the lorde Ne¦uelles broder had gotten hym / for he was one of the chefe aboute the kynge with the duke of Irelande.