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 constable of Fraun¦ce and dyuers other lordes and squyers of the royalme apparel¦led grete prouysyons to go in to Englande to wynne townes and castelles. Ca. lxxxiii. (Book 83)

ANd when season of so∣mer was come and the ioly moneth of Maye in the yere of our lorde god. M.CCC. foure score and .vii. In the same season that the duke of Lancastre was in Galyce / and conquered there / and that y^e kynge of Por∣tyngale with grete puyssaunce rode abrode in Castell without ony withstandynge. Thenne was it ordeyned in Fraunce as ye haue herde before howe the constable of Fraunce with one army / and the erle of saynt Poule / the lorde of Coucy and syr Iohan of Vyen with another armye / the one at Lentrygnyer in Bretayne / and the other at Harflewe in Normandy shol∣de the same season make a voyage in to englan¦de with a .vi. thousande men of armes and two thousande crosse bowes / and .vi. thousande other men of warre / and it was ordeyned that none sholde passe the see to goo in to Englande without he were well armed / and prouysyon of vytayles for the space of thre monethes with other prouysyon of hay & ootes for theyr horses & a daye was prefyxed amonge the capytaynes when they sholde departe / and were determy∣ned to lande in englande in two hauens at Do∣uer / and at Orwell / thus the daye approched of theyr departure. At Lentrygnyer prouysyon was made and put in to the shyppes for them that sholde passe from thens / and in lyke wyse was done at Harflewe / and euery man of war was payde theyr wages for .xv. dayes. This iourney was soo farre forwarde / that it was

thought it coulde not haue ben broken. ¶Nor also it brake not by noo cause of the capytaynes that were ordeyned to goo in that voyage. But it brake by another incydent and by a meruayl∣lous matter that fell in Bretayne wherwith the Frensshe kynge and his counsayle were soore dyspleased / but they coulde not amende it / wher¦fore it behoued them wysely to dyssymule y^e mat¦ter for it was no tyme then to remedy it. ¶Also other tydynges came vnto the Frensshe kynge out of the partyes of Almayne as I shall shewe you hereafter when tyme and place shall requy¦re it. But fyrst we wyll speke of the matters of Bretayne before them of Almayne / for they of Bretayne fell fyrste / and were worste reputed / thoughe other cost more.

YF I sholde saye that suche matters fell in that season and not open cle∣rely the mater whiche was grete / peryllous and horryble / it myght be a cronycle / but n••o hystory / I myght let it ouerpasse yf I lyst / but I wyll not doo soo / I shall declare the case syth god hathe gyuen me the knowledge therof / and tyme and leysure to cronycle the matter at lengthe. ¶ye haue herde here before in dyuers places in this hystory howe syr Iohn̄ of Mountforde named duke of Bretayne / and surely so he was by con∣quest and not by ryght lyne / howbeit alwayes he maynteyned the warre and oppynyon of the kynge of Englande and of his chydren agaynst the frensshe kynge. Also he had good cause soo to doo on his partye / for without the ayde of en¦glande he hadde not atteyned as he dyd nother before Alroy nor in other places. Also ye haue herde here before howe the duke of Bretayne coulde not haue his entente of all the nobles of his countrey / nor of all the good townes specy∣ally of syr Bertram of Clesquy as longe as he lyued / nor of syr Olyuer of Clysson constable of Fraunce / nor of the lordes de la Vale / and of Beawmanoyre / nor the lorde of Rase / of Dyg∣nant / the vycount of Rohan / nor of the lorde of Rochforde / for whereas these lordes enclyned nyghe all Bretayne folowed. They were con∣tente to take parte with theyr lorde the duke agaynst all maner of men excepte agaynst the crowne of Fraunce. And surely I can not se nor ymagyne by what waye / but that the Bre∣tons pryncypally regarded euer the honoure of Fraunce / it maye well appere by that that is wrytten here before in this hystory. I saye not this by noo corrupcyon nor fauoure that I ha∣ue to the erle Guy of Bloys who hath ben good lorde vnto me / and I haue hadde moche profy∣te by hym who was nephewe and nexte to the erle Loys of Bloys broder germayne to saynt Charles of Bloys / and as longe as he lyued he was duke of Bretayne. Truely I saye not this for no cause but all onely to declare the trouthe And also the gentyll prynce and erle that hathe caused me to wryte this story wolde in no wyse that I sholde swarue from the trouth.

NOwe to retourne to our purpose ye knowe well as longe as duke Iohan of Bretayne lyued he coul∣de neuer attayne to haue all his men in euery poynte to agree to his oppyny∣ons. And he sore fered them lest at the last they sholde haue taken hym and put hym in pryson in Fraunce. Wherfore he departed out of Bre∣tayne and wente in to Englande with all his householde / and y^e lady his wyfe Iahan of Ho∣lande doughter somtyme of the good knyght syr Thomas Holande / and thus a season he be∣came seruaunt to kynge Rycharde of Englan∣de / and afterwarde he wente in to Flaunders to y^e erle of Bloys who was his cosyn germay∣ne & there taryed more then a yere and an halfe. ¶Fynally they of his owne countrey sente for hym / and soo by good accorde thyder he wente. ¶And when he came in to his countrey there were certayne townes closed styl agaynst hym and rebelled / and specyally the cyte of Naun∣tes. But all his lordes / knyghtes and prelates were all of his accorde excepte the lordes before rehersed / and to haue the sygnory of them / and to gete the fauoure and good wyll of the good townes and Cytyes / and to put the Frensshe kynge in more fere bycause he wolde ouerpresse them with taxes and subsydyes as they dyd in Fraunce and in Pycardye whiche they wolde not suffre in Bretayne. Therfore he sente vnto the kynge of Englande for socoure and ayde of men of warre and archers / promysynge that yf the kynge of Englande wolde come in too Bretayne / or elles one of his vncles with a gre¦te puyssaunce of men of armes and of archers howe that his countrey of Bretayne sholde be opened redy to receyue hym and his company. ¶The kynge of Englande and his counsayle were gladde of those tydynges & thought them good and concluded to sende thyder / thē prouy∣syon was made / and thyder was sente the erle

of Buckyngham with .iii. M. men of armes and .viii. M. archers who aryued at Calays / and passed throughe the royalme of Fraunce without ony resystence as it hathe ben shewed here before demaundynge noo thynge but ba∣tayle / and so they came in to Bretayne trustyn∣ge to haue founde the countrey redy open for them to receyue and to refresshe them / for ••••rely they had made a longe voyage. Howbeit they founde it contrary dysposed / for the duke of Bre¦tayne was soo ledde by his men and so wysely entreated that they made a peas bytwene hym and the yonge Charles kynge as then in fraun¦ce / but with kynge Charles his fader he coul∣de neuer haue peas he hated hym soo sore. The duke of Borgoyne who was one of the chese go¦uernours in the royalme of Fraunce ayded gre¦tely to make this peas / he was so desyred by the lady his wyfe bycause the duke of Bretayne was nere of theyr lygnage soo he was fayne to breke all his promyses with the Englysshmen for he coulde not be suffred to accomplysshe his couenaunt / for the Bretons wolde not consent to yelde them to the kynge of Englande to ma∣ke warre agaynst Fraunce / they sayd they were neuer of that oppynyon nor neuer wolde be / so that it behoued the Englysshmen to take theyr lodgynges in y^e marches of wannes where they suffered as moche pouerte as euer dyd men for one tyme / and specyally theyr horses dyed for hungre and pouerte / and soo in the tyme of so∣mer they departed out of Bretayne as euyl con¦tente with the duke of Bretayne as myght be / and not without a cause. And specyally the er∣le of Buckyngham and the barons of Englan∣de that were in his company / and when they we¦re retourned in to Englande they made grete complayntes to the kynge and to the duke of Lancastre and his counsayle. And then it was deuysed and ordeyned that Iohn̄ of Bretayne sholde be delyuered / and to brynge hym with puyssaunce in to Bretayne to make warre the∣re agaynst the duke of Bretayne / and the En∣glysshe men sayd howe syr Iohn̄ of Mountfor∣de knewe well howe they had put hym in pos∣sessyon of the sygnory of Bretayne for without vs he hadde neuer come therto. And nowe to play vs this tourne to cause vs to trauayle our bodyes and to spende the kynges treasoure / it behoueth vs to shewe hym his fawtes. And we can not better be reuenged then to delyuer his aduersary and to brynge hym in to Bretayne / For all the countrey wyll delyuer hym townes Cytees / and fortresses / and put the other duke clene that thus hathe mocked and dysceyued vs. ¶Thus the Englysshe counsayle were all of one accorde / and then Iohn̄ of bretayne was brought in to the kynges presence / and there it was shewed hym howe they wolde make hym duke of Bretayne and recouer for hym all his herytage of Bretayne. And he sholde haue to his wyfe the lady Phylyp of Lancastre / so that he wolde holde the duchy of Bretayne in fayth and homage of the kynge of Englande / the whi¦che poynte he vtterly refused. But to take the dukes doughter in maryage he was contente / But to swere to be agaynst the crowne of fraun¦ce in noo wyse he wolde consente / but rather to abyde in pryson all his lyfe.

WHen the kynge and his counsayle sawe that / they withdrewe the grace that they hadde thought to haue shewed to hym / and thenne he was delyuered in to the ke∣pynge of syr Iohan Dambretycourte as ye ha∣ue herde before / I haue made as nowe relacy∣on of all these matters bycause of the incyden∣tes that folowed after and appered by the duke of Bretayne / for the duke knewe well howe he was gretely out of the fauoure of the noble men of the royalme of Englande / and also of the co∣mons there. And he ymagened that the hatred that they bare to hym was for the voyage that the erle of Buckyngham hadde made thrughe Fraunce to come in to Bretayne / wenynge to haue founde the duke there and countrey open agaynst them / as the duke of Bretayne hadde promysed / whiche the Englysshe men founde contrary. ¶Also he sawe well howe the kynge of Englande hadde not wryten vnto hym soo amyably as he hadde done often tymes before. And specyally as he hadde done before the erle of Buckynghams voyage. ¶And also he dou∣bted that the kynge of Englande sholde dely∣uer Iohan of Bretayne to the entente to make hym warre. ¶Thenne the duke cast his yma∣gynacyon how he myght fynde remedy in this matter / and to brynge it in to a good poynte / And to doo his entente soo secretly that the En¦glysshe men sholde be well content and pleased with hym. For he knewe well the man in the worlde whome the Englysshmen hated moost was syr Olyuer of Clysson constable of fraun∣ce. For in dede syr Olyuer of Clysson euer stu∣dyed nyght and daye howe he myght doo dys∣pleasure to the Englysshe men / and the duke knewe ryght well of the armye that was made

to god in to Englande bocke at Harflew: and at Lentrygnyer / then he sayd vnto hymselfe to the entente to please the Englysshe men and to shewe that he dyd not set moche by the Frensshe men / he founde the meanes to breke that voya∣ge not in commaundynge his men of Bretayne on payne of lesynge of theyr herytage not to go in to Englande / nor to ayde the frensshe partye this he dyd not / but he shewed outwardly that the warre was for hym / but he dyd his entre∣pryse more couertly / he caste in his ymagyna∣cyon that he myght not doo more honourably / nor more to his profyte / then to take the consta∣ble of Fraunce prysoner or elles to slee hym / therby he knewe well he sholde please the En∣glysshe men / for they hated hym / for he thought yf he were out of the waye he cared not for the resydue of his lygnage / for he knewe well they were not able to make hym warre / for the con∣stable hadde but two doughters / the one was maryed vnto Iohn̄ of Bretayne / and the other doughter was maryded vnto the erle of Ro∣hans sone / he thought to withstande them wel ynoughe and all his lygnage / for yf he hadde slayne hym he sayd he hadde slayne but a baron and that there were none that wolde make hym ony warre for his sake.