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 tydinges spred abrode that the kynge of Portugale and the duke of Lancastre were passed the ry¦uer of Derne / & howe it came to the kyng of Castels knowlege. & howe certayne of the englysshe knyghtes came and rode before Vyle arpente / and how the king of Portugale and the duke of Lancastre determyned there to tary the cōmyng of the duke of Burbone. Cap. C.iii. (Book 103)

WHan the kynge of Ca∣style knewe howe the kyng of Portugale and the duke of Lancastre were in y^t fel∣des with a great puyssance and daily aproched wherof he was sore abasshyd / and called to hym syr Gaultyer of Passac and syr Willyam of Lignac / and sayde. I haue great maruayle of the duke of Borbon / that he com¦meth nat. Our enemyes aproche and kepe the feldes / and none encoūtreth them. they waste our countrey / and the people of my realme are yuell contente that we fyght nat with theym. Wherfore sirs / I requyre you gyue me coun∣sayle what is best to do. These two knyghtes who knewe more of dedes of armes than the kyng dyd / for they had more vsed it / and ther∣fore thyder they were sente oute of Fraunce / they sayde: Syr / surely the duke of Borbon cometh without fayle. And whan he cometh we shall take counsayle what we shall do / but tyll he come / let vs make no countenaunce of batayle. Let our enemyes go and come why∣der as they lyst / lette them kepe the feldes and we shall kepe the townes that be stronge / and well prouyded bothe with men and vytayles. They shall be in the sonne and in great heate / and we shall be in the shadowe & in the fresshe ayre. They shall fynde y^e countrey wasted and pylled / and the more forewarde that they go / the lesse sustynaūce shall they fynde. And ther∣fore syr / at the begynnynge to eschewe all in∣conuenyentes / all lytell hooldes were beaten downe / and maners & churches suche as men of the coūtrey wold haue put in their goodes / and this was wysely done. or els nowe your enemyes shuld haue founde places to haue re¦sted in / and as nowe they shall fynde nothyng without they brynge it with theym / but heate and the sonne on their heedes / the whiche shall burne and slee them. And sir all your townes / cyties / and castelles are well garnysshed and prouyded for with good men of armes / artyl∣lery / and vytayles. I thynke they shalbe skry∣mysshed withall / for that is the lyfe and norys∣shynge of men of warre and their passe tyme / for they ryde aboute all the worlde to seke ad∣uentures. Therfore sir be nothynge abasshed for we truste in this besynes / we shall haue no great domage. The kynge by reason of these knyghtes wordes was greatly recōforted / for

he perceyued well they shewed him the trouth and reason.

NOwe let vs speke of the duke of Lan∣castre & of the kyng of Portugale / who were in the feldes in the countrey of Campe. They wolde gladly haue bene in some towne to haue refresshed theym / For their foragers whe•• so euer they went / coude fynde no thing and for feare of encountrynges / they rode nat but in great companyes. And somtyme whan they sawe a village on a hyll / or on the playne / than they reioysed and wolde say. Go we thy¦der / for there we shalbe all ryche / and well pro¦uyded / And thyder they wolde ryde in great haste. And whan they were there / they founde no thynge but bare walles / & the howses bro∣ken downe / and nother catte nor dogge / cocke nor hen / man / woman / nor childe there / it was wasted before by the frenchemen. Thus they loste their tyme / and their horses were leane and feble / by reason of their poore norisshyng. They were happy whan they founde any pa∣sture / and some were so feble that they coulde go no further / but dyed for great heate and po¦uertie. ye and also some of the great men dyed and were sore dyspleased with hoote feuers / & had nat wherwith to refresshe them / and some tyme by sodeyn coldee that toke them sleping in y^e nyght. In this case they were in / and spe∣cyally in the duke of Lancastres hoost / for the englisshmen were of a febler complexion than the portugaloys / for they coulde well endure the payne / for they he harde and accustomed to the ayre of Castyle. In this case as I haue shewed you the englisshmen were in / and ma∣ny dyed / and namely suche as had but smale prouisyon for them selfe.

SIr Richarde Burle / {ser} Thomas Moreaulr / sir Thomas Percy / the lorde Fitzwater / syr Mabe∣tyne of Linyers sir Iohn̄ Dam breticourt / Thyrrey and Guyl∣lyam of Souuayne / and with theym a two hundred horse men / knyghtes and squyers / suche as wolde auaunce theym selfe / and de∣syringe dedes of armes. It a tyme mounted on their horses the beste they hadde / to the en∣tente to ryde to Vyle Arpente / to awake the frēchmen that were therin / for they had herde surely howe sir Dlyuer of Clysson was with∣in that towne / who was constable of Castyle / and with hym a great nombre of good men of armes. These lord{is} with their company rode forthe in a morenynge / and came to a lytell ry∣uer that ranne before the towne / and passed ouer. The larome rose in the towne and brute that the englysshe men were come to the bar∣ryers. Thanne knyghtes and squiers armed them quickely / and came to the cōstables lod∣ginge / and their varlettes sadled their horses and brought thē to their maisters. the consta∣ble wolde nat by his wyll haue suffered them to haue issued out agaynste the englysshmen / but he coulde nat let them / their corages were so fierse: And so they issued out well horsed / and in good ordre. Firste issued sir Iohan of Barres / the vicounte of Barlier / sir Iohan of Brakemoūt / sir Pyer of Wyllannes / sir Tri∣stam de la gayll and dyuers other / with great desyre to fyght agaynst the englisshmen. And whan the englysshmen had made their course before the towne / than they passed agayne the ryuer / where as they had paste / and drewe to gyther on y^e sandes / and fayre and easely with drewe fro the ryuer a thre bowshottes. Than the frenche knightes came cryeng their cryes euery manne his speare on the thyghe. And whan the Englysshmen sawe them / sodeynly they tourned with their speares in the restes. There was a sore rencoūtre / and dyuers ouer throwen on the sandes / on bothe parties. And whan that course was done they lefte nat so / but skrymysshed to gyther / but the powder of the subtyle sandes rose vp so thycke / that one of them coulde natse a nother / nor knowe eche other / so that themselfe nor their horses could skant drawe their brethes / their mouthes were so full of dust / So that therby eche party was fayne to withdrawe by their cries. Thus they departed / and no manne slayne / nor greatly hurte. And bycause of this course that the en∣glysshe knyghtes made / they paste that daye but one leage fro the towne of Arpente / and so retourned to their lodgynges / and sycknesse toke them / heate / colde / and feuers. The duke of Lancastre wyste nat what to saye nor do / for he sawe well howe his men fell sicke dayly and lay in their beddes. And he was hymselfe soo wery and heuy / that gladly he wolde haue layen in his bedde / and it had nat ben for disco¦ragynge of his people. And on a day he spake with the kynge of Portugale / and demaun∣ded

counsayle of hym / desyringe hym to gyue his beste aduyse what was beste to do / for he feared great mortalyte to fall in his host. than the kyng sayd. Syr / it semeth well howe that the spaynyardes nor frēchmen wyll nat fyght with vs at this time / they purpose to suffre vs to waste our selfes and our prouysions. Why sir quod the duke / and what wyll ye than coū∣sayle vs to do? I shall shewe you {quod} the kyng Portugale. as for this season whyle the sonne is so hoote / that ye and your people drawe a∣gaine in to Galyce / and let euery man refressh him selfe / and at Marche or Aprill than come to the felde agayne. and do so moch that newe ayde and comfortemaye come to you oute of Englande by one of your bretherne. A realme is nat so soone wonne / and specyally to agree with the ayre nat acustomed before. Let your men go and passe their tyme in suche townes and forteresses as ye haue in Galyce / vnder your obeysaunce. This may well be quod the duke / but than maye fortune to fall / as I shall shewe you / that is. Whan our enemyes seeth that we be departed one fro another / you into Portugale & I into Galyce / at saynt Iaques or at Colongne. Than the kynge of Spayne wyll ryde with great puyssaunce / for I haue herde that he hathe foure thousande speares / frenchmen and bretons / and he shall fynde as many mo in his owne countrey. And also the duke of Burbon vncle to the frenche kyng co¦meth after with two. M. speares / and assone as he cometh he wyll set forwarde: so that & we be than at home in oure countreys / or we can assemble togyder agayne / as we be nowe / out enemyes shall do vs great domage. Thanne the kynge sayde. Well / than lette vs kepe styll the feldes in the name of god / as for my men be fresshe ynough / and are of good mynde to abyde the aduenture / and I with them.

THus they determyned to abyde the cōmynge of the duke of Bur∣bon / to se if they shulde be fought withall thanne or nat / for they all demaūded nothinge but batayle. The tyme went euer forwarde and the sonne mounted / and the dayes chafed meruaylously for it was aboute mydsomer / whan the sonne was in his strength / and specially in Spayne and Granade / and in the farre countreyes of Septentryon. Nor after Aprell there fell no rayne nor swetnes fro Heuyn / wherby euery thynge was brente on the erthe. The englissh men eate grapes whan they myght get them / and dranke of the hote wynes / and the more they dranke the more they were set a fyre / and therby brente their lyuers and longes / for that dyete was contrary to their nature. Englyssh men are norisshed with good metes and with ale / which kepeth their bodyes in temper: and there the nyghtes were hoote / bycause of the great heate in the day / and the mornyng mer∣uaylously colde / whiche dysceyued them. For in the nyght they coulde suffre no thynge on them / and so slepte all naked / and in the mor∣nynge colde toke them or they were waxe / and that caste them in to feuers and flyxes with∣out remedy. And as well dyed great men as meane people. ∴ ∴