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 dyuers burgesses of Sluse were beheeded: & howe Sluse was chaunged for the lande of Bethune: and howe the siege of Danne conty∣newed longe. Cap. vii. (Book 7)

AT an assault there was made knyght by the kynge Wylliam of Heynalte: that day he reared vp his baner / and quytte hym selfe lyke a good knight: But at that as¦saute the Frenche men loste more than they wanne / for Fraunces Atreman had with hym certayne archers of Englande / who greatly greued the assaylantes: Also he had great plentie of artillary / for whan the tow¦ne was wonne it was well furnyssed: And also he caused moche to be brought fro Gaūt / whan he knewe that he shulde haue siege layde to the towne. In the same season whyle the siege laye thus before Danne / some of the greattest of the towne of Sluse / suche as than bare moost rule in the towne / were so wrapped with treason / y^t they wolde haue deliuered the towne to the kin¦ges enemyes / and to haue murdred their capi∣tayne and his company in their beddes / and to haue set fyre in the kynges nauy / that lay there at ancre / laded with prouisyon for the kynge. Before he wente to Danne / he was in purpose to haue gone in to Scotlande after his admy∣rall. And also these treators had thought to ha¦ue broken downe the see bankes / therby to haue drowned the greattest parte of the kyng{is} hoost / Of all this they had made marchaundise with them of Gaūte / and all these treasons shuld ha¦ue ben done in one night: but ther was a good man in the towne as he was in an hostry herde all this treason / that they were purposed to do / And incontynent he went to the capitayne and shewed hym the mater / and named to hym cer∣tayne of them that had thus conspyred the trea¦son. Whan y^e capitayne herde that he sore mar¦ueyled / and toke a threscore speares of his com¦pany and wente fro house to house of the trea∣tours / and so toke and sette them in dyuers pri¦sons in sure kepynge. Than he toke his horse and rode to the kyng and so came to his tente / before hym and the duke of Burgoyne: he she∣wed all y^e mater howe the towne of Sluse was likely to haue ben lost / and all the kynges host likely to haue been in the water to the brestes / wherof the kyng and the lordes had great mar¦ueyle. And than the capitayne was cōmaunded that he shulde retourne to Sluse / and inconty¦nent to stryke of all their heedes withoute any respyte / therby all other to take ensample. So the capitayne retourned / and incontynent stra¦ke of all their heedes / This was the conclusion of that busynesse. Than the duke of Bur∣goyne cast in his aduyse to fynde some meanes to entreat his cosyn sir William of Namure / to haue of hym the towne of Sluse by exchaunge for other landes / and to ioyne that towne to the countie of Flaunders. And this was moche by thaduyse of sir Guy de la Tremoyle / who had the sormer before soiourned in Sluse with a cer¦tayne nombre of men of warre.

wHan̄e sir Wylliam of Namure herde first spekynge of that matter / he was marueylously displeased: for the tow¦ne of Sluse / with the apendauntes and profy∣tes of the see was a fayre and a profitable hery¦tage / & it was fallen to him by his auncestours wherfore he loued it the better: Howe be it the duke of Burgoyne lay so sore on hym therfore that there was no remedy / but to make the ex∣chaunge: For the dukes entensyon was to ma¦ke there a stronge castell / to subdue all comes

and goers by the see entryng in to the hauen of Sluse and to kepe it with mē of warre / so that none shulde entre by the see in those marchesse / without their daunger / and to make a towre so highe to se troētie leages in to the see. So thus breuely this sir wylliam of Namure was so sore desyred by the duke of Burgoyne and his counsayle / that he was contente to exchaunge Sluse for the landes of Bethune / whiche is a fayre and a great herytage in that countrey / he to haue that to hym and to his heyres for euer: And so than incontynent the duke of Burgoyn sette worke men a worke to make the Castell of Sluse. ¶Nowe lette vs speke of the siege of Danne.

THere was nere euery daye an assaute / & dyuers scrimysshes at the gates & bar∣riers / so that dyuers were hurt and slayne day lye. The frenchmen coude nat well come to the walles bycause of the dykes were full of myre / for if it had ben rayny wether / the hoost shulde haue had moche a do / and shulde haue ben fay∣ne to haue dislodged wheder they wolde or nat But by the space of a moneth that the siege en∣dured it neuer rayned / and they had vitayle y∣noughe: Howe be it bycause of the yuell ayre & the stynkynge of deed beestes & horses the ayre was so corrupte / that dyuers knightes & squy∣ers were therby sore sicke / so that dyuers went to refresshe them at Bruges and other places / to forsake the yuell ayre.

tHe kynge hym selfe went and laye at Marles / howe be it his tentes were styll pight vp in the felde. The entent of Fraūces Atreman was to holde styll the tow¦ne / tyll socours came out of Englande to reyse the siege / and surely they of Gaunte had sende in to Englande for rescue / and surely the kyng of Englandes vncles had come ouer the see suf¦ficiently garnysshed with men of warre and at tillarye to haue reysed the siege / but that they were lette bycause of the admyralles beyng in Scotlande / with acertayne nombre of men of armes. And also it was sayde in the realme of Englande / that the constable of Fraūce shulde come after in to Scotlande with a great puis∣san̄ce for to make warre into Englande / wher∣by the gauntoyse were nat resrued. Wher fore it behoued them within the towne of Dan to make an yuell bargayne. ∵