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 THE CHRONICLES 01 
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 SINGLETON 
 
 
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 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Cliapi4^.lV? Copyright Xo 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
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Hpplctone' Ibomc IRca&ituj I&ooI^b 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 WILLIAM T. HARRIS, A.M., LL. D. 
 
 UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION 
 
 DIVISION III 
 
 History 
 
Froissart presenting a copy of his book to 
 King Richard II of England. 
 
APPLE TONS' HOME READING BOOKS 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF 
 SIR JOHN FROISSART 
 
 CONDENSED FOR YOUNG READERS 
 
 BY 
 
 • ADAM SINGLETON 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 1900 
 
1683 
 
 XVSTO COPIES RECEIVED, 
 
 Library of C§fifrtt% 
 Offlct of the 
 
 JUN4-1900 
 
 Roffiitor of Copyrlfkf& 
 SECOND COPY. 
 
 6S9iO 
 
 Copyright, 1900 
 By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 
TO 
 
 E. C. H. 
 
INTEODUCTIOK TO THE HOME EEADmO 
 BOOK SEKIES BY THE EDITOR 
 
 The new education takes two important direc- 
 tions — one of these is toward original observation, 
 requiring the pupil to test and verify what is taught 
 him at school by his own experiments. The infor- 
 mation that he learns from books or hears from his 
 teacher's lips must be assimilated by incorporating it 
 with his own experience. 
 
 The other direction pointed out by the new edu- 
 cation is systematic home reading. It forms a part of 
 school extension of all kinds. The so-called " Univer- 
 sity Extension " that originated at Cambridge and Ox- 
 ford has as its chief feature the aid of home reading by 
 lectures and round-table discussions, led or conducted 
 by experts who also lay out the course of reading. 
 The Chautauquan movement in this country prescribes 
 a series of excellent books and furnishes for a goodly 
 number of its readers annual courses of lectures. The 
 teachers' reading circles that exist in many States pre- 
 scribe the books to be read, and publish some analysis, 
 commentary, or catechism to aid the members. 
 
 Home reading, it seems, furnishes the essential 
 basis of this great movement to extend education 
 
 vii 
 
viii THE C"I1R0NICLES OF FROTSSART 
 
 beyond tlie school and to make self-culture a habit 
 of life. 
 
 Looking more carefully at the difference lietween 
 the two directions of the new education we can see 
 what each accomplishes. There is iirst an effort to 
 train the original powers of the individual and make 
 him self-active, quick at observation, and free in his 
 thinking. Next, the new education endeavors, by the 
 readinjj- of books and the studv of the wisdom of the 
 race, to make the child or youth a participator in the 
 results of experience of all mankind. 
 
 These two movements may be made anta2:onistic 
 by poor teaching. The book knowledge, containing as 
 it does the precious lesson of human experience, may 
 be so taught as to brino^ with it onlv dead rules of 
 conduct, only dead scraps of information, and no 
 stimulant to original thinking. Its contents may be 
 memorized without being understood. On the other 
 hand, the self -activity of the child may be stimulated 
 at the expense of his social well-being — his originality 
 may be cultivated at the expense of his rationality. 
 If he is taught persistently to have his own way, to 
 trust only his own senses, to cling to his own opinions 
 heedless of the experience of his fellows, he is pre- 
 paring for an unsuccessful, misanthropic career, and 
 is likely enough to end his life in a madhouse. 
 
 It is admitted that a too exclusive study of the 
 knowledge found in books, the knowledge which is 
 aggregated from the experience and thought of other 
 people, may result in loading the mind of the pupil 
 with material which he can not use to advantasre. 
 
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 Some minds are so full of lumlier that there is no 
 space left to set up a workshop. The necessity of 
 uniting both of these directions of intellectual activity 
 in the schools is therefore obvious, but we must not, 
 in this place, fall into the error of supposing that it is 
 the oral instruction in school and the personal influ- 
 ence of the teacher alone that excites the pupil to ac- 
 tivity. Book instruction is not always dry and theo- 
 retical. The very persons who declaim against the 
 book, and praise in such strong terms the seK-activity 
 of the pupil and original research, are mostly persons 
 who have received their practical impulse from read- 
 ing the w^ritings of educational reformers. Yery few 
 persons have received an impulse from personal con- 
 tact with inspiring teachers compared with the num- 
 ber that have been aroused by reading such books as 
 Herbert Spencer's Treatise on Education, Rousseau's 
 Emile, Pestalozzi's Leonard and Gertrude, Francis 
 W. Parker's Talks about Teaching, G. Stanley 
 Hall's Pedagogical Seminary. Think in this connec- 
 tion, too, of the impulse to observation in natural sci- 
 ence produced by such books as those of Hugh Miller, 
 Faraday, Tyndall, Huxley, Agassiz, and Darwin. 
 
 The new scientific book is different from the old. 
 The old style book of science gave dead results where 
 the new one gives not only the results, but a minute 
 account of the method employed in reaching those re- 
 sults. An insight into the method employed in dis- 
 covery trains the reader into a naturalist, an historian, 
 a sociologist. The books of the writers above named 
 have done more to stimulate original research on the 
 
X THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 part of their readers than all other influences com- 
 bined. 
 
 It is therefore much more a matter of importance 
 to get the right kind of book than to get a living 
 teacher. The book which teaches results, and at the 
 same time gives in an intelligible manner the steps of 
 discovery and the methods employed, is a book 
 which will stinmlate the student to repeat the ex- 
 periments described and get beyond them into fields 
 of original research himself. Every one remem- 
 bers the published lectures of Faraday on chemistry, 
 which exercised a wide influence in changing the 
 style of books on natural science, causing them to 
 deal with method more than results, and thus train 
 the reader's power of conducting original research. 
 Robinson Crusoe for nearly two hundred years has 
 aroused the spirit of adventure and prompted young 
 men to resort to the border lands of civilization. A 
 library of home reading should contain books that in- 
 cite to self- activity and arouse the spirit of inquiry. 
 The books should treat of methods of discovery and 
 evolution. All nature is unified by the discovery of 
 the law of evolution. Each and every being in the 
 world is now explained by the process of development 
 to which it belongs. Every fact now throws light on 
 all the others by illustrating the process of growth in 
 which each has its end and aim. 
 
 The Home Heading Books are to be classed as 
 follows : 
 
 First Dimsion. IS^atui-al history, including popular 
 scientific treatises on plants and animals, and also de- 
 
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION xi 
 
 scriptions of geographical localities. The In-anch of 
 study in the district school course which corresponds 
 to this is geography. Travels and sojourns in distant 
 lands ; special writings which treat of this or that 
 animal or plant, or family of animals or plants ; any- 
 thing that relates to organic nature or to meteorol- 
 ogy, or descriptive astronomy may be placed in this 
 class. 
 
 Second Division. Whatever relates to physics or 
 natural philosophy, to the statics or dynamics of air or 
 water or light or electricity, or to the properties of 
 matter ; whatever relates to chemistry, either organic 
 or inorganic — books on these subjects belong to the 
 class that relates to what is inorganic. Ev^en the so- 
 called organic chemistry relates to the analysis of 
 organic bodies into their inorganic compounds. 
 
 Third Division. History, biography, and ethnol- 
 ogy. Books relating to the lives of individuals ; to 
 the social life of the nation ; to the collisions of na- 
 tions in war, as well as to the aid that one nation 
 gives to another through commerce in times of peace; 
 books on ethnology relating to the modes of life of 
 savage or civilized peoples ; on primitive manners 
 and customs — books on these subjects belong to the 
 third class, relating particularly to the human will, 
 not merely the individual will but the social will, 
 the will of the tribe or nation ; and to this third 
 class belong also books on ethics and morals, and 
 on forms of government and laws, and what is in- 
 cluded under the term civics, or the duties of citi- 
 zenship. 
 
xii THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Fourth Dimsion. The fourth class of books îd- 
 chides more especially literature and works that make 
 known the beautiful in such departments as sculpture, 
 painting, architecture and music. Literature and art 
 show human nature in tlie form of feelings, emotions, 
 and aspirations, and they show how these feelings 
 lead over to deeds and to clear thoughts. This de- 
 partment of books is perhaps more important than 
 any other in our home reading, inasmuch as it teaches 
 a knowledge of human nature and enables us to un- 
 derstand the motives that lead our fellow-men to 
 action. 
 
 Plan for Use as Supplementakt Reading. 
 
 The first work of the child in the school is to 
 learn to recognize in a printed form the words that 
 are familiar to him by ear. These words constitute 
 what is called the colloquial vocabulary. They are 
 words that he has come to know from having heard 
 them used by the members of his family and by his 
 playmates. He uses these words himself with con- 
 siderable skill, but what he knows by ear he does not 
 yet know by sight. It will require many weeks, 
 many months even, of constant effort at reading the 
 printed page to bring him to the point where the 
 sight of the written word brings up as much to his 
 mind as the sound of the spoken word. But patience 
 and practice will by and by make the printed word 
 far more suggestive than the spoken word, as every 
 scholar may testify. 
 
 In order to bring about this familiarity with the 
 
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 printed word it lias been found necessary to re-en- 
 force the reading in the school by supplementary 
 reading at home. Books of the same grade of diffi- 
 culty with the reader used in school are to be pro- 
 vided for the pupil. They must be so interesting 
 to him that he will read them at home, using his time 
 before and after school, and even his holidays, for 
 this purpose. 
 
 But this matter of familiarizing the child with the 
 printed word is only one half of the object aimed at 
 by the supplementary home reading. He should 
 read that which interests him. He should read that 
 which will increase his power in making deeper 
 studies, and what he reads should tend to correct his 
 habits of observation. Step by step he should be 
 initiated into the scientific method. Too many ele- 
 mentary books fail to teach the scientific method be- 
 cause they point out in an unsystematic way only 
 those features of the object which the untutored 
 senses of the pupil would discover at first glance. It 
 is not useful to tell the child to observe a piece of 
 chalk and see that it is white, more or less friable, 
 and that it makes a mark on a fence or a wall. Sci- 
 entific observation goes immediately behind the facts 
 which lie obvious to a superficial investigation. 
 Above all, it directs attention to such features of the 
 object as relate it to its environment. It directs at- 
 tention to the features that have a causal infiuence in 
 making the object what it is and in extending its 
 effects to other objects. Science discovers the recip- 
 rocal action of objects one upon another. 
 
xiv THE CHRONICLES OF FROTSSART 
 
 After the child has learned how to observe what 
 is essentia] in one class of objects he is in a measure 
 fitted to observe for himself all objects that resemble 
 this class. After he has learned how to observe the 
 seeds of the milkweed, he is partially prepared to 
 observe the seeds of the dandelion, the burdock, and 
 the thistle, xlfter he has learned how to study the 
 history of his native country, he has acquired some 
 al)ility to study the history of England and Scotland 
 or France or Germany. In the same way the daily 
 preparation of his reading lesson at school aids him 
 to read a storv of Dickens or Walter Scott. 
 
 The teacher of a school will know how to obtain 
 a small sum to invest in supplementary reading. In 
 a graded school of four hundred pupils ten books of 
 each number are sufficient, one set of ten books to be 
 loaned the first week to the best pupils in one of the 
 rooms, the next week to the ten pupils next in ability. 
 On Monday afternoon a discussion should be held 
 over the topics of interest to the pupils who have 
 read the book. The pupils who have not yet read 
 the book will become interested, and await anxiously 
 their turn for the loan of the desired volume. Another 
 set of ten books of a higher grade may be used in the 
 same way in a room containing more advanced pupils. 
 The older pupils who have left school, and also the 
 parents, should avail themselves of the opportunity to 
 read the books brought home from school. Thus is 
 begun that continuous education by means of the pub- 
 lic library which is not limited to the school period, 
 but lasts through life. W. T. Harkis. 
 
 Washington, D. C, Xov. 16, 1896, 
 
AUTHOK'S PREFACE 
 
 The design of this book is set forth in the note 
 to its young readers, as well as the manner in which 
 it has been condensed from Lord Berners' English 
 translation of Froissart as edited by Mr. Macaulay. 
 Reference is therefore made to this note. 
 
 Whenever a word in Lord Berners' translation is 
 unusual or strange, and is yet such a word as the 
 young reader ought to acquire and thereafter possess 
 as a part of his vocabulary, it has been printed in this 
 book unchanged, with its modern equivalent immedi- 
 ately following in parentheses, thus : " and the king 
 was mounted on a little palfrey {riding horse).'''' If 
 the book is read aloud all such parentheses must be 
 omitted. 
 
 If, on the other hand, the unusual word is really 
 obsolete, it has been replaced by its modern equiva- 
 lent, thus : " Then it was ordered that all men should 
 move into the field," where the word move replaces 
 the word "draw" in the original. Additions have 
 been made by the present editor for the purpose of 
 rendering the meaning perfectly clear to the young 
 reader. For instance, where Froissart speaks of " the 
 
 XV 
 
xvi THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 prince," this book often says " the Prince of Wales " ; 
 where he speaks of " the king," tliis book says " the 
 French King." In many cases Lord Berners has mis- 
 translated tlie words of Froissart, and the mistrans- 
 lations are corrected here. 
 
 The main object of the present volume is to open 
 the fourteenth century to the young reader of the 
 nineteenth. To do this satisfactorily, we must ad- 
 here to the original text, or to early translations of 
 it, as closely as practicable consistent with that per- 
 fect clearness of language which is essential in books 
 to be used by young people. The chapters in this 
 book correspond to the chapters in Lord Berners' 
 translation, though, of course, they are numbered dif- 
 ferently, since only fifty-four out of his seven hun- 
 dred chapters are printed here. 
 
 When no material change is made in the sense by 
 leaving out phrases and clauses of Lord Berners' 
 translation they have been omitted to shorten his por- 
 tentously long sentences. There is no mark in this 
 book to show where such alterations have been made. 
 It does not seem important that there should be. 
 
 Whenever it has seemed useful, explanatory notes 
 have been given. By far the greater number of 
 them are very brief explanations in parentheses in the 
 text itself, as, " put off his harness (armor),-^ and the 
 like. The pronunciation of foreign words is given 
 in the footnotes. A few longer notes are given, to 
 direct the thought of the reader, or to enable hira to 
 place himself quickly in the situation of a reader of 
 three centuries ago. The whole purpose of the près- 
 
AUTHORS PREFACE xvii 
 
 ent volume is to put an American child in possession 
 of a history which is his birthright. He should feel 
 that these warriors are his ancestors. They are not 
 Greeks, but Englishmen. 
 
 The vital matter, always kept in view, is to pre- 
 sent the idea in Froissart's mind with perfect clear- 
 ness to the American child who reads this book. 
 Whenever this can be done without changing Lord 
 Berners' text it is left unaltered. The form of Lord 
 Berners' prose tells us something that is worth know- 
 ing about his mind. We see what things were im- 
 portant to him ; and it is interesting to observe that 
 he sometimes lays stress on matters that seem quite 
 unimportant to us. The unchanged sentences give 
 us the very words of an English gentleman of the 
 sixteenth century. This is the daily conversation of 
 a nobleman who lived in Shakespeare's day ; just as 
 Froissart's Chronicles are the writings of a French 
 gentleman contemporary with Chaucer. 
 
 The illustrations have been copied from old manu- 
 scripts, old prints, and standard works on the life and 
 times of Edward III. They will be found to be a 
 valuable addition to the text, and they give a pictorial 
 history of the manners of the time. The young reader 
 should be encouraged to examine them minutely. 
 
 A. S. 
 New York, December, 189S. 
 
A TABLE OF SOME HISTOEICAL EVENTS 
 
 (1312-1400) 
 
 IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 A. D, 
 
 Edward III born at Wind- 
 sor Castle, 1312 
 
 King Edward II impris- 
 oned by Sir Roger Mor- 
 timer, and killed, 1327 
 
 Edward III crowned King 
 of England, 1327 
 
 The Earl Mortimer is Re- 
 gent of England, and 
 he and Queen Isabel 
 (daughter of King Philip 
 IV of France) hold all 
 the power, 1327-'30 
 
 King Robert Bruce of Scot- 
 land dies, 1329 
 
 King David II of Scotland 
 succeeds to the throne, 1329 
 
 Mortimer imprisoned and 
 executed, 1330 
 
 Queen Isabel imprisoned, 1330 
 (She died 1357) 
 
 ABROAD. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Pope Xicholas V, 1328 
 
 Philip VI of Valois,* King 
 
 of France. 1328 
 
 War of France with Flan- 
 ders, 1828 
 
 * Pronounced val-wa'. 
 
 xviu 
 
SOME HISTORICAL EVENTS (1312-1400) xix 
 
 IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 ABROAD. 
 
 
 The art of weaving wool- 
 
 A. D, 
 
 
 
 en cloth introduced into 
 
 
 
 
 England from Flanders, 
 
 1331 
 
 
 
 Edward III invades Scot- 
 
 
 
 
 land, 
 
 1332 
 
 
 
 Edward III supports Ed- 
 
 
 
 
 ward Baliol as King of 
 
 
 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 1332 
 
 
 
 Defeat of the Scots at Hal- 
 
 
 
 A. D. 
 
 lidon Hill by Edward III 
 
 1333 
 
 Pope Benedict XII, 
 
 1334 
 
 Edward III invades Scot- 
 
 
 
 
 land, 1335-'36 
 
 
 
 The Hundred Years' War 
 
 
 
 
 between England and 
 
 
 
 
 France (1336 to 1431) 
 
 
 
 
 begins ; England allied 
 
 
 
 
 with Flanders, etc., 
 
 1336 
 
 Sir John Froissart born. 
 
 1337 
 
 Edward III invades France 
 
 1339 
 
 The English besiege Cam- 
 
 
 
 
 brai, 
 
 1339 
 
 Geoffrey Chaucer, the great 
 
 
 Sea fight at Sluys; the 
 
 
 English poet, born. 
 
 1340 
 
 English win, 
 
 1340 
 
 Edinburgh Castle taken by 
 
 
 The poet Petrarch crowned 
 
 
 the English, 
 
 1341 
 
 at Rome (as poet-laureate) 
 
 1341 
 
 The Houses of Lords and 
 
 
 Civil war in Brittany, 
 
 1341 
 
 Commons founded, 
 
 1341 
 
 War of the English and 
 French in Brittany and 
 
 
 
 
 in Guienne, 1341-42 
 
 
 
 Pope Clement VI, 
 
 1342 
 
 
 
 Boccaccio crowned (as poet- 
 
 
 
 
 laureate) in Rome, 
 
 1342 
 
 
 
 The Turks settle in Europe 
 
 1343 
 
 First gold coins in England 
 
 1344 
 
 Jacob van Arteveldt of 
 
 
 Battle of Durham (the 
 
 
 Flanders killed, 
 
 1345 
 
 English victorious over 
 
 
 War between France and 
 
 
 the Scots), 
 
 1346 
 
 England in Brittany, 
 
 1346 
 
XX 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 ABROAD. 
 
 King David II taken pris- 
 
 A. u. 
 
 
 oner. 
 
 1346 
 
 
 King Edward III invades 
 
 
 
 France at Calais; and 
 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Edward the Black Prince 
 
 
 Battle of Cressy (English 
 
 in Gascony, 
 
 
 defeat the French), 1346 
 
 War with Scotland, 
 
 
 
 First great pestilence in 
 
 
 Siege of Calais (taken by 
 
 England, IM 
 
 7-'49 
 
 the English), 1347 
 Charles IV, crowned Em- 
 peror of Germany, 1347 
 
 The order of the Garter 
 
 
 Theplagueragesin Italy 1348- 49 
 
 instituted, 
 
 1349 
 
 The Black Death in Eu- 
 rope, 1349 
 King Philip of France dies 1350 
 John II. King of France, 1350 
 Pope Innocent VI, 1352 
 
 French war renewed. 
 
 1355 
 
 Battle of Poitiers (the Eng- 
 lish victorious over the 
 French ; King John 
 
 John Wyclif's writings. 
 
 1356 
 
 taken prisoner). 1356 
 The Peasants' Rebellion 
 {La Jacquerie *) in 
 France, 1358 
 
 Edward III desolates the 
 
 
 
 north of France. 
 
 1359 
 
 Peace declared between 
 
 Edward III gives up the 
 
 
 France and England, 1360 
 
 title of King of France, 
 
 
 Peace endured, 1360-'69 
 
 and obtains large pos- 
 
 
 
 sessions in northeast and 
 
 
 
 southwest France, 
 
 1360 
 
 
 The second great pesti- 
 
 
 
 lence, 
 
 1361 
 
 
 * Pronounced zhiik-rë'. 
 
SOME HISTORK^AL EVENTS (1312-1400) xxi 
 
 IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 ABROAD. 
 
 
 English language used in 
 
 A. D. 
 
 
 
 courts of law, " because 
 
 
 
 
 the French tongue is 
 
 
 
 A. D. 
 
 much unknown," 
 
 1362 
 
 Pope Urban V, 
 
 1362 
 
 
 
 Charles V, King of France, 
 
 1364 
 
 The third great pestilence, 
 
 1369 
 
 War between France and 
 
 
 
 
 England, 
 
 1370 
 
 
 
 Pope Gregory XI, 
 
 1370 
 
 
 
 Wars in which France con- 
 
 
 
 
 quers all the English pos- 
 
 
 
 
 sessionsexceptBordeaux, 
 
 
 
 
 Bayonne, and Calais, 1370-'77 
 
 Robert II (Stuart), King of 
 
 
 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 1371 
 
 
 
 Edward the Black Prince 
 
 
 
 
 dies, 
 
 1376 
 
 
 
 Edward III dies, aged six- 
 
 
 The Pope returns from 
 
 
 ty-five. 
 
 1377 
 
 Avignon * to Rome, 
 
 1377 
 
 Richard II, King of Eng- 
 
 
 
 
 land, 
 
 1377 
 
 
 
 The Bible translated into 
 
 
 Pope Clement VII, 
 
 1378 
 
 English by Wyclif about 
 
 1380 
 
 Charles VI, King of France 
 
 1380 
 
 Battle of Otterburn (Chevy 
 
 
 
 
 Chase), the Scots victors 
 
 
 
 
 over the English. 
 
 1388 
 
 Truce with France, 
 
 1389 
 
 Robert III, King of Scot- 
 
 
 Pope Boniface IX, 
 
 1389 
 
 land, 
 
 1390 
 
 
 
 Henry IV, King of Eng- 
 
 
 Pope Benedict XIII, 
 
 1394 
 
 land, 
 
 1399 
 
 
 
 Chaucer dies, 
 
 1400 
 
 
 
 * Pronounced â-vën-yôiV. The Pope of Rome lived in this city 
 from 1309 till 1377. 
 
xxii THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 ENGLAND— THE HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET 
 
 Edward 1, 1272-1807 ; 
 
 Edward II, 1307-'27; married Isabel, daughter of Philip IV 
 of France ; 
 
 Edward III. 1327-77; married Pliilippa. daughter of Wil- 
 liam, Count of Hainault ; * 
 
 Edward the Black Prince ; married Joan of Kent ; 
 
 Richard 11, lo77-'99; married Anne, daughter of Emperor 
 Charles lY. 
 
 FRANCE— THE HOUSE OF VALOIS t 
 Philip III, 1270-85 ; 
 
 Philip IV, 1285-1314 ; Charles, Count of Valois ; 
 
 1 
 Philip VI, 1328-'50: 
 
 Isabel ; married Philip V, Charles IV, 
 
 Edward II of England ; 13l6-'22 : 1322-'28 ; 
 
 Edward III of England. 
 
 * Pronounced hâ-nô'. f Pronounced vâl-wâ'. 
 
KEY TO PilOKUKClATIOK* 
 
 a as in fat, man, pang, 
 fi as in fate, mane, dale, 
 a as in far, father, guard, 
 a as in fall, talk, naught, 
 a as in ask, fast, ant. 
 â as in fair, hair, bear, 
 e as in met, pen, bless, 
 ë as in mete, meet, meat, 
 ê as in her, fern, heard, 
 i as in pin, it, biscuit. 
 Ï as in pine, fight, file, 
 o as in not, on, frog. 
 Ô as in note, poke, floor, 
 o as in move, spoon, room. 
 o as in nor, song, off. 
 u as in tub, son, blood. 
 Û as in mute, acute, few. 
 Ù as in pull, book, could. 
 Û German u, French u. 
 oi as in oil, joint, boy. 
 ou as in pound, proud, now. 
 
 A single dot under a vowel in 
 an unaccented syllable indicates 
 its abbreviation and lightening, 
 without absolute loss of its dis- 
 tinctive quality. Thus : 
 
 â as in prelate, courage. 
 
 Ç as in ablegate, episcopal. 
 
 9 as in abrogate, eulogy, demO' 
 
 crat. 
 û as in singular, education. 
 
 A double dot under a vowel in 
 an unaccented syllable indicates 
 that, even in the mouths of the 
 best speakers, its sound is vari- 
 able to, and in ordinary utterance 
 actually becomes, the short u- 
 sound (of but, pun, etc.). Thus : 
 a as in errant, republican, 
 e as in prudent, difference, 
 i as in charity, density, 
 o as in valor, actor, idiot, 
 a as in Persia, peninsula, 
 ê as in the book, 
 û as in nature, feature. 
 
 A mark {-) under the conso- 
 nants t, d, s, z indicates that they 
 in like manner are variable to 
 ch,J, sh, zh. Thus: 
 t as in nature, adventure, 
 d as in arduous, education. 
 s as in leisure, 
 z as in seizure. 
 
 n French nasalizing n, as in 
 ton. en. 
 
 ' denotes a primary, " a sec- 
 ondary accent. (A secondary 
 accent is not marked if at its 
 regular interval of two syllables 
 from the primary, or from an- 
 other secondary.) 
 
 * Taken, with the permission of the Century Company, from 
 the Century Cyclopedia of Names. 
 
 xxui 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Editor's Introduction vii 
 
 XV 
 
 xviii 
 
 xxiii 
 
 1 
 
 Author's Preface 
 
 a table of some historical events (1312-1400) 
 
 Key to Pronunciation 
 
 Note for the young readers of this book 
 The Hundred Years' War between France and Eng- 
 land 27 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 Here speaketh the author of certain valiant knights to be 
 
 made mention of in this book 39 
 
 CHAPTER IT 
 The coronation of King Edward the Third .... 41 
 
 PART I 
 
 THE ^VAR WITH THE SCOTS {1327) 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 How King Robert Bruce of Scotland defied King Edward . 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Concerning the dissension that was between the archers of 
 
 England and them of Hainault 45 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Here the history speaketh of the customs of the Scots and 
 
 how they can war 49 
 
 XXV 
 
Xxvi THE CHRONICLES OF PROISSART 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 How the King of England made his first journey against 
 
 the Scots 53 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 How King Edward the Third was married to the Lady 
 
 Philippa of Hainault 69 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 How King Robert of Scotland died (1339) .... 71 
 
 PAET II 
 
 THE WAR^ OF THE ENGLISH IN THE LAND 
 OF FRANCE {1337-1346) 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 How King Edward was counseled to make war against the 
 
 French King (1337) 77 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 How King Edward of England made great alliances in the 
 
 Empire (1338) . 83 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 How King David of Scotland made an alliance with King 
 
 Philip of France 85 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 How King Edward and all his allies did defy the French 
 
 King 85 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 How King Edward took on himself to bear the arms of 
 
 France and to be called king thereof .... 87 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 How the Frenchmen brent (burned) in the lands of Sir John 
 
 of Hainault 90 
 
CONTENTS xxvii 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Of the battle on the sea near Sluys, in Flanders, between 
 
 the King of England and the Frenchmen (1840) . . 91 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 How King Robert of Sicily did all that he might to pacify 
 
 the Kings of France and England 94 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 How Sir Charles de Blois besieged the Countess of Montfort 
 
 in Hennebont in the year 1342 95 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 How Sir Walter of Manny brought the Englishmen into 
 
 Brittany (1343) 99 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Of the order of Saint George, that King Edward established 
 
 in the Castle of Windsor 101 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 How the Duke of Normandy laid siege to Aiguillon with 
 
 sixty thousand men (1346) 103 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 How the King of England came over the sea again, to rescue 
 
 them in Aiguillon (1346) 108 
 
 PART III 
 
 THE WAB /A y KM AND Y BETWEEN THE 
 FRENCHMEN AND THE ENGLISH 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 How the King of England rode in three battles (divisions) 
 
 through Normandy 113 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 Of the great assembly that the French King made to resist 
 
 the King of England 115 
 
xxviii TUE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Of the battle of Caen, and how the Englishmen took the 
 
 town (1346) 118 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 The English army comes near to Paris 121 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 How the French King followed the King of England . . 128 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 Of the battle at the passage of the river of Somme . . 126 
 
 PART IV 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRESS Y {1346) 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 Of the order of the Englishmen at the battle of Cressy 
 
 (August 26, 1346) 130 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 The order of the Frenchmen at Cressy, and how they beheld 
 
 the demeanor of the Englishmen 133 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 Of the battle of Cressy between the King of England and 
 
 the French King (1346) 235 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 How the next day after the battle the Englishmen discom- 
 fited divers Frenchmen 24'' 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 How the next day after the battle of Cressy they that were 
 
 dead were counted by the Englishmen . \ . .144 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 How the King of England laid siege to Calais, and how all 
 
 the poor people were put out of the town , , ,145 
 
CONTENTS xxix 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 How the town of Calais was given up to the King of England 
 
 (August 4, 1347) 147 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 How the King of England repeopled the town of Calais with 
 
 Englishmen 153 
 
 PART V 
 
 THE WARti OF EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE EX 
 FRANCE, AND THE VICTORY OF POITIERS (1856) 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 Of the great host that the French King brought to the bat- 
 tle of Poitiers (September, 1356) 156 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 Of the order of the Frenchmen before the battle of Poitiers 160 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 How the Cardinal of Perigord endeavored to make agree- 
 ment between the French King and the Prince of Wales 
 before the battle of Poitiers 163 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 Of the battle of Poitiers between the Prince of Wales and 
 
 the French King (September 19, 1356) . . . .168 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Of two Frenchmen that fled from the battle of Poitiers, and 
 
 two Englishmen that followed them .... 175 
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 How King John of France was taken prisoner at the battle 
 
 of Poitiers 1"8 
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 Of the gift that the Prince of Wales gave to tlie Lord Audley 
 
 after the battle of Poitiers ^83 
 
XXX THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII p^^e 
 
 How the Englishmen won greatly at the battle of Poitiers . 184 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV 
 How the Lord James Audley gave to his four squires the 
 
 revenues that the Prince had given him .... 185 
 
 CHAPTER XLV 
 
 How the Prince made a supper for the French King the 
 
 same day of the battle 186 
 
 CHAPTER XL VI 
 
 How the Prince of Wales returned to Bordeaux after the 
 
 battle of Poitiers 188 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII 
 
 How the Prince of Wales conveyed the French King from 
 
 Bordeaux to England 192 
 
 PART VI 
 
 THE BATTLE OF OTTERBVRN {CHEVY CHASE) 
 
 BET WE EX THE SCOTS ASD THEM OF ENGLAND 
 
 {1388) 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII 
 
 How the Earl of Douglas won the pennon of Sir Henry 
 Percy at the barriers before Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 
 how Sir Henry Percy followed the Scots to conquer 
 again the pennon that was lost at the scrimmish . . 194 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX 
 
 How Sir Henry Percy and his brother, with a good number 
 of men of arras and archers, went after the Scots, to win 
 again his pennon that the Earl Douglas had won, and 
 how they assailed the Scots in their lodgings . . . 199 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 How the ICarl James Douglas by his valiantness encouraged 
 his men, who were in a manner discomfited, and how in 
 60 doing he was wounded to death 303 
 
CONTENTS xxxi 
 
 CHAPTER LI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 How in this battle Sir Ralph Percy was sore hurt and taken 
 
 prisoner by a Scottish knight 205 
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 How the Scots won the battle against the Englishmen, and 
 there were taken prisoners Sir Henry and Sir Ralph 
 Percy, and how an English squire would not yield him, 
 no more would a Scottish squire, and so both died ; and 
 how the Bishop of Durham and his company were dis- 
 comfited among themselves 208 
 
 CHAPTER LlII 
 How Sir Matthew Redman departed from the battle to save 
 himself ; and how Sir James Lindsay was taken prisoner 
 by the Bishop of Durham ; and how after the battle 
 scouts were sent forth to explore the country . . 212 
 
 CHAPTER LIV 
 
 How the Scots departed and carried with them the Earl 
 Douglas dead, and buried him in the Abbey of Melrose ; 
 and how his company returned into Scotland . . 220 
 
 PART YIl 
 
 THE SIEGE OF THE CITY OF AFRIQUE 
 
 CHAPTER LV 
 
 How the Christian lords and the Genoese departed to lay 
 
 siege to the strong city of Afrique, in Barbary (1390) . 228 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Froissart presenting a copy of his book to King Richard II 
 
 of England Frontispiece 
 
 "Seal of Sir John Froissart Title-page 
 
 ' Portrait of Sir John Froissart (born 1388, died about 1410) . 1 
 
 V The Knight and Squire of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 
 
 (from an old manuscript) 
 
 V The Cathedral of York, England, built in the thirteenth 
 
 fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries .... 
 The combat of thirty Englishmen against as uiany French 
 
 men in Brittany 
 
 "^ Froissart welcomed by Gaston Phoebus, Count of Foix, in 
 
 his palace of Orthez 
 
 ' Map showing the English possessions in France in 1360 
 ' Hunting with hounds 'from an old French tapestry) . 
 French arms and armor of the twelfth, thirteenth, and four- 
 teenth centuries 
 
 English archers shooting at a mai'k (1340) 
 ^'^An English boat (from a manuscript of the fourteenth cen- 
 tury) 
 
 V Costumes of women in the twelfth, thirteenth, and four 
 
 teenth centuries 
 
 Portrait of King Edward III of England 
 
 Coronation of an English king (from a manuscript of th( 
 
 fourteenth century) 
 
 ■^Expedition of Edward III against the Scots . 
 
 ^ Count William of Hainault setting out on an expedition 
 
 ^ A tournament at London 
 
 v' Seal of Robert Bruce, King of the Scots 
 
 xxxiii 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 21 
 
 25 
 27 
 29 
 
 33 
 35 
 
 35 
 
 37 
 39 
 
 41 
 43 
 45 
 69 
 71 
 
xxxiv THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 King Edward III sending his defiance to the King of 
 
 France ' ' 
 
 The Bishop of Lincoln and the bachelors who had vowed 
 
 to wear a patch over one eye till they had performed 
 
 some gallant feat of arms 77 
 
 An English knight, Sir Geoffrey Loutrell, receiving his 
 
 armor from his wife (from an old manuscript) . . 81 
 
 The arms of the Holy Roman Empire 83 
 
 The oriflamme of St. Denis of France 83 
 
 The English flag in 1327 83 
 
 The Scottish flag since the Crusades 83 
 
 The city of Aubenton besieged and taken by the Earl of 
 
 Hainault 90 
 
 The sea fight at La Rochelle 93 
 
 John of Montfort and the countess welcomed by the citizens 
 
 of Nantes in Brittany 96 
 
 The town of Duras besieged and taken by the English 
 
 (1424) 107 
 
 The Earl of Buckingham sailing with an English army to 
 
 Flanders 108 
 
 How the Englishmen took the town of Caen in Normandy 
 
 (1346) 118 
 
 The battle of Cressy (1346) 130 
 
 Badge of the Prince of Wales 139 
 
 Tournament of French knights at Calais .... 145 
 
 Battle of Calais between the English and French . . . 147 
 Queen Philippa begging for the lives of the citizens of 
 
 Calais 153 
 
 Portrait of Edward the Black Prince 156 
 
 The King of France in council with his noblemen . . 165 
 
 Plan of the battle of Poitiers (1356) 168 
 
 Hunting with hawks (from a manuscript of the fourteenth 
 
 century) 193 
 
 The expedition to Africa 222 
 
 The siege of the strong city of Afrique 228 
 
Sir John Froissart 
 (bom 1338, died about 1410). 
 
FROISSART'S CHRONICLES 
 
 NOTE FOR THE YOUNG READERS OF 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 Once upon a time, about five hundred and fifty 
 years ago, there was a knight named Sir John Frois- 
 sart,"^ wlio Hved in Flanders — in the country that we 
 now call Belgium. It came into his mind that he 
 would like to write the history of the great wars be- 
 tween France and Flanders, between France and 
 England, between England and Scotland, and so forth. 
 He had himself been a soldier in some of these wars, 
 and he could describe the battles he had fought in, 
 of course. How was he to describe other battles in 
 other countries ? 
 
 There was only one way, he thought; and that 
 was, to go to those other countries and there to find 
 some brave soldier who had gone through those other 
 wars. Such a soldier could tell him the story, and 
 Sir John could write it down in his book. This was 
 exactly what he did. He traveled to England, France, 
 Scotland, Prussia, and Italy, and made the acquaint- 
 
 * Pronounce this, in English, froi'-sart. The French way is 
 frwa-siir', but you need not use it. 
 
2 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 ance of scores of great noblemen and hundreds of 
 brave knights. From each of them he got the story 
 of some battle or adventure; and he kept all these 
 stories in his memory, 
 
 " I had," he says, " thanks to God, good under- 
 standing and remembrance of everything past, and 
 an intellect clear and keen to seize upon the actions 
 which I could learn." 
 
 From time to time he wrote down the history of 
 each war and of each battle in a great book he carried 
 with him ; and by and by this book grew to be what 
 he called ^ ^' The Chronicles of England, France, 
 Spain, Portugal, Scotland, and other places adjoining." 
 Sometimes he made copies of it, and gave the copies 
 of "this fair book well covered with velvet, with 
 clasps of silver and gilt," to kings or queens or to 
 great nobles, wdth " great profit and advancement " 
 to himself, he says. 
 
 " Now all you that read, have read, or shall read 
 this history, consider in your own minds how I could 
 have known and collected such facts as I treat of 
 concerning so many persons. In truth, I must inform 
 you that I began at the early age of twenty years, and 
 came into the world at the very time these events 
 were happening, in the knowledge of which I have 
 always taken greater pleasure than in anything else. 
 God has been so gracious to me that I have stood 
 well with all parties, and I have been of the house- 
 
 * The frontispiece shows Sir Jolin presenting a copy of his 
 book to King Richard II of England. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 3 
 
 hold of kings, more especially of King Edward and 
 of the noble Queen Philippa, to whom I, in my youth, 
 was secretary, and amused her by composing hand- 
 some ditties and madrigals of love. 
 
 " Thus, under the protection of this good lady, I 
 have searched in my time the greater part of Chris- 
 tendom (and in truth he who seeks shall find), and 
 wherever I came I made inquiry after those ancient 
 knights who had been present at these deeds of arms, 
 and who were well able to speak of them. In this 
 manner I have collected the materials for this noble 
 history." 
 
 These kings and nobles were very pleased to know 
 that a true history of their famous wars had been 
 written by so wise, l)rave, and loyal a knight, and they 
 rewarded him with rich presents, and with their 
 friendship. 
 
 The language that Sir John Froissart spoke was 
 old French. Here is a sentence from his Chronicle 
 just as he wrote it : 
 
 " Sire, nous avons veu et considéré vos ennemis : 
 si poeent estre par estimation ii"^ hommes d'armes, 
 iiii"^ arciers et xv^ brigans." This means, in Eng- 
 lish : " Your Majesty, we have looked upon your ene- 
 mies and considered their number. They may be 
 estimated as two thousand men of arms, four thousand 
 archers, and fifteen hundred men in companies." 
 
 King Henry YIII, of England, admired these 
 histories of Sir John's, and about the year 1520 he 
 had them all translated from old French into the 
 English of his day by one of his high noblemen. Lord 
 
4 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Berners. Here are two sentences out of Lord Ber- 
 ners- translation : 
 
 '' Tlie horses whan they felt ye sharpe arowes, 
 they wolde in no wyse go forward, but drewe aback, 
 and Hang and toke on so feersly, that many of them 
 fell on their maisters." 
 
 " Syr, quod they, syr Olyuer of Clisson is slayne. 
 Slayne, quod the kynge : and howe so, and who hath 
 done that deed ? Syr, quod they, we canne nat tell ; 
 but this myschefe is fallen on hym here by in the 
 streate of saynt Kateryn. Well, quod the kynge, 
 hght vp your torches ; I will go and see hym." 
 
 You can probably read these two sentences for 
 yourself, with a httle trouble ; but if you had to read 
 a whole book written in this fashion you would 
 soon be weary. To save the time and the labor of 
 others, Mr. G. C. Macaulay has lately printed a vol- 
 ume * in which Lord Berners' translation is much 
 simplified. The spelling is made more like that of 
 our own times, and so forth. Here are Mr. Macau- 
 lay's versions of the two sentences just given : 
 
 " The horses when they felt the sharp arrows they 
 would in no wise go forward, but drew aback and 
 flang and took on so fiercely that many of them fell 
 on their masters." 
 
 " ' Sir,' quoth they, ' Sir Oliver of Clisson is slain.' 
 ' Slain ! ' quoth the king, ' and how so, and who hath 
 done that deed ? ' ' Sir,' quoth they, ' we can not 
 
 * The Chronicles of Froissart, translated by Lord Berners, 
 edited by Ct. C. Macaulay : published by Macmillan and Com- 
 pany, The Globe Edition, 484 pages. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 5 
 
 tell ; but this mischief is fallen on him hereby in the 
 street of Saint Katherine.' ' Well,' quoth the king, 
 ' light up your torches ; I will go and see him/ " 
 
 These last sentences are perfectly easy for you to 
 read. You can guess at the meaning of " ilang," and 
 "quoth the king'' must mean "said the king," of 
 course. But here are other sentences from Mr. Ma- 
 caulay's version. What can you make out of them ^ 
 
 " And when these knights knew the answer of 
 Don Peter they reputed him right orgulous and pre- 
 sumptuous." 
 
 It would be clearer to you if it were written, 
 " They thought him very proud and presumptuous," 
 would it not ? 
 
 " The Frenchmen yielded themselves as far off as 
 they might know an Englishman." 
 
 It would be clearer to you if it were written, " The 
 Frenchmen yielded themselves prisoners so soon an 
 an Englishman cmne in sight,' ^ would it not ? 
 
 There are hundreds and hundreds of sentences in 
 which little changes, like those just marked in Italics, 
 make the text very much easier for you to under- 
 stand. They do not alter the sense at all ; they alter 
 Lord Berners' English very little ; they really tell 
 you exactly what Sir John Froissart would say if he 
 were here to-day, speaking our own English to us. 
 Such changes have been made throughout this book 
 whenever they are necessary ; and sometimes whole 
 sentences have been left out altogether. 
 
 No more chano^es have been introduced than are 
 needed to ujake the story perfectly clear. The Eng- 
 
6 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 lish language has really changed a great deal since the 
 time of Lord Berners (1520). A great many words 
 that he used are no longer used at all. We do not call 
 a ^roud man " right orgulous." Many words that he 
 employed in one sense mean a different thing to us. We 
 do not call the iron armor of a knight his " harness " ; 
 we use the word harness for the trappings of a horse. 
 
 And the words are put into a sentence nowadays 
 in a very different order from that used by Lord Ber- 
 ners and his master King Henry YIII. 
 
 "To the intent that the honorable and noble ad- 
 ventures of feats of arms done and achieved by the 
 wars of France and England should notably be en- 
 registered and put in perpetual memory, whereby the 
 prewe ihrave) and hardy may have ensample {cm ex- 
 anijjle) to encourage them in their well-doing, I, Sir 
 John Froissart, will treat and record an history of 
 great louage {commendation) and praise." 
 
 This is the very iirst sentence in Froissart's Chron- 
 icles. You could not understand it if it were not for 
 the words that have been added in parentheses ( ) ; 
 and if this sentence were to be written to-day, we 
 should begin at the other end of it and put it some- 
 what as follows : 
 
 " I, Sir John Froissart, intend to write a history 
 of the wars of France and England, so that the hon- 
 orable and noble feats of arms done in these wars 
 may be brought to notice and recorded, in order that 
 they shall be held in perpetual remembrance. This 
 history will be full of commendation and praise of 
 the valiant knights who did these feats, and brave 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 7 
 
 and hardy men to-day will find in their deeds an ex- 
 ample to encourage them in well-doing." 
 
 You see that it is not easy to turn this sentence 
 into modern shape. We understand exactly what 
 Froissart meant to say in 1390, and we understand 
 Lord Berners' words, which were written in 1520. 
 But as we read his book we can not fail to notice 
 two things : First, the idea in Froissart's mind about 
 the wars of France and England is not quite the same 
 as our idea ; and, second, Lord Berners's English 
 words and sentences are not quite our English words 
 and forms. 
 
 The main object of the present book is to make 
 it possible for an American schoolboy, in the last 
 years of the nineteenth century, to understand how a 
 brave and learned gentleman of the fourteenth cen- 
 tury felt about the wars and adventures of the Age 
 of Chivalry — nearly six centuries ago. This book is 
 written to make it as easy as possible for an American 
 boy to take a look backward into the fourteenth cen- 
 tury, when King Edward III and his brave son, Ed- 
 ward the Black Prince, were fighting the Scots on the 
 northern border of England, or the French in Brit- 
 tany and Kormandy. 
 
 Only a very small part of Froissart's Chronicles 
 is reprinted here. The chapters that have been se- 
 lected tell us stories that every American boy ought 
 to know — how King Robert Bruce, dying, begged 
 his " dear especial friend," Lord James Douglas, to 
 carry his heart, in a silver case, to the Holy Land on 
 a pilgrimage ; and how Lord Douglas perished in a 
 
8 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 battle with tlie Moors in Spain while he was on that 
 pious mission. They tell the history of the famous 
 victories of the English over the French at Cressy* 
 and Poitiers,t and at the sea fight oiï the coast of 
 Flanders ; of the victory of the young Lord Douglas 
 over Lord Percy at Chevy Chase ; and of a crusade 
 against the Saracens in Tunis. 
 
 These are honorable and noble adventures and 
 feats of arms done and achieved by our own ances- 
 tors, and it is a part of our birthright to know 
 them and to be proud of them. Their English blood 
 runs in our veins to-day, and it helped our own sol- 
 diers and sailors to win at Manila and at Santiago. 
 
 Froissart says that the Earl Douglas " was young 
 and strong, and of great desire to win praise and 
 grace, and was willing to deserve to have it, and 
 cared for no pain or trouble" in the getting of it. 
 This is the stuiï that makes soldiers and sailors. 
 Great captains, great explorers, great heroes are like 
 that. They are willing to deserve to have the praise 
 they get. 
 
 The English poet Chaucer, who was in the wars 
 
 of King Edward III in France, and who wrote in 
 
 1387. has also described the ideal knight of those 
 
 days of chivalry : 
 
 " A knight ther was. and that a worthy man. 
 That from the tymé that he first bigan 
 To ryden out, he lovede chyvalrye. 
 Trouthe and honour', fredom and curteisie. 
 
 * The French name of this battle is Crécy, pronounced krâ-së'. 
 f Pronounced pwâ-iyâ'. 
 
The Knight and Squire of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. 
 (From an old manuscript.) 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 9 
 
 And though that he was worthy, he was wys, 
 And of his port as nieeke as is a mayde, 
 He nevere yit no villinye ne sayde 
 In al his lyf, unto no maner wight. 
 He was a verray perfit gentil knight." 
 
 It is from Chaucer's writings that our modern 
 Eno^lish takes its rise. You see vou can read his 
 verses without any great difficulty. Yet they were 
 written more than five hundred years ago. 
 
 This little book will introduce you to the Chron- 
 icles of Froissart, and will tell you much. Perhaps 
 it will make you want to know more of him, and 
 to read others of his stories. If it does, you can not 
 do better than to read the Globe Edition of Froissart 
 mentioned (in the footnote) on page 4, or Sidney 
 Lanier's The Boy's Froissart,* where Froissart's sto- 
 ries are given, though not in Froissart's words. 
 
 Jean or John Froissart was born near Valen- 
 ciennes, then a town of Flanders, in the year 1838, 
 and he died in 1410. He was not a very studious 
 lad, but he soon became a poet of some clever- 
 ness. His verses were noticed and praised by the 
 nobles of his own country, and afterward by Queen 
 Fhilippa, wife of Edward III of England, who was 
 born a princess of Haiuault, a part of Belgium. 
 
 When he visited the English court in 1361 he 
 carried with him a history of the wars of his own 
 time, all written out in verses. He was then about 
 twenty-three years old. So long as Queen Philippa 
 lived she was his friend and patron. When Froissart 
 
 * Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, illustrated, 422 pages. 
 4 
 
10 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 was a very old man he describes her as he knew 
 her years before : " Tall and erect she was, wise, 
 humble, devoted, courteous, endowed with all noble 
 virtues, loved by her people and by God. For since 
 the time of Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Ar- 
 thur, no such good queen had been in England. As 
 long as she reigned England had only good fortune, 
 prosperity, success, and honor." 
 
 The queen encouraged him to go on with the 
 Chronicle, and he made a six months' journey in 
 Scotland. " I, the author of this book," he says, " in 
 my youth had ridden nigh over all the realm {king- 
 dom) of Scotland." While he was there he was well 
 received by the king, and by the powerful Earls of 
 Douglas, Fife, Mar, and March. When in later years 
 he writes about the valor and bravery of the Scotch, 
 he is speaking from memory of what he himself saw. 
 
 While Froissart was in London he became one of 
 the secretaries of Queen Philippa, and he was often 
 in the company of the nobles who formed the little 
 court of King John of France, then a captive in the 
 English capital. 
 
 Froissart's story of that battle comes to us there- 
 fore almost from the lips of the French King. From 
 England he went to France, to Italy, and finally set- 
 tled once more in Flanders. 
 
 Here, about the year 1374, Froissart set about 
 composing his Chronicles, this time in prose, not in 
 verse. " The more I work at it," he says, " the bet- 
 ter I am pleased with it." His Chronicle ends with 
 the year 1-iUO, but tradition says that Froissart lived 
 
i 
 
 
 The Cathedral of York, England, built in the thirteenth, 
 fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. 
 
 A nation that could imagine and construct buildings like this was 
 religious, intelligent, and civilized. 
 
KOTE FOR YOUNG READERS H 
 
 till the year 1410. This is all that we need to know 
 of the events of his life. There is no better way to 
 understand how he wrote his Chronicles than to read 
 the chapters that tell part of the story of a journey he 
 made in the south of France in 1388 in search of in- 
 formation and adventures. The story is long, but 
 these conversations that were spoken five hundred 
 years ago are as vivid as if it were but yesterday. 
 You can almost hear Sir John telling the tale to you. 
 
 Once when I undertook to go to see the diversi- 
 ties of the countries where I had never been before I 
 tarried in the good city of Pamiers,* which belonged 
 to the Earl of Foix, waiting for some company bound 
 for the country of Béarn, f where the earl was. 
 
 And 1 tarried there three days in great pleasure, 
 for the city was delectable {delightful)^ standing among 
 the fair vines, and surrounded by a fair river, large 
 and clear. And on a day it so fortuned that thither 
 came a knight of the Earl of Foix called Sir Espang 
 de Lyon,:]: a valiant and expert man of arms, about the 
 age of fifty years. 
 
 And so I got myself into his company, and he was 
 greatly desirous to hear the news from France. And 
 so we were six days in our journey before we came to 
 Orthez, and this knight, every day after he had said 
 his prayers, most part of all the day after he conversed 
 
 * Pronounced pâ-myâ'. It was the capital city of the county 
 
 of Foix, pronounced fwa. The count was Gaston de Foix ; born 
 1331, died 1391. 
 
 \ Pronounced bâ-ârn. % Pronounced es-pan'-dé-lëôiV. 
 
12 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 with me ; and when I demanded anything of him, lie 
 would answer me to mv purpose. 
 
 And when we departed from Pamiers we passed 
 bj the Mount of Cosse, which was an evil passage 
 {a difficult 2-^(^('Ss), and so we came to the town and 
 castle of Artigat, * which was French ; but we passed 
 by it, and so came to dinner to a castle of the Earl of 
 Foix called Carlat,t standing high on a mountain. 
 
 And after dinner the knight said to me : " Sir, let 
 us ride together fair and easily ; we have only two 
 leagues to ride to our lodging " ; and thus I was con- 
 tent to do. 
 
 Then the knight said : " We have this day passed 
 by the castle of Artigat, which doth much damage in 
 this country. Peter d'Anchin :{: keepeth it ; he took 
 it by scaling {assault) very subtly, and gained there 
 more than sixty thousand francs." 
 
 Then I demanded how that might be. " I will 
 tell you," quoth the knight. " On Lady Day,* in Au- 
 gust, there is always a great fair, and all the country 
 resorteth thither, for there is much merchandise. 
 
 " That day Peter d'Anchin and his companions 
 were determined to get this town and castle ; and so 
 they sent two of their company disguised as servants to 
 the said town in the month of May, to get themselves 
 
 * Pronounced ar-tê-gâ'. 
 f Pronounced car-la'. 
 
 X Pronounced Peter don-shan'. 
 
 * Lady Day is March 25th — the day on which it was announced 
 to " Our Lady,"' the Virgin Mary, that she was to bear a son, the 
 Saviour. 
 
NOTE FOR YOlTxNG READERS 13 
 
 hired for service in the town. And so they did, and 
 were retained w^ith two masters ; and thej^ did right 
 diligent service to their masters, and so went in and 
 out on their masters' business without any suspicious- 
 ness of them. 
 
 " And so on Lady Day, in August, there were many 
 merchants, strangers of Foix, of Béarn, and of France ; 
 and as ye know well, when merchants do meet, after 
 a long absence, they will make good cheer together. 
 
 " And so in the same houses where these two varlets 
 {servants) were in service were many merchants drink- 
 ing and making good cheer, and their hosts with them. 
 
 " And by appointment, about midnight, Peter 
 d'Anchin and his company came to Artigat and am- 
 bushed themselves in a wood. 
 
 " And so they sent six varlets (servants) to the town 
 with two ladders, and they passed the dikes and came 
 to the walls and reared up their ladders, and the other 
 two varlets that were in service in the tow^n did aid 
 them, while their masters sat making good cheer. 
 
 " So one of the said two varlets brought the other 
 six to the gate within, where there were two men 
 keeping the keys. 
 
 " Then this varlet said to the other six : ' Sirs, keep 
 yourselves here hidden and close, and stir not till ye 
 hear me whistle. I trust to make the porters open 
 the gates ; they have the keys of the great gate, and 
 therefore as soon as they have opened I will whistle. 
 Then step forth and slay the porters. I know well 
 enough the keys of the gate, for I have ofttimes 
 helped to keep the gate with my master.' 
 
14 THE CHRONICLES OF PROISSART 
 
 " And as they planned, so they did. And so the 
 varlet went to the gate and saw and heard how the 
 porters were drinking within their guardhouse. 
 
 " Then he called them by their names, and said : 
 ' Sirs, open your door. I have brought you the best 
 wine that ever you drank, which my master hath sent 
 you to the intent you should keep your watch the 
 better.' 
 
 " And they, who knew right well the varlet, be- 
 lieved that he said truth, and opened the door ; and 
 then he whistled, and the other six stepped forth and 
 entered in at the door, and there they slew the por- 
 ters so secretly that none knew thereof. 
 
 " Then they took the keys and went and opened the 
 gate, and let down the bridge easily, so that none knew 
 thereof. Then they blew a blast in a horn, so that 
 they that were ambushed mounted their horses and 
 came spurring, and entered on the bridge and came 
 into the town, and so took all the men of the town 
 sitting drinking, or else in their beds. Thus was Ar- 
 tigat taken by Peter d'Anchin and by his companions 
 of Lourdes." "^ 
 
 Then I demanded of the knight how they got the 
 castle. " I shall show you," quoth he. " The same 
 time that Artigat was thus taken, the captain of the 
 castle, by his ill-luck, was in the town and supped with 
 certain merchants, and was there taken among others. 
 
 " And the next morning Peter d'Anchin brought 
 him out in front of the castle, where his wife and 
 
 * Pronounced lord. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 15 
 
 children were, and made them beheve that he would 
 strike off his head unless his wife would deHver up 
 the castle ; and if she would so do, he promised to 
 spare her husband, and to suffer him and all his to 
 depart with bag and baggage, without any hurt. 
 
 " And the lady saw herself in a hard case, and saw 
 she was not able to make war herself, and to save her 
 husband's life she yielded up the castle. And so her 
 husband and she, and all theirs, departed and went to 
 Pamiers. 
 
 " Thus Peter d'Anchin had the town and castle of 
 Artigat ; and the same time that they entered, he and 
 his company won above thirty thousand francs in 
 merchandise and prisoners of France."^ And this 
 Peter d'Anchin kept Artigat for five years, and he 
 and his company did great damage to the country, as 
 well by ransoming of the towns as by pillage over all 
 the country. 
 
 " About the same time that Peter d'Anchin was in 
 Artigat, on a night, certain of his company went out 
 and came to a castle a good league thence, whereof a 
 French knight called Raymond was owner. They 
 had been there often before and failed to take it, but 
 then their luck was such that they scaled the castle 
 and took it, and the knight and the lady in their beds, 
 and let the lady and her children go free, but they kept 
 the knight in his own castle the space of four months, 
 and at last he paid a thousand francs for his ransom. 
 
 * Each prisoner taken paid a ransom to go free ; and so the 
 prisonei's were worth money, just as if they also had been mer- 
 chandise. 
 
10 THE CHRONICLES OF PROTSSART 
 
 " And finally, when they had sore overridden the 
 country, they sold these two castles to the lords of 
 the country for eight thousand francs, and then they 
 went to Lourdes, their principal garrison. So these 
 knights did put themselves daily in risk and danger. 
 
 " Also the same time there was an expert man of 
 arms in the Castle of Lourdes, a Gascon born ; he was 
 called the Mongat of Sainte-Bazeille.^ On a time he 
 and thirty with him departed from Lourdes and rode 
 into the country of Toulouse, and thought to have got 
 the castle of Penne, but he failed to capture it. 
 
 " AYhen he saw that he failed of his purpose, he 
 came to the gate and made a great scrimmish (sHr- 
 mixh ). And the same hour the seneschal of Toulouse 
 rode forth, and witli him Sir Hugh of Froideville f 
 and sixty spears, and came by chance to Penne while 
 the said scrimmish was going on. 
 
 " Then incontinent {immediately) they set foot to 
 the earth and came to the barriers ; and so then the 
 ]\Iongat was overmatched, but there he fought val- 
 iantly hand to hand, and wounded the other knight in 
 two or three places. 
 
 " Howbeit, finally he was taken by force, and his 
 men either taken or slain ; there were but a few that 
 escaped. 
 
 " So this Mongat was led to Toulouse, and then 
 the common people of the town would have slain 
 him in the hands of the seneschal. He had much 
 pain to save his life, and so they brought him into 
 
 * Pronounced môn-gâ-dé-sânt-ba-zâl'. 
 f Pronounced froid-vël'. 
 
NOTE FOR YOtJNG READERS 17 
 
 the castle, for he was right evil beloved {well hated) 
 in Toulouse. 
 
 " Yet afterward it happened so well for him that 
 the Duke of Berry came thither, and this knight had 
 such friends that he was dehvered, and the seneschal 
 had a thousand francs for his ransom ; and when he 
 was delivered he returned to Lourdes and began again 
 to make new enterprises. 
 
 " And so on a time he departed from Lourdes with 
 four others with him without any armor, and he put 
 on the clothes of a monk and took three monks with 
 him ; and they had all shaven crowns, so that every 
 man that saw them thought surely that they were 
 monks, the habit and gesture became them so well. 
 
 " And in this manner he came to Montpelliei',^ and 
 took up his lodging at the sign of the Angel {tliis was 
 an i?i?i), and said he was an abbot of Gascony, and 
 was going to Paris on certain business ; and so he got 
 familiar acquaintance with a rich man of the town 
 called Berenger, who had also to do certain business 
 at Paris. 
 
 " Then this abbot said how he would pay his ex- 
 penses if he chose to go in his company, whereof the 
 good man was right joyous ; so he and one varlet 
 {servant) with him went forth with this monk. 
 
 " And when they had ridden three leagues this 
 counterfeit monk Sir Mongat took him pi-isoner, and 
 led him by secret ways to his garrison of Lourdes, 
 and afterward did ransom him at live thousand francs." 
 
 * Pronounced nion-pel-lyii' 
 
18 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Then I said : " Ah, Saint Mary ! was this Mongat 
 sucli an expei-t man of arms ? " " Yea, truly, sir," 
 quoth he, " and in war he died, in a place we shall 
 pass within three days in a country called the Laire." 
 " AVell, sir," quoth I, " and I shall remind you thereof 
 when we come there." 
 
 And so we rode till we passed the river of Garonne 
 with great pain and peril ; for the boat that we were 
 in was very small ; • • . and we came near to a castle 
 called Mascaras,"^ in the country of Laire. 
 
 Then the knight said to me, " Sir John, behold 
 here the place of Laire." And I beheld it well, 
 and looked upon the country, which seemed to 
 me right strange. I should have thought myself 
 lost there if I had not been in company with that 
 knight. 
 
 Then I remembered the words this knight had 
 spoken two or three days before of that country of 
 Laire, and of the Mongat of Lourdes. 
 
 Then I said to him, " Sir, ye said that when we 
 should be in the country of Laire that ye would tell 
 me concerning the Mongat of Lourdes, and how he 
 died." " It is true, sir," quoth the knight ; " come 
 on and ride with me, and I will tell you." 
 
 Then I rode near him to hear his words ; and 
 then he said : " Sir, in the season that Peter d' Anchin 
 held the castle and garrison of Artigat, they of the 
 garrison of Lourdes sometimes rode forth at adven- 
 ture far from their garrison. Howbeit, they had not 
 
 * Pronounced mâs-ka-râ'. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 19 
 
 always the advantage, for there were always many 
 men of war in all French towns and garrisons. 
 
 " And when these garrisons knew that they of 
 Lourdes rode out, then they would lay bushments 
 {amhitshes) for them, and sometimes take from them of 
 Lourdes their prey and pillage, and sometimes thev 
 escaped without any encounter. 
 
 "And on a time it chanced that Ernaulton of 
 Sainte-Colomme ^ and the Mongat of Saint-Cor- 
 neillef and six score spearmen departed from Lourdes, 
 and so rode near to Toulouse. 
 
 " And at their returning they found in the meadows 
 a great numl)er of beasts, oxen and kine, hogs, mut- 
 tons and lambs ; and also they took divers of the good 
 men of the country prisoners, and so drove all their 
 prey before them. 
 
 " Then it was showed to the captain of the town of 
 Tarbes, a squire of Gascony, called Ernaulton Bisette, 
 an expert man of arms, how they of the garrison of 
 Lourdes were abroad and were coming homeward 
 with a great prey. 
 
 " Then he sent to the lord of Benac, and also to the 
 lord of Barbazan, telling them he meant to ride out 
 against them of Lourdes. The knights and squires 
 of the country agreed to ride forth, and asseml)led 
 together at Tournay, and with them there was the 
 bourg of Spain, :{: who came from his garrison of 
 
 * Pronounced cTr-nn-ton'-de-sant-ko-loiV. 
 f Pronounced môn-gâ'-dê-sânt-kûr-iiây'. 
 X This was the title of one of the knights. 
 
20 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Saint-Béat;* so thej were to the number of two 
 liundred spears, and they had their spies abroad in 
 the country to know what they of Lourdes were doing. 
 
 " On the other side, they of Lourdes had abroad 
 their spies, to know if any men of war were abroad 
 to hinder them in their enterprise ; and the spies were 
 so vigilant that each party knew what the other did. 
 
 " When they of Lourdes knew liow they of the 
 French garrisons were abroad and tarried for them 
 at Tournay, then tliey were in donbt, and took coun- 
 sel what they might best do to save their booty. 
 
 " Then tliey determined to divide their company in 
 two ; one company to drive before them their prey 
 with all their varlets (servants)^ and to go secretly by 
 the bridge of Tournay, and the other company to 
 ride in battle by the mountains and to pretend to go 
 again into the country of Laire by Mascaras, and they 
 said, ' Then we shall be soon at Lourdes.' 
 
 " Thus as they agreed, so they did ; and the sieurf 
 of Harnes and the Red Squire, and forty spears with 
 all their varlets, with all their prey, took the way by 
 the bridge near Tournay. 
 
 " And the other company, Ernaulton of Rostem, 
 Ernaulton of Sainte-Colomme, and the Montât of 
 Saint-Corneille, with four score men of arms, made 
 themselves ready and rode close together, ever look- 
 ing for their enemies, for they knew well they were 
 abroad to watch for them. 
 
 " In like manner as they of Lourdes had taken 
 
 * Pronounced san-bâ'-ii. f Pronounced së-ér. 
 
The combat of thirty Englishmen against as many 
 Frenchmen in Brittany, 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 21 
 
 advice and counsel how to return, in lilce wise the 
 Frenchmen took counsel how they might encounter 
 their enemies ; and the Sieur of Barhazan and Er- 
 naulton Bisette said to their company : ' Sirs, we 
 know well how they of Lourdes are abroad in the 
 fields and drive before them great prey and many 
 prisoners. It would be a great displeasure to us if 
 they should escape; therefore let us put ourselves 
 into two bushments {arnbtcshes) ; we have men enough 
 so to do.' 
 
 " Then it was ordered that Ernaulton and the 
 bourg of Spain, Sir Raymond of Benac, with a hun- 
 dred spears should keep the passage of the river at 
 Tournay ; for they knew well that they of Lourdes 
 with their prey must needs pass the river of Lesse. 
 And it was ordered that the lord of Barbazan and 
 Ernaulton Bisette, with a hundred spears, should ride 
 forth to seek their enemies. 
 
 " So thus they departed, and the lord of Benac and 
 the bourg of Spain put themselves in a bushment 
 on the road to Tournay ; and the other company 
 took the same road that we are now in, which is 
 called the Laire. 
 
 "And here they met with the men of Lourdes; 
 and when each of them saw the other, they alighted 
 and made them ready to fight, and so came each 
 against other, crying their war cries, ' Saint George^ 
 Lourdes ! ' and the other, 'Our Lady of Bigorre ! ' 
 
 " And so there each came to other with hand 
 strokes, thrusting with their spears each at other ; and 
 as I heard reported by them that were there, at the 
 5 
 
22 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 first shock there was no one overthrown; and so 
 when each of them had a great space {time) thrust 
 each at other, thev cast down their spears and took 
 their axes, and gave therewith each to other great and 
 horrible strokes, every man with his adversary, and 
 in tliat manner they fought together more than two 
 hours. 
 
 " And when any of them had fought so long that 
 they lacked breath, then they would fair and easily 
 depart, and go sit down by a dike side that was full 
 of water and put oif their bassenets {hehnets) and re- 
 fresh themselves ; and when they were well refreshed, 
 they put on their bassenets and returned again to 
 fight. 
 
 " I believe there was not such a business, nor a 
 battle so well fought since the battle that was in Bre- 
 tayne of thirty against as many, as this was here at 
 Mascaras in Bigorre. 
 
 " Thus they fought hand to hand, and Ernaulton of 
 Sainte -Colomme w^as at the point to have been dis- 
 comfited {defeated) by a squire of the country called 
 Guillonet." This Ernaulton of Sainte-Colomme had 
 a varlet {servant), who stood by and saw the battle 
 and fought not, for there w^as none that said anything 
 to him ; and when he saw his master almost at the 
 last gasp, he was sorry, and so came to his master and 
 took his axe out of his hands, and said : ' Ernaulton, 
 go your way and rest you ; ye can no longer fight.' 
 
 " And then he with the axe went to the squire and 
 
 * Pronounced giië-yôn-â'. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 
 
 23 
 
 gave him sueli a stroke on the liead that he was 
 stunned, and had nearly fallen to the earth. 
 
 " When (xuillonet felt himself stricken, he was sore 
 displeased, and came against the varlet to have stricken 
 him ; but the varlet stepped under the stroke and em- 
 braced the squire, who was sore wearied with so long 
 fighting, and so the varlet overthrew him by wrest- 
 ling. 
 
 " Then the varlet said, ' I shall slay thee, unless 
 thou wilt yield thyself to my master.' 'Who is thy 
 master ? ' quoth the squire. ' Ernaulton of Sainte- 
 Colonnne,' quoth the varlet, ' with whom thou hast 
 fought all this time.' 
 
 " The squire saw that he was under the varlet, who 
 had a dagger ready to strike him ; so he yielded, 
 promising to surrender himself prisoner at Lourdes 
 within fifteen days after, rescue or no rescue. 
 
 " This service did this varlet to his master ; and. Sir 
 John, I assure you there were many feats of arms 
 done, and many overthrown and taken prisoners, some 
 promising to yield themselves at Tarbes^ and some 
 to come to Lourdes. 
 
 " They fought this day hand to hand, Ernaulton 
 Bisette with the Mongat of Saint-Bazeille ; they did 
 many a feat of arms between them, and they fought 
 so long, till they were so weary that they could aid 
 themselves no longer ; and there were slain on the 
 place two captains, the Mongat of Lourdes, and of 
 the other party, Ernaulton Bisette. 
 
 * Pronounced tiirb. 
 
24 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " Then ceased the battle by agreement of both par- 
 ties, for they were so weary that they conld scarcely 
 hold their axes in their hands. Some took oiï their 
 armor to refresh themselves and left their armor in 
 the place. To the intent that this battle should be 
 held in memory where the two squires fought, a cross 
 of stone was set up. Behold, yonder is the cross ! " 
 
 And with those words we came to the cross, and 
 there we said for their souls a Paternoster^^ and an 
 Ave Maria, f 
 
 " By my faith, sir." quoth I, " I am glad I have 
 heard this, for this was a sharp business. But, sir, 
 what became of them that went with the prey ? " 
 " I shall show you," quoth he. " They came near 
 to Tournay, as they had arranged ; and there they 
 found the ambushed men of the bourg of Spain, who 
 brake out of their bushment, and they of Lourdes 
 could not turn back ; they had no remedy but to 
 fight. 
 
 " And I tell you truth, there was as sore a fight and 
 as long endured, or longer, than that at Mascaras ; and 
 there Ernaulton of Spain did marvelous in arms. 
 
 " He had an axe in his hand ; whosoever he struck 
 therewith went to the earth, for he was big and w^ell 
 made and not overburdened with much flesh. He 
 took there ^dth his own hands the two captains, and 
 there was slain a squire of Kavarre called Ferrando, 
 who was an expert man of arms. Some that were at 
 
 * The Lord's Prayer in Latin : Paternoster = Our Father, 
 f A prayer to the Virgin Mary : Ave Maria = Hail, Mary. 
 
Fi'uis.-?ai-t wolcoinecl by Gaston, Count of Foix, 
 in Ills palace of Orthez. 
 
 Froissart kneels before the count. His page carries a copy of his book. 
 Notice the arched ceiling of the palace and the tapestries on the walls. 
 The plate shows the costumes of the time. One of the figures (the third 
 from the left) is the court fool. 
 
NOTE FOR Young readers ^5 
 
 the fight said that the bourg of Spain slew him, and 
 some said he was overcome by heat in his armor. 
 
 " Finally the prey was rescued and all taken or slain 
 that went therewith ; there were but three who saved 
 themselves, and they were varlets {servants) who de- 
 parted and went over the river of Lesse.* Thus ended 
 this adventure." 
 
 " Ah, Saint Mary ! sir," quoth I, " is the bourg 
 of Spain so big a man as ye speak of ? " " Yea, sir, 
 truly," quoth he, " for in all Gascony there is none 
 like him in strength of body ; therefore the Earl of 
 Foix hath him ever in his company. 
 
 " Xot three years ago he did in a sport a great deed, 
 as I shall tell you. So it was, on a Christmas day the 
 Earl of Foix held a great feast and a plentiful com- 
 pany of knights and squires, as it is his custom. 
 
 '' And it was a cold day, and the earl dined in the 
 hall, and with him a great company of lords ; and 
 after dinner he departed out of the hall and went up 
 into a gallery twenty -four stairs in height, in which 
 gallery there was a great chimney, wherein they made 
 tire when the earl was there ; and at that time there 
 was but a small tire, for the earl loved no great 
 tire. 
 
 " The same day it was a great frost and very cold ; 
 and wdien the earl was in the gallery and saw that the 
 fire was little, he said to the knights and squires about 
 him, *Sirs, this is but a small fire and the day so 
 cold.' Then Ernaulton of Spain went down the 
 
 * Pronounced Lesse, as one syllable. 
 
26 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 stairs, and beneath in the court he saw a great many 
 donkeys laden with wood to serve the house. 
 
 " Then he went and took one of tlie largest of the 
 donkeys with all the wood, and laid him on his back, 
 and went up all the stairs into the gallery and did 
 cast down the donkey with all the wood into the 
 chimney and the donkey's feet upward. Whereof the 
 Earl of Foix had great joy, and so had all they that 
 were there, and had marvel of his strength, how he 
 alone came up all the stairs with the donkey and the 
 wood on his neck." 
 
 I took great pleasure in this tale and in others 
 that this knight Sir Espang de Lyon told me, whereby 
 I thought my journey much the shorter : and in tell- 
 ing of these matters we passed the Pass of Laire and 
 the Castle of Mascaras, whereat the battle was, and so 
 we rode near to the Castle of Barbazan, which is 
 strong and fair and is within a league of Tarbes, 
 which we saw before us, and a fair road coasting the 
 river of Lesse coming from the mountains. 
 
 And so Sir John goes on his journey hearing 
 stories and telling them, friendly with his friend, 
 poHte to all men, eager to know everything, anxious 
 to set it down in writing in his great book. 
 
 " All these matters that Sir Espang de Lyon told 
 me right well contented me ; and every night as soon 
 as we were at our lodgings I wrote all that I heard in 
 the day, to have all in memory, for writing is the 
 best memory that may be." 
 
 Now after five hundred vears we read his Chron- 
 
Map showing the Englis;]i possessions in France in 1360. 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 27 
 
 ici es, and it seems as if he were speaking to ns, so 
 fresh and vivid are his stories. 
 
 It is as if one of onr own friends bad returned 
 from the war in Cuba or in the Phihppines, and was 
 teUing ns his adventnres just as they happened day 
 by day. We shall be fortunate to have a friend as 
 sincere, as loyal, as candid, as charming as Sir John. 
 
 " The Hundred Years' War " between France 
 AND England 
 
 Edward III was crowned King of England and 
 Lord of Ireland in a. d. 1327. He was also, by in- 
 heritance, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Guienne,* and 
 Earl of Ponthien f in France. He was a vassal of 
 the French King as Duke of Aquitaine, just as the 
 Duke of îs^ormandy, the king's own son and heir, was 
 a vassal. If you will look at the map, you will 
 see how the English King's possessions stood in 
 1360 after he had won more lands in France by the 
 campaigns of Cressy (13-16) and Poitiers (1356). 
 
 King Edward claimed the crown of France as his 
 own, because his mother. Queen Isabel of England, 
 was the sister of Louis X, Philip Y, and Charles lY, 
 three brothers, all kings of France. They all died 
 while she was yet alive ; and no one of them left a 
 son ; so Edward III of England, her son, claimed to 
 be King of France by her right. 
 
 There was not the slightest justice in his claim. 
 
 * Pronounced gë-en'. f Pronounced pôn-tyê'. 
 
28 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF FROlSSAUT 
 
 Each of the three kings, her brothers, had left a 
 dauo-hter ; and if any woman could have rights to the 
 crown, the claims of these daughters were stronger 
 than the claim of Queen Isabel. But King Edward 
 felt powerful enough to make successful war on 
 France, and he did so. The English nation supported 
 him. The glorious victories of Cressy and Poitiers 
 encouraged the English and dazzled their imagina- 
 tions. The possession of Calais was a great advan- 
 tage to them also. Bordeaux, in southern France, 
 and Calais, far in the north of France, were great seats 
 of trade and commerce. 
 
 The war began in this way : Flanders and Eng- 
 land were closely connected in trade and business. 
 King Philip YI of France forced Flanders to expel 
 all English merchants from the country. Then King 
 Edward, in 1336, forbade the English merchants to 
 send their wool into Flanders. The Flemings were 
 weavers, and made fine cloths for all Europe. If the 
 supply of wool were cut off they could make no cloth. 
 They must starve. So the Flemish people rose in 
 rebellion, drove out the Count of Flanders (who was 
 a vassal of the French King), and set up a government 
 of their own. Philip van Artevelde,^ an able man, 
 who was a brewer in Ghent, f was the head of their 
 new government, and he made an alliance with Eng- 
 land and agreed to fight the French. Then, again, the 
 French King coveted the English lands in the south- 
 
 * Pronounced iir'-te-vel-de. 
 
 f Pronounced gent. It was the capital city of Flanders. 
 
mi^^fi^'^v^^f^^f^ 
 
 
 t-Z^r 
 
 
 1 k 
 
 ^^^^Pfr^ -^1^SfjW\ t 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Tlunting: with hounds. 
 (From an old French tapestry.) 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS w>r) 
 
 west parts of France, and it was plain to all that lie 
 wished to force the English into a war. 
 
 In 1337 the English won a great sea-fight near 
 Flanders and defeated the French fleet. The story of 
 this victory is told by Froissart in Chapter XV of this 
 book. It was then that Edward the Third earned his 
 title of " King of the Sea," given to him by his ad- 
 miring subjects. 
 
 After a long trace, the war broke out again in 
 Brittany (see the map) in 1341. Then came another 
 truce, and then the glorious victory of Cressy in 13+H. 
 In 131:7 the town of Calais was taken, and the Eng- 
 lish held it till 1558, more than two hundred years. 
 
 King Philip of France died in 1350, and his son 
 John " the Good " succeeded him. In 1356 Edward 
 the Black Prince, the son of King Edward III, won the 
 battle of Poitiers (see the map) in Poitou * and carried 
 the French King away prisoner to London. In 1360 
 peace was made, and the King of England was ac- 
 knowledged to be master of Gascony, Aquitaine, and 
 other parts of France in his own right. He no longer 
 held his French possessions as a vassal of the French 
 King. 
 
 He, on his part, gave up his claim to be the King 
 of France, and also his claim to possess the country of 
 Normandy in northeastern France. King John was 
 to be released on payment of three million gold 
 crowns, but this ransom was so large that he never 
 could raise it, and he died a prisoner. The map 
 
 * Pronounced pwa-to'. 
 
30 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 shows the state of affairs in France in 1360. You 
 should look at it carefully, for it explains many 
 
 things. 
 
 All the regions marked with vertical hues 1 1 1 1 be- 
 long? to the King of France. He is lord over them. 
 The kings had gained all these lands and many more 
 by conquest in war, or by inheritance. But they had 
 given away vast estates to the princes, their relatives ; 
 and these princes or dukes were petty kings them- 
 selves. The regions thus granted or given away are 
 marked on the map by horizontal lines = , as Brit- 
 tany, Burgundy, etc. There were other powerful 
 noblemen, not royal princes, who held their lands 
 almost as if they too were kings. Their lands are 
 also shaded = , as Foix, Flanders, etc. The lands of the 
 Duke of Brabant are marked with little dots : ; : : ■' 
 Finally, the possessions of the King of England are 
 left unshaded — white. Aquitaine, Guienne, and Gas- 
 cony belonged to the English King before the war. 
 Poitou and Calais came as the results of conquest. 
 You should look out the situations of the principal 
 places spoken of in this book : Cressy (in northeastern 
 France) ; Poitiers (in western France) ; Caen ^ (in 
 Xormandy) ; Sluys f (in the extreme northeast, near 
 the sea) ; Agincourt :[: (not spoken of here, but it is 
 famous as the site of a great victory by King Henry 
 Y of England in l-llS). 
 
 In the meantime the King of France remained a 
 
 * Pronounced kon. f Pronounced slois. 
 
 X Pronounced aj'-in-kort in English; âzh-an-kôr' in French. 
 
XOTE FOR YOUxXG READERS 31 
 
 prisoner in London. The English demanded a ran- 
 som from him too great for him to pay, and he died in 
 London, a captive, in loO-t. King David of Scotland 
 was also a prisoner in England about this time (from 
 134:6 to 1357). Both these kings were treated well, 
 and they had much liberty and luxury, but they were 
 captives. 
 
 Charles Y, son of John, became King of France. 
 In 1369 he broke the treaty of 1360, and there was 
 war till 13T5. In 13TT King Edward III of Eng- 
 land died, and King Charles ])egaii the war again 
 with great vigor. In three years he had driven the 
 English out of every town in France, excepting only 
 the fortified places of Bayonne, * Bordeaux, Brest, 
 Cherbourg, and Calais, f King Charles died, too soon 
 for France, in 1380. From his death until the year 
 1413 France was torn by civil wars, and was miserable 
 and almost helpless. 
 
 Froissart's Chronicles go no further than 1400, 
 but it will be w^orth while to set down some of the 
 events that followed. Henry Y of England, a valiant 
 king, came to the throne in 1413. He invaded France 
 in 1415 and took the seaport of Hai'lleur, and then re- 
 treated toward Calais with his stout army of twenty 
 thousand men. At Aginconrt the French forced him 
 to fight an army of eighty thousand men that they 
 had hastily collected, and Henry Y won a battle as 
 glorious as Cressy and Poitiers. 
 
 * Pronounced ba-yon'. The bayonet was invented here, 
 f Pronounced kii-lâ' in French ; kal-is in English. 
 6 
 
32 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Shakespeare, in his play of Henry Y, tells the story 
 of this campaign, and you should read this play. It 
 is not exactly history, but it shows what most English- 
 men in Shakespeare's time believed to be the true 
 story of the victory. 
 
 In 1419 Henry Y made another campaign in 
 France and conquered Normandy. A peace was 
 made. Henry married Catherine, the daughter of 
 the French King, Charles YI, and it was agreed that, 
 after the death of Charles, Henry should be King of 
 France, and his children after him. Here, at last, it 
 seemed that England and France were to be one king- 
 dom. 
 
 But Henry Y of England died in 1422, leaving a 
 son, Henry YI, a mere baby. King Charles of 
 France died only seven weeks later, and left a son, 
 Charles YII, then nineteen years old. There were 
 two kings in France. The French King had no 
 power, no army, no money. The English were strong, 
 rich, and masters of a great part of France. 
 
 Now occurred one of the miracles of history. In 
 a little village of France an unlearned country girl, 
 Joan of Arc, heard voices from heaven, she said, 
 bidding her, a peasant, to rescue France and to set 
 the French King on his throne. She proclaimed 
 her mission ; bishops and captains and noblemen 
 beUeved her to be sent by Heaven. The king fol- 
 lowed her advice; the disorderly mob of soldiers 
 obeyed her least word ; she roused France to the 
 support of the rightful king. After winning many 
 battles for him she was captured, and then burned 
 
French arms and armor of the twelfth, thirteenth, and 
 
 fourteenth centuries. 
 
 (The English armor and costume were much the same.) 
 
 Xo. 20, a knight's armor (end of the twelfth century). 
 
 Xo. 22, a kuight banueret (beginning of the fourteenth century). 
 
 No. 23. a man at arms, about 1350. 
 
 Xo. 18, foot soldier, about 1350. 
 
 Xo. 21, chief of the military police of Paris, about 1350. 
 
 Xos. 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, shields (twelfth century). 
 
 Xo. 19, sword (twelfth century). 
 
 Xo. 8. siiddlc (twelfth century). 
 
 Xo. 4, helmet (end of the eleventh century). 
 
 Xo. 5, helmet (beginning of the thirteenth century). 
 
 Xo. 13, helmet (thirteenth century). 
 
 Xo. 9, helmet ( foot soldier, fifteenth century). 
 
 No. 7, helmet (used at tournaments in the fourteenth century). 
 
 Xo. 6, helmet (English, fifteenth century). 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 33 
 
 at the stake in 1481. But the spirit she had raised 
 •was not dead. 
 
 In 1430 King Charles entered his capital city of 
 Paris for the first time in his reign. Wars and pesti- 
 lences had so desolated it that packs of wolves roamed 
 in the streets, attacking travelers who went alone or 
 in small bands. This picture of the misery of the 
 chief city of France shows the desolation and wretch- 
 edness of the whole kingdom after it had been wasted 
 by plagues and spoiled by a century of war. In 14-1-9 
 Normandy was taken from the English, and in 1453 
 every foot of French soil was ruled by the French 
 King excepting only the town of Calais and the 
 country round about it. The Hundred Years' AVar 
 was at last at an end. 
 
 There are a few things to be said that will help 
 you to understand the feelings of men in those days. 
 In the first place, you must remember that the code 
 of honor called chividry came into full force about 
 the time of the Crusades to the Holy Land. Each 
 warrior was a knight. He was clad in complete 
 armor, and bore a coat of arms to distinguish him 
 and his family. He was in honor bound to be brave 
 in battle ; to defend all women from harm ; to fight 
 for the right ; to preserve his heritage for his heirs ; 
 to be courteous ; to do his full duty. A good knight 
 was one who did all these things. His coat of arms 
 must have no stain on it. 
 
 Edward III was enthusiastic for all the forms 
 and shows of chivalry, and delighted in hunting, in 
 tournaments, and in all knightly exercises. Yet it 
 
34 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 was in his time that chivalry began to decline. Gun- 
 powder commenced to be used in his wars in France. 
 His cannon threw little balls weighing three or four 
 ounces only ; but tliese hght projectiles killed knights 
 as well as footmen, and there was no form or cere- 
 mony about it at all. The use of gunpowder increased, 
 and by and by, about 1575, the arquebus and mus- 
 ket came into use, and entirely changed all warfare. 
 
 Chivalry, as Edward III understood it, was quite 
 dead in the sixteenth century. It began to die in 
 his own time. An entirely new idea about military 
 valor came in ^vith gunpowder. The armor of a 
 knight was a protection against arrows, but not 
 against bullets. The knight was very much supe- 
 rior to the archer, but not so very much superior 
 to the musketeer. A man in armor on horseback 
 might ride over ranks of footmen, but any one who 
 could pull a trigger was his equal in later days. 
 Gunpowder made the weak man equal to a giant 
 of strength. Courage came to mean a different 
 thing. 
 
 In England there was another great reason for 
 the decline of chivalry. Chivalry was founded on 
 the belief that there was an immense difference be- 
 tween the knight and the yeoman, or the yeoman's 
 son, who might be an archer in the ranks. 
 
 In France this difference between the two classes 
 of men lasted a long time. But in England the citi- 
 zens of the towns, the members of guilds of trades- 
 men, the tenants of rich farms, the dealers in wool 
 and grain, had gained much liberty. Their rights 
 
Shooting at Butts, (1340.) 
 (Loutrell Psalter.) 
 
 QL - fL ^ .^^L^ i. 
 
 
 An English boat. 
 l.From a mauuscript of the fourteenth century.) 
 
NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS 35 
 
 were respected. Their interests were represented, to 
 some degree, in the EngUsh House of Commons, and 
 it was Parliament that decided whether the kinc^ 
 should go to war, and how much money he should 
 have to support his army. 
 
 Then, again, in the wars in France, the English 
 knight often fought on foot alongside of the English 
 archer. Small EngKsh armies gained great victories 
 over immense hosts of Frenchmen at Cressy, Poitiers, 
 and Agincourt. And the men who had stood shoul- 
 der to shoulder against such odds grew to know and 
 to respect each other. Everything conspired to make 
 the English nation solid in war and in peace. Eng- 
 lishmen quickly grew to be proud of their nation, and 
 of every part of it. 
 
 England was not a learned nation in those days. 
 There were not many books. Wyclif's translation of 
 the Bible into Enghsh was made in 1380, and copies 
 of it were everywhere. Of course, there was no 
 printing before 1455. All books were manuscripts. 
 Chaucer's poems were written about the same time. 
 He was himself a soldier in Edward Ill's wars with 
 France. Many of the colleges at Oxford and Cam- 
 bridge were founded before 1350. The great cathe- 
 drals of England were built or building. 
 
 But if England was not a land of " learned clerks," 
 it was a land of freedom and comfort, and was be- 
 ginning to be a land of luxury and leisure. As soon 
 as a nation has security and leisure, the arts, the 
 sciences, and literature are born. The church archi- 
 tecture of England was noble and grand. Manu- 
 
36 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 scripts were beautifully illuminated with pictures; 
 there were statues of metal gilded ; much gold and 
 silver plate; fine metal work and jewelry; hand- 
 some tapestries and embroideries. 
 
 England was an agricultural country and raised 
 grain and wool in plenty. In 1331 Edward III 
 brought weavers from Flanders, and the making of 
 cloths was begun in England. The fisheries and 
 mines were important, too, and commerce with 
 Calais and southwestern France grew to be so. 
 The mariner's compass was introduced into Europe 
 about A. D. 1300, and this made long voyages 
 safe. England became the great naval power of 
 the world. 
 
 It was in Edward Ill's time, too, that the English 
 language began to replace the French that Froissart 
 and other scholars spoke. It was introduced into the 
 law courts in 1362, because " the French tongue was 
 much unknown." Even before Edward's reign com- 
 plaint was made that " children in school, against the 
 usage and manner of all other nations, are compelled 
 to leave their own language and to construe their les- 
 sons in French." The great English poet, Chaucer, 
 wrote in English, and not in French, and he laid the 
 foundations of the tongue we speak to-day. The 
 nation was proud of its place in the world ; it felt 
 itself a unit ; and the adoption of the English as the 
 only speech marked its growth to full manhood. 
 
 The whole of Europe was swept by a pestilence 
 (the plague) that came from Egypt and reached Eng- 
 land in 1347. Nearly half the population of Eng- 
 
=t^ ac c ]~; 
 
 r. c3 — j^ t3 
 _o ""■ q; o o 
 
 o 
 
 s*-^ 
 "© 
 ^ 
 
 o g 
 
 5 
 
 o 
 
 o " r: 
 
 ti^ 5 S o 
 
 ■::'^ '^^^ 
 
 [>< Qj « a> 
 o 
 
 .J2 
 
 a; 
 
 
 ^ o S o 
 
 o 
 
 '^ ~ ^. ■ . 
 ^-^.^ c 
 
 <ï (V) 4) '^ 
 
 
 " C =2 cS 
 
 c ^^ 
 
NOTK FOR YOUNd Rp]AI)?:KS 37 
 
 land died of it in 1847-49; another jilague came in 
 1361, and another in 1369. 
 
 The pictures tliroughout the hook show the cos- 
 tumes of men and women of those times. Tlie rich 
 dressed in cloth of gold or of silver, in velvets, silks, 
 and furs. The poorer classes wx^re clothed in home- 
 spun cloths. 
 
 People ate two principal meals a dav then : a 
 "dinner'' that came at our breakfast time, and a 
 " supper " in the evening. 
 
King Edward III of England. 
 
THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 Note. — When these Chronicles are read aloud, everything 
 within parentheses ( ) is to be omitted. 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 Here beginneth the prologue of Sir John Frois- 
 sart to the Chronicles of France, England, and other 
 places adjoining. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 HERE SPEAKETH THE AUTHOR OF CERTAIN VALIANT 
 KNIGHTS TO BE MADE MENTION OF IN THIS BOOK 
 
 All noble hearts to encourage and to show them 
 examples to follow and matter of honor to consider, 
 I, Sir John Froissart, begin to speak of the Wars of 
 France and England. J^ow, I trust ye shall hear re- 
 ported the true cause of these wars, and I will not 
 forget, diminish, or abridge the history in any way, 
 but rather I will multiply and increase it, following 
 the truth from point to jioint in speaking, and show- 
 ing all the adventures since the nativity {birth) of the 
 noble King Edward the Third. 
 
 He reigned King of England and achieved many 
 
 perilous adventures since the year of our Lord God 
 
 39 
 
40 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Mcccxxvii, when this noble king was crowned in Eng- 
 land. Such persons as were with him in his battles 
 and happj foi-tiinate adventures ought to be reputed 
 valiant and worthy of renown. And though there 
 were great plenty of other personages that ought to 
 be praised as sovereigns, yet prhicipally ought to be 
 renowned the noble person of the foresaid gentle * 
 king, also the Prince of Wales his son,-}- the Duke of 
 Lancaster, Sir Kay n old Lord Cobham, Sir Walter of 
 Manny of Hainault, :{: Sir John Chandos, and divers 
 others, of whom is made mention hereafter in this 
 present book. For in all battles they were always 
 famous, both by land and by sea. 
 
 They in all their deeds were so valiant that they 
 
 * Gentle = of noble race : whence our word gentleman, mean- 
 ing a person of good family. Edward the Third came to the 
 throne while he was a mere boy. He was enthusiastic about 
 hunting, all chivalric sports, and war, and he was a brave and 
 good soldier. He was graceful, of winning manners, ambitious, 
 lil)eral in giving, but rather cold and hard of heart. At first his 
 wars were popular in England because they brought riches home. 
 " There was not a woman in England that did not wear some or- 
 nament or have in her house some linen or some goblet, part of 
 the booty sent back from the king from France." His foreign 
 wars kept his powerful barons occupied abroad, and left them less 
 time for rebellions at home. 
 
 f Edward " the Black Prince " (he wore black armor) was born 
 in 1330. He inherited the bravery, ambition, and political wis- 
 dom of his father, and something of the kindliness of his mother, 
 though he could be very cruel, stern, and arbitrary at times. He 
 was the first person created Prince of Wales (the title of the heir 
 to the English throne), and he was the first duke in England 
 (Duke of Cornwall, 1337). 
 
 X Pronounced hâ-nô'. 
 
^imuBKvfùiiîamiKiimf^'^. miiWlfeom-utrRitoViMâïflbr 
 
 Coronation of an English king. 
 (From a mauuscript of the fourteenth century.) 
 
PROLOGUE 4^ 
 
 ought to 1)0 reputed as sovereigns in all chivalry ; yet, 
 for all that, others that were in their company oii2:ht 
 not to be less prized. Also in France in that time 
 there were found many good knights, strong and well 
 expert in feats of arms. 
 
 For the realm {hingdoin) of France w^as not so 
 discomiited (l)eaten) but that alw^ays there were many 
 brave knights to fight; and King Philip of Valois 
 was a right hardy and a valiant knight, and also King 
 John his son,^ John the Khig of Bohemia, the Earl 
 of Foix,-}- Sir Saintré,:|: and divers others of whom 
 hereafter right well shall be made mention in time 
 and place convenient, where I shall say the truth and 
 maintain the same. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE CORONATION OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD 
 
 In the year of our Lord mcccxxvi, when Christ- 
 mas was come, there was a great court held in Lon- 
 don. And thither came dukes, earls, barons, knights, 
 and all the nobles of the realm {kmgdom)^ wdth bish- 
 ops and the citizens of the good towns. 
 
 * King Philip the Sixth of the royal house of Valois (pro- 
 nounced val-wa') came to the throne in 1328. lie died in 1350, 
 and was succeeded by his son, King John the Good, who was 
 taken prisoner by the English at the battle of Poitiers (proiuMinced 
 pwa-tyâ') in 1356, and died in London in 1364. 
 
 f Pronounced fwii. X Pronounced slin-trâ . 
 
42 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 At this assembly it was agreed that the realm 
 conld not long endure without a head and a chief 
 lord. Then they put in writing all the deeds of the 
 king, who was in prison (Edward the Second), and all 
 liis evil behavings, and how evil he had governed his 
 realm. Wherefore they concluded that such a man 
 was not worthy to be a king, nor to bear a crown 
 royal, nor to have the name of a king. 
 
 But they all agreed that Edward, his eldest son, 
 should be crowned king instead of his father, so that 
 the realm from thenceforth might be better governed. 
 And thus as it was agreed by all the nobles, so it was 
 accomplished. And then was crowned with a crown 
 royal, at the palace of Westminster, the young King 
 Edward the Third, who in his life afterward was 
 right fortunate in war. This coronation was in the 
 year of our Lord mcccxxvii, when the young king 
 was about the age of sixteen. 
 
(English.) 
 
 Expedition of Edward III against the Scots. 
 
PAET I 
 
 THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS {1327) 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 HOW KING ROBERT BRUCE OF SCOTLAND DEFIED 
 KINO EDWARD 
 
 Then it so fortuned that King Robert of Scot- 
 land, who had been right hardy against Englishmen, 
 and oftentimes had been chased and discomfited in 
 the time of King Edward the First, grandfatlier to 
 this young King Edward the Third, was then become 
 very old and ancient and sick. When he knew the 
 adventures that had ])efallen in England, how that 
 the old King Edward the Second was taken and de- 
 posed down from his royalty and crown, then he be- 
 thought him that he would defy King Edward the 
 Third, because he was young and that the barons of 
 the realm {kingdo7/i) were not all of one accord {in 
 agreement). 
 
 And so, about Easter in the year of our Lord 
 
 Mcccxxvii, he sent his defiance to the young King 
 
 Edward the Third, sending word how he would enter 
 
 into the realm of England and burn all before him, 
 
 as he had done beforetime. 
 
 4a 
 
44 THE chronicles; of'froissart 
 
 AVhen the King of England and his Council per- 
 ceived that thej were defied, they caused it to be 
 known over all the realm (H?i^(?m), and commanded 
 that all the nobles and^alV other men- should be ready 
 appareled, and that they should be, by Ascension 
 Day " next after, at the town of York. 
 
 The king sent much peiple before him to keep 
 the frontiers against Scotland, and sent ^"^great em- 
 bassy to Sir John of Hainault,t in Belgium, praying 
 him right affectionately that he would keep company 
 with him in his voyage {campaign) against the Scots, 
 and that he would be with him at Ascension Day at 
 York with a company of men of war. 
 
 When Sir John of Hainault, Lord of Beaumont, 
 heard the king's desire, he sent straight his letters and 
 messengers to every place where he thought to have 
 any company of men of war — in Flanders, in Hainault, 
 in Brabant, and other places— desiring them to go over 
 the sea with him into England. And all such as he 
 sent unto came to him with glad cheer. 
 
 And so they took shipping and passed over the sea, 
 and arrived at Dover {in England) and ceased not to 
 voyage till they came to the town of York. The king 
 and the queen his mother, and all his lords were, with 
 a great host, already at York waiting the coming of 
 
 * The feast day to commemorate the ascension of the Lord 
 Jesus, forty days after his resurrection, from the Mount of Olives, 
 in the presence of his disciples. It is celebrated forty days after 
 Easter day, in the months of May or June. 
 
 f Sir John, Count of Hainault, was the uncle of Philippa, after- 
 ward Queen of England. Her father was William, Earl of Hai- 
 nault. She was married to Edward the Third in 1328. 
 
kl 
 
 o 
 be 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 45 
 
 Sir John of Hainanlt, and had sent before manv of 
 their men of arms, archers, and common peo])le of 
 the ojood towns and villao^es. 
 
 And, on a daj^, thither came Sir John of Ilainault 
 and all his company, who were right welcome and 
 well received both by the king and by the qneen his 
 mother, and by all other barons. Sir John had in his 
 company fully five hundred men of arms, well ap- 
 pareled and richly mounted {o?i their inir h(>r«eH). 
 And after the feast of Pentecost * came thither Sir 
 William of Juliers, f who was afterward Duke of 
 Juliers, and Sir Thierry :j: of Ileinsberg, and with 
 them a right fair rout (ax.^enMagi^^ and all to keep 
 company with the gentle knight, Sir John of Ilai- 
 nault, Lord Beaumont.^ 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 CONCERNING THE DISSENSION TUAT WAS BETWEEN TUE 
 ARCHERS OF ENGLAND AND THEM OF HAINAULT 
 
 The gentle King of England, the better to feast 
 these foreign lords and all their company, held a great 
 court on Trinity Sunday. At this feast the king had 
 fully five hundred knights, and the (pieen had in hei- 
 court sixty ladies and damosels {damseU)^ who were 
 
 * The feast of Pentecost commemorates the day on which the 
 Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, 
 f Pronounced zhii-lyâ'. 
 X Pronounced tyâ-rë'. ^ Pronounced bô-môn'. 
 
46 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 there ready to make feast and cheer to Sir John of 
 Ilamault and to his company. There might have 
 been seen great magnificence in serving all manner of 
 strange victuals. There were ladies and damosels 
 freshly appareled, ready to have danced, if they might. 
 
 But incontinent {immediately) after dinner there 
 began a great fray {fight) between some of the 
 grooms and pages of the strangers and the archers of 
 England who were lodged among them. And anon 
 {■presently) all the archers assembled together with 
 their bows and drove the strangers home to their 
 lodgings. And the most part of the knights, their 
 masters, were then in the king's court, but as soon as 
 they heard tidings of the fray each of them went to 
 his own lodging in great haste, such as could do so. 
 And such as could not get in were in great peril, for 
 the archers, who were to the number of two thousand, 
 shot fast their arrows, sparing neither masters nor 
 varlets {servants). 
 
 And so the Englishmen, that were hosts to these 
 strangers, shut fast their doors and windows, and would 
 not suffer them to enter into their lodgings ; howbeit 
 {however), some got in on the back side and quickly 
 armed themselves, but they durst {dared) not issue 
 out into the street for fear of the arrows. Then the 
 strangers brake {broke) down pales {palings) and 
 hedges of gardens and assembled in a certain plain 
 place till at last there were a hundred and more men 
 of arms and as many more unarmed of such as could 
 not get to their lodgings. 
 
 And when they were assembled together they 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 47 
 
 hasted {hastened) to go and succor their coiTipanions 
 who were defending their lodgings in tlie great street. 
 
 And as they went forth they passed by the hxlg- 
 ing of the Lord d'Enghien,* the archers of England 
 shot fiercely at his house, and there were many of 
 the Hainaiilters hurt. And the good knight Fastres 
 de Roeulx,f and Sir Percival de Scnieries, and Sir 
 Sanses de Boussoit, X these three could not enter in 
 to their lodgings to arm themselves, hut they did as 
 valiantly as though they had been armed. 
 
 They had great beams in their hands, which tliey 
 found in a carpenter's yard, with the which they gave 
 such strokes that men durst not approach them. These 
 three beat down that day, with such small company 
 as they had, more than sixty ; for they were great and 
 mighty knights. Finally the archers that were at the 
 fray were discomfited and put to chase {chased away\ 
 and there was dead in the place fully to the num])er 
 of three hundred. 
 
 I believe (rod did never give more grace and for- 
 tune to any people than he did then to this gentle 
 knight Sir John of Hainault and to his company. For 
 these English archers intended none other thing than 
 to murder and rob them in spite of their coming to 
 serve the king in his business. These strangers were 
 never in so great peril all that season, nor were they 
 ever after in surety {safety) till they were again in 
 their own country. 
 
 * One of the foreign knights : pronouncetl don-girtiV. 
 f Pronounced fas-tré'-dé-ré'. 
 X Pronounced sànz-dé-bû-swà'. 
 
48 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 For tliey were so hated by all the archers of the 
 army, that some of the barons and knights of Eng- 
 land warned the lords of Hainault that the archers 
 and other of the common people were allied together 
 to the number of six tliousand to burn or to kill them 
 in their lodgings either by night or by day. 
 
 And so they lived in peril ; but each of them 
 promised to help and aid the other, and to sell dearly 
 their lives before they were slain. Continually they 
 were obliged to keep guard and to send ont scout 
 watches to see ever if any such people were coming to 
 themward {toward their camp)^ whereby they might 
 quickly gather together, each of them under their {his) 
 own banner, in a certain place for defence. 
 
 And in this tribulation they abode during the 
 space of four weeks, and in all that season they durst 
 not go far from their harness {arr^ior)^ nor from their 
 lodgings, saving a certain few of the chief lords among 
 them, who went to the court to see the king, who made 
 them right good cheer {welcomed them). All the 
 time that the king and lords of England and more 
 than sixty thousand men of war lay there {i^emained 
 there) the victuals were never the dearer. 
 
 Ever they had a pennyworth for a penny, and 
 there was good wine and plenty thereof, with cheap 
 poultry and other victuals; and there was daily 
 brought before their lodgings hay, oats, and litter 
 {bedding for horses\ whereof they were well served 
 for their horses, and at a proper price.* 
 
 * The next chapters describe tlie war against the Scots. The 
 English array wanders round aimlessly and helplessly, not know- 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (i:J27) 49 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 HERE THE HISTORY SPEAKf]TH OF TFIK CrSTOMS OF 
 THE SCOTS AND HOW THEY CAN AVAR 
 
 And when the army liad sojourned tliree weeks 
 after this said fray {icith the archers) then they liad 
 knowledge that the next week every man sliould ])ro- 
 vide carts and tents and all other necessaries to the 
 intent to move toward Scotland. And when every 
 man was ready appareled, the kinir and all his barons 
 w^ent out of the city, and the first night they lodged 
 six miles forward. And Sir John of llainault and 
 his company were lodged always as near the king as 
 might be, to do him the more honor, and also to the 
 intent that the English archers should take no advan- 
 tage of him nor of his company. 
 
 And there the king abode two days and two nights, 
 tarrying for all them that were behind, and to l)e sure 
 that they lacked nothing. And on the third day 
 they dislodged and went forward till they came to 
 the city of Durham, a day's journey within the coun- 
 try called Korthumberland, the which, at that time, 
 was a savage and wild country, full of deserts and 
 
 ing where the enemy is nor how to find him. They are quite 
 ready to fight, but they do not know how to bring him to battle. 
 They wander hither and yon, suffering all n)anner of trials, and 
 finally the war comes to an end of itself, though no vietory is 
 won. There is no real plan for the campaign, and nothing im- 
 portant is done. The art of war has grown up from beginnings 
 like these, and modern wars are very different. 
 
50 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 mountains, and a right poor country of everything 
 except of beasts {cattle). • 4^ n 
 
 Through this country there runneth a river full 
 of ilint and great stones, called the water of Tyne. 
 And on this river standeth the town and Castle of 
 Carlisle, the which some time was King Arthur's, and 
 he held his court there oftentimes. 
 
 Also on that river is situated the town of New- 
 castle-upon-Tyne, in the which town the Marshal of 
 England was ready with a great company of men of 
 arms to keep the country against the Scots. And at 
 Carhsle were the Lord Hereford ^ and the Lord Mow- 
 bray ,t who were governors there to defend the pas- 
 sage, for the Scots could not enter into England ex- 
 cept they passed this said river in one place or other. 
 The EngUshmen could hear no tidings of the Scots, 
 who had passed over this river so secretly that the 
 people of Carlisle and those of Newcastle knew 
 nothing thereof. 
 
 These Scottish men are right hardy in armor 
 and in war. For when they wish to enter into Eng- 
 land, within a day and a night they will drive their 
 whole host {army) twenty -four mile, for they are all 
 ahorseback, unless it be the camp followers of the 
 host who follow after afoot. The knights and squires 
 are well horsed {have fine horses)^ and the common 
 people ride on little hackneys ; and they carry with 
 them no carts, on account of the mountains they must 
 pass through in the country of Northumberland. 
 
 * Pronounced her'-e-ford. f Pronounced mô'-brâ. 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1;}2T) 51 
 
 Tliej take with them no store of l)rca(l or wine, 
 for their soberness is such in time of war that tliey 
 will pass in the journey a long time eatin<r flesh half 
 sodden {b(d/ed), without bread, and drinking tlie river 
 water without wine ; and they neither care for pots 
 nor pans, for they cook beasts in their own skins. 
 
 They are ever sure to iind plenty of beasts in the 
 country they pass through ; therefore they carry with 
 them none other store, but on their horse they pack a 
 broad tiat stone, and behind the saddle they have a 
 little sack full of oatmeal. When they have eaten 
 much of the cooked tiesh they set the stone on tlic 
 tire, and mix a little of the oatmeal with water; and 
 when the stone is hot they cast some of the thin paste 
 thereon, and so make a little cake in tlic mannei* of a 
 biscuit, and that they eat to comfort their stomachs. 
 Wherefore it is no marvel that they make greater 
 journeys than other people do. 
 
 And in this manner were the Scots entered into 
 the said country, and wasted and brent (AnV/ tn/sfc 
 and hurned) all about as they went, and took a great 
 number of beasts. They were to the number of f«»iir 
 thousand men of arms, knights and s<piires, mounted 
 on good horses; and other ten thousand men of war 
 were armed, each in his own fashion, right hardy 
 and fierce, mounted on Httle hackneys, the which 
 were never tied, but let to go to pasture in the fields 
 and bushes. 
 
 They had two good captains, for King Robert of 
 Scotland, who in his days had been hardy and pru- 
 dent, was then of great age and sore grieved witli sick- 
 
52 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 ness. But he had made one of his captains the Earl 
 of Moray, and the other was the Lord James Douglas, 
 who was reputed the most hardy knight in all the 
 realm of Scotland.^ These two lords were renowned 
 as chief in all deeds of arms and great prowess {brav- 
 ery) in Scotland. 
 
 CHAPTEE YI 
 
 HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND MADE HIS FIKST JOURNEY 
 AGAINST THE SCOTS 
 
 When the King of England and his host had seen 
 and heard of the fires that the Scots had made in 
 England, incontinent {at once) was cried alarm, and 
 every man was commanded to dislodge and follow 
 after the marshal's banners. Then every man went 
 to the field ready to fight. 
 
 There were ordained three great battles {battalions^ 
 or divisions of the army)^ and to every battle two 
 wings of five hundred men of arms, knights and 
 squires, and thirty thousand other armed men, besides 
 twenty-four thousand archers afoot.f 
 
 * " Good Sir James Douglas (who wise and wight {^valiant'] and 
 worthy was) 
 Was never overglad in no winning \iiictory\ nor yet oversad 
 
 for no fineing {defeat] ; 
 
 Good fortune and evil chance he weighed in one balance." 
 
 f The great lords were the commanders of divisions and of 
 
 wings, and each displayed his own standard. Under them were 
 
 the lesser nobility, knights bannerets, and knights. A knight 
 
 banneret had his own (square) banner and commanded about a 
 
Various Forms of Early Standards 
 AND Banners 
 
 A = the labarum of the Emperor Constantine 
 (a. d. 312). The monogram of Christ is at the head of 
 the staff, above the banner, and below it is a serpent. B = the 
 pennon of a knight of the Middle Ages; it is a blue pennon with a 
 silver chevron. C = a banner of the IMiddle Ages— a lion rampant 
 on a blue field. D = the royal standard of King TTenry V of Eng- 
 land, who reigned from 1413 to 1422. The standard was eleven 
 yards long: the red cross of St. George is displayed, on a white 
 field, for England, and the ancient dragon also: the roses are em- 
 blems of the House of Lancaster ; the upper half of the standard 
 is white, the lower blue, and the border is white and blue. 
 
 53 
 
54 TIIR CHRONICLES OF FKOIStSAKT 
 
 And these battles {divisions) advanced forward, 
 well ranged and in good order, and followed the 
 Scots by the sight of the smoke that they made 
 with burning; and thns they followed all that day 
 till it was near night. And that day the Scots had 
 l)arnt and wasted and pillaged the country around 
 ^\'ithin iifteen miles of the English host; but the 
 Enp:lishmen could not overtake them. 
 
 The next day in the morning all the host armed 
 themselves and displayed their banners on the field, 
 every man ready appareled in his own battle, and so 
 advanced all the day, through mountains and valleys ; 
 but for all that they could never approach near to 
 the Scots, who went before them, laying the country 
 to waste. 
 
 There were such marshes and savage deserts, 
 mountains and dales, that it was commanded, on pain 
 of death, that none of the host should pass in front of 
 the banners of the marshals."^ 
 
 hundred and fifty knights and men at arms, all mounted on 
 horseback and clad in armor. Each knight and man at arms had 
 an esquire and two or three followers. The footmen were in 
 twenties, under a chief, and five of these twenties (one hundred) 
 were under a centurion. The archers fought on foot and had 
 commanders of their own. And eyery army was accompanied by 
 swarms of camp followers and serving men, who were armed, and 
 who often took part in the fighting. 
 
 * Nowadays a cloud of scouts and skirmishers would be sent 
 far in front of the main army until the scouts met the enemy. 
 Word would be sent back to bring forward the main force, and 
 while it was coming the scouts would never lose sight of the ene- 
 my's army. For want of tactics of this sort the English spent 
 their time in chasing an enemy whom thev could not find, 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 55 
 
 When it drew toward the nio-ht the arinv was so 
 weary that they could not endure to labor any further 
 that day. And when the lords saw that their labor 
 in following the Scots was in vain, then it was com- 
 manded in the king's name that the host should take 
 their lodgings for that night, and then take counsel 
 and advice what should be best to do the next day. 
 So the host was lodged in a wood by a riverside, and 
 the king in a little poor abbey. His men of war 
 were marvelously weary. 
 
 Then the lords drew themselves apart to take 
 counsel how they might fight with the Scots, consid- 
 ering the country that they were in ; for, as far as 
 they could understand, the Scots went ever forward, 
 burning and wasting the country, and they saw well 
 they could not overtake them, nor in any wise (?uan- 
 ner) light them among these mountains without great 
 peril. 
 
 But it was thought that the Scots must needs pass 
 again the river of Tyne on their way homeward. 
 Therefore it was determined that all the host should 
 remove at midnight, and make haste in the morning 
 to stop the Scots from passing the river, whereby 
 they would l)e forced either to fight, or else still to 
 abide in England to their great danger and loss. 
 
 And all the host supped and lodged as well as 
 they might that night, and every man was warned to 
 be ready at the first sounding of the trumpet, and at 
 the second blast every man was to arm himself with- 
 out delay, and at the third every man was quickly to 
 mount on his horse under his own standard or banner. 
 
56 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 And every man was to take with him but one loaf 
 of bread and to pack it beliind him on his horse. 
 
 It was also determined that tliey should leave 
 behind them all their spare armor and all manner of 
 carriages and stores, for they thought they would surely 
 light with the Scots the next day, whatsoever danger 
 they were in, thinking either to win or to lose all. 
 
 And thus it was ordained {ordered), and so it 
 was accomplished. About midnight every man was 
 ready appareled ; few had slept, and yet they had 
 sore labored the day before. Before they were well 
 ranged in battle array, the day began to appear. 
 Then they advanced forward in all haste through 
 mountains, valleys, and rocks, and through many 
 evil passages (jMSses) without any plain country. 
 
 And on the highest of these hills and on the plain 
 of these valleys there were marvelous great marshes 
 and dangerous passages, so that it was great marvel 
 (wonder) that much people had not been lost. For 
 they rode ever forward, and never tarried one for 
 another, and no one who fell in any of these marshes 
 could get any aid to help him out again, so that there 
 were many lost, and specially horses and carts. 
 
 Oftentimes in the day there was cried alarm, for 
 it was said ever that the foremost company were 
 lighting with their enemies, so that the hindermost 
 thought it had been true. Wherefore they hasted 
 them over rocks and stones and mountains, with 
 helmet and shield, ready appareled to fight, with spear 
 and sword ready in hand, without tarrying for father, 
 brother, or companion. 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1337) 57 
 
 Thus rode forth all that day the young King of 
 England, through mountains and deserts, without 
 finding any highway, town, or village. And when it 
 was almost night, they came to the river of Tyne, to 
 the same place where the Scots had passed over into 
 England, thinking that they must needs repass again 
 the same way. Then the King of England and his 
 host passed over the same river by fording it with 
 much pain and trouble, for the passage was full of 
 great stones. 
 
 And when they were over, they lodged that night 
 by the riverside. By that time the sun was gone to 
 rest, and there were but few among them that had an 
 axe or any instrument to cut down wood to make 
 their lodgings with. And there were many that had 
 lost their own company and knew not wdiere they 
 were. Some of the footmen ^foot soldiers) were far 
 behind, and knew not what w^ay to take. Such as 
 knew the country best said plainly they had ridden 
 that same day twenty-four English miles, for they 
 rode as fast as they could without any rest. 
 
 All this night they lay by this riverside, holding 
 their horses by their reins in their hands, for there 
 was nothing whereunto to tie them. Thus their 
 horses did eat no meat {food) all that night nor day 
 before. They had neither oats nor forage for them, 
 nor had the people of the host any sustenance all that 
 day nor night, except that every man had his loaf that 
 he had carried behind his saddle, the which was sore 
 wet with the sweat of the horses. Nor drank they 
 any other drink but the water of the river, nor had 
 
58 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 they fire or light, for they had nothing to make light 
 with, except that some of the lords had torches 
 brought with them. 
 
 In this great trouble and danger they passed all 
 that night, their armor still on their backs, their 
 horses ready saddled. And when the day began to 
 appear, the which was greatly desired by the whole 
 host, they trusted then to find some relief for them- 
 selves and for their horses, or else to fight with their 
 enemies, the which they greatly desired so as to be 
 delivered out of the great labor and pain that they 
 had endured. 
 
 All that day it rained so fast that the river and 
 passage rose so high that before it was noon no one 
 could pass the passages again ; wherefore they could 
 not have any forage or straw for their horses, nor 
 bread nor drink for their own sustenance. 
 
 So all that night they were forced to fast, and 
 their horses had nothing but leaves of trees and herbs. 
 They cut down boughs of trees with their swords to 
 make themselves lodges. And about noon some poor 
 folks of the country were found who said they were 
 then about fourteen miles from ISTewcastle-upon- 
 Tyne, and eleven miles from Carlisle, and that there 
 was no town nearer to them wherein they might find 
 anything.* 
 
 When the king and the lords of his council knew 
 this, immediately horses were sent to fetch thence 
 
 *Tlie whole English army was lost as if they had been chil- 
 dren strayed away from home. 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 59 
 
 some provisions. And there was a proclamation, in 
 the king's name, made in the town of Newcastle, that 
 whosoever would bring bread and wine, or any other 
 victual, should be paid therefor at a good price. It 
 was published openly that the king nor his host would 
 not depart from that place till they had some tidings 
 where their enemies were. 
 
 On the next day, by noon, those who had been 
 sent for victual returned again to the host with such 
 provisions as they could get, and that was not over- 
 much. With them came other folks of the country 
 with little nags loaded with bread miserably baked, 
 and poor wine in barrels and other victual to sell, 
 whereby great part of the host were well refreshed 
 and eased. 
 
 Thus they continued, day by day, for the space 
 of eight days, waiting every day the returning again 
 of the Scots, who knew no more where the English 
 host lay than they knew where were the Scots. So 
 each of them was ignorant of the other. Thus three 
 days and three nights they had been without bread, 
 wine, candle or light, fodder or forage, or any kind 
 of provisions, either for horse or man. There was 
 such famine that each took victuals out of other's 
 hands, whereby there rose divers battles and strifes 
 between sundry companions. 
 
 Beside all these mischiefs {7nhforUines\ it never 
 ceased to rain all the whole week, whereby their 
 saddles and other horse furniture were all rotten and 
 broken, and most ])art of their horses were sore on 
 their backs. Nor had they shoes to shoe them that 
 
60 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 were unshod, nor they had nothing to cover them- 
 selves from the rain and cold but green bushes and 
 their armor, nor they had anything to make lire but 
 p-reen bouo-hs, the which would not burn because of 
 the rain. 
 
 In this great mischief {misfortune) they were all 
 the week without hearing of any word of the Scots, 
 trusting that they would repass again into their own 
 countries the same way, or near thereabout. Great 
 noise and murmur began to rise in the host. Where- 
 fore it was ordained {ordered) by the king and by his 
 council that the next morning they should remove 
 and again repass the river. 
 
 Also there was a proclamation made that whoso- 
 ever could bring to the king certain knowledge where 
 the Scots were, he that brought first tidings thereof 
 should have land worth a rent of a hundred pounds 
 to him and to his heirs forever, and should be made a 
 knight by the king's hand. 
 
 When this cry {jproclamatioii) was made in the 
 host divers English knights and squires to the num- 
 ber of fifteen or sixteen, coveting the winning of this 
 promise of the king's, passed the river in great peril 
 and rode forth through the mountains, and departed 
 one from other {separated\ each taking their adven- 
 ture. 
 
 And the fourth day after this, about the hour of 
 nine in the morning, there came a squire {Thomas 
 Boheshy hy name) fast riding toward the king, and 
 said : " An it like your grace {if it pleases y out Grace, 
 your Majesty), I have brought you perfect tidings of 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 61 
 
 the Scots, your enemies. Surely they be within nine 
 miles of you, lodged on a great mountain, abiding 
 there (ivaiting) for you. And there they hav^e been 
 all this eight days, and they knew no more tidings of 
 you than ye did of them. 
 
 " Sir, this that I tell you is truth, for I approached 
 so near to them that I was taken prisoner, and brought 
 before the lords of their host. And there I told them 
 tidings of you, and how that ye seek for them, intend- 
 ing to have battle. 
 
 "And the lords did release me w^ithout ransom 
 and prison, when I told them how your Grace had 
 promised a hundred pounds sterling of rent to him 
 that brought first tidings of them to you. And they 
 made me promise that I would not rest till I had 
 given you this tidings, for they said they had as great 
 desire to fight with you as ye had with them. And 
 in that place ye shall find them, without fail." "^ 
 
 * III the days of chivalry the customs of war were very differ- 
 ent from those of modern times. The whole of this book will 
 show that. In this place we are to notice two things : First, the 
 squire was sent back with a defiance to the King of England. 
 Second, the Scottish lords asked no ransom money of him. They 
 were willing to help the fortune of a soldier, and excused him the 
 payment of ransom partly for that reason, and partly to use him 
 to carry their defiance. Every rank had its proper ransom. 
 Great lords paid ten thousand franks, or even more, equal to at 
 least $50,000 of our money ; knights and squires much less. The 
 ransom of the young Lord Berkeley in France was about 190,000 
 (see Chapter XL). The ransom of King David of Scotland was 
 £100,000, equal to $5,000,000 of our money to-day. The capture 
 of prisoners of rank was a source of income, and such prisoners 
 were well cared for, therefore. A knight going into battle might 
 
e2 THE CrmONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 As soon as the king had heard this tidings he 
 assembled all his host in a fair meadow ; and beside 
 it was a Httle abbey {church). Tiiere the king con- 
 fessed his sins to a priest, and caused many masses 
 to be sung, to give the holy communion to all such as 
 desired."^ And he assigned a hundred pounds sterling 
 of rent to the squire that had brought him tidings 
 of the Scots, according to his promise, and made him 
 a knight with his own hands f before all the host. 
 
 And when they had well rested them and taken 
 repast, then the trumpet sounded " to horse " and 
 every man mounted. The banners and standards fol- 
 lowed this new-made knight, every battle {hattalion) 
 by itself, in good order, through mountains and dales, 
 as well as might be, ever ready to fight. They made 
 such haste that about noon they were so near the 
 Scots that each of them might clearly see the other. 
 
 As soon as the Scots saw them they issued out of 
 their lodges afoot and ordained {order eel) three great 
 battles {divisions) on the slope of the hill. At the 
 foot of this mountain ran a great river full of great 
 rocks and stones, so that none might pass over with- 
 out great danger or jeopardy. And even if the Eng- 
 lishmen had passed over the river, yet there was no 
 place nor room between the hill and the river to set 
 the battle in good order. The Scots had established 
 
 be killed; he took his chances of that. Bat if he were taken 
 prisoner he need not (usnally) fear for his life. 
 
 * England was a Roman Catholic country till 1534. 
 
 f The kneeling squire, in fall armor, was touched on the 
 shoulder by the king's sword, who called him " Sir Knight."' 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 63 
 
 their first two battles {divisions) at the two corners 
 of the mountain, so that none might mount upon the 
 hill to assail them ; and the Scots were ever readv to 
 beat the assailants with stones, if thej passed the 
 river. 
 
 AYhen the lords of England saw the behaving 
 and the manner of the Scots, tliey made all their 
 people to alight afoot and put off their spurs, and 
 arranged three great battles {divisions) as they had 
 done before. And when their battles were set in 
 good order, then some of the lords of England brought 
 their young king ahorseback before all the host to 
 give thereby the niore courage to all his people. 
 
 Then the king commanded that they should ad- 
 vance toward their enemies fair and easily ; and so 
 they did. Every battle went forth in good array and 
 order over a great space of ground as far as the de- 
 scending of the mountain where the Scots were, but 
 they did not cross the river. And some mounted on 
 good horses and rode forth to skirmish, and to behold 
 {examine) the passage of the river, and to see the 
 countenance of their enemies nearer. 
 
 And there were heralds of arms sent to the Scots, 
 giving them knowledge if that they would come and 
 pass the river to fight with the English in the plain 
 field, the English would draw back from the river and 
 give them sufficient place to arrange their battles ; or 
 else they asked them to let the English come over to 
 them. 
 
 When the Scots heard this they took counsel 
 among themselves, and anon {presently) they an- 
 
64 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 swered the heralds that they would do neither the 
 one nor the other. Thej said : " Sirs, jour king and 
 his lords see well how we be here in this realm {king- 
 dom)^ and have burned and laid waste the country as 
 we passed through. If thej be displeased with it, let 
 them amend it {better it) when they will. For here 
 we will abide as long as it shall please us." 
 
 As soon as the King of England heard that answer 
 it was incontinent {at once) cried that all the Enghsh 
 host should lodge there that night without retreat- 
 ing. And so the host lodged there that night with 
 much pain on the hard ground and stones, always 
 armed. They had no stakes to tie their horses, nor 
 forage, nor bush to make any fire. Then the Scots 
 caused some of their people to keep the field, and the 
 remnant went to their lodgings, and they made such 
 fires that it was marvel to behold. Thus these two 
 hosts were lodged that night, the which was Saint 
 Peter's night {August 1st), in the year of our Lord 
 
 MCCCXXVII. 
 
 The next morning the lords of England heard 
 mass {the Church service), and ranged again their 
 battles as they had done the day before. And the 
 Scots in hke wise {manner) ordered their battles. 
 Thus both the hosts stood still in battle till it was 
 noon. The Scots made no attempt to come to the 
 English to fight with them, nor the En gli simien to 
 them, for they could not approach together without 
 great damage. 
 
 There were divers {various) companions ahorse- 
 back that passed the river, and some afoot, to scrim- 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 65 
 
 mish (skinnish) with the Scots, and in like wise {"tnan- 
 ner) some of the Scots brake out and scrimmished 
 with them ; so that there were several of both parties 
 slain, wounded, and taken prisoners. And after that 
 noon was past, the lords of England commanded 
 every man to go to his lodging, for they saw well that 
 the Scots would not light with them. 
 
 In like manner thus they did three days together, 
 and the Scots in like case kept still to their mountains. 
 Plowever, there was scrimmishing by both parties, and 
 several slain and prisoners taken. And every night 
 the Scots made great fires and great noises with 
 shouting and blowing of horns. 
 
 The intention of the Englishmen was to hold the 
 Scots there besieged, for they could not fight with 
 them there as they were, thinking to have famished 
 them {starved them out). And the Englishmen knew 
 well by such prisoners as they had taken that the 
 Scots had neither bread, wine, nor salt, nor other pro- 
 visions, save of beasts (cattle) they had great plenty, 
 which they had taken in the country. 
 
 In the morning of the fourth day the Englishmen 
 looked on the mountain where the Scots were, and 
 they could see no creature, for the Scots were departed 
 at midnight. Then were there sent men ahorseback 
 and afoot, over the river, to know what had become of 
 them ; and about noon they found them lodged on 
 another mountain, stronger than the other was, by the 
 same riverside. 
 
 Then incontinent the English host dislodged, and 
 went to that part, embattled in good order. Then 
 
m 
 
 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 the Scots issued out of their lodges and set their bat- 
 tles aloug the riverside against the English ; but 
 they would never come toward them, and the Eng- 
 lishmen could not go to them without being taken at 
 a disadvantage. Thus thej lodged {encamped) against 
 each other for the space of eighteen days, and often- 
 times the King of England sent his heralds of arms, 
 offering them that if they would come and fight he 
 would give them place sufficient ; or else asking them 
 to give him room and place and he would come over 
 the river and fight with them ; but the Scots would 
 never agree thereto. 
 
 Thus both the hosts suffered much pain while 
 they lay so near together. And the first night that 
 the English host was thus lodged on the second 
 mountain the Lord James Douglas took with him 
 about two hundred men of arms and passed over the 
 river so that he was not perceived, and suddenly 
 brake into the English host about midnight, crying, 
 " Douglas ! Douglas ! ye English ! " and he slew, be- 
 fore he ceased, three hundred men, some in their 
 beds and some scant ready {scarcely ready for fight- 
 ing). And he strake {struch) his horse with the spurs 
 and came to the king's own tent, and cut asunder two 
 or three cords of the king's tent, and so departed, and 
 in that retreat he lost some of his men. 
 
 Every night the English host kept a good and 
 sure watch, and every day there were scrimmishes 
 made and men slain of both parties. And in con- 
 clusion {finally)^ the last day of twenty -four there 
 was a Scottish knight taken, wdio was so sore exam- 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 67 
 
 ined {tortured) that for fear of his life he told how 
 the lords of Scotland were agreed among themselves 
 that on that very night every man should be ready to 
 follow the banners of Lord James Douglas. But the 
 knight could not tell what they intended to do. 
 
 Then the English lords ordained three great bat- 
 tles, and so stood in three parties, and made great 
 fires, thereby to see the better, and they stood all that 
 night armed, every man under his own standard and 
 banner. At the breaking of the day two trumpeters 
 of Scotland met with the English scout watch, who 
 brought them before the king, and then they said 
 openly : " Sirs, what do ye watch here ? Ye lose 
 your time, for, on the jeopardy {j)eril) of our heads, 
 the Scots are gone. They departed before midnight, 
 and they are at the least, by this time, three or four 
 miles on their way." 
 
 Then the English lords said that it was folly to 
 follow the Scots, for they saw well they could not 
 overtake them ; and the lords took counsel what 
 should be best to do. It was ordained by the king, 
 and by the advice of his council, that the whole host 
 should follow the marshaFs banners and withdraw 
 homeward into England. And so they did. 
 
 So then the next day the host dislodged again, 
 and about noon they came near to the city of Dur- 
 ham. And in this city every man found his own 
 carriages {carts for haggage\ the which they had left 
 thirty-two days before in a wood at midnight, when 
 they followed the Scots first, as it hath been said be- 
 fore. For the people of Durham had found them 
 9 
 
es THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 and hrouffht tliem into their town. And all these 
 carriages were set in empty barns in safeguard. And 
 the lords and gentlemen were glad when they had 
 thus found their carriages. 
 
 Thus they abode two days in the city of Durham, 
 and there their horses were new shod. And then 
 they took their way to the city of York,* and so with- 
 in three days they came thither, and there the king 
 found the queen, his mother, who received him with 
 great joy, and so did all the other ladies, and the 
 people of the city. 
 
 The king gave license to every man to go home- 
 ward to his own country. And the king thanked 
 greatly the earls, barons, and knights for their good 
 counsel and aid that they had done to him in his 
 journey ; and he retained still with him Sir John of 
 Hainault and all his company, who were greatly 
 feasted by the queen and all other ladies.f Then 
 they of Hainault bought little nags to ride at their 
 ease, and sent back their lackeys and pages and all 
 their harness and baggages by water in two ships to 
 Flanders.:!; 
 
 * In England no town, however large, is called a city unless it 
 is (or has been) the seat of a bishop ; unless it has a cathedral, 
 therefore. 
 
 \ Sir John of Hainault was paid £14,000 {= $70,000) for his 
 service — a sum equal to something like $700,000 of our money 
 to-day. 
 
 X Here ends the history of the war against the Scots. Sir John 
 Froissart has related all the facts as they happened, and he was 
 too good a soldier not to know how the whole expedition was mis- 
 managed. But he has not given his own opinion of the helpless 
 
O 
 
 " .Si 
 o ^ 
 
 o '" 
 
 bJ3 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) 69 
 
 CHAPTER YII 
 
 HOW KING EDWARD THE THIRD WAS MARRIED TO 
 THE LADY PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT 
 
 It was not long after that the king and the queen 
 his mother, the Earl of Kent his uncle, and all the 
 barons of England took advice to marry him. So 
 they sent a bishop and two knights bannerets, with 
 two notable clerks {learned riieii)^ to Sir John of 
 Hainault, praying him to arrange that the young 
 King of England might have in marriage one of the 
 daughters of his brother, Count William,"^ named 
 Philippa ; the king and all the nobles of the realm 
 had rather have her than any other lady, for the love 
 of him (because they loved Count William). 
 
 Sir John of Hainault, Lord Beaumont, honored 
 greatly these ambassadors, and brought them to the 
 earl his brother, who honorably received them. 
 
 And when they had delivered their message, the 
 earl said : '' Sirs, I thank greatly the king, and the 
 
 floundering about of the army, for fear of offending his English 
 friends. He has simply set down the facts as they hap|)ened, 
 leaving you to draw your own conclusions. There were sixty- 
 two thousand men in the English army, and only twenty-four 
 thousand men in the Scottish ; but the Scots manœuvred so well 
 that the English could never attack them except at a disadvantage. 
 * William, Count of Hainault, the father of (^ueen Philippa, 
 and the brother of Sir John, was an ally of England. He died in 
 1337, and was succeeded by iiis son, who was also for a time the 
 ally of the English. 
 
70 THE CHROîs'ICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 queen his mother, and all other lords of England, 
 smce thej have sent such personages as ye be to do 
 me such honor as to treat for the marriage ; to the 
 which request I am well agreed, if our holy father 
 the Pope will consent thereto " ; with which answer 
 these ambassadors were right well content. 
 
 Then they sent two knights and two clerks {learned 
 men) to the Pope, to Avignon,* to purchase a dispen- 
 sation for this marriage. Without the Pope's license 
 they might not marry, for they were near of kin 
 {cousins). When these ambassadors were come to 
 the Pope, and their requests well heard, then our 
 holy father the Pope consented to this marriage, and 
 so feasted them. And they departed and came again 
 to Valenciennes. 
 
 Then this marriage was concluded and affirmed by 
 both parties, and this princess entered upon the sea, 
 and arrived with all her company at Dover. And 
 Sir John of Hainault, Lord Beaumont, her uncle, did 
 conduct her to the city of London, where there was 
 made great feast, and the queen was crowned. And 
 there were also great jousts, tourneys, dancing, carol- 
 ling, and great feasts every day, the which endured 
 the space of three weeks. 
 
 The coronation of the queen was done at York 
 with much honor the Sunday of the Conversion of 
 Saint Paul, in the year of our Lord mcccxxviii. The 
 
 * The Pope's authority was first recognized in England in a. d. 
 1079, and endured till 1534. In 1308 the Popes removed from 
 Rome to Avignon, in France, and there they stayed for seventy 
 years, afterward returning to Rome. 
 
Seal of Robert Bruce, King of tlie Scots. 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) Yl 
 
 young Queen Philippa abode in England with very 
 few persons of her own counti-y. One of the knights 
 of Hainault who remained was named Watelet of 
 Manny,"^ who afterward did so many great feats of 
 arms in divers places that it were hard to make men- 
 tion of them all. 
 
 CHAPTEK YIII 
 
 HOW KING ROBERT OF SCOTLAND DIED (1339) 
 
 When the Scots departed by night from the 
 mountain, where the King of England had besieged 
 them, as ye have heard herebefore, they went through 
 that savage country without resting, and passed the 
 river of Tyne near to Carlisle. The next day they went 
 into their own land, and so departed every man to his 
 own mansion. And soon after there was a peace pur- 
 chased between the kings of England and Scotland. 
 
 And also they delivered to them again the black 
 cross of Scotland, the which the good King Edward 
 the First conquered and brought it out of the abbey 
 of Scone in the year mccxcvi, the which was a pre- 
 cious relic ; and all rights and interests that every 
 English baron had in Scotland were then clean for- 
 given. 
 
 And many other things were done at that parlia- 
 ment to the great hurt and prejudice of the realm of 
 England, and against the will of all the nobles of 
 
 * Sir Walter de Manny, or de Mauny. 
 
72 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 tlie realm, save only of Isabel the old queen {mother 
 of Edward the Third) and the Bishop of Ely and 
 the Lord Mortimer. They ruled the realm in such 
 wise that every man was miscontent. 
 
 The foresaid peace, which was purchased between 
 England and Scotland, was to endure three years. 
 And in the meantime it fortuned that King Kobert 
 of Scotland was right aged and feeble ; for he was 
 greatly charged (burdened) with sickness, so that 
 there was no way with him but death. 
 
 And when he felt that his end drew near, he sent 
 for such barons and lords of his realm as he trusted 
 best, and told them that he must needs leave this 
 transitory life, commanding them truly to keep the 
 realm and aid the young Prince David his son. 
 
 Then he called to him the gentle knight Sir 
 James Douglas, and said before all the lords : " Sir 
 James, my dear friend, ye know well that I have had 
 much trouble to uphold and sustain the right of this 
 realm ; and when I had most trouble I made a solemn 
 vow, the which as yet I have not accomplished, 
 whereof I am right sorry. And the vow was, that 
 when I had made an end of all my wars, and brought 
 this realm into rest and peace, then I promised in my 
 mind to have gone and warred on the Saracens, 
 Christ's enemies, adversaries to our holy Christian 
 faith. 
 
 " To this purpose mine heart hath ever inclined, 
 but our Lord would not consent thereto ; for I have 
 had much trouble in my days, and now I have taken 
 such a malady that I can not escape. And since it 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) ^3 
 
 is so, that m J body can not go nor achieve what my 
 heart desireth, 1 will send my heart instead of the 
 body to accomplish my vow. 
 
 "And because I know no knight more valiant 
 than ye be to accomplish my vow instead of myself, 
 therefore I require you, mine own dear especial 
 friend, that ye will take on you this voyage, for the 
 love of me, and to acquit my soul in the sight of my 
 Lord God. 
 
 " For I trust so much in your nobleness and truth, 
 that if ye will take on you, I doubt not but that ye 
 shall achieve it, and then shall I die in more ease and 
 quiet. 
 
 " I desire that as soon as I am departed out of this 
 world, that ye take my heart out of my body and em- 
 balm it, and take of my treasure such moneys as ye 
 shall think sufficient for that enterprise, both for 
 yourself and such company as ye will take with you, 
 and present my heart to the Holy Sepulcher in Jeru- 
 salem, where our Lord lay, seeing my body can not 
 come there. 
 
 "And wheresoever ye come, let it be known how 
 ye carry with you the heart of King Kobert of Scot- 
 land, at his instance and desire, to be presented to the 
 Holy Sepulcher." 
 
 Then all the lords that heard these words wept 
 for pity ; and when this knight Sir James Douglas 
 could speak for weeping, he said : "Ah, gentle and 
 noble king, a hundred times I thank your grace for 
 the great honor that ye do to me, since of so noble 
 and great treasure {}he king^s heart) ye give me in 
 
Y4 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 charge. Sir, I shall do with a glad heart all that je 
 have commanded me, to the best of mj true power, 
 howbeit I am not worthy nor sufficient to achieve 
 such a noble enterprise." 
 
 Then the king said, "Ah, gentle knight, I thank 
 you, so that ye will promise to do it.'' 
 
 "Sir," said the knight, "I shall do it undoubt- 
 edly by the faith that 1 owe to God and to the order 
 of knighthood." 
 
 "Then 1 thank you," said the king, "for now 
 shall I die in more ease of mind, since I know that 
 the most worthy and sufficient knight of my realm 
 shall achieve for me that which I could never attain 
 unto." 
 
 And thus soon after this noble Robert de Bruce, 
 King of Scotland, departed out of this uncertain world, 
 and his heart was taken out of his body and em- 
 balmed, and honorably he was interred in the Abbey 
 of Dunfermline in the year of our Lord God mcccxxix, 
 the seventh day of the month of June. 
 
 And when the springing time {the spri7ig) began, 
 then Sir James Douglas took ship and sailed into 
 Flanders, to know if there were any noblemen in 
 that country that would go to Jerusalem, so that he 
 might have a larger company. 
 
 And in his company there was a knight banneret 
 and seven other knights of Scotland, and twenty-six 
 young squires and gentlemen to serve him ; and 
 all his table furniture was of gold and silver — pots, 
 basins, ewers, dishes, flagons, barrels, cups, and all 
 other things. 
 
THE WAR WITH THE SCOTS (1327) Y5 
 
 And all such as would come and see him, they 
 were well served with two kinds of wines and divers 
 {various) manner of spices, all manner of people ac- 
 cording to their degrees {/'anA's). 
 
 And when he had thus tarried there twelve days, 
 he heard that Alphonso the Eleventh of that name. 
 King of Spain,^" was making war against a Saracen 
 king of Granada. 
 
 Then he thought to go to those parts, thinking 
 surely he could not bestow his time more noblj than 
 to war against God's enemies ; and, that enterprise 
 done, then he thought to go forth to Jerusalem and 
 to complete what he was charged with. 
 
 And so he departed and took the sea toward 
 Spain, and arrived at the port of Valencia in Arragon. 
 Then he went straight to the King of Spain, who 
 held his host against the King of Granada Saracen, 
 and they were near together, on the frontiers of his 
 land. 
 
 And a while after this knight Sir James Douglas 
 came to the King of Spain, on a certain day the king 
 issued out into the field to approach near to his ene- 
 mies. And the King of Granada issued out in like 
 manner, so that each king might see the other with 
 all their banners displayed. Then they arranged 
 their battles each against other. 
 
 Then Sir James Douglas drew out on the one 
 side with all his company, and when he saw that the 
 battle of the King of Spain began to advance, he 
 
 * King of Leon and Castile, 1312-1350. 
 
76 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 thought then verily that they should soon assemble 
 together to fight at hand strokes. 
 
 And then he thought rather to be with the fore- 
 most than with the hindermost, and strake his horse 
 with the spurs, and dashed into the battle of the King 
 of Granada, crying, " Douglas ! Douglas ! " thinking 
 that the King of Spain and his host followed, but 
 they did not. Wherefore he was deceived, for the 
 Spanish host stood still. And so this gentle knight 
 was surrounded, he and all his company, by the 
 Saracens. He did marvels in arms, but finally he and 
 all his company were slain ; the which was great 
 damage, that the Spaniards would not rescue them. 
 
King Edward III sending 
 his defiance to the King 
 of France. His messen- 
 ger is receiving the letter 
 on his bended knee. 
 
 The Bishop of Lincohi and the, 
 bacheloi's who had vowed to 
 wear a patch over one eye 
 till they had performed some 
 gallant feat of arms. 
 
PAET II 
 
 THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN THE LAND 
 OF FRANCE (1337-1346) 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 HOW KING EDWARD WAS COUNSELED TO MAKE WAK 
 AGAINST THE FRENCH KING (1337) 
 
 In this season Sir Robert of Artois ^ was in Eng- 
 land, banished out of France, and was ever about King 
 Edward. And always he counseled him to defy the 
 French King, who {he said) kept his heritages from 
 him wrongfully. f 
 
 On this matter the king oftentimes counseled with 
 them of his secret council, for gladly he would have 
 had his rights if he knew how. 
 
 If he should sit still and do not his full duty to 
 recover his rights, he would be blamed. Yet he 
 thought it were better to speak not thereof, for he saw 
 
 * Pronounced ar-twii'. Sir Robert " was one of the wisest lords 
 in France," and had married Joan of Valois, the sister of the 
 French King. He had lately quarreled with King Philip, and Sir 
 Robert had passed over into England, where he was welcomed by 
 King Edward as a valuable counselor and ally. 
 
 f King Edward the Third claimed the throne of France in 
 right of his mother, Queen Isabel (see page 27). 
 
 10 77 
 
>78 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 well that by the power of his reahii it would be hard 
 for him to subdue the great realm of P" ranee, without 
 help of some other great lords eitlier of the Empire ^ 
 or in other places. f 
 
 Finally, his councilors answered him and said: 
 " Sir, the matter is so weighty ((Imjjortant) that we 
 dare not give you any counsel. But, Sir, this we 
 would counsel you to do : send messengers to the Earl 
 of Hainault, w^hose daughter ye have married, and to 
 Sir John his brother, who hath valiantly served you at 
 all times, and ask them to counsel you ; for they know 
 better what pertaineth to such a matter than we do. 
 And, Sir, they will counsel you what friends ye may 
 best make." 
 
 The king was content with this answer, and desired 
 the Bishop of Lincoln to take this message, and with 
 him two bannerets and two doctors (that is, doctors of 
 laio, not of raedicine). 
 
 They made them ready and took shipping and 
 arrived at Dunkirk, and rode through Flanders till 
 
 * Charlemagne, Charles the Great, founded the Empire of the 
 West in a. d. 800. It was the Roman Empire renewed. Rome 
 had fallen into the hands of the barbarians a. d. 476. The Ger- 
 man Emperor Otho the First founded the Holy Roman Empire 
 in A. D. 968. It included Germany, a great part of Italy, Bohe- 
 mia, Moravia, Poland, Denmark, and Hungary. The emperor 
 received the title of " Defender of the Holy Roman Church." 
 Proissart calls him " the Emperor of Germany." The empire 
 continued to exist in one form or another till 1806, when the con- 
 quests of the French under Napoleon brought it to its end. 
 
 ■fin 1337 France had twenty million inhabitants, while Eng- 
 land had but four millions. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 79 
 
 tliey came to Valenciennes,^ where they found the 
 earl lying in his bed sick of the gout, and with him 
 Sir John his brother. 
 
 They were greatly feasted, and declared the canse 
 of their coming, and explained all the reasons and 
 doubts of the king their master. 
 
 Then the earl said : " So help me God, if the king's 
 mind might be brought to resolve to do this thing {f,o 
 make war on France) I would be right glad thereof. 
 
 " I shall not fail to aid my dear and well- beloved 
 son the King of England. I shall give him counsel 
 and aid to the best of my power, and so shall John 
 my brother, who hath served him before this. How- 
 beit, he must have more help than onrs ; for Hai- 
 nault is but a small country compared to the realm of 
 France, and England is too far off to aid us.'' 
 
 Then the bishop said : " Sir, we thank you in our 
 master's behalf for the comfort that ye give us. Sir, 
 we desire you to give our master counsel what friends 
 he ought to gain to aid him.'' 
 
 " Surely," said the earl, " I can not devise a more 
 powerful prince to aid him than the Duke of Brabant, 
 who is his cousin, and also the Bisliop of Liège,t the 
 Duke of Gueldres,:}: who hath married his sister, the 
 Archbishop of Cologne, and the IMarquis of Juliers. 
 
 " These lords are good men of war ; they may well 
 raise ten thousand men of war ; they ai-e people that 
 would be glad to win advantao^e for themselves. 
 
 * Pronounced vii-lon-syen'. \ Pronounced lyâzh. 
 
 X Pronounced geldr. 
 
80 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " If the king, my son, your master, could get these 
 lords to be on his side, he then might well go and seek 
 out King Philip to fight with him." 
 
 With this answer these ambassadors returned into 
 England to the king and reported all that they had 
 done ; whereof the king had great joy and w^as well 
 comforted. 
 
 These tidings came into France and multiplied 
 little and little, so that King Philip began to be 
 anxious to know^ what the plans of King Edward 
 might be. 
 
 Then King Edward selected ten bannerets and 
 forty other knights and sent them over the sea to 
 Valenciennes, and the Bishop of Lincoln with them, 
 to treat with the lords of the empire ; with the ones 
 that the Earl of Hainault had named. 
 
 When they were come to Valenciennes, each of 
 them kept an establishment in great state, and spared 
 nothing, no more than if the King of England had 
 been there in his proper person, whereby they did 
 get great renown and praise. 
 
 They had with them certain young bachelors, who 
 had each of them one of his eyes closed with a piece 
 of silk : it was said how they had made a vow among 
 the ladies of their country that they would not see 
 but with one eye till they had done some deeds of 
 arms in France.^' 
 
 * Vows were often made by knights to do, or to refrain from 
 doing, a certain thing until some knightly deed had been accom- 
 plished. Sometimes the vows were mere singularities or ex- 
 travagances, as in the case of the " young bachelors " ; but it 
 
p 
 
 or, ^ 
 
 1 I 
 
 3 
 
 O 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 <^ 
 
 t^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 q; 
 
 J3 
 
 
 o 
 
 5« 
 c 
 
 fe 
 
 a 
 
 '" — ^ 
 
 C 
 
 
 ■XÎ 
 
THE WARS OP THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 81 
 
 And when they had been well feasted at Valen- 
 ciennes, then the Bishop of Lincoln went to the Dnke 
 of Bral)ant, who feasted them greatly, and promised 
 to sustain the King of England and all his company in 
 his country, so that he might go and come at his pleas- 
 ure, and to give him the best counsel he could. 
 
 And also he agreed, if the King of England would 
 defy the French King, that he would do the same, 
 and enter into the country of France with men of war 
 to the numl)er of a thousand men of arms, if so be 
 that the English would pay their wages."^' 
 
 is noteworthy that there was a bishop among them ; and the 
 artist (see the plate) has represented him, also, as wearing the 
 patch. 
 
 * The pay of a knight was about two shillings per day, some- 
 thing like five dollars of our money. For this sum he maintained 
 himself and also three or four armed followers or retainers — 
 squires, as it were. But he had a chance to gain a large ransom 
 for the prisoners he took ; and when a town was captured he 
 obtained much booty. A squire's pay was about one shilling per 
 day. It was the duty of each English knight to furnish to the 
 king, in time of war, men at arms mounted and prepared to serve 
 either at home or abroad, the space of forty days; and for every 
 twenty pounds of rent that he owned (about one thousand dollars 
 of our money to-day) he was obliged to furnish one such soldier 
 fully equipped. The Duke of Brabant wanted pay for his men, 
 because he was only a friend, not a vassal, of the King of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 In 1350, seven shillings of English money (say one dollar and 
 seventy-five cents) would buy about as much as five pounds (say 
 twenty-five dollars) nowadays. Twenty-five dollars is more than 
 fourteen times one dollar and seventy-five cents ; so that a piece 
 of silver would buy in the time of King Edward the Third about 
 fourteen times as much wheat as the same piece would buy now. 
 A better idea of the purchasing power of money in those times 
 
82 THE CHRONICLES OF PROISSART 
 
 Thus, then, the lords returned again to Valenci- 
 ennes, and did so much by messengers and by prom- 
 ises of gold and silver, that the Duke of Gueldres, 
 who was the king's brother-in-law, and the Marquis of 
 Juliers, the Archbishop of Cologne, and others came 
 to Valenciennes to speak with these lords of England. 
 
 And by the means of a great sum of money, that 
 each of them should have for themselves and for their 
 men, they made promise to defy the French King and 
 to go with the King of England when it pleased him, 
 with their men of war. 
 
 They promised also to get other lords to take their 
 part for wages, such lords as are beyond the river of 
 Khine and are able to bring good numbers of men 
 of war. 
 
 Then the lords of Almaine (= Allemagne = Ger- 
 many) took their leave and returned into their own 
 countries, and the Englishmen still tarried with the 
 Earl of Hainault. 
 
 King Charles of Bohemia was not asked, for he was 
 so firmly joined with the French King that they knew 
 well he would do nothing against the French King. 
 
 may be had by quoting the prices of animals or of articles in 
 common use. 
 
 In 1350, in England, the price of a horse was about four dol- 
 lars and fifty cents ; of a bushel of wheat, about eight cents ; of 
 an ox, six dollars ; of a cow, four dollars and fifty cents ; of a 
 sheep, sixty cents ; of a hen, four cents. The daily pay of a farm 
 laborer was about six cents. Taking the cost of such common 
 things into account, it may be said that a shilling would buy, in 
 1350, from ten to fourteen times as much of the articles needed 
 every day, by everybody, as it will now buy. 
 
A black eagle on a yel- 
 low ground was the 
 standard of the Holy 
 Roman Empire. 
 
 The flag of England in 1327 
 and afterward ; the red 
 cross of St. George on a 
 white field. 
 
 %.l 
 
 \\\\\\\^.J 
 
 The oriflamme of Saint- 
 Denis in the thirteenth 
 century. It was the sa- 
 cred banner of France. 
 The flag was red. 
 
 The flag of Scotland since the 
 Crusades ; the white cross of 
 St. Andrew on a blue field. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 83 
 
 CHAPTEK X 
 
 HOW KING EDWARD OF ENGLAND MADE GREAT 
 ALLIANCES IN THE EMPIRE (lo38) 
 
 The King of England made great preparations ; 
 and when the winter was past lie went bv sea, well 
 accompanied with dukes, earls, and barons, and other 
 knights, and arrived at the town of Antwerp. Thith- 
 er came people from all parts to see him and the great 
 state {magnijiceneé) that he kept. 
 
 Then he sent to his cousin the Duke of Brabant, 
 and to the Duke of Gueldres, to the Marquis of 
 Juliei's, to the Lord John of Ilainault, and to other 
 of his friends, saying how he would gladly speak with 
 them. 
 
 They came all to Antwerp, and when the king had 
 well feasted them he desired to know their minds, 
 when they would begin what they had promised. 
 For, he said, he was come thither and had all his men 
 ready, and that it would be a great damage to him to 
 defer the matter long. 
 
 These lords had long counsel among them, and 
 finally they said : " Sir, our coming hither now was 
 more to see you than for anything else. AVe are not 
 now ready to give you a full answer. By your leave 
 we will return to our people and come again to you 
 at your pleasure, and then give you a plain answer." 
 So thus these lords departed, and the king tarried in 
 Antwerp. 
 
84 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 The day came that the King of England looked to 
 have an answer from these lords ; and they excused 
 themselves, and said to the King of England : " Sir, 
 we see no canse why we should make defiance to the 
 French King, all things considered, unless we can 
 get the agreement of the Emperor of Germany, so 
 that he w^ould command us to do so in his name. 
 
 " The emperor may well thus do, for a long time 
 ago there was a covenant sworn and sealed, that no 
 king of France should take anything pertaining to 
 the empire ; and this King Philip of France hath 
 taken certain castles and cities from the emperor. 
 Wherefore the emperor hath good cause to defy him. 
 Therefore, Sir, if ye can get his consent our honor 
 shall be the more." And the king said he would 
 follow their counsel. 
 
 Tlien it was ordained that certain knights should 
 go to the emperor. And they found the emperor at 
 Nuremberg and explained to him the cause of their 
 coming. And the Lady Margaret of Hainault did all 
 in her power to further the matter. It was she 
 whom Sir Louis of Bavaria,* then emperor, had mar- 
 ried. And the emperor made King Edward his 
 vicar-general f throughout all the empire. 
 
 * King Louis the Fourth of Bavaria was Emperor of Ger- 
 many from A. D. 1314 to 1347. 
 f Vicar- general, his viceroy. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 85 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 HOW KING DAVID OF SCOTLAND MADE AN ALLIANCE 
 WITH KING PHILIP OF FRANCE 
 
 In this season the joung King David of Scotland,* 
 who had lost the best part of his kingdom and could 
 not recover it out of the hold of the Englishmen, de- 
 parted to Paris to King Philip. Thus an alhance was 
 made between Scotland and France, which endured a 
 long season after, and the French King sent men of 
 war into Scotland to keep war against the English- 
 men. The French King thought that the Scots would 
 make so much trouble to the realm of England that 
 the Englishmen would not come over the sea to 
 annov him. 
 
 CHAPTEE XII 
 
 HOW KING P:DWAKD AND ALL HIS ALLIES DID DEFY 
 THE FRENCH KING 
 
 Thus the winter passed and summer came, and 
 the lords of England and of Almaine {^Gerinany) 
 prepared themselves to accomplish their enterprise. 
 
 * King David, the son of Robert Bruce, married the Lady 
 Joan, sister of King Edward the Third. In 1346, while he was 
 making war against the English, he was captured, and remained 
 a prisoner for eleven years. When he was released in 1357 his 
 ransom was fixed at £100,000 = $500,000, about |5,000,000 of our 
 monev. 
 
86 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 The French King worked as much as he could to the 
 contrary, for he knew their plans. King Edward 
 made all his provision in England, and all his men of 
 war, to be ready to pass the sea immediately after 
 the feast of Saint John ; and so they did. 
 
 Thus King Edward lay at the town of Yilvorde 
 and kept daily at his cost and charge almost sixteen 
 hundred men of arms, all come from the other side of 
 the sea, and ten thousand archers, beside all other 
 provisions ; tlie which was a marvelous great expense, 
 beside the great rewards that he had given to the lords, 
 and beside the great armies that he had on the sea."^ 
 
 The French King on his part had set Genoese, 
 Normans, Bretons, Picards, and Spaniards to be ready 
 on the sea to invade England as soon as the war 
 opened. 
 
 The lords of Germany agreed that the King of 
 England might well set forward {begin the war) with- 
 in fifteen days after ; and they agreed to send their 
 defiance to the French King — first the King of Eng- 
 land, the Duke of Gu eld res, the Marquis of Juliers, 
 Sir Robert d'Artois, Sir John of Hainault, the Mar- 
 quis of Brandebourg, the Archbishop of Cologne, Sir 
 Waleran his brother, and all other lords of the em- 
 pire, f 
 
 * The Lords and Commons of England granted to the king 
 for the expenses of the war one ninth of the wool crop, one ninth 
 of the grain crop, one lamb and one sheep in every nine, etc. 
 The booty afterwards taken in France was sufficient to pay most 
 of the cost of the war. 
 
 I It was the custom in those days of chivalry to send a mes- 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 87 
 
 These defiances were written and sealed by all the 
 lords except the Duke of Brabant, who said he would 
 do his deed by himself at time convenient. The 
 Bishop of Lincoln bore these defiances into France 
 and deliv^ered them to the French King. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 HOW KING EDWARD TOOK OX HIMSELF TO BEAR THE 
 ARMS OF FRANCE AND TO BE CALLED KING THEREOF 
 
 When King Edward came into Brabant and 
 went straight to Brussels, the Duke of Cxueldres, 
 Sir John of Ilainault, and all the lords of the em- 
 pire, brought him thither to take advice and coun- 
 sel what should be further done in the matter that 
 they had begun. 
 
 There the King of England was urged by all 
 his allies of the empire that he should require the 
 knights of Flanders to aid and to maintain his war, 
 and to defy the French King and to go with him ; 
 and if they would do this he was to promise them 
 to recover Lille, Douay, and Bethune {towns that 
 they It ad lost). 
 
 The request was well received by the Flemings, 
 and they said to the king : " Sir, we would gladly do 
 this ; but, Sir, we be bound by faith and oath and on 
 
 sage of defiance to tlie enemy, and after it had been delivered the 
 war was begun. 
 
88 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 the sum of two millions of florins deposited in the 
 Pope's chamber, that we may make nor move no war 
 against the King of France, on pain of losing the said 
 sum, and beside that to be excommunicated {expelled 
 from the Church). 
 
 " But, Sir, if ye will take on you the arms of 
 France and quarter them with the arms of England 
 and call yourself King of France, as ye ought to be 
 of right, then we will take you for the rightful King 
 of France and demand of you quittance of our 
 bonds. By this means we shall be put in the 
 right, and we will go with you whithersoever ye 
 will have us." 
 
 Then the king took counsel, for he thought it 
 was a serious matter to take on himself the arms of 
 France, and the name of king of that country, when, 
 so far, he had conquered nothing thereof, nor could 
 he tell whether he should conquer it or not. And, 
 on the other side, he was loath to refuse the aid of 
 the Flemings, who could give him more aid than any 
 others. 
 
 So the king took counsel of the lords of the em- 
 pire and with his special friends. 
 
 So that finally, the good and the evil weighed, 
 he answered the Flemings that if they would swear 
 to this agreement and promise to maintain his war, 
 he would do all this with a good will, and prom- 
 ised to get them again their towns of Lille, Douay, 
 and Bethune ; and they answered that they were 
 content. 
 
 Then the king quartered the arms of France with 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE §9 
 
 England, and from thenceforth took on him the name 
 of the King of France, and so continued." And he 
 determined that the next summer they would make 
 great war into France, and then every man departed 
 and went home. 
 
 ^ King Edward the Third of England claimed the kingship of 
 France, and added fleurs-de-lis to the royal anns to mark his 
 claim. The fleurs-de-lis were the royal arms of France. 
 They were borne by all English kings from lo40 until 1801, 
 
 although the English lost all 
 their French possessions (except 
 the town of Calais) as early as 
 1431. 
 
 The arms of England since 
 the time of King Richard the 
 Lion-Heart (a. d. 1194) had been 
 three golden lions (or leopards) 
 on a red shield. 
 
 The arms of France were 
 golden lilies (fleurs-de-lis) on a 
 field of blue. From the time of 
 Edward the Third the English 
 kings claimed to be kings of 
 France and quartered the two 
 shields, in witness of their claim. 
 Edward the Third added the motto Dieu et mon Droit — that is to 
 say, I fight for the cause of God and to maintain my rights. 
 
 In the days of chivalry the coat of arms of a knight was quite 
 as important as his name. The arms stood for his name and 
 family. There was no way in which the English King could more 
 solemnly claim the throne of France than by this change in his 
 arms, and the king, like every one else, considered the change " a 
 serious matter." 
 
 The Arms op France 
 Golden lilies on a blue field. 
 
 11 
 
90 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEK XIY 
 
 HOW THE FRENCHMEN BRENT {BURNED) IN THE LANDS 
 OF SIR JOHN OF HAINAULT 
 
 IN'ow let US speak of King Philip of France, who 
 greatly fortified his navy that he had on the sea ; and 
 he had a great retinue of Genoese, Normans, Bretons, 
 and Picards. They did that winter great damage to 
 the realm of England. They did much sorrow to the 
 Englishmen, for they were a great number, about 
 forty thousand men. 
 
 There was no one could issue out of England, but 
 that he was robbed, taken, or slain ; so the French 
 won great pillage, and specially they won a great ship 
 called the Christofer, laden with wools, as she was 
 going into Flanders, the which ship had cost the King 
 of England much money, and all they that were taken 
 within the ship were slain and drowned ; of the which 
 conquest the Frenchmen were right joyous. 
 
 The French King then sent and wrote to the Lord 
 John of Coucy and divers others to ride into the lands 
 of Sir John of Hainault, and to burn and destroy 
 there as much as they might. They obeyed, and gath- 
 ered together to the number of five hundred spears ; 
 and so in a morning they came before the town of 
 Chimay,^ and gathered together there a great prey 
 {jylunder). So the Frenchmen burned the suburbs 
 of Chimay and several other villages in Hainault. 
 
 * Pronounced shë-raâ'. Froissart died in this town about 1410. 
 
The city of Aubenton besieged and taken by the Earl of Hainault. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 91 
 
 CHAPTEK XY 
 
 OF THE BATTLE ON THE SEA NEAR SLUYS,* IN FLAN- 
 DERS, BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND AND THE 
 FRENCHMEN (a. D. 1340) 
 
 Now let IIS leave speaking of Hainaiilt and speak 
 of the King of England, who was on the sea intending 
 to make war against the Frenchmen. On Midsum- 
 mer ev^en, in the year of our Lord mcccxl, all the 
 English fleet departed out of the river of Thames and 
 took the wav to S hi vs. 
 
 At the same time the French fleet was on the sea 
 with more than six score great vessels, beside others. 
 There they were placed by the French king to pre- 
 vent the King of England's passage.f 
 
 The King of England came sailing till he came 
 before Slays. And when he saw so great a number 
 of ships that their masts seemed to be like a great 
 forest, he demanded of the master of his ship what 
 people he thought they were. 
 
 He answered and said : " Sir, I think they are 
 ÎTormans, placed here by the French King, who hath 
 done great displeasure in England, burned your town 
 of Hampton, and taken your great ship the Chris- 
 tofer." 
 
 * Pronounced slois. 
 
 f The French had four hundred ships in all (one hundred and 
 forty large ones) and forty thousand men ; thirty thousand of 
 these perished. The English had two hundred and sixty ships. 
 Most of the French ships were hired from Castile and Genoa. 
 
92 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " Ah," quoth the king, " I have long desired to 
 fight with the Frenchmen, and now shall I fight with 
 some of them by the grace of God and Saint George ; 
 for truly they have done me so many displeasures 
 that I shall be revenged, if I may." 
 
 Then the king set all his ships in order, the great- 
 est in front, well furnished with archers, and ever 
 between two ships of archers he had one ship with 
 men of arms ; and then he made another battle {dim- 
 sioii) to lie at a little distance, with archers, to help 
 them that were most weary, if need were. 
 
 And there was a great number of countesses, 
 ladies, knights' wives, and other damsels, that were 
 going to see the queen at Gaunt ; these ladies the 
 king caused to be safely guarded by three hundred 
 men of arms and five hundred archers. 
 
 When the king and his marshals bad arranged his 
 battles {divisions)^ he drew up the sails and turned a 
 little to get the wind from a favorable direction. 
 
 And when the [N^ormans saw them turn back they 
 wondered why they did so, and some said, " They 
 think themselves not able to meddle with us, where- 
 fore they will go back." They saw that the King of 
 England was there personally, because they saw his 
 banners. 
 
 Then the Frenchmen set their fleet in order, for 
 they were wise and good men of war on the sea, and 
 did set the Christofer, the which they had won the 
 year before, foremost, and so attacked their enemies. 
 
 There began a sore battle on both parts : archers 
 and crossbows began to shoot, and men of arms ap- 
 
The sea fie-ht at La Rochelle. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IX FRANCE 93 
 
 proached and fought hand to hand ; and the better to 
 come together they had great grapphng hooks of iron, 
 to cast out of one ship into another, and so to tie them 
 fast together. 
 
 There were many deeds of arms done, taking and 
 rescuing again, and at last the great Christoi'er was 
 won by the Englishmen, and all that were within it 
 taken or slain. 
 
 Then there was great noise and cry, and the Eng- 
 lishmen fortified the Christofer with archers, and 
 made this ship pass on in front to fight with the 
 Genoese. This battle was right fierce and terrible ; 
 for l)attles on the sea are more dangerous and fiercer 
 than battles by land. 
 
 For on the sea there is no retreating nor fleeing. 
 There is no remedy but to fight and to take the chance, 
 and every man to show his boldness. 
 
 The battle endured from the morning till it was 
 noon, and the Englishmen endured much pain, for 
 their enemies were four against one, and all good men 
 on the sea. 
 
 There the King of England proved himself a 
 noble knight ; he was in the flower of his youth. In 
 like wise so was the Earl of Derby, Pembroke, flere- 
 ford, Huntingdon, Northampton, and Gloucester, Sir 
 Raynold Cobham, Sir Eichard Stafford, the Lord 
 Percy, Sir Walter of Manny, Sir Henry of Flanders, 
 Sir John Beauchamp,* the Lord Felton, Sir John 
 Chandos, the Lord Delaware, the Lord of Multon, Sir 
 
 * Pronounced Beech-ham. 
 
94 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Kobert d'Artois, and divers other lords and knights, 
 who bore themselves so valiantly that they obtained 
 the victory. 
 
 So that the Frenchmen, ÎN'ormans, and others were 
 discomfited, slain, and drowaied ; there was not one 
 that escaped, but all were slain."^ 
 
 CHAPTEE XYI 
 
 HOW KING ROBEKT OF SICILY DID ALL THAT HE 
 MIGHT TO PACIFY THE KINGS OF FKANCE AND 
 ENGLAND 
 
 In this season there reigned a king in Sicily called 
 Eobert, who was reputed to be a great astrologer,t 
 and always he warned the French King in no wise to 
 fight against the King of England ; for he said the 
 King of England was destined to be right fortunate 
 in all his deeds. This King Kobert would gladly 
 have seen these two kings in good agreement, for he 
 loved so much the crown of France that he was right 
 sorry to see the desolation thereof. 
 
 This King of Sicily was at Avignon with Pope 
 
 * From the earliest days England claimed the sovereignty of 
 the narrow seas that washed her coasts, and she has maintained 
 it in a hundred battles since. As early as a. d. 1200 an order was 
 issued to all English ships of war to force all foreign vessels to 
 dip their colors and to lower their sails in salute, thus recognizing 
 English pre-eminence on the sea. 
 
 f King Robert was an astrologer who studied the stars to tell 
 the fortunes supposed to be written in the sky. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 95 
 
 Clement, and with the college of cardinals there, and 
 foretold the perils that were likely to happen in the 
 reahn of France by the war between the said two 
 kings, desiring them that they would find some means 
 to appease them. Wherennto the Pope and the car- 
 dinals answered that they would gladly help, if the two 
 kings would listen to them. 
 
 CHAPTEK XYII 
 
 HOW SIR CHARLES DE BLOIS "^ BESIEGED THE COIJNTESS 
 OF MONTFORT f IN HENNEBONT if IN THE YEAR 1342 
 
 When the Countess of Montfort * and her com- 
 pany understood that the Frenchmen were coming to 
 lay siege to the town of Hennebont, it was com- 
 manded to sound the watch-bell alarm, and every 
 man was to be armed and to assemble for defense. 
 
 So when Sir Charles of Blois and the French- 
 men came near to the town they commanded to lodge 
 there that night. Some of the young lusty com- 
 panions with him came skirmishing close to the bar- 
 riers of the town, and some of them within issued out 
 to them, so that there was great fighting. But the 
 Genoese and Frenchmen lost more than they won. 
 
 * Pronounced blwa. f Pronounced môn-fôr'. 
 X Pronounced en-bon', 
 
 * The Countess of Montfort, Princess Joan of Flanders, was an 
 ally of the King of England. Her husband, John of Montfort, 
 and Charles of Blois both claimed to be rightful dukes of 
 Brittany in France. 
 
96 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 When night came on, every man went to his 
 lodging. The next day the lords agreed to assail the 
 barriers ; and the third day they made a great assault 
 on the barriers from morning till it was noon. Then 
 the assailants drew back sore beaten, and divers of 
 them were slain. 
 
 When the lords of France saw their men draw 
 back they were sore displeased, and cansed the assault 
 to begin again fiercer than it was before, and they 
 that were within defended themselves valiantly. 
 
 The countess herself wore harness {armor) on her 
 body and rode on a great courser- from street to 
 street, desiring her people to make a good defense ; 
 and she caused damsels and other women to carry 
 stones and quicklime to the walls, to be cast down on 
 their enemies. 
 
 This lady did there an hardy enterprise. She 
 mounted up to the height of a tower, to see the order 
 of battle of the Frenchmen outside of the walls. She 
 saw how that the lords and other people of the host 
 were all gone out of their field to the assault. Then 
 she took again her courser, armed as she was, and 
 caused three hundred men ahorseback to be ready, 
 and she went with them to another gate, where there 
 was none of the enemy. 
 
 She issued out, she and her company, and dashed 
 
 * The riding horses of men (called Jiacl'neys) and of women 
 {palfreys) were small, swift, and easy-paced. The war horses of 
 the knights, on the contrary (called great horses or great coursers), 
 were large, heavy, slow, sure-footed animals fit for fighting and 
 to carry heavy armor. 
 
John of Moiitfort and the countess welcomed by the 
 citizens of Xantes in Brittany, 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 97 
 
 into the French camp, and cut down tents and set 
 fire in their lodgings. Slie found no defense there, 
 but only a few varlets ^ and boys, who ran away. 
 
 When the lords of France looked behind them 
 and saw their lodgings afire, and heard the cry and 
 noise there, they returned to the field, crying " Trea- 
 son ! treason !" so that their attack was given up. 
 
 When the countess saw that, she drew together 
 her company, and when she saw she could not enter 
 again into the town without great damage, she took 
 another road and went to the Castle of Brest, which 
 was not far away. When Sir Louis of Spain, who 
 was marshal of the French host, came to the field and 
 saw their lodgings burning and saw the countess and 
 her company going away, he followed after her with 
 a great number of soldiers. 
 
 He chased her so closely that he slew and hurt 
 divers of them that were behind, but the countess and 
 the most part of her company rode so well that they 
 came to Brest, and there they were received with 
 great joy. 
 
 The next day the lords of France, who had lost 
 their tents and their provisions, decided to lodge in 
 bowers of trees nearer to the town ; and they won- 
 dered greatly when they knew that the countess her- 
 self had done that deed. 
 
 They of the town knew not where the countess 
 was, whereof they were in great trouble, for it was 
 five days before they heard any tidings. 
 
 * Varlets = servants. 
 
98 THE CHROXICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 The countess did so much at Brest that she got 
 together live hundred spearmen, and then about mid- 
 night she de^Darted from Brest, and by the sun rising 
 she came along by one side of the French host, and 
 came to one of the gates of Hennebont, which was 
 opened for her, and therein she entered and all her 
 company with great noise of trumpets ; whereof the 
 French host had great marvel. 
 
 Then began a fierce assault which lasted till noon, 
 but the Frenchmen lost more than those within the 
 town. At noon the assault ceased : then they took 
 counsel that Sir Charles de Blois should go from that 
 siege and assault the Castle of Auray. The Lord 
 Louis of Spain and the viscount of Rohan, with all 
 the Spaniards, were still to abide before Hennebont. 
 
 They sent for twelve great engines to cast stones 
 into the town and castle day and night. So they 
 divided their host, leaving one part still before 
 Hennebont, the other with Sir Charles of Blois before 
 Auray. 
 
 JS'ow let us speak of the Countess of Montfort, 
 who was besieged in Hennebont by Sir Louis of Spain. 
 He had so broken and bruised the walls of the town 
 with his engines that they within began to be dis- 
 mayed. 
 
 Then the countess desired the lords and knights 
 that were there, that for the love of God they should 
 be in no doubt ; for she said she was sure that they 
 should have succor within three days. The next 
 morning the lords in the town took counsel again, 
 so that they were almost agreed to give up the town. 
 
THE WARS OP THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 99 
 
 Then the countess looked down along the sea, out 
 at a window in the castle, and began to smile for great 
 joy, as if she had seen the relief coming which she 
 had so long desired. 
 
 Then she cried out aloud and said twice, " I see 
 the succors {the relieving army) of England com- 
 ing ! " Then they of the town ran to the walls and 
 saw a great number of ships, great and small, coming 
 toward Hennebont. They thought it was certainly 
 the succors of England, who had been on the sea 
 sixty days by reason of contrary winds. 
 
 CHAPTEK XYIII 
 
 HOW SIR WALTER OF MANNY BROUGHT THE ENGLISH- 
 MEN INTO BRITTANY (a. D. 1342) 
 
 Then the countess provided halls and chambers to 
 lodge the lords of England that were coming ; and 
 when they were landed she came to them respectfully 
 and feasted them as l)est she might, and thanked them 
 right humbly. 
 
 All that night and the next day also the engines 
 of the besiegers never ceased to cast great stones into 
 the town, and after dinner Sir AY alter of Manny 
 said : " I have a great desire to issue out of the town 
 and to break down this great engine that standeth so 
 near us, if any will follow me and do it.'' 
 
 Then two brave knights said they would not fail 
 to help him at this his first beginning. Then they 
 
 U07a 
 
100 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 put on their armor and issued ont secretly by a certain 
 gate, and with them three hnndred archers, who shot 
 so wholly together that those who were guarding the 
 engine fled away. And the men at arms who came 
 after the archers slew divers of them that fled, and 
 beat down the great engine and broke it all to pieces. 
 
 Then they ran in among the tents and lodgings 
 and set fire in divers places and slew and hurt divers, 
 till the French host began to stir. Then they with- 
 drew fair and easily, and they of the host ran after 
 them like madmen. 
 
 Then Sir Walter said : " Let me never be beloved 
 by my lady, if I do not have a combat with one of 
 these followers " ; and therewith he turned his spear, 
 and likewise so did his companions. 
 
 They ran at the first comei\s : there might well a 
 been legs seen turned upward. {Many of the hesieg- 
 ers were overthrown.) 
 
 There might well a been seen on both parts many 
 noble deeds, taking and rescuing. The Englishmen 
 drew off wisely and made a stand till all their men 
 were safe. 
 
 And all the men of the town issued out to rescue 
 their company, and caused them of the host to recoil 
 back. So when they of the host saw how they could 
 do no good, they retired to their lodgings {camj[)\ and 
 they of the fortress in like wise to their lodgings. 
 
 Then the countess descended down from the castle 
 joyously and came and kissed Sir Walter de Manny 
 and his companions, one after another, two or three 
 times, like a valiant lady as she was. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 101 
 
 CHAPTEK XIX 
 
 OF THE ORDER OF SAINT GEORGE, THAT KING EDWARD 
 ESTABLISHED IN THE CASTLE OF WINDSOR* 
 
 In this season the King of England took pleasure 
 in rebuilding the Castle of Windsor, which was be- 
 gun bj King Arthur, and there first began the Table 
 Round, whereby sprang the fame of so many noble 
 knights throughout all the world. 
 
 Then King Edward determined to make an order 
 and a brotherhood of a certain number of knights, to 
 be called Knights of the Blue Garter, and ordained 
 a feast to be kept yearly at Windsor on Saint George's 
 day. 
 
 And to begin this order the king assembled to- 
 gether earls, lords, and knights of his realm, and told 
 them his intention ; and they all joyously agreed to 
 his pleasure, because they saw it was an honorable 
 thing, whereby amity should grow and increase among 
 them. 
 
 Then was there chosen a certain number of the 
 valiantest men of the realm, and they swore to main- 
 tain the rules of the order, such as should be devised. 
 And the king made a chapel of Saint George in 
 
 * The order of Saint George, now called the order of the Garter, 
 is one of the most ancient orders of knighthood, and perhaps the 
 most famous of any existing oi'der. It is bestowed only on princes 
 and great nobles. It was founded in the year 1344. Its chief in- 
 signia are the star and the gaiter. 
 
102 THE CHRONICLES OF PROISSART 
 
 the Castle of Windsor, and established certain canons 
 {priests) there to serve God, and endowed them with a 
 fair rent. Then the king sent to pnbhsh this feast by 
 his heralds into France, Scotland, Burgundy, Hainault, 
 Flanders, Brabant, and into the empire of Almaine 
 {Ger7nany\ giving to every knight and squire that 
 would come to the said feast fifteen days of safe- 
 conduct ^ before the feast and after ; which feast 
 was to begin at Windsor on Saint George's day next 
 after in the year of our Lord mcccxliv, and the 
 queen w^as to be there, accompanied with three hun- 
 dred ladies and damosels, all of noble descent, and 
 appareled accordingly. 
 
 CHAPTEE XX 
 
 HOW THE DUKE OF NOKMANDY LAID SIEGE TO 
 AIGUILLON f WITH SIXTY THOUSAND MEN (a. D. 1346) 
 
 The Duke of Normandy and the lords of France 
 came to the Castle of Aiguillon {an .English castle in 
 France)^ where they laid their siege about the fair 
 meadows along by the river, every lord among his own 
 company, as it was ordered by the marshals. 
 
 This siege endured till the feast of Saint Remy : 
 
 * A safe-conduct is usually a passport in writing allowing a 
 person to pass through an enemy's country unmolested. Here 
 the safe-conduct was general to all knights of France, Germany, 
 etc., whether they were enemies or not. During this feast they 
 were the king's guests, and were safe going and returning. 
 
 \ Pronounced â-giïë'-yôn. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 103 
 
 there were at least sixtj thousand men of war, ahorse- 
 back and afoot. They made every day two or three 
 assaults, and most connnonly from the morning till it 
 was near night without ceasing, for ever there came 
 new assaulters that would not allow them within to 
 rest. 
 
 The lords of France saw well they could not come 
 to the fortress unless they passed the river, which was 
 large and deep. 
 
 Then the duke commanded that a bridge should 
 be made, whatsoever it cost, to pass the river. There 
 were set awork more than three hundred workmen, 
 who did work day and night. 
 
 When the knights within saw this bridge more 
 than half made over the river, they got ready three 
 ships and entered into them, and so came on the 
 workmen and chased them away with their defend- 
 ers. And there they broke to pieces that which had 
 been long amaking. 
 
 When the French lords saw that, then they got 
 ready other sliips to resist the English ships, and then 
 the workmen began again to work on the bridge, trust- 
 ins: hi their defenders. 
 
 And when they had worked half a day and more, 
 Sir Walter of Manny and his company entered into 
 a ship, and came on the workmen and made them to 
 leave work and to return back, and broke again all 
 that they had made. 
 
 This business was repeated nearly every day ; but 
 at last the Frenchmen kept their workmen so well 
 that the bridge was made in spite of all. 
 
104 THE CHRONICLES OF FROlSSART 
 
 And then the French lords and all their army 
 passed over in order of battle, and they assaulted the 
 castle a whole day together without ceasing, but noth- 
 ing they won. And at night they returned to their 
 lodgings. And they within the castle mended all 
 that was broken, for they had with them workmen 
 enough. 
 
 The next day the Frenchmen divided their assault- 
 ers into four parts, the first to begin in the morning 
 and to continue till nine, the second till noon, the 
 third to evening time, and the fourth till night. 
 
 In this manner they assailed the castle six days 
 together ; but the Frenchmen w^on nothing. 
 
 Then the Frenchmen took other counsel : they 
 sent to Toulouse for eight great engines, and they 
 made four greater, and they made all twelve to cast 
 stones day and night against the castle. But they 
 within were so well shielded that never a stone of the 
 engines did them any hurt ; it broke somewhat the 
 covering of some houses. 
 
 Those within also had great engines, which broke 
 down all the engines without, for in a short space 
 they broke six of the greatest of them all to pieces. 
 
 During this siege oftentimes Sir Walter of Manny 
 issued out with a hundred or six score companions, 
 and went on the other side the river aforaging, and 
 returned again with great booty in the sight of them 
 without. 
 
 On a certain day the Lord Charles of Montmo- 
 rency, marshal of the French host, rode forth with 
 some five hundred men with him, and when he 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE 105 
 
 returned he drove before him a great number of 
 cattle that he had got together in the country to 
 refresh the host with victual : and bv chance he en- 
 countered Sir Walter of Manny. 
 
 There was between them a great fight and many 
 overthrown, hurt, and slain ; the Frenchmen w^ere five 
 against one. Tidings thereof came unto Aiguillon ; 
 then every man that could issued out, the Earl of 
 Pembroke first of all, and his company. And when 
 he came he found Sir Walter of Manny afoot, sur- 
 rounded by his enemies. 
 
 Incontinent {u a mediately) he was rescued and re- 
 mounted again, and in the meantime some of the 
 Frenchmen chased their beasts quickly into the host, 
 or else they had lost them, for they that issued out 
 of Aiguillon set so fiercely on the Frenchmen that 
 they put them to flight and deUvered their companions 
 that w^ere taken, and took many Frenchmen prison- 
 ers, and Sir Charles of Montmorency had much work 
 to escape himself. Then the Englishmen returned 
 into Aiguillon. 
 
 Thus every day, almost, there were such rencoun- 
 ters beside the assaults. On a certain day all the 
 French host armed themselves, and the duke com- 
 manded that a part should make assault from the 
 morning till noon, and another part from noon till 
 night. And the duke promised that wdiosoever could 
 win the bridge of the gate should have in reward a 
 hundred crowns. 
 
 Also the duke, the better to maintain this assault, 
 caused to come on the river divers ships and bai'ges. 
 
106 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Some of the Frenchmen entered into them to pass the 
 river, and some went by the bridge. At the last some 
 of them took a little vessel and went under the bridge, 
 and did cast great hooks of iron to the drawbridge 
 of the castle, and then drew it to them so strongly 
 that they broke the chains of iron that held the 
 drawbridge, and so pulled down the bridge perforce. 
 
 Then the Frenchmen leaped on the bridge so 
 hastily that one overthrew another, for every man 
 desired to win the hundred crowns. 
 
 They within the walls cast down bars of iron, 
 pieces of timber, pots of lime, and hot water, so that 
 many were overthrown from the bridge into the 
 water, and many were slain and sore hurt. 
 
 Howbeit, the bridge was won perforce, but it cost 
 more than it was worth, for they could not, for all 
 that, win the gate beyond the bridge. 
 
 Then the French drew back to their lodgings, for 
 it was late; then they within issued out, and made 
 their drawbridge new again, and stronger than ever 
 it was before. 
 
 The next day there came to the duke two skillful 
 men, masters in carpentry, and sai<l : " Sir, if ye will 
 let us have timber and workmen, we will make four 
 scaffolds as high or higher than the walls." The duke 
 commanded that it should be done. 
 
 So these four scaffolds were made in four ships, 
 but it was long first, and cost much before they were 
 finished. 
 
 Then certain men were appointed to assail the 
 castle in them ; and they entered into the ships. 
 
The town of Duras besieged and taken by the English 
 
 (1424). 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLTSH IN FRANCE 107 
 
 And when tliej were passed half tlie river, they 
 within the castle let go fonr martinets * that they had 
 newly made to resist against these scaffolds. 
 
 These four martinets did cast out so great stones, 
 and so many fell on the scaffolds, that in a short space 
 they were all broken, so that those that were within 
 them could not be shielded by them, and they were 
 obliged to draw back again. And before they were 
 again at land one of the scaffolds sunk in the water, 
 with the most part of them that were within it ; 
 the which was great damage, for therein were good 
 knights. 
 
 When the duke saw that he could not accomplish 
 his intent by that means, he caused the other three 
 scaffolds to rest. Then he could see no way how he 
 might get the castle, yet he had promised not to de- 
 part thence till he had it at his will, unless the king 
 his father did send for him. 
 
 Then he sent the Constable of P' ranee to Paris to 
 the king, to recite to him the state of the siege of 
 
 * Martinets = catapults = engines for casting stones. Some 
 of these engines cast stones weighing three hundred pounds, and 
 with force sufficient to batter down stone walls. Gunpowder was 
 not used at the battle of Cressy, thongh it was well known. It is 
 probable that cannon were used at the siege of Aiguillon (a. d. 
 1346). Cannon were used in 1327 in the war against the Scots, 
 and in 1338 they were employed by the French. In 1340 Edward 
 the Third ordered thirty-two tons of gunpowder to be made. The 
 cannon employed in these wars were small alfairs. You can see 
 pictures of them. Those used at the siege of Calais by the Eng- 
 lish threw balls weighing about a quarter of a pound only, or else 
 a kind of arrow or bolt. 
 
108 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Aiguillon. The king's mind was that the duke should 
 continue there still, till he had won them bj famine, 
 since he could not have them by assault. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXI 
 
 HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND CAME OVER THE SEA 
 AGAIN, TO RESCUE THEM IN AIGUILLON (1346) ^ 
 
 The King of England, who had heard how his 
 men were sore beset in the castle of Aiguillon, re- 
 solved to go over the sea into Gasconj with a great 
 army. 
 
 Then the king caused a great navy of ships to be 
 ready in the haven of Hampton, and caused all manner 
 of men of war to draw thither. About the feast of 
 Saint John the Baptist in the year of onr Lord God 
 McccxLvi, the king departed from the queen and 
 left her. 
 
 And he stablished the Lord Percy and the Lord 
 i^evill to be wardens (guardians) of his realm with 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of 
 York, the Bishop of Lincoln, and the Bishop of Dur- 
 
 * In July, 1346, Edward the Third came over from England in 
 a fleet of about five hundred ships, with four thousand men at 
 arms, ten thousand English archers, six thousand Irish, and 
 twelve thousand Welsh. The main body of his army was of men 
 seasoned and made hardy by his wars with the Scots. Man for 
 man they were better soldiers than the French, though they were 
 no braver. They were more experienced. 
 
■fi 3 
 
 — ■ ^ 
 
 ^ » 
 
 — 
 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE IQQ 
 
 ham ; for he never left his kingdom unless he left 
 enough at home to keep and defend the realm, if 
 need were. 
 
 Then the king rode to Hampton and there tarried. 
 Then he entered into his ship and the Prince of Wales 
 with him, and all other lords, earls, barons, and 
 knights, with all their companies. They were in 
 number four thousand men of arms and ten thousand 
 archers, besides Irishmen and Welshmen that followed 
 the host afoot. 
 
 Now I shall name you certain of the lords that 
 went over with King Edward in that journey. First, 
 Edward^ his eldest son, Prince of Wales, who as 
 then was of the age of sixteen years or thereabout, 
 the Earls of Hereford, ^Northampton, Arundel, Corn- 
 wall, Warwick, Huntingdon, Suffolk, and Oxford. 
 
 And of barons, the Lord Mortimer, who was after 
 Earl of March, the Lords John, Louis, and Roger of 
 Beanchamp, and the Lord Raynold Cobham ; of 
 lords, the Lord of Mowbray, Ros, Lucy, Multon, Dela- 
 ware, Basset, Berkeley, and Willoughby, with divers 
 other lords ; and of bachelors, there was John Chandos, 
 Fitz-Warin, Peter and James Audley, with divers 
 other that I can not name. A few there were of 
 strangers. 
 
 Thus they sailed forth that day in the name of 
 God. They were well onward on their way toward 
 Gascony, when on the third day there rose a contrary 
 
 * This was Edward the Black Prince, the eldest son of Ed- 
 ward the Third. 
 
110 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 wind and drove tliem near to Cornwall, and there they 
 lay at anchor six days. At that time the king had 
 other advice from Sir Godfrey Hareourt. 
 
 He counseled the king not to go into Gascony, 
 but rather to land in Normandy, and said to the king : 
 " Sir, the country of î^ormandy is one of the rich 
 countries of the world. Sir, if ye will land there, there 
 is none that shall resist you ; the people of Normandy 
 have not been used to the war, and all the knights 
 and squires of the country are now at the siege before 
 Aiguillon with the duke. 
 
 " And, Sir, there ye shall find great towns that 
 are not walled, whereby your men shall make such 
 captures that they shall be the better for them twenty 
 year after ; and. Sir, ye may follow with your army 
 till ye come to Caen,"^ in Normandy. Sir, I require 
 you to believe me." 
 
 The king, who was as then but in the flower of his 
 youth, desiring nothing so much as to achieve deeds 
 of arms, inclined greatly to the advice of the Lord 
 Hareourt, whom he called cousin. 
 
 Then he commanded the mariners to set their 
 course toward Normandy, and he said how he would 
 be admiral for that voyage, and so sailed on before as 
 governor of that navy, and they had a wind that was 
 fair. Then the king arrived in the isle of Cotentin,t 
 at a port called Saint-Yaast. 
 
 Tidings presently spread abroad that the English - 
 
 * Caen, pronounced kon. 
 f Pronounced ko-ton-tan. 
 
THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH IN FRANCE m 
 
 men had landed ; the towns of Cotentin sent word 
 thereof to Paris to Kmg PliiHp. The French King 
 had ah'eady heard that the King of England was on 
 the sea with a great army, but he knew not what 
 way he would go, whether into Normandy, Brittany, 
 or Gascony. 
 
 As soon as he knew that the King of England 
 was in Normandy he sent the Earl of Tancar ville to 
 the town of Caen, commanding him to keep that 
 town against the Englishmen. 
 
 He said he would do his best, and departed from 
 Paris with a good number of men of war, and so 
 came to the town of Caen, where he was received 
 with great joy. 
 
 13 
 
PAET III 
 
 THE WAR IN NORMANDY BETWEEN THE 
 FRENCHMEN AND THE ENGLISH 
 
 CHAPTEK XXII 
 
 HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND RODE IN THREE BATTLES 
 (divisions) through NORMANDY 
 
 The King of England made two marshals of his 
 host, the one the Lord Godfrey of Harcourt, and the 
 other the Earl of Warwick, and the Earl of Armidel 
 he made constable."^ And he ordained three battles 
 (divisions), one to go on his right hand, close to the 
 seaside, and the other on his left hand, and the king 
 himself in the midst, and every night all were to 
 lodge {encamp) in one field. 
 
 Thus they set forth, and they that went by the 
 sea took all the French ships that they found as they 
 went. And they came to a good town called Barfleur, 
 the which was immediately taken, for they within the 
 town gave up for fear of death. Howbeit, for all that, 
 the town was robbed, and much gold and silver was 
 
 * The Constable of France was the highest officer of the king- 
 dom and had the command of the army. The Lord High Con- 
 stable had similar rank and duties in England. 
 112 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY II3 
 
 there found, and rich jewels." There was found so 
 much riches in the town that the very boys and serv- 
 ants of the host thought nothing of wearing good 
 furred gowns. 
 
 After the town of Barfleur was thus taken and 
 robbed, then they spread abroad in the country and 
 did what they pleased, for there was nobody to resist 
 them. 
 
 At last they came to a great and a rich town 
 called Cherbourg ; the town they won and robbed it, 
 and burned part thereof, but into the castle they 
 could not come, it was so strong and well garrisoned 
 with men of war. 
 
 Then they passed forth and came to JVIontebourg, 
 and took it, and robbed and burned it clean. In this 
 manner they burned many other towns in that coun- 
 try, and won so much riches that it was marvel to 
 reckon it. 
 
 Then they came to a great town called Carentan, 
 where there was also a strong castle and many sol- 
 diers within to keep it. Then the lords came out of 
 their ships and fiercely made assault ; the burgesses 
 {citizens) of the town were in great fear of their lives, 
 and for their wives and children. 
 
 They allowed the Englishmen to enter into the 
 town ao;ainst the will of all the soldiers that were 
 there. 
 
 * It was the custom of war in those days that a town which 
 yielded without fight should not be pillaged. But Froissart tells 
 us that the custom was broken at Barfleur. Nowadays no towns 
 are pillaged. War is made as merciful as it can be made. 
 
114 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 When the soldiers within saw that, they retired 
 into the castle. The Englishmen went into the town, 
 and two days together thej made sore assaults, so that 
 when thej who were within saw they would have no 
 help, they yielded np, their lives and goods being 
 spared, and so departed. 
 
 All this was done by the battle {divisio7i) that 
 went by the seaside, and by them on the sea to- 
 gether. !Now let us speak of the king's battle. 
 
 When he had sent his first battle along by the sea- 
 side, as ye have heard, whereof one of his marshals, 
 the Earl of Warwick, was captain, then he made his 
 other marshal lead his host on his left hand. 
 
 The Lord Godfrey as marshal, w^ith five hundred 
 men of arms, rode off from the king's battle six or 
 seven leagues, burning and destroying the country, the 
 which was plentiful of everything. 
 
 The granges {barns) were full of corn, the houses 
 full of all riches, rich burgesses {citizens)^ carts and 
 chariots, horse, swine, muttons, and other beasts. 
 They took what they pleased and brought it into the 
 king's host. But the soldiers made no count to the 
 king nor to his ofiicers of the gold and silver that 
 they did get ; they kept that to themselves. 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY II5 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY THAT THE FRENCH KING 
 MADE TO RESIST THE KING OF ENGLAND 
 
 Thus by the Englishmen was burned, destroyed, 
 robbed, wasted, and pillaged the good, plentiful coun- 
 try of Normandy. Then the French King sent for 
 men of arms, dukes, earls, barons, knights, and squires, 
 and assembled together the greatest number of people 
 that had been seen in France for a hundred year. 
 
 He sent for men into so far countries that it 
 was long before they came together, wherefore the 
 King of England did what he liked in tlie meantime. 
 
 The French King heard all that he did, and swore 
 that they should never return again unfought with, 
 and that such hurts and damages as they had done 
 should be dearly revenged. 
 
 Wherefore he sent letters to his friends in the 
 empire, and also to the gentle King of Bohemia and 
 to the Lord Charles his son, who from thenceforth 
 was called King of Almaine {Germany).'^ He was 
 made king by the aid of his father and the French 
 King, and had taken on him the arms of the empire. 
 The French King desired them to come to him to 
 fight with the King of England, who had burned and 
 wasted {laid ivaste) his country. 
 
 These princes and lords made them ready with 
 great number of men of arms, and so came to the 
 
 * Charles was made Emperor of Germany in 1347. 
 
116 THE CHRONICLES OP PROISSART 
 
 French King. Also King Philip sent to the Dnke of 
 Lorraine, who came to serve him with three hundred 
 spears ; also there came other earls and nobles, every 
 man with a fair company. 
 
 Ye have heard here before of the order of the 
 Englishmen, how they went in three battles, the mar- 
 shals on the right hand and on the left, the king and 
 the Prince of Wales his son in the midst. 
 
 They rode but small journeys, and every day took 
 their lodgings between noon and three of the clock, 
 and found the country so fruitful that they needed 
 not to make provision for their host, except wine ; 
 and yet they found reasonably sufficient thereof. 
 
 It was no marvel that they of the country were 
 afraid, for before that time they had never seen men 
 of war, nor did they know what war or battle meant. 
 
 They fled away as soon as they heard of the Eng- 
 lishmen's coming, and left their houses well stufled, 
 and granges full of corn ; they knew not how to save 
 and keep it. 
 
 The King of England and the prince had in their 
 battle three thousand men of arms and six thousand 
 archers, and ten thousand men afoot, besides the men 
 of arms who rode with the marshals. 
 
 Thus, as ye have heard, the king rode forth wast- 
 ing and burning the country without breaking the 
 order of his armies. 
 
 When the king came to the town of Saint-Lo he 
 took his lodgings without, but he sent his men before, 
 and soon the town was taken and clean robbed. It 
 is hard to imagine how great riches that was won 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY II7 
 
 there, in cloths specially ; cloth would there have been 
 sold good cheap, if there had been any buyers. 
 
 Then the king went toward Caen, the which was 
 a greater town and full of drapery and other mer- 
 chandise, and rich burgesses, noble ladies and damo- 
 sels, and fair churches, and specially two great and rich 
 abbeys, one of the Trinity, another of Saint Stephen, 
 and in the town was a good number of men of war. 
 
 The constable and other lords of France that night 
 watched well the town of Caen, and in tlie morning 
 armed themselves, with all the people of the town. 
 
 Then the constable ordered that none should issue 
 out, but keep their defenses on the walls, gate, bridge, 
 and river ; and they left the suburbs empty, for they 
 thought they would have enough to do to defend the 
 town. 
 
 They of the town said how they would issue out, 
 for they were strong enough to light with the King 
 of England. When the constable saw their good 
 wills, he said : " In the name of God so be it, ye shall 
 not fight without me." Theu they issued out in good 
 order, and made good face to fight and to defend 
 themselves and to put their lives in adventure {at 
 risk). 
 
118 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIY 
 
 OF THE BATTLE OF CAEN, AND HOW THE ENGLISHMEN 
 TOOK THE TOWN (a. D. 1346) 
 
 The same day the Englishmen rose early and ap- 
 pareled them ready to go to Caen. The king heard 
 mass before the snnrising and then took his horse, as 
 did also the Prince of Wales his son, with Sir God- 
 frey of Harconrt, marshal of the host, whose counsel 
 the king much followed. 
 
 Then they went forward with their battles in good 
 array, and so approached the good town of Caen. 
 When they of the town, who were ready in the field, 
 saw these three battles coming in order, with their 
 banners and standards waving in the wind, and the 
 archers, the which they had not been accustomed to 
 see, they were sore afraid and fled away toward the 
 town without any order or good array, in spite of all 
 that the constable could do; then the Enghshmen 
 pursued them eagerly. 
 
 When the constable and the Earl of Tancarville 
 saw that, they set themselves for safety in a gateway 
 near the bridge, for the Englishmen had entered into 
 the town. 
 
 Some of the knights and squires of France, such 
 as knew the way to the castle, went thither, and the 
 captain there received them all, for the castle was 
 large. The Englishmen in the chase slew many, for 
 they gave mercy to none. 
 
..-.i/»*®** ••nt'fim'-^^'^'-y'-wmmmmmfm 
 
 How the Englishmen took the town of Caen, in Normandy 
 
 (1346). 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY n9 
 
 Then the constable and the Earl of Tancarville, 
 being in the little tower at the bridge foot, looked 
 along the street and saw their men slain without 
 mercy; they feared to fall in their hands. At last 
 they saw an English knight, wntli one eye, called Sir 
 Thomas Holland, and five or six other knights with 
 him. 
 
 They knew them, for they had seen them before 
 in Prussia, in Granada, and in other countries. Then 
 they called to Sir Thomas and said they would yield 
 themselves prisoners. 
 
 Then Sir Thomas came thither with his company 
 and mounted up into the gate, and there found the 
 said lords w^ith twenty -live knights w^itli them, who 
 yielded themselves to Sir Thomas, and he took them 
 for his prisoners and left men of war to keep them, 
 and then mounted again on his horse and rode into 
 the streets, and saved many lives of ladies, damosels, 
 and priests, for the soldiers were without mercy. 
 
 They of the town entered into their houses, and 
 cast down into the street stones, timber, and iron, and 
 slew and hurt more than live hundred Englishmen, 
 wherewith the king was sore displeased. 
 
 At night when he heard thereof, he commanded 
 that the next day all should be put to the sword and 
 the tow^n burned ; but then Sir Godfrey of Harcourt 
 said : " Dear Sir, for God's sake restrain your spirit, 
 and let it suffice you what ye have already done. 
 
 " Ye have yet a great voyage to do before you come 
 to Calais, wdiither ye purpose to go ; and. Sir, in this 
 town there is much people wdio will defend their 
 
120 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 houses, and it will cost many of your men their lives 
 before ye have all at your will, whereby perchance 
 ye may not be able to take Calais, which should 
 redound to your loss. 
 
 " Sir, spare your people, for ye shall have need of 
 them before this month has passed. For I think 
 verily your adversary King Philip will meet with you 
 to fight, and ye shall find many diflacult ways and en- 
 counters, in which your men, even if ye had more, 
 shall stand you in good stead ; and, Sir, without any 
 further slaying ye shall be lord of this town ; men and 
 women will put all that they have to your pleasure." 
 
 Then the king said : " Sir Godfrey, you are our 
 marshal ; order everything as ye will." Then Sir God- 
 frey with his banner rode from street to street, and 
 commanded in the king's name that none should be so 
 hardy as to put fire to any house, to slay any person, 
 man nor woman. When they of the town heard that 
 cry they received the Englishmen into their houses 
 and made them good cheer, and some opened their 
 coffers (^strong boxes of money) and bade them take 
 what they liked if they would but spare their lives. 
 
 However, there were done in the town many evil 
 deeds, murders, and robberies. Thus the Englishmen 
 were lords of the town three days and won great 
 riches, which they sent by barks and barges to the 
 place where all their navy lay. 
 
 Then the king sent the Earl of Huntingdon with 
 two hundred men of arms and four hundred archers, 
 with his navy and prisoners and the riches that they 
 had got, back again into England. 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY 121 
 
 And the king bought of Sir Thomas Holland the 
 Constable of France and the Earl of Tancarville, and 
 paid for them twenty thousand nobles."^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXY 
 
 THE ENGLISH ARMY COMES NEAR TO PARIS 
 
 Thus the King of England sent into England his navy 
 of ships loaded with clothes, jewels, vessels of gold and 
 silver, and other riches,f and more than sixt}' knights 
 and three hundred burgesses, who were prisoners. 
 
 Then he departed from the town of Caen and rode 
 in the same order as he did before, burning and exil- 
 ing the people of the country, and from thence rode 
 to a great town called Louviers.:j: 
 
 It was the chief town of all Normandy for drapery, 
 riches, and was full of merchandise. The Englishmen 
 soon entered therein, for then it was not closed with 
 
 * Each of the French knights was bound to pay a ransom to 
 his captor, Sir Thomas Holland. They belonged to him as his 
 spoils of war till the ransom was paid. The king simply bought 
 the captor's rights, and they then became his prisoners. The ran- 
 som of a nobleman was large, and brave knights grew rich through 
 the capture of many prisoners. Twenty thousand nobles would 
 be about $300,000 of our money. The ransom of King David of 
 Scotland was about $5,000,000 of our money (see Chapter XI). 
 
 \ The booty taken in the town of Caen was more than enough 
 to pay the whole cost of the expedition up to that time. No won- 
 der that the war was popular with the common folk of England 
 as well as with the nobles. It cost them nothing in taxes. 
 
 X Pronounced lô-vyà'. 
 
122 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 walls. It was overrun, spoiled {2^lundered\ and robbed 
 without mercy : there was won great riclies. 
 
 Then they entered into the country, and burned 
 and pillaged all the country except the good towns 
 closed with walls and the castles, on which the king 
 made no assault, because of the sparing of his people 
 and his artillery. 
 
 Then King Philip of France removed to Saint - 
 Denis, and to Saint-Denis were already come the 
 King of Bohemia, the Duke of Lorraine, the Earl of 
 Flanders, and many other great lords and knights, 
 ready to serve the French King. 
 
 When the people of Paris saw their king depart, 
 they came to him and kneeled down, and said : " Ah, 
 Sir, and noble king, what will ye do ? leave thus this 
 noble city of Paris ? " 
 
 The king said: "My good people, doubt ye not; 
 the Englishmen will approach you no nearer than 
 they be." "Why so. Sir?" quoth they; "they be 
 within two leagues, and as soon as they know of your 
 departing they will come and assail us ; and we not 
 able to defend them. Sir, tarry here still and help to 
 defend your good city of Paris." 
 
 " Speak no more," quoth the king, " for I will go 
 to Saint-Denis to my men of war ; for I will encounter 
 the Englishmen and fight against them, whatsoever 
 fall thereof {may befall)^ ^ 
 
 * Edward the Third's array had had a long training in the wars 
 with the Scots. They were no braver than the French, but they 
 had learned to obey orders and to act together ; whereas the French 
 were inexperienced and without discipline, though very brave. 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY 123 
 
 CHAPTEE XXYI 
 
 HOW THE FRENCH KING FOLLOWED THE KING OF 
 
 ENGLAND 
 
 Now let US speak of King Philip, who was at 
 Saint-Denis and his people about him, and his host 
 daily increased. Then on a day he departed, and rode 
 so long that he came to a place three leagues from 
 Amiens,* and there he tarried. 
 
 The King of England knew not where to pass the 
 river of Sonniie, which was large and deep, and all 
 bridges were broken and the passages {fords) well 
 defended. 
 
 Then at the king's commandment his two marshals 
 with a thousand men of arms and two thousand arch- 
 ers went along the river to find some passage, and 
 came to the bridge of Pemy, which was well de- 
 fended by a great number of knights and squires and 
 men of the country. 
 
 The Englishmen alighted afoot and assailed the 
 Frenchmen from the morning till it was noon ; but 
 the bridge was so well fortified and defended that 
 the Englishmen departed without winning any- 
 thing. 
 
 Then they went to a great town called Fountains, 
 on the river of Somme, which was clean robbed and 
 burned, for it was not closed with walls. 
 
 * Pronounced a-më-an'. 
 
124 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Then they went to another town, but they could 
 not win the bridge, it was so well kept and defended. 
 
 The French King had well defended all the pas- 
 sages, intending that the King of England should not 
 pass the river of Somme. 
 
 When the two marshals of the English host had 
 tried all places to find passage and could find none, 
 thej returned again to the king and told him how 
 they could find no passage in any place. 
 
 The same night the French King came to Amiens 
 with more than a hundred thousand men. The King 
 of England was right pensive {apprehensive)^ and the 
 next morning heard mass before the sun rising and 
 then dislodged ; and every man followed the mar- 
 shal's banners. 
 
 The same day the French King departed from 
 Amiens and came to the English camp about noon ; 
 and the Englishmen were departed thence in the 
 morning. The Frenchmen found there great pro- 
 vision that the Englishmen had left behind them, 
 because they had departed in haste. 
 
 There they found flesh ready on the spits, bread 
 and pasties in the ovens, wine in tuns and barrels, and 
 the tables ready laid. There the French King lodged 
 and tarried for his lords. 
 
 That night the King of England was lodged at 
 Oisemont.^ At night the king assembled together his 
 council and caused to be brought before him certain 
 French prisoners. 
 
 * Pronounced waz-moh'. 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY 125 
 
 The king right courteously demanded of them if 
 there were any among them that knew any passage, 
 where he and his host might pass over the river of 
 Somme ; if he would show him thereof, he should be 
 quit of his ransom. 
 
 There was a varlet (servant) called Gobin Agace 
 who stepped forth and said to the king : " Sir, I 
 promise you, on the jeopardy of my head, that I will 
 bring you to such a place, where ye and all your host 
 shall pass the river of Somme without peril. There 
 be certain places in the passage {ford) that ye shall 
 pass twelve men abreast two times between day and 
 night ; ye shall not go in the water to the knees. But 
 when the flood tide cometh the river then waxeth so 
 great that no man can pass ; but when the flood is 
 gone, which is two times between day and night, then 
 the river is so low that it may be passed without 
 danger both ahorseback and afoot. 
 
 " The passage is hard in the bottom with white 
 stones, so that all your carriages {carts) may go 
 safely." 
 
 The king said : " If this be true that ye say, I 
 acquit thee of thy ransom, thee and all thy company, 
 and, moreover, shall give thee a hundred nobles."* 
 Then the king commanded every man to be ready to 
 depart at the sound of the trumpet. 
 
 * A hundred nobles = $161, which would be worth about 
 1,600 of our money. 
 
 14 
 
126 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEK XXYII 
 
 OF THE BATTLE AT THE PASSAGE OF THE EIYER 
 OF SOMME 
 
 The King of England slept not much that night, 
 for at midnight he arose and sounded his trumpet ; 
 then incontinent {immediately) they made ready car- 
 riages and all things, and at the breaking of the day 
 they departed and rode after the guiding of Gobin 
 Agace, so that they came by the sunrising to the 
 passage of the river. But then the flood was up, so 
 that they might not pass ; so the king tarried there 
 till the ebb tide came. 
 
 The French King had his couriers {scouts) in the 
 country, who brought him word of the doings of the 
 Englishmen. Then he ordered a great baron of l^or- 
 mandy, called Sir Gode mar du Fay, to go and keep 
 the passage where the Englishmen must pass or else 
 in none other place. 
 
 He had with him a thousand men of arms and six 
 thousand afoot, with some Genoese crossbowmen. 
 So they went to where the passage lay ; and also he 
 had with him a great number of men of the country, 
 so that they were about twelve thousand men, one 
 and other. 
 
 When the English host was come thither. Sir 
 Godemar du Fay arranged all his company to defend 
 the passage. The King of England stopped not for 
 all that ; but when the flood tide was gone he com- 
 
THE WAR IN NORMANDY 12Y 
 
 manded his marshals to enter into the water in the 
 name of God and Saint George. 
 
 Then they that were hardy and courageous en- 
 tered on both sides, and many a man was over- 
 thrown. There were some of the Frenchmen that 
 were as glad to joust {^fight ) in the water as on the 
 dry land. 
 
 The Frenchmen defended so well the passage that 
 the English had much to do. The Genoese did them 
 great hurt with their crossbows. On the other side 
 the archers of England shot so wholly together that 
 the Frenchmen were obUged to give place to the 
 Englishmen. There was a sore battle, and many a 
 noble feat of arms done on both sides. 
 
 Finally the Englishmen passed over and assembled 
 together in the field. The king and the Prince of 
 Wales passed, and all the lords. Then the Frenchmen 
 departed, each as he might best. 
 
 They that were there afoot could not flee, so that 
 there were slain a great number of them. The chase 
 endured more than a great league. 
 
 And as yet all the Englishmen had not passed the 
 river, when certain scouts of the King of Bohemia 
 came on such of them as were behind and took cer- 
 tain horses and carriages and slew divers before they 
 could cross the ford. 
 
 When the French King heard how Sir Godemar 
 du Fay and his company were discomfited, he tarried 
 in the field and demanded of his marshals what was 
 best to do. 
 
 The King of England, when he had passed the 
 
128 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 river, thanked God, and so rode forth in like manner 
 as he did before. Then he called Gobin Agace and 
 did acquit him of his ransom and all his company, 
 and gave him a hundred nobles and a good horse. 
 
 And so the king rode forth fair and easily, and his 
 marshals rode to Crotoy on the seaside and burned the 
 town, and found in the haven {Jiarhor^ many ships 
 with wines. They brought the best thereof to the 
 king's host. 
 
 This was on a Friday, and both battles of the mar- 
 shals returned to the king's host about noon, and so 
 lodged all together near to Cressy. 
 
 The King of England was well informed that the 
 French King followed after him to fight. Then he 
 said to his company : " Let us take here some plot of 
 ground, for we will go no farther till we have seen 
 our enemies. I have good cause here to abide them 
 for I am on the very land inherited by the queen 
 my mother, which land was given to her at her mar- 
 riage ; I will challenge it of mine adversary King 
 Philip of Yalois." 
 
 And because that he had not the eighth part in 
 number of men that the French King had, therefore 
 he commanded his marshals to choose a plot of ground 
 somewhat for his advantage ; and so they did, and 
 thither the king and his host went. 
 
 Then he sent his scouts to see if the French King 
 went that day into the field or not. They returned 
 again, and said that they could see no appearance of 
 his coming. 
 
 Then every man took his lodging for that day, 
 
THE WAR IK NORMANDY I09 
 
 to be ready in the morning at the sound of the trum- 
 pet in the same place. 
 
 This Friday the French King tarried still in Abbe- 
 ville waiting for his company, and sent his two mar- 
 shals to ride out to see the dealing of the Englishmen 
 {to see what they were doing\ and at night they re- 
 turned, and said how the Englishmen were lodged in 
 the fields. 
 
 That night the French King made a supper for all 
 the chief lords that were there with him, and after 
 supper the king desired them to be friends each to 
 other. 
 
 The king looked for the Earl of Savoy, who was 
 to come to him with a thousand spears, for he had 
 already received wages for three months of them. 
 
PAET IT 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRESSY {1346) 
 
 CHAPTER XXYIII 
 
 OF THE ORDEE OF THE ENGLISHMEN AT THE BATTLE 
 OF CEESSY (AUaUST 26, 1346) 
 
 On the Friday, as I said before, the King of 
 England lay in the fields, for the country was plenti- 
 ful of wines and other victual, and, if need had been, 
 they had provisions following in carts and other car- 
 riages. 
 
 That night the king made a supper for all the 
 chief lords of his host and made them good cheer; 
 and when they were all departed to take their rest, 
 then the king entered into his oratory {cliapeX) and 
 kneeled down before the altar, praying God devoutly 
 that if he fought the next day he might win the bat- 
 tle to his honor. 
 
 Then about midnight he laid him down to rest, 
 and in the morning he rose betimes and heard mass, 
 and the Prince of Wales his son with him, and the 
 most part of his company were confessed. And after 
 the mass was said he commanded every man to be 
 130 
 
(French.) 
 
 (English.) 
 
 The battle of Cressy (1346). 
 
THE BATTLE OP CRESSY (1346) 131 
 
 armed and to go to the field to the place before ap- 
 pointed. 
 
 Then the king caused a park {mi indosure) to be 
 made by the wood side behind his host, and there 
 were set all carts and carriages, and within the park 
 were all their horses, for every man was afoot ; and 
 into this park there was but one entrance. 
 
 Then he ordained three battles {divisions). In the 
 first was the young Prince of Wales, with him the 
 Earl of Warwick and Oxford, the Lord Godfrey of 
 Harcourt, Sir Raynold Cobham, Sir Thomas Hol- 
 land, the Lord Stafford, the Lord of Mohun, the Lord 
 Delaware, Sir John Chandos, Sir Robert Nevill, the 
 Lord Thomas Clifford, the Lord Bourchier,* and 
 divers other knights and squires that I can not name. 
 
 Tliey were eight hundred men of arms and two 
 thousand archers, and a thousand others with the 
 Welshmen ; f every lord went to the field appointed 
 bearing his own banner and pennon. 
 
 In the second battle was the Earl of Northampton, 
 the Earl of Arundel, the Lord Kos, the Lord Lucy, 
 the Lord Willoughby, the Lord Basset, and divers 
 other, about eight hundred men of arms and twelve 
 hundred archers. ;]; 
 
 * This was an ancestor of Lord Berners, who put Froissart's 
 Chronicles into English. 
 
 f The Welshmen were light infantry, armed with swords and 
 with short lances. 
 
 X Each English archer carried his bow and twenty-four arrows. 
 He wore a steel headpiece; a leather jerkin, or jacket, plated with 
 iron ; and he carried a short sword, a dagger, sometimes a long 
 pike, and a heavy leaden mallet. He always carried a long 
 
132 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 The king commanded the tinrd battle; he had 
 seven hundred men of arms and two thousand 
 archers.* 
 
 Then the king leaped on a little horse, with a 
 white rod in his hand, one of his marshals on the one 
 hand and the other on the other hand. 
 
 He rode from rank to rank, desiring every man 
 to take heed that day to his honor. He spake it so 
 sweetly and with so good countenance and merry 
 cheer that all such as were discomfited took courage 
 in the seeing and hearing of him. 
 
 And when he had thus visited all his battles, it 
 was then nine [a clock) of the day. 
 
 Then he caused every man to eat and drink a little, 
 and so they did at their leisure. 
 
 And afterward they again arranged their battles ; 
 then every man lay down on the earth, and by him his 
 headpiece {helmet) and bow, to be the fresher when 
 their enemies should come. 
 
 pointed stake to be driven into the ground, so as to protect the 
 band of archers against attacks by horsemen. He was usually a 
 brave^ reckless young fellow, strong and able, and believed himself 
 a match for anybody. 
 
 King Edward, who was a good soldier, had learned that his 
 archers were, in fact, a match for men at arms (knights in armor) 
 so long as they only attacked in front. So he set his archers in 
 a place where they could not be attacked except in front. And 
 to make them even bolder, he dismounted his own knights and 
 placed them on foot among the archers. 
 
 * Froissart counts eight thousand five hundred Englishmen at 
 the battle. In fact, there were about thirty thousand English and 
 one hundred thousand French. 
 
THE BATTLE OP CRESSY (1346) 133 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THE ORDER OF THE FRENCHMEN AT CRESSY, AND HOW 
 THEY BEHELD THE DEMEANOR OF THE ENGLISH- 
 MEN 
 
 This Saturday the French King rose early and 
 heard mass in Abbeville in the abbey of Saint Peter, 
 and he dej^arted after the siinrising. 
 
 When he was out of the town two leao^ues, aD- 
 preaching toward his enemies, some of his lords 
 said to him, " Sir, it were good that ye ordered your 
 battles, and let all your footmen pass somewhat 
 on before, that they be not troubled with the horse- 
 
 men." 
 
 Then the king sent four knights to ride out in 
 front to view the English host ; and so they rode so 
 near that they might well see what they were doing. 
 
 The Englishmen saw them well and knew well 
 how they were come thither to view them ; they let 
 them alone, and let them return as they came. And 
 when the French King saw these four knights return 
 again, he tarried till they came to him, and said, 
 " Sirs, what tidings ? " 
 
 These fonr knights each of them looked on other, 
 for there was none would speak before his compan- 
 ion ; finally the king said to one of them, who per- 
 tained (belonged) to the King of Bohemia and was 
 reputed for one of the valiantest knights of the world, 
 " Sir, speak you." 
 
134 THE CHRONICLES OF PROISSART 
 
 Then lie said : " Sir, I shall speak, since it pleaseth 
 yon, under the correction of mj fellows. Sir, we 
 have ridden and seen the behaving of your enemies : 
 know ye for truth they are resting in three battles 
 waiting for yon. 
 
 " Sir, I will counsel you as for my part, saving your 
 displeasure, that you and all your company remain 
 here and lodge for this night, until they of your com- 
 pany that are behind have come hither. 
 
 " For before your battles are set in good order, it 
 will be very late, and your people will be weary and 
 out of order, and ye shall find your enemies fresh and 
 ready to receive you. 
 
 " Early in the morning ye may order your battles 
 at more leisure and observe your enemies with more 
 deliberation, and consider well what way ye will 
 assail them ; for, Sir, surely they will wait for you." 
 
 Then the king commanded that it should be so 
 done. Then his two marshals one rode before, an- 
 other behind, saying to the soldiers under every ban- 
 ner, " Tarry and abide here in the name of God and 
 Saint-Denis." 
 
 They that were foremost tarried, but they that 
 were behind would not tarry, but rode forth, and said 
 they would in no wise abide till they were as far for- 
 ward as the foremost. 
 
 And when they who were before saw them come 
 on behind, then they, also, rode forward again, so that 
 neither the king nor his marshals could rule them. 
 
 So they rode without order or good array, till they 
 came in sight of their enemies: and as soon as the 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) I35 
 
 foremost saw them thej retreated back without good 
 array, whereof tliey behind wondered and were dis- 
 mayed, and thought that the foremost company had 
 been fighting. 
 
 The commons {the common soldiers and the armed 
 citizens), of whom all the ways between Abbeville and 
 Cressy were full, when they saw that they were near 
 to their enemies, took their swords, and cried : " Down 
 with them ! let us slay them all." 
 
 There is no man, though he were present, that 
 could imagine or show how evil {had) was the order 
 among the French party that day, and yet they were 
 a marvelous great number. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXX 
 
 OF THE BATTLE OF CRESSY BETWEEN THE KING OF 
 ENGLAND AND THE FRENCH KING (l346) 
 
 The Englishmen, who were in three battles {divi- 
 sions), lying on the ground to rest them, as soon as 
 they saw the Frenchmen approach, rose upon their 
 feet fair and easily without any haste and arranged 
 their battles. 
 
 The first was the battle of the Prince of Wales.* 
 
 * Edward, the Black Prince, born in 1330, was then sixteen 
 years of age. This was his first great battle. He had already 
 been made a knight ; but he had not yet shown how brave and 
 enterprising a soldier he was to be. 
 
136 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 The archers stood in front and the men of arms sup- 
 ported them. 
 
 The Earl of :N'orthampton and the Earl of Arundel 
 with the second battle were on a wing in good order, 
 ready to aid the prince's battle, if need were. 
 
 The lords and knights of France came not to the 
 assembly in good order, for some came before and 
 some came after in such haste and evil order that 
 one of them did trouble another {they were in each 
 other'' s way). 
 
 When the French King saw the Englishmen, his 
 blood grew hot, and he said to his marshals, " Make 
 the Genoese go on before and begin the battle in the 
 name of God and Saint-Denis." * 
 
 There were of the Genoese crossbowmen about 
 six thousand, but they were so weary of going afoot 
 that day six leagues armed with their crossbows that 
 they said to their officers, " We are not well able to 
 fight this day, for we are not fit to do any great deed 
 of arms ; we have more need of rest." 
 
 These words came to the Earl of Alençon,t who 
 said, "What sort of rascals are these, to faint and 
 fail now at our utmost need ? " Also at the same time 
 there fell a great rain and there was lightning mth 
 terrible thunder, and before the rain there came flying 
 over both battles a great number of crows for fear of 
 the tempest coming. 
 
 Then presently the air began to wax (grow) clear, 
 
 * These fifteen thousand Genoese crossbowmen had been hired 
 by the French King from their overlord the Prince of Mon'aco. 
 f He was the French King's brother ; pronounce it â-lon-sôn'. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 137 
 
 and the sun to shine fair and bright right into the 
 Frenchmen's eyes and on the Englishmen's backs.* 
 
 When the Genoese began to aj^proach, they made 
 a great cry to abash {frighten) the Enghshmen, but 
 they stood still and stirred not for all that. 
 
 Then the Genoese again the second time made 
 another fierce cry, and stepped forward a little, and 
 the Englishmen moved not one foot. 
 
 Thirdly, again they cried, and went forth till they 
 came within shot ; then they shot fiercely with their 
 crossbows. 
 
 Then the English archers stepped forth one pace 
 and let fly their arrows so wholly together and so 
 thick, that it seemed like snow. 
 
 When the Genoese felt the arrows piercing through 
 heads, arms, and breasts, many of them cast down 
 their crossbows and did cut their strings and returned 
 discomfited. 
 
 When the French King saw them fly away, he 
 said, " Slay these rascals, for they will hinder and 
 trouble us without reason." 
 
 Then ye should have seen the French men of arms 
 dash in among them and kill a great number of them. 
 
 And still the Englishmen shot where they saw 
 thickest press {croiod) ; the sharp arrows ran into the 
 men of arms and into their horses, and many fell, 
 horse and men, among the Genoese, and when they 
 were down they could not rise again ; the press was 
 so thick that one overthrew another. 
 
 * The battle bes:an about four o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
138 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 And also among the Englishmen there were cer- 
 tain rascals {coinmoii men — peascmts) that went afoot 
 with great knives, and they went in among the men of 
 arms, and slew and murdered many as they lay on the 
 ground, both earls, barons, knights, and squires, whereof 
 the King of England was afterwards displeased, for 
 he had rather they had been taken prisoners. 
 
 The valiant King of Bohemia, called Charles of 
 Luxembourg, son to the noble Emperor Henry of 
 Luxembourg, for all that he was nearly blind, when 
 he understood the order of the battle, he said to them 
 about him, " Where is the Lord Charles, my son ? " 
 
 His men said, " Sir, we can not tell ; we think he 
 is fighting." Then he said : " Sirs, ye are my men, 
 my companions and friends ; I require you to bring 
 me so far forward that I may strike one stroke with 
 my sword." 
 
 They said they would do his commandment, and, 
 so that they should not lose him in the press {crowd)^ 
 they tied all the reins of their bridles each to other, 
 and so they went on their enemies. 
 
 The Lord Charles of Bohemia, his son, who wrote 
 himself King of Germany, came in good order to the 
 battle ; but when he saw that the battle was going 
 against the French, he departed, I can not tell you 
 which way. 
 
 The king, his father, was so far forward that he 
 struck a stroke with his sword, yea, and more than 
 four, and fought valiantly, and so did all his company. 
 And they risked themselves so far forward that they 
 were there all slain, and the next day they were found 
 
15 
 
Badge of the Prince of Wales. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 139 
 
 in one place round about the king, and all their horses 
 tied each to other.* 
 
 This battle of Cressy on this Saturday was right 
 cruel and fierce, and many a feat of arms was done 
 that came not to my knowledge. 
 
 Toward nightfall divers knights and squires lost 
 their masters, and sometimes came on the Eno^lish- 
 men, who received them in such wise that they were 
 slain ; for there was no mercy given nor ransom 
 taken, for so the Englishmen had determined before- 
 hand. 
 
 On the day of the battle certain Frenchmen and 
 Germans broke through the archers of the battle of 
 the Prince of Wales by force and came and fought 
 with the men of arms hand to hand. 
 
 Then the second battle of the Englishmen came to 
 succor the prince's battle, and it was time, for they 
 had then much trouble. And they who were with 
 the prince sent a messenger to the king, who was on 
 a little hill near a windmill. 
 
 Then the knight said to the king : " Sir, the Earl 
 of Warwick and the Earl of Oxford, Sir Kaynold 
 Cobham, and others, such as be about the prince your 
 son, are fiercely fought with and are sorely handled ; 
 
 * The emblem of the King of Bohemia was an ostrich feather ; 
 he used it as a badge. After the battle of Cressy the Prince of 
 Wales took three ostrich feathers for the crest of his coat of arms 
 and the motto Ich dien{l serve). Ever since that time this motto 
 and the crest of three feathers have been displayed by the Princes 
 of Wales, who are the eldest sons of English kings and the heirs 
 to the English throne, 
 
140 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 wherefore they desire you that you and your battle 
 will come and aid them ; for if the Frenchmen in- 
 crease, as they fear that they may, your son and they 
 shall have much ado." 
 
 Then the king said, " Is my son dead or hurt or 
 on the earth felled ? " " 'No, sir," quoth the knight, 
 '' but he is hard pressed ; wherefore he hath need of 
 your aid." 
 
 "Well," said the king, "return to him and to 
 them that sent you hither, and say to them that they 
 must send no more to me, as long as my son is alive ; 
 and also say to them that they must give the boy a 
 chance to win his spurs. For, if God be pleased, I 
 wish this day to be his and the honor thereof." 
 
 Then the knight returned again to them and re- 
 peated the king's words, which greatly encouraged 
 them, and they were sorry that they had sent to the 
 king as they did.* 
 
 Sir Godfrey of Harcourt {who was fighting for 
 the English) wonld gladly that the Earl of Flarcourt 
 his brother {who tvas fighting for the French) might 
 have been saved ; but Sir Godfrey could not come 
 to him in time, for he was slain before he could 
 come at him, and so was also the Earl of Aumale his 
 nephew. 
 
 In another place the Earl of Alencon and the 
 Earl of Flanders fought valiantly, but finally they 
 
 * The king at Cressy stood on a hill overlooking the whole 
 field, and he could see from his post that matters were going very- 
 well for the English in front of the prince's battle, and gave his 
 answer accordingly. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 141 
 
 could not resist the power of the Enghshmeii, and so 
 there they also were slain, and divers other knights 
 and squires. 
 
 Also the Earl Louis of Blois, nephew to the 
 French King, and the Duke of Lorraine fought under 
 their banners, but at last thej were surrounded by a 
 company of Englishmen and Welshmen, and there 
 they were slain in spite of all their bravery. Also 
 there were slain the Earl of Auxerre, the Earl of 
 Saint-Pol, and many others. 
 
 In the evening the French King had left about 
 him no more than threescore persons, one and other. 
 His horse had been slain with an arrow, and one of 
 the knights near him said to the king : " Sire, depart 
 hence, for it is time ; lose not yourself willfully : if 
 ye are defeated at this time, ye shall be victorious 
 again at another time." 
 
 And so he took the king's horse by the bridle 
 and led him away in a manner perforce. 
 
 Then the king rode till he came to the Castle of 
 Broye. The gate was closed, because it was by that 
 time dark. Then the king called the captain, who 
 came to the walls, and said, " Who is that calleth this 
 time of night ? " 
 
 Then the king said, " Open your gate quickly, 
 for this is the unfortunate King of France." 
 
 The captain knew then it was the king, and opened 
 the gate and let down the bridge. Then the king 
 entered, and he had with him but five barons. Sir 
 Charles of Montmorency and four others. 
 
 The king would not tarry there, but departed 
 
142 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 thence about midnight, and so rode till he came in 
 the morning to Amiens, and there he rested. 
 
 This Saturday the Englishmen never departed 
 from their battles to chase any man, but kept in their 
 places, and ever defended themselves against all such 
 as came to assail them. This battle ended about 
 evensong time {vespers). 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI 
 
 HOW THE NEXT DAY AFTEK THE BATTLE THE ENGLISH- 
 MEN DISCOMFITED DIVERS FRENCHMEN 
 
 On this Saturday, when the night was come and 
 the Englishmen heard no more noise of the French- 
 men, then they were sure that they had the victory, 
 and that the Frenchmen were discomfited, slain, and 
 fled away. 
 
 Then they made great fires and lighted up torches 
 and candles, because it was very dark. 
 
 Then the king came down from the little hill 
 where he stood ; and all that day till then his helmet 
 came never off his head. 
 
 Then he went with all his battle to his son the 
 Prince of Wales, and embraced him in his arms and 
 kissed him, and said : " Fair son, God give you good 
 perseverance ; ye are my good son, ye have acquitted 
 yourself nobly; ye are worthy to defend a realm." 
 The prince bowed himself to the earth, honoring the 
 king his father. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 1^3 
 
 This night they thanked God for their good adven- 
 ture, and made no boast thereof, for the king wished 
 that no man should be proud or make boast, but 
 every man humbly to thank God. 
 
 On the Sunday in the morning there was such a 
 mist that a man could not see the breadth of an 
 acre of land from him. 
 
 Then there departed from the host by the com- 
 mandment of the king and marshals five hundred 
 spears and two thousand archers, to see if they might 
 find any Frenchmen gathered again together in any 
 place. 
 
 The same morning the citizens of Rouen and of 
 Beauvais issued out of their towns, not knowing of 
 the discomfiture the day before. 
 
 They met with the Englishmen thinking that they 
 had been Frenchmen, and when the Englishmen saw 
 them they set on them freshly, and there was a sore 
 battle ; but at last the Frenchmen fled and kept none 
 array. 
 
 There were slain in the ways and in hedges and 
 bushes more than seven thousand, and if the day had 
 been clear there had never a one escaped. 
 
 Soon after, another company of Frenchmen were 
 met by the Englishmen — the Archbishop of Rouen 
 and the great prior of France — who also knew noth- 
 ing of the discomfiture of the day before ; for they 
 heard that the French King was to fight that same 
 Sunday, and they were going thitherward. 
 
 When they met with the Englishmen there was a 
 great battle^ for they were a great number ; but they 
 
144 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 could, not endure against the Englishmen, and they 
 were nigh all slain ; few escaped ; the two lords were 
 slain. 
 
 This morning the Englishmen met mth divers 
 Frenchmen that had lost their way on the Saturday 
 and had lain all night in the fields, and who knew 
 not where the king was, nor the captains. 
 
 They were all slain, as many as were met with ; 
 and it was said to me that of the citizens and men 
 afoot of the cities and good towns of France there 
 were slain four times as many as were slain on Satur- 
 day in the great battle. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 HOW THE NEXT DAT AFTER THE BATTLE OF CEESST 
 THEY THAT WERE DEAD WERE COUNTED BY THE 
 ENGLISHMEN 
 
 The same Sunday, as the King of England came 
 from mass, some that had been sent forth returned, 
 and told the king what they had seen and done, and 
 said, " Sir, we think surely there is now no more ap- 
 pearance of any of our enemies." 
 
 Then the king sent to search how many were 
 slain, and who they were. Sir Raynold Cobham and 
 Sir Richard Stafford, with three heralds, went to 
 search the field and country. 
 
 They visited all them that were slain, and rode all 
 day in the fields, and returned again to the host as 
 the king was going to supper. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 145 
 
 They made a true report of that they had seen, 
 and said how there were eleven great princes dead, 
 fourscore banners, twelve hundred knights, and more 
 than fifteen thousand other.* 
 
 The Englishmen kept still their field all that 
 night. On the Monday in the morning the king pre- 
 pared to depart. 
 
 The king caused the dead bodies of the great 
 lords to be taken up and buried in holy ground, and 
 made a proclamation in the country to grant a truce 
 for three days, to the intent that the peasants of the 
 country might search the field of Cressy to bury the 
 dead bodies. 
 
 Then the king went forth, and on the Wednesday 
 the king came before the strong town of Calais. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIIl 
 
 HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND LAID SIEGE TO CALAIS, 
 AND HOW ALL THE POOK PEOPLE WERE PUT OUT 
 OF THE TOWN 
 
 In the town of Calais the captain was a knight 
 called Sir John de Vienne, and with him were divers 
 other knights and squires. 
 
 * The French loss was equal to the whole number of English- 
 men in the battle. There were slain nine princes, eighty lords dis- 
 playing their own banners, twelve hundred knights, fifteen hun- 
 dred men at arms, and thirty thousand footmen. 
 
146 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 When the King of England was come before Ca- 
 lais, he laid his siege and ordered forts to be built 
 between the town and the river. 
 
 He caused carpenters to make houses and lodgings 
 of great timber, and set the houses in streets, and 
 covered them with reed and broom, so that it was like 
 a little town. 
 
 And there was everything to sell, and a market 
 place was kept every Tuesday and Saturday for flesh 
 and fish, shops for cloth, for bread, wine, and all other 
 things necessary ; there they might buy what they 
 list. The Englishmen made forays oftentimes into 
 the country, even as far as Boulogne. They brought 
 into their host great booty. 
 
 The king would not assault the town of Calais, 
 for he thought it but a lost labor. He spared 
 his people and his artillery, and said that he would 
 famish them in the town by a long siege, unless the 
 French King should come and raise his siege per- 
 force. 
 
 When the captain of Calais saw the manner and 
 the order of the Englishmen, then he forced all the 
 poor and common people to issue out of the town, 
 and on a Wednesday there issued out, of men, women, 
 and children, more than seventeen hundred ; and as 
 they passed through the host they were asked why 
 they departed, and they answered and said, because 
 they had nothing to live on. 
 
 Then the king did them that grace that he suf- 
 fered them to pass through his host without danger, 
 and gave them meat and drink, and to every person 
 
Battle of Calais between the English and French. 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 147 
 
 he gave two pence sterling in alms, for the which 
 many of them prayed for the king's prosperity.* 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIY 
 
 HOW THE TOWN OF CALAIS WAS GIVEN UP TO THE 
 KING OF ENGLAND (AUGUST 4, 1347) f 
 
 The siege before Calais endured long, nigh to a 
 year's time, and many things happened in the mean- 
 while, of which I can not write the fourth part. When 
 they within Calais saw that their succor failed them 
 they were in great sorrow. 
 
 Then they desired their captain, Sir John of 
 Vienne, that he should go to the walls of the town 
 and make a sign to speak with some person of the 
 English host. When the king heard thereof he sent 
 thither Sir Walter of Manny and Sir Basset. 
 
 Then Sir John of Yienne said to them : " Sirs, ye 
 are right valiant knights in deeds of arms, and ye 
 know well how the king my master hath sent me and 
 others to this town and commanded us to keep it 
 for him in such wise that no damage may come to 
 him ; and we have done all that lieth in our power. 
 
 * Two pence in those days would buy about as much food as 
 forty or fifty cents in the United States to-day. The wages of a 
 farm laborer, then, were only three pence a day. 
 
 f Calais was taken by the English in 1347. and held by them 
 until 1558. All the other possessions of England in France were 
 lost long before that time — in 1431. 
 
148 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " JSTow our succor hath failed us, and we are so sore 
 strained that we have not enough to live upon, so 
 that we must all die or else go mad for famine, unless 
 the noble and gentle King of England will take 
 mercy on us. 
 
 " We ask you to desire him to have pity on us and 
 to let us go and depart, and let him take the town 
 and castle and all the goods that are therein, which 
 are in great abundance." 
 
 Then Sir Walter of Manny said : " Sir, we know 
 somewhat of the intention of the king our master, for 
 he hath told it unto us. 
 
 " Ye must surely know for truth that it is not his 
 mind that ye nor they within the town should depart 
 so, for it is his will that ye all should put yourselves 
 at his disposal, to ransom all such that pleaseth him 
 and to put to death such as he list. 
 
 " For they of Calais have worked so much against 
 him, and have caused him to spend so much wealth, 
 and lose so many of his men, that he is sore aggrieved 
 against them." 
 
 Then the captain said : " Sir, this is too hard a 
 matter to us. We are here within, humble knights 
 and squires, who have truly served the king our mas- 
 ter as well as ye would serve yours in like case. 
 
 " And we have endured much pain and unease ; 
 but we shall yet endure as much pain as ever knights 
 did, rather than to consent that the poorest lad in 
 the town should endure any more evil than the great- 
 est of us all. 
 
 " Therefore, sir, we pray you that ye will go and 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) I49 
 
 speak to the King of England and desire him to have 
 pitj npon us ; for we trust to find in him so much 
 gentleness that by the grace of God his purpose shall 
 change." 
 
 Sir Walter of Manny and Sir Basset returned to the 
 king and declared to him all that had been said. The 
 king said he would have no other thing but that the 
 French should yield them up simply to his pleasure. 
 
 Then Sir Walter said : " Sir, saving your dis- 
 pleasure, in this ye may be in the wrong, for ye shall 
 give by this an evil example. 
 
 " If ye send any of us, your servants, into any for- 
 tress, we shall not be very glad to go, if ye put any of 
 them in this town to death after they have surren- 
 dered ; for in like wise others will deal with us, if the 
 case should so befall." And these words other lords 
 there present sustained and maintained. 
 
 Then the king said : " Sirs, I will not be alone 
 against you all ; therefore. Sir Walter of Manny, ye 
 shall go and say to the captain that all the mercy that 
 he shall find now in me is that they let six of the 
 chief burgesses {citizens) of the town come out bare- 
 headed, barefooted, and barelegged, and in their 
 shirts, with halters about their necks, with the keys 
 of the town and castle in their hands, and let the 
 six yield themselves purely to my will, and the rest I 
 will pardon." 
 
 Then Sir Walter returned and found Sir John 
 of Tienne still on the wall, abiding for an answer. 
 Then Sir Walter showed him all the grace that he 
 could get of the king. 
 16 
 
150 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " Well," quoth Sir John, " sir, I ask you to tarry 
 here a certain space {time)^ till I go into the town and 
 tell this to the citizens of the town, who sent me 
 hither." 
 
 Then Sir John went unto the market place and 
 sounded the bell ; then immediately the men and 
 women assembled there. 
 
 Then the captain made a report of all that he had 
 done, and said : " Sirs, it will be none otherwise ; 
 therefore now take advice and make a short answer." 
 
 Then all the people began to weep and to make 
 such sorrow that even the hardest heart would have 
 been filled with pity of them; the captain himself 
 wept piteously. 
 
 At last the most rich burgess of all the town, 
 called Eustace of Saint-Pierre, rose up and said open- 
 ly : " Sirs, great and small, great misfortune it would 
 be to let such people as are in this town die either 
 by famine or otherwise when there is a means to save 
 them. I think he that keeps them from such misfor- 
 tune should have great merit in the eye of our Lord 
 God. 
 
 "■ As for my part, I have so good trust in our Lord 
 God, that if I die to save the rest I think God would 
 pardon my sins ; wherefore to save them I will be 
 the first to put my life in jeopardy." 
 
 When he had thus said, every man honored him, 
 and divers kneeled down at his feet with sore weep- 
 ing and sore sighs. Then another honest burgess rose 
 and said, " I will keep company with my familiar 
 friend Eustace." He was called John d'Aire. 
 
THE BATTLE OP CRESSY (1346) 151 
 
 Then rose up Jaques of Wissant, who was rich in 
 goods ; he said also that he would hold company with 
 his two cousins. In like wise so did Peter of AVissant 
 his brother ; and then rose two other, Jean de Tiennes 
 and Andrieu d'André. They said they would do the 
 same. Then they w^ent and appareled them as the 
 king desired. 
 
 Then the captain went with them to the gate : 
 there was great lamentation made by men, women, 
 and children at their departing : then the gate was 
 opened, and he issued out with the six burgesses and 
 closed the gate again, so that they wei*e between the 
 gate and the barriers. 
 
 Then he said to Sir Walter of Manny : " Sir, I 
 deliver here to you, as captain of Calais, by the con- 
 sent of all the people of the town, these six burgesses, 
 and I swear to you truly that they be to-day the most 
 honorable, rich, and most notable burgesses of all the 
 town of Calais. 
 
 "Wherefore, gentle knight, I ask you pray the 
 king to have mercy on them, that they die not." 
 
 Quoth Sir Walter, " I can not say what the king 
 will do, but I shall do for them the best I can." Then 
 the barriers were opened, the six burgesses went toward 
 the king, and the captain entered again into the town. 
 
 AVhen Sir Walter presented these burgesses to 
 the king, they kneeled down and held up their hands, 
 and said : " Gentle king, behold us here, we six, who 
 were burgesses of Calais and great merchants ; we 
 have brought to you the keys of the town and of the 
 castle^ and we submit ourselves entirely to your will 
 
152 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 and pleasure, to save the rest of the people of Calais, 
 who have suffered great pain. 
 
 " Sir, we beseech you to have mercy and pity on 
 us through your high nobleness." Then all the earls 
 and barons and other that were there wept for pity. 
 
 The king looked fiercely on them, for greatly he 
 hated the people of Calais for the damages and dis- 
 pleasures they had done him. 
 
 Then he commanded their heads to be stricken off. 
 Then every man begged the king for mercy, but he 
 would hear no man in that behalf. 
 
 Then Sir Walter of Manny said : " Ah, noble king, 
 fof God's sake hold back your anger. 
 
 " Ye have the name of sovereign nobleness ; there- 
 fore now do nothing to blemish your renown, nor to 
 give cause to the folk to speak evil of you. 
 
 "" Every man will declare it great cruelty to put to 
 death such honest persons, who by their own wills 
 have put themselves at your mercy to save their 
 companions." 
 
 Then the king ground his teeth and commanded 
 to send for the hangman, and said : " They of Calais 
 have caused many of my men to be slain, wherefore 
 these citizens shall die." 
 
 Then the queen kneeled do^vn and, sore weeping, 
 said : " Ah, gentle Sir, since I passed the sea in great 
 peril, I have asked no favor from you ; therefore now 
 I humbly ask you, for the honor of the Son of the Vir- 
 gin Mary and for the love of me, that ye will have 
 mercy upon these six burgesses." 
 
 The king looked on the queen and stood still in 
 
o 
 
 «♦-I 
 
 o 
 
 fciD 
 
 
THE BATTLE OF CRESSY (1346) 153 
 
 thought a space, and then said : " Ah, dame, I wouid 
 ye had been now in some other place ; ye make such 
 request to me that I can not deny you. Wherefore 
 I give them to you, to do your pleasure with them." 
 
 Then the queen caused them to be brought into 
 her rooms, and had the halters taken from their necks, 
 and caused them to be new clothed, and gave them 
 their dinner at their leisure ; and then she gave each 
 of them six nobles {a coin), and caused them to be 
 brought out of the host in safeguard and set at 
 liberty. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXy 
 
 HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND REPEOPLED THE TOWN 
 OF CALAIS WITH ENGLISHMEN 
 
 Thus the strong town of Calais was given up to 
 King Edward of England the year of our Lord God 
 McccxLvi, in the month of August. 
 
 The King of England called to him Sir Walter 
 of Manny and his two marshals, the Earl of Warwick 
 and the Earl of Stafford, and said to them : " Sirs, 
 take here the keys of the town and castle of Calais ; 
 go and take possession there, and put in prison all the 
 knights that are there ; and all other soldiers that came 
 thither simply to win their living, banish them from 
 the town, and also all other men, women, and children, 
 for I would repeople again the town with pure Eng- 
 lishmen." 
 
154 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 So these three lords took possession of Calais, and 
 did put certain knights in prison. 
 
 Then they caused the soldiers to bring all their 
 harness {armor) into a place appointed, and to lay it 
 all in a heap in the market place of Calais. 
 
 Then they made all manner of people leave the 
 town, and kept there no persons except a priest and 
 two other ancient personages, such as knew the cus- 
 toms, laws, and ordinances of the town. 
 
 They prepared the castle to lodge the king and 
 queen, and prepared other houses for the king's com- 
 pany. 
 
 Then the king mounted on his horse and entered 
 into the town with trumpets, and there the king re- 
 mained till after the birth of his fair daughter, the 
 Princess Margaret. 
 
 The king gave to Sir Walter of Manny divers 
 fair houses within the town, and others to the Earl of 
 Stafford, to the Lord of Cobham, and to other lords. 
 
 The king's mind was, when he came into England, 
 to send out of London thirty-six good citizens to Calais 
 to dwell there, and to do so much that the town might 
 be peopled with pure Englishmen ; which intent the 
 king fulfilled. 
 
 Then the new town and fortress that was without 
 the town was pulled down, and the castle that stood 
 on the haven {Jiarhoi^) razed to the ground, and the 
 great timber and stones brought into the town. 
 
 Then the king ordained men to keep the gates, 
 walls, and barriers, and amended all things within 
 the town ; and the prisoners were sent into England 
 
THE BATTLE OP CRESSY (1346) 155 
 
 and were half a year at London, after which tmie 
 they were ransomed. 
 
 Methmks it was great pity of the burgesses and 
 other men of the town of Calais, and women and 
 children, when they were forced to forsake their 
 houses, heritages, and goods, and to bear away nothing ; 
 and they had no recompense from the French King, 
 for whose sake they lost all. 
 
 Then the King of England and the queen returned 
 into England, and the king sent from London thirty- 
 six citizens to Calais, who were rich and wise, and 
 their wives and children, and daily he sent more, for 
 the king granted there such liberties and franchises 
 that men were glad to go and dwell there. The same 
 time was brought to London Sir Charles de Blois, who 
 called himself Duke of Brittany ; he was put in prison 
 ill the Tower of London with the King of the Scots 
 and the Earl of Moray. 
 
PAET Y 
 
 THE WARS OF EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE 
 
 IN FRANCE, AND THE VICTORY OF 
 
 POITIERS {1356) 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXYI 
 
 OF THE GEEAT HOST THAT THE FRENCH KING BEOUGHT 
 TO THE BATTLE OF POITIEES (SEPTEMBEK, 1356) 
 
 Aftek the taking of the castle of Horn oran tin and 
 of them that were therein, the Prince of Wales {who 
 was now twenty -six years of age) and his company 
 rode as they did before, destroying the country, ap- 
 proaching to Anjou and to Touraine. 
 
 The French King heard that the prince was in 
 Touraine, and how he was returning by Poitou. 
 
 The Englishmen were always watched by certain 
 expert knights of France, who made report to the 
 king what the Englishmen were doing. 
 
 Then the King of France came to Touraine, and 
 his men passed the river of Loire, some at the bridge 
 of Orleans, and some at Tours, and w^herever they 
 could. 
 
 They were in number about twenty thousand men 
 156 
 
Edward the Black Prince. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 157 
 
 of arms beside others ; there were twenty-six dukes 
 and earls, and more than six score banners, and the 
 four sons of the king, who were but young. 
 
 The same season, Pope Innocent the Sixth sent the 
 Lord Bertrand, Cardinal of Perigord," into France, to 
 treat for a peace between the French King and all his 
 enemies. 
 
 Then the Cardinal of Perigord went to Tours, and 
 there he heard how the French King hasted to find 
 the Englishmen; then he rode to Poitiers, for he 
 heard how both the hosts were going thither. 
 
 The French King heard how the Prince of Wales 
 was hastening greatly to return, and the king feared 
 that he should escape him, and so he departed from 
 Touraine, with all his company, and passed the river 
 thinking that the Englishmen were before him, but 
 they were not. 
 
 Howbeit they pursued after him and there passed 
 the bridge that day more than three score thousand 
 horses, and divers other passed at other places, and 
 ever as they passed they took the way to Poitiers. 
 
 On the other side the Prince of Wales knew not 
 truly where the Frenchmen were ; but he supposed 
 that they were not far off, for his host could find no 
 more forage, whereby they had great lack of victual, 
 and some of them repented that they had destroyed 
 so much as they had done when they were formerly 
 in Touraine. 
 
 The same Saturday the Prince of Wales sent be- 
 
 * Pâ-rë-gôr'. 
 
158 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 fore liim certain scouts to see and to hear where the 
 Frenchmen were. They were in number three score 
 men of arms well horsed, and with them was the Lord 
 Eustace d' Aubrecicourt ^ and the Lord John of Ghi- 
 stelleSjf and by chance the Englishmen and French- 
 men met together. 
 
 The Frenchmen soon knew they were their ene- 
 mies ; then in haste they put on their helmets and 
 displayed their banners and came at a great pace to- 
 ward the Englishmen ; they were in number two 
 hundred men of arms. 
 
 When the Englishmen saw that tbey were so great 
 a number, then they determined to fly and let the 
 Frenchmen chase them, for they knew well the Prince 
 of Wales with his host was not far behind. Then 
 they turned their horses, and the Frenchmen pursued 
 after them crying their war cries and making great 
 noise. 
 
 And as they chased, they came on the prince's 
 battle. The Lord de Coucy :}: with his banner went so 
 far forward that he was under the prince's banner. 
 There was a sore battle, and the knight fought 
 valiantly ; howbeit, he w;as there taken, and all the 
 other lords with him taken or slain, save a few that 
 escaped. 
 
 And by the prisoners the prince knew that the 
 French King had gone in front of them, and that he 
 could in no way depart witliout being fought with. 
 Then he assembled together all his men, and com- 
 
 * O-brâ'-së-kôr. f Gë-stels. ^ Ko-së'. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE I59 
 
 manded that no man should go in front of the mar- 
 shals' banners. 
 
 Thus the prince rode that Saturday from the 
 morning till it was nearly night, so that he came 
 within two leagues of Poitiers. 
 
 Then the prince sent forth certain knights to see 
 what the Frenchmen were doing. These knights 
 departed with two hundred men of arms well horsed ; 
 they rode so far that they saw the great battle of the 
 French King's ; they saw all the fields co^^ered with 
 men of arms. 
 
 These EngUshmen could not hold their hands 
 from attacking the rear of the French host, and cast 
 down many to the earth and took divers prisoners, so 
 that the host began to stir, and tidings thereof came 
 to the French King as he was entering into the city 
 of Poitiers. 
 
 The English scouts returned again to the prince, 
 and told him all that they saw and knew, and said 
 that the French host was a great number of people. 
 " Well," said the prince, " in the name of God let us 
 now study how we shall fight with them to our ad- 
 vantage." 
 
 That night the Englishmen lodged in a strong 
 place among hedges, vines, and bushes, and their host 
 was well guarded, and so was the French host. 
 
160 THE CHEONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTER XXXYII 
 
 OF THE ORDER OF THE FRENCHMEN BEFORE THE 
 BATTLE OF POITIERS 
 
 On the Sunday in the morning the French King, 
 who had great desire to fight with the Enghshmen, 
 heard mass in liis pavihon {tent), and his four sons 
 with him. 
 
 After mass there came to him the Duke of Or- 
 leans, the Duke of Bourbon, the Duke of Athens, 
 Constable of France, and divers other great barons of 
 France ; all these with the king counseled together. 
 
 Then finally it was ordered that all should move 
 into the field, and every lord display his banner, and 
 set forth in the name of God and Saint-Denis. Then 
 trumpets blew through the host, and every man 
 mounted on horseback and went into the field, where 
 they saw the king's banner wave with the wind. 
 
 There might have been seen great splendor of fair 
 harness {armor\ and rich banners and pennons ; for 
 there was all the flower of France, l^o man durst 
 abide at home for he would have been shamed 
 forever. 
 
 Then it was ordered, by the advice of the mar- 
 shals, that the army should be ranged in three bat- 
 tles, and in each division there were sixteen thousand 
 men of arms. 
 
 The first battle the Duke of Orleans was to gov- 
 ern, with thirty-six banners and twice as many pen- 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN PRANCE 161 
 
 nous ; the second the Duke of Kormandj and his two 
 brethren, the Lord Louis and the Lord John ^ ; the 
 third the king himself. 
 
 While these battles were forming, the king called 
 to him certain knights, and said to them : " Sirs, ride 
 on before to see the dealing of the Englishmen, and 
 consider well their number, and by what means we 
 may tight with them — whether afoot or ahorseback." 
 
 These knights rode forth, and the king was on a 
 white courser, and said aloud to his men : " Sirs, 
 among yourselves, when ye are at Paris, or at Orleans, 
 then ye do threaten the Englislimen and desire to be 
 fighting against them. Xow I shall show them to 
 you ; now show forth the evil will that ye bear them, 
 and revenge the displeasures and damages that they 
 have done you, for without doubt we shall fight with 
 them." Such as heard him said : " Sir, in God's 
 name so be it ; that would we do gladly." 
 
 Therewith the knights returned again to the king, 
 who demanded of them tidings. Then one of them 
 answered for all, and said : " Sir, we have seen the 
 Englishmen ; by estimation they are two thousand 
 men of arms and four thousand archers, and fifteen 
 hundred others. 
 
 " Howbeit, they have chosen their position wisely, 
 and have taken post along the road, which is fortified 
 strongly with hedges and thickets, and they have beset 
 this hedge on one side and on the other with their 
 archers, so that one can not enter nor ride along their 
 
 * Sons of the King of France, 
 
 IT 
 
IQ2 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 road except in front of the archers, and that way must 
 he go who purposes to fight with them. 
 
 "In this hedge there is but one entry and one 
 issue, where perhaps four men of arms might ride 
 afront. At the end of this hedge, among vines and 
 thorn bushes where no man can go nor ride, are their 
 men of arms all afoot, and they have set in front of 
 them their archers, whom it would not be easy to dis- 
 comfit {defeai)r 
 
 " Well," said the king, " what will ye then coun- 
 sel us to do ? " Sir Eustace said : " Sir, let us all be 
 afoot, except three hundred men of arms well horsed, 
 of the best in your host and most hardy, so that 
 these may somewhat break and open the archers, and 
 then your battles must follow on quickly afoot, and 
 so fight with their men of arms hand to hand. This 
 is the best advice that I can give you ; if any man 
 think any other way better, let him speak." 
 
 The king said : " Thus shall it be done." Then the 
 two marshals rode from battle to battle and chose out 
 three hundred knights and squires of the most expert 
 men of arms of all the host, every man well armed 
 and horsed. 
 
 Also it was ordered that the divisions of Germans 
 should remain on horseback to aid the marshals, if 
 need were. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 163 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXYIII 
 
 HOW THE CARDINAL OF PERIGORD * ENDEAVORED TO 
 MAKE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE FRENCH KING 
 AND THE PRINCE OF WALES BEFORE THE BATTLE 
 OF POITIERS 
 
 When the French King's battles were ordered 
 and every lord under his banner among his own men, 
 then it was commanded that every man should cut his 
 spear to five foot long, and that every man should put 
 off his spars. {They intended to fight on foot.) 
 
 Thus, as they were ready to approach, the Cardi- 
 nal of Perigord came in great haste to the King of 
 France. He kneeled down to the king, and said : 
 " Sir, ye have here all the flower of your realm against 
 a handful of people, for so the Englishmen are, com- 
 pared with your company ; and. Sir, if ye have them 
 yield to you without battle, it shall be more profitable 
 and honorable to have them by that manner rather 
 than to risk so noble chivalry as ye have here present. 
 Sir, I require you, in the name of God, that I may 
 ride to the Prince of Wales and show him what dan- 
 ger ye have him in." 
 
 The king said : " It pleaseth me well, but return 
 again shortly." The cardinal departed and dihgently 
 he rode to the prince, who was among his men afoot ; 
 
 * Pronounced pâ-rë-gôr'. It is written with an accent in 
 French, Perigord. 
 
164 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 then the cardinal alighted and came to the prince, who 
 received him conrteously. 
 
 Then the cardinal, after he had made his saluta- 
 tion, said : " Certainly, fair son, if you and your coun- 
 cil weigh justly the puissance {might) of the French 
 King, ye will suffer me to treat to make a peace be- 
 tween you, if I may." 
 
 The prince, who was young and lusty, said : " Sir, 
 if my honor and that of my people are saved, I would 
 gladly consent to any reasonable way." Then the 
 cardinal said : " Sir, ye say well, and 1 shall bring you 
 and the king to agreement if I can ; for it would be a 
 great pity if so many noblemen and others as are here 
 in both parties should come together in battle." 
 
 Then the cardinal rode again to the King of France, 
 and said : " Sir, ye need not to make any great haste 
 to fight with your enemies, for they can not fly from 
 you even though they would ; wherefore. Sir, I re- 
 quire you to forbear for this day till to-morrow's 
 suurising." 
 
 The king was loath to agree thereto, for some of 
 his council would not consent to it ; but finally the 
 cardinal showed such reasons that the king agreed to 
 that delay. 
 
 That Sunday all the day the cardinal rode from 
 one host to the other, trying to bring them to agree- 
 ment ; but the French King would not agree unless 
 he might have four of the principalest of the English- 
 men prisoners at his pleasure, and the prince and all 
 the others to yield themselves simply ; howbeit, there 
 were many great offers made. 
 
o 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 A 
 
 H 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 165 
 
 The Prince of Wales offered to return into the 
 king's hands all that ever he had won in that cam- 
 paign, towns and castles, and to release all prisoners 
 that he or any of his men had taken in that season, 
 and also to swear not to make war against the French 
 King for seven year afterwards. 
 
 But the king and his council would none thereof ; 
 the uttermost that he would do was that the prince 
 and a hundred of his knights should yield themselves 
 into the king's prison, which the prince would in no 
 wise agree unto. 
 
 In the meantime the cardinal rode between the 
 hosts, hoping to do some good. Certain knights of 
 France and of England both rode forth the same 
 Sunday, because there was truce for that day, to coast 
 along the hosts and to behold the dealing of their 
 enemies. 
 
 So it fortuned that the Lord John Chandos rode the 
 same day coasting the French host, and in like man- 
 ner the Lord of Clermont* had ridden forth and 
 viewed the state of the English host. As these two 
 knights returned toward their hosts, they met together. 
 Each of them bore the same device on his apparel — 
 that is, a blue lady embroidered in a sunbeam {the 
 coat of arms). 
 
 Then the Lord Clermont said : " Chandos, how 
 long have ye taken on you to bear my device ? " 
 " Nay, ye bear mine," said Chandos, " for it is as well 
 mine as yours." " I deny that," said Clermont, " but 
 
 * Pronounced kler-raôn'. 
 
166 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 if it were not for the truce this day between us, I 
 should show you incontinent {on the instant) that ye 
 have no right to bear my device." "Ah, sir," said 
 Chandos, "ye shall find me to-morrow ready to prove 
 by feat of arms that it is as well mine as yours." 
 
 Then Clermont said : " Chandos, these be well the 
 words of you Englishmen, for ye can devise nothing 
 of new, but all that ye see is good and fair, and ye 
 take the devices of others who have more wit than 
 ye." So they departed without any more doing, and 
 each of them returned to his host. 
 
 The Cardinal of Perigord could in no wise that 
 Sunday make any agreement between the parties, and 
 when it was near night he returned to Poitiers. 
 
 That night the Frenchmen took their ease ; they 
 had provisions enough, and the Englishmen lacked 
 them sorely. They could get no forage, nor could 
 they leave their place without danger of their 
 enemies. 
 
 That Sunday the Englishmen made great dikes 
 and hedges about their archers, to be the stronger; 
 and on the Monday in the morning the prince and his 
 company were ready appareled as they were before ; 
 and about the sunrising in like manner were the 
 Frenchmen. 
 
 The same morning, betimes, the cardinal came 
 again to the French host, and thought by his preach- 
 ing to pacify the parties: but then the Frenchmen 
 said to him : " Eeturn whither ye will ; bring hither no 
 more words of treaty nor peace ; if ye love yourself, 
 depart shortly." 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 167 
 
 When the cardinal saw that he labored in vain 
 he took leave of the King of France, and then he went 
 to the Prince of Wales, and said : " Sir, do what ye 
 can ; there is no remedy but to abide the battle, for I 
 can find no desire for agreement in the French King." 
 Then the prince said : " The same is our intent and 
 that of all our people ; God help the right ! " 
 
 So the cardinal returned to Poitiers. In his com- 
 pany there were certain knights and squires, men of 
 arms, who were more favorable to the French King 
 than to the prince ; and when they saw that the 
 parties would certainly fight, they stole away from 
 their masters and went back to the French host. 
 
 The order of the Englishmen's battle array was 
 told to the French King, except that they had ordered 
 three hundred men ahorseback and as many archers 
 ahorseback to coast under cover of the mountain and 
 to strike into the battle of the Duke of !N'ormandy, 
 who was under the mountain afoot. 
 
 This i^lan they had newly made, and the French- 
 men knew not of it. The prince was with his battle 
 down among the vines, and had closed in the weakest 
 part with the carriages. 
 
 In the prince's company thei*e were not above 
 eight thousand men one and other, and the French- 
 men were sixty thousand fighting men, whereof there 
 were more than three thousand knights. 
 
168 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIX 
 
 OF THE BATTLE OF POITIEES BETWEEN THE PRINCE OF 
 WALES AND THE FRENCH KING (SEPTEMBER 19, 1856) 
 
 When the Prince of Wales saw that the cardinal 
 was gone without any peace or truce making, and 
 that there certainly would be a battle, he said then to 
 his men : " Xow, sirs, though we be but a small com- 
 pany compared to the number of our enemies, let us 
 not be downcast for that reason. For the victory 
 lieth not in the multitude of people, but God will 
 send it. 
 
 " If it turn out that the day be ours, we shall be 
 the most honored people of all the world ; and if 
 we die in our just quarrel, I have the king my father 
 and brethren, and also ye have good friends and kins- 
 men ; these shall revenge us. 
 
 "■ Therefore, sirs, for God's sake I require you do 
 your duty this day ; for if God be pleased and Saint 
 George, this day ye shall see me a good knight." 
 These words and others that the prince spake com- 
 forted all his people. 
 
 The Lord Sir John Chandos never went from the 
 prince that day ; nor also the Lord James Audley for 
 a great while, but afterward when he saw that they 
 would certainly fight, he said to the prince : " Sir, I 
 have served truly my lord your father, and you also, 
 and shall do so as long as I live. I say this because I 
 made once a vow that the first battle that either the 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 169 
 
 king your father or any of liis children should be at, 
 I would be the first setter-on and the best combatant, 
 or else die in the attempt. 
 
 " Therefore I require your Grace, as reward for 
 any service that ever I did to the king your father or 
 to you, that you will give me leave to depart from 
 you and to set myself in a place where I may accom- 
 plish my vow." 
 
 The prince accorded his desire, and said, " Sir 
 James, God give you this day grace to be the best 
 knight of all others," and so took him by the hand. 
 
 Then the knight departed from the prince and 
 went to the foremost front of all the battles, only ac- 
 companied with four squires, who promised not to 
 fail him. 
 
 Thus Sir James was in the front of the battle 
 ready to fight with the battle of the marshals of 
 France. 
 
 In like wise the Lord Eustace did his best to be 
 one of the foremost to set on. When Sir James 
 Audley began to set forward to his enemies, it for- 
 tuned to Sir Eustace as ye shall hear afterward. 
 
 Ye have heard before how the Germans in the 
 French host were appointed to remain ahorseback. 
 Sir Eustace, being ahorseback, laid his spear in the 
 rest and ran into the French battle, and then a knight 
 of Germany, called the Lord Louis of Recombes, rode 
 against him, and they met so rudely that both knights 
 fell to the earth. 
 
 The German was hurt in the shoulder, therefore 
 he rose not so quickly as did Sir Eustace, who, when 
 
170 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 he was up and had taken his breath, came to the other 
 knight as he lay on the ground. 
 
 Then five other knights of Germany came on him 
 all at once and bore him to the earth, and so perforce 
 there he was taken prisoner and brought to the Earl 
 of JS'assau, who then took no heed of him ; and I can 
 not say whether they sware him prisoner or no, but 
 they tied him on to a cart and there let him stay. 
 
 Then the battle began on all sides, and the battles 
 of the marshals of France approached. They entered 
 ahorseback into the roadway where great hedges were 
 on both sides full of archers. 
 
 As soon as the men of arms entered, the archers 
 began to shoot on both sides, and did slay and hurt 
 horses and knights, so that the horses when they felt 
 the sharp arrows would in no wise go forward, but 
 drew aback and flung about, and took on so fiercely 
 that many of them fell on their masters, so that they 
 could not rise again ; so that the marshals' battle could 
 never come near the prince. 
 
 Certain knights and squires that were well horsed 
 passed through the archers and tried to approach to 
 the prince, but they could not. The Lord James 
 Audley with his four squires was in the front of that 
 battle, and there did marvels in fighting. 
 
 The battle of the marshals began to be disordered 
 by reason of the shot of the archers with the aid of 
 the men of arms, who came in among them and slew 
 them and did what they list (Jihed). 
 
 Also on the French side the Lord John Clermont 
 fought under his own banner as long as he could en- 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 171 
 
 dure ; but there he was beaten down and could not be 
 relieved nor ransomed, but was slain without mercy ; 
 some said it was because of the words that he had had 
 the day before with Sir John Chandos. 
 
 So within a short space the marshals' battles were 
 discomfited, for they fell one upon another and could 
 not go forward. And the Frenchmen that were be- 
 hind and could not get forward recoiled back and 
 came on the battle of the Duke of Xormandy, the 
 which was great and thick in front, but anon it became 
 open and thin behind. 
 
 For when they knew that the marshals' battle was 
 discomfited they took their horses and departed, as 
 they might best. 
 
 True to say, the English archers did their company 
 that day great advantage ; for they shot so thick that 
 the Frenchmen knew not on what side to take heed, 
 and little and little the Englishmen won ground away 
 from them. 
 
 And when the men of arms of England saw that 
 the marshals' battle was discomfited and that the 
 duke's battle began to disorder and open, they leaped 
 then on their horses, which they had ready by them ; 
 then they assembled together, and cried, "Saint 
 George ! " and the Lord Chandos said to the Prince 
 of Wales : " Sir, take your horse and ride forth ; this 
 day is yours ; God is this day on your side. Let us 
 get to the French King's battle. 
 
 " I think verily by his valiantness he will not 
 fly. I trust we shall capture him by the grace of 
 God and Saint George, if we fight well; and, Sir, 
 
1Y2 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 I heard yon say that this day I should see you a 
 good knight." 
 
 The prince said, " Let us go forth ; ye shall not 
 see me this day return back," and said, "Advance, 
 banner, in the name of God and of Saint George ! " 
 
 The knight that bare the banner did his command- 
 ment. There was then a sore battle and a perilous, 
 and many a man was overthrown; and he that was 
 once down could not get afoot again without great 
 succor and aid. 
 
 As the prince rode and entered in among his 
 enemies he saw on his right hand in a little bush, 
 lying dead, the Lord Eobert of Duras,"^ and his ban- 
 ner by him, and ten or twelve of his men about him. 
 
 Then the prince said to two of his squires and to 
 three archers : " Sirs, take the body of this knight on 
 a targe and bear him to Poitiers, and present him 
 from me to the Cardinal of Perigord, and say how I 
 salute him by that token." And this was done. 
 
 The prince was informed that the cardinal's men 
 were on the field against him, which was not right ; 
 for men of the Church that come and go for treaty of 
 peace ought not to bear harness {aTinor) nor to fight 
 for neither of the parties ; they ought to be indifferent. 
 
 And because these men had done so, the prince 
 was displeased with the cardinal, and therefore he 
 sent unto him his nephew the Lord Robert of Duras 
 dead. 
 
 And the châtelain of Amposte was taken, and the 
 
 ^ Nephew of the cardinal. His name is pronounced dii-râ', 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IX FRANCE 173 
 
 prince would have had his head stricken off, because 
 he belonged to the cardinal, but then the Lord Chan- 
 dos said : " Sir, wait for a while ; attend to greater 
 matters; and perchance the cardinal will make such 
 an excuse that ye shall be content." 
 
 Then the prince and his company attacked the 
 battle of the Duke of Athens, Constable of France. 
 There was many a man slain and cast to the earth. 
 As the Frenchmen fought in companies, they cried, 
 " Mountjoy ! Saint-Denis ! " and the Englishmen, 
 " Saint George ! " 
 
 Soon the Prince of Wales with his company met 
 with the battle of the Germans, but in a short space 
 they also were put to flight ; the archers shot so 
 wholly together that none durst come within the 
 range of their arrows.^ They slew many a man be- 
 fore he could be taken and ransomed. 
 
 When the Duke of Normandy's battle saw the 
 Prince of Wales approach they thought to save them- 
 selves, and so the duke and the king's children, the 
 Earl of Poitiers and the Earl of Tou raine, who were 
 right young, followed their governors from the field, 
 and with them more than eight hundred spears, that 
 struck no stroke that day. 
 
 The Duke of Orleans and a great company with 
 him also departed from the field with clear hands 
 ((loithout striking a Uoiv). There were many good 
 knights and squires, though that their masters de- 
 
 * Froissart here and in many other places praises the bravery 
 and skill of the English archers, whose arrows flew " wholly to- 
 gether," " like snow." 
 18 
 
174 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 parted from the field, yet they had rather a-died than 
 to have had any such reproach {and so they remained 
 to fight). 
 
 Then the king's battle came on the Enghshmen ; 
 there was a sore fight and many a great stroke given 
 and received. The King of Trance and his youngest 
 son met with the battle of the English marshals, the 
 Earl of Warwick and the Earl of Suffolk, and with 
 them certain knights of Gascony, fighting on the 
 English side. 
 
 In the French party there were all the lords of 
 France and also the Earl Douglas of Scotland, who 
 fought for a time right valiantly, but when he saw the 
 discomfiture, departed and saved himself, for in no 
 wise would he be taken of the Englishmen ; he had 
 rather been there slain. 
 
 On the English part the Lord James Audley with 
 the aid of his four squires fought always in the front 
 of the battle ; he was sore hurt in the body and in 
 the face. As long as his breath served him he fought. 
 At last, at the end of the battle, his four squires 
 took and brought him out of the field and laid him 
 under a hedge side to refresh him ; and they took 
 off his harness and bound np his wounds as well as 
 they could. 
 
 On the French side. King John was that day a 
 full right good knight ; if the fourth part of his men 
 had done their duty as well as he did, the victory 
 would have been his by all likelihood. 
 
 Howbeit, they that stayed acquitted them as well 
 as they might, so that they were all slain or taken ; 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE I75 
 
 few escaped of those that ahghted down on the sand 
 by the side of the king their lord. 
 
 Tliere were slain and taken prisoners the cliief 
 nobles and princes of France ; there were in the shock 
 of that battle slain and taken more than two hundred 
 knights.'^ 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 OF TWO FKENCHMEN THAT FLED FROM THE BATTLE 
 OF POITIERS, AND TWO ENGLISHMEN THAT FOLLOWED 
 THEM 
 
 Among the battles, encounters, chases, and pursuits 
 that were made that day in the field, it fortuned so to 
 Sir Oudart f of Renty that he departed from the field 
 because he saw the day was lost without recovery. 
 He fled all alone and was gone out of the field a 
 league, and an English knight pursued him, and ever 
 cried to him and said, " Return again, sir knight ; it is 
 a shame to fly away thus." 
 
 Then the knight turned, and the English knight 
 thought to have stricken him with his spear in the 
 shield, but he failed, for Sir Oudart swerved aside 
 from the stroke, but he failed not the English knight, 
 
 * The French army at Poitiers was 60,000 strong, against about 
 8,000 English. The English had 2,000 men at arms. 4,000 archei's, 
 and about 1,500 light troops. It is reckoned that 8,000 French 
 were slain in battle, 3,000 more in flight, and 2,000 taken prisoners. 
 
 f Pronounced o-dar'. 
 
176 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 for he struck him such a stroke on the helm with his 
 sword that he was stunned, and fell from his horse to 
 the earth and lay still. 
 
 Then Sir Oudart alighted and came to him before 
 he could rise, and said, " Yield you, rescue or no res- 
 cue, or else I shall slay you." The Englishman yielded 
 and went with him, and afterward was ransomed. 
 
 Also it fortuned that another squire of Picardy 
 called John de Hellenes ^ fled from the battle and met 
 with his page, who delivered him a new fresh horse, 
 whereon he rode away alone. 
 
 At the same time there was in the field the Lord 
 Berkeley of England, a young lusty knight, and he 
 all alone pursued the said John of Hellenes. 
 
 And when he had followed the space of a league, 
 the said John turned again and laid his sword in the 
 rest instead of a spear, and so came running toward 
 the Lord Berkeley, who lifted up his sword to have 
 stricken the squire ; but when he saw the stroke come 
 he turned from it, so that the Englishman lost his 
 stroke ; and John struck him, as he passed, on the arm, 
 so that the Lord Berkeley's sword fell into the field. 
 
 When he saw his sword down he lighted suddenly 
 ofi his horse and came to the place where his sword 
 lay, and as he stooped down to take up his sword the 
 French squire did pike his sword at him, and by 
 chance struck him through both the thighs, so that 
 the knight fell to the earth and could not help 
 himself. 
 
 * Pronounced hel-lëns'. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 17^ 
 
 And John alighted off his horse and took the 
 knight's sword that lay on the ground, and came to 
 him and demanded if he would yield to him or not. 
 
 The knight then demanded his name. " Sir," said 
 he, " I am called John of Hellenes ; but what is your 
 name ? " " Certainly," said the knight, " my name is 
 Thomas, and I am Lord of Berkeley, a fair castle on 
 the river of Severn in the marches of Wales." 
 
 " Well, sir," quoth the squire, " then ye shall be my 
 prisoner, and I shall bring you in safeguard, and I 
 shall see that you shall be healed of your hurt." 
 " Well," said the knight, " I am content to be your 
 prisoner, for ye have by law of arms won me." There 
 he sware to be his prisoner, rescue or no rescue. 
 
 Then the squire drew forth the sword out of the 
 wound ; he wrapped and bound the wound, and set 
 him on his horse, and did get him remedy for his 
 hurt ; and when he was somewhat recovered, then he 
 got him a litter and so brought him at his ease to his 
 house in Ficardy. 
 
 There he was more than a year till he was perfectly 
 whole, and when he departed he paid for his ransom 
 six thousand nobles ; * and so this squire w^as made a 
 knight by reason of the profit that he had of the Lord 
 Berkeley. 
 
 * Six thousand nobles, the ransom of the young Lord Berkeley, 
 is equal to about .f 90,000 of our money. A noble was Qs. and 8d., 
 or $1.61; but money would then buy about ten times as much 
 as now. 
 
178 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEE XLI 
 
 HOW KING JOHN OF FRANCE WAS TAKEN PRISONER AT 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 
 
 Oftentimes the adventures of love and of war are 
 more marvelous than any man can think or wish. 
 Truly this battle of Poitiers was right great and peril- 
 ous, and many deeds of arms were done there which 
 came not to knowledge. 
 
 The fighters on both sides endured much pain. 
 King John with his own hands did that day marvels 
 in arms ; he had an axe {a hattle axe) in his hands 
 wherewith he defended himself and fought. 
 
 The Frenchmen were chased by the English even 
 to the gates of Poitiers ; there were many slain and 
 beaten down, horse and man, for the people of Poi- 
 tiers closed their gates and would suffer none to enter ; 
 wherefore in the street before the gate was horrible 
 murder, men hurt and beaten down. 
 
 The Frenchmen yielded themselves prisoners as 
 soon as an Englishman came in sight. There were 
 divers English archers that had four, five, or six pris- 
 oners. 
 
 So many Englishmen and G-ascons * came to that 
 part that perforce they made their way into the king's 
 battle, so that the Frenchmen were so mingled among 
 their enemies that sometime there were five men 
 
 * Subjects and allies of the English; see the map, page 168. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 179 
 
 upon one gentleman. There was slain Sir Geoffrey 
 of Charny with the king's banner in his hands. 
 
 Then there was a great struggle to take the king, 
 and such as knew him cried, " Sir, yield you, or else 
 ye are but dead." There was a knight of Saint-Omer's, 
 retained in wages with the King of England, called 
 Sir Denis Morbeke, who had served the Englishmen 
 five years before, because in his youth he had been 
 banished from the realm of France for a murder that 
 he did at Saint-Omer's. 
 
 It happened so well for him that he was next to 
 the French King when they were about to take him ; 
 he stepped forth into the press, and by strength of his 
 body and arms he came to the French King and said 
 in good French, " Sir, yield you." 
 
 The king looked at the knight, and said : " To 
 whom shall I yield me ? Where is my cousin, the 
 Prince of Wales ? If I might see him I would speak 
 with him." 
 
 Denis answered and said : " Sir, he is not here ; 
 but yield you to me and I will bring you to him." 
 " Who be you ? " quoth the king. 
 
 " Sir," quoth he, " I am Denis of Morbeke, a 
 knight of Artois ; but I serve the King of England, 
 because I am banished the realm of France and I 
 have forfeited all that I had there." 
 
 Then the king gave him his right gauntlet, saying, 
 " I yield me to you." There was a great press about 
 the king, for every man was saying, " I have taken 
 him," so that the king could not go forward with his 
 young son the Lord Philip because of the press. 
 
180 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 The PriDce of Wales, who was courageous and 
 cruel as a lion, took that day great pleasure to fight 
 and to chase his enemies. The Lord John Chandos, 
 who was with him all that day, never left him nor 
 never took heed of taking any prisoner. 
 
 Then at the end of the battle he said to the prince : 
 " Sir, it were good that you rested here, and set your 
 banner ahigh in this bush, so that your people may 
 draw hither, for they are much dispersed, nor can I 
 see any more banners or pennons of the French 
 party ; wherefore. Sir, rest and refresh you." 
 
 Then the prince's banner was set up ahigh on a 
 bush, and trumpets and clarions began to sound. 
 Then the prince took oiï his bassenet {helmet), and the 
 knights of his household were ready about him, and a 
 red pavilion was put up, and then drink was brought 
 forth to the prince and for such lords as were about 
 him. 
 
 And their numbers still increased as they came 
 from the chase ; there they tarried and their prisoners 
 with them. 
 
 And when the two marshals were come to the 
 prince, he demanded of them if they knew any tidings 
 of the French King. 
 
 They answered and said : ^' Sir, we think verily 
 he is either dead or taken, for he is not gone out of 
 the battles." 
 
 Then the prince said to the Earl of Warwick and 
 to Sir Raynold Cobham : " Sirs, I require you go 
 forth and see what ye can know, that at your return 
 ye may show me the truth." 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 181 
 
 These two lords took their horses and departed 
 from the prince and rode up a little hill to look 
 about them ; then they perceived a flock of men of 
 arms coming together right wearily. 
 
 There was the French King afoot in great peril, 
 for Englishmen and Gascons were his masters ; they 
 had taken him from Sir Denis Morbeke perforce, and 
 the strongest said, " I have taken him." " Kay," 
 quoth another, " I have taken him." So they strove 
 which should have him. 
 
 Then the French King, to avoid that peril, said : 
 " Sirs, strive not : lead me courteously, and my son, to 
 my cousin the Prince of Wales, and strive not for my 
 taking, for I am so great a lord that my ransom will 
 make you all rich." 
 
 The king's words somewhat appeased them ; how- 
 beit, ever as they went they made a riot, and brawled 
 for the taking of the king. 
 
 When the two foresaid lords saw and heard that 
 noise and strife among them, they came to them and 
 said : " Sirs, what is the matter that ye strive for ? " 
 " Sirs," said one of them, " it is for the French King, 
 who is here taken prisoner, and there are more than 
 ten knights and squires that maintain that they have 
 taken him and his son." 
 
 Then the two lords entered into the press, and 
 caused every man to draw aback, and commanded 
 them in the prince's name, on pain of their heads, to 
 make no more noise, nor to approach the king any 
 nearer unless they were connnanded so to do. 
 
 Then every man gave room to the lords, and they 
 
182 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 alighted and did their reverence to the king, and so 
 brought him and his son in peace to the Prince of 
 
 Wales. 
 
 CHAPTEK XLII . 
 
 OF THE GIFT THAT THE PKINCE OF WALES GAVE TO 
 THE LORD AIJDLEY AFTEK THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 
 
 As soon as the Earl of Warwick and the Lord 
 Cobham were departed from the prince, as ye have 
 heard before, then the prince asked of the knights 
 that were aboat him for the Lord Audley, if any 
 knew anything of him. 
 
 Some kniglits that were there answered and 
 said : " Sir, he is sore hurt, and lieth in a litter here 
 beside." 
 
 " By my faith," said the prince, " of his hurts I 
 am right sorry ; go and know if he may be brought 
 hither, or else I will go and see him there where 
 he is." 
 
 Then two knights came to the Lord Audley, and 
 said : " Sir, the prince desireth greatly to see you ; 
 either you must go to him, or else he will come to 
 you." ''Ah, sir," said the knight, "I thank the 
 prince when he thinketh on so humble a knight as 
 I am." 
 
 Then he called eight of his servants, and caused 
 them to bear him in his litter to the place where the 
 prince was. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IX FRANCE 183 
 
 Then tlie prince took him in his arms and kissed 
 him, and said : " Sir James, I ought greatly to honor 
 you, for by your valiance ye have this day achieved 
 renown above us all, and ye are reputed for the most 
 valiant of all." 
 
 " Ah, Sir," said the knight, " ye say as it pleaseth 
 you ; I would it were so. And if I have this day gone 
 in the front of the battle to serve you, and to accom- 
 plish the vow that I made, it ought not to be counted 
 as any especial bravery in me." 
 
 " Sir James," said the prince, " I and all ours con- 
 sider you in this day's battle the best among us ; 
 and with the intent to furnish you better to follow 
 the wars, I retain you forever to be my knight, with 
 ûve hundred marks of yearly revenues." 
 
 " Sir," said the knight, " God grant me to deserve 
 the great goodness tliat ye show me." And so he 
 took his leave of the prince, for he was right feeble, 
 and his serv^ants brought him to his lodging. 
 
 And as soon as he was gone the Earl of AYarwick 
 and the Lord Cobham returned to the prince, and 
 presented to him the French King. The prince made 
 lowly reverence to the king, and caused wine and 
 spices to be brought forth, and himself served the 
 king. 
 
184 THE CHRONICLES OF FEOISSART 
 
 CHAPTEK XLIII 
 
 HOW THE ENGLISHMEN WON GREATLY AT THE BATTLE 
 
 OF POITIERS 
 
 Thus this battle was lost, as ye have heard, the 
 which was in the fields some two leagues from Poi- 
 tiers, the twenty-second day of September, the year 
 of our Lord mccclvi. 
 
 It began in the morning and ended at noon, but 
 then all the Englishmen were not returned from the 
 chase ; therefore the prince's banner stood on a bush 
 to draw all his men together, but it was nigh night 
 before all came from the chase. 
 
 And as it was reported, there was slain all the 
 flower of France ; and there were taken with the king 
 and the Lord Philip his son, seventeen earls, besides 
 barons, knights, and squires ; and slain some five or 
 six thousand of one and other. 
 
 When every man had come from the chase they 
 had twice as many prisoners as they themselves were 
 in number. Then it was counseled among them, be- 
 cause of the great expense of keeping so many, that 
 they should put many of them to ransom incontinent 
 {iminediately) ; and so they did. 
 
 The prisoners found the Englishmen and Gascons 
 right courteous ; there were many that day put to 
 ransom, and let go only on their promise of faith and 
 truth to return again, between that time and Christ- 
 mas, to Bordeaux * with their ransoms. 
 
 * Bordeaux was then an English town. See the map, page 168. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 185 
 
 Then that night they lay in the field where the 
 battle had been. Some unarmed them, but not all ; 
 but they unarmed all their prisoners, and every man 
 made good cheer to his prisoner ; for that day who- 
 soever took any prisoner, the prisoner was his to ran- 
 som him at his pleasure. 
 
 All such as were there with the prince were made 
 rich with honor and goods, as well by ransoming of 
 prisoners as by wiiming of gold, silver, plate, jewels, 
 that were there found ; for the Frenchmen came 
 thither richly provided,* thinking that the day would 
 be theirs. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIY 
 
 HOW THE LORD JAMES AIJDLEY GAVE TO HIS FOUR 
 SQUIRES THE REVENUES THAT THE PRINCE HAD 
 GIVEN HIM 
 
 When Sir James Audley was brought to his lodg- 
 ing, then he sent for Sir Peter Audley, his brother, 
 and for other lords of his family, and then he called 
 before him his four squires, that had served him that 
 day well and truly. 
 
 Then he said to the said lords : " Sirs, it hath 
 pleased my lord the prince to give me five hundred 
 marks of revenues yearly, for which gift I have doue 
 him but small service. 
 
 * The booty captured from the French army was immense, 
 and made every English soldier rich. 
 
186 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 " Sirs, behold liere these four squires, who have 
 always served me truly, and specially so this day. 
 All the honor that I have is by their yaliantness. 
 
 " Wherefore I will reward them. I give and re- 
 sign into their hands the gift that my lord the prince 
 liath given me, to them and to their heirs forever, in 
 like manner as it was given me. I clearly disinherit 
 me thereof, and inherit them." 
 
 The lords and others that were there, every man 
 looked at the others, and they said among themselves: 
 " It cometh of a great nobleness to give this gift." 
 
 They answered him with one voice : " Sir, be it as 
 Grod will ; we shall bear witness in this behalf where- 
 soever we may be." 
 
 Then they departed from him, and some of them 
 went to the prince, who was to give the King of 
 France a supper of his own provisions ; for the French 
 had brought great abundance with them, and pro- 
 visions had failed among the English; for some of 
 them had no bread during three days. 
 
 CHAPTER XLY 
 
 HOW THE PRINCE MADE A SUPPER FOR THE FRENCH 
 KING THE SAME DAT OF THE BATTLE 
 
 This same day of the battle, at night, the Prince 
 of Wales made a supper in his lodging for the French 
 King and for the most part of the great lords that 
 were prisoners. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 187 
 
 The prince made the king and his son, the Lord 
 James of Bourbon, the Lord John d'Artois, and iive 
 other great nobles, sit all at one board, and other 
 lords, knights, and squires at other tables. 
 
 And always the prince served the king as humbly 
 as he could, and would not sit at the king's board, for 
 he said he was not sufficient to sit at the table with 
 so great a prince as the king was. 
 
 But then he said to the king : " Sir, for God's 
 sake, do not be heavy hearted, though God this day 
 did not consent to follow your will ; for. Sir, surely 
 the king my father shall bear you as much honor 
 and friendship as he may do, and shall agree with you 
 so reasonably that ye shall be friends together ever 
 after. 
 
 " And, Sir, methink ye ought to rejoice, though 
 fortune be not as ye would have had it, for this day 
 ye have won high renown, and have surpassed this 
 day in valiantness all others of your party. Sir, I say 
 not this to mock you, for all those of our party, who 
 saw every man's deeds, are plainly agreed to give you 
 the prize and chaplet." 
 
 Therewith the Frenchmen began to murmur, and 
 said among themselves that the prince had spoken 
 nobly, and that he would prove a noble man, if God 
 should grant him life and if his good fortune should 
 continue. 
 
188 THE CHRONICLES . OF FEOISSART 
 
 CHAPTER XLYI 
 
 HOW THE PKINCE OF WALES RETURNED TO BORDEAUX 
 AFTER THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 
 
 When supper was done every man went to his 
 lodging with his prisoners. The same night thej put 
 many to ransom, and beheved them on their faiths and 
 promises and ransomed them easily, for they said they 
 would set no knight's ransom so high that he might 
 not pay it readily. 
 
 The next day, when they had heard mass and taken 
 some repast and everything was packed and ready, 
 then they took their horses and rode toward Poitiers. 
 
 When the Lord of Roye knew that the English- 
 men were so near coming to the city, he caused every 
 man to be armed and every man to go to defend the 
 walls, towers, and gates ; and the Englishmen passed 
 by without attacking, for they were so laden with 
 gold, silver, and prisoners, that in their returning they 
 assaulted no fortress. 
 
 They thought it a great deed to bring the French 
 King, with their other prisoners and the riches that 
 they had won, in safeguard to Bordeaux. 
 
 They rode but short journeys because of their 
 prisoners and great carriages that they had ; they rode 
 in a day no more than four or ûve leagues, and rode 
 close together in good array. 
 
 But the marshals rode ever before with five hun- 
 drçd men of arms to open the passages that the prince 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE ISO 
 
 must pass ; but they found no encounters, for all the 
 country was so full of fright that every man retired to 
 the fortresses. 
 
 As the prince rode, some one told him how the 
 Lord Audley had given to his four squires the gift of 
 live hundred marks that he had given unto him. 
 
 Then the prince sent for him, and he was brought 
 in his litter to the prince, who received him courte- 
 ously, and said : " Sir James, we have knowledge that 
 the revenues that we gave you, as soon as ye came to 
 your lodging, you gave the same to four squires ; we 
 would know why ye did so, and whether the gift was 
 agreeable to you or not." 
 
 " Sir," said the knight, " it is true that I have 
 given it to them, and I shall show you why I did so. 
 These four squires here present have for many years 
 served me well and truly in many great businesses, 
 and, Sir, in this last battle they served me in such a 
 fashion that, if they had never done anything else, I 
 was bound to reward them, and before that day they 
 had never anything of me in reward. 
 
 "Sir, I am but a single man ; but by the aid and 
 comfort of them I took on me to accomplish my vow 
 made long before. I had been killed in the battle if 
 they had not succored me. 
 
 " Wherefore, Sir, when 1 considered the love that 
 they bore unto me, I had not been courteous if I 
 had not rewarded them. 
 
 " Sir, if I have done this without your permission, 
 I ask you to pardon me, for. Sir, both I and my 
 squires will always serve you as well as ever we did." 
 19 
 
190 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Then the prince said : " Sir James, for anything 
 that ye have done I can not blame you, but I can 
 thank you for it instead. And for the vahantness of 
 these squires, whom ye praise so much, I agree that 
 they shall keep your gift. I mean to give to you six 
 hundred marks more, just as ye had the other." 
 
 Thus the prince and his company passed through 
 the country without damage, and crossed the river of 
 Gironde and arrived in the good city of Bordeaux. 
 
 It can not be recorded how great a feast the peo- 
 ple of the city made for the prince, and how honor- 
 ably they were there received. 
 
 The Prince of Wales brought the French King 
 into the abbey of Saint Andrew's, and there they 
 lodged both, the king in one part and the prince in 
 the other. 
 
 The prince bought of the lords, knights, and 
 squires of Gascony the most part of the earls of the 
 realm of France, such as were prisoners, and paid 
 ready money for them.* 
 
 There were divers questions between the knights 
 and squires of Gascony as to who took the French 
 King. A squire of Gascony, called Bernard, said 
 how he had a right to him ; there were many words 
 before the prince and other lords that were there, 
 and the prince caused the matter to rest till they 
 came into England and ordered that no declaration 
 
 * The Gascon knights had made these French earls prisoners 
 and were entitled to put them to ransom ; the Prince of Wales 
 paid the ransoms and the Frenchmen became his prisoners from 
 that time. 
 
WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 1{)1 
 
 should be made except before the King of England, 
 his father. 
 
 But the French King himself sustained the claims 
 of Denis Morbeke, and the prince therefore secretly 
 delivered to the said Sir Denis two thousand nobles 
 to maintain his state. 
 
 Soon after the prince came to Bordeaux the Car- 
 dinal of Perigord came thither, who was sent from 
 the Pope in legation, as it was said. 
 
 He was there more than fifteen days before the 
 prince would speak with him because some of his 
 men had fought against the prince in the battle of 
 Poitiers. 
 
 The prince believed that the cardinal sent them 
 thither, but the cardinal showed such good reasons to 
 the prince that he was content to hear him speak. 
 
 And when he was before the prince he excused 
 himself so wisely that the prince and his council held 
 him excused, and so he fell again into the prince's 
 good grace and redeemed out his men hy reasonable 
 ransoms. Then the cardinal began to treat for the 
 deliverance of the French King, but I pass it over 
 briefly because nothing came of it. 
 
 Thus the prince, the Gascons, and Englishmen 
 tarried still at Bordeaux till it was Lent, in great 
 mirth and revel, and spent foolishly the gold and 
 silver that they had won. 
 
 In England there was great joy when they heard 
 tidings of the battle of Poitiers, of the discomfiting of 
 the Frenchmen and the taking of the king. 
 
 Great solemnities were made in all churches, and 
 
192 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 great fires and rejoicings throughout all England. 
 The knights and squires, such as were come home 
 from that journey, were much made of and praised 
 more than others. 
 
 CHAPTER XLYII 
 
 HOW THE PEINCE OF WALES CONVEYED THE FEENCH 
 KING FROM BORDEAUX TO ENGLAND 
 
 The same winter the Prince of Wales and such 
 Englishmen as were with him at Bordeaux prepared 
 ships to convey the French King and his son and all 
 other prisoners into England. And when the time of 
 his departure approached, then he commanded the 
 Lord d'Albret and others of his allies to keep the 
 country there till he should return again. 
 
 Then he took the sea, and certain lords of Gascony 
 with him. 
 
 The French King was in a vessel by himself, to be 
 the more at his ease, accompanied with men of arms 
 and archers. They were on the sea eleven days, and 
 on the twelfth day they arrived at Sandwich. 
 
 Then they issued out of their ship and tarried 
 there to refresh them, and on the third day they rode 
 to Canterbury. When the King of England {Edward 
 the Third) knew of their coming, he commanded the 
 people of London to prepare the city to receive the 
 French Kins:. 
 
 The French King rode through London on a white 
 
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WARS OF THE BLACK PRINCE IN FRANCE 193 
 
 courser well appareled, and the prince on a little 
 black horse near him. Thus he was conveyed along 
 the city, till he came to the Savoy {a palace), the 
 which house belonged to the Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 There the French King kept his house a long 
 season, and thither came to see him the king and 
 queen oftentimes, and made him great feast and cheer. 
 
 Soon after the French King was removed to the 
 Castle of Windsor, with all his household, and went 
 ahunting and ahawking at his pleasure."^ 
 
 * The King of France, John the Second, was kept a prisoner in 
 England till he died in London in 1350. He was succeeded by 
 his son, Charles the Fifth. 
 
PAET TI 
 
 THE BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY 
 
 CHASE) BETWEEN THE SCOTS AND 
 
 THEM OF ENGLAND {1388) 
 
 CHAPTEE XLYIII 
 
 HOW THE EAKL DOUaLAS WON THE PENNON OF SIE 
 HENRY PEKCY AT THE BARRIERS BEFORE NEWCAS- 
 TLE-UPON-TYNE, AND HOW SIR HENRY PERCY FOL- 
 LOWED THE SCOTS TO CONQUER AGAIN THE PEN- 
 NON THAT WAS LOST AT THE SCRIMMISH 
 
 The Scottish Earls of Douglas, of Moray, of March 
 and Dnnbar departed from the great host, and took 
 their way thinking to pass the river and to enter into 
 the bishopric of Durham, and to ride to the town and 
 then to return, burning the country and exiling the 
 people, and so to come to Is^ewcastle and to lodge 
 there in the town in spite of all the Englishmen. 
 
 And as they determined so they did try to do, 
 for they rode fast and secretly without doing any pil- 
 lage by the way or assaulting any castle, tower, or 
 house, but so came into the Lord Percy's land and 
 passed the river of Tyne without any hindrance, three 
 leagues above Newcastle, and at last entered into 
 194 
 
BATTLE OP OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 195 
 
 the bishopric of Durham, where they found a good 
 country. 
 
 Then they began to make war, to slay people, and 
 to burn villages, and to do many sore displeasures. 
 
 At that time the Earl of Northumberland and 
 the other knights of that country knew nothing of 
 their coming. 
 
 When tidings came to Newcastle and to Durham 
 that the Scots were abroad, as they might well see 
 by the tires and smoke in the country, the earl sent 
 his two sons to Newcastle, and sent commandment to 
 every man to draw to Newcastle, saying : " Ye shall 
 go to Newcastle and all the country shall assemble 
 there, and I shall tarry at Alnwick,"^ which is a pas- 
 sage that they must pass by. If we can surround 
 them we shall speed well." 
 
 Sir Henry Percy and Sir Ralph his brother ol)eyed 
 their father's connnandment and came thither with 
 the men of the countrv. The Scots rode burning 
 and exiling the country, so that the smoke thereof 
 came to Newcastle. The Scots came to the gates 
 of Durham and scrimmished there ; but they tarried 
 not long but returned, as they had arranged to do, 
 and what they found by the way they took ; and de- 
 stroyed it. 
 
 When these three Scottish earls, who were chief 
 captains, had sore overrun the country, then they re- 
 turned to Newcastle and there rested and tarried two 
 days, and every day they scrimmished. 
 
 * Pronounced an'ik. 
 
196 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 The Earl of JSTorthumberland's two sons were 
 young, lusty knights, and were ever foremost at the 
 barriers to scrimmish. 
 
 There were many proper feats of arms done and 
 achieved ; there was fighting hand to hand. Among 
 others there fought hand to hand the Earl Douglas 
 and Sir Henry Percy, and by force of arms the Earl 
 Douglas won Sir Henry Percy's pennon, wherewith he 
 was sore displeased, and so were all the Englishmen. 
 
 And the Earl Douglas said to Sir Henry Percy : 
 " Sir, I shall bear this token of your bravery into 
 Scotland, and shall set it on high on my castle of Dal- 
 keith, that it may be seen far off." 
 
 " Sir," quoth Sir Henry, " ye may be sure ye shall 
 not pass outside the bounds of this country till ye 
 be met in such wise that ye shall make no boast 
 thereof." 
 
 " Well, sir," quoth the Earl Douglas, " come this 
 night to my lodging and seek for your pennon. I shall 
 set it before my lodging and see if ye will come to 
 take it away." 
 
 So the Scots withdrew to their lodgings and re- 
 freshed themselves wdth snch as they had. They kept 
 that night good watch, for they thought surely to be 
 awaked ; but they were not, for Sir Henry Percy was 
 counseled not so to do. 
 
 The next day the Scots dislodged and returned 
 toward their own country, and so came to the town 
 and castle of Otterburn, thirty English miles from 
 I^ewcastle, and there lodged. That day they made 
 no assault, but the next morning they blew their 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 197 
 
 horns and made ready to assail tlie castle, which 
 was strong, for it stood in the marsh. 
 
 That day they assaulted till they were weary, and 
 did nothing. Then they sounded the retreat and re- 
 turned to their lodghigs. Then the Scottish lords took 
 counsel to determine what they should do. The most 
 part advised that the next day they should dislodge 
 without any assault and should move toward Carlisle. 
 
 But the Earl Douglas hroke that counsel, and said : 
 " In defiance of Sir Henry Percy, who said he would 
 come and win again his pennon, let us not depart 
 hence for two or three days. Let us assail this castle ; 
 it can be taken ; we shall have double honor. And 
 then let us see if he will come and fetch his pennon." 
 
 Every man agreed to his saying, for their honor's 
 sake and for their love of him. Also they lodged 
 there at their ease, for there was none that troubled 
 them ; they made lodgings of boughs and fortified 
 their camp wisely with the marsh that was there, and 
 their cai-riages were set at the entry into the marshes, 
 and they had all their beasts within the marsh. Then 
 they made ready to assault the next day ; this was their 
 intention. 
 
 Now let us speak of Sir Henry Percy and of Sir 
 Ralph his brother, and show somewhat what they 
 did. They were sore displeased that the Earl Doug- 
 las had won the pennon of their arms. 
 
 Also it touched greatly their honors, if they did 
 not do as Sir Henry Percy said he would ; for he had 
 said to the Earl Douglas that he should not carry his 
 pennon out of England, and he had openly spoken 
 
198 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 it before all the knights and squires that were at 
 Newcastle. 
 
 The Englishmen there thought surely that the 
 Earl Douglas' band was but the Scots' vanguard, and 
 that their main army was left behind. 
 
 The knights of the country, such as were well ex- 
 pert in arms, spoke against Sir Henry Percy's opin- 
 ion, and said to him : " Sir, in war there be many 
 things lost. If the Earl Douglas have won your pen- 
 non, he bought it dear, for he came to the gate to 
 seek it and was well fought with. Another day ye 
 shall win as much of him, or more. 
 
 " Sir, we say this because we know well that all 
 the power of Scotland is in the field, and if we issue 
 out we have not men enough to fight with them. 
 
 " Peradventure (^perhaps) they have made this 
 scrimmish with us to the intent to draw us out of the 
 town, and if they have, as it is said, above forty thou- 
 sand men, they may soon inclose us and do with us 
 what they will. 
 
 " It were better to lose a pennon than two or three 
 hundred knights and squires, and put all our country 
 in danger." These words restrained Sir Henry and 
 his brother, for they would do nothing against coun- 
 sel. Then tidings came to them from scouts who had 
 seen the Scots, and seen what way they took and 
 where they rested. 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 199 
 
 CHAPTEE XLIX 
 
 HOW SIR HENRY PERCY AND HIS BROTHER, WITH A 
 GOOD NUMBER OF MEN OF ARMS AND ARCHERS, 
 WENT AFTER THE SCOTS, TO WIN AGAIN HIS PEN- 
 NON THAT THE EARL DOUGLAS HAD WON, AND HOW 
 THEY ASSAILED THE SCOTS IN THEIR LODGINGS 
 
 It was showed to Sir Henry Percy and to his 
 brother, and to the other knights that were there, by 
 those who had followed the Scots from Newcastle and 
 had well watched their doings, who said to Sir Henry 
 and to Sir Palph : " Sirs, we have followed the Scots 
 secretly, and have seen all the country. The Scots 
 have gone to Otterburn, and there they lay this night. 
 What they will do to-morrow we know not. They 
 are arrayed as if their intent were to abide there ; 
 and, sirs, surely their great host is not with them, for 
 in all they do not exceed three thousand men." 
 
 AYhen Sir Henry heard that he was joyful, and 
 said : '' Sirs, let us leap on our horses, for by the faith 
 I owe to God and to my lord ray father, I will go 
 seek for my pennon and dislodge them this same 
 night." Knights and squires that heard him agreed 
 thereto, were joyous, and every man made him ready. 
 
 The same evening the Bishop of Durham was to 
 come thither also with a good company to fight with 
 the Scots. 
 
 But Sir Henry Percy would not wait for his com- 
 ing, for he had with him six hundred spears, knights 
 and squires, and eight thousand footmen. They 
 
200 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 thought that a sufficient number to fight with the 
 Scots, if they were but three hundred spears and 
 three thousand others. 
 
 Thus they departed from Newcastle after dinner 
 {in the forenoon)^ and set forth in good order and rode 
 to Otterburn ; but they could not ride fast because of 
 their footmen. 
 
 And when the Scots had supped and some had 
 lain down to their rest, they were weary of assaulting 
 of the castle all that day, and thought to rise early in 
 the cool of the day to give a new assault, then sud- 
 denly the Enghshmen came on them and entered into 
 the camp, thinking it the masters' lodgings, though it 
 was only the camp of the varlets and servants. 
 
 Then the Englishmen cried, '' Percy, Percy ! " 
 and entered into the lodgings, and ye know well how 
 noise is soon raised in such an affray. 
 
 It fortuned well for the Scots, for when they saw 
 the Englishmen had come to wake them, then the 
 lords sent certain of their servants and footmen to 
 scrimmish with the Englishmen at the entrj^ of the 
 lodgings, and in the meantime they armed themselves, 
 every man under his banner and under his captain's 
 pennon. 
 
 The night was far on, but the moon shone as 
 bright as it had been day. It was in the month of 
 August, and the weather fair and temperate. 
 
 Thus the Scots were drawn too^ether, and without 
 any noise departed from their lodgings and went 
 around a little mountain, which was greatly for their 
 advantage. For all the day before they had well ex- 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 201 
 
 amined the place, and said among themselves : " If 
 the Englishmen come on us suddenly, then we will 
 do thus and thus, for it is a hazardous thing in the 
 night if men of war enter into our lodgings. If they 
 do, then we will draw to such a place, and thereby 
 either we shall win or lose." 
 
 When the Englishmen entered into the field they 
 soon overcame the varlets, and as they entered further 
 in, always they found new men to scrimniish with them. 
 
 Then suddenly came the Scots from around the 
 mountain and set on the Englishmen, and cried their 
 war cries ; whereof the Englishmen were sore aston- 
 ished. Then they cried " Percy ! " and the other 
 party cried " Douglas ! •' 
 
 There began a cruel battle, and at the first en- 
 counter many were overthrown of both parties ; and 
 because the Englishmen were a great number and 
 greatly desired to vanquish their enemies, they did 
 put aback the Scots, so that the Scots were near dis- 
 comfited. 
 
 Then the Earl James Douglas, who was young 
 and strong and of great desire to win praise, and was 
 willing to deserve to have it, and cared for no pain 
 nor trouble,* came forth with his banner, and cried, 
 " Douglas, Douglas ! " and Sir Henry Percy and Sir 
 Ralph his brother, who had great indignation against 
 the Earl Douglas because he had won the pennon of 
 their arms, came to that part and cried, " Percy ! " 
 
 * Mark the description of a knightly spirit. It is as true in 
 our century as five hundred years ago. 
 
202 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Their two banners met, and their men. There was 
 a sore fight ; the Englishmen were so strong and fought 
 so valiantly that they turned the Scots back. There 
 were two valiant knights of Scots under the banner 
 of the Earl Douglas, called Sir Patrick of Hepbouru 
 and Sir Patrick his son. The earl's banner would 
 have been won if they had not been there ; they de- 
 fended it so valiantly and in the rescuing thereof did 
 such feats of arms that it was greatly to their recom- 
 mendation and to their heirs forever after. 
 
 All this was told to me by those who had been at 
 this battle, by knights and squires of England as well 
 as of Scotland, at the house of the Earl of Foix, for 
 soon after this battle was done I met at Orthez two 
 squires of England ; also when I returned to Avignon 
 I found also there a knight and a squire of Scotland ; 
 I knew them, and they knew me by such tokens as I 
 showed them of their country, for I, author of this 
 book, in my youth had ridden nigh over all the realm 
 of Scotland, and 1 stayed fifteen days in the house of 
 Earl Douglas, father to the Earl James, of whom I 
 spake just now, in a castle five leagues from Edin- 
 burgh in the country of Dalkeith ; the same time I 
 saw there this Earl James, a fair young child, and a 
 sister of his called the Lady Blanche ; and I was in- 
 formed by both the Scotch and the English how this 
 battle was as sore a battle as hath been heard of. 
 
 And I believe it well, for Englishmen on the one 
 hand and Scots on the other are good men of war, for 
 when they meet there is a hard fight without sparing ; 
 there is no crying " Hold ! " between them as long as 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 203 
 
 spears, swords, axes, or daggers will endure ; and after 
 they have well fought and one party hath obtained 
 the victory, they then take sucli glory in their deeds 
 of arms and are so joyful, that they ransom their 
 prisoners or else let them go out of the field. 
 
 So that shortly each of them is so content with 
 the other that at their departing courteously they will 
 say, " God thank you." But in fighting one with 
 another there is no play nor sparing, and this is true, 
 and that shall well appear by this said rencounter, for 
 it was valiantly fought, as ye shall hear. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 HOW THE EARL JAMES DOUGLAS BY HIS VALIANTNESS 
 ENCOURAGED HIS MEN, WHO WERE IN A MANNER 
 DISCOMFITED, AND HOW IN SO DOING HE WAS 
 WOUNDED TO DEATH 
 
 Knights and squires fought on both parties valiant- 
 ly ; cowards there had no place, but hardiness reigned 
 with goodly feats of arms, for knights and squires were 
 so joined together at hand strokes that there was no 
 place for archers. 
 
 There the Scots showed great hardiness and fought 
 merrily with great desire of honor ; the Englishmen 
 were three to one. Howbeit, I say not but Englishmen 
 did nobly acquit themselves, for ever the Englishmen 
 had rather been slain or taken in the place than to 
 
 fly- 
 
 20 
 
204 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Thus, as I .have said, the banners of Douglas and 
 Percy and their men were met each against other, 
 every man envious who should win the honor of that 
 day. 
 
 At the beginning the Englishmen were so strong 
 that they turned back their enemies ; then the Earl 
 Douglas, who was of great heart and high of enter- 
 prise, seeing his men turn back, to recover the place 
 and to show knightly valor, he took his axe in both 
 his hands and entered so into the press that he made 
 himself room in such a way that none durst approach 
 near him, and no man was so well armed that he did 
 not fear the great strokes w^hich he gave. 
 
 Thus he went ever forward like a hardy Hector, 
 willing alone to conquer the field and to discomfit his 
 enemies. 
 
 But at last he encountered three spears all at once; 
 the one struck him on the shoulder, the other on the 
 breast, and the stroke glinted down to his belly, and 
 the third struck him in the thigh, and he was so sore 
 hurt with all three strokes that he was borne perforce 
 to the earth, and after that he could not again rise up. 
 
 Some of his knights and squires followed him, but 
 not all, for it was night, and there was no light but 
 the shining of the moon. The Englishmen knew well 
 they had borne one down to the earth, but they knew 
 not who it was ; for if they had known that it had 
 been the Earl Douglas, they had been thereof so joy- 
 ful and so proud that the victory had been theirs. 
 
 Nor also the Scots knew not of that adventure till 
 the end of the battle ; for if they had known it they 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 205 
 
 would have been so sore discouraged that they would 
 have fled away. 
 
 Thus as the Earl Douglas was felled to the earth 
 he was stricken in the head with an axe, and another 
 stroke through the thigh. The Englishmen passed 
 on and took no heed of him ; thej thought none 
 otherwise but that they had slain a man of arms. 
 
 On the other part, the Earl de la March fought 
 right valiantly and gave the Englishmen much trou- 
 ble, and cried, " Eollow Douglas ! " and set on the 
 sons of Percy ; also Earl John of Moray with his 
 banner and men fought valiantly and set fiercely on 
 the Englishmen, and gave them so much to do that 
 they knew not to whom to attend. 
 
 CHAPTEK LI 
 
 HOW IN THIS BATTLP: SIR RALPH PERCY WAS SORE 
 HURT AND TAKEN PRISONER BY A SCOTTISH KNIGHT 
 
 Of all the battles and encounterings that I have 
 made mention of herebefore in all this history, great 
 or small, this battle that I treat of now was one of the 
 sorest and best fought, without cowardice or faint 
 hearts. 
 
 For there was neither knight nor squire but that 
 did his devoir {duty) and fought hand to hand ; this 
 battle was valiantly fought and endured. 
 
 The Earl of Northumberland's sons. Sir Henry 
 and Sir Palph Percy, who were chief sovereign cap- 
 
206 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 tains, acquitted themselves nobly, and Sir Kalph Percy 
 entered in so far among his enemies that lie was closed 
 in and hurt, and so sore handled that his breath was 
 short, so that he was taken prisoner by a knight called 
 Sir John Maxwell. 
 
 In the taking the Scottish knight demanded who 
 he was, for it was in the night, so that he knew him 
 not, and Sir Ralph was so sore overcome and bled fast, 
 that at last he said, " I am Ralph Percy." Then the 
 Scot said : " Sir Ralph, rescue or no rescue, I take you 
 for my prisoner. I am Maxwell." 
 
 "Well," quoth Sir Ralph, " I am content; but then 
 take heed to me, for I am sore hurt ; my hosen {l^eg- 
 Goverings : trousers and stockings in one) and my 
 greaves are full of blood." Then the knight saw by 
 him the Earl Moray, and said : " Sir, here I deliver 
 to you Sir Ralph Percy as prisoner ; but, sir, let good 
 heed be taken to him, for he is sore hurt." The 
 earl was joyful of these words, and said to him : 
 "Maxwell, thou hast well won thy spurs." 
 
 Then he delivered Sir Ralph Percy to certain of 
 his men, and they stopped and wrapped his wounds ; 
 and still the battle endured, no one knowing who had 
 then the better, for there were many taken and res- 
 cued again. 
 
 ]^ow let us speak of the young James, Earl of 
 Douglas, who did marvels in arms before he was 
 beaten down. When he was overthrown, the press 
 was great about him, so that he could not rise, for 
 with an axe he had his death's wound. 
 
 His men followed him as near as they could, and 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 207 
 
 there came to him Sir James Lindsay, his cousin, and 
 Sir John and Sir Walter Sinclair and other knights 
 and squires. 
 
 And by him was a gentle knight of liis, who fol- 
 lowed him all the day, and a chaplain of his, not like 
 a priest but like a valiant man of arms, for all that 
 night he followed the Earl Douglas with a good axe 
 in his hands, and still scrimmished about the earl 
 there where he lay, and turned back some of the 
 Englishmen with great strokes that he gave. 
 
 Thus he was found lighting near to his master, 
 whereby he had great praise, and thereby the same 
 year he was made Archdeacon of Aberdeen. This 
 priest was called Sir William of North Berwick ; he 
 was a tall man and a hardy, and was sore hurt. 
 
 When these knights came to the earl they found 
 him in an evil plight, and a knight of his lying by 
 him called Sir Robert Hart ; he had fifteen wounds 
 in one place and another. Then Sir John Sinclair 
 demanded of the earl how he did. 
 
 " Right evil, cousin," quoth the earl, " but thanked 
 be God there hath been but a few of mine ancestors 
 that have died in their beds ; but, cousin, I beg you 
 think how to revenge me, for I reckon myself but 
 dead, for my heart fainteth oftentimes. 
 
 " My cousin Walter and you, I pray you raise up 
 again my banner which lietli on the ground, and my 
 squire Davie Collemine slain ; but, sirs, show neither 
 to friend nor foe in what plight ye see me ; for if 
 mine enemies knew it they would rejoice, and our 
 friends would be discomfited." 
 
208 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 The two brethren of Sinclair and Sir James Lind- 
 say did as the earl had desired them, and raised up 
 again his banner and cried " Douglas ! " Such as 
 were behind and heard that cry drew together and 
 set on their enemies valiantly, and so drove the Eng- 
 lishmen back beyond the place whereat the earl lay, 
 who was by that time dead, and so they came to the 
 earl's banner, which Sir John Sinclair held in his 
 hands, and many good knights and squires of Scot- 
 land about him, and still more companions pressed 
 toward the cry of " Douglas ! " 
 
 Thither came the Earl Moray with his banner, and 
 also the Earl de la March, and when they saw the 
 Englishmen turn back and their company assembled 
 together, they renewed the battle again and gave many 
 hard and sad strokes. 
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 HOW THE SCOTS WON THE BATTLE AGAINST THE ENG- 
 IJSHMEN, AJSTD THERE WERE TAKEN PRISONERS SIR 
 HENRY AND SIR RALPH PERCY, AND HOW AN ENG- 
 LISH SQUIRE WOULD NOT YIELD HIM, NO MORE 
 WOULD A SCOTTISH SQUIRE, AND SO BOTH DIED ; 
 AND HOW THE BISHOP OF DURHAM AND HIS COM- 
 PANY^ WERE DISCOMFITED AMONG THEMSELVES 
 
 To say truth, the Enghshmen were sorer op- 
 pressed than the Scots, for they came the same day 
 from Kewcastle-upon-Tyne, about thirty English 
 miles, and went a great pace intending to find the 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBUHN (CHEVY CHASE) 209 
 
 Scots, which thej did ; so that by their fast going 
 they were near out of breath. 
 
 The Scots were fresh and well rested, which greatly 
 helped thein. In the last scrimmish they drove l)ack 
 the Englishmen in sncli wise that after that they could 
 no more assemble together, fur the Scots passed through 
 their battles. 
 
 It chanced that Sir Henry Percy and the Lord of 
 Montgomery, a valiant knight of Scotland, fought to- 
 gether hand to hand right valiantly without hindrance 
 from any others, for every man had enough to do. 
 So long they two fought that per force of arms Sir 
 Henry Percy was taken prisoner by the said Lord of 
 Montgomery. 
 
 This was a sore battle and well foughten ; and as 
 fortune is always changeable, though the Englishmen 
 were more in number than the Scots and were right 
 valiant men of war and well expert, and though at 
 the first front they turned back the Scots, yet finally 
 the Scots obtained the victory, and all the foresaid 
 Englishmen were taken, and a hundred more. 
 
 The same time about the end of this discomfiture 
 there was an English squire called Thomas Waltham. 
 He was a goodly and a valiant man, for all that night 
 he would neither fly nor yet yield him. It was said 
 he had made a vow that the first time that ever he 
 saw Englishmen and Scots in battle he would do his 
 devoir {duty) in such wise that either he would be 
 reputed for the best doer on both sides, or else would 
 die in the effort. 
 
 He was called a valiant and a hardy man, and did 
 
210 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 SO mucli by his bravery that the Scots marveled at 
 him ; and so he was slain in fighting. 
 
 The Scots would gladly have taken him alive, but 
 he would never yield ; he hoped ever to be rescued. 
 And with him there was a Scottish squire slain, 
 cousin to the King of Scots, called Simon Glen- 
 dowyn ; his death was greatly mourned by the Scots. 
 
 This battle was fierce and cruel till it came to the 
 end of the discomfiture ; but when the Scots saw the 
 Englishmen recoil and yield themselves, then the 
 Scots were courteous and ransomed them, and every 
 man said to his prisoner, " Sir, go and unarm you 
 and take your ease ; I am your master," and so made 
 their prisoners as good cheer as though they had been 
 brethren, without doing to them any damage. 
 
 The chase endured five English miles, and if the 
 Scots had had men enous^h there had no Eno:lishman 
 escaped ; all would have been taken or slain. 
 
 And if Archambault Douglas and the Earl of 
 Fife, the Earl Sutherland and other of the great com- 
 pany who were gone toward Carlisle had been there, 
 by all likelihood they would have taken the Bishop of 
 Durham and the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I 
 shall show you how. 
 
 The same evening that the Percys departed from 
 Newcastle, as ye have heard before, the Bishop of 
 Durham with the rearguard came to Newcastle and 
 supped ; and as he sat at the table he had imagina- 
 tion in himself how he did not acquit himself well 
 to leave Englishmen in the field while he remained 
 within the town. 
 
BATTLE OP OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 211 
 
 Incontinent lie caused the table to be taken away, 
 and commanded to saddle his horses and to sound the 
 trumpets, and called up men in the town to arm 
 themselv^es and to mount on their horses, and foot- 
 men to be ready to depart. 
 
 And thus every man departed out of the town to 
 the number of seven thousand ; two thousand on horse- 
 back and five thousand afoot ; they took their way 
 toward Otterburn, where the battle had been. 
 
 And by the time they had gone two leagues from 
 îsTewcastle tidings came to them how their men were 
 fighting with the Scots. 
 
 Incontinent came more flying so fast that they 
 were out of breath. Then they were demanded how 
 the matter went. 
 
 They answered and said : " Right evil ; we are all 
 discomfited ; here come the Scots chasing of us." 
 These tidings troubled the Englishmen, and they 
 began to doubt. 
 
 And again the third time men came flying as fast 
 as they might. When the men of tlie bishopric of 
 Durham heard of these evil tidings they were so 
 dismayed that they broke their array, so that the 
 bishop could not hold together the number of five 
 hundred. It was thought that if the Scots had fol- 
 lowed them in any number, seeing that it was night, 
 and the Englishmen so abashed, the town might have 
 been taken by the Scots. 
 
 The Bishop of Durham, being in the field, had 
 good will to have succored the Englishmen and re- 
 comforted his men as much as he could ; but still he 
 
212 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 saw liis own men fly, and the longer they stood the 
 fewer they were, for some still stole away. 
 
 Then the bishop said : " Sirs, all things considered, 
 it is no honor to put everything in j)eril, nor to 
 make two evils out of one. Our company is discom- 
 fited, and we can not remedy it. Let us return for 
 this night to Newcastle, and to-morrow let us draw 
 together and go look on our enemies." Every man 
 answered, " As God will, so be it." 
 
 Therewith they returned to Newcastle. Thns a 
 man may consider the great default that is in men 
 that are dismayed and discomfited ; for if, they had 
 kept themselves together and had turned again such 
 as fled, they had discomfited the Scots. This was the 
 opinion of divers ; and because they did not thus, the 
 Scots had the victory. 
 
 CHAPTEE LIII 
 
 HOW SIR MATTHEW REDMAN DEPARTED FROM THE 
 BATTLE TO SAVE HIMSELF; AND HOW SIR JAMES 
 LINDSAY WAS TAKEN PRISONER BY THE BISHOP OF 
 DURHAM ; AND HOW AFTER THE BATTLE SCOUTS 
 WERE SENT FORTH TO EXPLORE THE COUNTRY 
 
 I SHALL tell you of Sir Matthew Redman, who was 
 on horseback to save himself, for he alone could not 
 remedy the matter. At his departing Sir James 
 Lindsay was near to him and saw how Sir Matthew 
 departed, and this Sir James, to win honor, followed 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 213 
 
 in chase Sir Matthew Eedman,and came so near him 
 that lie mi^ht have stricken him with his spear. 
 
 Then he said : " Ah, sir knight, turn ; it is a 
 shame thus to ily. I am James of Lindsay. If ye 
 will not turn, I shall strike you on the hack with 
 my spear." 
 
 Sir Matthew spake no word, but struck his horse 
 with the spurs sorer than he did before. In this man- 
 ner he chased him more than three miles, and at last 
 Sir Matthew Eedman's horse foundered and fell un- 
 der him. 
 
 Then he step23ed forth on the earth and drew out 
 his sword, and took courage to defend himself ; and 
 the Scot thought to have stricken him on the breast, 
 but Sir Mattliew Redman swerved from the stroke, 
 and the spear point entered into the earth. 
 
 Then Sir Mattliew struck asunder the spear with 
 his sword ; and when Sir James Lindsay saw how he 
 had lost his spear he lighted afoot, and took a little 
 battle axe that he carried at his back and handled it 
 with his one hand quickly and with agility, in the 
 which feat Scots are well expert, and then he set at 
 Sir Matthew and he defended himself properly. 
 
 Thus they tourneyed together, one with an axe 
 and the other with a sword, a long time, and no man 
 to hinder them. 
 
 Finally Sir James Lindsay gave the knight such 
 strokes and held him so short that he was put out of 
 breath, so that he yielded himself, and said : " Sir 
 James Lindsay, I yield me to you." 
 
 '' Well," quoth he, " and I receive you, rescue or 
 
214 THE CHEONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 no rescue." " 1 am content," quoth Redman, " so ye 
 deal with me like a good companion." 
 
 " I shall not fail that," quoth Lindsay, and so he 
 put up his sword. 
 
 " Well, sir," quoth Redman, " what will you now 
 that I shall do ? I am your prisoner ; ye have con- 
 quered me. I would gladly go again to JS^ewcastle, 
 and within fifteen days I will come to you into Scot- 
 land, to any place you appoint for me." 
 
 "I am content," quoth Lindsay. " Ye shall prom- 
 ise by your faith to present yourself within this three 
 weeks at Edinburgh, and wheresoever ye go to con- 
 sider yourself my prisoner." All this Sir Matthew 
 swore and promised to fulfill. 
 
 Then each of them took their horses and they took 
 leave of each other. Sir James returned, and his intent 
 was to go to his own company the same way that he 
 came ; and Sir Matthew Redman went to I^ewcastle. 
 
 Sir James Lindsay could not keep the right way 
 as he came ; it was dark and misty, and he had not 
 ridden half a mile before he met face to face with 
 the Bishop of Durham and more than five hundred 
 Englishmen with him. 
 
 He might have escaped, but he supposed it was 
 his own company, that had pursued the Englishmen. 
 
 When he was among them, one demanded of him 
 what he was. " I am," quoth he, " Sir James Lindsay." 
 
 The bishop heard those words, and stepped to him 
 and said, " Lindsay, ye are taken ; yield to me." 
 " Who be you ? " quoth Lindsay. " I am," quoth he, 
 " the Bishop of Durham." 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 215 
 
 " And from whence come you, sir ? " quoth Lmcl- 
 say. " I come from the battle," quoth the bisliop ; 
 " but I struck never a stroke there. I go back to 
 Is^ewcastle for this night, and ye shall go with me." 
 '' I may not choose," quoth Lindsay, " since ye will 
 have it so. I have taken and I am taken ; such is the 
 fortune of war." 
 
 " Whom have ye taken ? " quoth the bishop. 
 " Sir," quoth he, '' I took in the chase Sir Matthew 
 Redman." " And where is he ? " quoth the bishop. 
 " By my faith, sir, he is returned to Newcastle ; he 
 desired me to trust him on his faith for three weeks, 
 and so have I done." 
 
 " Well," quoth the bishop, " let us go to New- 
 castle, and there ye shall speak with him." Thus they 
 rode to Newcastle together, and Sir James Lindsay 
 was prisoner to the Bishop of Durham. 
 
 Under the banner of the Earl de la March was 
 taken a squire of Gascony called John of Chateau- 
 neuf, and under the banner of the Earl of Moray was 
 taken his companion, John de Cantiron. 
 
 The Scots drew together and took guides and sent 
 out scouts to see if any men were coming from New- 
 castle, to trouble them in their lodgings. 
 
 In this they did wisely, for when the Bishop of 
 Durham was come again to Newcastle he was sore 
 pensive {very thoughfftd — sad) and knew not what to 
 say or do ; for he heard that his cousins the Percys 
 were slain or taken, and all the knights that were 
 with them. 
 
 Then he sent for all the knights and squires that 
 
216 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 were in the town, and said, " Sirs, we shall bear great 
 blame if we thus return without looking on our ene- 
 mies." 
 
 Then they determined that by the sunrising every 
 man was to be armed and on horseback and afoot was 
 to depart out of the town and to go to Otterburn to 
 fight with the Scots, 
 
 This was proclaimed through the town by a 
 trumpet, and every man armed himself and assem- 
 bled before the bridge, and by the sunrising they 
 departed by the gate toward Berwick and took the 
 way toward Otterburn to the number of ten thousand, 
 afoot and ahorseback. 
 
 They were not gone more than two miles from 
 I^ewcastle when the Scots were notified that the 
 Bishop of Durham was coming to-them-ward to fight ; 
 this they knew by their spies, such as they had set in 
 the fields. 
 
 After Sir Matthew Redman returned to New- 
 castle and had told how he had been taken prisoner 
 by Sir James Lindsay, then it was told to him how 
 the Bishop of Durham had taken the said Sir James 
 Lindsay, and how that he was there in the town as 
 his prisoner. 
 
 As soon as the bishop was departed Sir Matthew 
 Redman went to the bishop's lodging to see his 
 cajDtor, and there he found him very pensive, leaning 
 against a window, and said, " What, Sir James Lind- 
 say, what do you here ? " 
 
 Then Sir James broke off his thought and came 
 toward him and gave him good-morrow, and said : 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 217 
 
 *' By my faith, Sir Matthew, fortune hath brought me 
 hitlier ; for as soon as I was departed from you I met 
 by chance the Bishop of Durham, to whom I am pris- 
 oner, as ye be to me. I beheve ye shall not need to 
 come to Edinburgh to me to pay your ransom 
 money ; I think rather we shall make an exchange 
 one for another, if the bishop be so content." 
 
 " Well, sir," quoth Eedman, " we shall agree 
 right well together ; ye shall dine this day with me. 
 The bishop and our men have gone forth to fight with 
 your men. I can not tell what is to befall ; we shall 
 know at their return." " I am content to dine with 
 you," quoth Lindsay. Thus these two knights dined 
 together in Newcastle. 
 
 When the knights of Scotland were informed how 
 the Bishop of Durham came on them with ten thou- 
 sand men, they took counsel to see what was best for 
 them to do, whether to depart or else to abide the 
 adventure. 
 
 All things considered, they concluded to abide, for 
 they said they could not be in a better nor a stronger 
 place than they were in already : they had many pris- 
 oners, and they could not carry them away if they 
 departed ; and also they had many of their men hurt 
 and also some of their prisoners, whom they thought 
 they would not leave behind them. 
 
 Thus they drew together and ordered so their bat- 
 tle, that there was only one place of entry, and they 
 set all their prisoners together and made them prom- 
 ise that, rescue or no rescue, they should be their 
 prisoners. 
 
218 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 After that they made all their minstrels blow all 
 their horns at once and made the greatest revel of the 
 world. Oftentimes such is the usage {custom) of 
 Scots, when thej are thus assembled together in arms, 
 for the footmen bear about their necks horns in man- 
 ner like hunters, some great, some small, and of all 
 sorts, so that when they blow all at once they make 
 such a noise that it may be heard nigh four miles off ; 
 thus they do to dismay their enemies and to rejoice 
 themselves. 
 
 When the Bishop of Durham with his banner and 
 ten thousand men with him had approached within a 
 league, then the Scots blew their horns in such wise 
 that such as heard them and knew not of their custom 
 were sore dismayed. 
 
 This blowing and noise lasted a long while and 
 then ceased ; and by that time the Englishmen were 
 within less than a mile. 
 
 Then the Scots began to blow again and made a 
 great noise, which as long endured as it did before. 
 Then the bishop approached with his battle well 
 ranged in good order and came within the sight of 
 the Scots, as within two bowshot or less ; then the 
 Scots blew again their horns a long space {time). 
 
 The bishop stood still to see what the Scots would 
 do, and viewed them well, and saw how they were in 
 a strong ground greatly to their advantage. 
 
 Then the bishop took counsel what was best for 
 him to do ; but all things well considered, they re- 
 turned without doing anything, for they saw well 
 they might rather lose than win. 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 219 
 
 When the Scots saw the EngUshmen turn back, 
 and that tliey should have no battle, they went to 
 their lodgings and made merry, and then prepared 
 to depart from thence. 
 
 And because Sir Ralph Percy was sore hurt, he 
 desired his master (fiis captor) that he might return to 
 Newcastle until such time as he were whole of his 
 hurts, promising, as soon as he was able to ride, to 
 return into Scotland, either to Edinburgh or into 
 any other place appointed. 
 
 The Earl of March, under whom he was taken, 
 agreed thereto, and delivered him a horse litter and 
 sent him away ; and by like covenant {cigreeinenf) 
 divers other knights and squires were permitted to 
 return. 
 
 It was told me by the information of the Scots, 
 such as had been at this said battle that was between 
 N^ewcastle and Otterburn in the year of our Lord God 
 a thousand three hundred four score and eight, the 
 nineteenth day of August, how that there were taken 
 prisoners of the English party a thousand and forty 
 men, and slain in the field and in the chase eighteen 
 hundred and forty, and sore hurt more than a thou- 
 sand. 
 
 And of the Scots there were a hundred slain, and 
 more than two hundred taken in the chase ; for as the 
 Englishmen fled, when they saw any advantage they 
 returned again and fought ; by that means the Scots 
 were taken and not otherwise. Every man may well 
 consider that it was a well-fought field, when there 
 were so many slain and taken on both parties. 
 21' 
 
220 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 CHAPTEK LIY 
 
 HOW THE SCOTS DEPARTED AND CARRIED WITH THEM 
 
 >5 
 
 THE EARL DOUGLAS DEAD, AND BURIED HIM IN 
 THE ABBEY OF MELROSE ; 
 RETURNED INTO SCOTLAND 
 
 THE ABBEY OF MELROSE ; AND HOW HIS COMPANY 
 
 After this battle was finished the Earl Douglas' 
 dead body was chested {placed in a coffin) and laid in 
 a cart ; then they prepared to depart. So they de- 
 jDarted, and led with them Sir Henry Percy and more 
 than forty knights of England, and took the way to 
 the abbey of Melrose. 
 
 At their departing they set fire in their lodgings, 
 and rode all the day, and yet lay that night on Eng- 
 lish ground ; none opposed them. 
 
 The next day they dislodged early in the morning, 
 and so came that day to Melrose. It is an abbey of 
 black monks, ^ on the border between both realms. 
 There they rested, and bnried the Earl James Doug- 
 las. His obsequy was done reverently, and on his 
 body was laid a tomb of stone and his banner hanging 
 over him. 
 
 Whether there were then any more Earls of Doug- 
 las I can not tell ; for I, Sir John Froissart, author of 
 this book, was in Scotland in the earl's castle of Dal- 
 keith, in the time of Earl James, at which time he 
 
 * Black monks — monks of the order established by St. Domi- 
 nic in A. D. 1217, so called from the black robe worn by them. 
 England and Scotland were full of the houses of this order in the 
 fourteenth century. 
 
BATTLE OF OTTERBURN (CHEVY CHASE) 221 
 
 had two children, a son and a daughter; but there 
 were many of the Douglases, for I have seen five 
 brethren, all bearing the name of Douglas, in the 
 house of David, King of Scotland. 
 
 They were sons to a knight in Scotland called 
 Sir James Douglas, but as for the heritage, I know 
 not who had it ; as for Sir Archambault Douglas, 
 of whom I have spoken before in this history in 
 divers places, who was a valiant knight, and greatly 
 feared by the Englishmen, he could not inherit the 
 earldom. 
 
 When the Scots had been at Melrose Abbey and 
 done there all that they came thither for, they de- 
 parted each from other and went into their own coun- 
 tries ; and such as had prisoners led them away with 
 them, and some were ransomed and suffered to re- 
 turn. Thus the Englishmen fouiul the Scots right 
 courteous and gentle in their deliverance and ransom, 
 so that they were well content. 
 
 This w^as told me in the country of Béarn, in the 
 Earl of Foix's house, by a knight named John of 
 Chateauneuf, who was taken prisoner that day under 
 the banner of the Earl of March ; and he greatly 
 praised the said earl. 
 
 Thus these men of war of Scotland departed, and 
 ransomed their prisoners as soon as they might, right 
 courteously, and so returned little by little into their 
 own countries. 
 
 And it was told me, and I believe it well, that the 
 Scots had by reason of that journey two hundred 
 thousand franks for ransoming of prisoners. 
 
222 THE CHEONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 For since the battle that was before Sterling in 
 Scotland, whereat Sir Robert of Bruce, Sir William 
 Douglas, Sir Simon Fraser, and other Scots, chased 
 the Englishmen three days, thej never had a day so 
 profitable nor so honorable for them as this was. 
 
The expedition to Africa. 
 
PAET YII 
 
 THE SIEGE OF THE CITY OF AFRIQUE 
 
 CHAPTER LY 
 
 HOW THE CHEISTIAN LORDS AND THE GENOESE DE- 
 PARTED TO LAY SIEGE TO THE STRONG CITY OF 
 AFRIQUE,^ IN BARBARY (a. D. 1390) 
 
 Now let US return to the high enterprise {under- 
 taMng) that the Christian knights of France and 
 other nations did in that season in the realm of 
 Afrique {Africa\ and I will begin where I left 
 off. The said lords assembled in an island after 
 they had passed the tempests and perils in the Gulf 
 of Lyons. In this isle they tarried nine days, and 
 refreshed them ; and there the patrons {captains) of 
 the galleys said to the lords : " Sirs, we are in the 
 land next approaching to the country of Afrique, 
 whither by the grace of God ye are purposed to go 
 and lay siege ; wherefore it is now proper to take 
 counsel how we may enter into the haven (Jtarhor). 
 
 * The town which Froissart calls "Afrique" is Mehadia. on 
 the coast near Tunis. 
 
 223 
 
224 THE CHRONICLES OP PROISSART 
 
 " To save ourselves it is best we should send fore- 
 most our little ships called brigandines, and tarrj in 
 the mouth of the haven the first day that we ap- 
 proach and all the night after, and the next morning 
 land by the grace of God at our leisure, and then 
 lodge ourselves as near the city as we may, beyond 
 the shot of their artillery, and let us set our crossbow 
 Genoese in order, who shall be able to defend all 
 scrimmishes. 
 
 " And we suppose that when we shall take land- 
 ing we have here in your companies many young 
 squires, who to enhance their honors will require to 
 have the order of knighthood. Instruct them wisely 
 how they shall maintain themselves, and, my lords, 
 know for truth that all we seamen shall acquit us faith- 
 fully and truly, for ofttimes they have done us great 
 damage. 
 
 " For on that coast is the chief key of Barbary, 
 and of the realms of Afrique, and of Morocco ; and 
 if God of his grace will consent that we may win this 
 city of Afrique, all the Saracens will tremble, even to 
 the realm of Libya and Syria, so that all the world 
 shall speak thereof." 
 
 And thus in conclusion the patrons said : ^' Lords, 
 we say not this to teach you what ye should do, but 
 this that we have said is all only for love and by hu- 
 mility, for ye be all noblemen, sage and valiant, and can 
 better order everything than we can devise and speak." 
 
 Then the Lord of Coucy * said : " Sirs, your good 
 
 * Pronounced kô-së'. 
 
THE SIEGE OF AFRIQUE 225 
 
 counsel and advice onght greatly to content us, for 
 we see nothing therein but good ; and, sirs, be ye 
 sure that we shall do nothing without your coun- 
 sel, for ye have brought us hither to do deeds of 
 arms." 
 
 Thus in the presence of the Duke of Bourbon the 
 lords and other counseled together how they might 
 approach the strong town of Afrique. 
 
 When everything was set in good order by the 
 admiral and patrons of the galleys, and when the 
 wind and weather served them, every lord entered 
 into his galley with his own men, having great desire 
 to encounter their enemies, the Saracens. 
 
 Tlien the trumpets blew at their departing. It 
 was great pleasure to behold their oars, how they 
 rowed abroad in the sea, which was peaceable, calm, 
 and fair, so that in a manner the sea showed herself 
 that she had great desire that the Christian men 
 should come before the strong town of Afrique. 
 
 The Christian navy was goodly to look upon and 
 well ordered, and it was beautiful to see the banners 
 and pennons of silk with the arms and badges of the 
 lords waving with the wind and shining against the 
 sun, and within an hour of noon the Christian men 
 perceived the high towers of the town of Afrique, 
 and the farther they sailed the nearer it showed to 
 their sight. 
 
 Wherefore every man rejoiced ; and good cause 
 why, seeing they all desired to come thither; they 
 thought then in a manner their pains were over and 
 their voyage accomplished. 
 
226 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 Thus as they approached the realm of Afrique 
 they communed and devised among themselves ; and 
 in like manner the Saracens that were within the 
 town of Afrique spoke and devised and were sore dis- 
 mayed, when they saw their enemies approach with 
 such a number of sails, and they saw that surely they 
 were likely to be besieged. 
 
 Howbeit, they thought their town so strong, with 
 towers and walls and with artillery, that therewith 
 they were comforted and took courage ; and to give 
 warning to the country, as soon as they saw their 
 enemies on the sea from the high towers, they sound- 
 ed drums and trumpets, according to their custom. 
 
 The men of Barbary that had been sent thither by 
 the King of Afrique and by the King of Tunis, when 
 they knew of the Christian men's coming by reason 
 of the noise of the drmns and trumpets, each man 
 took heed to his duty. 
 
 They sent certain of their captains to the seaside 
 to see the approaching of the Christian men and to 
 watch them that night. 
 
 Also they prepared to defend the towers and gates 
 about the haven of Afrique, to the intent that by their 
 negligence the town should take no damage, which 
 town was so strong that it was not likely to take great 
 hurt without a long siege. 
 
 And I, John Froissart, author of this chronicle, 
 because I was never in Afrique, and because I might 
 truly write the manner and fashion of this enterprise, 
 always I desired such knights and squires as had been 
 on this voyage to inform me of everything. 
 
THE SIEGE OF AFRIQUE 227 
 
 And it was told me that the Saracens arnono- 
 themselves said that the Christian men were expert 
 and subtle men of arms. 
 
 Whereupon an ancient Saracen said to all his com- 
 pany : " Sirs, all things considered, it is best that the 
 Christian men at the beginning see not our strength 
 and power, nor have we now men sufficient to fis^ht 
 with them, but daily men will come to us ; wherefore 
 I think it best to suffer them to land. 
 
 " They have no horses to overrun the country ; they 
 will not spread abroad, but will keep together for fear 
 of us. The town is strong enough and well provided, 
 and we need not fear any assaults. 
 
 " The air is hot, and will be hotter ; they are 
 lodged in the sun, and we in the shadow ; and they 
 will daily waste their victuals, and will be without 
 hope to get any new supply if they lie here any 
 long time ; and we shall have plenty, for we are in 
 our own country. 
 
 " And they shall oftentimes be awaked and scrim- 
 mislied with to their damage and to our advantage. 
 Let us not fight with them, for otherwise they can not 
 discomfit us ; they are not used to the air of this 
 country, which is contrary to their nature. I think 
 this is the best way." 
 
 To the saying of this ancient Saracen knight all 
 agreed. Then it was commanded on pain of death that 
 no man should o^o to the seaside to scrim mish with the 
 Christian men, unless they were commanded so to do, 
 but to keep themselves close in their lodgings and 
 suffer the Christian men to land. 
 
228 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 This determination was uphold en ; none durst 
 break it ; and they sent certain of their archers into 
 the town of Afrique, to aid to defend it. 
 
 The Saracens showed themselves not at all, as 
 though there had been no men in the country. The 
 Christian men lodged all that night in the mouth of 
 the haven of Afrique, and the next morning the 
 weather was fair and clear, and the air in good 
 temper {gooI\ and the sun rose so that it was pleasure 
 to behold. 
 
 Then the Christian men began to stir and made 
 them ready, having great desire to approach the town 
 of Afrique and to land. Then trumpets and clarions 
 began to sound in the galleys and vessels and made a 
 great noise, and about nine of the clock, when the 
 Christian men had taken a little refreshing with 
 drink, then were they rejoiced. 
 
 According as they had appointed beforehand, they 
 sent in hrst their light vessels called brigandines, well 
 furnished with artillery ; they entered into the haven, 
 and after them came the armed galleys and the other 
 ships of the fleet in good order. 
 
 Toward the land by the seaside there was a strong 
 castle with high towers, and specially one tower, 
 which defended the seaside and the land also. 
 
 And in this tower was an engine, which was not 
 idle, but still did cast great stones among the Christian 
 men's ships. In like wise in every tower of the town 
 by the seaside there were engines to cast stones. 
 
 The Saracens had well provided for their town, 
 for they had long expected to be besieged. 
 
tD 
 
THE SIEGE OP AFRIQUE 220 
 
 When the Christian men entered into the haven 
 of Afrique to land, it was a pleasant sight to hehold 
 their order and to hear the clarions and trumpets 
 sound so high and clear. 
 
 Divers knights and valiant men of the realm of 
 France spread abroad that day their banners with 
 divers other new-made knights. The Lord John of 
 Ligne * was there first made knight ; he was of the 
 country of Hainault ; and there he spread abroad 
 first his banner, the field gold, a bend of gules {red), 
 and in his company was his cousin the Lord of Hav- 
 re th in Hainault. 
 
 Thus the lords, knights, and squires with great 
 desire advanced and took land, and lodged on the land 
 of their enemies in the sight of the false Saracens on 
 a Wednesday on the evening of Mary Magdalen in tlie 
 year of our Lord God a thousand three hundred and 
 four score and ten, and as they took land they were 
 lodged {encamped) by their marshals. 
 
 The Saracens that were within the town praii^ed 
 much the Christian men's order ; and because the great 
 galleys could not approach near to the land, the men 
 issued out in boats and took land and followed the 
 banner of Our Lady.f 
 
 The Saracens that were within the town and such 
 as were abroad in the country suffered the Christian 
 men peaceably to land, for they saw it would not be 
 for their advantage to fight with them at their landing. 
 
 * Pronounced in two syllables, lë-ny. 
 t The Virgin Mary. 
 
230 THE CHRONICLES OP FROISSART 
 
 The Duke of Bourbon, who was chief of the 
 Christian army there, w^as lodged in the midst of 
 his company right honorably, his banner displayed, 
 powdered full of Ûower-de-luces, with an image of Our 
 Lady in the midst, and a scutcheon with the arms of 
 Bourbon under the feet of the image. 
 
 The Saracens within the town of Afrique had 
 great marvel by what title or for what purpose the 
 Christian men came thither so strongly to make 
 war. 
 
 It was told me how they determined to send to 
 the Christian men to know their reasons, and so took 
 an interpreter that could speak Italian and com- 
 manded him to go to the Christian host and to de- 
 mand of them for what purpose they came to make 
 war, and why they come so strongly into the empire 
 of Barbary and into the land of Afrique. 
 
 " And say how we have in nothing offended them. 
 Of a truth before this time there hath been war 
 between us and the Genoese, but that war ought not 
 to touch the Christian men of far off countries. 
 
 " As for the Genoese, they are our neighbors ; they 
 take of us and we of them ; we have been ancient 
 enemies, and shall be, except when truce is between 
 us." 
 
 With this message the interpreter departed and 
 rode to the Christian army, and met first with a Geno- 
 ese, and told him he w^as a messenger sent from the 
 Saracens to speak with some lord of France. 
 
 The Genoese was a centurion {captain of a hun- 
 dred) of the crossbows. He brought this messenger 
 
THE SIEGE OF AFRIQUE 231 
 
 to the Duke of Bourbon, who gladly heard him speak ; 
 and the words that he spake in liis own language* 
 the centurion spoke them in French. 
 
 When this messenger had declared his message he 
 desired to have an answer. The lords of France said 
 he should have one, but first tliej would take advice 
 in the matter. 
 
 Then twelve of the greatest lords drew together 
 to council in the Duke of Bourbon's tent, and con- 
 cluded, and so sent for the messenger ; and the Geno- 
 ese made him his answer in all their names, saying 
 how the quarrel that they made war in was because 
 the Son of God, called Jesu Christ, and true prophet, 
 by the Saracens was put to death and crucified ; and 
 because the Saracens had judged their God to death 
 without title or reason, therefore these Christians 
 would have amends and punish that sin and false 
 judgment that the Saracens had made. 
 
 And also because they believed not in the holy 
 baptism ; also because they believed not in the Virgin 
 Mary, mother to Jesu Christ. For these causes and 
 other, they said, they took the Saracens for their ene- 
 mies, and said how they would revenge the outrages 
 that they had done and daily do to their God and 
 Christian faith. 
 
 With this answer the interpreter returned without 
 peril or damage, and told to his masters all as ye have 
 heard. 
 
 * " The words that the lords could not understand " ; the 
 messenger spoke Italian. 
 
 22 
 
232 THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART 
 
 At this answer the Saracens did nothing but langh, 
 and said how that answer was not reasonable, for it 
 was the Jews that put Christ to death, and not they. 
 Thus the siege still endured, every party making good 
 watch. 
 
 Soon after, the Saracens took counsel together and 
 determined that for seven or eight days together 
 they should let the Christian men rest, and not make 
 any manner of scrimmish with them, and then sud- 
 denly on a night about the hour of midnight they 
 would set on the host, trusting thereby to do a great 
 feat. 
 
 As they agreed, so they did, and for eight days to- 
 gether they made no scrimmish, and on the ninth 
 day about midnight they secretly armed themselves 
 with such armor as they were accustomed to, and so 
 came without any noise near to the lodgings of the 
 Christian men, and would have undertaken to have 
 done a great feat and to have entered their camp, 
 not on that side that their watch was on, but on the 
 other part of the field, where there was no watch 
 kept. 
 
 They would have succeeded if the Genoese had 
 not had a great dog in their company that they 
 brought with them, but they knew not from whence 
 he came ; there was none that acknowledged the dog 
 to be his ; which dog did them great service, for the 
 Saracens could never come so secretly but the dog 
 would bay and make such a noise that he would not 
 rest till all that were asleep were awake. 
 
 Every man knew when they heard the dog bay 
 
THE SIEGE OF AFRIQUE 233 
 
 that the Saracens were coming to scrimmish with 
 them, upon which thej appareled themselves to re- 
 sist them. 
 
 When the Saracens came, upon this night, the 
 dog was not idle, but he made a great noise and ran 
 baying first to the watch. The Lord of Coucy kept 
 the watch that night. 
 
 When every man heard this dog make such a noise 
 they rose and armed them ready, for they knew well 
 that the Saracens did approach to awake them ; so 
 the Saracens returned to their lodgings; and after 
 that the Christian men took better heed to their 
 w^atch. 
 
 The Christian knights and squires that lay at the 
 siege studied day and night how they might win the 
 town, and they within studied again how to defend 
 their town. 
 
 The season was hot and dry, for the sun was in 
 his utmost strength, as in the month of August, and 
 the plains of Afrique are right hot by reason of the 
 sand, and also they are nearer to the sun than we 
 are. 
 
 And the wines that the Christian men had came 
 from Calabria, and they were hot and dry, far from 
 the nature of the French wines, whereby many fell 
 into hot fevers. 
 
 And to consider according to reason, I can not tell 
 how the Frenchmen and others from northern coun- 
 tries could endure the pain of the hot and gross 
 air that they found there, without refreshing of good, 
 sweet, and fresh water, which they lacked. 
 
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