Here puled the babes, and here the maids unwed With folded hands their sorry chance bewailed; Here wept the guiltless slain, and lovers dead, That slew themselves when nothing else availed; 515 A thousand sorts of sorrows here that wailed With sighs and tears, sobs, shrieks, and all yfere,60 That (oh, alas!) it was a hell to hear. We stayed us straight, and with a rueful fear 57 Casts up lumps of putrid matter. 521 58 Placed. 61 Distilled. Then first came Henry, Duke of Buckingham, His cloak of black all pilled2 and quite forworn, 15 Wringing his hands, and Fortune oft doth blame, 535 Which of a duke hath made him now her scorn, With rueful cheer, and vapored eyes upcast. have ensample to encourage them in their well doing, I, Sir John Froissart, will treat and record an history of great louage and praise. But, or1 I begin, I require the Saviour of all the 5 world, who of nothing created all things, that he will give me such grace and understanding, that I may continue and persevere in such wise, that whoso this process readeth or heareth may take pastance, pleasure and ensample. It is 10 said of truth that all buildings are masoned and wrought of divers stones, and all great rivers are gurged and assembled of divers surges and springs of water; in likewise all sciences are extraught and compiled of divers clerks; of that one writeth, another peradventure is ignorant; but by the famous writing of ancient authors all things ben known in one place or other. Then to attain to the matter that I have enterprised, I will begin first by the grace of 20 God and of the blessed Virgin our Lady Saint Mary, from whom all comfort and consolation proceedeth, and will take my foundation out of the true chronicles sometime compiled by the right reverend, discreet and sage master John 25 le Bel, sometime canon in Saint Lambert's of Liege, who with good heart and due diligence did his true devoir in writing this noble chronicle, and did continue it all his life's days, in following the truth as near as he might, to 30 his great charge and cost in seeking to have the perfect knowledge thereof. He was also in his life's days well beloved and of the secret council with the lord Sir John of Hainault, who is often remembered, as reason requireth, here35 after in this book, for of many fair and noble adventures he was chief causer, and by whose means the said Sir John le Bel might well know and hear of many divers and noble deeds, the which hereafter shall be declared. Truth it is 40 that I, who have enterprised this book to ordain for pleasure and pastance, to the which always I have been inclined, and for that intent I have followed and frequented the company of divers noble and great lords, as well in France, Eng45 land, and Scotland, as in divers other countries, and have had knowledge by them, and always to my power justly have enquired for the truth of the deeds of war and adventures that have fallen, and especially sith the great battle of Poitiers, 10 whereas the noble king John of France was taken prisoner, as before that time I was but of a young age or understanding. 3 Glory. To the intent that the honourable and noble adventures of feats of arms, done and achieved by the wars of France and England, should notably be enregistered and put in perpetual 50 memory, whereby the prewe2 and hardy may He 62 Threadbare. 63 Melted. 64 Rained down upon. 1 Chancellor of Exchequer under Henry VIII. enjoyed the King's favor for an unusually long time. He made his translation of Froissart (a notable work of Early Tudor prose) at the command of the King. Froissart was a contemporary of Chaucer, who enjoyed the patronage of Philippa, queen of Edward III. He wrote his Chronicles of the wars of his age in France, England, Scotland and Spain, between 1360 and 1390 in the French tongue. 2 Gallant. 4 Ere. 6 Turned into whirlpools. 7 Extracted. 5 Pastime. • Flourished in the early 14th century. While living with Sir John of Hainault, in France, he compiled two volumes of Chronicles on contemporary history. Duty, service. 10 Fought in France, 1356, a famous victory of the English over the French. Howbeit, I took on me, as soon as I came from school, to write and recite the said book, and bare the same compiled into England, and presented the volume thereof to my lady Philippa of Hainault,11 noble Queen of England, who right amiably received it to my great profit and advancement. And it may be so that the same book is not as yet examined or corrected so justly as such a case requireth; for case to do any great deed of arms: we have more need of rest." These words came to the earl of Alençon, who said: "A man is well at ease to be charged with such a sort of rascals, to be faint 5 and fail now at most need." Also the same season there fell a great rain and a clipse with a terrible thunder, and before the rain there came flying over both battles a great number of crows for fear of the tempest coming. Then feats of arms dearly bought and achieved, the 10 anon the air began to wax clear, and the sun to honour thereof ought to be given and truly divided to them that by prowess and hard travail have deserved it. Therefore to acquit me in that behalf, and in following the truth as near as I can, I, John Froissart, have enterprised this history on the foresaid ordinance and true foundation, at the instance and request of a true lord of mine, Robert of Namur, Knight, lord of Beaufort, to whom entirely I owe love and obeisance, and God grant me to do that 20 foot: thirdly, again they leapt and cried, and thing that may be to his pleasure. Amen. shine fair and bright, the which was right in the Frenchmen's eyen, and on the Englishmen's backs. When the Genoways were assembled together and began to approach, they made a 15 great leap and cry to abash the Englishmen, but they stood still and stirred not for all that; then the Genoways again the second time made another leap and a fell cry, and stept forward a little, and the Englishmen removed not one OF THE BATTLE OF CRESSY1 went forth till they came within shot; then they shot fiercely with their cross-bows. Then the English archers stept forth one pace and let fly their arrows so wholly [together] and When the Between the king of England and the French 25 so thick, that it seemed snow. king Genoways felt the arrows piercing through heads, arms and breasts, many of them cast down their cross-bows and did cut their strings and returned discomfited. When the French king saw them fly away, he said: "Slay these rascals, for they shall let and trouble us without reason." Then ye should have seen the men of arms dash in among them and killed a great number of them: and ever still the The Englishmen, who were in three battles lying on the ground to rest them, as soon as they saw the Frenchmen approach, they rose upon 30 their feet fair and easily without any haste and arranged their battles.2 The first, which was the prince's battle, the archers there stood in the manner of a herse3 and the men of arms in the bottom of the battle. The earl of North- 35 Englishmen shot whereas they saw thickest ampton and the earl of Arundel with the second battle were on a wing in good order, ready to comfort the prince's battle, if need were. The lords and knights of France came not to press; the sharp arrows ran into the men of arms and into their horses, and many fell, horse and men, among the Genoways, and when they were down, they could not relieve again, the assembly together in good order, for some 40 the press was so thick that one overthrew came before and some came after in such haste and evil order, that one of them did trouble another. When the French King saw the Englishmen, his blood changed, and said to his another. And also among the Englishmen there were certain rascals that went afoot with great knives, and they went in among the men of arms, and slew and murdered many as marshals: "Make the Genoways go on before 45 they lay on the ground, both earls, barons, and begin the battle in the name of God and 1 Generally written Crecy. The Battle was fought in 1346. knights, and squires, whereof the king of England was after displeased, for he had rather they had been taken prisoners. The valiant king of Bohemia called Charles of Luxembourg, for all that he was nigh 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 cannot tell; we think he be fighting." Then he 55 said: "Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and & A mistranslation for "une esclistre," or flash of lightning.-Macaulay. friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword." They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in 10 Cobham and other, such as be about the good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more 15 doubt they will, your son and they shall have than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to 20 said the king, "return to him and to them that other. archers of the prince's battle 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, the which was 5 time, for they had as then much ado; and they with the prince sent a messenger to the king, who was on a little windmill hill. Then the knight said to the king: "Sir, the earl of Warwick and the earl of Oxford, Sir Raynold prince your son, are fiercely fought withal and are sore handled; wherefore they desire you that you and your battle will come and aid them; for if the Frenchmen increase, as they 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 hardly matched; wherefore he hath need of your aid." "Well," sent you hither, and say to them that they send no more to me for any adventure that falleth, as long as my son is alive: and also say to them that they suffer him this day to win his spurs; and the honour thereof, and to them that be about him." Then the knight returned again to them and shewed the king's words, the which greatly encouraged them, and repoined" in that they had sent to the king as they did. The earl of Alençon came to the battle right ordinately and fought with the Englishmen, and the earl of Flanders also on his part. These two lords with their companies coasteds the 25 for if God be pleased, I will this journey10 be his English archers and came to the prince's battle, and there fought valiantly long. The French king would fain have come thither, when he saw their banners, but there was a great hedge of archers before him. The same 30 day the French king had given a great black courser to Sir John of Hainault, and he made the lord Thierry of Senzeille to ride on him and to bear his banner. The same horse took the bridle in his teeth and brought him through all 35 the currours of the Englishmen, and as he would have returned again, he fell in a great dike and was sore hurt, and had been there dead, an his page had not been, who followed him through all the battles and saw where his 40 valiantly, every lord under his own banner; master lay in the dike, and had none other let but for his horse, for the Englishmen would not issue of their battle for taking of any prisoner. Then the page alighted and relieved Sir Godfrey of Harcourt would gladly that the earl of Harcourt his brother might have been saved; for he heard say by them that saw his banner how that he was there in the field on the French party; but Sir Godfrey could not come to him betimes, for he was slain or he could come at him, and so was also the earl of Aumale his nephew. In another place the earl of Alençon and the earl of Flanders fought but finally they could not resist against the puissance of the Englishmen, and so there they were also slain, and divers other knights and squires. Also the earl Louis of Blois, nephew to his master: then he went not back again the 45 the French king, and the duke of Lorraine same way that they came, there was too many in his way. This battle between Broye and Cressy this Saturday was right cruel and fell, and many a feat of arms done that came not to my knowl- 50 edge. In the night divers knights and squires lost their masters, and sometime came on the Englishmen, who received them in such wise that they were ever nigh slain; for there was none taken to mercy nor to ransom, for so the 55 Englishmen were determined. In the morning the day of the battle certain Frenchmen and Almains perforce opened the Marched on the flank of. • Couriers. fought under their banners, but at last they were closed in among a company of Englishmen and Welshmen, and there were slain for all their prowess. Also there was slain the earl of Auxerre, the earl of Saint-Pol and many other. In the evening the French king, who had left about him no more than a three-score persons, one and other, whereof Sir John of Hainault was one, who had remounted once the king, for his horse was slain with an arrow, then he said to the king: "Sir, depart hence, for it is time; lose not yourself wilfully: if ye have loss at this time, ye shall recover it again an10 Day's work, day's battle. 11 Repented. other season." And so he took the king's horse and Bedford. These unhappy people of these said countries began to stir, because they said they were kept in great servage, and in the beginning of the world, they said, there were 5 no bondmen, wherefore they maintained that none ought to be bond, without he did treason to his lord, as Lucifer did to God; but they said they could have no such battle, for they were neither angels nor spirits, but men formed to the similitude of their lords, saying why should they then be kept so under like beasts; the which they said they would no longer suffer, for they would be all one, and if they laboured or did anything for their lords, they would have wages therefor as well as other. And of this imagination was a foolish priest in the country of Kent called John Ball, for the which foolish words he had been three times in the Bishop of Canterbury's prison: for this priest used often This Saturday the Englishmen never de- 20 times on the Sundays after mass, when the parted from their battles for chasing of any man, but kept still their field, and ever defended themselves against all such as came to assail them. This battle ended about evensong time. THE SPEECH OF JOHN BALL1 people were going out of the minster, to go into the cloister and preach, and made the people to assemble about him, and would say thus: "Ah, ye good people, the matters goeth 25 not well to pass in England, nor shall not do until everything be common, and that there be no villains nor gentlemen, but that we may be all unied together, and that the lords be no greater masters than we be. What have we deserved, or why should we be kept thus in servage? We be all come from one father and one mother, Adam and Eve: whereby can they say or shew that they be greater lords than we be, saving by that they cause us to win and labour for that they dispend. They are clothed in velvet and camlet3 furred with grise, and we be vestured with poor cloth: they have their wines, spices and good bread, and we have the drawing out of the chaff and drink water: they dwell in fair houses, and we have the pain and travail, rain and wind in the fields; and by that that cometh of our labours they keep and maintain their estates: we be called their bondmen, and without we do readily them In the mean season while this treaty was, there fell in England great mischief and rebellion of moving of the common people, by which deed England was at a point to have 30 been lost without recovery. There was never realm nor country in so great adventure as it was in that time, and all because of the ease and riches that the common people were of, which moved them to this rebellion, as some- 35 time they did in France, the which did much hurt, for by such incidents the realm of France hath been greatly grieved. It was a marvellous thing and of poor foundation that this mischief began in England, 40 and to give ensample to all manner of people I will speak thereof as it was done, as I was informed, and of the incidents thereof. There was an usage in England, and yet is in divers countries, that the noblemen hath great 45 service, we be beaten; and we have no sovereign franchise over the commons and keepeth them to whom we may complain, nor that will hear us nor do us right. Let us go to the king, he is young, and shew him what servage we be in, and shew him how we will have it otherwise, or else we will provide us of some remedy; and if we go together, all manner of people that be now in any bondage will follow us to the intent to be made free; and when the king seeth us, we shall have some remedy, either by fairness, or noblemen and prelates are served by them, and 55 otherwise." Thus John Ball said on Sundays, specially in the county of Kent, Essex, Sussex 1 A social reformer known as "the mad Priest of Kent." One of the leaders in the Peasants' Revolt in England in 1381. He was executed at St. Alban's for preaching insurrection. when the people issued out of the churches in 2 United. A costly Eastern fabric, but applied to the imitations of it. Grise was a kind of grey fur. |