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Page 206 (Chronicles of Froissart)

page 206


SUMMARY.-The duke of Anjou and the constable of France made a great assembly and laid siege to Bergerac. A body of English were surprised and defeated at Eymet: sir Thomas Felton, seneschal of Bordeaux, and several Gascon lords were taken prisoners. Bergerac was surrendered to the French, and the duke of Anjou took other towns and castles in Gascony. The Scots by stealth took the castle of Berwick, which was won again by the earl of Northumberland, who then invaded Scotland. Sir Thomas Musgrave was defeated by the Scots in the field of Saint Gales and the English retired fr om Scotland.

THE author thus continues: Now let us leave to speak of Scotland for this present time and let us speak of other incidents that fell in France. The same time, in the month of February, the French queen died, and, as the physicians said, through her own fault. For she lay in childbed of a fair lady named Katherine, who was after duchess of Berry: the queen being in childbed was not well at ease, and her physicians had defended her in any wise that she should not enter into no bain ; for they said it was contrary to her disease and right perilous for her. All that notwithstanding, she would needs be bained, and so she was, and so fell sicker and died and so king Charles of France was a widower, for he never married after.

CHAPTER CCCXXVI How the war began again between the Navarrois and the Frenchmen ; and of the beginning of the schism of holy Church. AFTER the death of the French queen died also the queen of Navarre, sister-german
the first of the second book. It is important to notice that the text of each separate book is an independent one, and that what has been said in the introduction about abridgment and omission in the French text hardly applies except to that of the first book, in which also the variations of the different redactions are far more important than in the other books : indeed a large part of the first book was completely rewritten twice after its first production.

to the French king, and after the death of this queen of Navarre great murmuring rose between the sage men and customiers of the county of Evreux, which is in Normandy, the which by right succession of their mother should fall to the king of Navarre's children, who were as then within age and under the rule and keeping of their uncle king Charles of France. And king Charles of Navarre was had in such suspect beforetime, in that he had made and consented and raised so many evils and inconveniences in the realm of France, that he was not worthy to hold any heritage in the realm of France under the shadow of his children. The same season there came out of Acquitaine the constable of France, who had been all that season with the duke of Anjou, and brought with him in his company the lord Mussidan of Gascoyne to see the king and to be acquainted with him, and so he did. Between the king and the constable there was many secret counsels of the state of the realm of France and of Navarre, .which was not suddenly known. We shall shortly speak of that matter : but justly to chronicle all matters that fell in the same season in the world, I shall shew you of the beginning of the pestilence and inconvenience that began in the Church of God, whereby all Christendom was in great trouble and variance, and thereby many great mischiefs grew and followed. Ye have heard herebefore how pope Gregory, the eleventh of that name, was in the city of Avignon. And when he saw that he could find no manner of peace to be had between the kings of England and France, wherewith he was in great displeasure, for he had greatly travailed thereabout and had made his cardinals to do the same, then he advised himself and had a devotion to go and revisit Rome and the see apostolic, the which Saint Peter and Saint Paul had edified. He had made before promise that, if ever he came to the degree to be pope, he would never keep his see but thereas Saint Peter kept his and ordained it. This pope was a man of feeble complexion and sickly,

Page 206 (Chronicles of Froissart)