_June_ 30.--The currours have brought worde home, the Kynge of Englande
was on the see with a great army, and is now a lande in Normandy. Have
received faire offers for chronycles of the warre from London, Parys,
and Rome; they offer three thousand crounes monthly, payeing curtesly
for all my expenses. Have sayd I will gladly fall to their wish.
_July_ 1.--Trussed bagge and baggage in great hast and departed towarde
Normandy, the seat of warre.
_July_ 2.--Ryde but small journeys, and do purpose, being no great
horseman, every time I have to ryde a horse, to add three crounes to the
expenses which my patrons curtesly pay.
Take lodgynges every day bytwene noone and thre of the clocke. Finde the
contrey frutefull and reasonably suffycent of wyne.
_July_ 3, _Cane_.--A great and ryche town with many burgesses, crafty
men. They solde wyne so deare that there were no byers save myself who
bought suffycent and added to the lyste which my patrons curtesly pay.
_July_ 4, _Amyense_.--Left Cane and the englysshmen have taken the toune
and clene robbed it. Right pensyve as to putting my lyfe in adventure.
Sir Godmar de Fay is to kepe note of the chronyclers and he has ordayned
them to bring him their chronycles. He has curtesly made these rules
for the chronyclers. Chronyclers may only chronycle the truth.
Chronyclers may not chronycle the names of places, bridges, rivers,
castels where batayles happen--nor the names of any lordes, knyghtes,
marshals, erles, or others who take part in the batayle: nor the names
of any weapons or artillery used, nor the names or numbers of any
prisoners taken in batayle.
Thanks to Sir Godmar de Fay the chronycler's task has been made lyghter.
_July_ 6, _Calys_.--The chronyclers have been ordayned by Sir Godmar de
Fay to go to Calys. There are nine chronyclers. One is an Alleymayne,
who is learned in the art of warre, one is a Genowayes, and one an
Englysshman, the rest are Frenche. The cytie of Calys is full of drapery
and other merchauntdyse, noble ladyes and damosels. The chronyclers
have good wyl to stay in the cytie.
_July_ 7.--Sir Godmar de Fay has ordayned all the chronyclers to leave
the cytie of Calys and to ride to a lytell town called Nully, where
there are no merchauntdyse, and no damosels, nor suffycent of wyne. The
chronyclers are not so merrie as in the cytie of Calys.
_July_ 9.--Played chesse with the Genowayse and was checkmate with a
bishop.
_August_ 6.--The chronyclers are all pensyve. They are lodged in the
feldes. There has fallen a great rayne that pours downe on our tents.
There is no wyne nor pasties, nor suffycent of flesshe, no bookes for to
rede, nor any company.
Last nyghte I wrote a ballade on Warre, which ends, "But Johnnie
Froissart wisheth he were dead." It is too indiscrete to publysh. I wysh
I were at Calys. I wysh I were at Parys. I wysh I were anywhere but at
Nully.
_August_ 23.--At the Kynge's commandment the chronyclers are to go to
the fronte.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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