Again, when the Chronicle reaches King Richard II., I have embraced the opportunity to show you the kind of English which was spoken in Froissart’s time, by adding to one of the chapters the robust “Ballad sent to King Richard” by Geoffrey Chaucer,--begging you to believe that our time cries out to every young American man, as Chaucer to his prince, to “Do law, love truth and worthiness, And wed thy folk again to steadfastness.” Finally, do not think that to read this book is to exhaust Froissart. Only about one-ninth of his Chronicle could be got into the space here assigned; and you have the comfort of knowing that there is a great deal more. To him, then; and I envy every one of you! “For herein,”--as old William Caxton, the first English printer, says in his Prologue to Sir Thomas Malory’s history of King Arthur,--“for herein may be seen chyvalrye, curtosye, humanyte, frendlynesse, hardynesse, love, frendshyp, cowardyse, murdre, hate, vertue, synne. Doo after the good, and leve the evil, and it shall bring you to good fame and renommee.” SIDNEY LANIER BALTIMORE, MD., 1879. CONTENTS. BOOK I. CHAPTER I. PAGE THE OCCASION OF THE WARS BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND 1 CHAPTER II. HOW EARL THOMAS OF LANCASTER, AND TWENTY-TWO OF THE GREATEST NOBLES IN ENGLAND, WERE BEHEADED 2 CHAPTER III. THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND GOES TO COMPLAIN OF SIR HUGH SPENCER TO HER BROTHER, THE KING OF FRANCE 4 CHAPTER IV. SIR HUGH SPENCER CAUSES THE QUEEN ISABELLA TO BE SENT OUT OF FRANCE 5 CHAPTER V. THE QUEEN ISABELLA LEAVES FRANCE, AND GOES TO GERMANY 6 CHAPTER VI. QUEEN ISABELLA ARRIVES IN ENGLAND WITH SIR JOHN DE HAINAULT 10 CHAPTER VII. THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND BESIEGES HER HUSBAND IN THE CITY OF BRISTOL 11 CHAPTER VIII. THE KING OF ENGLAND AND SIR HUGH SPENCER ARE TAKEN AT SEA AS THEY ARE ENDEAVORING TO ESCAPE FROM THE CASTLE OF BRISTOL 13 CHAPTER IX. THE CORONATION OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD 16 CHAPTER X. ROBERT BRUCE, KING OF SCOTLAND, DEFIES KING EDWARD 18 CHAPTER XI. A DISSENSION BETWEEN THE ARCHERS OF ENGLAND AND THE HAINAULTERS 20 CHAPTER XII. HOW THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE ARCHERS AND THE HAINAULTERS ENDED 22 CHAPTER XIII. HOW THE KING AND HIS ARMY MARCHED TO DURHAM 24 CHAPTER XIV. OF THE MANNERS OF THE SCOTS, AND HOW THEY CARRY ON WAR 25 CHAPTER XV. KING EDWARD’S FIRST EXPEDITION AGAINST THE SCOTS 26 CHAPTER XVI. KING EDWARD MARRIES THE LADY PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT 40 CHAPTER XVII.