Before all such prouision as the duke of Lancaster prepared for his
iournie to the sea could be readie, the earles of Salisburie and
Arundell sailed ouer into Normandie, where, by such composition as
was taken betwixt the king of England and the king of Nauarre, who of
new was become enimie to the French king, the towne of Chierburg was
deliuered vnto the said earles, who sending knowledge thereof backe
into England, there were sent ouer such as should haue in charge the
kéeping of that towne; and so the two earles returned. ¶ We find, that
the king of Nauarre, hauing beene heere in England with the king and
his councell, had agréed with the king for a certeine yearelie rent, to
demise vnto him the said fortresse of Chierburg, whereby the Englishmen
might haue frée entrie into Normandie, when they would, as well to aid
the king of Nauarre in his necessitie, as to worke anie enterprise that
should be thought expedient to the aduantage of the king of England as
occasion serued. But the obteining of possession of Chierburg brought
not so much ioy to the English nation, as the mishap that happened
at the going foorth of the said earles did cause lamentation and
heauinesse.
[Sidenote: The English nauie is ouermatched and ouercome by the Spanish
fléet.]
For vpon the first entring into the sea, it fortuned that sir Philip,
and sir Peter Courtenie, discouered a certeine number of ships that
were enimies, and vndiscréetlie entered amongst them, there suddenlie
came vpon them the Spanish fléet, so that the English ships that were
in companie with the said Philip and sir Peter, were not able to make
their partie good, in somuch that finallie after that sir Philip had
lost diuerse of his men that were there slaine, he got awaie by flight
himselfe, though gréeuouslie wounded, but sir Peter was taken prisoner
with a few other knights that were with him; and the most part of all
the valiant esquiers of Summersetshire & Deuonshire, being there abroad
with him, were slaine and drowned, which was estéemed no small losse to
the whole common-wealth.
[Sidenote: Rokesburgh burnt by the Scots.]
Thus were the Englishmen occupied in this first yeare of king Richard
with troubles of warre, and not onelie against the Frenchmen, but
also against the Scots. For euen in the beginning of the same yeare,
the Scots burnt Rokesburgh, in reuenge whereof the new earle of
Northumberland entered Scotland with ten thousand men, and sore spoiled
the lands of the earle of March for the space of thrée daies togither;
bicause the said earle of March was the chéefe author and procurer of
the burning of Rokesburgh, & so for that time th’ Englishmen were well
reuenged of those enimies. But at an other time, when the Northerne men
would néeds make a rode into Scotland, entring by the west borders,
they were incountered by the Scots and put to flight, so that manie
of them being slaine, the Scots tooke the more courage to inuade the
borders, till at length, Edmund Mortimer earle of March came at the
daie of truce, and tooke an abstinence of warre betwixt both nations
for the time, though the same continued not long.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 2.
The duke of Lācaster saileth into Britaine with a great power.