When the bishop therefore had set things in good forwardnesse for his
iournie, he drew towards the sea side, and was so desirous to passe
ouer, and to inuade his aduersaries, |758| that although the king sent
to him an expresse commandement by letters to returne to the court,
that he might conferre with him before he tooke the seas; yet excusing
himselfe, that the time would not then permit him to staie longer, he
passed ouer to Calis, where he landed the 23 of Aprill, in this sixt
yeare of king Richards reigne. The armie to attend him in this iournie,
rose to the number of two thousand horssemen, and fifteene thousand
footmen (as some write) though other speake of a far lesser number. But
it should seeme that they went not ouer all at one time, but by parts,
as some before the bishop, some with him, and some after him.
[Sidenote: The bishop of Norwich inuadeth Flanders.
_Ia. Meir._ Dunkirke woon & sacked by the Englishmen.
The earle of Flāders sendeth to the bishop of Norwich to know the cause
of his inuasion of Flanders.]
Now when he and the capteins before named, were come ouer to Calis,
they tooke counsell togither into what place they should make their
first inuasion; and bicause their commission was to make warre onelie
against those that held with pope Clement, the more part were of
this mind, that it should be most expedient for them to enter into
France, and to make warre against the Frenchmen, whom all men knew to
be chiefe mainteiners of the said Clement. But the bishop of Norwich
was of this opinion, that they could not doo better than to inuade
the countrie of Flanders, bicause that a litle before, earle Lewes
hauing intelligence that king Richard had made a confederacie with
them of Gaunt, had on the other part expelled all Englishmen out of
his dominions and countries, so that the merchants which had their
goods at Bruges, and other places in Flanders, susteined great losses.
Howbeit there were that replied against the bishops purpose herein,
as sir Hugh Caluerlie and others; yet at length they yeelded thereto,
and so by his commandement they went streight to Grauelin, the 21 day
of Maie, and immediatlie wan it by assault. Wherevpon Bruckburge was
yeelded vnto them, the liues and goods of them within saued. Then went
they to Dunkirke, & without any great resistance entred the towne, and
wan there excéeding much by the spoile, for it was full of riches,
which the Englishmen pilfered at their pleasure. The earle of Flanders
lieng at Lisle was aduertised how the Englishmen were thus entered
his countrie, wherevpon he sent ambassadors vnto the English host, to
vnderstand why they made him warre that was a right Vrbanist.
The bishop of Norwich for answer, declared to them that were sent, that
he tooke the countrie to apperteine to the French king, as he that had
of late conquered it, whom all the whole world knew to be a Clementine,
or at the least he was assured that the countrie thereabouts was of the
inheritance of the ladie of Bar, which likewise was a Clementine: and
therefore, except the people of that countrie would come and ioine with
him to go against such as were knowne to be enimies to pope Vrbane, he
would suerlie séeke to destroie them. And whereas the earls ambassadors
required safe conduct to go into England by Calis, to vnderstand the
kings pleasure in this mater, the bishop would grant them none at all;
wherefore they went backe againe to the earle their maister with that
answer.
[Sidenote: The herald of armes sent to y^e Flemings by the bishop of
Norwich is slaine.]
The Englishmen after the taking and spoiling of Dunkirke, returned to
Grauelin and Bruckburge, which places they fortified, and then leauing
garrisons in them, they went to Mardike, and tooke it, for it was
not closed. In the meane time, the countriemen of west Flanders rose
in armour, and came, to Dunkirke, meaning to resist the Englishmen:
whereof when the bishop was certified, with all speed he marched
thither, and comming to the place where the Flemings, to the number of
more than twelue thousand were ranged without the towne, he sent an
herald vnto them to know the truth, of whether pope they held; but the
rude people, not vnderstanding what apperteined to the law of armes,
ran vpon the herald at his approching to them, and slue him before he
could begin to tell his tale.
[Sidenote: _Thom. Wals._ The order of the bishop of Norwich his battell
against the Flemings.]
The Englishmen herewith inflamed, determined either to reuenge the
death of their herald, or to die for it, and therewith ordered their
battels readie to fight, and being not aboue five thousand fighting
men in all, the bishop placed himselfe amongst the horssemen, and set
the footmen in a battell marshalled wedgewise, broad behind and sharpe
before, hauing with them a banner wherein the crosse was beaten. The
archers were |759| ranged on either side: the standard of the church
went before, the field gules, and two keies siluer, signifieng that
they were souldiors of pope Vrbane. Moreouer, the bishop had his penon
there siluer and azure quarterlie, a freat gold on the azure, a bend
gules on the siluer; and bicause he was yoongest of the Spensers, he
bare a border gules for a difference. At the approching of the battels
togither the trumpets blew vp, and the archers began to shoot against
the battell of the Flemings, the which valiantlie defended themselues,
& fought egerlie a long time, but at length they were so galled with
arrowes which the archers shot at them a flanke, that they were not
able to indure, but were compelled to giue backe.
[Sidenote: The Flemings discomfited by y^e Englishmen.
_Iac. Meir._
_Froissard._
_Tho. Walsi._ Préests and religious men hardy soldiers.]
They were diuided into two battels, a vaward, and a rereward. When the
vaward began to shrinke, the rereward also brake order, and fled, but
the Englishmen pursued them so fast, that they could not escape, but
were ouertaken and slaine in great numbers. Some saie, there died of
them in the battell and chase fiue thousand, some six thousand; and
others write, that there were nine thousand of them slaine: and Thomas
Walsingham affirmeth twelue thousand. Manie of them fled into the towne
of Dunkirke for succour, but the Englishmen pursued them so egerlie,
that they entered the towne with them, and slue them downe in the
streets. The Flemings in diuerse places gathered themselues togither
againe as they fled, and shewed countenance of defense, but still they
were driuen out of order, and brought to confusion. The préests and
religious men that were with the bishop fought most egerlie, some one
of them slaieng sixtéene of the enimies.
[Sidenote: _Iacob. Meir._
The Englishmē subdue diuerse towns in Flanders, and spoile the
countrie.]
There died of Englishmen at this battell about foure hundred. The
Flemings had no horssemen amongst them, nor anie number of gentlemen,
for they stood in such dread of English bowes, that they durst not
come to anie battell with them, but kéeping themselues out of danger,
set the commons of the countrie in hand to trie what they against the
Englishmen were able to doo without them. This battell was fought
vpon a mondaie being the fifteenth of Maie. The countrie was put in a
woonderfull feare by this ouerthrow, so that the townes and fortresses
were in great doubt, and some yeelded themselues to the Englishmen,
as Berghen and others; some were woone by force, as the castell of
Drinchan, and the towne of S. Venant. To be short, the Englishmen
became maisters of all the countrie alongst the sea side, euen from
Grauelin to Sluis, and got such riches by pillage and spoile, as they
could not wish for greater. They preuailed so much, that they wan
in maner all the close towns within the bailiffeweekes of Cassell,
of Popering, Messines, and Furneis, with the townes of Newport,
Blankberke, and diuerse other.
[Sidenote: The towne of Ypres besiged.