e ultima vice.]

[Sidenote: Gyen.]

[Sidenote: Burdeux.]

[Sidenote: De sancto Lodovico rege Fraunciae.]

And albeit that at som tymes God suffrethe the partie that hathe right and
a trew title, and that livethe after his lawes, to be gretly parsecuted,
and to be put to over gret aventure, laboure, and peyne, some tyme to be
overthrow, some tyme to be prisoner or slaine in {42} bataile be divine
providence whan hym lust to be Juge, thoughe the peple be never so goode,
ne the querelle, title, and right never so trew; and yet not for no suche
adversite and as have fallen the yere of Crist M^l.iiij^c.l., be the last
overthrow of a notable arme at Fremyny, where ser Thomas Kirielle knight,
lieftenaunt in that voiage, [was take prysoner wyth many othyrs to the
nombre about .ix^c.,[135]] a grete caus was that the pety capteins wolde
not obbey at the day of that journay at that sodeyne recountre to her
chieftein, and taried lengir in his voiage after he was londed or he came
to any strong holde was present.[136] Also another gret armee and voiage
fordone for defaut and lak of spedy payment this yere of Crist M^l.cccclj.,
whiche were at last redy to goo to Gyen, the armee taried upon the see
coostis in Englande almost a quarter of a yere or theire payment was redie.
And the cite of Burdeux lost in the meane tyme for lak of rescue. Yet God
defende that thoroughe suche adversitees we shulde be utterly discoraged.
Late us take example in according to this. It is wretin in the booke of
Machabeus, in the .viij. chapitre, how the worshipfull Judas Machabeus,
seeyng Goddis peple gretly febled and abashed be divers discomfitures of
theym, seide to his knightis, A, a, It is bettir to us to avaunce us forthe
and rather to die in bataile then lengre to suffre the gret passions and
troubles of oure infortune. And fro thens forthe by the wille of God, good
corage and comfort taken to theyme, they were made conquerours and had the
victorie in alle theire batailes. Also another example by seint Lowes king
of Fraunce, whiche in encresing the cristyn feithe made gret armees into
the holy land in [about[135]] the yere of Crist M^l.ij^c.lxx., and
suffrethe gret adversiteis among the Sarresyns, he and his knightis
overthrow and take prisoneris to the Soudan of Babilon, and the king put to
gret raunsom paide, his peple died up by gret mortalite of pestilence,
suffred famyne, hungur, and thurst, yet God at the last releved hym, and
[he] came into