A great honour said the Frenchman. But I praie you (quoth he smiling) how manie hath he lost? The Eng|lishman perceiuing what he meant, said: one, which you by policie, and by no strength, haue caused him to loose.
Well said the Frenchman, you maie ponder in a paire of balance, the gaine of nine gotten battels, and the rebuke of this one in this maner lost: for I tell you, that we haue this saieng; The force of Eng|land hath and dooth surmount the force of France: but the ingenious wits of the Frenchmen excell the dull braines of Englishmen. For in all battels you haue béene the gainers, but in leagues and treaties our wits haue made you loosers: so that you maie content your selues with the losse in treaties, for the spoile that you gat in warres and battels.
This com|munication was reported to the French king, who priuilie sent for the Englishman to supper, and not onlie made him good cheere, but also gaue him a thou|sand crownes, to praise the peace and to helpe to mainteine the same. Yet neuerthelesse, he being not a little mooued with these brags, declared all the communication to the duke of Glocester; who sware, that he would neuer haue set foot out of England, if he had not thought to haue made the Frenchmen once to assaie the strength & puissance of the English|men: but what so euer he thought, all things were tranferred vnto an other end than he could ima|gine.]
Compare 1577 edition: 1 When the duke of Burgognie heard that there was a peace in hand betwixt king Edward and the French king,The duke of Burgognie commeth in hast to the king of Eng|land. he came in no small hast from Lutzen|burgh, onelie accompanied with sixteene horsses into the king of Englands lodging, and began as one in a great chase sore to blame his dooings, declaring in plaine termes how dishonorable this peace should be vnto him, hauing atchiued nothing of that about the which he came. The king of England, after he had giuen him leaue to speake his fansie, answered him somewhat roundlie againe, openlie reproouing him for his promise-breaking and vncourteous dealing with him: where for his cause cheeflie he had passed the seas, and now found him not to keepe touch in a|nie one point which he had couenanted. ¶But to adde more weight to the matter in hand, A [...]r. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol. Ccxxxj. sith it was so se|riouslie debated betwéene the two potentats, let vs heare what talke historiens report to haue béene in|terchanged betwéene them. The king of England (saith mine author) not a little abashed both at the dukes sudden comming, and his fierce countenance, like one that would rather bite than whine, deman|ded of him the cause of his sudden comming. The duke sharpelie answered, to know whether he had ei|ther entered into anie communication, or onelie had absolutelie concluded a peace betwéene the French king and him. King Edward declared how that for sundrie and diuerse great and vrgent causes, touching as well the vniuersall publike wealth of the whole christianitie, as their owne priuate com|moditie and the quietnesse of their realmes, he and the French king had concluded a peace and ami|tie for terme of nine yeares, in the which were com|prised, as fellowes and fréends, both he and the duke of Britaine, requiring him to condescend and agrée to the same.