Gaguin.
A great nauie prepared by the French king.
The king of England taketh the sea.
The French king being aduertised, that the king of England meant shortlie to returne into Flanders with a great power, in purpose to inuade the realme of France on that side, assembled a nauie of foure hundred ships vnder the leading of thrée expert capteins of the warres by sea, as sir Hugh Kiriell, sir Peter Bahuchet, and a Geneweis named Barbe Noir, appointing them to the coasts of Flanders to defend the king of England from landing there, if by any meanes they might. These thrée capteins or admerals came and laie with their ships in the hauen of Sluise, for that it was supposed the king of England would arriue there, as his meaning was indéed, wherevpon when his men, ships, and prouisions were once readie in the moneth of Iune, he tooke the sea with two hundred saile, and directing his course towards Flanders, there came vnto him the lord Robert Morley, with the north nauie of England, so that then he had in all about thrée hundred saile, or (as other saie) two hundred and thrée score.
Polydor.
Ia. Meir.
The king of England setteth vpon his enimies.
Additions to Triuet.
The victorie of the Englishmen at the battell of Sluise.
The French nauie laie betwixt Sluise and Blancbergh, so that when the king of England approched, either part descried other, & therewith prepared them to battell. The king of England staied, till the sunne which at the first was in his face, came somewhat westward, and so had it vpon his backe, that it should not hinder the sight of his people, and so therewith did set vpon his enimies with great manhood, who likewise verie stoutlie incountered him, by reason whereof insued a sore and deadlie fight betwixt them. The nauies on both sides were diuided into thrée battels. On the English part, the earles of Glocester, Northampton and Huntington, who was admerall of the fléet that belonged to the cinque ports, and the lord Robert Morley admerall of the northerne nauie had the guiding of the fore ward, bearing themselues right valiantlie, so that at length the Englishmen hauing the aduantage, not onlie of the sunne, but also of the wind and tide, so fortunatlie, that the French fléet was driuen into the streights of the hauen, in such wise that neither the souldiers nor mariners could helpe themselues, in somuch that both heauen, sea, and wind, séemed all to haue conspired against the Frenchmen. And herewith manie ships of Flanders ioining themselues with the English fléet, in the end the Frenchmen were vanquished, slaine and taken, their ships being also either taken, bowged, or broken.