Immediately after this event, Froissart found another patron in Guy count do Blois, who made him clerk of his chapel, for which Froissart testified his gratitude by a pastoral and epithalamium on a marriage in the family. He passed the years 1385, 1386, and 1387 sometimes in the Blaisois, sometimes in Touraine ; but the Count de Blois haviug engaged him to continue his history, which he had left unfinished, he determined in 1388 to take advantage of the peace which was just con cluded to visit the court of Gaston Phoebus count de Foix, in order to gain full information of whiatever related to foreign countries and the more distant provinces of the kingdom. His journey to Ortez, the chief residence of the Count de Fuix, in company with Sir Espaing du Lyon, is one of the most interesting parts of Froissart's 'Chronicle. The Count do Foix received and admitted him as a member of his household. Here Froissart used to entertain Gaston after supper by reading to him the romance of 'Meliador,' which he bad brought with him. After a long sojourn at the court of Ortez he returned to Flanders by the route of Avignon. We learn from a poem referred to by M. de St. Palaye, that on this occasion the historian, always iu quest of adventures, met a personal one with which he could have dispensed, being robbed of all the ready money which his travels had left him. After a series of journeys into different couutries for the sake of obtaining information, we find him in 1390 in his own country, solely occupied in the completion of his history, until 1393, when he was again at Paris. About 1378 be obtained from Pope Clement VII. the reversion of a canonry at Lille, and in the collection of his poetry, which was completed in 1393, and elsewhere, ho calls himself canon of Lille ; but Pope Clement dying in 1394, he gave up his expectations of the reversion, and began to qualify himself as canon and treasurer of the collegiate church of Chimay, which he probably owed to tho friendship of the Couut de Blois.
In 1395 Froissart revisited England, where be was received with marks of high favour and affection by Richard H. and the royal family. Here be went on collecting for his history, and had the honour to present his Meliaclor' to the king, who was much delighted with it, "for be could speak and read French very well." After a
residence of three months Froissart left England, and at his departure received from the king a silver goblet containing a hundred nobles. Ile finally settled at his benefice of Chimay, and employed as usual the hours of his leisure in arranging and detailing the information collected in his travels. The melancholy fate of his benefactor, Richard II., iu 1399, became the subject of his latest labours. It is uncertain how long Froissart survived the death of Richard and the conclusion of his Chronicle ;' he was then about sixty years old, and died shortly after at Chimay, according to an entry in the obitusry of the ohapter.
The period of history embraced in Froissart's 'Chronicle' is from 1326 to 1400. The best of the old editions of the original is that of Lyon, iu 4 vols. folio, 1559. One of the most valuable of the recent editions is thatin the Collection des Chroniques Nationales Fran caises, avec Notes et Eclaircissements, par J. A. Buohon,' in 15 vols. Svo, Paris, 1824-26. Froissart's Chronicle' seems to have been first printed at Paris by Ant. Verard, without date, 4 vols. folio, and was reprinted by GuilL Eustace, Paris, 1514. There are two English translations; one by Bourchier lord Berners, made 'at the high com mandment' of king Henry VIII., fol., Loud., Pinson, 1525-26; re printed in 2 vols. 4to, Lond., 1812, under the editorial care of E. V. Utterson, Esq. ; the other, !with additions from many celebrated MSS.,' translated by Thomas Johnes, Esq., appeared 'from the Hafod press,' in 4 vols. 4to, 1803-5.
The principal particulars of Froissart's life have been here condensed from that by St. Palaye, translated and edited by Mr. Johnes, 8vo, Loud., 1801, and revised and republished in 4to, Hafod, 1810.
There are several splendidly illuminated manuscripts of Froissart's 'Chronicle,' quite or nearly contemporary, preserved in the British Museum : one a complete copy, belonging to the old royal library of tho kings of Englaud, 14 D. ii.-vL; another consisting of the second and fourth books in the same collection, 18 E. i. and ii.; a third in the Harleian Library, MSS. 4379 and 4380, containing the fourth book only ; a fourth, an imperfect copy, is iu the Arundel collection, No. 97.