Jehan Froissart, or Jean, a French chronicler, born in Valenciennes in 1337, died at Chimay about 1410. His father, a heraldic painter, destined him to the clerical profession. He was scarcely 20 years old when, upon the invitation of Robert of Namur, he undertook to write a history of the wars and adventures of his times. He compiled from the Vraies chroniques of Jehan le Bel, canon of St. Lambert in Liege, the first part of his own Chronicles," embracing the period from 1326 to 1340. When this was completed he went to England in 1360, and presented it to Philippa of Hainaut, the queen of Edward III. In 1362 he was made clerk of her chapel (having already taken holy orders), and also her secretary. In 1364 he visited Scotland, where he was kindly treated by King David Bruce, and enjoyed the hospitality of the Douglases. After gathering ample materials in Great Britain, he returned to the continent, and in 1366 went to the English court at Bordeaux. Thence he returned for a short time to England, and in 1368 we find him accompanying Lionel, duke of Clarence, to Italy, and, with Chaucer and Petrarch, witnessing in Milan the celebration of the marriage of that prince with the daughter of Galeazzo Visconti. In 1369 he repaired to his native country, where he obtained the living of Lestines. But the life of a country priest did not suit him, and he attached himself to Wenceslas of Luxemburg, duke of Brabant, who intrusted him with the care of collecting and writing down his rondeaus, ballads, songs, and virelays.

To these Froissart added some of his own compositions, and the collection formed a volume with the title of Melyador, or "The Knight of the Golden Sun." But Wenceslas died before the work was completed, and Guy, count of Blois, made Froissart clerk of his chapel, and sent him with a letter of introduction and gifts to Gaston Phoebus, count of Foix. After sojourning a long while at Orthez he accompanied this prince's niece, Jeanne de Boulogne, when she went to Riom to marry the duke of Berry. Thence he repaired to Paris, and afterward travelled again through Holland, Languedoc, and other countries. In 1390 he settled at Chimay, having been appointed canon and treasurer to the church there, and, with the exception of the time spent in a visit to England for the purpose of presenting Richard II. with a collection of his poems, he there devoted his later years to the completion of his great work. His book is a living picture of his age. An admirer of heroic deeds, an instinctive courtier of every prince or lord, delighted with feasts and pageants, he vividly depicts all that interests him, and gives more prominence to individual exploits than to important events.

He is devoid of patriotism, and shows no partiality to the French, narrating their defeats with as much gusto as their victories; he has no philosophical views nor political opinions; but he is incon-trovertibly the most amusing and vivacious of chroniclers. He also wrote more than 30,000 verses, a few specimens of which have been occasionally published; but his fame rests exclusively upon his historical work. The finest copy of Froissart's chronicle is at Breslau; it comprises four volumes, most carefully written, and embellished with magnificent vignettes. The chronicle embraces the annals of the 14th century from 1326 to 1400, and was printed for the first time about 1498 at Paris by An-toine Verard (4 vols, fob), under the title of Chroniques de France, d Angleterre, d'Ecosse, d'Espagne, de Bretagne, de Gascogne, Flandres et lieux d'alentour. The reprints of 1514, 1518, and 1530 contain continuations to the year 1513 by unknown authors. The chronicle was translated into English by order of Henry VIII. and published under the title of Chronicles of England (2 vols, fob, London, 1523-5). The English versions are generally preferred on account of their retaining the original spelling of the proper names.

The best French edition is by Buchon (15 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1824), reprinted with important additions and improvements in the Pantheon litteraire, under the title of Les chroniques de sire Jean Froissart, qui traitent des merveilleuses entreprises, nobles aventures et faits d'armes advenus en son temps en France, Angleterre, Bretaigne, Bour-gogne, Ecosse, Espaigne, Portingal, et es autres, nouvellement revues et augmentees d'apres les manuscrits, avec notes, eclaircissements, tables, et glossaire (3 large vols. 8vo, Paris, 1835-'6). A volume of extracts, containing the most interesting parts, was published in 1846. Sir Walter Scott was of opinion that for artlessness and vivacity of style the old version is to be preferred to the more exact and learned translation made by Thomas Johnes, under the title of Sir John Froissart's Chronicles of England, France, and the adjoining Countries (4 vols. 4to, Hafod press, 1803-'5). To the second edition of Johnes's translation (12 vols. 8vo, London, 1805) are prefixed a life of the author, an essay on his works, a criticism on his history, and a dissertation on his poetry.

Another edition has been published by Henry Bohn (2 vols. 8vo, London, 1845).