O noble Meir, be it into[252] youre plesaunce,
And unto[253] alle that duellithe in this Citee,
On my rudenes and on myn ignoraunce,
Of grace and mercy for to have pite,
My symple makyng for to take at gre;
Considere this that in the[254] moost lowly wyse,
My wille were good for to do[255] servyse.
[Footnote 252: unto.]
[Footnote 253: to.]
[Footnote 254: _Omitted._]
[Footnote 255: for to do you servyse.]
Here endith the makyng of the Comynge of the Kyng out of Fraunce to
Londone, Be the monk of Bery.--_Deo gracias._[256]
[Footnote 256: _This paragraph is omitted._]
* * * * *
P. 139. A^{o} 36 Hen. VI. "In this yere was a grete watch in London,
and al the gates kepte every nyght, and ij aldermen watchyng: and
withynne a while after the kyng and lordes were accorded, and went a
procession in Paulis."
The temporary reconciliation between the adherents of the King and of
the Duke of York, so briefly alluded to in the text, and which is best
illustrated by the following extract from a contemporary letter,
served, like every other event of his times, for the exercise of
Lydgate's pen; but his description of it in the following ballad is
infinitely more valuable from its historical accuracy, than its
poetical merit. Of this article there are two copies extant; one in
the Cottonian MS. Nero A. VI. and the other in the Cottonian MS.
Vespasianus B. XVI.: the latter copy has been printed, though very
erroneously, and with the orthography modernized, by Mr. Sharon
Turner; but the former has not been before noticed. As they differ in
some places from each other, and are very short, it has been thought
advisable that both transcripts should be inserted.
EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM JOHN BOKKING TO SIR JOHN FASTOLF: DATED ON
THE WEDNESDAY AFTER MID LENT SUNDAY, _i.e._ 15 MARCH, 1457.
[_Paston Letters_, vol. i. p. 154.]
"Lyke it your maistership to wyte, that as for tidings, the Counsell
is, the fornone, at the blake Frires, for the ease of resortyng of the
Lordes that ar withinne the toun; and at afternon at the white Frirers
in Fletstrete, for the Lordis with owte the town; and all things shall
come to a good conclusion with God is grace; for the Kyng shall come
hidre this weke, and the Quene also, as some men sayn, and my Lord Buk
and Stafford with hire, and muche puple. My Lord of Caunterbury takith
grete peyne up on hym daily, and will write unto yow the certeynte of
suche tidings as falle; and shuld have doon or this tyme, saf for that
he wolde knowe an ende of the mattre."
UPON THE RECONCILIATION OF THE LORDS OF THE YORKIST FACTION WITH THE
KYNG AND HIS ADHERENTS.
[_Cottonian MS._ Nero A. VI.]
Whan Charyte ys chosen with stats to stonde,
Stedfast and styll, with oute distaunce,
Then wreth may be exilid out of thys londe,
And God oure gide to have governaunce;
Wysdom and welthe with all plesaunce,
May ryghtfulle reigne, and prosperite,
For love hath underleyde wrethfull vengeaunce;
Reioyse Enlond the lords acordid bee.
Reioyse, and thonke God, and sorw no more,
For now shal encrese thi consolacone;
Oure enemes quake for drede ful sore,
That pees ys made that was divisione,
Whiche ys to them grete confusione,
And to us joy and felicite;
God hold them longe in every seasone,
That Englond may reioyce, the concord and unite.
Now ys sorw with shame fled yn to Fraunce,
As a felon that hath forsworne thys lond;
Love hath put owte malicius governaunce,
In every place both fee and bonde;
In Yorke, in Somersett, as y undyrstonde,
In Warwikke also ys love and charite,
In Salisbury eke, and yn Northumberlond,
That every man may reioyce the concord and unite.
Egremond,[257] and Clyfford,[258] and other forseyd,
Ben sett yn the same opynyone;
In every quartre love is thus leide,
Grace and wisdome hath the dominacione;
Awoke welth, and welk in thys regione,
Rewnde abowte in towne and cite,
And thonke them that brought it to thys conclusion;
Reioyse Englond the concord and unite.
[Footnote 257: Thomas Percy, third son of Henry 3rd earl of
Northumberland. He was created Baron of Egremont 20th December 1449,
and died in 1460.]
[Footnote 258: Thomas Lord Clifford. He succeeded to his honours in
1422, and died in 1454.]
At Poules in London, with grete renowne,
On oure Lady day the pes was wrought;
The kyng, the quene, with lords many one,
To worshyppe that virgine as they oght,
Went a prosession, and sparyd right noght,
In sight of alle the comonialte,
In tokyn that love was in hert and thoght;
Reioice Englond the concord and unite.
There was by twene them lovely countenaunce,
Whyche was grete yoy to alle that there were,
That long tyme hadd ben in variaunce,
As frynds for ever they went yn fere,
They went togedre, and made good chere;
O Fraunce and Bretayne, repent shall ye,
For the bergeyne shalle ye bye fulle dere;
Reioice Englond the concord and unite.
Our sovereyn lord the kyng, God kepe alway,
The quene and the bisshope of Canterbury,[259]
And other that have labored to thys love day,
God preserve them we pray hertly;
And Londone for they fulle diligently,
Kept the pees in trobull and in adversite;
To brynge yn rest they labored ful treuly;
Reioice Englond the peas and unite.
[Footnote 259: Cardinal John Bourchier. He was translated from Ely to
the Archiepiscopal see, on the 22nd April 1454, and died on the 30th
March 1486.]
Off thre things, y preys thys worshypfull Citee:
The ferst, of trewe feythe that they owe to the kyng;
The secounde, of love of eache comonialte;
The thyrde, of good rule evermore kepyng;
The whyche God mayntene ever long durynge,
And save the Maire and all the hole Citee,
And that ys amys brynge to amendyng,
That Englond may reioice the pees and unite.