In Part One, these are Cicely's daughters, Alice and Vivien, and her
damsels, Margaret and Fina; Meliora, the Queen's sub-damsel; Hilda la
Vileyne, and her relatives. Of all others, the name and position at
least are historical facts.
The fictitious persons in Part Two are more numerous, being all the
household of the Countess of March (except John Inge the Castellan): and
Nichola, damsel of the Countess Agnes.
The three Despenser nuns, Mother Alianora, and the Sisters Annora and
Margaret, and Lady Joan de Greystoke, are the only characters in Part
Three which are not fictitious.
A difference in the diction will be noticed between Part Three and the
earlier parts, the last portion being more modern than the rest. Sister
Alianora must not be supposed to write her narrative, which she could
not do except by order from her superiors; but rather to be uttering her
reflections to herself. Since to her the natural language would be
French, there was no need to follow the contemporary diction further
than, by a quaint expression now and then, to remind the reader of the
period in which the scene is laid.
It may be remarked that the diction of Parts One and Two is not strictly
correct. This is true: because to make it perfectly accurate, would be
to make it also unintelligible to nine out of ten readers, and this not
so much on account of obsolete words, which might be explained in a
note, as of the entirely different turn of the phraseology. An
imaginary diary of the reign of Elizabeth can be written in pure
Elizabethan language, and with an occasional explanatory note, it will
be understood by modern readers: but a narrative prior to 1400 at the
earliest cannot be so treated. The remaining possibilities are either
to use as much of the correct diction of the period as is intelligible,
employing modern terms where it is not, or else to write in ordinary
modern English. Tastes no doubt differ on this point. I prefer the
former; since I extremely dislike to read a mediaeval story where modern
expressions alone are used in the dialogue. The reader, if himself
acquainted with the true language, finds it impossible to realise or
enter into the story, being constantly reminded that he is reading a
modern fiction. What I object to read, therefore, I object to write for
the reading of others. Where circumstances, as in this case, make
perfect accuracy impossible, it seems to me the next best thing is to
come as near it as they will permit.
The biographical details given in this Appendix, with few exceptions,
have not, I believe, been previously published. For such information as
may readily be found in Dugdale's Baronage, extinct peerages, etcetera,
I refer my readers to those works.
The End.
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Note 1. This document is mistakenly headed and catalogued as a Compotus
of Leonor, Queen of Edward the First. It certainly belongs to Queen
Philippa. The internal evidence is abundant and conclusive--_eg_, "the
Countess of Hainault, the Queen's mother."
Note 2. The details of this cartload are not uninteresting:--203
quarters, 12 pounds wax; 774 pounds broken sugar, 11 pence per pound;
200 almonds; 100 pounds of rice; 78 ells of Paris napery, 10 pence per
ell; 6 and a half ells of Rouen napery, same price; 18 short towels; 15
and a half ells of "cloth of Still;" 100 ells of linen, 100 ells of
canvas; 200 pears, at 4 shillins per 100, bought of Isabel Fruiterer;
2000 large nuts, at 1 shilling per 1000; four baskets for the fruit, 10
pence. The journey from London occupied five days, and the travelling
expenses were 14 pence per day.