till he came to Wellestreme sands, where passing the washes he lost a
great part of his armie, with horsses and carriages, so that it was
iudged to be a punishment appointed by God, that the spoile which had
béene gotten and taken out of churches, abbeies, and other religious
houses, should perish, and be lost by such means togither with the
spoilers. Yet the king himselfe, and a few other, escaped the violence
of the waters, by following a good guide. But as some haue written,
he tooke such gréefe for the losse susteined in this passage, that
immediatlie therevpon he fell into an ague, the force and heat whereof,
togither with his immoderate féeding on rawe peaches, and drinking of
new sider, so increased his sicknesse, that he was not able to ride,
but was faine to be carried in a litter presentlie made of twigs, with
a couch of strawe vnder him, without any bed or pillow, thinking to
haue gone to Lincolne, but the disease still so raged and grew vpon
him, that he was inforced to staie one night at the castell of Laford,
and on the next day with great paine, caused himselfe to be caried vnto
Newarke, where in the castell through anguish of mind, rather than
through force of sicknesse, he departed this life the night before the
ninetéenth day of October, in the yeare of his age fiftie and one, and
after he had reigned seauentéene yeares, six moneths, and seauen and
twentie daies.
[Sidenote: _Caxton._]
¶ There be which haue written, that after he had lost his armie,
he came to the abbeie of Swineshead in Lincolnshire, and there
vnderstanding the cheapenesse and plentie of corne, shewed himselfe
greatlie displeased therewith, as he that for the hatred which he bare
to the English people, that had so traitorouslie reuolted from him
vnto his aduersarie Lewes, wished all miserie to light vpon them, and
therevpon said in his anger, that he would cause all kind of graine to
be at a farre higher price, yer manie daies should passe. Wherevpon a
moonke that heard him speake such words, being mooued with zeale for
the oppression of his countrie, gaue the king poison in a cup of ale,
whereof he first tooke the assaie, to cause the king not to suspect the
matter, and so they both died in manner at one time.
[Sidenote: _Gisburn & alij._]
There are that write, how one of his owne seruants did conspire with a
conuert of that abbeie, and that they prepared a dish of peares, which
they poisoned, thrée of the whole number excepted, which dish the said
conuert presented vnto him. And when the king suspected them to be
poisoned indéed, by reason that such pretious stones as he had about
him, cast foorth a certeine sweat, as it were bewraieng the poison, he
compelled the said conuert to tast and eat some of them, who knowing
the thrée peares which were not poisoned, tooke and eat those thrée,
which when the king had séene, he could no longer absteine, but fell
to, and eating gréedilie of the rest, died the same night, no hurt
happening to the conuert, who thorough helpe of such as bare no good
will to the K. found shift to escape, and conueied himselfe awaie from
danger of receiuing due punishment for so wicked a déed.
[Sidenote: The variable reports of writers, concerning the death of
king John.]
Beside these reports which yée haue heard, there are other that write,
how he died of surfeting in the night, as Rafe Niger; some, of a
bloudie flux, as one saith that writeth an addition vnto Roger Houeden.
And Rafe Cogheshall saith, that comming to Lin, (where he appointed
Sauerie de Mauleon to be capteine, and to take order for the fortifieng
of that towne) he tooke a surfet there of immoderat diet, and withall
fell into a laske, and after his laske had left him, at his comming to
Laford in Lindsey, he was let bloud: furthermore to increase his other
gréefes and sorrowes for the losse of his carriage, iewels and men,
in passing ouer the washes, which troubled him sore; there came vnto
him messengers from Hubert de Burgh, and Gerard de Sotegam capteins of
Douer castell, aduertising him, that they were not able to resist the
forceable assaults and engins of the enimies, if spéedie succour came
not to them in due time. Whereat his gréefe of mind being doubled, so
as he might séeme euen oppressed with sorrow, the same increased his
disease so vehementlie, that within a small time it made an end of his
life (as before yée haue heard.)
[Sidenote: _Bernewell._]
The men of warre that serued vnder his ensignes, being for the more
part hired souldiers and strangers, came togither, and marching foorth
with his bodie, each man with his armour on his backe, in warlike
order, conueied it vnto Worcester, where he was pompouslie buried in
the cathedrall church before the high altar, not for that he had so
appointed (as some write) but bicause it was thought to be a place of
most suertie for the lords and other of his fréends there to assemble,
and to take order in their businesse now after his deceasse. And
bicause he was somewhat fat and corpulent, his bowels were taken out of
his bodie, and buried at Croxton abbeie, a house of moonks of the order
called Præmonstratenses, in Staffordshire, the abbat of which house was
his physician.
¶ How soeuer or where soeuer or when soeuer he died, it is not a matter
of such moment that it should impeach the credit of the storie; but
certeine it is that he came to his end, let it be by a surfet, or by
other meanes ordeined for the shortening of his life. The manner is
not so materiall as the truth is certeine. And suerlie, he might be
thought to haue procured against himselfe manie molestations, manie
anguishes & vexations, which nipt his hart & gnawd his very bowels with
manie a sore symptome or passion; all which he might haue withstood
if fortune had béene so fauourable, that the loialtie of his subiects
had remained towards him inuiolable, that his Nobles with multitudes
of adherents had not with such shamefull apostasie withstood him in
open fight, that forren force had not weakened his dominion, or rather
robbed him of a maine branch of his regiment, that he himselfe had not
sought with the spoile of his owne people to please the imaginations of
his ill affected mind; that courtiers & commoners had with one assent
performed in dutie no lesse than they pretended in veritie, to the
preseruation of the state and the securitie of their souereigne: all
which presupposed plagues concurring, what happinesse could the king
arrogate to himselfe by his imperiall title, which was through his owne
default so imbezelled, that a small remanent became his in right, when
by open hostilitie and accurssed papasie the greater portion was pluckt
out of his hands.
Here therefore we sée the issue of domesticall or homebred broiles,
the fruits of variance, the game that riseth of dissention, whereas
no greater nor safer fortification can betide a land, than when the
inhabitants are all alike minded. By concord manie an hard enterprise
(in common sense thought vnpossible) is atchieued, manie weake things
become so defended, that without manifold force they cannot be
dissolued. From diuision and mutinies doo issue (as out of the Troiane
horsse) ruines of roialties, and decaies of communalties. The sinewes
of a realme is supposed of some to be substance and wealth; of other
some policie and power: of other some conuenient defenses both by
water and land: but a most excellent description of a well fortified
countrie is that of Plautus, set downe in most pithie words and graue
sentences: no lesse worthie to be written than read and considered. The
description is this.
[Sidenote: _Plaut. in Pers._]
Si incolæ bene sunt morati pulchrè munit[=u] regn[=u] arbitror:
Perfidia & peculatus ex vrbe & auaritia si exulent,
Quarta inuidia, quinta ambitio, sexta obtrectatio,
Septimum periurium, octaua indulgentia,
Nona iniuria, decima quod pessimum aggressu scelus:
Hæc nisi inde aber[=u]t c[=e]tuplex murus reb. secundis par[=u] est.
And therefore no maruell though both courtiers and commoners fell from
king John their naturall prince, and tooke part with the enimie; not
onelie to the disgrace of their souereigne, but euen to his ouerthrow,
and the depopulation of the whole land; sith these maine bulworks
and rampiers were wanting; and the contrarie in most ranke sort and
detestable manner extended their virulent forces.
But we will surceasse to aggrauate this matter, sith the same is
sufficientlie vrged in the verie course of the historie concerning his
acts and déeds, continued to the verie day of his death, and the verie
time of his buriall, whereof I saie thus much, that whether it was
his will to be interred, as is aforesaid, or whether his corpse being
at the disposing of the suruiuers, to elect the place as a conuenient
storehouse for a princes bones, I leaue it as doubtfull, and therefore
vndetermined, estéeming the lesse to labour therein, bicause the
truth can hardlie by certeintie be winnowed out, but by coniecturall
supposals aimed and shot at. Notwithstanding, in my poore iudgement it
is verie likelie (first in respect of the time which was superstitious
and popish; secondlie by reason of the custome of funerall rites then
commonlie vsed) that he was buried in the said place for order sake, &
his bodie (if I may presume so farre by warrant of mine author) wrapped
in a moonks cowle and so laid in his graue or toome. For the manner was
at that time, in such sort to burie their Nobles and great men, who
were induced by the imaginations of moonks and fond fansies of fréers
to beléeue, that the said cowle was an amulet or defensitiue to their
soules from hell and hellish hags, how or in what soeuer sort they
died; either in sorrow and repentance for sinne, or in blasphemie,
outrage, impatiencie, or desperation.
[Sidenote: _Humf. Lhloyd._]
[Sidenote: _Dauid Powell._]
This forme of funerals was frequented in Wales, hauing béene first
brewed and broched in England, from whence (if we may giue credit to
our late Chronographers) as from a poisoned spring it spred it selfe
into Wales. For the first abbeie or frierie that is read to haue béene
erected there, since the dissolution of the noble house of Bangor,
which sauoured not of Romish dregs, was the Twy Gwyn, which was builded
in the yeare 1146. Afterwards these vermine swarmed like bées, or
rather crawled like lice ouer all the land, and drew in with them
their lowsie religion, tempered with I wot not how manie millians of
abhominations; hauing vtterlie forgotten the lesson which Ambrosius
Telesinus had taught them [who writ in the yeare 540, when the right
christian faith (which Joseph of Arimathia taught the Ile of Aualon)
reigned in this land, before the proud and bloodthirstie moonke
Augustine infected it with the poison of Romish errors] in a certeine
ode, a part whereof are these few verses insuing,
Gwae'r offeiriad byd,
Nys angreifftia gwyd,
Ac ny phregetha:
Gwae ny cheidw ey gail,
Ac ef yn vigail,
Ac nys areilia:
Gwae ny theidw ey dheuaid,
Rhae bleidhie Rhiefeniaid,
Ai ffon grewppa.
[Sidenote: Thus in English almost word for word.]
Wo be to that préest yborne,
That will not cleanelie wéed his corne,
And preach his charge among:
Wo be to that shepheard (I saie)
That will not watch his fold alwaie,
As to his office dooth belong:
Wo be to him that dooth not kéepe,
From rauening Romish wolues his shéepe,
With staffe and weapon strong.
This (as not impertinent to the purpose) I haue recorded, partlie to
shew the palpable blindnes of that age wherein king John liued, as
also the religion which they reposed in a rotten rag, estéeming it as
a Scala coeli or ladder to life; but speciallie inferred to this end,
that we may fetch some light from this cléere candle (though the same
séeme to be duskish & dim) whereby we may be lead to conceiue in reason
and common sense, that the interrement of the king was according to
the custome then in vse and request, and therefore by all likelihoods
he was buried as the péeres and states of the land were woont to be in
those daies, after the maner aboue mentioned.
[Sidenote: King Johns children.]
But to let this passe as a cold discourse of a coffen of bones cottered
with clods of claie; you shall vnderstand that he left behind him
posteritie of both sexes. For he had issue by his wife quéene Isabell
two sonnes, Henrie who succéeded him in the kingdome, and Richard;
thrée daughters, Joane married to Alexander king of Scotland, Isabell
coupled in matrimonie with the emperour Frederike the second, and
Elianor whome William earle of Glocester had to wife. He had also
another daughter (as some haue left in writing) called Elianor.
He was comelie of stature, but of looke and countenance displeasant and
angrie, somewhat cruell of nature, as by the writers of his time he is
noted, and not so hardie as doubtfull in time of perill and danger.
But this séemeth to be an enuious report vttered by those that were
giuen to speake no good of him whome they inwardlie hated. Howbeit some
giue this witnesse of him (as the author of the booke of Bernewell
abbeie and other) that he was a great and mightie prince, but yet not
verie fortunate, much like to Marius the noble Romane, tasting of
fortune both waies: bountifull and liberall vnto strangers, but of his
owne people (for their dailie treasons practised towards him) a great
oppressour, so that he trusted more to forreners than to them, and
therfore in the end he was of them vtterlie forsaken.
¶ Verilie, whosoeuer shall consider the course of the historie written
of this prince, he shall find, that he hath béene little beholden to
the writers of that time in which he liued: for scarselie can they
afoord him a good word, except when the trueth inforceth them to come
out with it as it were against their willes. The occasion whereof (as
some thinke) was, for that he was no great fréend to the clergie. And
yet vndoubtedlie his déeds shew he had a zeale to religion, as it
was then accompted: for he founded the abbeie of Beauleau in the new
forrest, as it were in recompense of certeine parish-churches, which to
inlarge the same forrest be caused to be throwne downe and ruinated.
[Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._ _Polydor._ & _alij._]
He builded the monasterie of Farendon, and the abbeie of Hales in
Shropshire; he repaired Godstow where his fathers concubine Rosamund
laie interred; he was no small benefactor to the minster of Lichfield
in Staffordshire; to the abbeie of Crokesden in the same shire, and
to the chappell at Knaresburgh in Yorkshire. So that (to say what I
thinke) he was not so void of deuotion towards the church, as diuerse
of his enimies haue reported, who of méere malice conceale all his
vertues, and hide none of his vices; but are plentifull inough in
setting foorth the same to the vttermost, and interpret all his dooings
and saiengs to the woorst, as may appeare to those that aduisedlie
read the works of them that write the order of his life, which may
séeme rather an inuectiue than a true historie: neuerthelesse, sith we
cannot come by the truth of things through the malice of writers, we
must content our selues with this vnfréendlie description of his time.
Certeinelie it should séeme the man had a princelie heart in him, and
wanted nothing but faithfull subiects to haue assisted him in reuenging
such wrongs as were doone and offered by the French king and others.
Moreouer, the pride and pretended authoritie of the cleargie he could
not well abide, when they went about to wrest out of his hands the
prerogatiue of his princelie rule and gouernement. True it is, that to
mainteine his warres which he was forced to take in hand as well in
France as elsewhere, he was constreined to make all the shift he could
deuise to recouer monie and bicause he pinched their pursses, they
conceiued no small hatred against him, which when he perceiued, and
wanted peraduenture discretion to passe it ouer, he discouered now and
then in his rage his immoderate displeasure, as one not able to bridle
his affections, a thing verie hard in a stout stomach, and thereby
missed now and then to compasse that which otherwise he might verie
well haue brought to passe.
[Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._]
It is written, that he meant to haue become feudarie (for maintenance
sake against his owne disloiall subiects, and other his aduersaries)
vnto Miramumeline the great king of the Saracens: but for the truth of
this report I haue little to saie, and therefore I leaue the credit
thereof to the authors. It is reported likewise, that in time when the
realme stood interdicted, as he was abroad to hunt one day, it chanced
that there was a great stag or hart killed, which when he came to be
broken vp, prooued to be verie fat and thicke of flesh; "Oh (saith he)
what a plesant life this déere hath led, and yet in all his daies he
neuer heard masse." To conclude, it may séeme, that in some respects
he was not greatlie superstitious, and yet not void of religious
zeale towards the maintenance of the cleargie, as by his bountifull
liberalitie bestowed in building of abbeies and churches (as before yée
haue hard) it may partlie appeare.
[Sidenote: _Bale._]
In his daies manie learned men liued, as Geffrey Vinesaufe, Simon
Fraxinus aliàs Ash, Adamus Dorensis, Gualter de Constantijs first
bishop of Lincolne and after archbishop of Rouen, John de Oxford,
Colman surnamed Sapiens, Richard Canonicus, William Peregrine, Alane
Teukesburie, Simon Thuruaie, who being an excellent philosopher but
standing too much in his owne conceit, vpon a sudden did so forget
all his knowledge in learning, that he became the most ignorant of
all other, a punishment (as was thought) appointed him of God, for
such blasphemies as he had wickedlie vttered, both against Moses and
Christ. Geruasius Dorobernensis, John Hanwill, Nigell Woreker, Gilbert
de Hoiland, Benet de Peterburgh, William Paruus a moonke of Newburgh,
Roger Houeden, Hubert Walter, first bishop of Salisburie and after
archbishop of Canturburie, Alexander Theologus, of whome yée haue
heard before, Geruasius Tilberiensis, Syluester Giraldus Cambrensis,
who wrote manie treatises, Joseph Deuonius, Walter Mapis, Radulfus
de Diceto, Gilbert Legley, Mauricius Morganius, Walter Morganius,
John de Fordeham, William Leicester, Joceline Brakeland, Roger of
Crowland, Hugh White aliàs Candidus that wrote an historie intituled
Historia Petroburgensis, John de saint Omer, Adam Barking, John Gray an
historiographer and bishop of Norwich, Walter of Couentrie, Radulphus
Niger, &c. Sée Bale Scriptorum Britanniæ centuria tertia.
Thus farre king John.
Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation normalised.
Anachronistic and non-standard spellings retained as printed.
Italics markup is enclosed in _underscores_.
Bold markup is enclosed in =equals=.
Greek text is transliterated and enclosed in ®registration signs®.
Superscript text is prefixed by ^.
Characters with a macron are indicated as [=x] where "x" is the
character with a macron.
While the Greek accentuation is clearly defective, it has been
retained as found.