[Sidenote: 1453]
My Lordes, ye know well ynough the grete peynes, labours, and diligences
that before thys tyme y have doon, to th’entent that the over greete
dishonneurs and losses that ben come to thys full noble royaume of
England by the fals menes of som persones that have take on theym over
grete autoritee in thys royaume shulde be knowen, and that the persones
lyvyng that have doon theym shulde be corrected aftyr the merites of her
desertes. And to that entent y have denounced and delyverd to you in
wrytyng certeyn articles ayenst the Duc of Somerset, whych ys one of
theym that ys gylty thereoff, whertoo the Duc of Somerset have aunsuerd;
and to that that he hath aunsuerd y have replyed yn such wyse that y
trowe to be sure ynough that there shall no vayllable thyng be seyd to
the contrarie of my seyd replicacion, and asmoch as he woold sey shall
be but falsnesse and lesyngs, as be the probacions that shall be made
thereuppon shall mow appiere; how be it that to alle people of gode
entendement, knowyng how justice owyth to be ministred, it ys full
apparaunt that the denunciacions ayenst hym made ben sufficiently preved
by the dedes that have folowed thereoff; whereuppon y have requyred to
have ouverture of justice by yow, whych ye have not yhyt doon to me,
whereoff y am so hevy that y may no lenger beere it, speciallie seth the
mater by me pursued ys so worshipfull for all the royaume, and for you,
and so greable to God, and to alle the subgettys of thys royaume, that
it may be no gretter. And it ys such that for anye favour of lignage, ne
for anye othyr cause there shulde be no dissimulacion, for doubt lest
that othyr yn tyme comyng take example thereoff, and lest that the full
noble vertue of justice, that of God ys so greetly recommaunded, be
extinct or quenched by the fals oppinions of som, that for the grete
bribes that the seyd Duc of Somerset hath promysed and yoven them, have
turned theyr hertys from the wey of trouth and of justice; some seyeng
that the cases by hym committed ben but cases of trespasse, and othyr
takyng a colour to make an universell peas. Whereoff every man that ys
trewe to the seyd Coroune auyth gretely to marveylle, that anye man wold
sey that the losse of ij. so noble duchees as Normandie and Guyen, that
ben well worth a greet royaume, comyng by successions of fadres and
modres to the seyd Coroune, ys but trespasse; where as it hath be seen
in manye royaumes and lordshyps that, for the losse of tounes and
castells wythoute sege, the capitaynes that hav lost theym han be deede
and beheded, and her godes lost; as in Fraunce one that lost
Chyrborough; and also a knyght that fledd for dred of bataille shulde be
byheded, soo that alle these thyngs may be founden in the lawes wryten,
and also yn the boke cleped _L’arbre de Bataille_. Wherfor, for to
abbregge my langage, y requyre you that forasmech as the more partie of
the dedes committed by the seyd Duc of Somerset ben committed yn the
royaume of Fraunce, that by the lawes of Fraunce processe be made
thereuppon; and that all thyng that y have delyvered and shall delyvere
be seen and understand by people havyng knoulige theroff, and that the
dedes committed by hym in thys royaume bee yn lyke wyse seen and
understand by people lerned yn the lawes of thys land; and for preffe
thereoff to graunt commissions to inquere thereoff, as by reason and of
custom it owyth to be doon, callyng God and you all my Lordes to
wytnesse of the devoirs by me doon in thys seyd matere; and requyeyng
you that thys my bille and alle othyr my devoirs may be enacted before
you. And that y may have it exemplified undre the Kyngs grete seele for
my discharge and acquytaille of my trouth, makyng protestacion that in
case ye make not to me ouverture of justice upon the seyd caas, y shall
for my discharge do my peyn that my seyd devoirs and the seyd lak of
justice shall be knowen through all the royaume.
_Einsi signé_,