In the Museum of Antiquities of Rouen is preserved an original document,
thus designated, "Lettre d'Edouard, Prince de Galles (1471)." It is kept
under a glass case, and shown as "an undoubted autograph of the Black
Prince," according to the testimony of the gentleman who has very
obligingly placed a transcript of this interesting relic at my disposal. It
is as follows:
"Chers et bons amis, nous avons entendu, que ung nostre homme lige
subject, natif de nostre pays de Galles, est occupé et détenu es
prisons de la ville de Diepe, pour la mort d'un homme d'icelle ville,
dont pour le dict cas autres ont esté exécutez. Et pour ce que nostre
dict subject estoit clerc, a esté et est encores en suspens, parce
qu'il a esté requis par les officiers de nostre très cher et aimé
cousin l'archevesque de Rouen, afin qu'il leur fut rendu, ainsi que de
droict; pourquoy nous vous prions, que icelui nostre homme et subject
vous veuillez bailler et delivrer aux gens et officiers de mon dict
cousin, sans en ce faire difficulté. Et nous vous en saurons un très
grant gré, et nous ferez ung essingulier plaisir. Car monseigneur le
roy de France nous a autorisez faire grace en semblable cas que celui
de mon dict subject, duquel desirons fort la delivrance. Escript à
Rouen, le onziesme jour de Janvier.
(Signed) EDUARD.
(Countersigned) MARTIN."
The error of assigning this signature to Edward the Black Prince is
sufficiently obvious, and somewhat surprising, since we here have an
undoubted, and, I believe, _unique_ autograph of Edward of Lancaster,
Prince of Wales, only son of Henry VI. by Margaret of Anjou. He was born at
Westminster, October 13th, 1453, and was therefore, in January, 1471 (no
doubt the true date of the document), in the eighteenth year of his age. He
had sought refuge from the Yorkists, in France, with his mother, ever since
the year 1462, and in the preceding July or August, 1470, had been
affianced to Anne Neville, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Warwick. At
the period when this {34} letter was written at Rouen, Margaret of Anjou
was meditating the descent into England which proved so fatal to herself
and son, whose life was taken away with such barbarity on the field at
Tewksbury, in the month of May following. The letter is addressed,
apparently, to the magistrates of Rouen or Dieppe, to request the
liberation of a native of Wales (imprisoned for the crime of having slain a
man), and his delivery to the officers of the Archbishop of Rouen, on the
plea of his being a clerk. The prince adds, that he was authorised by the
King of France (Louis XI.) to grant grace in similar cases. As the
signature of this unfortunate prince is at present quite unknown in the
series of English royal autographs, it would be very desirable that an
accurate fac-simile should be made of it by some competent artist; and
perhaps the art of photography might in this instance be most
advantageously and successfully used to obtain a perfect copy of the entire
document.