_Bellum apud Seynt Albons._
[Sidenote: 1455 / MAY 21-22]
Be yt knowen and hadde in mynde that the xxj. day of May the xxxiij.
zere of the regne of Kyng Herry the Sext, our sovereigne Lord Kyng toke
his jurnay from Westmynster toward Seynt Albones, and rested at Watford
all nyght; and on the morwe be tymes he cam to Seynt Albones, and wyth
him on his partye assembled under his baner the Duyke of Bockingham, the
Duke of Somersete, the Erle of Penbrok, the Erle of Northumburlond, the
Erle of Devynsshire, the Erle of Stafford, the Erle of Dorsete, the Erle
of Wyltsshire, the Lorde Clyfford, the Lord Dudley, the Lord Burneys,
the Lord Rose, wyth other dyversse knyghtes, squyeres, and other
gentilmen and yemen to the nounbre of ij^ml [2000] and moo. And upon the
xxij. day of the seyde moneth above rehersed assembled the Duyk of
Yorke, and wyth hym come yn companye the Erle of Salesbury, the Erle of
Warrewyke with diverse knyghtes and squyers unto ther partye into the
felde, called the Key Feld, besyde Seynt Albones. Fyrthermore, oure seyd
sovereyne Lord the Kyng, heryng and knowyng of the seyde Dukes comyng
with other Lordes afore seyde, pygth his baner at the place called
Boslawe in Seynt Petrus Strete, whych place was called afore tyme past
Sandeforde, and commaundeth the warde and barrers to be kepte in stronge
wyse; the for seyde Duyk of York abydyng in the feld aforeseyde frome
vij. of the clokke in the morn tyl yt was al most x. without ony stroke
smeton on eyther partye. The seyde Duke sende to the Kyng our sovereyne
Lord, be the avyse of his councell, prayng and be sekyng hym to take him
as his true man and humble suget; and to consider and to tender at the
reverence of Almyghty God, and in way of charite the true entent of his
comyng--to be good and gracyous sovereyne Lorde to his legemen, whech
with al ther power and mygth wille be redy at alle tymes to leve and dye
with hym in his rigth. And to what thyng yt shoulde lyke his Mageste
Ryall to commaunde hem, yf yt be his worsship, kepyng right of the
Croune and welffare of the londe; ‘More over, gracyous Lord, plese yt
zour Majeste Ryall of zour grete goodnesse and ryghtwesnesse to enclyne
zour wille to here and fele the ryghtwyse partye of us zoure sugettes
and legemen; fyrst, prayng and besechyng to oure Lord Jesus of his hye
and myghty power to geve un to zou vertu and prudence, and that thorugh
the medyacyon of the glorious martyr Seynt Albon to geve zou very
knowleche to knowe the entent of oure assembleng at this tyme; for God
that is [in] Heven knoweth than our entent is rightful and true. And
there fore we pray unto Al myghty Lord Jesus these wordes--_Domine sis
clipeus defensionis nostræ_. Wherefore, gracyus Lord, plese it your
hyghe Majeste to delyvere such as we wole accuse, and they to have lyke,
as they have deserved and done, and ze to be honorabled and worsshepyt
as most ryghtffull Kyng and oure governour. For and we shall now at this
tyme be promysed, as afore this tyme ys not unknowen, of promes broken
whech ful fayth fully hath ben promysed, and there upon grete othes
made, we wyll not now cesse for noon such promysse, surete, ne other,
tyl we have hem whych hav deserved deth, or elles we to dye there fore.’
And to that answered the Kyng our sovereyne Lord, and seyde: ‘I, Kyng
Herry, charge and comaund that no maner persone, of what degre, or
state, or condicyon that evere he be, abyde not, but voyde the felde,
and not be so hardy to make ony resystens ageyne me in myn owne realme;
for I shall knowe what traytor dar be so bold to reyse apepull in myn
owne lond, where thorugh I am in grete desese and hevynesse. And by the
feyth that I owe to Seynt Edward and to the Corone of Inglond, I shal
destrye them every moder sone, and they be hanged, and drawen, and
quartered, that may be taken afterward, of them to have ensample to alle
such traytours to be war to make ony such rysyng of peple withinne my
lond, and so traytorly to abyde her Kyng and governour. And, for a
conclusyon, rather then they shall have ony Lorde here with me at this
tyme, I shall this day, for her sake, and in this quarrell my sylff lyve
or dye.’
Wych ansuere come to the Duke of Yorke, the wheche Duke, by the avyce of
the Lordes of hys Counceill, seyde unto hem thise wordes: ‘The Kyng our
sovereyne Lord will not be reformed at our besechyng ne prayer, ne wylle
not understonde the entent that we be comen heder and assembled fore and
gadered at this tyme; but only ys full purpose, and there noon other wey
but that he wole with all his power pursue us, and yf ben taken, to geve
us a shameful deth, losyng our lyvelode and goodes, and our heyres
shamed for evere. And ther fore, sythe yt wole be noon othere wyse but
that we shall ootterly dye, better yt ys for us to dye in the feld than
cowardly to be put to a grete rebuke and asshamefful deth; more over,
consederyng yn what peryle Inglonde stondes inne at thys owre, therefore
every man help to help power for the ryght there offe, to redresse the
myscheff that now regneth, and to quyte us lyke men in this querell;
preyng to that Lord that ys Kyng of Glorye, that regneth in the kyngdom
celestyall, to kepe us and save us this day in our right, and thorugh
the helpe of His holy grace we may be made strong to with stonde the
grete abomynable and cruell malyse of them that purpose fully to destrye
us with shameful deth. We ther fore, Lord, prey to The to be oure
confort and Defender, seyng the word afore seyde, _Domine sis clipeus
defensionis nostræ_.’
And whanne this was seyde, the seyde Duke of Yorke, and the seyd Erle of
Salesbury, and the Erle of Warrewyk, betwene xj. and xij. of the clocke
at noon, the broke into the toun in thre diverse places and severelle
places of the fore seyd strete. The Kyng beyng then in the place of
Edmond Westby, hunderdere of the seyd toun of Seynt Albones, comaundeth
to sle alle maner men of lordes, knygthtes, and squyeres, and zemen that
myght be taken of the for seyde Dukes of York. Thys don, the fore seyde
Lord Clyfford kept strongly the barrers that the seyde Duke of York
myght not in ony wise, with all the power that he hadde, entre ne breke
into the toun. The Erle of Warrewyk, knowyng ther offe, toke and gadered
his men to gedere and ferosly brake in by the gardeyne sydes betuene the
signe of the Keye and the sygne of the Chekkere in Holwell strete; and
anoon as they wer wyth inne the toon, sodeynly the blew up trumpettes,
and sette a cry with asshout and a grete voyce, ‘A Warrewe! A Warrewyk!
A Warrewyk!’ and into that tyme the Duke of York mygth nevere have entre
into the toun; and they with strong hond kept yt, and myghttyly faught
to gedere, and anoon, forth with after the brekyng in, they sette on
them manfully. And as of Lordes of name were slayn the Lord Clyfford,
the Duke of Somersete, the Erle of Northumberlond, Sir Bartram
Entuwysselle, Knynght; and of men of courte, Wyllyam Zouch, John
Batryaux, Raaff of Bapthorp and hys sone, Wyllyam Corbyn, squyers;
William Cotton, receyver of the Ducherye of Lancastre; Gylbert Starbrok,
squyer; Malmer Pagentoun, William Botelore, yomen; Rogere Mercroft, the
Kynges messanger; Halyn, the Kynges porter; Raufe Wyllerby; and xxv. mo,
whych her names be not zet knowen. And of hem that ben slayn ben beryed
in Sent Albonos xlviij. And at this same tyme were hurt Lordes of
name--the Kyng, our sovereyne Lord, in the neck with an arrowe; the Duke
of Bukingham, with an arrowe in the vysage; the Lord of Stafford in the
hond, with an arowe; the Lord of Dorsette, sore hurt that he myght not
go, but he was caryede hom in a cart; and Wenlok, Knyght, in lyke wyse
in a carte sore hurt; and other diverse knyghtes and squyers sore hurt.
The Erle of Wyldsshyre, Thorpe, and many other flede, and left her
harneys behynde hem cowardly, and the substaunce of the Kynges partye
were dyspoyled of hors and harneys. This done, the seyde Lordes, that ys
to wote, the Duke of Yorke, the Erle of Salesbury, the Erle of
Warrewyke, come to the Kyng, our sovereyne Lord, and on here knees be
soughte hym of grace and foryevenesse of that they hadde doon yn his
presence, and be sought hym of his Heynesse to take hem as hys true
legemen, seyng that they never attendyde [_intended_] hurt to his owne
persone, and ther fore [the] Kyng oure sovereyn Lord toke hem to grace,
and so desyred hem to cesse there peple, and that there shulde no more
harme be doon; and they obeyde hys commaundement, and lote make a cry on
the Kynges name that al maner of pepull shulde cesse and not so hardy to
stryke ony stoke more after the proclamacyon of the crye; and so cessed
the seyde batayle, _Deo gratias_.
And on the morwe the Kyng and the seyde Duke, with other certeyn Lordes,
come in to the Bysshops of London, and there kept resydens with joye and
solempnyte, concludyng to holde the parlement at London, the ix. day of
July next comyng.
[Footnote 25.1: This paper is reprinted from the _Archæologia_,
vol. xx. p. 519, to which it was communicated by Mr. Bayley,
keeper of the records in the Tower, in 1822.]
[[Boslawe in Seynt Petrus Strete
_text unchanged; correct name is “Goslawe”_]]
[[lordes, knygthtes, and squyeres _text has “end”_]]
[[the Duke of Bukingham, with an arrowe in the vysage;
_Gairdner, following Bayley, omits the following line
“the lord of Dudle, with an arowe in the vysage;”_]]
284