Further, they declared that till that present, his subiects (as was
thought) had louinglie demeaned themselues towards him, in aiding him
with their substance to the best of their powers, & that their desire
was to vnderstand how those goods were spent. And further they said,
they had one thing to declare vnto him, how that by an old ordinance it
was enacted, that if the king should absent himselfe fourtie daies, not
being sicke, and refuse to come to the parlement, without regard to the
charges of his people, and their great paines, they then may lawfullie
returne home to their houses: and therefore sith he had béene absent a
long time, and yet refused to come among them, it was greatlie to their
discomfort. To this the king (as we find) made this answer: “Well,
we do perceiue that our people and commons go about to rise against
vs: wherefore we thinke we cannot doo better than to aske aid of our
cousine the French king, and rather submit vs vnto him than to our owne
subiects.”
[Sidenote: Wealth of the people is the glorie of the prince and suertie
of his reigne.]
The lords answered, that it should not be good for him so to doo, but
a waie rather to bring him into extreame danger, sith it was plaine
inough, that the French king was his ancient enimie and greatest
aduersarie, who if he might once set foot in the realme of England,
he would rather despoile and dispossesse the king of his kingdome,
than put his helping hand to relieue him. He might (they said) call
to remembrance, how his noble progenitour king Edward the third,
his grandfather, and prince Edward his father had trauelled in heat
and cold, with great anguish and troubles incessantlie, to make a
conquest of France, that rightfullie apperteined vnto them, and now to
him, in which wars he might likewise remember how manie lords, noble
men, and good commons of both realmes had lost their liues, and what
charges both the realmes likewise bare in mainteining those warres:
and now (the more pitie) greater burthens were laid vpon the necks of
the English subiects for the supportation of his charges, by reason
whereof, they were so low brought (said they) that they haue not to
paie their rents, and so by such meanes was his power decaied, his
lords brought behind hand, and all his people sore impouerished. And
as that king cannot be poore that hath rich people, so cannot he be
rich that hath |776| poore commons. And as he tooke hurt by such
inconueniences chancing through euill councellors that were about him,
so the lords and noblemen susteined no lesse hurt each one after his
estate and calling. And if remedie were not in time prouided through
his helping hand, the realme must needs fall in ruine, and the default
should be imputed to him and to those his euill councellors.
[Sidenote: Change of officers by the parlement.
The earle of Suffolke gréeuouslie charged by the parlement house for
sundrie offenses.]
By these and the like persuasions the king was induced to come to the
parlement, and according to his appointment he came indeed. Soone after
his comming was Iohn Fortham bishop of Durham discharged of his office
of lord treasuror, and in his place was appointed one Iohn Gilbert
bishop of Hereford, that was a frier of the order of preachers, a
man more eloquent than faithfull, as some reported of him. Also the
earle of Suffolke was discharged of his office of lord chancellor, and
Thomas Arundell bishop of Elie placed in his roome, by whole consent of
parlement. The same earle of Suffolke was charged with manie & verie
great enormious crimes, frauds, falshoods, and tresons, which he had
practised, to the great preiudice of the king and realme, and therevpon
was committed to ward in the castell of Windsore. Notwithstanding
they adiudged him not to death (as some write) nor disgraded him of
the honor of knighthood, but condemned him to paie a fine of twentie
thousand marks, and also to forfeit one thousand pounds of yéerelie
rents which he had purchased.
But other write, that notwithstanding the king was sore offended for
the accusations brought against the said earle of Suffolke and others,
whome he loued, and was loth to heare anie euill of: yet he was
constreined at length, after he had shifted off the matter by sundrie
deuises, to appoint certeine persons with full power and authoritie
to heare, and in iudgment to determine those matters. The duke of
Glocester therfore, and the earle of Arundell were appointed as iudges;
which (whilest the king as yet was absent, who got him foorth of the
waie of purpose, bicause he would not be present at the condemnation
of those whome he most entierlie loued and fauoured) went earnestlie
in hand with their businesse, and so at length (as Walsingham saith)
the earle of Suffolke was conuicted, & found giltie of sundrie crimes,
trespasses, and naughtie parts: for which it was thought that he
deserued to lose his life & goods, but yet he was suffered (as the same
Walsingham saith) to go abroad vnder suertie, certeine great men being
bound for him in great sums of monie. But what order soeuer was taken
for the punishment of him, sure it is he was displaced from his office
of chancellorship, as before yée haue heard.
[Sidenote: Thirtéene lords appointed by parlement to haue the
gouernement of the realme vnder the king.]
Furthermore, the lords, and other estates in this parlement,
considering that through couetousnesse of the new deposed officers,
the kings treasure had béene imbezeled, lewdlie wasted, & prodigallie
spent, nothing to his profit: there were in this parlement thirteene
lords chosen, to haue ouersight vnder the king of the whole gouernment
of the realme, as by their commission in the statutes of the tenth
yeare of this king it dooth in the booke of statutes at large appeare.
Of those thirteene there were thrée of the new officers named, as
the bishop of Elie lord chancellor, the bishop of Hereford lord
treasuror, and Nicholas abbat of Waltham lord keeper of the priuie
seale: the other ten were these, William archbishop of Canturburie,
Alexander archbishop of Yorke, Edmund Langlie duke of Yorke, Thomas
duke of Glocester, William bishop of Winchester, Thomas bishop of
Excester, Richard earle of Arundell, Richard lord Scroope, and Iohn
lord Debereux. But this participation of the gouernement fell out to be
inconuenient, as by processe of the storie shall appeare, euen to those
vnto whome it was allotted: so that no small a doo happened among them
and their partakers: according to the old prouerbe, which saith;
Væ sibi quando canes veniunt os rodere plures.
[Sidenote: The king of Armenia sueth for a safe conduct to come into
England which is denied him.]
Moreouer, at the kings instance and earnest sute it was granted, that
Robert de Veer late marquesse of Dubline, and now newlie created duke
of Ireland, should haue and receiue to his owne vse thirtie thousand
marks, that the Frenchmen were to giue for the |777| heires of the
lord Charles de Blois, that remained here in England, which Charles
in times past chalenged as his righfull inheritance the dutchie of
Britaine, against the earle of Montfort. This grant was made to the
duke of Ireland, with condition, that being furnished with this monie,
he should passe ouer into Ireland, before the next Easter, there to
recouer such lands as the king had giuen to him. For aswell the lords
as the commons were so desirous to haue him gone, that they wished the
realme rather to spare so much treasure, than to haue his presence
about the king, to allure him to follie. The same time the king of
Armenia sued for a safe conduct to come againe ouer into this land, to
speake with the king as it had been about the moouing of some peace
betwixt the two realms of England and France; but sith his meaning was
suspected to be to no good end, but to benefit himselfe by receiuing
of some great gifts at the kings bountifull hands, his sute was not
granted.
[Sidenote: Two of the Frēch kings ships taken with a great price in
them. Guns were inuented little more than six yeares before this time,
to wit, An. 1380.]
In this meane time also, whilest the French king with such a companie
of dukes, earls and other lords, as had not béene heard of, still
continued in Flanders, staieng as well for a conuenient wind, as for
the comming of the duke of Berrie; it chanced that certeine English
ships, as they wafted the seas, met with two of the French ships, that
were sailing towards Sluis, and fighting with them, tooke them, and
brought them both to Sandwich. There was found aboord the same ships, a
maister gunner, that sometime had serued the Englishmen at Calis, when
sir Hugh Caluerlie was lieutenant there; also diuerse great guns and
engins to beat downe wals were found and taken in the same ships, with
a great quantitie of powder that was more worth than all the rest.
[Sidenote: Restitution of merchants goods taken.]
About the same time, or rather somewhat before, the Englishmen also
tooke certeine hulks and six cariks of the Genowais, laden with great
riches: but bicause they were merchants, they found such fauor at the
kings hands through means of Michaell de la Poole then lord chancellor
(whome they had made their fréend) that they had their vessels and
all their goods restored, and streightwaies they passed with the same
vnto Sluis, where the enimies laie, to make sale of their wares there.
Wherevpon much murmuring rose among the kings subiects, taking it
in euill part, that they should be suffered so to go their waies to
releeue the enimies of the realme, with such goods as were once brought
into the Englishmens possession, and speciallie the lord chancellor was
verie euill thought of, for shewing so much fauour vnto those strangers.
[Sidenote: The French fléet setting forward towards England is driuen
backe by contrarie winds.
The kings inordinate affection towards the duke of Ireland and the
earle of Suffolke.]
The French king still remaining in Flanders, tarieng for the comming
of the duke of Berrie, and also for a conuenient wind, at length on
the euen of All saints, the wind came about very fauourablie for the
Frenchmens purpose: wherevpon they weied anchors, and lanched from the
hauen of Sluis, but they were not past twentie miles forward on their
way, when the wind suddenlie turned contrarie to their course againe,
and brought them backe with such violence, that diuerse of them as
they should enter the hauen, were broken and brused, and so by this
occasion, and the counsell of the duke of Berrie togither, the French
king brake vp his iournie for that yeare, and returned into France.
¶ Ye haue heard what was doone by the states assembled in parlement
against the earle of Suffolke, whom the most part of the realme so
greatlie hated, but yet neuerthelesse, the king had such an affection
towards him, that immediatlie after the parlement was dissolued, he
vndid all that had béene enacted against him, receiuing him into more
familiaritie than before, and caused him to continue with the duke of
Ireland, and Alexander Neuill archbishop of Yorke, which two lords
trauelled most earnestlie to mooue the king against the other lords,
and to disannull all that had béene doone in the last parlement.
[Sidenote: 1387.]
There increased therefore in the king an inward hatred, which he
conceiued against the lords, these men putting into his eare, that he
was like no king but rather resembled the shadow of one; saieng, it
would come to passe that he should be able to doo nothing of himselfe,
if the lords might inioy the authoritie which they had taken vpon
them. The king gaue credit to these tales, and therefore had the lords
in great gelousie, notwithstanding they were thought to be his most
true and faithfull subiects, and the other craftie, |778| deceitfull,
and vntrustie; but such an affection had the king to them, that no
informations, nor accusations, though neuer so manifestlie prooued,
could bring them out of his fauour, in so much as at the feast of
Christmasse next following, he caused the earle of Suffolke to sit with
him at his owne table, in robes accustomablie appointed for kings to
weare, and not for meaner estates, which was much noted, and no little
increased the enuie against him.
[Sidenote: The earle of Arundell goeth to the sea with 500 men of armes
and a thousand archers as _Froissard_ noteth.