About the same time, the duke of Glocester went into Prutzen land, to
the great griefe of the people, that made account of his departure,
as if the sunne had beene taken from the earth, doubting some mishap
to follow to the common wealth by his absence, whose presence they
thought sufficient to stay all detriments that might chance, for in
him the hope of the commons onelie rested. In his returne home, he was
sore tormented with rough weather and tempestuous seas. At length he
arriued in Northumberland, and came to the castell of Tinmouth, as to
a sanctuarie knowen to him of old, where after he had refreshed him
certeine daies, he tooke his iournie homewards to Plaschie in Essex,
bringing no small ioy for his safe returne to all the kingdome. ¶ On
the ninth of Iulie the sunne séemed darkened with certeine grosse
and euill fauoured clouds comming betwixt it and the earth, so as
it appeared ruddie, but gaue no light from noone till the setting
thereof. And afterwards continuallie for the space of six weeks,
about the middest of the daie, clouds customablie rose, and sometimes
they continued both daie and night, not vanishing awaie at all. ¶ At
the same time, such a mortalitie and death of people increased in
Northfolke, and in manie other countries of England, that it seemed not
vnlike the season of the great pestilence. In the citie of Yorke there
died eleuen thousand within a short space. ¶ Henrie Persie earle of
Northumberland lieutenant of Calis, was called home from that charge,
and created warden of the marches against Scotland, and Robert Mowbraie
was sent to Calis to be the kings lieutenant there.
[Sidenote: A parlement at London.
_Abr. Fl._ out of _Henrie Knighton_ canon of Leicester abbeie.
The duke of Lancaster ambassador for the king, right honorablie
receiued into France.
_Abr. Fl._ out of _Henrie Knighton_ canon of Leicester abbeie.]
On friday next after All soules day, the parlement began at London, in
which the knights would in no wise agrée, that the statute made against
spirituall men, for the prouiding themselues of benefices in the court
of Rome should be repealed: but yet they agréed thus much, that it
should be tollerated, so as with the kings licence such spirituallmen
might purchase to themselues such benefices till the next parlement. ¶
In this parlement aforsaid, there was granted vnto our lord the king
one tenth of the clergie, and one fiftéenth of the people towards the
expenses of Iohn duke of Lancaster, who in Lent next following went
ouer into France to the citie of Amiens for a finall peace betweene the
kingdoms of England and France: where the king of France met him with
a shew of great pompe and honor, sending before him first of all to
welcome him thither the citizens of the same citie on horssebacke in a
verie great number. Then afterwards, he sent earles and barons a great
manie to the same end, then his two vncles, last of all went the king
himselfe to meet him, and saluting him called him by the name of The
most worthie warrior of all christendome, the inuincible woorthinesse
of the king onelie excepted. And the duke had seauentéene daies (by
couenant) to compasse this treatie of peace: at last he returned,
hauing attendant vpon him in his traine the bishop of Durham, and
the sonne of the duke of Yorke the earle of Rutland, with a thousand
horssemen, set foorth in a woonderfull sumptuous sort with goodlie
furniture. ¶ Also conditionallie a whole tenth and a whole fiftéenth
were granted to him, if it chanced that he made anie iournie that yeare
against the Scots. ¶ In this yeare, the duke of Gelderland sent to the
king of England letters of commendation & praise, wherein also were
prouocations and stirrings vp to warre and warlike actiuitie, and to
the exercise of kinglie noblenesse, the tenor whereof followeth:
The tenor of the said dukes letter to king Richard.
MAGNIFICE princeps, innata vobis probitas, & prudentum consilia (vt
opinamur) simul agerent in officium, quòd singula hæreditaria iura,
quæ ex natalitio vestram magnificant regiam maiestatem, temporibus
vestræ discretonis altissima prouidentia munirentur illæsa; et si
quæuis oppugnaret violentia, clypeo militari studeat regalis industria
|815| fortiter defendere sua iura. Et quòd vestram regiam personam
cōtingamus in affinitate, ni vetet Deus ipse, quin semper parati
erimus vobis in vestris iuribus defendendis assistere cum duobus
milibus lancearū, quando & quotiens disponemini ad bellica conuolare.
Nec perire debeant iura propter verba aut promissa, quomodolibet ad
hoc laborat versutia Gallicorum. Sanè serenissime princeps in orbem
volat fama, nec ambigitur quòd propter lanam & innumerabilia vestra
singularia commoda, sine quibus non viuit oriens neque auster, regna
singula in pecunijs vos salutant. In comparatione igitur ad alios
reges vobis confert Deus ipse diuitias centuplatas. Probitas etiam
militaris, & arcuum asperitas, sine pari, taliter huc vsque extulere
gentem magnanimam occidentis, quòd timor non paruus vestros inuadit
aduersarios; & ad hunc diem impariter victoriosè dimicauit cum
Gallicis Angliæ gens austera. In pusillanimitate igitur (potentissime
princeps) contra naturam non obdormeat cor leonis; sed & quales vobis
contulit vires natura, ipsas applicare dignemini actibus bellicosis,
in defensionem reipublicæ; iuris hæreditarij sustentationem,
augmentúmque meriti, & incomparabiliter chronicabilem probitatem
cordis magnanimi tanti regis.
The same letter in plaine phrase verbatim Englished by A. F.
MOST mightie prince, your roiall prowesse and the counsels of the
sage, should altogither (as we thinke) moue you in dutie, by the most
profound & deepe foresight of your discretion in time to maintaine
and defend all and singular your rights & inheritance vnharmed, which
by birth doo magnifie and make great your roiall maiestie, and if
anie violence whatsoeuer gainstand and assault the same, your kinglie
diligence should indeuor with the shield of a warrior valiantlie to
defend your title and right. And bicause we are neere you, & doo as
it were touch your roiall person in aliance, vnlesse God himselfe doo
forbid and hinder vs, we will alwaies be readie in all your rights
to assist and aid you with two thousand pikes, when and how often
soeuer you shall be disposed to rush out to battell. Your right ought
not to be lost for words and promises, howsoeuer the craftinesse of
the French labor to this purpose. Trulie most excellent prince, your
renowme doth flie into the world, neither is it doubted but for your
wooll sake, and other your singular commodities being innumerable
(without the which the east and the south can not liue) all realmes
with their coines doo greet you. In comparison therefore of other
kings God himselfe hath bestowed vpon you riches a hundred fold.
Your warlike prowesse also, & the roughnesse of your bowes, being
peerelesse, haue hitherto so extolled the couragious nation of the
west, that no small feare dooth inuade your aduersaries; and to this
day the sterne people of England haue (none like them) victoriouslie
incountered with the French. Therefore ô most puissant prince, let not
the hart of a lion sleepe in cowardlinesse against nature: but what
force and valiantnesse nature hath giuen you, the same vouchsafe to
put in practise with feats of armes in defense of your common wealth,
the maintenance of your right by inheritance, the increase of your
desert, and the peerelesse prowesse of so great a kings couragious
hart right worthie to be chronicled.
[Sidenote: The flix gotten by excessive feeding on fruits.
The lord maior of London commended for his carefull prouision of corne
from beyond the seas in the time of dearth.]
The price of corne that had continued at an high rate, almost for the
space of two yeares, began to fall immediatlie after haruest was got
in, to the great reliefe of the poore, which before through immoderate
eating of nuts and apples, fell into the disease called the flix,
whereof manie died, and suerlie (as was thought) the death and dearth
had beene greater, if the commendable diligence of the lord maior of
London had not béene, in relieuing the commons by such prouision as he
made for corne to be brought to London, from the parties of beyond the
seas, where otherwise neither had the countrie béene able in anie thing
to haue sufficed the citie, nor the citie the countrie. H. Knighton
|816| referreth this scarsitie to the yeare 1390, and maketh a large
discourse both of the miseries which it brought with it, as also of the
cause whereby it was procured, and of the notable meanes whereby the
same in most places was remedied.
[Sidenote: _Abr. Fl._ out of _Henrie Knighton_ canon of Leceister
abbeie.
The cause of the scarsitie was not want of bread or corne.
Wooll sold dogcheape by the stone.
Prouision against scarsitie to relieue the poore.