This yeere, the Danes that laie rouing on the seas did much hurt to
the English merchants, taking and robbing manie English ships, and
when the hauen townes alongst the coasts of Northfolke, made foorth a
number of ships, and ventured to fight with those pirats, they were
vanquished by the Danes, so that manie were slaine, and manie taken
prisoners, which were constreined to paie great ransoms. The enimies
also found in ransacking the English ships, twentie thousand pounds,
which the English merchants had aboord with them to buy wares with,
in place whither they were bound to go. ¶ In the same yeare, William
Courtneie archbishop of Canturburie, hauing more regard to his owne
priuat commoditie, than to the discommoditie of others, purchased a
bull of the pope, whereby he was authorised to leauie through his whole
prouince foure pence of the pound of ecclesiasticall promotions, as
well in places exempt, as not exempt, no true nor lawfull cause being
shewed or pretended, why he ought so to doo; and to see the execution
of this bull put in practise, the archbishop of Yorke, and the bishop
of London, were named and appointed.
[Sidenote: Waltham bishop of Salisburie buried at Westminster amongst
the kings.
An. Reg. 19.
The duke of Irelāds corps conueied from Louaine into England, and there
roiallie interred.]
Manie that feared the censures of such high executions, chose rather
to paie the monie foorthwith, than to go to the law, and be compelled
happilie, mauger their good willes. Some there were that appealed to
the sée of Rome, meaning to defend their cause and to procure that so
vnlawfull an exaction might be reuoked. Speciallie, the prebendaries
of Lincolne stood most stiffelie against those bishops, but the death
of the archbishop that chanced shortlie after, made an end of those so
passing great troubles. This yeare, Iohn Waltham bishop of Salisburie,
and lord treasuror of England departed this life, and by king Richard
his appointment had the honor to haue his bodie interred at Westminster
amongst the kings. After this decease, Roger Walden that before was
secretarie to the king, and treasuror of Calis, was now made lord
treasuror. Yée haue heard, that in the yeare 1392, Robert Véer duke
of Ireland departed this life in Louaine in Brabant. King Richard
therefore this yeare in Nouember, caused his corps being imbalmed, to
be conueied into England, and so to the priorie of Colnie in Essex,
appointing him to be laid in a coffine of cypresse, and to be adorned
with princelie garments, hauing a chaine of gold about his necke, and
rich rings on his fingers. And to shew what loue and affection he bare
vnto him in his life time, the king caused the coffine to be opened,
that he might behold his face bared, and touch him with his hands:
he honored his funerall exequies with his presence, accompanied with
the countesse of Oxenford, mother to the said duke, the archbishop of
Canturburie, and manie other bishops, abbats, and priors: but of noble
men there were verie few, for they had not yet digested the enuie and
hatred which they had conceiued against him.
[Sidenote: _Froissard._
The Gascoignes send vnto K. Rich. signifieng vnto him, that they ought
not to be diuided from the crowne.]
In this meane while, the duke of Lancaster was in Gascoigne, treating
with the lords of the countrie, and the inhabitants of the good townes,
which vtterlie refused to receiue him otherwise than as a lieutenant or
substitute to the king of England, and in the end addressed messengers
into England, to signifie to the king, that they had beene accustomed
to be gouerned by kings, and meant not now to become subiects to anie
other, contrarie to all reason, sith the king could not (sauing his
oth) alien them from the crowne. The duke of Lancaster vsed all waies
he might deuise, how to win their good wils, and had sent also certeine
of his trustie councellors, ouer hither into England, as sir William
Perreer, sir Peter Clifton, and two clearkes learned in the lawe, the
one called maister Iohn Huech, and the other maister Iohn Richards a
canon of Leicester, to plead and sollicit his cause.
[Sidenote: The grant of the duchie of Aquitaine to the duke of
Lancaster reuoked.]
But to be breefe, such reasons were shewed, and such matter vnfolded
by the Gascoignes, whie they ought not be separated from the crowne of
England, that finallie |831| (notwithstanding the duke of Glocester,
and certeine other were against them) it was decréed, that the countrie
and duchie of Aquitaine should remaine still in demesne of the crowne
of England, least that by this transporting thereof, it might fortune
in time, that the heritage thereof should fall into the hands of some
stranger, and enimie to the English nation, so that then the homage
and souereigntie might perhaps be lost for euer. Indeed, the duke of
Glocester, being a prince of an high mind, & loth to haue the duke of
Lancaster at home, being so highlie in the kings fauor, could haue
béene well pleased, that he should haue enioied his gift, for that he
thought thereby to haue borne all the rule about the king, for the duke
of Yorke was a man rather coueting to liue in pleasure, than to deale
with much businesse, and the weightie affaires of the realme.
[Sidenote: Ambassadors sent into France to treat a marriage betwéene
king Richard & the French K. daughter.]
About the same time, or somewhat before, the king sent an ambassage to
the French king, the archbishop of Dublin, the earle of Rutland, the
earle Marshall, the lord Beaumont, the lord Spenser, the lord Clifford
named Lewes, and twentie knights with fortie esquiers. The cause of
their going ouer, was to intreat of a marriage to be had betwixt him,
and the ladie Isabell, daughter to the French king, she being as then
not past eight yeares of age, which before had beene promised vnto the
duke of Britaines sonne: but in consideration of the great benefit that
was likelie to insue by this communication and aliance with England,
there was a meane found to vndoo that knot, though not presentlie.
These English lords, at their comming to Paris, were ioifullie
receiued, and so courteouslie interteined, banketted, feasted, and
cherished, and that in most honorable sort, as nothing could be more:
all their charges and expenses were borne by the French king, and when
they should depart, they receiued for answer of their message, verie
comfortable words, and so with hope to haue their matter sped, they
returned.
[Sidenote: _Thom. Wals._
1396.
The duke of Lancaster marieth a ladie of a meane estate, whome he had
kept as his concubine.]
But now when the duke of Lancaster had, by laieng foorth an
inestimable masse of treasure purchased in a manner the good wils of
them of Aquitaine, and compassed his whole desire, he was suddenlie
countermanded home by the king, and so to satisfie the kings pleasure,
he returned into England, and comming to the king at Langleie, where he
held his Christmasse, was receiued with more honor than loue, as was
thought; wherevpon he rode in all hast that might be to Lincolne, where
Katharine Swinford as then laie, whom shortlie after the Epiphanie,
he tooke to wife. This woman was borne in Heinault, daughter to a
knight of that countrie, called sir Paou de Ruet: she was brought vp
in hir youth, in the duke of Lancasters house, and attended on his
first wife the duchesse Blanch of Lancaster, and in the daies of his
second wife the duchesse Constance, he kept the foresaid Katharine
as his concubine, who afterwards was married to a knight of England,
named Swinford, that was now deceassed. Before she was married, the
duke had by hir three children, two sonnes and a daughter; one of the
sons was named Thomas de Beaufort, & the other Henrie, who was brought
vp at Aken in Almaine, prooued a good lawyer, and was after bishop of
Winchester.
[Sidenote: Wickleuists increase.]
For the loue that the duke had to these his children, he married their
mother the said Katharine Swinford, being now a widow, whereof men
maruelled much, considering hir meane estate was farre vnmeet to match
with his highnesse, and nothing comparable in honor to his other two
former wiues. And indeed, the great ladies of England, as the duches
of Glocester, the countesses of Derbie, Arundell and others, descended
of the blood roiall, greatlie disdeined, that she should be matched
with the duke of Lancaster, and by that means be accompted second
person in the realme, and preferred in roome before them, and therefore
they said, that they would not come in anie place where she should
be present, for it should be a shame to them that a woman of so base
birth, and concubine to the duke in his other wiues daies, should go
and haue place before them. The duke of Glocester also, being a man
of an high mind and stout stomach, misliked his brothers matching
so meanlie, but the duke of Yorke bare it well inough, and verelie,
the ladie hir selfe was a woman of such bringing vp, and honorable
demeanor, that enuie could not in the end but giue place to well
deseruing. About this season, the doctrine of |832| Iohn Wickliffe
still mightilie spred abroad héere in England. ¶ The schisme also still
continued in the church, betwixt the two factions of cardinals French
and Romane; for one of their popes could no sooner be dead, but that
they ordeined an other in his place.
[Sidenote: The earle marshall affieth y^e French kings daughter, in y^e
name of king Richard.
An. Reg. 20.