The king then came downe to Lichfield, and there held a roiall
Christmasse, which being ended, he tooke his iournie towards
Shrewesburie, where the parlement was appointed to begin in the
quinden of saint Hilarie, as before yée haue heard. In which parlement
there holden vpon prorogation, for the loue that the king bare to the
gentlemen commons of the shire of Chester, he caused it to be ordeined
that from thencefoorth it should be called and knowne by the name
of the principalitie of Chester: and herewith he intituled himselfe
prince of Chester. He held also a roiall feast, kéeping open houshold
for all honest commers, during the which feast, he created fiue dukes
and a duchesse, a marquesse, and foure earles. The earle of Derbie was
created duke of Hereford, the earle of Notingham that was also earle
marshall duke of Norfolke, the earle of Rutland duke of Aubemarle,
the earle of Kent duke of Surrie, and the earle of Huntington duke
of Excester; the ladie Margaret marshall countesse of Norfolke, was
created duchesse of Norfolke; the earle of Summerset marques Dorset,
the lord Spenser earle of Glocester, the lord Neuill surnamed Daurabie
earle of Westmerland, the lord William Scroope lord chamberleine earle
of Wiltshire, and the lord Thomas Persie lord steward of the kings
house earle of Worcester.
[Sidenote: K. Richard beareth saint Edward his armes.]
And for the better maintenance of the estate of these noble men, whome
he had thus aduanced to higher degrees of honour, he gaue vnto them
a great part of those lands that belonged to the duke of Glocester,
the earles of Warwike, and Arundell. And now he was in good hope,
that he had rooted vp all plants of treason, and therefore cared
lesse who might be his freend or his fo, than before he had doone,
estéeming himselfe higher in degrée than anie prince liuing, and so
presumed further than euer his grandfather did, and tooke vpon him to
beare the armes of saint Edward, ioining them vnto his owne armes. To
conclude, whatsoeuer he then did, none durst speake a word contrarie
therevnto. And yet such as were cheefe of his councell, were estéemed
of the commons to be the woorst creatures that might be, as the
dukes of Aumarle, Norfolke and Excester, the earle of Wiltshire, sir
Iohn Bushie, sir William Bagot, and sir Thomas Gréene: which thrée
last remembred were knights of the Bath, against whom the commons
vndoubtedlie bare great and priuie hatred.
[Sidenote: The L. Reginald Cobham condemned.
The authoritie of both houses in parlement granted to certaine persons.
_Thom. Wals._]
But now to proceed. In this parlement holden at Shrewsburie, the lord
Reginald Cobham, being a verie aged man, simple and vpright in all
his dealings, was condemned for none other cause, but for that in the
eleuenth yéere of the kings reigne he was appointed with other to
be attendant about the king as one of his gouernours. The acts and
ordinances also deuised and established in the parlement holden in the
eleuenth yeare were likewise repealed. Moreouer, in this parlement at
Shrewesburie, it was decréed, that the lord Iohn Cobham should be sent
into the Ile of Gernesie, there to remains in exile, hauing a small
portion assigned him to liue vpon. The king so wrought & brought things
about, that he obteined the whole power of both houses to be granted to
certeine persons, as to Iohn duke of Lancaster, Edmund duke of Yorke,
Edmund duke of Aumarle, Thomas duke of Surrie, Iohn duke of Excester,
Iohn marquesse Dorset, Roger earle of March, Iohn earle of Salisburie,
and Henrie earle of Northumberland, Thomas earle of Glocester, and
William earle of Wiltshire, Iohn Hussie, Henrie Cheimeswike, Robert
Teie, and Iohn Goulofer knights, or to seauen or eight of them. These
were appointed to heare and determine certeine petitions and matters
yet depending and not ended: but |844| by vertue of this grant, they
procéeded to conclude vpon other things, which generallie touched the
knowledge of the whole parlement, in derogation of the states therof,
to the disaduantage of the king, and perillous example in time to come.
[Sidenote: The K. procureth the popes buls against the breakers of his
statute.]
When the king had spent much monie in time of this parlement, he
demanded a disme and a halfe of the cleargie, and a fiftéenth of the
temporaltie. Finallie, a generall pardon was granted for all offenses
to all the kings subiects (fiftie onelie excepted) whose names he would
not by anie meanes expresse, but reserued them to his owne knowledge,
that when anie of the nobilitie offended him, he might at his plesure
name him to be one of the number excepted, and so kéepe them still
within his danger. To the end that the ordinances, iudgements, and
acts made, pronounced and established in this parlement, might be and
abide in perpetuall strength and force, the king purchased the popes
buls, in which were conteined greeuous censures and cursses, pronounced
against all such as did by anie means go about to breake and violate
the statutes in the same parlement ordeined. These buls were openlie
published & read at Paules crosse in London, and in other the most
publike places of the realme.
[Sidenote: Rightfull heires disherited.
_Polydor._