This doone, taking not past foure or fiue with him, he passed foorth,
till he came before the towne, and then sending an herald to the king,
requested a safe conduct from the king, that he might come and talke
with him, which the king granted, and so the earle of Northumberland
passing the water, entred the castell, and comming to the king,
declared to him, that if it might please his grace to vndertake, that
there should be a parlement assembled, in the which iustice might
be had, against such as were enimies to the commonwealth, and had
procured the destruction of the duke of Glocester, and other noblemen,
and herewith pardon the duke of Hereford of all things wherin he had
offended him, the duke would be readie to come to him on his knées, to
craue of him forgiuenesse, and as an humble subiect, to obeie him in
all dutifull seruices. The king taking aduise vpon these offers, and
other made by the earle of Northumberland on the behalfe of the duke
of Hereford; vpon the earles oth, for assurance that the same should
be performed in ech condition, agréed to go with the earle to méete
the duke, and herevpon taking their |857| horsses, they rode foorth,
but the earle rode before, as it were, to prepare dinner for the king
at Rutland, but comming to the place where he had left his people, he
staied there with them.
[Sidenote: A constant seruant.]
The king kéeping on his waie, had not ridden past foure miles, when
he came to the place where the ambushes were lodged, and being entred
within danger of them, before he was aware, shewed himselfe to be sore
abashed. But now there was no remedie: for the earle being there with
his men, would not suffer him to returne, as he gladlie would haue
doone if he might; but being inclosed with the sea on the one side, and
the rocks on the other, hauing his aduersaries so néere at hand before
him, he could not shift awaie by any meanes, for if he should haue fled
backe, they might easilie haue ouertaken him, yer he could haue got
out of their danger. And thus of force he was then constrained to go
with the earle, who brought him to Rutland, where they dined, and from
thence they rode vnto Flint to bed. The king had verie few about him
of his freends, except onelie the earle of Salisburie, the bishop of
Carleill, the lord Stephan Scroope, sir Nicholas Ferebie, a sonne also
of the countesse of Salisburie, and Ienico Dartois a Gascoigne that
still ware the cognisance or deuise of his maister king Richard, that
is to saie, a white hart, and would not put it from him, neither for
persuasions nor threats; by reason whereof, when the duke of Hereford
vnderstood it, he caused him to be committed to prison within the
castell of Chester. This man was the last (as saieth mine author) which
ware that deuise, and shewed well thereby his constant hart toward his
maister, for the which it was thought he should haue lost his life,
but yet he was pardoned, and at length reconciled to the dukes fauour,
after he was king.
But now to our purpose. King Richard being thus come vnto the castell
of Flint, on the mondaie, the eightéenth of August, and the duke of
Hereford being still aduertised from houre to houre by posts, how the
earle of Northumberland sped, the morow following being tuesdaie, and
the ninetéenth of August, he came thither, & mustered his armie before
the kings presence, which vndoubtedlie made a passing faire shew,
being verie well ordered by the lord Henrie Persie, that was appointed
generall, or rather (as we maie call him) master of the campe,
vnder the duke, of the whole armie. There were come alreadie to the
castell, before the approching of the maine armie, the archbishop of
Canturburie, the duke of Aumarle, the earle of Worcester, and diuerse
other. The archbishop entred first, and then followed the other,
comming into the first ward.
The king that was walking aloft on the braies of the wals, to behold
the comming of the duke a farre off, might sée, that the archbishop and
the other were come, and (as he tooke it) to talke with him: wherevpon
he foorthwith came downe vnto them, and beholding that they did their
due reuerence to him on their knées, he tooke them vp, and drawing the
archbishop aside from the residue, talked with him a good while, and as
it was reported, the archbishop willed him to be of good comfort, for
he should be assured, not to haue anie hurt, as touching his person;
but he prophesied not as a prelat, but as a Pilat. For, was it no
hurt (thinke you) to his person, to be spoiled of his roialtie, to be
deposed from his crowne, to be translated from principalitie to prison,
& to fall from honor into horror. All which befell him to his extreame
hart greefe (no doubt:) which to increase, meanes alas there were
manie; but to diminish, helps (God wot) but a few. So that he might
haue said with the forlorne man in the mercilesse seas of his miseries,
Vt fera nimboso tumüerunt æquora vento,
In medijs lacera naue relinquor aquis.
¶ Some write (as before in a marginall note I haue quoted) that the
archbishop of Canturburie went with the earle of Northumberland vnto
Conwaie, and there talked with him: and further, that euen then the
king offered, in consideration of his insufficiencie to gouerne,
freelie to resigne the crowne, and his kinglie title to the same,
vnto the duke of |858| Hereford. But forsomuch as those that were
continuallie attendant about the king, during the whole time of
his abode at Conwaie, and till his comming to Flint, doo plainelie
affirme, that the archbishop came not to him, till this tuesdaie
before his remoouing from Flint vnto Chester, it maie be thought (the
circumstances well considered) that he rather made that promise here
at Flint, than at Conwaie, although by the tenour of an instrument,
conteining the declaration of the archbishop of Yorke, and other
commissioners sent from the estates assembled in the next parlement,
vnto the said king, it is recorded to be at Conwaie, as after ye maie
read. But there maie be some default in the copie, as taking the one
place for the other.
But wheresoeuer this offer was made, after that the archbishop had
now here at Flint communed with the king, he departed, and taking his
horsse againe, rode backe to meet the duke, who began at that present
to approch the castell, and compassed it round about, euen downe to the
sea, with his people ranged in good and séemelie order, at the foot
of the mounteins: and then the earle of Northumberland passing foorth
of the castell to the duke, talked with him a while in sight of the
king, being againe got vp to the walles, to take better view of the
armie, being now aduanced within two bowe shootes of the castell, to
the small reioising (ye may be sure) of the sorowfull king. The earle
of Northumberland returning to the castell, appointed the king to be
set to dinner (for he was fasting till then) and after he had dined,
the duke came downe to the castell himselfe, and entred the same all
armed, his bassenet onelie excepted, and being within the first gate,
he staied there, till the king came foorth of the inner part of the
castell vnto him.
[Sidenote: The dukes behauiour to the king at their méeting.