Chapter 14

[Sidenote: Chalus Cheuerell. _R. Houed._] There is a towne in that countrie called Chalus Cheuerell, into which the said vicount retired for safegard of himselfe, and then gaue the townesmen a great portion of treasure, to the end they should defend him and his quarell for the rest. King Richard still following him, as one that could not auoid his fatall ordinance, hasted into the confines of Limosin, fullie determining either to win the towne by force, if the inhabitants should make resistance, or at leastwise, to get into his hands the preie, which he so earnestlie pursued. [Sidenote: K. Richard besiegeth Chalus.] At his first approch he gaue manie fierce assaults to the towne, but they within hauing throughlie prouided aforehand for to defend a siege, so resisted his attempts, that within thrée daies after his comming, he ceassed to assaile the towne, meaning to vndermine the walles, which otherwise he perceiued would verie hardlie be gotten; considering the stoutnesse of them within, and withall, the naturall strength and situation of the place it selfe.

Herevpon therefore on the 26 of March, whiles he (togither with capteine Marchades) went about vnaduisedlie to view the towne (the better to consider the place which waie he might conueie the course of his mine) they came so farre within danger, [Sidenote: He is wounded.] that the king was stricken in the left arme, or (as some write) in the shoulder, where it ioined to the necke, with a quarell inuenomed (as is to be supposed by the sequele.) [Sidenote: _Ra. Niger._] Being thus wounded, he gat to his horsse, and rode home againe to his lodging, where he caused the wound to be searched and bound vp, and as a man nothing dismaid therewith, continued his siege with such force and assurance, that within 12 daies after the mishap, the towne was yéelded vnto him, although verie little treasure (to make any great accompt of) was at that time found therein.

In this meane season, the king had committed the cure of his wound to one of Marchades his surgions, who taking in hand to plucke out the quarell, drew foorth onelie the shaft at the first[20], and left the iron still within, and afterwards going about most vnskilfullie to get foorth the head of the said quarell, he vsed such incisions, and so mangled the kings arme, yer he could cut it, [Sidenote: The king despaired of life.] that he himself despaired of all helpe and longer life, affirming flatlie to such as stood about him, that he could not long continue by reason of his butcherlie handling. To be short féeling himselfe to wax weaker and weaker, preparing his mind to death, which he perceiued now to be at hand, [Sidenote: He ordeineth his testament.] he ordeined his testament, or rather reformed and added sundrie things vnto the same which he before had made, at the time of his gooing foorth towards the holie land.

Vnto his brother Iohn he assigned the crowne of England, and all other his lands and dominions, causing the Nobles there present to sweare fealtie vnto him. [Sidenote: _R. Houed._] His monie, his iewels, and all other his goods mooueable he willed to be diuided into thrée parts, of the which Otho the emperor his sisters sonne to haue one, his houshold seruants an other part, and the third to be distributed to the poore. Finallie remembring himselfe also of the place of his buriall, he commanded that his bodie should be interred at Fonteurard at his fathers feet, [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] but he willed his heart to be conueied vnto Rouen, and there buried, in testimonie of the loue which he had euer borne vnto that citie for the stedfast faith and tried loialtie at all times found in the citizens there. His bowels he ordeined to be buried in Poictiers, as in a place naturallie vnthankefull and not worthie to reteine any of the more honorable parts of his bodie.

Moreouer he caused the arcubalistar that wounded him, to be sought out, whose name was Barthram de Garden[21], or Peter Basill (for so he named himselfe as some write) who being brought before the king, [Sidenote: _Rog. Houed._] he demanded wherein he had so much offended him, that he should so lie in wait to slea him, rather than Marchades, who was then in his companie, and attendant on his person? The other answered boldlie againe, saieng; "I purposed to kill thee, bicause thou sluest my father, and two of my brethren heretofore, and wouldest also now haue slaine me, if I had happened to fall into thy hands. Wherefore I intended to reuenge their deaths, not caring in the meane time what became of my selfe, so that I might in anie wise obteine my will of thée, who in such sort hast bereft me of my freends." The king harkening vnto his words, and pondering his talke by good aduisement, [Sidenote: A notable example of forgiuing an enimie. _Matth. Paris._] fréelie pardoned him, and withall commanded that he should be set at libertie, and thereto haue an hundred shillings giuen him in his pursse, and so to be let go. Moreouer, he gaue strait charge that no[22] man should hurt him, or séeke any reuenge for this his death hereafter. Thus the penitent prince not onelie forgaue, but also rewarded his aduersarie. Howbeit after his deceasse, Marchades getting him into his hands, first caused the skin to be stripped off his bodie, and after hanged him on a gibit.

[Sidenote: King Richard departed this life.] At length king Richard by force of sicknesse (increased with anguish of his incurable wound) departed this life, on the tuesdaie before Palmesundaie, being the ninth of Aprill, and the xj. daie after he was hurt, in the yeare after the birth of our Sauiour 1199. in the 44 yeare of his age, and after he had reigned nine yeares, nine moneths, and od daies: he left no issue behind him. [Sidenote: His stature & shape of bodie. _Gal. Vinsaf._] He was tall of stature, and well proportioned, faire and comelie of face, so as in his countenance appeared much fauour and grauitie, of haire bright aborne, as it were betwixt red and yellow, with long armes, and nimble in all his ioints his thighes and legs were of due proportion, and answerable to the other parts of his bodie.

[Sidenote: His disposition of mind.] As he was comelie of personage, so was he of stomach more couragious and fierce, so that not without cause, he obteined the surname of Cueur de lion, that is to saie, The lions hart. Moreouer he was courteous to his souldiors, and towards his fréends and strangers that resorted vnto him verie liberall, but to his enimies hard and not to be intreated, desirous of battell, an enimie to rest and quietnesse, verie eloquent of speech and wise, but readie to enter into ieopardies, and that without feare or forecast in time of greatest perils.

[Sidenote: The vices that were in king Richard.] These were his vertuous qualities, but his vices (if his vertues, his age, and the wars which he mainteined were throughlie weied) were either none at all, or else few in number, and not verie notorious. He was noted of the common people to be partlie subiect vnto pride, which surelie for the most part foloweth stoutnesse of mind: of incontinencie, to the which his youth might happilie be somewhat bent: and of couetousnesse, into the which infamie most captieins and such princes as commonlie follow the warres doo oftentimes fall, when of the necessitie they are driuen to exact monie, as well of fréends as enimies, to mainteine the infinit charges of their wars.

Hereof it came, that on a time whiles he soiourned in France about his warres, which he held against K. Philip, [Sidenote: Fulco a préest.] there came vnto him a French préest whose name was Fulco, who required the K. in any wise to put from him thrée abhominable daughters which he had, and to bestow them in marriage, least God punished him for them. Thou liest hypocrite (said the king) to thy verie face, for all the world knoweth that I haue not one daughter. I lie not (said the préest) for thou hast thrée daughters, one of them is called pride, the second couetousnesse, and the third lecherie. With that the king, called to him his lords & barons, and said to them; "This hypocrite heere hath required me to marrie awaie my thrée daughters, which (as he saith) I cherish, nourish, foster and mainteine, that is to say pride, couetousnesse, and lecherie. And now that I haue found out necessarie & fit husbands for them, I will doo it with effect, and seeke no more delaies. I therefore bequeath my pride to the high minded templers and hospitallers, which are as proud as Lucifer himselfe. My couetousnesse I giue vnto the white moonks, otherwise called of the Cisteaux order, for they couet the diuell and all. My lecherie I commit to the prelates of the church, who haue most pleasure and felicitie therein."

[Sidenote: Baldwine & Hubert archbishops of Canturburie.] There liued in the daies of this king Richard, men of worthie fame amongst those of the cleargie, Baldwine archbishop of Canturburie, and Hubert who succeeded him in that sée, also Hugh bishop of Lincolne, a man for his worthinesse of life highlie to be commended. Moreouer, William bishop of Elie, who though otherwise he was to be dispraised for his ambition and pompous hautinesse, yet the king vsed his seruice for a time greatlie to his profit and aduancement of the publike affaires. Also of learned men we find diuerse in these daies that flourished here in this land, as Baldwine of Deuonshire that came to the bishop of Worcester in this kings time, and after his deceasse, he was aduanced to the gouernment of the archbishops sée of Canturburie, who wrote diuerse treatises, namelie of matters perteining to diuinitie. [Sidenote: _Iohn Bales._] Daniell Morley well seene in the Mathematicals, Iohn de Hexam, and Richard de Hexham two notable historicians; Guilielmus Stephanides a moonke of Canturburie, who wrote much in the praise of archbishop Becket. Beside these, we find one Richard, that was an abbat of the order Premonstratensis, Richard Diuisiensis, Nicholas Walkington, Robert de Bello Foco, an excellent philosopher, &c. ¶ See Bale in his third Centurie.

In martiall renowme there flourished in this kings daies diuerse noble capteines, as Robert earle of Leicester, Ranulfe de Fulgiers, two of the Bardulphes, Hugh and Henrie, thrée Williams, Marshall, Brunell, and Mandeuill, with two Roberts, Ros and Sabeuile. [Sidenote: A great derth.] Furthermore, I find that in the daies of this king Richard, a great derth reigned in England, and also in France, for the space of three or foure yeares during the wars betwéene him & king Philip, so that after his returne out of Germanie, and from imprisonment, a quarter of wheat was sold at 18 shillings eight pence, no small price in those daies, if you consider the alay of monie then currant.

Also immediatlie after, that is to say, in the yeare of our Lord, a thousand, one hundred, nintie six, which was about the seuenth yere of the said kings reigne, [Sidenote: A great mortalitie of people. _Wil. Paruus._] there followed a maruellous sore death, which dailie consumed such numbers of people, that scarse there might be found any to kéepe and looke to those that were sicke, or to burie them that died. Which sickenesse was a pestilentiall feuer or sharpe burning ague. The accustomed manner of buriall was also neglected: so that in manie places they made great pits, and threw their dead bodies into the same, one vpon an other. For the multitude of them that died was such, that they could not haue time to make for euerie one a seuerall graue. This mortalitie continued for the space of fiue or six months, and at length ceassed in the cold season of winter.

[Sidenote: Two sunnes.] In the octaues of Pentecost before this great death, in the first houre of the day, there appeared two sunnes, the true sunne & another, as it were a counterfeit sunne: but so apparentlie, that hard it was to the common people, to discerne the one from the other. The skilfull also were compelled by instruments to distinguish the one from the other: in taking their altitudes and places, whereby in the end they found the new apparition, as it were, to wait vpon the planet, and so continued by the space of certeine houres. At length when the beholders (of whom Wil. Paruus that recorded things in that age was one) had well wearied their eies in diligent marking the maner of this strange appearance, the counterfeit sunne vanished awaie.

¶ This strange woonder was taken for a signification of that which followed, that is to say, of war, famine and pestilence: or to say the truth, it betokened rather the continuance of two of those mischiefs. For warre and famine had sore afflicted the people before that time, and as yet ceassed not: but as for the pestilence, it began soone after the strange sight, whereof insued such effect, as I haue alreadie rehearsed.

Thus farre king Richard.

Transcriber's notes

There are no footnotes in the original. The original spelling and punctuation have been retained, with the exception of obvious errors which have been corrected by reference to the 1587 edition of which the original is a transcription.

[1] Original reads 'where'; corrected to 'were'.

[2] Original reads 'whith'; corrected to 'with'.

[3] Original reads 'were'; corrected to 'where'.

[4] Original reads 'be Camuille'; corrected to 'de Camuille'.

[5] Original reads 'which tossed them them'; corrected to 'which tossed them'.

[6] Original reads 'connterfet'; corrected to 'counterfet'.

[7] Original reads 'holié'; corrected to 'holie'.

[8] Original reads 'easile'; corrected to 'easilie'.

[9] Original reads 'forfied'; corrected to 'fortified'.

[10] Original reads 'wearie dwith'; corrected to 'wearied with'.

[11] Original reads 'Houden'; corrected to 'Houeden'.

[12] Original reads 'a might bréed as'; corrected to 'as might bréed a'

[13] Original reads 'Lancastsr'; corrected to 'Lancaster'.

[14] Original reads "de' Rancin"; corrected to "de Rancin".

[15] Original reads 'aud'; corrected to 'and'.

[16] Original reads 'wherepon'; corrected to 'wherevpon'.

[17] Original reads 'eiuill'; corrected to 'ciuill'.

[18] Original reads 'victories,'; corrected to 'victories.'.

[19] Original reads 'insolent,ro ud'; corrected to 'insolent, proud'.

[20] Original reads 'at he first'; corrected to 'at the first'.

[21] Original reads 'be Garden'; corrected to 'de Garden'.

[22] Original reads 'that no no'; corrected to 'that no'.