Part 3
The ninetéenth of March, died Alexander king of Scotland, by a fall which he caught as he ran a stirring horsse: he left no issue behind him, nor any certeine knowne heire to succéed him, by reason wherof insued great harme to that relme (as in the Scotish historie may more at large appeare.) The manner of whose death (as in Richard Southwell I find it reported) I haue thought good bréeflie to touch, for that in recitall thereof, he somewhat disagréeth from the Scotish historie. There went (saith he) a common speach through Scotland all this yeare, before the kings death, that on the same ninetéenth of March the daie of iudgement should be: wherevpon, as the said king sat at dinner in the castell of Edenburgh, hauing a dish of excellent good lampries before him, he sent part thereof to one of the lords that sat at some other table not far from him, and willed him by the gentleman that bare it, to be merrie, and haue in mind that this was the day of doome. The lord sent him thanks againe, and praied the messenger to tell the king merilie, that if this were the daie of doome, they should rise to iudgement spéedilie with their bellies filled with good meats and drinks. After they had dined, and the night began to draw on, he tooke his horsse, and onlie accompanied with thrée gentlemen, would néeds ride to Kingorne, where the quéene his new wife then laie, and before he could get vnto Innerkenin, it was darke night, so that he tooke there two guides to lead him the waie: but they had not ridden past two miles, but that the guides had quite lost the waie, so that they were driuen to giue their horsses libertie to beat it out themselues.
Herewithall the king being seuered from his companie, how he ruled his horsse it is hard to saie, but downe he was throwne, and immediatlie died with the vehement fall which he thus caught, either headlong downe one of the cliffes or otherwise, and thus he came to his end, on a mondaie, being saint Cuthberts euen the ninetéenth of March (as before is noted) after he had reigned six & thirtie yeares and nine moneths, as the same Southwell saieth; who also (contrarie to that which Hector Boetius writeth) affirmeth, that the same daie was so tempestuous with wind, snow, haile and raine, that he and manie other that then liued and felt it, durst not vncouer their faces, in going abroad against the bitter northerne wind, that droue the snow and sléet most vehementlie vpon them. And although that such fowle weather might haue staied him from taking his iournie in that sort, yet he made no accompt thereof, as he that was accustomed to ride as well in fowle weather as faire, and spared neither for tempest, waters, nor craggie rocks, thicke nor thin; for all was one to him, oftentimes taking his iournie in disguised apparell, accompanied onlie with one seruant. But to returne vnto the dooings in England.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 14.]
[Sidenote: _Fabian._]
[Sidenote: Thomas Piwilesdon a citizen of London.]
[Sidenote: He with other are banished the citie.]
[Sidenote: A new order for merchant strangers.]
[Sidenote: Strangers committed to the towre.]
In this yeare the king tooke escuage, fortie shillings of euerie knights fée, towards the charges of his last wars in Wales. ¶ A parlement was holden at Westminster, at the which were made the statutes called Additamenta Glocestriæ, or rather the statutes of Westminster the second. In the fouretéenth yeare of king Edward, a citizen of London named Thomas Piwilesdon, who in time of the barons warres had béene a great dooer, to stir the people against king Henrie, was now accused, that he with other should go about to make new disturbance within the citie: whereof inquirie being made and had before sir Rafe Standish, then custos or gardian of the citie, the said Piwilesdon and other, to the number of fiftie, were banished the citie for euer. ¶ Also, whereas of old time before this season, the merchant strangers were vsed to be lodged within the dwelling houses of the citizens of London, and sold all their merchandize by procuration of their hosts, for the which their said hosts had a certeine allowance, after the rate of euerie pound: now it was ordeined, that the said merchant strangers might take houses to hire, for to inhabit therein, & for stowage of their wares, & no citizen to intermeddle with them or their wares: by reason whereof they vsed manie deceits, both in vttering counterfeit wares, and also vniust weights. Moreouer, much of those wares, which they should haue waied at the K. beame, they weighed at home within their houses, to the hinderance of the kings custome. Wherevpon search being made vpon a sudden, and their weights found and prooued false, twentie of the said strangers were arrested and sent to the towre, and their weights burnt, destroied and broken to péeces in Westcheape, on thursdaie before the feast of Simon and Iude. Finallie, the said merchants were deliuered, being put to a fine of a thousand pounds, after sore and hard imprisonment.
[Sidenote: 1286.]
[Sidenote: _Nic. Triuet._]
[Sidenote: The king passeth ouer into France.]
The Iewes in one night were generallie apprehended, and put in prison through all the parts of England, and so kept in durance, till they had fined at the kings pleasure. ¶ It is reported that the commons of England granted to the king the fift part of their mooueables, to haue the Iewes banished out of the land: but the Iewes, to put the Englishmen fr[=o] their purpose, gaue to the king great summes of monie, whereby they tarried yet a while longer. King Edward went ouer into France vpon the fiue and twentith of Maie, passing through Picardie vnto Amiens, and there the French king, to doo him honor, was readie to receiue him. Here king Edward did homage vnto the French king, for the lands which he ought to hold of him in France. And after, he was also present at a parlement, which the said French king held at Paris, in the which he obteined manie things for the liberties of his said lands, as then by diuerse waies wrongfullie oppressed, though such grant continued not long in force. After Whitsuntide, king Edward departed from Paris and went into Gascoigne, togither with his wife quéene Elianor, who was with him in all his iournie.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 15.]
[Sidenote: 1287.]
[Sidenote: _Rich. South._]
[Sidenote: Bristow faire robbed.]
[Sidenote: Variance betwixt the lord Paine Tiptost and Rice ap Meridoc.]
This yeare the king went into Aragon, where his authoritie auailed much, in the making of agréement betwixt the kings of Aragon and Naples; whereby Charles king of Naples was then set at libertie, vpon certeine contracts or couenants passed and agréed betwixt them. ¶ The kings mother quéene Elianor this yeare forsooke the world, and tooke vpon hir the habit of a nunne at Ambresburie; but yet she still reteined and inioied hir dower by the popes authoritie and dispensation. About this time a squire called Chamberlaine, with his complices, set fire on the merchants boothes, at S. Butolphes faire; and whilest the merchants were about to quench the fire, the said squire and his complices set vpon the said merchants, slue manie of them, and robbed them of their goods. In this yeare fell variance betwéene the lord Paine Tiptost, wardeine of certeine castels in Wales, and a Welsh knight called sir Rées ap Meridoc, so that sundrie skirmishes were foughten betwixt them, and men slaine on both sides, to the great disturbance of the countrie.
[Sidenote: _N. Triuet._]
The cause of this warre rose chéeflie, for that the said lord Tiptost, and the lord Alane Plucknet, the kings steward in Wales, would haue constreined the said Rées to appeare at counties and hundreds, as the vse in other parts of Wales then was, contrarie to such liberties as he had obteined of the king as he pretended. But when the king wrote vnto the same Rées, requiring him to kéepe the peace, till his returne (at what time he promised to reforme all things in due and reasonable order). Rées hauing alreadie put armour vpon his backe, would not now incline to any peace, but to reuenge his cause, assembled a great multitude of Welshmen, with whose helpe he burnt & destroied manie townes in Wales so that the K. being then beyond the seas, sent to the earle of Cornewall, whom in his absence he had appointed his lieutenant ouer England, requiring him to send an armie into Wales, to resist the malice and riotous attempts of the Welshmen. The earle shortlie therevpon prepared an armie, and went with the same into Wales, or (as other write) the bishop of Elie, the lord prior of S. Iohns, the earle of Glocester, and diuerse barons of the land went thither, and chasing the said Rées, dispersed his armie, and ouerthrew and raced his castels, but by vndermining and reuersing the wals at the castell of Druslan, with the fall therof, the baron Stafford, and the lord William de Montchensie, with manie other knights and esquiers, were oppressed and brused to death. ¶ This yeare, the king at Blankfort in Gascoigne, tooke vpon him the crosse, purposing eftsoones to make a iournie against Gods enimies.
[Sidenote: _Chron. Dunst._]
In the winter of this yeare great flouds chanced, by reason of the excéeding abundance of raine that fell: and the sea alongst the northeast coasts from Humber to Yarmouth, brake into the land, ouerflowing the same by the space of thrée or foure leagues in breadth (as the author of the Chronicle of Dunstable affirmeth) ouerthrowing buildings, and drowning vp men and cattell that could not auoid the danger by the sudden comming in thereof, namelie, about Yarmouth, Dunwich, and Gippeswich. Likewise in the Mers land of Lincolnshire it did passing great hurt, bringing all the countrie into water. This chanced in the verie night of the beginning of this yéere, to wit, in the feast of the circumcision of our Lord, and in December it brake out againe in Northfolke and Suffolke, where it did much harme, namelie about Yarmouth.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 16.]
[Sidenote: 1288.]
[Sidenote: _Chron. Dunst._]
[Sidenote: _Nic. Triuet._]
[Sidenote: O woonder by thunder!]
[Sidenote: _Ri. Southwell._]
This yeare, and likewise the yeare last past, was such plentie of graine; that wheat was sold in some places of this land for twentie pence a quarter, and in some places for sixtéene pence, and pease for twelue pence a quarter. The summer this yeare excéeded in heat, so that men thorough the intemperate excesse thereof died in diuers places. ¶ It chanced in Gascoigne, that as the king & quéene sate in their chamber vpon a bed talking togither, the thunder-bolt comming in at the window behind them, passed through betwixt them as they sate, and slue two of their gentlemen that stood before them, to the great terror of all that were present. ¶ This yeare diuerse of those that robd the faire at Boston, were executed.
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
[Sidenote: _N. Triuet._]
Moreouer, whereas Rées ap Meridoc continued still in his mischieuous dooings, at length, the lord deputie of Wales, Robert Tiptost, vsing both spéedie diligence and timelie counsell, gathered all such power as he could make, & passed foorth against his aduersaries. Whereof when sir Rées was aduertised, and vnderstanding that the Englishmen were farre fewer in number than his Welshmen, he thought to ouerthrow them at his pleasure, and therefore incouraging his people with manie comfortable words, to shew their manhood vpon the Englishmens approch, he hasted to méet them. The Welshmen being for the more part but yoong souldiers, and not trained to kéepe any order of battell, ran fiercelie vpon their enimies, assailing them on the front before, on the sides a flanke, and on the backe behind, inforcing themselues to the vttermost of their power to breake their arraie.
[Sidenote: The Welsh discomfited. Rées ap Meridoc taken.]
But the Englishmen valiantlie resisted, so that there was a sore battell for a while, and the more couragiouslie the Welshmen assailed, the more stoutlie the Englishmen defended, in kéeping themselues close togither, and beating backe their aduersaries: and at length perceiuing them to faint and wax wearie, they rushed foorth into the middle of the Welshmen, & brake them in sunder, so that when they saw themselues thus repelled by the Englishmen, contrarie vnto all their expectation, they knew not what to doo, for they durst neither fight nor flée, and so by that meanes were beaten downe on euerie side. Meridoc himselfe was taken, but the most part of all his armie was slaine, to the number of foure thousand men. Thus were the Welshmen woorthilie chastised for their rebellion. Sir Rées ap Meridoc was had to Yorke, where at length, after the king was returned out of Gascoigne, he was hanged, drawen and quartered.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 17.]
[Sidenote: 1289.]
[Sidenote: _Hen. Marl._]
[Sidenote: A sore tempest of haile.]
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
[Sidenote: A great dearth beginneth.]
This yeare on S. Margarets euen, that is, the 9 daie of Iulie, fell a woonderfull tempest of haile, that the like had not béene séene nor heard of by any man then liuing. And after, there insued such continuall raine, so distempering the ground, that corne waxed verie deare, so that whereas wheat was sold before at thrée pence a bushell, the market so rose by little and little, that it was sold for two shillings a bushell, and so the dearth increased still almost by the space of 40 yeares, till the death of Edward the second, in so much that sometime a bushell of wheat London measure was sold at ten shillings.
[Sidenote: _Chron. Dun._]
[Sidenote: Thomas Weiland lord chéefe iustice of the kings bench.]
[Sidenote: Robert Malet.]
The king, after he had remained and continued thrée yeares, two moneths, and fiftéene daies in Gascoine, and in other parts there beyond the sea, he returned into England on the fourth day of August, and vpon the euen of the Assumption of our ladie he came to London, where he was most ioifullie receiued, & so came to Westminster: where shortlie after were presented vnto him manie gréeuous complaints and informations against diuerse of his iustices, as sir Thomas Weiland, Adam Stretton, and others, the which were had in examination, and thervpon found giltie of manie trespasses and transgressions, in so much that it was giuen him to vnderstand, that there were among them that had giuen consent to the committing of murthers and robberies, and wittinglie had receiued the offendors. Wherevpon, the king caused streight inquirie to be made by an inquest of 12 substantiall personages, who found by verdict, that Thomas Weiland lord chéefe iustice of the kings bench, had caused a murther to be doone by his seruants, and after succoured and mainteined them: hervpon he was by the kings officers arrested, but escaping their hands, he tooke sanctuarie in the church of the friers minors at saint Edmundesburie, and was admitted into their habit, but within fourtie daies after, order was giuen by the king that no kind of vittels should be suffered to be conueied to that house, so that all the friers came foorth, except thrée or foure, and at length he was constreined to take vpon him a laie mans apparell, and comming foorth was deliuered to the hands of Robert Malet knight, who had before the custodie of him, and now hauing him againe brought him to the towre of London. At length, he was put to his choise of thrée waies, which soeuer of them he would take, that is, whether to be tried by his péeres, or to remaine in perpetuall prison, or to abiure the realme: he chose the last, and so bare-footed and bare-headed, bearing a crosse in his hand, he was conueied from the towre to Douer, where taking the sea, he was transported to the further side of the sea; his goods, mooueable and vnmooueable, being confiscate to the kings coffers.
[Sidenote: William Brampton. Roger Leicester. Iohn Luneth.]
[Sidenote: Salomon de Roffa. Thomas de Sudington. Richard de Boiland. Walter Hopt[=o].]
[Sidenote: Rafe de Hingham.]
[Sidenote: Adam de Stratton, L. chéefe baron.]
[Sidenote: Henrie Braie.]
[Sidenote: Iohn de Metingham, and Elias de Bekingham.]
William Brampton, Roger Leicester, Iohn Luneth, associats of the said Thomas, and iustices of the kings bench: also, Robert Lithburie chapleine, and maister of the rolles, being accused of wrongfull iudgements and other trespasses were committed to prison within the tower, and at length with much adoo, escaped with paieng their fines, so that he which paied least, gaue a thousand marks. Moreouer, Salomon of Rochester, Thomas de Sudington, Richard de Boiland, and Walter de Hopton, iustices itinerants, were likewise punished, and for the semblable offenses put to their fines. Sir Rafe de Hingham a iustice also, to whome in the kings absence the ordering of the realme chéefelie apperteined, being accused of diuerse transgressions, and committed to the tower, redéemed his offense for an infinit summe of monie. Adam de Stratton, lord chéefe baron of the excheker, being conuicted of manie hainous crimes, a man plentifullie prouided both of temporall possessions, and ecclesiasticall reuenues, lost all his temporall liuings, and foure and thirtie thousand marks in readie coine, beside other mooueables, in cattell, iewels and furniture of houshold, which were all confiscated, and forfeited wholie: and it was thought he was gentlie dealt with, that he escaped with life, and such spirituall liuings as to him remained. Henrie Braie escheator, and the iudges ouer the Iewes, were reported to haue committed manie gréeuous offenses, but for monie they bought their peace. To conclude, there was not found any amongst all the iustices and officers cléere and void of vniust dealing except Iohn de Metingham, and Elias de Bekingham, who onelie among the rest had behaued themselues vprightlie. When therfore such gréeuous complaints were exhibited to the king, he appointed the earle of Lincolne, the bishop of Elie, and others, to heare euerie mans complaint, and vpon due examination & triall, to sée them answered accordinglie as right and equitie should require. In which administration of iustice against euill iusticiaries, the king performed the charge imposed and laid vpon all such as are in gouernement and magistracie; namelie,
[Sidenote: _Eob. Hess. in Psal. 2._]
Nunc igitur reges resipiscite, quærite rectum, Quorum iudicijs terra regenda data est.
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 18.]
[Sidenote: 1290.]
[Sidenote: _H. Marle._]
[Sidenote: _N. Triuet._]
[Sidenote: The statutes of Westminster the third established.]
[Sidenote: The Iewes banished out of England.]
[Sidenote: Iewes drowned.]
[Sidenote: _Chro. Dun._]
In the eightéenth yeare of his reigne, the king married two of his daughters, that is to saie, Ioane de Acres vnto Gilbert de Clare earle of Glocester, and the ladie Margaret vnto the lord Iohn sonne to the duke of Brabant. ¶ The king ordeined, that all the wooll, which should be sold vnto strangers, should be brought vnto Sandwich, where the staple thereof was kept long time after. In the same yeare was a parlement holden at Westminster, wherein the statutes of Westminster the third were ordeined. It was also decréed, that all the Iewes should auoid out of the land, in consideration whereof, a fiftéenth was granted to the king, and so héervpon were the Iewes banished out of all the kings dominions, and neuer since could they obteine any priuilege to returne hither againe. All their goods not mooueable were confiscated, with their taillies and obligations; but all other their goods that were mooueable, togither with their coine of gold and siluer, the king licenced them to haue and conuey with them. A sort of the richest of them, being shipped with their treasure in a mightie tall ship which they had hired, when the same was vnder saile, and got downe the Thames towards the mouth of the riuer beyond Quinborowe, the maister mariner bethought him of a wile, and caused his men to cast anchor, and so rode at the same, till the ship by ebbing of the streame remained on the drie sands. The maister herewith entised the Iewes to walke out with him on land for recreation. And at length, when he vnderstood the tide to be comming in, he got him backe to the ship, whither he was drawne vp by a cord. The Iewes made not so much hast as he did, bicause they were not ware of the danger. But when they perceiued how the matter stood, they cried to him for helpe: howbeit he told them, that they ought to crie rather vnto Moses, by whose conduct their fathers passed through the red sea, and therefore, if they would call to him for helpe, he was able inough to helpe them out of those raging flouds, which now came in vpon them: they cried indéed, but no succour appeared, and so they were swallowed vp in water. The maister returned with the ship, and told the king how he had vsed the matter, and had both thanks and reward, as some haue written. But other affirme, (and more truelie as should séeme) that diuerse of those mariners, which dealt so wickedlie against the Iewes, were hanged for their wicked practise, and so receiued a iust reward of their fraudulent and mischéeuous dealing. But now to the purpose.
[Sidenote: The eleuenth part of ecclesiasticall reuenues granted to the K.]
[Sidenote: An. Reg. 19.]
[Sidenote: The deceasse of Q. Elianor.]
[Sidenote: _Thom. Walsin._]
[Sidenote: The praise of the quéene deceassed.]
[Sidenote: Charing-crosse & other erected.]
In the foresaid parlement, the king demanded an aid of monie of the spiritualtie, for that (as he pretended) he meant to make a iournie into the holie land, to succour the christians there: whervpon they granted to him the eleuenth part of all their mooueables. He receiued the monie aforehand, but letted by other businesse at home, he went not foorth vpon that iournie. In the ninetéenth yeare of king Edward quéene Elianor king Edwards wife died vpon saint Andrews éeuen at Herdebie, or Herdelie (as some haue) néere to Lincolne, the king being as then on his waie towards the borders of Scotland: but hauing now lost the iewell which he most estéemed, he returned towards London to accompanie the corps vnto Westminster, where it was buried in S. Edwards chapell, at the féet of king Henrie the third. She was a godlie and modest princesse, full of pitie, and one that shewed much fauour to the English nation, readie to reléeue euerie mans gréefe that susteined wrong, and to make them fréends that were at discord, so farre as in hir laie. In euerie towne and place, where the corps rested by the waie, the king caused a crosse of cunning workmanship to be erected in remembrance of hir, and in the same was a picture of hir ingrauen. Two of the like crosses were set vp at London, one at Charing, and the other in Westcheape. Morouer, he gaue in almes euerie Wednesday wheresoeuer he went, pence a péece, to all such poore folkes as came to demand the same.
[Sidenote: 1291.]
[Sidenote: The tenth of spirituall reuenues gr[=a]ted to the K.]
About the same time, bicause the king should be the more willing to go into the holie land, as he had promised to doo, hauing monie to furnish him foorth, the pope granted vnto him the tenth of the church of England, Scotland and Ireland, according to the true value of all the reuenues belonging vnto the same for six yeares. He wrote to the bishops of Lincolne and Winchester, that the same tenth should be laid vp in monasteries and abbeies, till the king was entred into the sea, called Mare Maggiore, forwards on his iournie eastwards, and then to be paid to his vse. But the king afterwards caused the collectors to make paiment to him of the same tenth gathered for thrée yeares, and laid vp in monasteries, although he set not one foot forward in that iournie, as letted through other businesse.
[Sidenote: Controuersie about the crowne of Scotland.]