Anno Reg. 5. A parlement at Couentrie. of All saints, a parlement began at Couentrie, and continued there till saint Andrewes tide: but at length, bicause vittels waxed déere, and lodging was streict, it was adiorned from thence vito London, there to begin againe in the octaues of the Adiorned to London. Epiphanie. The same time, a pardon was granted and proclamed, for all such A pardon. as had taken part with the Persies against the king, and likewise for other offenders, those excepted that had consented to betraie Calis, whom the king sent thither to suffer for their offences. A little before Christmas the Frenchmen meant to Frenchmen inuade the Ile to Wight. haue robbed and spoiled the Ile of Wight, but when a thousand of them were set on land, and had got togither a great bootie of cattell, suddenlie there came vpon them such number of people that they were constreined to withdraw to their ships, leauing their preie behind them, and no small number of their men to paie for their shot, so that they wan little by that iournie, returning home with shame They are repelled. and, dishonor.
This yeare in the parlement holden at London (beginning the morow after the 1404. feast of saint Hilarie, and continuing twelue wéeks) the earle of Northumberland was restored vnto his former dignities, lands and goods, the Ile of Man onlie excepted, The parlement beginneth againe. which by reason of the forfeiture made by the earle of Salisburie, the king had first giuen vnto him, and now depriued him thereof, where all his other lands, The earle of Northumberland restored. possessions, and liuings were wholie to him and his heires restored. By authoritie The Ile of Man. of the same parlement a subsidie was also granted to the king, of euerie knights A subsidie fée twentie shillings, whether the same were holden of him by menaltie, or otherwise. Moreouer, euerie man and woman that might dispend in lands the value of twentie shillings & so vpward, aboue the reprises, whether the same lands belonged to the laie fee, or to the church, paied for euerie pound twelue pence: and those that were valued to be woorth in goods twentie pounds and vpwards, paid also after the rate of lands, that is, twelue pence for euerie pound. ¶ This séemeth to be that Abr. Fl. out of Tho. Walsin. Hypod. pag. 164. suibsidie which Thomas Walsingham calleth a sore surcharging subsidie, or an vnaccustomed tax: the forme and maner wherof (saith he) I had here irterlaced, but that the verie granters and authors thereof had rather that the posteritie should be vtterlie ignorant thereof, and, neuer heare of it; sithens it was granted vpon this condition, that hereafter it should not be drawne into example; neither might the euidences thereof be kept in the kings treasurie, nor in the excheker; but the records thereof presentlie (after the iust accounts giuen vp) burned; neither should writs or commissions be sent abroad against the collectors or inquirers hereof for their better inquest.
The Frenchmen about the same time came before the Ile of Wight with a great The Frenchmens demand of the Ile of Wight. naie, and sent certeine of their men to the shore, to demand in name of king Richard, and of his wife quéene Isabell, a tribute or speciall subsidie in monie, of the inhabitants of that Ile; who answered, that king Richard was dead, and The answer of the Ilandmen. queene Isabell sometime his wife had béene sent home to hir parents and countries without condition of anie dowrie or tribute: wherefore, they answered reasonablie, that none, they would giue: but if the Frenchmen had desire to fight, they willed them to come on land, and there should be none to resist them; and after they were on land, they promised to giue them respit for six houres space to refresh themselues, and that time being once expired, they should not faile to haue battell When the Frenchmen heard of this stout answer made by the Ilandmen, they had no lust to approch neere to the land, but returned without further attempt,
About this season, the duke of Orleance, brother to the French king, a man The duke of Orleance his challenge. of no lesse pride than hautinesse of courage, wrote letters to king Henrie, aduertising him, that for the loue he bare to the noble feats of chiualrie, he could imagine nothing either more honorable or cōmendable to them both, than to meet in the field each part with an hundred knights and esquiers, all being gentlemen, both of name and armes, armed at all points, and furnished with speares, axes, swords, and daggers, and there to fight and combat to the yeelding; and euerie person, to whome God should send victorie, to haue his prisoner, & him to ransome at his pleasure, offering himselfe with his companie to come to his citie of Angulesme, so that the king would come to the lands of Burdeaux, and there defend this challenge.
The king of England grauelie answered herevnto, that he maruelled why the duke The answer of king Henrie. nder colour of dooing deeds of armes for a vaine-glorie, would now seeke to breake the peace betwixt the realmes of England and France, he being sworne to mainteine same peace sith he might further vnderstand, that no king annointed, of verie dutie, was bound to answer anie challenge, but to his péere of equall state and dignitie: and further declared, that when opportunitie serued, he would passe the sea, and come into his countrie of Gascoigne, with such companie as he thought conuenient, and then might the duke set forward with his band, for the accomplishment of his couragious desire, promising him in the word of a prince, not thence to depart, till the duke either by fulfilling his owne desire in manner aforesaid, or by singular combat betwéene them two onelie, for auoiding of more effusion of Christian bloud, should thinke himselfe fullie satisfied. To this and much more conteined in the kings answer, the duke replied, and the king againe reioined, not without tawnts and checks vnfitting for their estates. The duke of Orleance offended highlie (as he might séeme) furnished against the king of England with an armie of six thousand men, entered into Guien, and besieged the towne of Vergi, whereof was capteine sir Robert Antlfield, a right hardie and valiant knight, The duke of Orleance besiegeth Vergi in Guien. hauing with him onelie thrée hundred Englishmen, which defended the fortresse so manfullie, that the duke (after he had laine three moneths) and lost manie of his nien, without honour or spoile returned into France.
After this, the admerall of Britaine highlie incouraged, for that the last yeere he had taken certeine English ships laden with wines, accompanied with the lord du Chastell, a valiant baron of Britaine, and twelue hundred men of armes, sailed foorth with thirtie ships from S. Malos, and came before the towne of Dartmouth, and would haue landed; but by the puissance of the townesmen and aid of the countrie, they were repelled, in the which conflict, the lord du Chastell, and two The lord du Chastell slaine. of his brethren, with foure hundred other were slaine, and aboue two hundred taken prisoners and put to their ransoms, amongst whom the lord of Baqueuille the marshall of Britaine was one. All this summer, Owen Glendouer and his Owen Glendour wasted the English marches. adherents, robbed, burned, and destroied the countries adioining neére to the places where he hated, and a one while by sleight & guileful policie, an other while by open force, he tooke and slue manie Englishmen, brake downe certeine castels which he wan, and some he fortified and kept for his owne defense. Iohn Trenor bishop of Assaph, considering with himselfe how things prospered vnder the hands of this Owen, fled to him, and tooke his part against the king. About the same time, the Britaines and the Flemings tooke certeine ships of ours laden witll merchandize, Crueltie of the Britains & Flemings. and slue all the mariners, or else hanged them.
Also, the old countesse of Oxford, mother to Robert Veere late duke of Ireland, The countes of Oxford. that died at Louaine, caused certeine of hir seruants, and other such as she durst trust, to publish and brute abroad, thorough all the parts of Essex, that king Richard was aliue, and that he would shortlie come to light, and claime his former. K. Richard once againe aliue. estate on, honor, and dinitie. She procured a great number of harts to be made of siluer and gold, such as king Richard was woont to giue unto his knights, esquiers, & fréends, to weare as cognizances, to the end that in bestowing them in king Richards name, she might the sooner allure men to further hir lewd practises: and where the fame went abroad, that king Richard was in Scotland with a great power of Frenchmen and Scots, readie to come to recouer his realme manie gaue the more light credit vnto this brute thus set foorth by the said countesse.
The persuasions also of one Serlo, that in times past was one of king Richards Serlo of K. Richards chamber. chamber, greatlie increased this errour, for the same Serlo, hearing in France (writher he was fled) that his maister king Richard was in Scotland aliue, conueied himself thither, to vnderstand the truth of that matter, and finding there one indeed that greatlie resembled him in all lineaments of bodie, but yet was not the man himselfe (as he well perceiued) vpon malice that he bare to king Henrie, aduertised by letters sent vnto diuerse of king Richards freends, that he was aliue indéed, and shortlie would come to shew himselfe openlie to the world, when lie had once made his waie readie to recouer his kingdome, to the confusion of his enimies, and comfort of his fréens. These forged inuentions caused manie to beleeue the brute raised by the countesse of Oxford, for the which they came in trouble, were apprehended and committed to prison. The countesse hir selfe was shut vp in close prison, and all hir goods were The countesse of Oxford committed to prison. confiscat, and hir secretarie drawen and hanged, that had spred abroad this fained report, in going vp and downe the countrie, blowing into mens eares that king Richard Hir secretarie executed. was aliue, & affirming that he had spoken with him in such a place and in such a place, apparelled in this raiment and that raiment, with such like circumstances.
About the feast of saint Iohn Baptist, at the kings commandement, the earle of The earle of Northumberland cōmeth to the king. Northumberland came to Pomfret, and brought with him his nephues, and his nephues sonnes, whereby he cleared himselfe of a great deale of suspicion, manie doubting before his comming that he had given euill counsell to the yoong men, whereby to mooue them to rebellion, and to withstand the king. Sir William Clifford also came Sir William Cliford bringeth Serlo to the king. with the earle, and brought the foresaid Serlo with him, whom he had apprehended Ifrohd iIge vpon his comming to him at Berwike, in hope to haue found succour at his hands; in consideration whereof the king pardoned the said sir William Clifford of his disobedience shewed, in keeping the castell of Berwike, against him, in which dooing he had committed manifest treason.
This Serlo being knowen to be the man that had béene the chiefe murtherer of Serlo examined for the duke of Glocesters death. the duke of Glocester, when he was made awaie at Calis, was diligentlie examined who were helpers with him in the execution thereof, and after what sort they made him awaie: Serlo knowing there was no waie with him but death, would not vtter any other, but confessed for his owne part, he was worthie for that wicked déed to die ten thousand deaths, and shewed such outward appearance of repentance, that manic sore lamented his case, and promised to hire priests to sing masses, (as the manner was) for his soule, of their owne costs and charges. He was condemned to die at Pomfret, and was drawen from thence through euerie good towne, He is drawen through euery goode towne. through which those that had the conueiance of him passed with him till they came to London, where he was executed, confessing euerie thing to be true concerning He is executed at Lōdon. his wicked pretense, as before is recited: and further, that when he perceiued how their counterfeit practise would come to light and be openlie reuealed, he meant to haue returned into France, but wanting monie, he thought to have béene relieued with some portion at the hand of the said sir William Clifford, and this caused him to come vnto Berwike, to shew him his necessitie, who to make his owne peace, did apprehend him, and present him to the king, as before ye haue heard.
King Henrie wanting monie in the feast of saint Faith the virgine, assembled at
Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Raphaell Holinshed. William Harrison. Richard Stanyhurst. John Hooker. Francis Thynne. Abraham Fleming. John Stow. Henry Ellis. Ellis Edition. J. Johnson. London. 1807.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.