An. Reg. 47. The duke of Britaine. their side, if he might haue got the nobles of his countrie to haue ioined with him, but the lords Clisson and de la Vale, with the vicount of Roan, and other the lords and barons of Britaine, so much fauoured the French king, that he perceiued they would reuolt from him, if he attempted any thing against the Frenchmen. He therefore meaning by one way or other to further the king of England his quarell, and fearing to be attached by his owne subiects, and sent to Paris, dispatched messengers to K. Edward, requiring him to send some power of men of warre into Britaine, to defend him against the malice of such as were altogither French and enemies to England.
The lord Neuill sent into Britaine.
King Edward forthwith sent ouer the lord Neuill, with foure hundred men of armes, and as manie archers, the which arriuing at saint Matthewes de fine Poterne, remained there all the winter. Wherevpon the Britaines being sore offended therewith, closed their townes and fortresses against their duke, and shewed much euil towards him. The constable of France sir Berthram de Cleaquin, laieng siege to the towne and castell of of Sireth in Poictou, discomfited a number of Englishmen that came to raise his siege, by Englishmen discomfited by the constable of France. Townes woone by him. The constable of Frāce sent into Britaine. meanes whereof he got not onelie Sireth, but also Niort, Lucignen, and all other the townes and fortresses which the Englishmen held till that day within Poictou, Xaintonge, and Rochellois. Shortlie after this, the constable returned into France, and was appointed by the king there to go with an armie of men of warre into Britaine, and there to take into his hands all such townes and fortresses as belonged to the duke of Britaine, bicause he had alied himselfe with the king of England, and receiued Englishmen into his countrie, to the preiudice of the realme of France.
The duke being aduertised of the constables comming, was counselled by sir Robert Sir Robert Knols. Knols (whom the king of England had sent to aid him) that he should passe ouer into England, and there to be a suter in his owne cause for more aid to be sent into Britaine, to resist the Frenchmen that now sought to bring the whole countrie into their possession. The duke inclining to this aduise, went ouer into England, and in the meane time the The duke of Britaine cōmeth ouer into England. The earle of Salisburie. constable came and wan the most part of all the townes and fortresses of that duchie, except Brest, where sir Robert Knols was, and certeine other. The earle of Salisburie with a great nauie of ships, well furnished with men of armes and archers, laie vpon the coast of Britaine all that time, and greatlie comforted them within Brest, in so much that he came on land, and offered battell to the constable if he would haue come forward & receiued it.
Polydor.
The duke of Lancaster sent ouer into France with an armie.
Ia. Meir.
Froissard.
In the moneth of Iulie in this seuen and fourtith yeare of King Edwards reigne, the duke of Lancaster was sent ouer vnto Calis with an armie of thirtie thousand men (as some write) but as Froissard saith, they were but thirteene thousand, as thrée thousand men of armes, and ten thousand archers. This voiage had béene in preparing for the space of thrée yeares before. The duke of Britaine was there with them, and of the English nobilitie, beside the duke of Lancaster that was their generall, there were the Noble men that went with him in that iournie. earles of Warwike, Stafford and Suffolke, the lord Edward Spenser that was constable of the host, the lords Willoughbie, de la Pole, Basset, and diuerse others. Of knights, sir Henrie Percie, sir Lewes Clifford, sir William Beauchampe, the Chanon Robertsart, Walter Hewet, sir Hugh Caluerlie, sir Stephen Cousington, sir Richard Ponchardon, and manie other.
When they had made readie their cariages and other things necessarie for such a iournie which they had taken in hand, that is to say, to passe through the realme of France vnto Burdeaux, they set forward, hauing their armie diuided into thrée battels. The earles of Warwike and Suffolke did lead the fore ward: the two dukes of Lancaster and Britaine, the middle ward or battell, and the rereward was gouerned by the lord Spenser constable of the host. They passed by S. Omers, by Turrouane, and coasted the countrie of Arthois, and passed the water of Some at Corbie. They destroied the countries They passed through the countrie without assaulting any townes. as they went, and marched not past thrée leages a day. They assailed none of the strong townes, nor fortresses. For the French king had so stuffed them with notable numbers of men of warre, that they perceiued they should trauell in vaine about the winning of them. At Roy in Vermandois, they rested them seuen daies, and at their departure set fire on the towne, bicause they could not win the church which was kept against them. From thence they drew towards Laon, and so marched forward, passing the riuers of Ysare, Marne, Saine, and Yonne. The Frenchmen coasted them, but durst not approch to giue them battell.
Neere to Ribaumount, about 80 Englishmen of sir Hugh Caluerlies band were distressed Fabian. by 120 Frenchmen: & likewise beside Soissons, 120 English speares, or (as other writers haue) fiftie speares, and twentie archers were vanquished by a Burgonian knight called sir Iohn de Vienne, that had with him thrée hundred French speares. Of more hurt by anie incounters I read not that the Englishmen susteined in this voiage. The Frenchmen meant not to fight with the Englishmen. Polydor. For the Frenchmen kept them aloofe, and meant not to fight with their enemies, but onelie to kéepe them from vittels, and fetching of forrage abroad, by reason whereof the Englishmen lost manie horsses, and were in déed driuen to great scarsitie of vittels. When they had passed the riuer of Loire, and were come into the countrie of Berrie, they vnderstood how the Frenchmen laid themselues in sundrie ambushes to distresse them, if The order of the duke of Lancasters armie in marching. they might espie the aduantage: but the duke of Lancaster placing his light horssemen, with part of the archers in the fore ward, and in the battell the whole force of his footmen with the men at armes, diuided into wings to couer that battell, wherein he himselfe was, the residue of the horssemen with the rest of the archers he appointed to the rereward, and so causing them to keepe close togither, marched foorth till he came into Poictou, & then in reuenge of the Poictouins that had reuolted from the English obeisance, he began a new spoile, killing the people, wasting the countrie, and burning the He cōmeth into Burdeaux. houses and buildings euerie where as he passed, & so finallie about Christmasse came to Burdeaux.
Froissard.
Whilest the duke of Lancaster was thus passing through the realme of France, pope The archb. of Rauenna sent from the pope. Gregorie the eleuenth sent the archbishop of Rauenna and the bishop of Carpentras as legats from him, to treat for a peace betwixt the realms of England and France. They rode to & fro betwixt the French king and his brethren, and the duke of Lancaster: but the duke and the Englishmen kept on their waie, and so finallie kéeping forwards about Christmasse came to Burdeaux. The legats pursued their treatie, but the parties were so hard, that no reasonable offers would be taken. The two dukes of Lancaster and Britaine laie in Burdeaux all the residue of the winter, and the Lent following. The same Caxton. Messengers sent to the pope about reseruations of benefices. yeare that the duke of Lancaster made this iournie thorough France, the king of England sent certeine ambassadors to the pope, requiring him not to meddle with the reseruations of benefices within his realme of England, but that those which were elected bishops might enioy their sees, and be confirmed of their metropolitaine and archbishop, as of ancient time they had beene accustomed.
The pope would not at that present determine anie thing herein, but commanded them that were sent, that they should certifie him againe of the kings pleasure and further meaning, in those articles and other touching him and his realme. Also this yeare it was Cathedrall churches. decréed in parlement, that cathedrall churches might inioy the right of their elections, and that the king should not hinder them that were chosen, but rather helpe them to their confirmations. ¶ In the same parlement was granted to the king a disme of the cleargie, and a fiftéenth of the laitie. ¶ Moreouer at the sute of the popes legats, a respit of war was granted betwixt the kings of England and France, but so that the Englishmen lost in Gascoine a great number of castels and townes, by reason of a composition made before, that if they were not rescued by the middest of August, they should then yeeld themselues French: and bicause the truce was agreed vpon to indure till the last of August, the Englishmen tooke no heed to the matter. It was further agréed vpon, that in the beginning of September, there should méet in the marches of Picardie, the duke Cōmissioners appointed to meet and commune of peace. of Lancaster, and other of the English part, as commissioners to intreat of peace; and the duke of Aniou and other on the French part, the popes legat to be there also as mediator. When this agréement was thus accorded, the duke of Lancaster, and the duke of Britaine, with the earls of Warwike, Suffolke and Stafford, the lords Spenser, Willoughbie and others, tooke the sea at Burdeaux the eight of Iulie, and returned into England.
Death of the archb. of Can.
This yeare the fifth of Iune, died William Wittelsey archbishop of Canturburie, after whose death the moonks chose to that see the cardinall of Winchester, with which election the king was nothing contented, so that after much monie spent by the moonks Simon Sudberie elected archbishop. to obteine their purpose, at length they were disappointed, and doctor Simon Sudberie was admitted to that diguitie, who before was bishop of London, being the seauen and fiftith archbishop that had ruled that see. He was chosen by the appointment of the king, and consent of the pope. For alredie was that decree worne out of vse, whereby the elections of bishops haue rested in the voices of them of the cathedrall church: for not onelie this Simon archbishop of Canturburie, but other also were ordeined bishops from thencefoorth, by the will and authoritie of the popes and kings of this realme, till at length it came to passe, that onelie the kings instituted bishops, and the bishops ordeined other gouernours vnder them of meaner degrees.
Thus the popes within a while lost all their authoritie, which they had before time within this realme in the appointing of bishops, and other rulers of churches; and in like manner also they lost shortlie after their authoritie of leuieng tenths of spirituall promotions, the which they in former times had vsed, to the great detriment of the realme, which lost nothing by this new ordinance: for the English people were not compelled afterwards to depart with their monie vnto strangers, so largelie as before, to content the gréedinesse of that coruorant generation of Romanists, whose insatiable desires would admit no stint, as infected with the dropsie of filthie auarice, for
Omnia des cupido, sua non perit inde cupido,This restraining reformation concerned the benefit of the whole land verie much: for The begining of the statute of Premunire. K. Edward the third was the first that caused an act to be made, that none vnder a great penaltie should séeke to obteine anie spirituall promotions within this realme of the pope, or bring anie sutes to his court, except by waie of appeale: and that those that were the aiders of any such offendors against this act, should run in danger of the same paine, which act by those kings that succeeded was not onelie commanded to be kept, but also confirmed with new penalties, and is called the statute of Premunire. Caxton. About Candlemasse there met at Bruges as commissioners for the king of England, 1375. the duke of Lancaster, the earle of Salisburie, and the bishop of London. For the French king, the dukes of Aniou, and Burgognie, the earle of Salebruce, and the bishop
Quò plus sunt potæ plus sitiuntur aquæ.
