An. Reg. 32 The earle of Winchester besieged in Galloway by his owne tenants. those daies in all countries was verie much esteemed. The earle of Winchester remaining in Gallowaie, where he had faire possessions in right of his wife, was besieged of his owne tenants, within a castell wherein he lodged, and being in danger either to die through famine, or else at the discretion of the enimies, he burst forth, and making way with his sword, escaped, and comming to the king of Scots, complained of the iniurie doone to him by his people, wherevpon the king tooke such order, that the rebels were punished, and the earle set in quiet possession of his lands againe.
Toward the latter end of Nouember, William earle Ferrers & of Derbie departed this William earle Ferrers departeth this life. life, a man of great yeares and long troubled with the gout, a iust man and a peaceable. The same moneth the countesse his wife died also, a woman of yeares, vertue and fame like to hir husband: Thomnas Becket the archbishop of Canturburie did minister the priests office at their marriage. Their eldest sonne William succéeded his father in the earledome, a good man and a discreet, but vexed with the gout verie pitifullie, hauing that disease also as it were, by inheritance from his father. There died likewise other of the nobilitie, as Richard de Burgh, and William Fitz Ham. Beatrice the countesse of Prouance 1248. mother to the queene, and Thomas de Sauoy late earle of Flanders, came into The countesse of Prouance commeth into England. England to visit the king and queene and were honorablie receiued, and at their departure backe towards home, richlie rewarded. This yeare in the octaues of the Purification, a parlement was holden at London, where all the nobilitie of the realme in manner A parlement. was present. There were nine bishops, as the archbishop of Yorke, with the bishops of Winchester, Lincolne, Norwich, Worcester, Chichester, Elie, Rochester and Carlell, with the earles of Cornewall, Leicester, Winchester, Hereford, Northfolke, Oxford, Lincolne, Ferrers, and Warwike, with Peter de Sauoy earle of Richmond, besides lords and barons. The archbishop of Canturburie was at the court of Rome, & the bishop of Duresme was letted by sicknesse.
A subsidie demanded.
Polydor.
Matth. Paris.
In this parlement king Henrie earnestlie required a subsidie, in reliefe of the great charges which he had diuerse waies susteined, wherevpon he was streightwaies by the péeres of the realme noted both of couetousnesse, vnthankfulnesse, and breach of promise, bicause he neuer ceassed gathering of monie, without regard had to his people: and where he had promised manie things, as that he would not be burdenous vnto them, and such like; he had performed verie little of those his gaie promises. Manie misdemeanors, and wrongfull dooings, to the gréeuance of his people were opened and laid before him, as cherishing and inriching of strangers, & vsing his prerogatiues too largelie, The king charged for his immoderate innching of strangers. to the great decaie & hinderance of the common-wealth. The king abashed herewith, and supposing that the confession of his fault should make amends, & aswage the displesure which his Nobles and other had conceiued at his misgouernance, to content them all with one answer, he promised that he would reforme all that was amisse, and so quieting The parlen ēt proroged. the minds of his barons, the parlement was proroged till the quindene of the natiuitie of S. Iohn Baptist. Wherein his prudence and wisedome was to be commended, but his patience deserueth exceeding great praise, whereby he shewed himselfe princelike-minded, in that he could tollerate the exprobation and casting of his faults in his face, euen by such as should rather haue concealed than disclosed them: wheras it had stood with his roialtie to haue giuen them the counterchecke, and in angrie mood to haue tamed their malapertnesse: but that he prouidentlie considered that
------ parit ira furorem,An ordinance for monie. About the same time, by reason that the sterling monie was generallie so clipped, that the inscription was cut off for the most part euen to the inner circle, a proclamation was set foorth, that no péeces thereof should passe from one to an other, nor be receiued as currant and lawfull monie, except the same were of iust weight and fashion. Herewith also inquirie was made for those that had so defaced it, and sundrie Iewes bankers, and Inquirie made for washers & chppers of monie. cloth-merchants of Flanders were found giltie. Also, the French king caused serch to be made within his realme for the same offendors, and such as were found giltie, were hanged, so that he was more seuere in punishing those falsifiers of the king of Englands coine, than the king of England was himselfe. The parlement began againe at the day appointed, but nothing to accompt of was then concluded, but rather a displeasure kindled betwixt the king and his barons, for that they Matth. Paris. The parlemēt dissolued. looked for a reformation in his dooings, and he for monie out of their coffers, which would not be granted, and so that parlement brake vp. The king herevpon for want of The king driuen to sell his plate. monie, was driuen to so hard a shift, that he was constreined to sell his plate and iewels (which the Londoners bought) so much to his hinderance, that diuers péeces (the workemanship whereof was more woorth than the value of the stuffe) were sold notwithstanding after the rate as they weied. S. Edwards faire at Westminster. This yeare, the king caused a faire to be kept at Westminster at saint Edwards tide, to indure for fiftéene daies, and to the end that the same should be the more haunted with all manner of people, he commanded by proclamation, that all other faires, as Elie, and such like holden in that season, should not be kept, nor that any wares should be shewed within the citie of London, either in shop or without, but that such as would sell, should come for that time vnto Westminster: which was doone, not without great trouble and paines to the citizens, which had not roome there, but in booths and tents, to their great disquieting and disease, for want of necessarie prouision, being turmoiled too pitifullie in mire and dirt, through occasion of raine that fell in that vnseasonable time of the yeare. The bishop of Elie complained sore of the wrong doone to him by suspending his faire at Elie aforesaid. Sir Richard Sward deceasseth. Sir Richard Sward died this yeare, after he had laien a long time vexed with the palsie, which sir Richard had in his daies beene a right worthie and famous knight. There died Death of bishops. also the bishops of Bath and saint Dauids. In the first day of Iune, the moone immediatlie vpon the setting of the sunne, was almost wholie eclipsed, so that little of hir might An eclipse. No weastell burnt by casuall fire. The archb. of Cant. curseth. appeare. The towne of Newcastell vpon Tine was almost whollie consumed with fire, togither with the bridge there. The archbishop of Canturburie remaining still with the pope by his procurator the deane of Beauueis, denounced all them accurssed which went about to impeach him of receiuing the first fruits of benefices that voided, which he had by the popes grant, the king and quéene, with their children, and the kings brother the earle of Cornewall onelic excepted out of that cursse. There chanced another earthquake foure daies before Christmasse, namelie in the west
Turpia verba furor, verbis ex turpibus exit
Rixa, ex hac oritur vulnus, de vulnere lethum:
------ patientia virtus,
Qua quicúnq; caret, careat probitate necesse est.
Qui nil ferre potest, hominum commercia vitet.