Raphael Holinshed

“ This yeare also there were ordinances made for the state and gouernement of the realme, by the prelats, earles and barons, which were confirmed with the sentence of excommunication against all them that should go about to breake the same. The king neither allowed of them nor obserued them, although he had confirmed them with his seale, and sent them to all cathedrall churches and counties, to be registered in perpetuall memorie thereof. ”

“ Héere Adam de Torleton the bishop of Hereford, which latelie before had béene sore fined by the king, for that he was accused to stirre the people to rebellion, and to aid the barons (as yée haue heard) made a pithie oration to the armie, declaring that the quéene and hir sonne were returned onelie into England, to the intent to persecute the Spensers, & reforme the state of the realme. ”

“ The quéenes proclamations on the other part willed all men to hope for peace, the Spensers publike enimies of the realme, and the lord chancellor Robert Baldocke, with their assistants onlie excepted, through whose meanes the present trouble was happened to the realme. And it was forbidden, that no man should take ought from any person, and who so euer could bring to the quéene the head of Hugh Spenser the yoonger, should haue two thousand pounds of the quéenes gift. ”

“ The earles of Richmond and Penbroke were appointed to passe by a foord, which they had got knowledge of, with thrée hundred horssemen in complet armour, and the king with his brother the earle of Kent should follow them, with the residue of the armie, sauing that Robert Aquarie or Waters, with certeine bands of footmen was commanded to assaile the bridge, which he did verie manfullie, causing the archers & crossebowes to annoie them that kept it, so as he might draw the whole power of the enimies that waie, till the king and the earles were passed by the foord. ”

“ And in the same parlement the lord Hugh Spenser the father was made earle of Winchester, and the lord Andrew de Herklie earle of Carleill. Moreouer, in the same parlement, all such were disherited as had taken part with the earls of Lancaster & Hereford, except the lord Hugh Audelie the yoonger, and a few other, the which lord Hugh was pardoned, bicause he had married the kings néece, that was sister to Gilbert de Clare earle of Glocester which was slaine in Scotland, at the battell of Bannockesborne, as before is mentioned. ”

“ The king and quéene this yeare in Maie went ouer into France, where they were present in Paris on Whitsundaie at the coronation of Philip sonne to the French king, created that day king of Nauarre. ¶ Iohn de Drokensford bishop of Bath and Welles was appointed warden of the realme till the kings returne. In Iulie the king returned backe from his iournie into France, and landed at Sandwich the mondaie before the feast of S. Margaret, hauing dispatched his businesse with the French king in good and honorable maner, for his lands and countrie of Gascoine. ”

“ Herevpon now in the sixtéenth yeare of his reigne, after that the Scots were returned home with a great bootie and rich spoile, he got togither a wonderfull great armie of men, and entring into Scotland, passed far within the countrie, not finding any resistance at all (as the most part of our writers doo agrée) but at length, through famine and diseases of the flix and other maladies that fell amongst the Englishmen in the armie, he was constreined to come backe, and in his waie besieged the castell of Norham, which fortresse he wan within ten daies after he had begun to assault it. ”

“ And herevpon the quéene and the bishop of Hereford wrote sharpe letters vnto his kéepers, blaming them greatlie, for that they dealt so gentlie with him, and kept him no streictlier, but suffered him to haue such libertie, that he aduertised some of his fréends abroad how and in what manner he was vsed, and withall the bishop of Hereford vnder a sophisticall forme of words signified to them by his letters, that they should dispatch him out of the waie, the tenor whereof wrapped in obscuritie ran thus:
Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonum est:
To kill Edward will not to feare it is good. ”

“ The king desirous to be reuenged of the Scots, made preparation to leuie a mightie armie; and for want of sufficient numbers of men in other places towards the north parts, the king caused much people to come vnto him out of the south and east parts of the realme, amongst the which the citie of London was constreined to find at their costs and charges two hundred men, sending them to Yorke, where the generall assemblie of the armie was made. From thence, after he had receiued his men from sundrie countries and good townes of his realme, he went to Berwike, & laid siege to the towne. ”

“ The earle of Carleill put to death.
This practise being thus contriued, shortlie after the king got knowledge thereof, though by whome it was not certeinlie knowne: so hard a thing it is for man to conceale and kéepe secret that thing which he goeth about, though he studie neuer so much so to doo, namelie in matters of treason, which hath a thousand féet to créepe abroad, and which way soeuer it goeth, it leaueth a thousand prints of the footsteps behind it, by the which it may be discouered to the world. ”

“ The lords perceiuing the kings affection, and that the treasure was spent as lauishlie as before, thought with themselues that it might be that the king would both amend his passed trade of life, and that Péers being restored home, would rather aduise him thereto, than follow his old maners, considering that it might be well perceiued, that if he continued in the incouraging of the king to lewdnesse, as in times past he had doone, he could not thinke but that the lords would be readie to correct him, as by proofe he had now tried their meanings to be no lesse. ”

“ The king of Scots promised faithfullie for his part, to defend the said earle, his heires, and adherents in the said couenant or paction, and not onelie to kéepe peace with England, but also to build a monasterie within Scotland, assigning reuenues thereto, to the value of fiue hundred marks, to celebrate diuine seruice, and to pray continuallie for the soules of them that were dead, by occasion of the passed warres betwixt England and Scotland ”

“ This archbishop Melton, though he was most studious of things perteining to religion, bestowing almost his whole time about the same, yet neuerthelesse he was not forgetfull of that which belonged to the aduancement of the common-wealth, and therefore being at London vpon a time, Simon the elect bishop of Whitherne came to Yorke, that he might be consecrated of him: wherefore this archbishop gaue commandement to Iohn the bishop of Carleill, to consecrate the said Simon, and in his name to receiue of him his oth of obedience, which commandement the said bishop of Carleill did dulie execute. ”

“ The king escaped with a few about him, in great danger to haue béene either taken or slaine. Manie were drowned in a little riuer called Banokesborne, néere to the which the battell was foughten. There were slaine of noble men, Gilbert earle of Glocester, Robert lord Clifford, the lord Giles Argentine, the lord Paine Tiptost, the lord William Marshall, the lord Reginald Daincourt, the lord Edmund of Mauley the kings steward, with other lords and barons to the number of 42, and of knights and baronets to the number of 67. ”

“ The earle of Kent being now gotten into those parts, with a great number of other capteins and men of warre sent thither by the king of England, resisted the enimies verie manfullie, in so much that vpon their approch to the Rioll, a strong towne in those parts, the earle of Kent as then being within it, did issue foorth, and giuing them battell, slue (as some write) fouretéene hundred of their men, so that they were glad to lodge at the first somewhat further off the towne. ”

“ The 11 day after their comming thither, when they had assaied all their force and policie to win the citie, and saw themselues nothing to preuaile, but to lose their men and trauell, they raised their field, and returned into Scotland with dishonor, leauing behind them all their engines of warre, so that besides the dishonour which he susteined by the repulse, in lieu of lucre he suffered losse, and therefore this lesson by exemplification would be learned and practised, that
Res bene quisque gerens lucra fit inde ferens. ”

“ For the earle of Hereford, the lords Roger Damorie, Hugh de Audelie the yoonger, Bartholomew de Badelismere, Roger de Clifford, Iohn Gifford, Henrie Teis, Thomas Manduit, Iohn de Willington, and all other are come to Pomfret and are readie to make you good assurance, so that you will perform couenant with them, to wit for your comming to aid vs, and to go with vs into England and Wales, to liue and die with vs in our quarell. ”

“ Robert Walsingham a Carmelite frier that writ diuerse treatises, Iohn Wilton an Augustine frier, Walter Winterborne, Rafe Locksley, Nicholas Stanford, William Whitley, Thomas Ioice, Walter Ioice, William Gainesburgh, Robert Baston borne not farre from Notingham a Carmelite frier of Scarburgh, the same whome king Edward tooke with him into Scotland to write some remembrances of his victories, although being taken by the Scots, he was constreined by Robert Bruce to frame a dittie to a contrarie tune ”

“ Guie earle of Warwike, a man of great counsell and skilfull prouidence, departed this life this yeare, and was buried at the abbeie of Bordisley. ¶ About Midsummer the Scots eftsoones entred into England, dooing much mischéefe with fire and sword, in like sort as they had vsed to doo before time, not sparing (as some write) so much as those houses wherin women laie in child [Pg 555] bed. ”

“ They answered, that they would doo all the honour they might vnto the king, the quéene, and to their sonne the lawfull heire of the land: but as for strangers & traitors to the realme, they would kéepe them out of their gates, and resist them with all their forces: but to go foorth of the citie further than that they might returne before sunne-setting, they refused, pretending certeine liberties in that behalfe to them granted in times past, as they alledged. ”

“ The king from Couentrie went to Meriuall, and there lodged in the abbeie for his more ease, writing to William Sutton vnder-constable of Warwike castell, commanding him to be attendant on the shiriffe of Warwike, in helping him to watch the entries and issues to and from the castell of Killingworth that was holden against him. In the meane time certeine of the lords that were gone to the earle of Lancaster besieged Tickehill castell fiftéene daies togither, but preuailed not. ”

“ Here as the Englishmen passed ouer the water of Suale, the Scots set fire vpon certeine stacks of haie, the smoke whereof was so huge, that the Englishmen might not sée where the Scots laie. And when the Englishmen were once got ouer the water, the Scots came vpon them with a wing in good order of battell, in fashion like to a shéeld, egerlie assailing their enimies, who for lacke of good gouernement were easilie beaten downe and discomfited, without shewing any great resistance: so that there were slaine to the number of two thousand and the residue shamefullie put to flight. ”

“ When he had heard this iudgement, he said; "You haue diuided my bodie at your pleasure, and I commit my soule vnto God:" and being according to the iudgement drawen to the place where he suffered, he neuer shranke at the matter, but boldlie behaued himselfe, declaring at the verie houre of his death, that his intention in concluding the agréement with the Scots was good, and procéeding not of any euill meaning, but tending onelie to the wealth and quietnes of the realme. ”

“ Thus the quéene and hir companie hauing compassed their businesse in so happie maner as they could wish, she with hir sonne and a great companie of lords and gentlemen repaired vnto Wallingford, where they kept Christmasse togither with great ioy and triumph, the king in the meane while remaining (as ye haue heard) at Killingworth, in a kind of honorable estate, although he was prisoner. ”

“ A iust reward for so scornefull and contemptuous a merchant, as in respect of himselfe (bicause he was in the princes fauour) estéemed the Nobles of the land as men of such inferioritie, as that in comparison of him they deserued no little iot or mite of honour. But lo the vice of ambition, accompanied with a rable of other outrages, euen a reprochfull end, with an euerlasting marke of infamie, which he pulled by violent meanes on himselfe with the cords of his owne lewdnesse, and could not escape this fatall fall: for
Ad mala patrata sunt atra theatra parata. ”

“ The quéene receiuing the message from hir husband, whether it was so that she was staied by hir brother, vnto whome belike she had complained after what manner she was vsed at hir husbands hands, being had in no regard with him: or for that she had no mind to returne home, bicause she was loth to sée all things ordered out of frame by the counsell of the Spensers, whereof to heare she was wearie: or whether (as the manner of women is) she was long about to prepare hir selfe forward, she slacked all the summer, and sent letters euer to excuse hir tarriance. ”

“ The bishop had vpon him a certeine cote of defense, which was called an aketon, the same therefore being plucked beside his backe as all other his garments, they shore his head from his shoulders, and to the like death they put two of his seruants, the one an esquire, and the other a yeoman. The bishops head was set on a pole for a spectacle, that the remembrance of his death, and the cause thereof might continue. His bodie was buried in an old churchyard of the pied friers, without any manner of exequies of funerall seruice doone for him. ”

“ But yet bicause she would not run in any suspicion with hir husband, she sent diuerse of hir folkes before hir into England by soft iournies. A lamentable case, that such diuision should be betwéene a king and his quéene, being lawfullie married, and hauing issue of their bodies, which ought to haue made that their copulation more comfortable: but (alas) what will not a woman be drawne and allured vnto, if by euill counsell she be once assaulted? ”