Cornwall At the Sinode of Arles in Fraunce there was present one Corinius sonne to Salomon Duke of Cornwall After the abouenamed Octauius his decease Maximianus a Romane who maried his daughter succeeded him also in gouernment betweene whome and the foreremembred Conan grew great warres which concluding at last in a peace Maxim passed with an armie into Fraunce conquered there Armorica naming it little Brittaine and gaue the same in fee to Conan who being once peaceably setled wrote ouer vnto Dionethus or Dionotus Duke or King of Cornwall as Mathew of West termeth him to send him some Maidens whom he might couple in mariage with his people whereon S. Vrsula her companions the 11000. virgins were shipped miscaried as their welknown history reporteth Nicholas Gille a French writer deliuereth vpon the credit of our British Historians that about this time Meroueus a Paynim king of Fraunce caused his owne sonne to be throwne into the fire and burned for that he had slayne the king of Cornwall as he returned from a feast Hee also maketh mention of one Moigne brother to Aurelius and Vter-pendragon Duke of Cornwall gouerner of the Realme vnder the Emperour Honorius Caredoc Duke of Cornwall was employed sayth D. Kay by Octauius about founding the Vniuerfitie of Cambridge And vpon Igerna wife to Gorlois Duke of Cornwall Vter begat the worthy Arthur and a daughter called Amy. This Arthur discomfited in fight one Childerick a king of the Saxons and afterwards vpon certaine couenants suffred him quietly to depart the Realme But Childerick violating the word of a king bound with the solemnity of an othe inuaded estsoones the Westerne coasts harrowing the Country as he passed vntil Cador Earle of Cornwall became Gods Minister to take vengeance of his periury by reauing off his life That Marke swayed the Cornish septer you cannot make question vnlesse you will withall shake the irrefragable authoritie of the round tables Romants Blederic Duke of Cornwall associated with other Welsh kings darrayned a battell against Ethelferd king of the Northumbers by the valiant forgoing of his life got his partners the victory Iuor sonne to Alane king of little Brittaine first wan from the Saxons Cornwall Deuon and Somerset shires by force of armes and then taking to wife Ethelburg cousin to Kentwin king of Westsex enioyed the same by composition Roderit king of the Bretons in Wales and Cornwall vnder whom Bletius was Prince of this last and of Deuon valiantly repulsed Adelred king of Westsex what time he assayled him in Cornwall yet in the end being ouer-matched in number and tired with continuall onsets he was driuen to quit the same and retire himselfe into Wales Polidor Virgill maketh mention of one Reginaldus Comes Britannorum in the time of king Etheldred Dungarth king of Corn by mischance was drowned Alpsius is recorded about this time for Duke of Deuon and Cornwall Orgerius Duke of Cornwall had a daughter named Alfride the fame of whose beauty caused King Edgar to send Earle Athelwold for obtaining her at her fathers hands in mariage But the Earle with the first sight of this faire Lady was so besotted in her loue that preferring the accomplishment of his lust before the duety of his alleageance he returnes answer to the King how the common report far exceeded her priuate worth which came much short of meriting a partnership in so great a Princes bed and not long after begged and obtayned the Kings good wlll to wed her himselfe But so braue a lustre could not lye long concealed without shining foorth into Edgars knowledge who finding the truth of his Ambassadours falshood tooke Athelwold at an aduauntage slewe him and maried her beeing a widdowe whome hee had wooed a mayde Hitherunto these titles of honour carry a kinde of confusednes and rather betokened a successiue office then an established dignity The following ages receiued a more distinct forme and left vs a certeyner notice What time William the bastard subdued this Realme one Condor possessed the Earledome of Cornwall and did homage for the same he had issue another Condor whose daughter and heire Agnes was maried to Reignald Earle of Bristowe base sonne to King Henry the first This note I borowed out of an industrious collection which setteth downe all the noble mens creations Armes and principall descents in euery Kings dayes since the conquest but master Camden our Clarentieulx nameth him Cadoc and saith farther that Robert Morton brother to William Conquerour by his mother Herlot was the first Earle of Norman blood and that his sonne William succeeded him who taking part with Duke Robert against Henry the first thereby got captiuity and lost his honour with which that King inuested the forementioned Reignald In this variance it is great reason that the ballance panche on his side who hath both authority to establish his assertion and a rarely approued knowledge to warrant his authoritie Hee dying issuelesse Richard the first gaue this Earledome to his brother Iohn Iohns sonne Henry the third honoured therewith his brother Richard King of the Romanes a Prince no lesse plentifully flowing in wealth then his brother was often driuen to extreame shifts through needinesse which made that barbarous age to poetrize Nummus ait pro me nubit Cornubia Rome Money sayd that for her sake Rome did Cornwall to wife take He had issue Henry Earle of Cornwall who deceased issuelesse and Edmond whose daughter and heire Isabell sayth mine authour was married to Moriee Fitsharding Lord Barckleigh but others affirme that this Edmond dyed without issue Edward the second degenerating in his choyce created his mynion Peter Gaueston a Gascoyne Earle of this County whose posterity ended in himselfe and himself by a violent death The last title of this Earldome expired in Iohn of Eltham yonger sonne to that King Edward After which King Edward the third by act of Parliament in the 11. yeere of his raigne erected the same to a Duchy the first in England and graced it with his sonne the blacke Prince for his heroicall vertues did rather bestow then receiue estimation from whatsoeuer dignitie Since which it is successiuely incorporated in the Kings eldest sonne and hath bene so enioyed by Richard the second Henry the fift Henry the sixt Edward his sōne Edward the fift Edward sonne to Richard the third Arthure and Henry sonnes to Henry the seuenth and lastly Edward the sixt 10. Dukes in the whole These Earles and Dukes haue from the beginning beene priuiledged with royall iurisdiction or Growne rights namely giuing of liberty to send Burgesses to the Parliaments returne of writs custome toll Mynes Treasure-trovee wards c. and to this end appoynted their speciall officers as Sheriffe Admirall Receyuer Hauener Customer Butler Searcher Comptroller Gaugeor Excheator Feodary Auditor Clarke of the market c. besides the L. Warden and those others beforeremembred whose functions appertayne
the title of the worlds Empire with Pompey the towne boyes without any mans commaund parted in twayne the one side calling themselues Pompeyans the other Caesarians and then darrayning a kinde of battell but without Armes the Caesarians got the ouerhand A like prank vnder the like assumed names and with like successe and boding they plaied when Octauius and Anthony were with like meanes to decide the like Soueraignty And to the same purpose Procopius affirmeth that the Samnite boyes when they draue their cattel to feeding after their vsuall maner of pastime chose out amongst themselues two of the best actiuity and seemelinesse the one they named Bellisarius Generall for Iustinian the Emperour in Italy the other Vitiges king of the Gothes against whome hee wanted In the buckling of these counterfeite Commaunders it fell out that Vitiges had the worst whome the aduerse party with a iesting and craking maner hanged vp at the next tree in earnest but yet with no intent to kill him This while it happens that a Woolfe is descryed away runne the boyes fast abides the imaginary Felon and so fast that for want of timely rescouse the breath poasted out of his body and left the same a liuelesse carkase The which notifyed to the Samnites quitted the striplings or slipstrings of their punishment but encreased the dismay of the elder people A like accident befell sithence by testimony of the ceremonious Texera as a presage of Lewes the Prince of Condyes death 1509. Foure daies before which at Xaintes the youth of all sorts from 9. to 22. yeres age assembled and of their owne accord chose two Commaunders one they entitled the Prince of Condy the other Mounsieur who then lay in the field against him For three dayes space they violently assaulted each other with stones clubs and other weapons vntill at last it grewe to Pistoles by one of which the imaginary Prince receiued a quelling wound in his head about 10. a clock in the morning the very howre faith this Portugall confessour that the Prince himselfe by a like shot was slaughtered The same authour voucheth a semblable chaunce somewhat before the siege of Rochell 1572. where some of the boyes banded themselues as for the Maior and others for the King who after 6. dayes skirmishing at last made a composition and departed euen as that siege endured sixe moneths and finally brake vp in a peace So doth Mercurius Gallobelgicus giue vs to wit that in the yeere 1594. a Turkish Beglerbey of Greece either seeking by a fore-coniecture to be ascertained himselfe or desirdus to nusle the yonger sort in martiall exployts led out of Alba Regalis about 600. Turkish boyes aged betweene 11. and 14. yeeres and seuered them into two troups terming the one The Christian the other The Turkish batalion Those he directed to call vpon Iesus these vpon Hala both parts hee enioyned to bicker coragiously and egged them onward with the enticemeÌ„t of rewards The token is giuen the forces encounter the fight is hote In the end the Turks betake themselues to their heeles and Iesus party carryeth away the victory But such occurrents do not alwayes either foregoe or foresignifie for sometimes they fall out idle and sometimes not at all How beit Nicetaes Chaniates taketh it very vnkindly that God would not spare some watch-word out of his prescieÌ„ce to the Constantinopolitanes what time Baldryn Earle of Flaunders and others first assisted and then conquered their Citie Touching Veall the Merecurialist I haue spoken in my former booke The youthlyer sort of Bodmyn townsmen vse sometimes to sport themselues by playing the box with straÌ„gers whome they summon to Halgauer The name signifieth the Goats moore and such a place it is lying a little without the towne and very full of quauemires When these mates meete with any rawe seruingman or other young master who may serue and deserue to make pastime they cause him to be solemnely arrested for his appearance before the Maior of Halgauer where he is charged with wearing one spurre or going vntrussed or wanting a girdle or some such like felony and after he hath beene arraygned and tryed with all requisite circumstances iudgement is giuen in formatterines and executed in some one vngracious pranke or other more to the skorne then hurt of the party condemned Hence is sprung the prouerb when we see one stouenly appareled to say He shall be presented in Halguer Court But now and then they extend this merriment with the largest to the preiudice of ouer-credulous people perswading them to fight with a DragoÌ„ lurking in Halgauer or to see some straÌ„ge matter there which concludeth at least with a trayning them into the mire Within short space after the great same dispersed touching the rare effects of Warwickshire wels some idle enuious head raysed a brute that there rested no lesse vertue forsooth for healing all diseases in a plentifull spring neere vnto Bodmyn called Scarlets well which report grew so farre and so fast that folke ranne slocking thither in huge numbers from all quarters But the neighbour Iustices finding the abuse and looking into the consequence forbad the resort lequestred the spring and suppressed the miracle How beit the water should seeme to be healthfull if not helpfull for it retaineth this extraordinary quality that the same is waightier then the ordinary of his kinde and will continue the best part of a yeere without alteration of sent or taste onely you shall see it represent many colours like the Raine-bowe which in my conceite argueth a running thorow some minerall veine and thoâ—â— withall a possessing of some vertue Aside from this towne towards the North sea extendeth a fruitfull veine of land comprizing certayne parishes which serueth better then any other place in Cornwall for Winter feeding and suitably enricheth the Farmours Herethrough sundry Gentlemen haue there planted their seates as in S. Kew master Carnsew at Bokelly in S. Endelion master Roscarrock at his house of the same denomination besides master Penkeuel Nichols Barret Flammack Caud and diuers more Carnsew rightly Carndeaw purporteth in Cornish a blackrock and such a one the heire owneth which gaue name to his ancient possessed mannour as the mannour to his ancestours His house Bokelly may be deriued from Both in Cornish a Goate and kelly which is lost and the Goate he giueth for his Armes This GeÌ„t father married the daughter of Fits in Deuon and left behinde him three sonnes Richard Mathew and William with two daughters those brought vp in learning and experience abroade these in vertue and modesty at home the fruites whereof they taste and expresse in a no lesse praise-worthy then rare-continuing concord hauing not through any constrayning necessitie or constraintiue vowe but on a voluntary choyce made their elder brothers maÌ„sion a Colledge of single liuing kind entertaining Amongst whoÌ„ I may not omit the yongest brother whose well qualified and sweete pleasing sufficiency draweth him
amidst his foes By courage guided sought and scapt his death Loe here amongst his friends whom liking chose And nature lent hath vp resign'd his breath Vnripened fruit in grouth precious in hope Rare in effect had fortune giuen scope Our eyes with teares performe thine obsequy And hearts with sighes since hands could yeeld none aid Our tongues with praise preserue thy memory And thing his with grieft since we behind are staid Coswarth farewell death which vs parts atwaine E're long in life shall vs conioyne againe His sister maried Kendall Edward his vncle and heire by vertue of these entayles married the daughter of Arundel of Trerice and from a ciuill Courtiers life in his younger yeeres reposeth his elder age on the good husbandry of the country hauing raised posterity sufficient for transplanting the name into many other quarters He beareth A. on a Cheuron betweene three wings B. fiue Bezants Against you haue passed towards the West somewhat more then a mile Trerice anciently Treres oftreth you the viewe of his costly and commodious buildings What Tro is you know already res signifieth a rushing of fieeting away and vpon the declyning of a hill the house is seated In Edward the 3. raigne Ralphe Arundel matched with the heire of this land and name since which time his issue hath there continued and encreased their liuelyhood by sundry like Inheritours as S. Iohn Iew Durant Thurlebear c. Precisely to rip vp the whole pedigree were more tedious then behoouefull and therefore I will onely as by the way touch some fewe poynts which may serue in part to shew what place regard they haue borne in the Common wealth There was an Indenture made betweene Hugh Courtney Earle of Deuon Leiutenant to the King for a sea voyage in defence of the Realme and Sir Iohn Arundel of Trerice for accompanying him therein He was Sherife of Cornwall Iohn Earle of Huntingdon vnder his seale of Armes made Sir Iohn Arundel of Trerice Seneshall of his houshold as well in peace as in warre gaue him ten pound fee and allowed him entertaynment in his house for one Gentleman three Yeoman one boy and sixe horses The same Earle stiling himselfe Lieutenant generall to Iohn Duke of Bedford Constable and Admirall of England wrote to the said Sir Iohn Arundel then Vice-admirall of Cornwall for the release of a ship which hee had arrested by vertue of his office The Queene by her letter aduertised Iohn Arundel of Trerice Esquire that she was brought in child-bed of a Prince The King wrote to Sir Iohn Arundel of Trerice that he should giue his attendance at Canterbury about the entertaynment of the Emperour whose landing was then and there expected Iohn Arundel of Trerice Esquire tooke prisoner Duncane Campbell a Scot in a fight at sea as our Chronicle mentioneth concerning which I though it not amisse to insert a letter sent him from Tho. Duke of Norfolke to whom he then belonged that you may see the stile of those dayes By the Duke of Norf. RIght welbeloued in our hearty wise we commend vs vnto you letting you with that by your seruant this bearer wee haue receiued your letters dated at Truru the 5. day of this moneth of April by which we perceyue the goodly valiant and ieopardous enterprise it hath pleased God of late to send you by the taking of Duncane Camel other Scots on the sea of which enterprise we haue made relation vnto the Kings Highnesse who is not a little ioyous and glad to heare of the same and hath required vs instantly in his name to giue you thanks for your said valiant courage and bolde enterprise in the premises and by these our letters for the same your so doing we doe not onely thanke you in our most effectuall wise but also promise you that during our life wee will bee glad to aduaunce you to any preferment we can And ouer this you shall vnderstand our said Soueraigne Lords pleasure is that you shall come and repaire to his Highnes with diligence in your owne person bringing with you the said Captiue and the Master of the Scottish ship at which time you shall not onely be sure of his especiall thanks by mouth to know his further pleasure therein but also of vs to further any your reasonable pursuits vnto his Highnes or any other during our life to the best of our power accordingly Written at Lambeth the 11. day of Aprill aforesaid Superscribed To our right welbeloued seruant Iohn Arundell of Trerice The King wrote to Sir Iohn Ar. of Trerice touching his discharge from the Admiralty of the fleete lately committed vnto him that he should deliuer the ship which he sayled in to Sir Nic. Poynts The same yere the King wrote to him againe that he should attend him in his warres against the French king with his seruants tenants and others within his roomes and offices especially horsemen Other letters from the King there are whose date is not expressed neither can I by any meanes hunt it out One to his seruant Iohn Arundel of Trerice Esquire willing him not to repaire with his men and to wayte in the rereward of his army as hee had commaunded him but to keepe them in a readinesse for some other seruice Another to Sir Iohn Arundel of Trerice praying and desiring him to the Court the Quindene of Saint Hillarie next wheresoeuer the King shall then bee within the Realme There are also letters directed to Sir Iohn Arundell of Trerice from the Kings Counsell by some of which it appeareth that hee was Vice admirall of the Kings shippes in the West seas and by others that hee had the goods and lands of certaine Rebels giuen him for his good seruice against them The Queene wrote to Sir Iohn Arundell of Trerice praying and requiring him that hee with his friends and neighbours should see the Prince of Spaine most honourably entertained if he fortuned to land in Cornwall Shee wrote to him being then Sherife of Cornwall touching the election of the Knights of the shire and the Burgesses for the Parliament Shee likewise wrote to him that notwithstanding the instructions to the Iustices hee should muster and furnish his seruants tenants and others vnder his rule and offices with his friends for the defence and quieting of the Countrie withstanding of enemies and any other imployment as also to certifie what force of horse and foote he could arme These few notes I haue culled out of many others Sir Iohn Arundell last mentioned by his first wife the coheire of Beuill had issue Roger who died in his fathers life time and Katherine married to Prideaux Roger by his wife Trendenham left behind him a sonne called Iohn Sir Iohns second wife was daughter to Erisy and widdow to Gourlyn who bare him Iohn his succeeder in Tretice and much other faire reuenewes whose due commendation because another might better