vnderstood that Gray did neuer eate his meate alone but still had some of his neighbors with him before whom he called his mayd saying Margaret come hither Now because there was another of the same name in the house she made answers I callnot you maiden quoth he but Margaret with the lilly white hand After which time she was euer called so How the Kings maiestie sent for the Clothiers and of the sundry fauours which he did them Chap. 4. KIng Henry prouiding for his voyage into France against King Lewis and Robert Duke of Normandy his owne brother commited the gouernement of the Realme in his absence to the Bishop of Salisbury a man of great wisdome and learning whom the King estéemed highly and afterward he thought good to send for the chiefe Clothiers of England who according to the kings appoyntment came to the court and hauing licence to come before his Maiesty hee spake to this effect The strength of a king is the loue and friendship of his people and he gouerns ouer his Realme most surely that ruleth iustice with mercy for hee ought to feare many whom many do feare therefore the gouernours of the common wealth ought to obserue two speciall precepts the one is that they so maintayne the profit of the commons that whatsoeuer in their calling they do they referre it thereunto the other that they bee alwayes as well carefull ouer the whole common weaâ—th as ouer any part thereof lest while they vpholde the one the other be brought to vtter decay And for as much as I doe vnderstand and haue partly seene that you the Clothiers of England are no small benefit to the wealth publike I thought it good to know from your owne mouths if there be any thing not yet graunted that may benefit you or any other thing to be remoued that doth hurt you The great desire I haue to maintayne you in your trades hath moued me hereunto Therefore boldly say what you would haue in the one thing or the other I wlil grant it you With that they all fell downe vpon their knees and desired God to saue his Maiesty and with all requested three dayes respit to put in their answere which was graunted And thereupon they departed When the Clothiers had well considered of these matters at length they thought méete to request of his Maiesty for their first benefit that all the Cloth measures through the land might be of one length whereas to their great disaduantage before euery good towne had a seuerall measure the difficulty thereof was such that they could not kéepe them in memory nor know how to keepe their reckonings The second thing whereof they found themselues greeued was this that the people would not take crackt money though it were neuer so good siluer whereupon it came to passe that the Clothiers and diuers other receiuing great summes of money to take among it much crackt money it serued them to no vse because it would not go currant but lay vpon their hands without profite or benefit whereof they prayed reformation The third was a griefe whereof Hodgekins of Halyfax complayned and that was that whereas the towne of Halyfax liued altogether vpon clothing and by the reason of false borderers other euill minded persons they were oft robbed and had their clothes carried out of their fieldes where they were drying that it would please his Maiesty to grant the towne this priuiledge that whosoeuer hee was that was taken stealing their cloth might presently without any further triall be hanged vp When the day of their appearance approached the Clothiers came before the King and deliuered vp their petition in writing which his Maiesty most graciously perusing sayd he was ready to fullfill their request and therefore for the first poynt of their petition he called for a staffe to be brought him and measuring thereupon the iust length of his owne arme deliuered it to the clothiers saying This measure shal be called a yard and no other measure thoughout all the Realme of England shall be vsed for the same and by this shall men buy and sell and we will so prouide that whosoeuer he be that abuseth our subiects by any false measure that he shall not onely pay a fine for the same to the king but also haue his body punnished by imprisonment And as concerning the second poynt of your petition because of my sudden departure out of the land I know not better how to ease you of this griefe of crackt money this decrée I make because they account crackt money not currant I say none shal be currant but crackt money And therefore I will giue present charge that all the money through the land shal be â—â—it and so you shall suffer no losse But now for your last request for the towne of Halyfax where by théeues your clothes are so often stolne from you séeing the lawes already prouided in that case are not sufficient to keepe men in awe it is indeed high time to haue sharper punishment for them With that Hodgekins vnmannerly interrupted the King saying in broad Northern spéech Yea gude faith mai Liedge the faule eule of mai saule gifâ— any thing will kéep them whiat till the karles be hangde vp by the cragge What the dulâ— care they for boaring their eyne sea lang as they may gae groping vp and downe the countrey like fause lizar lownes begging and craking The king smiling to heare this rough hewne fellow make this reply Content thee Hodgekins for we wil haue redresse for all and albeit that hanging of men was neuer séene in England yet seeing the corrupt world is growne more bold in all wickednes I thinke it not amisse to ordaine this death for such malefactors and peculiarly to the towne of Hallifaxe I giue this priuiledge that whosoeuer they find stealing their cloth being taken with the goods that without further iudgement they shal be hanged vp Thus sayd our king haue I graunted what you request and if heareafter you find any other thing that may be good for you it shall be granted for no longer would I desire to liue among you then I haue care for the good of the common-wealth at which word ended the King rose from his royall throne while the clothiers on their knées prayed for both his health and happy successe and shewed themselues most thankfull for his highnesse fauor His maiesty bending his body toward them sayd that at his home returne he would by the grace of God visit them How the Clothiers had prouided a sumptuous feast for the Kings sonues prince William and prince Richard at Gerâ—ards hall shewing also what chaunce befell Cutbert of Kendall at that same instant Chap. 5. THe Clothiers departing from the court in a merry minde ioyfull of their good successe each one to other praised and magnified the Kings great wisedome and vertue commending also his affabilitie and gentle disposition so that Hodgekins affirmed on his faith that
my sweete heart speake to me good wife alacke alacke call in the neighbours you queanes quoth he With that shee lift vp her head fetching a great groane and presently swouned againe and much adoe iwis he had to keepe life in her but when she was come to her self How dost thou wife qd he What wilt thou haue for Gods sake tel me if thou hast a mind to any thing thou shalt haue it Away dissembler quoth she how can I belieue thée thou hast said asmuch to mee an hundred times and deceiued mee it is thy churlishnesse that hath killd my heart neuer was woman matcht to so vnkind a man Nay good wife blame me not without cause God knoweth how dearly I loue thée Loue me no no thou didst neuer carry my loue but on the tip of thy tongue quoth she I dare sweare thou desirest nothing so much as my death and for my part I would to God thou haâ—st thy desire but be content I shal not trouble thee long and with that fetching a â—â—gh she swouned and gaue a great grâ—ane The man séeing hir in this cafe was wondrous woe but so soone as they had recouered her he said O my deare wife if any had conceit hath ingendered this sickenes let me know it or if thou knowest any thing that may procure thy health let me vnderstand thereof and I protest thou shalt haue it if it cost me all that euer I haue O husband quoth she how may I credite your wordes when for a paltry suâ—e of apparell you denied me Well wife quoth he thou shalt haue apparell or any thing else thou wilt request if God send thée once health O husband if I may find you so kind I shall thinke my selfe the happiest woman in the world thy words haue greatly comforted my heart me thinketh if I had it I could drink a good draught of renish wine Well wine was sent for O Lord said she that I had a péece of a chickin I féele my stomacke desirous of some meat Glad am I of that said her husband and so the woman within a few dayes after was very well But you shall vnderstand that her husband was faine to dresse her London like ere he could get her quiet neither wold it please her except the stuffe were bought in Cheapeside for out of Cheapside nothing would content her were it neuer so good insomuch that if she thought a tailer of Cheapside made not her gowne she would sweare it was quite spoiled And hauing thus won her husband to her will when the rest of the Clothiers wiues heard thereof they would be suted in the like sort too so that euer since the wiues of South-hampton Salisbury of Glocester Worcester and Reading went all as gallant and as braue as any Londoners wiues How the Clothiers sent the King aid into France and how he ouereame his brother Robert and brought him into England and how the Clothiers feasted his Maiesty and his sonne at Reading Chap. 7. THe Kings maiesty being at the warres in Fraunce against Lewis the French king and duke Robert of Normandy sending for diuers supplies of souldiers out of England the Clothiers at their owne proper cost set out a great number and sent them ouer to the King Which Roger Bishop of Salisbury who gouerned the realme in the Kings absence did alwayes certifie the King thereof with his letters written in their commendations And afterward it came to passe that God sent his Highnes victory ouer his enemies and hauing taken his brother prisoner brought him most ioyfully with him into England and appointed him to be kept in Cardife castle prisoner yet with this fauour that he might hunt and hawke where he would vp and downe the countrey and in this sort he liued a good while of whom we will speake more at large hereafter The King being thus come home after his winters rest he made his summers progresse into the west country to take a view of al the chiefe townes whereof the Clothiers being aduertised they made great preparation against his comming because he had promised to visite them all And when his Grace came to Reading he was entertained and receiued with great ioy and triumph Thomas Cole being the chiefe man of regard in all the towne the king honored his house with his princely presence where during the kings abode he and his son and nobles were highly feasted Where the king beheld the great number of people that was by that one man maintained in worke whose harty affection and loue toward his maiestie did well appeere aswell by their outward countenances as their gifts presented vnto him But of Cole himselfe the king was so well persuaded that he committed much trust to him and put him in great authoritie in the towne Furthermore the king said That for the loue which those people bore to him liuing that he would lay his bones among them when he was dead For I know not said he where they may be better bestowed till the blessed day of resurrection than among these my friends which are like to be happy partakers of the same Whereupon his Maiesty caused there to be builded a most goodly and famous Abbey in which he might shew his deuetion to God by increasing his seruice and leaue example to other his successors to doe the like Likewise within the towne he after builded a faire and goodly castle in the which he often kept his court which was a place of his chiefe residence during his life saying to the Clothiers that séeing he found them such faithfull subiects he would be their neighbor and dwell among them After his Maiesties royal feasting at Reading he procéeded in progresse til he had visited the whole west countries being wondrously delighted to sée those people so diligent to applie their busines and conuning to Salisbury the Bishop receiued his Maiesty with great ioy and with triumph attended on his Grace to his palace where his Highnes lodged There Sutton the Clothier presented his Highnesse with a broad cloth of so fine a thréed and excéeding good workmaÌ„ship and therewithall of so faire a colour as his Grace gaue commendation thereof and as it is said he held it in such high estimation that therof he made his parliament robes and the first parliament that euer was in England was graced with the Kings person in those robes in requitall whereof his highnes afterward yielded Sutton many princely fauours And it is to be remembred that Simon of Southhampton séeing the King had ouerpast the place where he dwelt came with his wife and seruants to Salisbury and against the K. going forth of that city he caused a most pleasant arbour to be made vpon the toppe of the hill leading to Shaftesburie beset all with red and white roses in such sort that not anie part of the timber could be séene within the which sate a maiden attired like a Quéene attended on by a faire traine of maidens who at
occasion he said to his Nobles That it would neuer grieue a King to die for the defence of a fertile countrie and faithfull subiects I alwayes thought quoth he that Englands valour was more than her wealth yet now I see her wealth sufficient to maintaine her valour which I will seek to cherish in all I may and with my Sword keepe my selfe in possession of that I haue Kings and Louers can brooke no partners and therefore let my brother Robert thinke that although hee was heyre to England by birth yet I am King by possession All his fauourers I must account my foes and will serue them as I did the vngratefull earle of Shrewsbury whose lands I haue seized and banisht his body But now we will leaue the King to his â—ourney into Wales and waiting his home returne in the meane time tell you of the meeting of these iolly Clothiers at London How William of Worcester Gray of Gloucester and old Cole of Reading met all together at Reading of their communication by the way as they â—ode to London Chap. 2. VVHen Gray of Gloucester and William of Worcester were come to Reading according to their custome they always called old Cole to haue his company to London who also duly attended their comming hauing prouided a good breakefast for them and when they had well refreshed themselues they tooke their horses and rode on towards the Citie and in their iourney William of Worcester asked them if they had not heard of the Erle of Moraigne his escape out of the land what is he fled quoth Gray I muse much of that matter being in such great regard with the king as he was but I pray you do you not know the cause of his going quoth Cole The common report quoth Gray is this that the couetous erle who through a greedy desire neuer left begging of the King for one thing or other and his request being now denied him of méere obstinacie and wilfull frowardnesse hath banished himselfe out of the land and quite forsaken the Countrey of Cornewall hauing made a vow neuer to set foote within England againe and as report goeth he with the late banisht Earle of Shrowsbury haue ioyned themselues w t Robert duke of Normandy against the king the which action of theirs hath inflamed the kings wrath that their Ladies with their children are quite turned out of doores succorlesse friendlesse so that as it is told me they wander vp and downe the countrie like forlorne people and although many do pittie them yet few do releeue them A lamentable hearing qd William of Worcester and with that casting their eyes aside they espied Tom Doue with the rest of his companions come riding to méete them who as soone as they were come thither fell into such pleasaunt discourses as did shorten the way they had to Colebroke where alwaies at their comming towards London they dined and being entred into their Inne according to olde custome good chaere was prouided for them for these Clothiers were the cheefest ghests that trauelled along the way and this was as sure as an acte of Parliament that Tom Doue could not digest his meat without musicke nor drinke wine with out women so that his hostesse being a merrie wench would often times call in two or three of her neighbours wiâ—es to keepe him companie where ere they parted they were made as pleasant as Pâ—es And this being a continuall custome amongest them when they came thither at length the womens husbands beganne to take exceptions at their wiâ—es going thither whereupon great controuersie grew betweene them in such sort that when they were most restrayned then they had most desire to worke their willes now gip quoth they must we so be tied to our taske that we may not drinke with our friends ste fie vpon these yellow hose will no other die serue your turne haue wee thus long vin your wines and do you now mistrust vs verily you eate two much salt and that makes you grow cholericke badde liuers iudge all other the like but in faith you shall not bridle vs so like Asses but wee will go to our friendes when wee are sent for and do you what you can Well quoth their husbands if you be so head-strong we will teme you it is the duty of honest women to obey their husbands sayings And of honest men quoth they to thinke well of their wiues but who doo sooner inpeach their credite then their husbands charging them if they do but smile that they are subtill and if they doe but winke they account them willy if sad of countenance then sullen if they be froward then are they counted shrewes and sheepish if they be gentle if a woman keepe her house then you will say she is melancholie if shee walke abroade then you call her a gadder a Puritane if shee be pretise and a wanton if shee be pleasant so there is no woman in the world that knowes how to please you that wâ—s thinke our selues accurst to be married wiues liuing with so many woes These men of whose company you forwarne vs are for aught that euer we sawe both honest and curteous and in wealth farre beyond your selues then what reason is there why we should refraine to vsite them is their good will so much to be requited with scorne that their cost may not be counteruayled with our company if a woman be disposed to play light of loue alas alas do you thinke that you can preuent her Nay wée will abide by it that the restraint of liberty inforceth women to belewd for where a woman cannot be trusted she cannot think her selfe beloued and if not beloued what cause hath she to care for such a oneâ— therefore husbands reforme your opinions and do not worke your owne woes with our discredit These Clothiers we tel you are tolly fellowes and but in respect of our curtesie they would scorne out company The men hearing their wines so wel to plendfor themselues knew not how to answer but sayd they would put the burden on their consciences if they dealt vniustly with them and so left them to their owne willes The women hauing thus conquered their husbands conceits would not leaue the fauour of their friends for frownts and as about the rest Tom Doue was the most pleasantest so was he had in most reputation with the women who for his sake made this Song Welcome to towne Tom Doue Tom Doue The merriest man aliue Thy company still we loue we loue God grant thee well to thriue And neuer will depart from thee For better or worâ—e my ioy For thou shalt still haue our good will Gods blessing on my sweete Boy This song went vp and downe through the whole countrey and at length became a dance among the common sort so that Tom Doue for his mirth and good fellowship was famous in euery place Now when they came to London they were welcome to the host larrat