A mis-leâ— King and a memorable PARLIAMENT THis present occasion so opportunely befitting me I am resolved to treat of that which hath been omitted and slipped out of memory long since concerning divers and sundry changes and alterations in England in former times Nor will it be any wayes burthensome to write of that whereby every good and carefull Reader may learne to avoid diversities of miseries and the danger and feare of cruell death I will therefore speake of that which hath laine hid in the darksome shade of forgetfulnesse concerning men who have been led away by the deceitfull path oâ— Covetousnesse and have come to a most shamefull and ignominious death a famous example to deterre all men from practising those or the like courses ABout the yeare of Christ 1386. at such time as Richard the second of that name then in prime of his youth swayed the Imperiall Sâ—â—â—â—er of our Realme there flourished famous in his Court certaine Peeres though some of them not of any honourable descent yet favoured by fortunes by name Alexander Neâ—il Archbishop of Yorke Robert Veeâ—e D. of Ireland Michael de la Poole Earle of Suffolke then Lord Chancellour Robert Tressilian Lord chiefe Justice of England and Nicholas Brambre sometimes Major of London These men being raised from mean estates by the speciall favour of the King and advanced to the degree of privie Counsellours were the men who had the only rule of the Common-wealth which they under the King governed for some small space with carefull diligence meriting thereby deserved commendations But not long did they thus steere the Ship of the Kingdome for many of them being of inferiour ranke by birth not having their veines dignified with the streames of noble blood they were the sooner enticed with the fibidinous baits of voluptuousnesse and infected with insatiable itch of avarice insomuch that despising the authority of the King and neglecting the commodity of the Realme but onely desiring to keep up the Revenues of the Kingdome so wrought that by their policie the King is impoverished the Treasury exhausted the Commons murmure at the multiplicity of Tenths Levies and Subsidies the Peeres repine to see themselves disgraced and their inferiours honored and in a word the whole Kingdome endures an universall misery The Nobility seeing the miserable estate wherein the Kingdome lay bleeâ—ing as it were to death urged their King to summon a Parliament which was done shortly after In which amongst many other Acts the afore-named Michael de la Poole is dismist of his Chancellorship and being accused of divers and many points of injustice as Bribery Extortion and the like he was soon cast into the Castle of Windsor and all his lands which were of no small Revenue were consiseated to the King Neither did the Parliament here give over but provided further for the whole State by the mutuall consent of the King and Prelates Barons and Commons with an unanimous conjunction they constitute and give plenary and absolute power to certaine Commissioners as well of the Spiritualty as Temporalty for the ordering and disposing of the publique affaires according as shall seem best and most necessary for the desperate estate of the Common-wealth to depresse civill dissentions and to pacisie and appease the grudgings of the people Of the Spiritualty were chosen the Archbishop of Canterbury the aforenamed Bishop of York the Bishop of Ely lately made Chancelor of England the Bishop of Winchester Bishop of Hereford Lord Treasurer Bishop of Exeter Abbot of Waltham and the Lord Iohn of Waltham Of the Laity were elected the Duke of York the Earle of Arundel the Lord Goltham the Lord Scroop and Iohn Devoureux Knight these as men eminent in vertue were chosen by the generall Suffrage and sworn to carry themselves as dutifull and obedient subjects in all their actions And it was further enacted That if any should refuse or disobey the Ordinances so made for publick good the punishment of his first offence should be the cosiscation of his goods and for the second the losse of life Thus disposing of all things for the best the Parliament being dissolved euery man returned to his owne house Soon after the afore-named Chancelor with others of their consederates being moved with implacable fury against the Statute of the late Parliament they buzzed into the Kings eares that the Statutes lately enacted were very prejudiciall to the honour of his Crowne and much derogatory to his Princely Prerogative insomuch that he should not have power without the consent of the new-appointed Commissioners to doe any thing befitting a King no not so much as to bestow a largesse a principall meanes to gain the peoples love upon any though never so well deserving By these and other the like impious instigations with which the Divel as never unmindful of the end of those who by their lives do prove themselves did continually supply them they practised to annihilate and disanull these Acts of the Parliament which seemed any wayes to abbreviate or curb their usurped authority And first by their serpentine tongues ambitious projects flattery painted out with glosing discourses and covered over with the shadow of vigilanâ—â—â— for the good of the Kingdome they so be witched the noble inclination of the youthfull King whom they induced to beleeve that all the ill they did was a generall good that he began to distalte and at last to abhorte the last passed Acts as treacherous plots and most wicked devices Next they studied how to ingrosse all or the most part of the wealth and riches of the Kingdome into their own coffers and to the same end dealt so cunningly yet pleasingly with the King that hee gave to the D. of Ireland Iohn of Bloys the heir of the Dutchy of Britaine and his ransome to others Townes to others Cities to others Lands to others Money amounting to the summe of 100000 Markes to the great impoverishment both of King and Kingdome neither did these King-eaters and Realm-devourers any thing regard it but setting unskilfull and insufficient Captaines and Governours over Townes and Forts so obtained gave occasion to the enemies of the Crowne to surprise them and dispossesse the King of them Thirdly vilifying the dignity of the King contrary to their allegeance they drew the King to sweare that with all his power during his life hee should maintain and desend them from all their enemies whether forraigne or domestick Fourthly whereas it was enacted by the last Parliament that the King at certain seasonable times and when his leasure would permit him should sit at Westminster with his Councell there to consult of the publique affaires through the perswasions of the aforesaid Conspirators hee was drawne into the most remotest parts of the Realme to the great disparagement of the fidelity of those honorable grave and faithfull Peeres late made joynt Commissioners in whose hands the whole safety and prosperity of the Common-wealth did recide And when as the Lord Chancelour the
Lord Treasurer Keeper of the Privie Seale or any other of the Privie Councell came to relate any of their owne actions or the state of the Realme they could not bee granted free accesse unlesse they related the businesse in the presence and hearing of the conspirators who were alwayes ready to upbraid them if they uttered any thing that displeased them and to command them for any thing though most nefarious that did content them for thus could they the sooner learne and dive into the acts of the Commissioners and the better find evasions for their accusations Furthermore when as the King in company of the Conspirators went in progresse towards the parts of Cheshire Wales and Lancashire they made proclamation in the Kings name throughout the Shires as they journied That all Barous Knights Esquires with the greatest part of the Communalty able to beare armes should speedily repaire to the King for his defence against the power of the Comissioners chiefly of the Duke of Glocester and the Earle of Arundel because they above the rest did with their chiefest endevours study to suppresse quell the devices of the conspirators Fifthly contrary to the aforesaid Acts they caused the D. of Ireland to bee treated chiefe Justice of Chester thereby selling justice as they listed condemning the guiltlesse and remitting the guilty never respecting or looking unto the equall ballance of justice but poizing downe the scales with heaps of Bribery Sixthly by the procurement of the confederates they caused certain honest persons who would not consent to their extortions to be called and summoned to their Court and thereto answer to certaine false accusations wherewith they were unjustly charged by perjuring hirelings of which men so accused some were put to death some cast into prison all were vexed and troubled with delayes length of their journey to and fro and excessive charges neither were they eased of any these burthens unlesse they would part with round summes of money to the D. and his Complices Seventhly they gave pardons under the Brod Seal to Felons Murderers and such like only with this condition that they should murther any whomsoever they thought did mislike their exaction Eighthly they taught the countrey of Ireland to look to its pristine estate I mean of having a King for they plotted how to have the Duke created King of Ireland And for the confirmation of which their designe they allured the King to send his letters to the Pope Ninthly the aforesaid Nicholas Brambre in the time of his Majoralty caused two and twenty to be falsly accused of Felonies and laid into Newgate under pretext and colour of divers crimes and in the silent and dead time of the night to be fast bound and by a strong hand to be carried into Kent to a place commonly called Fawlocks and then to have their heads struck off except one who being favoured by the murtherers safely escaped the blood of the test died the streames of a small Rivelet adjoyning Tenthly soon after to adde one mischief to another they sent letters under the Kings Sigret to the Major of London by Iohn Rippon Clerke with a certain libell or schedule inclosed in the said letters the tenor of which is as followeth That the afore-named three Commissioners viz. the Duke of Glocester the Earles of Arundel and Warwick and other of the Councell were to bee arrested indicted condemned and put to a lamentable death as being such as had conspired against the King against his prevogative against his Crown and Imperiall dignity and to this they did in a manner constrain the King to assent unto Upon receit of these letters the Major and Aldermen of the Citie of London called a Common Councell wherein they consulted what course were best to be taken in this matter and after long debate pro con it was on all sides agreed to deny and not to suffer that cruell and unheard of Tragicall Complot to be executed It ever happeneth one wicked act drawes on a second and that second a third and so forwards till the weight crackes the supporter Therefore the sail Conspirators being blinded with rashnesse principally sent letters by Iohn Godfrey Knight to the King of France the Kings adversary to conclude a five yeares truce should come over to Callis and from thence should send for the Duke of Glocester the Earles of Arundell and Warwick and for some other of the Commissioners as though the King were unwilling to determine of any thing without their advice and being thus circumvented should be condemned as traytors and so put to an ignominious and cruell death And for doing and performing of these things the King of France was to recover all the Castles Townes and Lands lying in these countries and belonging to the King of England To prove these things to be true there were certaine writings produced by the Commissioners wherein were contained letters from the King of France to the King of England and from the conspirators in the King of Englands name to the King of France Moreover there were other letters intercepted directed to the said King of France the substance whereof was to incite the King of France to leavre a puissant power into England against the Duke of Glocester the Earles of Arundel and Warwicke and the rest of the Commissioners and all those that did either countenance or favour the said statute and Commissioners Now here concluding their divelish conspiracie the five aforesaid conspitators departed from Westminster to the Castle of Nottingham and sent a Writ for Robert Beale Lord chiefe Justice of the Common-Pleas Iohn Holt Reger Fulthorp Will Burleigh Judges of the said Court and for John Locton the Kings Serjeant at Law who being come into the Councell-chamber not knowing what they were sent for the aforesaid conspirators caused the gates and doores of the Castle to be shut and then propounded these questions following unto them First whether those Statutes Ordinances and Commission made in the late Parliament at Westminster were derogatory to the Kings dignity and Kingly Prerogative and because they were to be punished who did procure those Constitutions and did incite and move the King to consent unto them and did as much as in them lay to hinder the King from exercising his Royall Prerogative To these and other the like questions with a joynt consent they answered 〈…〉 death as traytors or else to endure some capitall 〈…〉 witnesse of which assertion being terrified with the feare of present death the aforesaid Judges together with Iohn Carey Lord chiefe Baron of the Exchequer they signed and sealed a certaine writing in manner of a Protestation in presence of these witnesses Alex. Nevil Archbishop of Yorke Archbishop Bangor Robert Duke of Ireland Michael Earle of Suffolke Iohn Rippon Clerke and Iohn Blake Fruiterer dated the 19 of September Anno Dom. 1387. in the 11. yeare of the reigne of K. Richard 2. Then were they compelled to sweare that they should
Protestation to the Chappell of the Abbey where the Commons sate which was allowed of And then when the Appellants called for justice against the Conspirators the Lords of the Spiritualty arose and went into the Kings Chamber neere adjoyning But the King being moved in conscience and in charity perceiving that in every worke they are to remember the end and being willing contrary to the rigour of the Law to favour rather these that were guilty then the actors in that Treason if they were able to alledge any thing in their defence caused the Processe to cease but the Peeres being earnest requested That no businesse past present or to come might be debated untill this Treason were adjudged to which Petition the King graciously granted his assent On the 11. day of February when nothing could be alledged nor no witnesse produced in justification of the conspirators but that the definitive sentence of Condemnation must be pronounced against them the aforesaid Iohn Devoreux Marshall of the Court and for that time the Kings Lieutenant adjudged them this heavie doome That the said Archbishop of York Duke of Ireland Earle of Suffolke Tressilian and Brambre should be drawne from the Tower to Tyborne and there to bee hanged upon a Gibbet untill they were dead and all their Lands and Goods to be confiscated that none of their posterity might be by them any way enriched On the 12. day of February which was the first day of Shrovetide Nicholas Brambre appeared in Parliament and being charged with the aforesaid Articles of Treason he craved favour to advise of Counsell learned and some longer time for his more full answer to his accusation But the Judges charged him to answer severally to every point in the Articles contained whereunto Brambre answered Whosoever hath branded me with this ignominious marke with him I am ready to fight in the Lists to maintaine my innocency whensoever the King shall appoint The Appellants hearing this couragious challenge with resolute countenance answered That they would willingly accept of the Combat and thereupon flung downe their Gages before the King and on a sudden the whole company of Lords Knights Esquires and Commons flung downe their Gages so thicke that they seemed like Snow in a Winters day crying out We also will accept of the Combat and will prove these Articles to be true to thy head most damnable Traytor and so they departed for that day And although the Appellants were not idle in the night yet on the next day to aggravate their Appellation against the Conspira ors there came divers companies of the City of London complaining of the manifold injuries they had suffered by Brambre and other Extortions and Exactions wherewith they had beene daily charged But before they proceed with his tryall they were stayed by most unfortunate Tressilian who being got upon the top of an house adjoyning to the Palace and had descended into a gutter onely to looke about him hee was discovered by certaine of the Peeres who presently sent some of the Guard to apprehend him who entring into the house where hee was and having spent long time in vaine in looking for him at length one of the Guard stept to the Master of the house and taking him by the shoulder with his dagger drawne thus said Shew us where thou hast hid Tressilian or else resolve thy dayes are accomplished the Master trembled ready to yeeld up the ghost for fare answered Yonder is the place where he lyes and shews him a round Table covered with branches of Bay under which Tressilian lay close covered when they had found him they drew him out by the heeles wondring to see him as Vipers use to weare his head and beard o're-grown with old clowted shooes and patched hose more like a miserable poore beggar then a Judge Tressilian being come into the Hall was asked what he could say for himselfe why judgement should not passe upon him for his treason so often committed he became as one that had beene strucke dumbe and his heart was as it were hardned to the very last and would not confesse himselfe guilty of any thing And for this cause the Parliament arose deferring Brambres tryall till the next day But Tressilian was without delay led to the Tower that he might suffer the execution of the sentence passed against him Immediately Tressilian is upon a hurdle and drawne thorow the streets of the City with a wonderfull concourse of people following him at every furlongs end he was suffered to stand still to rest himselfe and to see if hee would confesse and report himselfe of any thing but what hee said to the Fryer his Confessor is not knowne neither am I able to search it out when he came to the place of execution hee would not climbe the Ladder untill such time as being soundly beaten with bats and staves he was forced to goe up and when he was up he said so long as I doe weare any thing upon me I shall not dye wherefore the Executioner stripped him and found certaine Images painted like to the signes of Heaven and the head of a Devill painted and the names of many of the Devils wrote in parchment the exorcising toyes being taken away and he was hanged up naked and because the spectators should bee certainly assured that hee was dead they cut his throat and because the night approached they let him hang untill the next morning and then his wife having obtained a licence of the King tooke downe his body and carried it to the Grey-Fryers where it was buried On the morow sentence was likewise pronounced against Brambre who being drawne upon a hurdle from the Tower to Tyborne thorow the City shewed himselfe very penitent humbly craving mercy and forgivenesse at the hands of God and men whom he had so grievously offended and whom he had so injuriously wronged in time past and did earnestly desire them all to pray for him when the rope was about his necke ready to be turned off a certaine young man the sonne of one Northampton asked if he had done justice to his Father or not for Northampton was sometimes Maior of the City of London more wealthy and more substantiall then any else in the City him did Brambre Tresilian accuse of Treason and Conspiracie against the State and condemned him to die being dispoiled of his estate he himself at length hardly escaped to whom Brambre answered and confessed with bitter tears that what he did was most vile and wicked and with an intent onely to murder and overthrow the said Northampton for which craving pardon of the young man being suddenly turned off and the Executioner cutting his throat he dyed These men being dispatched the Parliament discontinued their proceedings against the rest of the Conspirators till a more convenient time and tooke into their considerations other more weighty affaires of the weale publicke they made the Earle of Arundell Lord Admirall giving him authority to resist
and to repulse either by Sea or Land the enemies of the Crowne wheresoever he should â—inde them And it was further agreed on that for the appeasing of all private discontents if any were the King and the rest of the Appellants with the rest of the Commissioners should dine together in the great Hall which they did and there was great joy at this reconciliation throw all the Kingdome When these things were concluded they then began this arraignment of the Traytors whereupon John Blake and Thomas Vske were indicted on the fourth day of March who although they were men of inferiout quality yet were they found to be parties in the said Treason Vske was a Sergeant at Armes and was indicted amongst the Conspirators so that being late made Sheriffe of Middlesex he had indicted the five Appellants and the Commissioners as Traytors and Blake was an Intelligencer of Tresilians one that used to goe and come between the Conspirators and relate the state and successe of the treason from one to another And when they could say nothing to prove themselves cleare sentence was pronounced upon them as their Masters were before them they were carried to the Tower and from thence were dragged at the horse tayle to Tyborne and there hanged But Vske obtained this favour that his head was cut off after he was hanged and set aloft upon Newgate for Fowles of the aire to take repast On the sixth day of March there were called to answer Robert Belknap John Holt Roger Falthorpe William Burleigh John Locton and John Carey Baron of the Exchequer for their conspiracie against the Commissioners at Nottingham but because it is not needfull to rehearse every part of their indictment they were all condemned like as the rest Whilst the Peeres were trying them the Clergie were retired into the Kings Chambers but when word was brought to them of the condemnation of the Judges the Archbishop of Canterbury the Bishop of Winchester the Chancellor the Treasurer Lord Keeper of the Privie Seale arose hastily and went into the Parliament House powring forth their complaints before the King and the Peeres humbly upon their knees beseeching them for the love of God the Virgin Mary and of all the Saints even as they hoped to have mercy at the day of Judgement they should shew favour and not put to death the said Judges then present and bitterly bewayling their iniquities in whose hearts the very life soule and spirit of our English Lawes lived flourished and appeared and there appeared great sorrow both on the one part of the Complainants and also of the Defendants The Duke of Gloucester likewise with the Earles of Arundel Warwicke Nottingham and Derby whose hearts began to be mollified and joyned with them in their latnentable Petition At length upon the intercession of the Clergie the execution upon the persons was ceased and their lives were granted them but were sent to the Tower to be kept close prisoners On the twelfth of March being Thursday it happened that the aforesaid Knights Simon de Burleigh John de Beauchamy James Baroverse and John Salesbury were brought into the Parliament House where their accusations was read proved they found guilty and not any way able to cleare themselves From this day almost till the Ascension of our Lord the Parliament House was only taken up with the tryall of Sir Symon Burleygh for three Appellants viz. The Duke of Glocester the Earles of Arundel and Warwick with the whole House of Commons urged that execution might be performed according to the Law and on the other side the King and Queen the Earles of Darby and Nottingham and the Prior of Saint John his Uncle with the major part of the upper House did labour to have him saved There was also some muttering amongst the common people and it was reported to the Parliament that the Commons did rise in divers parts of the Realm but especially about Kent in favour of the said Sir Simon Burleigh which when they heard those that before spake and stood for him now flew clean from him and by joynt consent on the fifth day of May sentence was pronounced only against the said Sir Simon that he should be drawne from the Tower to Tyborne and then to be hanged till he were dead and then to have his head strooke from his body But because he was a Knight of the Gaiter a gallant Courtier powerfull and once a Favourite of the Kings and much respected of all the Court the King of his speciall Grace was pleased to mittigate his doome that he should only be led to Tower-hill and there be beheaded On the twelfth of May the Thursday before Whitsontide in like manner were condemned John Beuchamp Steward of the houshold to the King James Bereverous and John Salsbury Knights Gentlemen of the privie Chamber whereof the two first viz. John Beuchamp and James Bereverous were beheaded on Tower-hill but John Salsbury was drawne from Tower-hill to Tyborne and there was hanged On the same day also was condemned the Bishop of Chichester the Kings Confessor but because of his great dignity he was pardoned And also concerning the translation of some Bishops because Pope Vrban the sixth after it came to his ears that the Archbishop of York was condemned to avoid all hope of Irregularity he created him Archbishop of S. Andrews in Scotland which Archbishop was under the power of Scots enemies to the Crown and in the gift of the Arch-Pope and because the Pope did chalenge halfe the title of all England to maintaine his wars but although he craved it yet he was denied therefore he dealt warily and craftily hoping to make up his mouth by the translation of Bishops the Bishop of Fly then Lord Chancellor was made Archbishop of York the Bishop of Dublin succeeded in his place the Bishop of Bath and Wells in his place the Bishop of Sarum in his place and the Lord John of Waltham Lord-keeper of the privie Seale in his place and this by his translation of Bishops he gained himself much money according to the laws of the Canon and when this came to the ears of the Parliament that such a sum of money should be transported out of the Land they strove what they could to hinder it but could not because the Clergie gave their consent On the last day of May the King appointed both Houses to meet at Keemington whereas they made a conclusion of all the trialls of the said treason granting license to Thomas Trenet William Ellingham and Nicholas Nagworth Knights Richard Metford Iohn Slake Iohn Lincolne Clerkes to put in bail provided they were sufficient and to go into a place of England where they listed without any let or hindrance of any of the Kings Officers Moreover the six Justices with the Bishop of Chichester who stood condemned with them were sent into Ireland there to remain for a tearm of life thus they were divided viz. Rob. Belknap Iohn Holr in the Village of Dromore in Ireland not to remain as Justices or any officers but live as banished offenders not to be out of Towne above the space of two miles upon paine of death but the King out of his gracious bounty was pleased to give a yearly annuity of 40. pound to Robert Belknap of twenty markes to Iohn Holt during their lives and to Roger Fulthrope the King allowed forty pound and to William Burleigh forty pound during life confining them to the City of Dublin granting Burleigh the liberty of two miles and to Fulthrope three miles for their recreation John Carey and John Locton with the yearly allowance of twenty pound during life are confined to the Towne of Waterford with the like liberty and the like penalty And the Bishop of Chichester is likewise sent to Corke there to remaine with some allowance and the like penalty On the third day of June which was the last day of the Parliament the King the Queen the Peeres of both Estates with the Commons came to the Abbey at Westminster whereas the Bishop of London because it was his Diocesse sung Masse and the Masse being ended the Archbishop of Canterbury made an Oration concerning the forme and danger of the Oath which being although the Peers and Commons had taken the Oath of Allegiance and homage to the King yet because the King was young when they tooke Oath anew as at the first at his Coronation These Ceremonies being performed the Metropolitan of England with all his Suffragans there present having lighted a Candle and putting it under a stoole put it out thereby excommunicating all such as should seeme to distaste dislike or contradict any of the fore passed Acts in the last Parliament And the Lord Chancellor by the Kings appointment caused all that were present to sweare to keep the said Statutes inviolably whole and undissolved as good and faithfull Liege-people of the Kings and the forme of the Parliament was observed throughout all the Realme On the morrow which was the fourth day of June many courteous falutations and congratulations having passed betweene the King the Nobility and Communalty the Parliament was dissolved and every man returned home And now let England rejoyce in Christ for the net which was laid so cunningly for our destruction is broken asunder and we are delivered To God be the praise for all This Parliament begunne at Westminster 1386. in the tenth yeare of the reigne of King Richard the second FINIS