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
like a Hive of Bees or a flocke of Cattell without a head without any stroke given they flung down their Armes and yeelded themselves to the mercy of the Appellants and a few being slaine and some drowned in the river gave an easie victory to the Conquerours When the newes of the victory was blowne to the eares of the rest of the conspirators who were then stricken with feare and carefull for their preservation under covert of the night they fled by water to the Tower drawing the King along with them On the other side Nicholas Brambre with a bold and resolute courage in the Kings name caused all the gates of the Citie to be shut against the Apellants and to be guarded with an able and sufficient Watch But these worthy and dauntlesse members of the Common-wealth marched towards London to confer with the King but when they heard that the said Nicholas Brambre had caused the gates of the Citie to be shut against them and to be strongly guarded and that the whole Citie did purpose to keep them out they stayed their resolution On the 27 day of September they encamped themselves in Clarkenwell within the liberties of the Citie of London And when as the Major with the Citizens came unto them with pleasing words promising unto them all that the Citie could affoord with reason and equity the Duke of Glocester said Now I know that liers speak nothing but lies neither can any man hinder them from the relating whereupon by a joynt consent in the evening they removed their tents and pitched them before divers gates of the Citie On the morrow there happened an enterview between the King and the Appellants so far that they opened their mindes one to the other but because the King loathed to speak with them with such a rabble of men and in regard of an intolerable boldnes some quarrell which was like to arise and on the other side refusing to go out of the Tower to speak with them and the Appellants fearing some violence or wrong to be offered to them would not speak with the king without a strong guard of valiant warriors Therefore the most wise of the Appellants after divers disputations had resolved to go and confer with the King but first they sent a strong Troop well armed to search al the Corners Caves of the Tower and relation being made of the safety of the place with a selected band of valiant Cavaliers they entred the Tower and seizing the gates placing a guard appeared before the King and there the third time appealed the aforesaid conspirators in the same sort and forme as before which appellation being ended the King swore That he would adhere to their counsell as a good King and a just Judge so farre as the rule of Law Reason and Equity did require Then it was published and made knowne in the presence of the King and throughout the Dominions that on the morrow after Candlemas day the aforesaid conspirators should personally appeare to answere to the appellation whereby they were charged of so many treasons They expulsed divers of the Officers of the Houshold viz. in the place of John Beauchamp Steward of the Houshold they appointed John Devonvex Knight one of the Commissioners Peter Courtney Knight was made Chamberlaine in stead of Robert Duke of Ireland And the foresaid John de Beauchamp Simon de Burleigh Vice Chamberlaine Iohn Salisbury Thomas Trynet Iames Barats William Ellingham and Nicholas Nagworth Knights and Officers of the Clergy viz. Richard Mecford Secretary Iohn Blake Deane of the Chappell John Lincolne Chancellor of the Exchequer and Iohn Clifford Clerke of the Chappell were kept under arrest too and were as partakers in the aforesaid Treason for that they knowing and having intelligence of the said Conspiracy they did not discover them And thus this hideous brood of Monsters so often shaken was quite overthrowne And on the Vigill of the Purification of Saint Mary in the Privy Chamber at Westminster be joynt consent of all the Commissioners the aforesaid Iohn _____ Iohn Holt Roger Fulthorp William Burleigh Iohn Locton and Iohn Carey were displaced from their Offices and without any further adoe arrested of Treason and by the command of the Chancelor were clapt into the Tower and Roger Carleton in the place of Belknap Walter Clapton in the place of Tressilian were constituted The great Parliament began the second of February following in this manner All the Peeres as well of the Spiritualty as of the Temporalty being assembled in the great Hall at Westminster the King soone after came and sate downe in his Throne and after him appeared the five Noblemen Appellants the fame of whose admired worth ecchoed through all the Land entred the House in their costly robes leading one another hand in hand with an innumerable company following them and beholding where the King sate all at once with submissive gestures they reverenced the King Brambre was taken a little before and cast into the Gaole of Gloucester The Clergy then placing themselves on the right hand and the Nobility on the left hand of the King according to the ancient custome of the High Court of Parliament the Lord Chancelor standing with his back toward the King by the Kings command declared the cause of their summons to the Parliament which being ended the five aforesaid Appellants arising declared their aforesaid Appellation by the mouth of Robert Pleasington their Speaker who thus spake Behold the Duke of Gloucester comes to purge himselfe of treasons which are laid to his charge by the conspirators To whom the Lord Chancelor by the command of the King answered My Lord Duke the King conceiveth so honourably of you that he cannot be induced to beleeve that you who are of affinity to him in a collaterall line should attempt any treason against his sacred Majesty The Duke with his foure Companions upon their knees humbly gave thankes to the King for his gracious opinion of their fidelity Then after silence proclaimed they arose and delivered in certain Articles in writing wherein were contained the particularity of the Treason When the Articles were read the Appellants requested the King that sentence of condemnation might be given against the Conspirators and they to receive the guerdon of their deserts which the King promised to grant And when the third day came of their proceedings against the Conspirators the Lord Chancelor in the name of the Clergy in open Parliament made an Oration shewing that they could not by any meanes be present at the proceeding whereas there is any censure of death to be passed For the confirmation whereof they delivered in a Protestation which being read they spake That neither in respect of any favour nor for feare of any mans hate nor in hope of any reward they did desire to absent themselves but onely that they were bound by the Canon not to bee present at any mans arraignment or condemnation They likewise sent their