Glass DA 2 5 7 
 Book 3 2 T 
 
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 //// 
 
 JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
 
 TO THE COUNT OF ARMAGNAC. 
 
 A. D. 1442-3. 
 
A JOURNAL 
 
 BY ONE OF THE SUITE OF 
 
 THOMAS BECKINGTON, 
 
 AFTERWARDS BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS, 
 
 DURING AN EMBASSY TO NEGOCIATE 
 
 A MARRIAGE BETWEEN HENRY VI. 
 
 AND A 
 
 DAUGHTER OF THE COUNT OF ARMAGNAC 
 
 A. D. MCCCCXLII. 
 
 WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 BY 
 
 NICHOLAS HARRIS NICOLAS, ESQ. 
 
 BARRISTER AT LAW. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 o 
 
 WILLIAM PICKERING. 
 
 MDCCCXXVIII. 
 
 c 
 
I \ }\ &\ f— ""■"S 
 
 [only two hundred and fifty copies printed.] 
 
 Thomas White, Printer, 
 Johnson's Court. 
 
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE 
 
 SIR GORE OUSELEY, 
 
 BARONET; 
 
 ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONORABLE PRIVY COUNCIL; 
 KNIGHT OF THE ORDERS OF ST. ALEXANDER NEWSKI 
 OF RUSSIA, AND OF THE SUN AND LION OF PERSIA, OF 
 THE FIRST CLASS; 
 
 THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED, 
 
 IN TESTIMONY OF THE EDITOR'S 
 
 GRATITUDE AND RESPECT. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 It has been generally remarked that materials 
 for a history of the reign of Henry the Sixth 
 are extremely scanty ; and that though the times 
 of earlier English monarchs are capable of being 
 minutely illustrated,, one of the most eventful 
 periods in our annals can only be described in 
 a cursory and imperfect manner. This obser- 
 vation is not, however,, so strictly correct as has 
 been hitherto supposed ; but the lamentable state 
 of most of the public libraries, and more parti- 
 cularly in those places where they might be ex- 
 pected to be best arranged ; the difficulty which 
 often exists of obtaining access to them ; and 
 the want of proper catalogues, have combined 
 to conceal many important manuscripts from 
 the knowledge of our historians. 
 
 During a search in the Ashmolean Museum 
 at Oxford, the volume from which the Journal in 
 the following pages has been printed, acciden- 
 tally fell under the Editor's notice; and the 
 remarks which he has prefixed to it, prove that 
 every writer who has treated on the period 
 to which it relates, ought to have been ac- 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 quainted with its contents, since it throws con- 
 siderable light on an event of great importance 
 in the history both of this country and of France, 
 and affords much interesting biographical and 
 antiquarian information. Sufficient having been 
 said in the introduction, and in the notes, to 
 establish the claim of this document to the at- 
 tention of all who profess to write or read English 
 history, it is only necessary to state that the 
 original, which is written partly in English, 
 partly in French, and partly in Latin, is in the 
 volume in the Ashmolean Museum, marked No. 
 789, that the Latin and French are here trans- 
 lated, and that the English is printed literally. 
 
 It having been just said that materials for a 
 history of the reign of Henry the Sixth are much 
 more extensive than has been hitherto supposed, 
 it may be desirable to refer to such of them as 
 have occurred to the Editor in preparing this 
 work for publication. The volume in which 
 the Journal is preserved, contains also other his- 
 torical documents of the fifteenth century, 
 all of which, are it is presumed, inedited. In 
 the British Museum are contemporary copies 
 of the acts, decrees, and ordinances of the Privy 
 Council, from the 10th to the 36th year of that 
 reign, 1 as well as of the reigns of many preceding 
 
 1 Cottonian MSS. Cleopatra, F. iv. and F. v. 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 and subsequent monarchs, which abound in the 
 most accurate notices of public affairs. Among 
 the records in the tower, numerous original 
 letters and other undoubted evidence will be 
 found; and the library of the College of 
 Arms contains at least one volume of documents 
 of equal value. Bishop Beckington has also 
 illustrated two diplomatic transactions besides 
 that to which this Journal relates ; his diaries of 
 an embassy to Arras in Artois, to negociate a 
 peace with France, in June 1435, and of his 
 mission for a similar purpose, as well as to 
 treat for the release of the Duke of Orleans in 
 May 1439, being still extant. 2 
 
 These sources of information on the affairs of 
 England in the middle of the fifteenth century, 
 are probably not a tithe of what exist ; but even 
 of these, historical writers have not availed them- 
 selves. General historians cannot be expected 
 to peruse all manuscripts connected with their la- 
 bours, scattered as they are throughout the 
 kingdom, often without either catalogues or 
 indexes, and written in characters which re- 
 quire the practice of many years to decypher. 
 To some of these manuscripts he cannot obtain 
 access without incurring a personal favour ; and 
 
 2 HarleianMSS. 4763. 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 not unfrequently he will be impeded by vexatious 
 delays,, or regulations suited only to the darkest 
 ages of bigotry and ignorance. Many of 
 the most valuable historical documents are 
 preserved in the Public Record Offices; and 
 though some of them, for instance those in 
 the Tower, the College of Arms, and the Chap- 
 ter House at Westminster, are with proper libe- 
 rality open to inquiries for literary purposes, still 
 the applicant remembers that he is admitted by 
 sufferance only; and he prosecutes his researches 
 under very different feelings from those which he 
 experiences in the British Museum. But, to the 
 reproach of the country, there are many depo- 
 sitories of Public Records which can only be 
 approached through the medium of money ; 
 and the investigator of the annals of England, 
 or of the lives of its heroes, must pay heavily for 
 every fact he may obtain, or rather for every 
 document he may examine, whether useful to 
 him or not. 
 
 These statements will partly explain why a 
 complete History of England has never been 
 written; and no perfect history ever can be 
 compiled until the great mass of documents 
 which may be termed the subsidiaries of history 
 are printed. 
 
 The Fcedera of Rymer is the only general col- 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 lection of materials that has ever appeared ; but it 
 does not contain one twentieth part of what ought 
 to have found a place in it : and the editors of the 
 new edition, which is published at the expence 
 of the nation, and under the authority of a 
 government commission, have found it easier 
 to repeat the errors in the old copies, than 
 to collate the articles with the originals ; whilst 
 to take much trouble in seeking for new matter 
 appears to have been out of the question. 
 
 It may be asked, from what source a publi- 
 cation of historical documents may be expected 
 that will reflect credit upon the country, and 
 enable some future historian to produce a His- 
 tory of England, which from its extent and 
 accuracy, will be deserving of the appellation ? 
 Much might be performed by the body which 
 calls itself " The Society of Antiquaries of 
 London," if its extensive funds were judiciously 
 applied to the purpose : but there are limits to 
 all human powers ; and when it is remembered 
 that this learned fraternity, after having long 
 been the ridicule of their own countrymen, 
 have recently undertaken to amuse the whole 
 of Europe, 3 with the incredible folly of their 
 
 3 See a letter in the Foreign Review for July 1828, p. 259, 
 from a Danish Professorin which the ignorance of certain mem- 
 bers of that society, in the xxi volume of the Archeeologia, 
 
Xll PREFACE. 
 
 proceedings more cannot reasonably be ex- 
 pected. 
 
 is amusingly exposed. It appears that one gentleman com- 
 municated to the society a translation of an inscription, which 
 his commentator observes " He has gravely explained as being 
 Anglo Saxon, although, in fact, it belongs to a very different 
 tongue, so that not a word, nor even a single syllable is right 
 in the reading and explanation he proposes!!!" But the most 
 curious fact is, that in another part of the volume the same 
 writer attributes a different power to the same letters, and 
 calls an inscription Dano-Saxon, though the professor avers 
 there is not a word of Danish in it ! No one can refrain 
 from laughing at the manner in which two of these interpreters 
 of Runic inscriptions allude to each other. The gentleman 
 who has so eminently distinguished himself by his knowledge 
 of Anglo-Saxon, styles a brother interpreter, upon whom the 
 Danish professor is scarcely less severe, " our learned member," 
 who, at the distance of one hundred pages, returns the com- 
 pliment with interest, by calling the other " the society's iruly 
 learned member, ! ! !" absurdities which provoke a remem- 
 brance of a scene in Moliere: — 
 
 Ti issotin. Vos vers ont des beautes que n'ont point tous les autres. 
 Vadius. Les Graces et Venus regnent dans tous les votres- 
 Trissotin. Vous avez le tour libre, et le beau choiz des mots. 
 Vadius, On voit par-tout chez vous 1' ithos et le pathos. 
 Trissotin. Nous avons vu de vous des Eglogues, d'un style 
 
 Qui passe en doux attraits Theocrite et Virgile. 
 Vadius Vos odes ont un air noble, galant, et doux, 
 
 Qui laisse de bien loin voire Horace apres yous." 
 
 The third " learned member" fancied he had discovered the 
 etymology of the word " Mass," because the English is, he 
 says, the only language in which the compound words " Christ- 
 mas," Candlemas," " Lammas," &c. occur; the Danish pro- 
 
PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 By the Government alone can so desirable a 
 work be produced; and the most efficacious 
 means would be the appointment of a Commis- 
 sion, with power to send proper persons to exa- 
 mine the contents of every library belonging to 
 Colleges, or other Corporate bodies, and to 
 transcribe for publication whatever documents 
 they might discover illustrative of the earlier 
 periods of English History. 
 
 For the perfect success of this object, every 
 thing would depend on the zeal and ability 
 of the commissioners, and the best test of 
 that zeal would be their not requiring any, 
 or at all events, large salaries : mere rank 
 or station ought not to be the criterion of 
 fitness for the appointments ; and the converse 
 of a newly invented theory, that those who 
 have most deeply studied any particular sub- 
 ject are not so well able to judge of it as those 
 who have never reflected on it for a single 
 
 fessor after reminding the writer of what any pocket dic- 
 tionary would have informed him, that such compounds exist 
 in the Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, and German lan- 
 guages, expresses his astonishment to find w how little the 
 antiquaries of London know of the ancient languages of the 
 north to admit such a paper into their collection." The 
 professor evidently knows nothing of the people of whom 
 he is speaking, or of their " labours," or he would feel no 
 surprise. 
 
XIV PREFACE. 
 
 hour, should in this instance be adopted, be- 
 cause from so many of the commissioners and 
 sub-commissioners of the commission for the 
 preservation of the Public Records, being pos- 
 sessed of the " blank paper" qualification 
 lately urged in a memorable discussion, at least 
 two thirds of the volumes which have been 
 compiled by its authority, are wretchedly im- 
 perfect and unsatisfactory. 
 
 It is at present left to those individuals alone, 
 who, unfortunately for their own interests, 
 are actuated by a zeal to promote histori- 
 cal knowledge, to do so as best they may. From 
 the government they derive neither assistance 
 nor encouragement; and of the utter indif- 
 ference of the public to works on the subject, 
 the simple fact that the article in the following 
 pages was offered to six of the most eminent 
 publishers of the day, and that each of them 
 declined to print it upon any terms, is a 
 sufficient proof. No choice remained to the 
 Editor but to print it at his own charge though 
 with a certainty, from the limited number of 
 the impression, that if every copy be sold, the 
 expenses which have been incurred will scarcely 
 be reimbursed. 
 
 That there are many persons, and perhaps 
 some who pretend to guide the public judgment, 
 
PREFACE. XV 
 
 who will not consider this document either va- 
 luable or interesting, the Editor anticipates 
 from the instance which he has just cited, and 
 from his former experience ; but by those who 
 wish to know what did really occur, instead 
 of what is supposed to have happened ; who 
 prefer the relation of an eye-witness to the 
 hypothesis of writers some centuries afterwards ; 
 and who make truth the object of their studies, 
 this and similar articles will be properly 
 appreciated. 
 
 The Editor has to offer his sincere ac- 
 knowledgments to John Holmes Bass, Esq. 
 for his valuable assistance; to his friend Sir 
 Thomas Elmsley Croft, Bart., for instances of 
 his usual kindness in promoting his researches ; 
 to Thomas DufFus Hardy, Esq. F. S. A. of his 
 Majesty's Record Office in the Tower, for afford- 
 ing him access to, and transcripts of, many re- 
 cords in that repository ; and to the Rev. James 
 Dallaway, for new proofs of his readiness to 
 add to the information of his friends. 
 
 October 1, 1828. 
 
PREFATORY REMARKS. 
 
 In 1442, when Henry the Sixth attained his twenty- 
 first year, his marriage became an object of consi- 
 derable interest to his subjects, and to such foreign 
 princes as were desirous of an alliance with Eng- 
 land. A modern historian 1 states, that a quarrel 
 having taken place between the Count of Armagnac 
 and Charles the Seventh of France, the English mi- 
 nisters, under the impression that the power of that 
 nobleman might form a protection to Guienne, sent 
 commissioners to obtain the hand of one of his 
 daughters for the young monarch ; but that the trans- 
 action did not elude the vigilance of Charles, to whom 
 the alliance was highly objectionable, and who imme- 
 diately invaded the Count's territories, and made him 
 and his family prisoners. Mr. Sharon Turner alludes 
 still more briefly to the subject, as he merely observes 
 that there was a negociation for the marriage, but that 
 in consequence of the invasion of Guienne by the French, 
 " the nuptial treaty was annulled, though the parties had 
 been affianced." 2 Hume dismisses the affair in two 
 lines; whilst Rapin 3 has equally erred by assigning 
 
 1 Lingard, 4to, vol. iii. p. 446. 2 Vol. iii. p. 39. 3 Ed. 1732, vol. i. 
 p. 566. 
 
 b 
 
the embassy from the Count of Armagnac to resentment 
 at the manner in which he had been treated by the King 
 of France in the affair of the Countess of Cominge, 
 for, as will be shewn, that transaction did not take 
 place for some time afterwards j 1 nor is the conjec- 
 ture of Dr. Lingard, that the marriage was proposed 
 by the English court, and was the cause of the im- 
 prisonment of the Count and his children, warranted 
 by the facts. 
 
 The following pages disclose, however, every parti- 
 cular of that negociation, excepting the cause in which 
 it originated ; and it will be the object of these re- 
 marks to deduce from them, and from other authorities, 
 a connected history of the affair, as well as of the pro- 
 ceedings of the French army in Guienne, during the 
 period embraced by the Journal. 
 
 On the 3rd of May, 1442, letters of protection were 
 given to an embassy from the Count of Armagnac, 2 
 
 1 L'Art de Verifier les Dates. Ed. 1784, tome ii. pp. 276, 267. 
 
 2 The following is a translation of that document ; 
 
 " FOR THE AMBASSADORS OF THE COUNT OF ARMAGNAC. 
 
 The King to all and every his Admirals to whom, &c. greeting. 
 Know that, Whereas our cousin, the Count of Armagnac, wishes to send 
 certain ambassadors, orators, vassals, and envoys of his, into our kingdom 
 of England, to our presence, for certain causes and matters which specially 
 affect him, We, viewing with satisfaction the design of our aforesaid 
 cousin, have taken into our secure safe conduct and special protection, 
 tuition, and defence ; John de Batuco, canon and archdeacon of Saint 
 Anthony in the church of Rhodes ; Hugh Guisardi, canon and archdeacon 
 major, in the church of Rhodes aforesaid ; Bago de Stagno, lord of Stagno. 
 John de Panusia, lord of Lopiaco, seneschal of Rhodes ; Poncet de Car- 
 delhac, lord of Valadino; Berengar de Arpaione, Knight; John de 
 Solatges, lord of Toledo ; and John de Solatges, his son ; John de Saun- 
 hac, lord of Belcastro, and of Panato ; Piers de Verullya, lord of Castro- 
 
Ill 
 
 consisting of John de Batute, the Count's chief coun- 
 sellor, and nineteen other persons ; l and on the 20th 
 of that month Sir Robert Roos, Knight, Thomas Beck- 
 
 marino ; Anthony de Caylario, Lord Daubays ; Oddo de Lomanha, lord 
 of Funarch and of Corrensam ; Berand de Fendoams, lord of Barbazan ; 
 Bernard de Ripparia, lord de Labatut, seneschal of Armagnac; Guil- 
 laume de Begis, lord of Montalto ; Gerald de Ripparia, lord of Reberia ; 
 Rigald de Cayraco, alias de Thensaco ; Bertrand de la Barca, abbot of Simon ; 
 the lords John Berry and Bertrand de Bulhea, licentiate, judges in the 
 law, with fifty persons in their suite, all of whom we take into our secure 
 and safe custody, in coming into our kingdom of England, through the 
 dominions, territories, districts, jurisdictions, and other places in our alle- 
 giance, together or apart, on horse or on foot, armed or unarmed, by land 
 sea, and water, [i. e. river] with horses, harness, gold, silver, jewels, 
 vessels, furniture, bedding, budgets, baggages, parcels, and all other 
 articles and goods whatsoever lawfully theirs ; also in staying, lodging, 
 and thence lawfully, peaceably, and quietly returning to their own country 
 without any hindrance, disturbance, or arrest, or opening of their beds, 
 budgets, baggages, parcels, and harness of whatever kind. 
 
 And we therefore command you, &c. ; not doing, &c. ; and if any, &c. 
 Provided always that the aforesaid John, Hugh, Bego, John, Poncet, 
 Berengar, John, John, John, Piers, Anthony, Oddo, Berand, Bernard 
 Guillaume, Gerald, Rigalt, Bertrand, John and Bertrand, and other 
 persons aforesaid, and every of them, conduct themselves in a proper 
 and becoming manner towards us and our people ; and attempt not, 
 nor cause in any wise to be attempted, any thing in contempt of us, or 
 to the prejudice or injury of our said people ; and that neither they, nor 
 any of them, in any wise enter any of our cities, castles, fortified towns, 
 or fortresses, without first showing our present letters of safe conduct to 
 the mayors, captains, governors, or wardens of the same. 
 
 Whereof, &c. given for one year. Witness the king at Westminster, 
 the 13th day of May. — By the King." Foedera, tome xi. p. 6. 
 
 1 Hall says, that with his daughter " the Count not only promised 
 silver hills and golden mountains, but also would be bound to deliver into 
 the King of England's hands all such castles and towns as he or his 
 ancestors detained from him within the whole duchy of Acquitain or 
 Guienne, either by conquest of his progenitors, or by gift or delivery of any 
 
ington, the King's secretary, and Edward Hull, Esq. 
 were appointed to treat with the Count; when in- 
 structions, of which the following is a translation, 
 were given to them 
 
 " BY THE KING. 
 
 " The King, to all the faithful in Christ, to whom 
 these shall come, greeting. 
 
 " The God and Creator of all things, who hath made 
 man superior to the fowls of heaven, the fishes of the 
 sea, and all living creatures on the earth, hath declared 
 solitude not to be good for him. On this account in 
 first instituting the sacred ordinance of marriage, he 
 made one like to him for a helper, that by the union of 
 the two, under the bond of so sacred an engagement, a 
 legitimate origin might be given to posterity, and a con- 
 tinuance of the species by their offspring, to the great 
 increase of virtue in all future times. Instructed, 
 therefore, by the example of this divine institution, and 
 pondering, not only on the inconveniences of solitude, 
 but also on the great advantages, besides the blessing of 
 offspring which would result to the common weal of our 
 kingdoms by our marriage ; as the extinction of wars, 
 and the strengthening of friendship among loving princes, 
 for by such means tranquillity is often produced among 
 discordant minds, We have conceived a strong desire, 
 under the divine favour, to add to the prosperity of the 
 common weal of the faithful, and especially our own, 
 
 French king ; offering farther to aid the same king with money for the 
 recovery of other cities, within the said duchy from him and his ancestors 
 by the French king's progenitors the Lord de Albreth, and other Lords of 
 Gascoyn, unjustly kept and wrongfully withdrawn." — Ed. 1809, pp. 202-3. 
 
by living under the laws of so holy a sacrament ; and 
 whereas it is testified not only by common report, but 
 also by persons of the highest credit, that the daughters 
 (to us most dear and beloved) of our dearest cousin, 
 the Count of Armagnac, are pre-eminent in splendid 
 virtues, in comeliness of manners, as well as in the 
 perfect gifts of nature, and nobility of birth, we de- 
 sire one of them to be chosen in our name to the praise 
 of God, and to be joined to us in marriage, in hope of 
 obtaining the blessings above-mentioned. 
 
 " To this end, in full reliance on the fidelity, legal 
 knowledge, prudence, and circumspection of our faith- 
 ful and heartily beloved servants, Robert Roos, Knight, 
 Master Thomas Bekyngton, our Secretary, and Ed- 
 ward Hull, Esquire, and each of them, to discharge the 
 following commission, viz. to choose, in our name, one 
 of the said daughters, and to contract espousals with 
 her, by profession for the future, or marriage, by 
 profession for the present, in whatever manner it may 
 most conveniently and orderly be done ; and to agree 
 in our name on the spousal gifts to be made, if she 
 be a spouse, or of the marriage ones, if she be a wife ; 
 and to receive and accept from her the nuptial pro- 
 fession of espousal, or of marriage, for the present, 
 and of consent to our suit, which she will render in 
 return. 
 
 " Moreover to treat with the proxies, parents, and 
 friends of the [lady] elect, upon the dower, dowery/ 
 nuptial gifts, and the weds to be given and agreed upon 
 in this case, and the quality and quantity of each of 
 them ; also of the terms, places, and mode of the pay- 
 ment and fulfilment of the same ; and also to covenant 
 
VI 
 
 and agree what time she ought to be sustained at the 
 expense of her parents and friends, and to what place 
 and when, and at whose expense, and in what manner 
 the aforesaid [lady] elect ought to be sent by her 
 parents and friends ; and in our name to confirm what- 
 ever shall thus be settled, covenanted, and agreed 
 upon, so far as pertains to us, with all provisions for 
 security that are honest and lawful ; and in our 
 name to ask, stipulate, and receive like security ; 
 and to sw r ear on our soul that we will not revoke 
 the contract, or the present delegation of our power; 
 nor will do or procure any thing to be done, by which 
 this contract or its due consummation shall be hindered, 
 provided it shall be entered into in a lawful manner 
 by the said proxies, or any of them ; and also to seek 
 due and efficient security from the parents and friends 
 of the said [lady] elect, that she will in no wise deviate 
 from such contract ; and to do, perform, and expedite 
 all other matters which shall be needful and oppor- 
 tune touching the said business, or which its aspect 
 or nature may require, and which we shall do, or 
 could do if we were personally present, even though 
 they might require a special mandate. 
 
 " [To these ends] We do make, ordain, create, and 
 constitute by these presents, the aforesaid Robert, 
 Thomas, and Edward, and each of them singly and 
 collectively, our true, legitimate, and undoubted proxies, 
 negotiators, and special envoys, and the organ of our 
 voice in the afore-mentioned matters; and each of 
 them ; promising, on our royal word, that we will at all 
 times hold as approved and ratified, whatever shall be 
 acted, done, or procured by our aforesaid proxies, or 
 
VII 
 
 any of them, in the afore-mentioned matters, and each 
 of them ; and we do expressly relieve by these presents 
 those our proxies and envoys, and each of them, from 
 all burthen of giving securities. 
 
 " In testimony, and fuller faith of all and several of 
 which things we have given these our letters patent, 
 and confirmed them with our great seal appendant* 
 
 Given at Westminster, the 28th day of May." x 
 
 These documents, and a very slight and erroneous 
 notice of the transaction by Historians, and in various 
 chronicles, are all which has been hitherto known on 
 the subject ; hence the Journal kept by one of Beck- 
 ington's secretaries, which presents us not only with 
 the whole correspondence, but with much information 
 on the state of Guienne, and of every thing which 
 occurred there from June 1442 to January 1443, be- 
 comes a valuable addition to the history both of this 
 country and of France. 
 
 At the period in question Jean the Fourth was 
 Count of Armagnac : he married first in June 1407, 
 Blanch, daughter of Jean V. Duke of Brittany ; and 
 secondly, about 1419, Isabel, daughter of Charles the 
 Third, King of Navarre. By his second wife he had 
 Jean, Viscount of Lomagne, who is often mentioned 
 in the Journal ; Charles, Viscount of Fezenzac ; and 
 three daughters, Mary, Eleanor, and Isabel, 2 neither 
 of whom, in 1442, could have been above twenty- two 
 years of age. 
 
 1 Fcedera, tome xi. p. 7. 
 2 V Art de Verifier les Dates, vol. ii. p. 277. 
 
Vlll 
 
 Thomas Beckington, one of the ambassadors to 
 the Count, quitted Windsor on his route to Ply- 
 mouth, where he was to embark for Bourdeaux, on 
 the 5th of June, 1 and joined Edward Hull, his 
 colleague, at Enmore, in Somersetshire, on the 16th, 2 
 from which place it appears that Hull returned 
 to the Court ; for on the 2ord of June, the King 
 informed Roos and Beckington that he meant to de- 
 tain him about his person until the army, destined 
 for the relief of Bourdeaux, was ready. 3 Sir Robert 
 Roos, the other ambassador, joined Beckington at 
 Exeter on the 24th, 4 and they arrived at Plymouth 
 on the 27th of that month, where a correspondence 
 took place between them and the King relative to 
 their mission, which is exceedingly curious. From it 
 we learn that their original instructions directed them 
 to treat for a marriage with one of the daughters of the 
 Count; that his Majesty, by letter dated on the 23rd 
 of June, commanded them to proceed on their voyage, 
 and to consider the terms of that part of the instrument 
 in a more general sense, so that he might have his 
 choice of all the Count's daughters ; but as the am- 
 bassadors had no formal instructions to that effect, the 
 King says he had signed that letter with his own hand 
 which they knew he was not accustomed to do in 
 other cases. A singular example is afforded by the 
 ambassadors' reply of the rigid attention which was 
 then paid to form, with respect to public instruments ; 
 for notwithstanding the care taken by Henry to give 
 
 1 Journal, p. 1. 2 Ibid. p. 2. 
 
 3 Ibid. p. 5. i Ibid. p. 3. 
 
the necessary authority to the commands contained 
 in his letter, by affixing to it the royal sign-manual, 
 Roos and Beckington wrote to his Majesty on the 
 30th of June, stating that the alteration in their in- 
 structions appeared to their " simple wits" to have 
 wholly abrogated them. They therefore despatched 
 one of their attendants to explain their sentiments on 
 the subject ; and as, " in a matter of so great a weight," 
 men would first ascertain that they were possessed of 
 full powers, they entreated his Majesty to send them 
 " such power and authority" as would remove any doubt 
 in the mind of the party with whom they were sent to 
 treat. The messenger returned to Plymouth on the 
 7th of July, and brought with him a letter from 
 Henry repeating his former commands, which they 
 were directed to consider as part of their original 
 instructions ; and another commission to that effect 
 was also sent them. They were further directed to 
 cause the portraits of the children of the Count of 
 Armagnac to be accurately painted " in their kirtles 
 simple, and their visages, like as ye see their stature, 
 and their beauty and colour of skin, and their coun- 
 tenances," and to send the pictures to the King as 
 quickly as possible, to enable him to select his future 
 consort, which is perhaps the earliest notice ever 
 discovered of portrait painting in this country, and 
 tends to create much greater reliance on the fidelity 
 of portraits of the sixteenth century than has hitherto 
 been placed in them. The ambassadors were further 
 commanded to proceed on their mission, and to re- 
 main at Bourdeaux, or Bayonne, as they might think 
 
proper. 1 On Tuesday the 10th of July, they accord- 
 ingly embarked, 2 and the account which occurs of their 
 voyage is chiefly remarkable for the religious ceremony 
 which is said to have been performed to obtain a fair 
 wind. 3 They entered the Garonne on the evening 
 of Saturday the 14th of July/ but they did not reach 
 Bourdeaux until the Monday following. 5 John de 
 Batute, counsellor to the Count of Armagnac, the 
 chief of the embassy which the prince had sent to this 
 country, accompanied them from England, and left 
 Bourdeaux to return to his master, on the Saturday 
 after his arrival. 6 
 
 It is, however, here necessary to observe, that 
 early in June, 1442, the King of France invaded 
 Guienne with the largest army he had ever collected ; 
 and on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, 24th June, 
 he appeared before Tartas, a small town twelve miles 
 from Monte de Marson, and sixty south of Bourdeaux, 
 which was then besieged by the English, and had agreed 
 to surrender, if not before relieved by the King. 7 
 
 On the Wednesday following Charles laid siege to the 
 town of St. Severs, 8 which Monstrelet says was very 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 9, 10. 2 Ibid. p. 10. 3 Ibid. p. 11. 
 
 4 Ibid. p. 11. 5 Ibid. p. 12. 6 Ibid. p. 12. 
 
 7 Johnes' Monstrelet, vol. viii. p. 333, 334. 
 
 8 The couteinporary writer, whose name it seems was William Gruel, 
 in his memoir of Arthur III. Duke of Brittany, who was then Constable 
 of the French army, states that the Viscount of Lomagne, eldest son of 
 the Count of Armagnac, served under the King of France at the siege of 
 Tartas ; that on the next day after it surrendered, i. e. the 25th of June, 
 they besieged St. Severs, which was assaulted on the Wednesday following. 
 — Collection des Memoirs relatifs a VHistoire de France, 1825, tome viii. p. 526. 
 
XI 
 
 strongly fortified, and commanded by Sir Thomas 
 Rampstone, the seneschal of Bourdeaux. After four 
 days, during which various attacks were made on 
 the bastions, the place was taken by storm, eight 
 hundred English having been killed and the go- 
 vernor made prisoner. 1 Of these events, Roos and 
 Beckington were informed the moment they entered 
 the Garonne ; 2 and on the 24th of July they wrote a 
 long letter to the King, acquainting him with the loss 
 of Tartas and St. Severs, and the deplorable condition 
 of the Duchy of Guienne. 3 Their despatch is valuable 
 for the minute information which it affords of the state 
 of affairs in that province, and exhibits a melancholy 
 picture of the English interests. Within eight days 
 nearly the whole country, they say, " as well Barons 
 as Gentles and others," had rebelled against Henry's 
 authority ; nearly all the principal places were in the 
 hands of the enemy ; and even Bourdeaux and Bayonne 
 were threatened with a siege. Treachery as well as 
 force seem to have been used to undermine the in- 
 fluence of England, for a report was industriously 
 spread before their arrival, that no relief was to be ex- 
 pected from this country ; but that the Bourdelais were 
 to be left to their fate, or, as Roos and Beckington, em- 
 phatically express themselves, " the city was full of 
 
 1 Ibid. The biographer of the Duke of Brittany just cited, observes, that 
 but for the presence of the duke much harm would have been done, as he 
 protected many women from being violated. Ibid. Berry, King of Arms to 
 Charles the Seventh, says that Sir Thomas Rampston, marshal of Guienne, 
 had with him in St. Severs one hundred English and Gascon men at arms, 
 and four hundred Gascon archers, of whom the greater part were killed. 
 Edited by Denys Godefroy, fol. 1661, p. 420. 
 
 2 Journal, p. 11. 3 Ibid. pp. 13 — 19, 
 
Xll 
 
 rumour and of sorrow, and had no other trust, belief, 
 nor conceit, but that they were abandoned and cast 
 away for ever." The arrival of the ambassadors, how- 
 ever, partially restored their confidence ; and on the 
 third day aft^r they reached Bourdeaux, the arch- 
 bishop read from the pulpit of the metropolitan church 
 translations of Henry's letters, promising immediate 
 succour ; and he accompanied the perusal with " a 
 right stirring collacion." 1 The prelate's address was 
 successful, as the ambassadors inform the King that 
 the inhabitants had taken measures for the defence of 
 the city ; but they earnestly desired him speedily to 
 send reinforcements to Guienne ; and concluded by 
 noticing the further success of their enemies in hav- 
 ing captured the town of Sursak, and menaced seve- 
 ral others. 2 Not satisfied with appealing strongly 
 to the King, Roos and Beckington wrote also to 
 Cromwell, the lord treasurer; and it seems that the 
 messenger who conveyed those letters was accom- 
 panied by the Archbishop of Bourdeaux, who was 
 deputed by the inhabitants of that city to represent 
 their situation to the English monarch. The advice 
 given by the ambassadors as to the manner in which 
 Cromwell was to deal with him, so that his lordship 
 might extract the truth, is amusing, 3 and admits of 
 the inference that they placed little reliance on the 
 fidelity of the magistrates of Bourdeaux. On the 29th 
 of July Sir Robert Roos formed an arrangement with 
 John de Foix, the Capitowe de la Busch ; 4 and on the 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 12 — 16. The letter referred to will be found in p. 5. 
 3 Journal, p. 18. 3 Ibid, pp. 20, 21. 4 Journal, p. 23. 
 
Xlll 
 
 30th he received a communication from the Count of 
 Armagnac, and from John de Batute, his counsellor, 
 on the subject of the mission. 1 The Count's letter 
 states the pleasure he felt at his arrival; that De 
 Batute had acquainted him with his wish to come 
 to him, but that he much regretted several things had 
 occurred to render it for the time impossible ; and 
 he concluded by assuring Roos of his great desire 
 to see him, and that he should come to him when- 
 ever it could be properly managed. 2 His minister 
 repeated the same assurances, and added that the 
 Count and himself were most anxious for the accom- 
 plishment of the affair, and that his passport had been 
 sent for ; by which was meant that the King of France 
 had been asked to allow him to pass in safety from Bour- 
 deaux to Leittour. With respect to the portraits, Batute 
 observed that it was more proper that Roos should 
 employ the person who was to paint them, than that 
 they should be done by the orders of the Count, who, he 
 said, was endeavouring to find an artist by the time he 
 arrived. 3 On the 9th of August Sir Robert Roos and 
 Beckington availed themselves of an old pilgrim's going 
 to England to acquaint the King with the state of af- 
 fairs ; and the manner in which the letter is said to have 
 been written and forwarded, proves the great difficulty 
 which existed in corresponding with this country. 4 Their 
 letter to his Majesty stated that the city of D'Ax, or 
 Daqs, was taken by the French monarch in person, on 
 the 3rd of August ; that the Dauphin with the constable 
 
 1 Journal, p. 23. 2 Ibid. pp. 23, 24, 
 
 3 Ibid. pp. 24, 25. 4 Ibid. p. 26, 
 
XIV 
 
 and marshal of France proceeded from thence to invest 
 Bayonne, which they expected to gain within eight 
 days ; that they afterwards intended to advance against 
 Bourdeaux, which they observe was in a very ill con- 
 dition to sustain a siege ; and they again entreated him 
 to lose no time in sending the promised reinforcements, 
 as the inhabitants began to despair from not finding 
 the assurance contained in the letters to them ful- 
 filled. 1 
 
 The capture of Daqs is noticed by Monstrelet, 
 who says that after St. Severs was subdued, Charles 
 remained there for twelve days, and thence marched to 
 besiege Daqs, which occupied him for five weeks, as 
 there was a strong fortification in front of one of the 
 gates ; that when the battering cannon had partly de- 
 molished the walls of the town, orders were given to 
 storm that fortification, which held out most obsti- 
 nately for five hours, but was at last won about night- 
 fall; that ten or twelve Englishmen were killed, and 
 very many of the French wounded ; and that the 
 inhabitants surrendered on the following day, except- 
 ing the Lords, Mountferrand the governor for the 
 English, and Enguerrot de St. Per, who were per- 
 mitted to march out in safety, but with staves in their 
 hands. 2 It is certain that Monstrelet is in error with 
 respect to the time when Daqs was taken : he says it 
 occurred forty-seven days subsequent to the capture of 
 St. Severs, which took place a few days after the 
 Wednesday, following Sunday the Feast of St. John 
 the Baptist, the 24th of June. Thus, according to 
 
 1 Journal, p. 27. 2 Johnes' Monstrelet, vol. viii. p. 339. 
 
XV 
 
 that chronicler, it must have been at least as late as the 
 17th or 18th of August, whereas the ambassadors inform 
 the King that it surrendered to Charles on the third of 
 that month. 1 
 
 A much more minute and interesting account of 
 the loss of Daqs will be found at the end of the 
 Journal, whence we learn that after the surrender of 
 the town on the terms there described, three French- 
 men were hanged for plundering, and that the person 
 in command of the castle treacherously yielded it, and 
 joined the enemy. 
 
 The French retained possession of Daqs but a 
 few weeks, for on the 24th of August it was regained 
 by a gallant stratagem. Piers Arnold, of St. Cryk, 
 placed a few cross-bow men secretly in the church near 
 the gates during the night, and early next morning 
 four of his soldiers, marked with a white cross, the 
 distinguishing badge of the French, approached the 
 gate, and being suffered to enter, killed the porters, 
 
 1 Berry also states that the French were six weeks before Daqs, and 
 adds that the Dauphin led the assault in person ; that the garrison gal- 
 lantly defended the town, hut that it at length surrendered to avoid the 
 consequences of a storm — Ed. Godefroy, p. 420. But the statement of 
 Gruel, the biographer of the Duke of Brittany, differs from both, as he 
 says the siege lasted three weeks after Friday the 29th of June, which 
 would fix the time of the surrender to about the 20th of July. His words 
 are : " On Friday, after the reduction of St. Severs, they besieged Daqs, 
 which lasted full three weeks, during which the besieged sallied on the 
 French, and did them much damage, as they had good cross-bow men who 
 approached close to the enemy, who had no archers. It did not surrender 
 until measures were taken for storming it, after which the King remained 
 there six or seven days. They then went to St. Severs, thence along the 
 Garonne to Agen ; and the constable proceeded to Mont de Marson." — 
 Collection des Memoires, tome viii. p. 526. 
 
XVI 
 
 when Piers and his cross-bow men rushed in, took the 
 town, and slew all .the Frenchmen excepting those in 
 the castle. The next day several of the English came 
 in from Bayonne and the Lawndes ; and on the ensuing 
 Monday, 27th August, the Lord Gromond, and but 
 Viscount de Hort, scaled the castle, made the lieu- 
 tenant and gentlemen who were within it prisoners, but 
 put all the inferior persons to death, 1 a fate which the 
 former only escaped, that the conquerors might make 
 money by their ransoms. 
 
 Repeated interviews took place between Sir Robert 
 Roos and the Capitowe de la Busch from the 12th to 
 the 15th of August, on which day the former was 
 chosen regent or governor ; and he immediately assem- 
 bled the men capable of bearing arms for the defence 
 of Bourdeaux. 2 On the 24th, letters arrived from 
 the Count of Armagnac and De Batute to Roos : 
 the count's letter merely desired him to place implicit 
 reliance on the communication of his counsellor, who 
 repeated his former assurance that his master was most 
 anxious for the arrival of himself and his colleagues at 
 Leittour, and for the completion of the objects of 
 
 1 Journal, p. 99, 100. 
 
 2 Ibid. p. 100, 101. The account given of the recapture of Daqs by Berry 
 is, that the people of Bayonne tampered secretly with the inhabitants, and 
 placed an ambuscade in a church near the gate of the city ; and when it 
 was opened in the morning, threw themselves into it, and gained the 
 town ; that they then immediately besieged the castle, and very bravely as- 
 saulted it ; and that on the third day Regnault Guillaume de Bourgingnam 
 yielded it, for which he was much blamed. He adds, as soon as the in- 
 habitants of St. Severs heard of the rebellion at Daqs, they turned also to 
 the English ; but that the Count de Foix, who was their neighbour, soon 
 reduced them to obedience. — p. 421, 
 
xvi! 
 
 their embassy ; that in his opinion they might have reached 
 it, and returned by the middle of August, as the French 
 troops were then distant from Leittour, though they had 
 since approached very close to it ; that the Count had 
 nevertheless sent to the King of France for their pass- 
 ports, because as he was so near their territories with a 
 large force, the Count was advised that he neither ought 
 nor could send for them without such passport, intima- 
 tion of the nature of their journey having been given 
 to his Majesty soon after their arrival at Bourdeaux. 
 De Batute concluded by expressing his hope that the 
 French monarch would not be influenced by the advice 
 of those with whom he was connected, but that the 
 Count might still have friends on the banks of the 
 Garonne, through whom the ambassadors could se- 
 curely pass. 1 In reply, dated on the 24th of August, 
 Sir Robert Roos requested the Count to put full con- 
 fidence in whatever he might write to De Batute ; 2 but 
 from his letter to that person it is manifest that he 
 more than suspected the sincerity of their behaviour, 
 as he addressed him in the strongest language, and 
 even threatened them with the vengeance of the King 
 of England. He began by informing him that since 
 he left them the case had materially changed ; first, 
 that the three states of the English party had elected 
 him their regent ; secondly, that in his opinion, when 
 Henry was told of the war which the Viscount of Lo- 
 magne, the Count of Armagnac's eldest son, carried on 
 against the English, he would not be disposed to pro- 
 ceed with thenegociation; and thirdly, that the first act of 
 
 i Journal, pp. 29, 30-31. * Ibid. p. 32. 
 
 C 
 
xvm 
 
 the English army after its arrival, and which was shortly 
 expected, would be to invade the Count's territories, a 
 circumstance likely to prove their destruction, but for 
 which they would have no one to blame but themselves ; 
 and that if a change did not immediately take place in 
 their conduct, he would no longer wish to go to Leittour, 
 or take any further steps in the affair : he assured 
 him that his colleagues and himself were well aware 
 whence the calamities arose from which the English terri- 
 tories had suffered : he begged that he would not sus- 
 pect such folly in them as that they should purchase 
 evil for good in their mission ; and added, that unless 
 they speedily received different news from him, they 
 intended to return by the first ship to England to re- 
 port to the King the treatment they had met with. 1 
 
 On the 26th of August, the ambassadors learnt that 
 the Viscount of Lomagne, and his mother, the Countess 
 of Armagnac, had written to the Lady of Toneux, 
 stating that if she and her husband would place them- 
 selves in the Viscount's hands, they should be consi- 
 dered as subjects of France, because Charles had in- 
 vaded Guienne and Acquitaine, and had written to 
 Lomagne, that as many places on the river Garonne as 
 would surrender to him should be kept unharmed with 
 their lords and all their property ; and they therefore 
 advised her to persuade her husband to surrender 
 themselves to the Viscount as subjects of the French 
 monarch. 2 Nothing could more plainly show how op- 
 posed the mother and brother of the intended Queen 
 of England were to the interest of this country ; and 
 
 i Journal, pp. 32, 33. 2 Ibid. pp. 33, 34. 
 
XIX 
 
 it fully justifies the decided language which Sir Robert 
 Roos had used. 
 
 The next notice which occurs of the French army 
 is on the 27th. of September when an English esquire, 
 his retinue, and five of Beckington's servants went to 
 La Reole, a town on the right bank of the Garonne 
 about thirty miles from Bourdeaux, which the King of 
 France and the Dauphin had for some weeks besieged ; 
 but the word describing the precise time has been 
 obliterated. 1 A very striking proof of the declining 
 influence of the English is exhibited by the con- 
 temptuous conduct of the Mayor of Bourdeaux on 
 receiving Roos's commands to preserve the town of 
 Bergerac ; 2 and Beckington's sentiments are sufficiently 
 marked by his reply when summoned to attend a council 
 on the 4th of October, " that there was no longer any 
 council which cared for the interests of the King;" 3 
 nor, after the public declaration of the Dean of 
 the church of Bourdeaux in the council-house, that, 
 <v if the enemy approached the city, and a thou- 
 sand English came to its assistance, they must abide 
 by the stronger," could much doubt be entertained 
 on the point. 4 Every effort was used by the Regent 
 to prevent La Reole from falling into the enemy's hands, 
 but without success ; and it was stormed and taken by 
 the French on the 8th of October : 5 the castle, however, 
 held out until the 7th of December. 6 
 
 It was not until the 11th of October that De Batute's 
 reply to Sir Robert Roos's energetic communication of 
 the 24th of August was received, 7 though it was dated 
 
 1 Journal, p. 37. 2 Ibid. 8 Ibid. p. 38. 4 Ibid. 
 
 5 Ibid. p. 39. 6 Ibid. p. 72. 7 Ibid. p. 39. 
 
XX 
 
 at Auch, the capital of the Count's dominions, on the 
 15th of September. He commenced with the extra- 
 ordinary remark, that as he was unable to write cor- 
 rectly in French, he should do so in Latin; and 
 assured Roos and Beckington, to both of whom his 
 letter was addressed, that Roos's despatch had given 
 him much pain and anxiety ; that the Count, who read 
 the communication with great astonishment, had par- 
 taken of those feelings ; and in reply, he was com- 
 manded to inform them that the business then in 
 agitation was not begun at the instance of the Count, 
 but at the request of the Dukes of Brittany, Orleans, 
 and Alengon ; that Roos was well aware that the Count 
 was desirous of proceeding in it; that Armagnac was 
 wholly unable to comprehend what Roos meant by 
 saying he would not proceed in the affair until he saw 
 the government and disposition of the country changed, 
 but he was resolved to communicate with the Dukes 
 just mentioned, and the ambassadors might do the 
 same if they pleased : he then assured them that he was 
 above all things desirous of the completion of the affair, 
 and would therefore speak what his heart dictated. 
 With respect to the three causes which Sir Robert 
 said had changed the business, he congratulated him in 
 his lord's and his own name on his being appointed 
 Regent, but observed, that he could not see why that 
 should interfere, because if he was then too much oc- 
 cupied to attend to it, he would shortly have more 
 leisure ; that with respect to the conduct of the Viscount 
 of Lomagne it ought to be no impediment, for as the 
 treaty was not concluded, he could not with honour 
 to himself, or without exposing his father's territories 
 
xxi 
 
 to pillage, have disobeyed the commands of the French 
 king ; that with reference to the English army, they had 
 done nothing which could justly entail hostilities upon 
 them ; that since Roos had said that he knew whence 
 the war had arisen, he challenged him to say openly 
 whence it had arisen ; that it was impossible they could 
 say it had originated with the Count, unless they be- 
 lieved the reports of his enemies, who, he expected, 
 would strive to impress the ambassadors with that 
 opinion. Since his departure from them, he remarked, 
 Sir Robert Roos appeared quite changed ; and after 
 assuring him that the war had been commenced by 
 their enemies, he alluded to Roos's intention to re- 
 turn to England and acquaint Henry with what had 
 taken place : he said he did not believe he could report 
 unfavourably of them unless he acted upon the infor- 
 mation of their avowed enemies ; and assured the am- 
 bassadors that the Count was prepared to proceed in 
 the business whenever it pleased the King of England : 
 he expressed his regret that such an alliance should 
 remain unaccomplished through the representations of 
 their adversaries : he implored the Almighty to bestow 
 his maledictions on those who obstructed it ; in 
 conclusion observed, that the Count would never allow 
 of any innovation in the government of his dominions ; 
 and he entreated Roos and Beckington to believe that 
 if there was no want of zeal on their parts, the em- 
 bassy would terminate happily. 1 
 
 On the 14th of October the English ambassadors 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 39—44. 
 
XX11 
 
 answered Batute's letter : they stated that the origin of 
 the negociation was a question which they had neither 
 the authority nor the inclination to discuss, but he 
 could not but be aware, from his personal observations 
 in England, of the earnest wish which was there mani- 
 fested for the alliance, and which was fully evinced 
 by the reception which he and his suite every where 
 experienced j 1 that with respect to his assurance that 
 the Count was still desirous of proceeding in the affair, 
 they should be astonished at any change in his mind on 
 the point, notwithstanding that facts seemed to imply 
 it, especially when they considered the honour, fame^ 
 and dignity which its conclusion would bring to his 
 house ; that they rejoiced at his resolution to prosecute 
 it, but should be still better pleased if he would carry 
 his purpose into effect, and release them from the tire- 
 some delay by which much money and time had been 
 wasted ; that as to his not knowing what they meant 
 by saying that they should return to England unless 
 they saw the government of the country changed, they 
 denied that they either said or thought any thing about 
 the country, but as they knew they were writing to an 
 intelligent man, they had used great caution on so 
 secret a subject ; that if in addition to what they had writ- 
 ten, in which they had perhaps gone too far, he would 
 weigh the letters which had been lately sent by the 
 
 1 Hall particularly alludes to the manner in which Batute and his 
 companions were received in England : " The ambassadors wer bothe wel 
 heard, and lovyngly enterteined, and in conclusion, with a gentle answere 
 (not without great rewardes) they departed into their country/' — Ed. 1810. 
 p. 203, 
 
XX111 
 
 party in question, he would have no difficulty in per- 
 ceiving their real sentiments; that in treating sepa- 
 rately on the three facts which they said had altered 
 the appearance of things, he had mistaken the 
 writers' intention, who wished them to be viewed in 
 conjunction, and not separately ; that as to the Viscount 
 of Lomagne, the verse 
 
 " Est modus in rebus ; sunt certi denique fines, 
 Quos ultra citraque nequit consi3tere rectum" 
 
 might be applied to him ; that to all the other points 
 in his letter one answer would be sufficient, namely that 
 they were in no way allured or seduced from their 
 sincere and honest intentions by the arguments or flat- 
 teries of any persons whatsoever, a charge which he 
 was not justified in making ; that they desired nothing 
 more than to see the Count fulfil his engagement with 
 sincerity, so that they might be released from spending 
 their time and property at Bourdeaux to no purpose. 1 
 
 It is evident that this letter was intended, in some 
 measure, to qualify Roos's former communication, which 
 admitted of no other construction than that which 
 Batute gave to it. On the 13th they wrote again to that 
 individual, to say, that as there did not appear to be any 
 probability of their going to the Count in safety, they 
 had resolved, with the view of hastening the business ; 
 that the three portraits should be completed, and sent 
 to them as speedily as possible ; that they wished 
 Batute, or some other person possessed of full 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 45 — 47. 
 
XXIV 
 
 powers, would immediately come to Bourdeaux or to 
 some intermediate place, safe for both parties, to treat 
 on the young lady's dower, of her jewels and clothes, 
 the ceremony of her reception, &c. and to what 
 place she ought to be conducted at the Count's ex- 
 pense ; and that a pursuivant, or herald, might accom- 
 pany the person so authorized, who, if any doubt 
 arose, could be sent to the Count, and return with 
 his answer. 1 
 
 On the 17th of October the ambassadors sent de- 
 spatches to the King, the Duke of Gloucester, and to 
 Cardinal Beaufort, 2 but the letter to his Majesty is 
 alone given. That letter 3 affords much information 
 on the state of Guienne, as it minutely describes 
 the successful progress of the French monarch, the 
 names of the towns he had taken, and the despon- 
 dency of the English party at the non-arrival of 
 assistance from England. It is difficult to explain the 
 cause of this extraordinary neglect ; for the ambas- 
 sadors assure the King, that if the least reinforce- 
 ment had arrived, the French monarch would in all 
 probability have been made prisoner ; 4 and that if a few 
 men had been sent when they were promised, the 
 country might have been preserved, but that 20,000/. 
 would not then recover what was lost ; or even, if as 
 heretofore, the merchant ships had come after the 
 vintage, for wine, their crews would have prevented the 
 mischief which the enemy had committed. 5 This infor- 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 47, 48. 2 Ibid. p. 48. 3 Ibid. p. 49—53. 
 
 Hbid. p. 49. h Ibid. p. 51. 
 
XXV 
 
 mation would, they add, prove to his Majesty how their 
 mission had been impeded ; that De Batute had told 
 them Charles would not be induced to grant them pass- 
 ports to the Count of Armagnac, and that they saw no 
 probability of being able to approach him ; l but it is 
 remarkable, that they do not even hint a suspicion of 
 the Count's sincerity, though they had expressed them- 
 selves so very strongly on the point to his counsellor, 
 They begged Henry to acquaint them with his plea- 
 sure as to their conduct ; and, at the request of the 
 council of Bourdeaux, they entreated his Majesty 
 not to grant any lands there which might be asked of 
 him without the advice of that body, who intended 
 to make known to him the ill consequences that had 
 attended some former donations. 2 
 
 Edward Hull, the colleague of Roos and Beck- 
 ington, arrived at Bourdeaux from England on the 
 22nd of October, 3 and was the bearer of letters from 
 the King to the former, dated the 21st of September, 
 and to the inhabitants of that city. Henry, after ap- 
 plauding the conduct of Roos and the Secretary, 
 informed them that the Earl of Somerset was about 
 to leave England with a large army, and desired them 
 to use all possible means to keep the people of Bour- 
 deaux in their allegiance. 4 To the inhabitants, Henry 
 expressed his deep sense of their loyalty and suffer- 
 ings, and assured them that he had assembled a great 
 force under the command of a prince of his blood and 
 
 i Journal, p. 51. 2 Ibid, p. 52. 
 
 *Ibid. p. 53. ; 4 Ibid. pp. 54, 55. ] 
 
XXVI 
 
 lineage, which should be sent to their assistance in all 
 possible haste. l 
 
 On the 25th, Hull delivered to Roos and Beck- 
 ington the King's letter, dated the 20th of July, thank- 
 ing them for their services in their mission to the Count 
 of Armagnac, and signifying that he had now sent 
 Hull to them, who would more fully acquaint them 
 with his wishes. 2 The next day a successful attack 
 was made by the regent, Hull, the Capitowe de la 
 Busch and others to the number of one thousand, on 
 the French near the town of St. Lupe, where they 
 had been scowring the country. They compelled the 
 enemy to retreat ; and for several days afterwards the 
 women of the neighbourhood continued to bring in 
 prisoners. 3 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 55 — 57. The Earl of Somerset was thus related to 
 Henry the Sixth : — 
 
 Blanch, daughter and 
 co-heir of Henry, Earl 
 
 of Lancaster. 
 
 John of Gaunt, Duke of i Katherine 
 Lancaster, son of Edward Swinford. 
 the Third, ob. 1399. \ 
 
 Henry the Fourth, John de Beaufort, 
 
 ~r ob. 1412. Earl of Somerset, 
 
 ob. 1410. 
 
 Henry the Fifth, 
 
 T ob. 1422. John, Earl of 
 
 Somerset. 
 
 Henry the Sixth. 
 A contemporary chronicler says, " A 21 Henry VI. In this yere 
 wente S r William Bonevylle Knight to Bordeux with JL of good fytynge 
 men to kepe the town unto the tyme a grett retenewe myght be mad and 
 sent thider ; and in this yere wente over the see the erle of Somerset with 
 XM 1 of goode men ; and he hadde over with hym gret ordinance of gonnes 
 brigges, scalyng laddres, and manye mo othere things, whom J'hu spede 
 for his mercy." — Chronicle of London, 4to. 1826, p. 132. 
 
 2 Journal, pp. 57, 58. 3 Ibid. pp. 58, 59. 
 
xxvn 
 
 Hull having brought from England an artist named 
 Hans, or Hansa, to paint the likenesses of the daughters 
 of the Count of Armagnac, Sir Robert Roos wrote to 
 that personage on the 3rd of November, stating 
 that he had then sent Hans to him, and begged 
 that he would cause the business to be hastened, so 
 that he might return without delay, for if the King 
 did not hear from them during that month he would 
 be displeased : he requested that he would consider the 
 said artist recommended to him ; and added, that he 
 had written more fully on the subject to De Batute. 1 
 To that individual the ambassadors always wrote con- 
 jointly, though the chief of them, Sir Robert Roos, 
 alone addressed the Count, and he only was written to 
 by that personage, circumstances which probably 
 arose from the diplomatic etiquette of the age. They 
 informed De Batute, that with their letters of the 13th 
 of October they had sent one to " the Duke," by 
 which the Duke of Orleans is perhaps meant, but of 
 which a copy does not occur ; that as they had then 
 suggested to Batute that portraits of the ladies should 
 be forwarded to them, they had now sent a very able 
 artist to paint them, who they begged might be fur- 
 nished with the necessary sittings : they reminded him 
 of their wish that a person should be despatched to 
 treat with them, and proposed Mount Secure as the 
 best place for the purpose, because, it was near the 
 Count's dominions, it possessed an abundance of provi- 
 sions, and was very safe ; and they repeated their wish 
 as to the powers to be delegated to the person who 
 might be appointed. In a postcript they acquainted 
 him with the arrival of their colleague, Hull, who they 
 
 1 Journal, p. 60. 
 
XXV111 
 
 said was astonished at their long and fruitless stay: 
 and they entreated him to hasten the matter, otherwise 
 he must excuse their departure, lest they might incur 
 blame in other quarters, it being then nearly half a 
 year since their embassy commenced. 1 
 
 Duplicates of Batute's letter of the 15th of Septem- 
 ber, with an addition stating, that not having had any 
 reply, he had then sent a copy of it, and requesting 
 them to write to him immediately, arrived on the 5th 
 of November ; and the difficulty of communication is 
 shown by his desiring the ambassadors not to be sur- 
 prised at the date of his letters, as they had been car- 
 ried half-way and brought back, from their not being 
 able to find persons to convey them. 2 
 
 On the 10th of November, Sir Robert Roos, who a 
 few days before had a violent dispute with the Dean of 
 St. Andrews, on public affairs, 3 probably in consequence 
 of the expression imputed to him in a former part of the 
 Journal, 4 left Bourdeaux for Langon, a town on the 
 Garonne about twenty miles distant, accompanied by 
 Hull, three hundred men at arms, and the same num- 
 ber of archers. 5 That town was destroyed on the 12th, 
 on which day Beckington wrote to his colleagues, 
 chiefly we are told on the verse, " Pacem tractabant, et 
 fraudes intus arabant." " They treated of peace, but in- 
 wardly cultivated deceit," 6 which is conclusive evidence 
 of his opinion of the Count of Armagnac's conduct. 
 During the absence of Roos and Hull, Beckington 
 exerted himself to send reinforcements to La Reole : 
 three small vessels full of armed men were accordingly 
 
 1 Journal, p. 61, 63. 2 Ibid. p. 64. 3 Ibid. p. 65. 
 
 4 Ibid. p. 38. 6 Ibid. p. 65. 6 Ibid. 
 
XXIX 
 
 despatched ; x and we are informed that he frequently 
 wrote to his colleagues, urging various reasons why they 
 should not delay going to the Count. 2 Letters were 
 received from Armagnac and his counsellor, dated the 
 7th, on the 19th of November. 3 The first merely thanked 
 Roos for his steady efforts for the accomplishment of 
 his mission ; 4 whilst Batute repeated the assurance 
 that his master and himself were most anxious for the 
 completion of the affair ; that the state of the country 
 had alone prevented a compliance with their request 
 to have persons sent to treat with them ; that the Count 
 was still doing every thing in his power to procure 
 them a safe mode of going to him ; but that if they still 
 preferred having persons sent to them it should 
 be done : he begged them to reply without delay, 
 and not to imagine that they were influenced by the 
 Viscount of Lomagne : he expressed his hopes that 
 the roads would soon be open to them, and appears to 
 allude in a secret manner to the expectation that the 
 promised forces from England would have effected it. 
 After various civil expressions, he concluded by ob- 
 serving that if they wished the Count to mediate for a 
 truce, or for peace with the French, he was certain he 
 would do so, which was desirable for many reasons, 
 but chiefly because it would secure the accomplishment 
 of their wishes relative to the marriage. 5 
 
 Beckington immediately forwarded these letters by 
 his chaplain to his colleagues who were at St. Macary, 
 a small town on the Garonne, eight miles from Bour- 
 deaux. 6 Roos returned to that city on the 24th of 
 
 1 Journal, p. 66. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid, pp, 66, 61. 
 
 5 Ibid. pp. 68, 70. ■ 6 I6i</.pp. 67, 71. 
 
XXX 
 
 November ;* and on the 6th of December the Arch- 
 bishop of Bourdeaux arrived from England. 2 The 
 castle of La Reole having capitulated on the 7th, 
 on the 8th George Swillington, an English Esquire, 
 the commander of that fortress, came to Bourdeaux. 
 During the siege the French suffered severely from the 
 severity of the weather, and from the want of provisions, 
 the whole of which was brought from Toulouse, about 
 one hundred miles distant. 3 If the castle had held 
 out a little longer, it is most probable that the French 
 would have been obliged to raise the siege, for on the 
 very day after it yielded, the river by which all 
 their food was conveyed was frozen over. 3 Though 
 not noticed in the Journal, the French monarch was 
 accidentally and dangerously, wounded in the shoul- 
 der, in one of the mines, before the castle of La Reole, 
 by an arrow shot by the Count D'Eu ; 3 but that 
 document states that his majesty's life was in immi- 
 nent danger from his lodging in the town having been 
 suddenly burnt during the night; and had not the Scots 
 mined a wall there, he would have perished in the flames : 
 all his property was however destroyed, including the 
 sword of St. Louis ; and he effected his escape by the 
 said mine in his shirt. 4 
 
 Letters were again received on the 16th of Decem- 
 
 1 Journal, p. 71. 2 Ibid. p. 72. 
 
 3 Chronicle of Charles VII. by Berry, King of Arms, folio, 1661, p. 422. 
 He says, the castle of La Reole surrendered on the eighth of December, 
 and that the town had been commanded by George Soliton, an English 
 Esquire, and a Gascon named Le Baron, with at the utmost 100 lances 
 and 300 archers. 
 
 A Journal, p. 102, 
 
XXXI 
 
 ber, dated on the 22nd of November, from the Count 
 of Armagnac and De Batute. 1 The Count merely 
 acquainted Roos that he had received his letters ; that 
 he had seen the artist, who was diligently engaged, 
 and would speedily return ; and that by his command 
 his counsellor had replied to his communication. 2 The 
 latter acknowledged the receipt of the ambassadors' 
 letter by Hans the painter, who, he said, had been 
 so very hard at work that within a few days the first 
 of the portraits would be on the canvas ; and he promised 
 to urge him to use the utmost expedition in his task. 
 With respect to their proposition that persons should be 
 sent to treat with them, he informed them that the Count 
 did not consider the affair to require it, because he had 
 offered in his last letter to become the mediator of a 
 peace or truce with the French, which would remove 
 all obstacles to their going to his master ; and he pressed 
 them very strongly still to apply to him for the pur- 
 pose. He defended the Count and himself from 
 being the cause of the delay ; and still professed the 
 greatest anxiety for the completion of the treaty. 3 
 
 The ambassadors replied on the 22nd of December. 4 
 To the Count, Roos, after acknowledging the receipt of 
 his letter, observed, that his colleagues and himself 
 thought the artist ought long since to have finished the 
 portraits, and to have been sent back to them ; and if he 
 had not before set off, he begged that no time might be 
 lost in despatching him. 5 To Batute they professed great 
 pleasure at finding that the Count's wishes had not 
 
 1 Journal, p. 72. 2 Ibid. p. 73. 3 Ibid. pp. 74, 76. 
 
 4 Ibid. p. 77. 5 Ibid. pp. 77, 78. 
 
xxxu 
 
 changed, and that the artist had nearly completed 
 his undertaking, though they had hoped that he would 
 by that time have returned; they thanked Batute for 
 the zeal he had evinced, which, they did not doub 
 would one day receive from other quarters far 
 greater reward than they could bestow ; they en- 
 treated that the painter might be sent back as soon as 
 possible, for " considering the present statj of affairs, 
 we have no hope but in seeking a certain medicine for 
 the disorder, without which the business could not be 
 concluded ;" by which they evidently allude to their return 
 to England, with the view of hastening the departure of 
 the army. " They do not think it right," they said, " that 
 the Count should put himself forward in making truces, 
 to which, besides other reasons, it is a sufficient objec- 
 tion that it would interfere with the treaty and render 
 him still more an- object of suspicion :" moreover, they 
 added, there was a certain great man in the French 
 party, who was considered to rule every thing, who had 
 many times protested against the proposed alliance be^ 
 tween England and the Count. 1 
 
 Their return to England, which is hinted at in that 
 letter, was decidedly announced in a communication to 
 De Batute, dated on the 30th of December. After 
 expressing their satisfaction at the assurance con- 
 tained in his letter of the 8th of November, and 
 alluding to their own zeal, they observed, that as it 
 was necessary to provide without delay for the ge- 
 neral security of the country, they were prepar- 
 ing to go to 'England, from which " they expect to 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 78-80. 
 
XXXlll 
 
 come back with a medicine of such kind as will accelerate 
 the business :" they advised him to act with constancy 
 and to await the result with patience ; they admitted that 
 he deserved more reward than he had received for 
 his meritorious conduct; and concluded by saying 
 that they were daily expecting the artist, and were most 
 anxious to receive the portraits that they might take 
 them with them. 1 
 
 Beckington took leave of Sir Robert Roos and Hull, 
 on the 10th of January, 1 442-3, 2 and immediately pro- 
 ceeded to a ship opposite Nostre Dame; 3 and on 
 the 17th he quitted the Garonne for England. 4 His 
 passage was, however, impeded by remaining for several 
 days at Crowdon in Brittany, 5 apparently in conse- 
 quence of a foul wind. On the 5th of February the 
 writer of the Journal states that he heard from a Breton 
 that Sir William Bonville, with four thousand men and 
 thirty-five ships, destined for Bourdeaux, were at Ply- 
 mouth eight days before, and were, he conjectured, by 
 that time not far from that city. 6 
 
 At noon, on Tuesday the 10th of February, Beck- 
 ington landed at Falmouth, and rested from the 
 fatigues of his voyage in the house of the bailiff 
 of Penryn, two miles from that place ; and the next 
 day he commenced his journey to London. 7 On the 
 20th he met Sir Robert Roos who left Bourdeaux 
 shortly after the 14th of January, on which day 
 letters arrived there from the Count of Armagnac and 
 
 1 Journal, pp, 81, 82. 2 Ibid. p. 84. 3 Ibid. 
 
 4 Ibid. p. 85. 5 Ibid. pp. 85, 88. 6 Ibid. p. 89. 7 Ibid. 
 
 d 
 
XXXIV 
 
 De Batute, which Roos then communicated to his col- 
 league. 1 
 
 These letters, which are the last that are extant 
 on the subject of the negociation, are dated at L'Isle in 
 Jourdain on the 3rd of January, and acknowledged 
 the receipt of the ambassadors' last letters. Their 
 former assurances of zeal for the cause were repeated, 
 and Batute stated that the artist had finished one 
 of the portraits ; that Armagnac lamented exceed- 
 ingly the object of their mission could not then 
 be attained ; that if unable to proceed in the affair 
 according to their wishes, the Count would be always 
 ardently disposed towards it, according to the plea- 
 sure of Henry ; that it would be right for them to 
 make some arrangement that would afford a facility to 
 both parties, in which the Count would co-operate as 
 far as possible, unless his efforts were again resisted, 
 in which case Batute said, he feared the affair might be 
 longer protracted ; and he entreated them to take the 
 necessary measures for passing to the appointed place : 
 the Count, he observed, had anticipated what they had 
 written relative to a truce ; that he was still very sincere 
 in the proposition, but it had so happened that his 
 wishes were opposed on both sides ; and in conclusion, 
 he promised to write more fully by the artist. 2 
 
 On the 21st of February Beckington dined at 
 Chiswick with the Lord Chancellor, and supped with 
 the Lord Mayor, in London. 3 The next day he went to 
 Greenwich to the Duke of Gloucester, whence messen- 
 
 1 Jmrnul, p. 90 2 Ibid. pp. 91— 95. 
 
 *Ibid. p. 95. 
 
XXXV 
 
 gers were despatched to the Lord Treasurer and to the 
 Earl of Suffolk j 1 and on the ensuing Saturday he dined 
 with the Lord Treasurer. 2 On Sunday, the 24th, 
 he dined with the Chancellor, 3 and in the afternoon 
 accompanied the Earl of Suffolk in a boat on the 
 Thames to Shene, to his Majesty, 4 with whom he 
 dined on the following day; 5 and in the afternoon 
 he had an interview with Cardinal Beaufort on the 
 King's affairs. 6 He supped with the Bishop of Nor- 
 wich ; and the next morning returned to Shene with the 
 cardinal's reply. 7 
 
 With this statement the Journal concludes ; but it is 
 requisite to add, from other authorities, an account of 
 the conclusion of the negociation with the Count of 
 Armagnac. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the ambassadors placed 
 very little reliance on the sincerity of the Count's pro- 
 fessions ; but it is difficult to imagine a more pitiable 
 situation than that in which he was placed, and which 
 is sufficient to explain, if not to justify, his conduct. 
 Though not at that moment at enmity with the King 
 of France, he was by no means possessed of his con- 
 fidence ; and the proposed alliance with England ma- 
 terially increased that monarch's displeasure. An 
 army was in the immediate vicinity of his territories, 
 and awaited only the slightest pretence to seize upon 
 them, and destroy the little power he possessed. It 
 is true that his eldest son, the Viscount of Lomagne, 
 was serving with the French ; but the advantage which 
 
 1 Journal, p. 95. * Ibid. 3 Ibid. p. 96. 4 Ibid. 
 
 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 
 
XXXVI 
 
 the Count derived from the fact, so far as Charles was 
 concerned, was counterbalanced by the offence which 
 it naturally gave to his proposed ally ; and which, toge- 
 ther with some other facts, induced Sir Robert Roos 
 to menace him with the vengeance of the English army 
 on its arrival. It must also be remembered that the 
 Count held his possessions of the Crown of France, and 
 that any act against that country would have justified a 
 seizure of his person and territories for high treason. 
 The difficulty of preserving so strict a neutrality towards 
 his superior Lord and towards the country with which 
 he was negociating an alliance in direct opposition to the 
 wishes of his sovereign, as would satisfy the two hostile 
 parties, may be easily imagined ; and it accounts for the 
 little faith which the English ambassadors placed in 
 his assurances. Armagnac was evidently temporising 
 between his wishes and his fears ; and to the latter the 
 procrastination, if not want of faith which he displayed, 
 may be imputed. The only means which occured to 
 him for completing his engagement with England with- 
 out offence to France, was to offer to mediate a peace 
 between the two countries ; but his proposition served 
 only to increase the jealousy of the English ambassadors, 
 and they did not hesitate to tell him that they disapproved 
 of his intentions. We are not informed of the manner 
 in which the Count received the intimation of the de- 
 parture of the ambassadors from Bourdeaux, his last 
 letter having been written before the despatch which 
 decidedly announced their intention to return, reached 
 him. Certain it is, however, that no second mission 
 was ever sent to him; and the little which can be 
 added on the subject admits only of the inference, that, 
 
XXXV11 
 
 like most neutrals, he was thrown overboard by both 
 parties. A slight notice of the Count of Armagnac, and 
 of the fair candidates for the heart and throne of the 
 young English monarch, is necessary to prove the 
 error which historians have committed with respect to 
 the motive of the Count's overture to Henry. 
 
 The names of the consorts and children of the 
 Count of Armagnac have been already stated. 1 After 
 the termination of the treaty with England, the history 
 of the family presents an almost uninterrupted series 
 of crimes and misfortunes ; and a slight digression is 
 necessary to trace the latter to their source. 
 
 Margaret, daughter and heiress of Peter Raymond, 
 the second Count de Cominges, was thrice married: 
 first, to John III. Count of Armagnac ; 2 secondly, to 
 John de Armagnac, eldest son of Gerard, Viscount of 
 Fezenzaguet; and thirdly, to Matthew de Foix, bro- 
 ther of John Count of Foix. De Foix, who became 
 possessed of his wife's patrimony, treated her with in- 
 gratitude and cruelty, by confining her in a castle for 
 nearly twenty years. The states of Cominges, at length, in 
 1439, petitioned the King of France to obtain her deli- 
 verance ; and her husband was accordingly summoned 
 to appear before the Dauphin, at Toulouse. Availing 
 himself, however, of an order, which shortly afterwards 
 arrived to attend the King, he avoided obeying the 
 Dauphin's command ; and Margaret remained a prisoner 
 until the conclusion of a treaty between her husband 
 and his Majesty, on the 9th of March, 1443. By that 
 treaty it was agreed that De Foix should enjoy one 
 
 1 p. vii. 2 Uncle of Jean IV. he died without male issue. 
 
xxxvm 
 
 part of the territories of Cominges, and his wife the 
 other ; that the survivour should succeed to both ; but 
 that after their decease it should be reunited to the 
 crown. Margaret was then placed in the King's hands, 
 and was sent to Poitiers, where she died at a very 
 advanced age in the same year. 1 After her death the 
 Count of Armagnac took possession of one part of the 
 county of Cominges, an act which completed the cata- 
 logue of his offences against the French monarch ; and 
 he instantly resolved on punishing him for his pre- 
 sumption. The Dauphin invaded his dominions ; and 
 not satisfied with seizing the lands in dispute, entered 
 L'Isle Jourdain, and made the Count and all his family, 
 excepting his eldest son, prisoners. Regular proceed- 
 ings were instituted against the Count, and among a 
 variety of other offences which place his moral cha- 
 racter as well as his loyalty in a very unfavourable point 
 of view, it was proved that he had assumed the privi- 
 lege of styling himself Count, par la Grace de Dieu, 
 that he had granted graces and remissions like a sove- 
 reign, crimes which in the eyes of a jealous lord were 
 of themselves sufficient to render him obnoxious. 2 
 
 Charles being nevertheless unwilling to annihi- 
 late the political existence of the Count of Ar- 
 magnac, to whom he was related, gave him letters 
 of pardon, upon condition that certain places should 
 be delivered up to him ; that he and his children 
 should take the oath of fidelity to him ; that he should 
 
 l L'Art de Verifier les Dates-. Ed. 1784, tome ii. pp. 266, 267. 
 Ibid. p. 276. Art, '■' Comtes D' Armagnac," where the proces verbal 
 on the occasion is fully cited, " because modern historians had treated the 
 subject very superficially." The charges proved against him, and which 
 
XXXIX 
 
 renounce all services to the crown of England, together 
 with all promises, appoint emens, alliances, &c. ; and that 
 neither he nor his successors should ever again use 
 the style, "Par la grace de Dieu, Comte D'Armagnac ;" 
 and his family and himself were released from prison 
 in the month of August, 1445, when he was restored 
 to his dominions. 1 
 
 Rapin professes to follow Father Daniel on this sub- 
 ject, but he has added some errors of his own to 
 those of that writer ; for though Daniel states that it 
 was after the King of France had quitted Guienne that 
 Armagnac treated with Henry for the marriage of his 
 daughter, he assigns that transaction to the year 1443 : 
 his account of the release of Margaret, Countess of 
 Cominges, differs materially from that given on his 
 authority by Rapin; and he no where attributes the 
 
 afford some information on his character, are thus stated : " Outre le crime 
 abominable, et celui de fausse mounnie, qui furent constates par temoins 
 et par pieces, il fut prouve qu'il persistoit, malgre les defenses du Roi, a 
 se dire Comte par la Grace de Dieu ; qu'il donnoit graces et remissions com- 
 me un Souverain, et les enterinoit ; qu'il mettoit tailles en ses terres deux 
 ou trois fois par an ; qu'il avoit fait pendre a Nismes ung Huissier au 
 Parlement de Tholose, nomme Noel, qui venoit executer contre lui ; qu'il 
 tenoit trente ou quarante Ribaux es places de Mayreville de S. Varin, et 
 de la Fare, que par force il avoit ostees aux Seigneurs, les quels pilloient 
 et ran conn oient chascun ; qu'il avoit detrousses les gens de l'Eveque de 
 Lodeve et oste leurs chevaux et tenoit leurs places en benefices ; qu'il 
 avoit battu, pille, et emprisonne divers ecclesiastiques 5 qu'il battoit son 
 confesseur quand il ne vouloit l'absoudre ; qu'il avoit en cinq chasteaux 
 de la detrousse que ses gens avoient fait faire sur les chemins en droit 
 S. Romain a Messire Jean Taure, Chevalier, de Montpellier ; qu'il tenoit 
 frontiere pire au peuple que Anglois ; et prenoit vivres, ble, moutons, 
 boeufs, vaches, mulets, pourceaux, s'ils n'avoient de lui sauf-conduit ; que 
 ses gens avoient fait violence a diverses filles," &c. 
 1 Ibid. 
 
negociation with England to the treatment which the 
 Count had experienced from the King of France, but 
 considers that it arose from a wish to be assisted by 
 Henry in case of need. 1 Rapin, on the contrary, as- 
 serts, but still citing Daniel as his only authority, that 
 that monarch twice interfered with Armagnac about his 
 conduct towards Margaret de Cominges ; first, on her 
 release from the confinement in which she was placed 
 by her husband when the settlement of her possessions 
 just noticed was made, on which occasion he says he 
 was stripped of his privilege of the regale, and for- 
 bidden to style himself " Count, by the Grace of God," 
 and which he represents as the cause of his seeking 
 the alliance with England ; 2 and secondly, in 1443, 
 when he follows his author with greater fidelity. 3 
 
 There can be no doubt that Rapin and Daniel 
 were both mistaken, as to the date of the negocia- 
 tion, since this Journal and the teste of the commis- 
 sion to the ambassadors, prove that it took place in the 
 autumn of 1442, whilst the King of France was in 
 Guienne ; and that the former is wrong in considering 
 that there was any proceeding against Armagnac on 
 the subject of Margaret de Cominges before her death 
 in 1443. At the time the Count made the proposi- 
 tion, the greater part of Guienne was in the hands 
 
 1 Histoirede France, Ed. 1729. Tome vi. p. 193. 
 
 2 History of England, Ed. 1732, vol. I. p. 566. 
 
 3 Ibid. p. 67. Rapin says, upon the Dauphin's approach, the Count 
 found himself deserted by all his friends, and unsupported by the English, 
 though the king was affianced, to his daughter : this, however, was not the 
 fact, for it is certain she was not affianced when the ambassadors re- 
 returned in February, 1443, and nothing more is known to have occurred 
 on the subject. 
 
xii 
 
 of the English ; and the successes of the French mo- 
 narch, which are so minutely noticed in the follow- 
 ing pages, did not take place until after Henry's 
 ambassadors were appointed ; nor, in fact, had the 
 French army even entered that province when the 
 Count's overtures arrived in this country. That the 
 invasion of Guienne, and the good fortune which 
 attended Charles, materially affected Armagnac's sen- 
 timents is, however, unquestionable. 
 
 The Count of Armagnac did not survive his restora- 
 tion many years, but died of grief and infirmities about 
 1450 j 1 and it is to be lamented, for the honour of his 
 house, that its misfortunes had not ended with him, for 
 the conduct of two of his children is almost unparelleled 
 in the history of crime. Of the innocent ones little is 
 known : Charles, Viscount of Fezenzac, his second 
 son, succeeded his brother as Count of Armagnac in 
 1473, after having suffered an imprisonment of fourteen 
 years in the Bastile, in consequence of his brother's con- 
 duct, " non pour crime de complicite," says his biogra- 
 pher, " mais a cause de la proximite du sang;" and he 
 adds that no one can read an account of the torments he 
 suffered there without horror. His territories having 
 been confiscated, he demanded restitution of his in- 
 heritance on his release from prison in 1484, which 
 was partially granted to him : his sufferings, however, 
 having affected his intellects, he was committed to 
 the custody of his relative the Duke de Albret. He 
 died without legitimate issue in 1497, but left two na- 
 
 1 L'Art de Verifier les Dates, tome vi. pp. 276-7. 
 
xlii 
 
 tural children, of whom the eldest, Peter Count of 
 L'Isle Jourdain, was naturalized in 1510. l 
 
 Mary, eldest daughter of the Count of Armagnac, 
 became in 1451 the second wife of John second Duke 
 of Alen9on, and died in the odour of sanctity on the 
 24th of July, 1473, leaving two children, Katherine 
 who married Guy Count of Laval, and Rene, who 
 succeeded his father as Duke of Alencon, and whose 
 son, Charles Duke of Alencon, was heir to his great- 
 uncle, Charles Count of Armagnac. 2 
 
 Eleanor, the second daughter, married on the 4th 
 of May, 1446, Louis Prince of Orange, to whom she 
 was second wife, and died in 1456, leaving two sons 
 and two daughters ; namely, Louis Seigneur de Chateau- 
 Guyon, Knight of the Golden Fleece, who was killed 
 fighting for the Duke of Burgundy at the battle of 
 Grans on in 1476; Hugh Seigneur d'Orbe, who mar- 
 ried Louisa, eldest daughter of Amadeus IX. Duke of 
 Savoy ; Jeannette, wife of Louis Count de la Cham- 
 bre ; and Philippa, a nun at Orbe. 
 
 Isabel, the third daughter, who was the most beau- 
 tiful princess of her time, cannot be separated from 
 the history of her eldest brother. 
 
 John, the eldest son of the Count of Armagnac, 
 who is frequently mentioned in the Journal as the 
 Viscount of Lomagne, retired to Spain during the 
 imprisonment of his family ; but returned on the death 
 of his father, when he succeeded to his inheritance, and 
 did homage to the King of France for the County of 
 Armagnac, at Montbazon, in November, 1450. Shortly 
 1 L'Art de Verifier les Dates, p. 277. 2 Ibid. p. 277, and pp. 887-8. 
 
xliii 
 
 afterwards he fell desperately in love with his sister 
 Isabel, and succeeded in seducing her. Several chil- 
 dren being the fruits of this incestuous connection, the 
 affair became notorious, and the Pope and Charles the 
 Seventh remonstrated with him on his conduct ; but he 
 treated them with neglect, and was in consequence 
 excommunicated by the Pontiff, to whom he had applied 
 for a dispensation with the view of alleviating the remorse 
 which preyed on the mind of Isabel. Opposition 
 served but to increase his horrible passion ; and having 
 bribed Anthony de Cambray, the Pope's referendary, 
 that person, in concert with the Apostolic notary, fa- 
 bricated a bull, by virtue of which the Count solemnly 
 espoused his sister, with the usual ceremonies of the 
 Church. 
 
 The French monarch indignant at this proceeding, 
 sent the Count of Dammartin with a force to seize Ar- 
 magnac's person and territories in 1454. At first he endea- 
 voured to defend himself ; but on the approach of the 
 army,most of his towns opened their gates; and being 
 driven from his dominions, he retired to Arragon, 
 where he possessed some castles. In 1457 the King 
 commanded the Parliament of Paris to proceed against 
 him : he attended its summons, and produced the 
 King's letters, which the Court declared to be false, 
 and arrested him. He was committed to prison in one 
 of the rooms of the palace, but was afterwards enlarged 
 upon condition that he would not go beyond ten 
 leagues from Paris. Fearful of the effect of the pro- 
 cess against him, which was vigorously prosecuted, he 
 however fled, and took refuge in Franche Comte ; and 
 
xliv 
 
 by an arret of the Parliament of the 13th May, 1460, 
 he was sentenced to banishment, and his lands were 
 confiscated. On the accession of Louis XI. in 1461, 
 whom he had aided in his rebellion against his father, 
 that arret was annulled ; and the Count recovered his 
 dominions. He repaid his benefactor with ingratitude, 
 by joining the malcontents in the war " du Bien Pub- 
 lique ;" and though he succeeded in making his peace 
 with Louis, and swore fealty to him in November, 
 1465, he afterwards plotted against him ; but being- 
 advised of his intentions, his Majesty sent an army 
 to subdue him in 1469. Armagnac again escaped by 
 flight ; and having failed to obey the citations to appear 
 before the Parliament, a decree of the 7th of Septem- 
 ber, 1470, declared his life and goods to be forfeited. 
 As soon as the French army quitted the county of 
 Armagnac, the Count went to Bourdeaux to induce 
 the Duke of Guienne to restore him to his territories : 
 that prince having died in May in that year, the 
 King despatched forces against the Count, and be- 
 sieged him in the town of Lectoure. The prospect of 
 famine obliged him to capitulate ; but no sooner had 
 the French commander taken possession, and dismissed 
 his troops, than Armagnac, profiting by his mistaken 
 confidence, re-assembled his followers, and arrested 
 him. At this news Louis became transported with 
 anger, and proceeded against the Count in person as far 
 as Rochelle. In January, 1473, the Cardinal D'Albi 
 appeared before Lectoure, which the Count resolutely 
 defended for two months, at the end of which time he 
 accepted the terms offered him by the Cardinal, and 
 
xlv 
 
 the treaty was solemnly sworn to be observed. But 
 Armagnac now experienced the same treachery which 
 he had evinced the year before in the same place ; 
 for on the next day, Friday, 5th March, 1473, when 
 he had disarmed his troops, and opened the gates 
 of the town, the French soldiers entered, invested his 
 house, and having reached his apartment, repeatedly 
 stabbed him, after which they abandoned themselves 
 to the most barbarous excesses. 
 
 He married Jeanne, daughter of Gaston IV. Count 
 of Foix, in August, 1468, by whom he had no issue, 
 but at the time of her husband's death, who ex- 
 pired in her arms, she was enceinte. She survived him 
 a few days only, dying at the little town of Castelman 
 de Bretenons in Querci, to which she was removed ; 
 and her fate is said to have been produced by a potion 
 which had been given her to procure abortion. 
 
 Isabel, the wretched sister and paramour of the 
 Count, survived him ; but the only fact which is re- 
 corded of her is, that having been preserved from the 
 effects of the sacking of Lectoure by Gaston du Lion, 
 Seneschal of Toulouse, she presented him with all 
 her lands on the 16th of May, 1473, when it is most 
 probable that she retired to a monastery, and en- 
 deavoured to atone for her crimes by religious mor- 
 tifications and repentance. 1 
 
 Although we are ignorant of the immediate deci- 
 sion which Henry the Sixth formed with respect to the 
 treaty with the Count of Armagnac, after the return 
 of the ambassadors, it may be safely inferred that it 
 
 VAit de Verifier les Dates, tome ii. p. 277. 
 
xlvi 
 
 was determined to abandon the alliance ; but as there is 
 not a single document among those collected by Rymer, 
 which throws light on the subject, and as the statements 
 of chroniclers are confused and contradictory, this infe- 
 rence can only be justified by the events which soon 
 after occurred. It is the common impression that the 
 marriage was advocated by the Duke of Gloucester, 
 and opposed by William de la Pole, then Earl of Suf- 
 folk i 1 but as the writers who have adopted this opinion 
 were ignorant of what took place between the Count 
 and the ambassadors during their absence from Eng- 
 land, and considered that his conduct was consistent 
 and sincere, no reliance can be placed on their hypo- 
 theses, whilst a contemporary writer, so far from 
 imputing the breach of that contract to Suffolk, ex- 
 pressly assigns it to treachery on the part of the 
 Count. 2 It was, however, one of the charges brought 
 against the Duke of Suffolk in 1450, that when the 
 King, " afore this tyme," sent his ambassadors to the 
 Count of Armagnac to retain him in his allegiance, the 
 
 1 Sharon Turner's History of England, vol. iii. p. 39. 
 
 2 Chronicle of London, p. 130, 20 Hen. VI. " In this yere come 
 tidynges unto the kyng that Gascoigne and Gyan was lost save Burdeux 
 and Bayon, be the Armynakes take : in the mene tyme ambassatours of 
 the same partye of Armynackes were come unto the kyng to entrete for a 
 mariage of the erle of Armanackes doughter to be weddyd to the kyng ; 
 but because of the same treson the seid mariage was daisshed." The 
 manifest error of making the success of the French in Gascony precede the 
 Count of Armagnac's embassy, prevents so much credit being given to 
 this statement as it would otherwise deserve. In all other points, how- 
 ever, it agrees exactly with the impression conveyed by the Journal ; for 
 though the French, and not the Armagnacs, besieged the English towns in 
 Gascony, yet the eldest son of the Count was serving with them ; and the 
 ambassadors evidently suspected " treson" on the part of his father. 
 
xlvii 
 
 Duke had privately written to the King of France, 
 acquainting him with the purport of the embassy, 
 whereby " the faithfull legeaunce, eide, and assistence 
 of the seid erle of Ermynak, and of the gretest partie 
 of the Erles, Barons, Knyghtes, Nobles, and other 
 inhabitauntez in your seid duchie of Guyan was not 
 had, nother opteyned to you by such ambassate ; 
 but the seid Erie and his next frendes, by the myght 
 and power of youre seid adversarie, put to over grete 
 distresse, emprisonment, andlosse of their grete richesse 
 till such tyme as he and his seid frendes, were by 
 duresse compelled to be assured to your seid grete 
 adversarie, wherof hath followed oon of the grettest 
 meanes of the destruction of your seid duchie of Guyen ; 
 all which inconvenientez been comyn of the fals dis- 
 coveryng of your seid counseill, by the seid Duke of 
 Suffolk." 1 
 
 If, as is almost certain, the embassy alluded to was 
 the one in June 1442, the meaning of this accusation 
 is, that Suffolk acquainted the King of France with the 
 proposed alliance the moment it was agitated, and 
 thus caused the invasion of Guienne in June in that 
 year, a month before Beckington arrived there. Of the 
 justice of this charge we have no means of forming a 
 decided opinion ; but if Batute's information was cor- 
 rect, the Earl is wholly exonerated from the accusation, 
 for he evidently believed that Charles was not aware 
 of the object of the mission, until after the ambas- 
 dors reached Bourdeaux. 2 The fact that no allu- 
 
 1 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 180. 2 Journal, pp. 30, 31. 
 
xlviii 
 
 sibn is made in the charge of the Commons to the 
 failure of that negociation perhaps arose from respect 
 to the Queen, to whom an expression of regret that it 
 had been prevented would of course have been very 
 offensive. Considering the success which had attended 
 Charles's arms in Normandy in 1441, he maybe easily 
 supposed to have resolved on invading Guienne from 
 the defenceless state in which England suffered it to 
 remain, without being obliged to seek an explanation 
 of the circumstance in the presumed communication of 
 Suffolk ; and though perhaps not aware of the exact 
 object of the embassy sent to this country by Armagnac 
 in May, 1442, it is unlikely that he was ignorant of 
 the fact, which was sufficient to excite his suspicion, 
 and to make him hasten into Guienne before it was 
 attended with any result. 
 
 Whether Suffolk was guilty of the crime imputed to 
 him or not is immaterial ; and the following may perhaps 
 be considered to be the real circumstances of the case. 
 Before the invasion of Guienne by the French monarch 
 in June 1442, it appeared equally desirable to the Count 
 of Armagnac and the English ministers that an alliance 
 should take place between the two countries ; but the 
 success which attended the French between June and 
 December in that year, the extraordinary neglect of 
 England in not sending succours to that province, and 
 the consequent state of general feeling there in favour 
 of the French, materially altered the Count's sentiments. 
 If the manner in which he behaved towards the 
 English ambassadors, and the suspicion which they 
 entertained of his conduct with respect to the King of 
 France, had not induced Henry to break off the nego- 
 
 
xlix 
 
 ciation, the seizure of Armagnac's person and dominions 
 in the same year by Charles, would certainly have 
 produced that effect ; and the Count was deservedly 
 left by the King of England to the mercy of the so- 
 vereign for whom he had been abandoned. 
 
 The charge of a want of faith, which some writers 
 have brought against this country in the negociation 
 with the Count of Armagnac, appears therefore to be 
 wholly unjust; for even if it was true that the invasion 
 of Guienne was the result of Suffolk's communication 
 to Charles, it has been shown that Armagnac's suf- 
 ferings were produced, not by his adherence to Eng- 
 land, but by his having seized on the territory of 
 Cominges, and by other acts offensive to the French mo- 
 narch, with neither of which was England in any way 
 concerned. 
 
 On the 9th of September, 1442, ambassadors were 
 appointed to treat with those of the King of France 
 for a peace between the two countries on the 25th 
 of the ensuing October ;* but this not being success- 
 ful, another effort was made in January 1442-3, on 
 the 22nd of which month letters of safe conduct were 
 granted to the Bastard of Orleans and his retinue to 
 pass into the king's dominions in France for that 
 purpose. 2 In February the Earl of Suffolk ; Sir 
 Robert Roos, the former colleague of Beckington ; 
 Adam Molins, Dean of Salisbury, Keeper of the Privy 
 Seal ; Richard Andrew, Doctor of Laws, the King's 
 Secretary ; Sir Thomas Hoo, Knight ; and John Wen- 
 
 1 Foedera, tome xi. p. 14. 2 Ibid. p. 51. 
 
 e 
 
1 
 
 lock, Esquire, were appointed ambassadors to nego- 
 ciate a peace between England and France, and a 
 marriage between the King and Margaret, daughter of 
 Rene, Duke of Anjou, and titular King of Sicily, bro- 
 ther of Louis III. King of France. 1 That marriage 
 was celebrated by proxy at Tours, and again with 
 Henry at Southwick in April 1445. 2 The Queen ar- 
 rived in London on the 28th ; 3 and was crowned at 
 Westminster on the 30th, of May. 
 
 The influence which that Princess, whom Hall 
 quaintly informs us " excelled all other as well in 
 beauty and favour, as in wit and policy, and was of 
 stomach and courage more like to a man than to a 
 woman/' exercised in England, and its direful conse- 
 quences, are well known ; and one chronicler, in igno- 
 rance of the merits of the Count of Armagnac's con- 
 duct, though he lived a few years after the transaction 
 occurred, has imputed Henry's subsequent misfortunes 
 to the " brekyng of the Kinges promise to the sustre 
 oftheerle of Armynake ;" 4 whilst Hall, Grafton, Hol- 
 lingshed, and other writers, appear to have been the 
 sources of those errors on the subject, into which all 
 subsequent historians have fallen. 
 
 1 Fcedera, tome xi. p. 60. 
 
 2 A notice is preserved of the Queen's wedding ring which is interest- 
 ing. The Keeper of the Privy Seal was commanded to deliver to the 
 Keeper of the King's Jewels, by writ tested 12th January, 1445. " A ryng 
 of gold, garnysshed with a fayr rubie, sometime yeven unto us by our bel 
 oncle the Cardinal of Englande with the which we were sacred on the 
 day of our coronation at Parys, delivered unto Mathew Phelip, to breke, 
 and thereof to make an other ryng for the Quenes wedding ring." — Fcedera, 
 vol. xi. p. 76. 
 
 3 Chronicle of London, p. 134. 
 
 4 Chronicle of St. Alban's, printed in 1486. 
 

 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 THOMAS BECKINGTON, BISHOP OF BATH; 
 
 SIR ROBERT ROOS, KNIGHT BANNERET ; 
 
 AND 
 
 SIR EDWARD HULL, KNIGHT. 
 
A slight notice of the persons who were appointed 
 Ambassadors to the Count of Armagnac on the oc- 
 casion to which the Journal relates may be accept- 
 able, especially as one of them ranked among the 
 most distinguished men of his age, and the others 
 were indviduals of some consequence. 
 
THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, 
 
 BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. 
 
 Of the parentage of this eminent person not the 
 slightest notice has been taken by either of his nume- 
 rous biographers ; and as he acquired a name from the 
 place of his birth, Beckington, a small town three 
 miles north of Frome in Somersetshire, it is almost 
 certain that his family was obscure. The period when 
 he was born can only be conjectured ; and for many 
 reasons it may be assigned to about the year 1385. 
 In consequence of his elegant person and superior 
 understanding having attracted the regard of Bishop 
 Wykeham, he was educated at the school founded by 
 that prelate at Winchester, where he surpassed most of 
 his school-fellows in his studies. 1 Thence he was re- 
 moved to New College, Oxford, of which he be- 
 came a Fellow in 1408 ; and he continued to enjoy 
 that situation about twelve years, during which time 
 he was presented to the rectory of St. Leonard's, near 
 Hastings, in Sussex, and to the vicarage of Sutton 
 Courtney, in Berkshire. 2 He took the degree of 
 Doctor of Laws, and obtained various ecclesiastical 
 
 i Chaundler. 
 
 ^Anglia Sacra, vol. i. p. 573. From the Journal, it appears that in 
 1 442 he was a Prebend of Wells. — p. 2. 
 
liv THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, 
 
 dignities ; being successively, Prebendary of Bedwin ; 
 Canon of York and Litchfield ; Archdeacon of Buck- 
 ingham about 1435 ; Canon of Wells, 21st April, 
 1439 ; l and was appointed Master of the Hospital of St. 
 Katherine's, near the Tower of London. He is said 
 to have been also an advocate in Doctor's Commons, 
 and afterwards Dean of the Court of Arches, in which 
 situation, in 1429, he was employed jointly with Wil- 
 liam Linwood, Official of that Court, and Thomas 
 Brown, Vicar General to the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, to draw up the form of law according to which 
 the Lollards were to be proceeded against. 2 
 
 Chaundler, who was Chancellor of Wells, and 
 subsequently Chancellor of Oxford, describes him 
 as the most elegant man of his times ; and states that 
 he was possessed of nearly every virtue which adorns 
 human nature. Beckington is said to have mate- 
 rially increased his fame by an elaborate and very 
 learned treatise on the Salique law, which is now 
 extant. His high reputation recommended him to 
 his patron, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, to whom 
 he was Chancellor ; and it is most probable that he was 
 indebted to that Prince for the appointment of Tutor 
 to King Henry the Sixth. As early as February, 1432, 
 he was nominated one of the ambassadors to negociate 
 a peace with France, with an allowance of twenty shil- 
 lings a day, at which time he was one of the King's coun- 
 sellors ; 3 and it is certain that he was attached to the 
 mission which was sent in June 1435 to Arras, in Artois, 
 
 1 Anglia Sacra. 3 Kippis's Biographia Britannica, vol. ii. p. 114. 
 8 Fcedera, tome x. pp. 500, 514, 527, 530. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. lv 
 
 with the object of effecting peace with France, as his diary 
 containing an account of the proceedings is preserved ;* 
 but his name does not occur in the instructions issued 
 by Henry on the occasion. 2 In May, 1439, he was one 
 of the ambassadors on a similar mission, and to treat 
 for the release of the Duke of Orleans, 3 his Journal 
 of which embassy still exists ; 4 and before December in 
 
 Anglia Sacra, v. I. p. 573. The MS. containing it is said to be the 
 Cottonian MS. Tiberius, B.VI. which has been since lost ; but a contem- 
 porary copy of the contents of that volume, will be found in the Harleian 
 MS. 4763, which is thus described in the Catalogue : 
 
 " Codex membranaceus, bene scriptus. 
 
 1. Opus Thomse Beckington, Episc. Batho-Wellensis, 1441, de Jure 
 Regis Anglicz ad Franciam, quoad in Bibl. Cott Liber. B. VI. et alibi extat 
 Titulus rubricatus, incuria fere deletus, hujusmodi est, ' Opus collectum 
 et compilatum per venerabilem patrem Thomam, Bathon. et Wellens. 
 Epm. ex Uteris, allegationibus, conclusionibus, conventionibus, et tracta- 
 tibus, nonnullisque alias negotiis concernentibus jus et titulum regis 
 Anglise ad regnum et coronam Franciae, cum aliis multis quae ea occasione 
 secuta sunf. Incipit feliciter.' — Vide Tanner, Bibl. Brit. Hib. sub Beck- 
 ittgton, Inseritur, inter alia, F. Petrarchse Ecloga 12. Latino Carmine, 
 quasi idem argumentum illustrans. 2. Vita Henrici Quinti, Regis Anglise, 
 carmine elegiaco Latino. An eodem auctore ? Scriptor quisquis fuerit, 
 haec narrat in prologo. ' Non tamen omnia qua? sunt facta per ordinem, 
 in Latinis versibus continentur, qucs, in alio libra prosaice studui explanare 
 sed pauca de multis substantialia sub compendio volui anno ne forte 
 lectorem contingeret tedio omittere qua? sunt utt'io memoranda." Argu- 
 mentum plenissimum regnum Henrici in annos et capitula digerit. 
 2 Foedera, tome x. p. 611. 3 Ibid. p. 728. 
 
 4 Cotton. MS. Tiberius, B. XII. of which the following imperfect 
 account occurs in the Catalogue : " Codex partim membran : partim chart : 
 in fol : min : incendio nimium corruptus, constat hodie foliis 235. 
 
 1, Opus collectum et compilatum per ven: patrem Thomam (Beck- 
 ington?) Bathon et Wellens. episcopum, ex Uteris, allegationibus, conclu- 
 sionibus, conventionibus, et tractatibus, nonnullisque aliis negotiis et mate- 
 riis concernentibus jus et titulum regis Angliae ad regnum et coronam 
 
lvi THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, 
 
 that year lie was styled the King's Secretary. On the 
 20th May, 1442, he was joined in a commission with 
 Sir Robert Roos, and Edward Hull, Esquire, to nego- 
 ciate a marriage between the King and the daughter 
 of the Count of Armagnac, 2 on which occasion an 
 attendant, probably one of his Chaplains, wrote 
 the Journal in the following pages, which supplies 
 us with many interesting particulars respecting his 
 conduct in that affair, and throws some light upon 
 his character. The result of that embassy having 
 been already noticed, it will only be remarked that 
 Beckington and his colleague, Sir Robert Roos, re- 
 turned to England in February 1443. In July fol- 
 lowing he was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal, 
 with an allowance of twenty shillings a day ; 3 but he 
 seems to have resigned that office in the ensuing Fe- 
 bruary. 1 His long services were at length rewarded 
 by his being elected Bishop of Bath and Wells in Sep- 
 tember 1443 : and he was consecrated in the King's Col- 
 lege of Eton, by the Bishop of Lincoln, assisted by 
 the Bishops of Salisbury and Landaff, 5 on the 13th of 
 October, on which day " it was hallowed, and he sung 
 the first mass in the same." 6 He must have been then 
 nearly sixty years of age, and his public life maybe said 
 almost to have closed with his consecration though ; he is 
 recorded to have been a trier of petitions in Parliament 
 in 1444/ 1447, 8 1449, 9 1450, 10 and 1453 ;» and on the 
 
 Franciae ; cum aliis multis qua? ea occasione ecuta sunt. 2 Alii tractatus 
 de eodeni argumento ; adeo mutili ut vix usui forent. 
 
 1 Fcedera, tome x. p. 742. 2 Jbid. tome xi. p. 7. 3 Ibid. p. 58. 
 4 Ibid. 5 Anglia Sacra, vol. i. p. 574. 6 Godwin's Catalogue, 
 
 1 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 67. ' Ibid. p. 129. 9 Ibid. p. 141. 
 
 10 Ibid. p. 210. "Ibid. p. 227. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. lvii 
 
 27th of March, 1450, he was one of the Peers who 
 were in the King's palace at Westminster, when sen- 
 tence of banishment was pronounced against the Duke 
 of Suffolk. 1 On the 18th of June, 30 Henry VI. 1452, 
 the Bishop of Bath obtained a license from the King 
 to exempt him from attending Parliament, on account 
 of his age and infirmities ; 2 and after that monarch's 
 death, his successor, Edward the Fourth, granted him 
 a similar indulgence by patent, dated 11th July, in the 
 first year of his reign, 1461. 3 Whether from his ad- 
 vanced age, or in consequence of the loss of his patron, 
 the Duke of Gloucester, or from a desire to die 
 Bishop of the diocese in which he was born, an ambi- 
 tion neither extraordinary in its nature, nor of unfre- 
 quent occurrence, Beckington was never translated; 
 but continued in the peaceable enjoyment of his See 
 of Bath and Wells until his decease. Chaundler 
 says, that he experienced the kindness of Beckington 
 for four years, whilst he was Chancellor of Oxford, but 
 Anthony Wood denies, with much reason, that he ever 
 held that appointment ; and he is not included in the ca- 
 talogue of Chancellors, printed by Le Neve. 4 
 
 Of the manner in which Bishop Beckington em- 
 ployed great part of his time and of the revenues 
 of his see, we have still splendid evidence, and so long 
 
 ! Rot. Pari vol. v. p , 1 82. 2 Foedera, vol xi. p. 3 1 1 , 
 
 3 Rot, Pari. vol. vi. p. 227. 
 4 Some writers consider that he is the person whom Le Neve describes 
 as Thomas Gascoigne, who was Chancellor in 1442, and from 1443 to 
 1445; but that individual was Master of Oriel College, and Vice Chan- 
 cellor in 1434 and 1439, (Fasti Ecclesie Anglicance, pp. 442, 447,) situations 
 which have never been attributed to Beckington ; moreover for six months, 
 in 1442, he was in Guienne. 
 
IVlll THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, 
 
 as one stone of his Cathedral remains, so long must 
 his memory, his taste, and his liberality, be held 
 in veneration. It has been happily conjectured that 
 he imbibed his love, and perhaps skill in, archi- 
 tecture from his first patron, William of Wykeham, 
 from whom Bishop Waynflete likewise acquired his 
 knowledge of that science. 
 
 Beckington's munificence was scarcely inferior to 
 either of those personages. He gave two hundred 
 pounds towards building Lincoln College at Oxford, 1 
 and expended one thousand marks in repairing 
 and beautifying the Episcopal houses in his own 
 diocese, on most of which he caused his rebus, a 
 beacon upon a large cask or tun, to be affixed, an en- 
 graving of which is given at the end of this memoir. 
 He also erected the western wall of the cloisters of 
 Wells' Cathedral; he formed a monumental chantry 
 chapel for himself on the south side of the choir ; and 
 the whole of the college of the Vicar's choral was 
 built by his executors. Nor was his attention confined 
 to the Cathedral : among other benefactions to Wells 
 he built a row of houses, called the New Work, on the 
 north side of the market-place, and two large gate- 
 houses at the east end, and granted permission to the 
 inhabitants to have a reservoir or conduit near the cross 
 
 1 With this benefaction the Rector's lodgings on the south side of the 
 great quadrangle, were raised ; and Thomas de Rotherham, Bishop of 
 London, the second founder of Lincoln College, from motives of gratitude 
 to Beckington, instituted and endowed a fellowship there, for persons 
 born in the diocese of Wells, investing it with all collegiate privileges, ex- 
 cept eligibility to the rectorship and sub-rectorship. This fellowship is 
 now held by the Rev. F. Scurray, a native of Beckington. Britton's Ca- 
 thedral of Wells, p. 44. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. lix 
 
 in that city, to be supplied by pipes from St. Andrew's 
 Well, within the precincts of the episcopal palace. 1 The 
 return exacted for this favor was characteristic of the 
 age : the citizens and burgesses bound themselves to 
 visit once in every year the spot in Wells' Cathe- 
 dral,, where he might be interred, and there pray for 
 his soul, and the souls of all the faithful deceased, for 
 which service he granted them an indulgence of forty 
 days. 2 
 
 Bishop Beckington died at Wells on the 14th of 
 January, 1444-5, having made his will on the 3rd of the 
 preceding November, and fearing lest his adherence 
 to the House of Lancaster might induce .the King to 
 disturb his bequests, he obtained a confirmation of it, 
 though not without " great cost." 
 
 This document displays the same feelings of devo- 
 tion to the church for which his whole life was remark- 
 able. Not satisfied with having employed the greater 
 part of his revenues in the adornment of the Cathe- 
 dral, and in improving the city, of Wells, he bequeathed 
 all which he had accumulated to pious objects ; and it is 
 remarkable, that not a single bequest occurs to any 
 member of his family, though with pious gratitude he 
 
 1 Chaundler thus alludes to Beckington's benefactions to Wells — " This 
 man, by his sole industry and disbursements, raised this city to its present 
 state of splendour ; strengthening the church in the strongest manner, 
 with gates, towns and walls, and building the palace in which he lives, 
 with other edifices, in the most sumptuous style, so that he not only me- 
 rits to be called the founder, but more deservedly the grace and ornament 
 of the church," Anglia Sacra, vol. ii. translated in Button's Cathedral of Wells, 
 
 2 Britton's Cathedral cf Wells, p. 45. 
 
 3 Godwin's Catalogue, p. 305. 
 
Ix THOMAS D£ BECKINGTON, 
 
 left a legacy to priests to say masses for the souls of his 
 benefactors, the Duke of Gloucester, and William of 
 Wykeham. 
 
 He styled himself a humble, though unworthy mi- 
 nister, and bequeathed to the church of Wells, in 
 which he ordered that his body should be buried, 
 twenty pounds in money, four very sumptuous vest- 
 ments, four hundred pounds to buy copes, a vessel for 
 holy water of silver, weighing ten pounds troy, a cross 
 of silver parcel gilt, of the same weight, a chair for 
 the bishop to use in the church, 1 and certain cushions, 
 with other ornaments ; and to the cathedral all his 
 books ; to the church of Bath a cup, a censor and 
 a pax of silver, all weighing thirty ounces, besides 
 thirty copes and other vestments. To New College Ox- 
 ford, a silver cross of ten pounds weight, a bible in 
 four volumes, a silver bason often pounds weight, certain 
 copes, &c. To Winchester College a silver cross, dou- 
 ble gilt, weighing nine pounds and ten ounces; two 
 silver candlesticks of the same weight, and a number of 
 vestments. To the hospital of Saint Katherine, in 
 London, several vestments, and fifty shillings in money. 
 To the Church of Sutton Courtney, he gave many vest- 
 ments, besides five pounds in money, to be divided 
 among the poor of the parish ; as also the like sum to 
 the poor of Bedwin ; and so much more, besides cer- 
 tain vestments to the poor of Beckington. To 
 the Austin Friars, of Bristol, and to the Friar Minors, 
 of Bridgewater, he gave twenty shillings. To ten 
 priests, who should study at Oxford, and daily say mass 
 
 i This chair still remained when Godwin wrote, 160J. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. Ixi 
 
 for the souls of himself, his parents, and benefactors, 
 especially of Humphry, Duke of Gloucester, William of 
 Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, Master John Elmer, 
 and Walter Thurston, live pounds a piece ; and, to ten 
 poor scholars of the same university, for five years, ten- 
 pence a week. To his serving men, of the better sort, 
 he bequeathed five pounds each : to his meaner yeo- 
 men, five marks ; to every boy of his household, forty 
 shillings ; and to so many of his servants as were not 
 provided with homes, meat, drink, and their usual 
 wages, for three months after his decease. To his suc- 
 cessor, he left one hundred pounds, upon condition 
 that he would accept it in lieu of all dilapidations, 
 otherwise he desired his executors to spend it in law 
 against him : and lastly, to each of his executors, he gave 
 twenty pounds, requiring them to apply all the rest of 
 his property to good uses at their discretion. His 
 executors were Hugh Sugar, 1 his chancellor, John 
 Pope, 2 a canon, and Richard Swan, 3 provost, of the 
 Church of Wells; and he requested that John 
 
 i Hugh Sugar, doctor of lawe, and treasurer of Wells. He built the 
 chappell all of free stone, which was of wood before, adjoyning to the great 
 pulpit, and dwelt whre I now do, in the middle house of the three that 
 joyne upon the Cambray. Godwin's Catalogue, 
 
 2 John Pope, doctor of divinity, prebendary of St. Decuman's, and 
 parson of Shrye. These three, (as I have been told by old men,) lye 
 buried in a ranke together, over against the great pulpit, under three 
 marble stones of one fashion. Ibid. 
 
 3 Richard Swann, provost of Wells, and parson of Yevelton, that here- 
 tofore had beene executor, after the same sort, unto Richard Prary, bishop 
 of Chechester. This man dwelt in the canonical house, that is near the 
 market-place. Ibid. 
 
lxii THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, 
 
 Touker, his register, would assist them. The bishop's 
 will was proved, in the court of the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, on the 23rd of January, 1464-5. 1 
 
 Of Beckington's monumental chapel and tomb, the 
 following description is given in the beautiful work 
 which has been before quoted. " On the south side of 
 the choir, contiguous to the steps leading to the altar, 
 is the monumental chapel erected by Bishop Becking- 
 ton, who died in 1465 ; and near which he lies buried. 
 This is designed in the most florid style of decorated 
 architecture ; and although partly of wood, excites 
 great interest, from the excellency of its execution, and 
 the elaborate manner in which it is wrought. The 
 western side is entirely open with the exception of a 
 compartment of rich screen work near the top ; which, 
 among other ornaments, exhibits two demi-angels dis- 
 playing shields of the five wounds, and having large 
 expanded wings, the feathers of which are so profusely 
 spread as to fill the spandrills below the cornice. All 
 the canopy, or roof, is underwrought with elaborate 
 tracery, including pendants, quatrefoils, pannelled 
 arches, &c. On the south side, is a small piscina ; and 
 over the eastern end, is an enriched canopy. Small 
 graduated buttresses, having rich pinnacles, sustain the 
 sides of the chapel ; and the mouldings of the cornice 
 are ornamented with rosettes and fructed vine leaves. 
 
 " The tomb of Bishop Beckington, which, like the 
 chapel, is partly of wood, is extremely curious. It is 
 raised on a basement step, and consists of two divisions ; 
 first, a table slab, whereon is a recumbent figure 
 
 1 Godyn, 7. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. Ixiii 
 
 of the bishop, in alabaster, habited in the same way as 
 he had appointed to he buried ; and secondly, a low 
 pedestal beneath the former, on which is another effigy 
 of the deceased, in freestone, represented as an emaci- 
 ated corpse, extended, in a winding sheet. This kind 
 of contrasted exhibition of the human figure, intended 
 to denote the awful change which disease and death 
 occasion, and thus convey a moral lesson to human 
 vanity, was not uncommon in our cathedrals about the 
 middle of the fifteenth century. The bishop's garments, 
 mitre, maniple, &c. have been richly gilt, and painted ; 
 and the borderings, and other parls, have been de- 
 picted as inlaid, or set with precious stones : his head 
 is reposing on two cushions, tasseled. The slab is sup- 
 ported by six small columns, three on each side, having 
 low trefoil-headed arches between them, forming a sort 
 of canopy over the emaciated figure ; and the spandrils 
 of which are almost wholly filled by the luxuriant 
 plumage of demi-angels, which rest, with outspreading 
 wings, on the shafts of the columns : these shafts were 
 originally adorned with panneled arches and pinnacles ; 
 but much of the old work has been broken away, and its 
 place supplied by plain wood." 1 
 
 Only one notice has ever been discovered respect- 
 ing Beckington's family. Godwin says, 2 he had seen a 
 lease of some episcopal lands, granted by him, to his 
 relation Beatrice, the wife of Thomas Dabridgecourt, 
 Esquire ; but this affords no clue to the bishop's ances- 
 tors, for the pedigrees of Dabridgecourt do not state 
 
 i Britton's Cathedral of Wells, p. 111. 2 De Pramlibus. 
 
lxiv THOMAS DE BECKUNTGTON, 
 
 who the said Thomas married. His father, John Da- 
 bridge court, Esq. died in 1432, seized of lands in 
 Wiltshire, at which time this Thomas was found to be 
 his son and heir, and then four years of age. He 
 made his will on the 2nd November, 1466, in which 
 he speaks of his children, and appointed his mother 
 Agnes Brocas his executrix. 1 
 
 At the distance of between three and four centuries, 
 those minute traits of character which impart to biogra- 
 phy its greatest charm, are in most cases irrecoverably 
 lost. We can only contemplate men in the most im- 
 portant of their public actions, or trace them through the 
 distinguished offices which they may have held ; but we 
 know nothing of their personal habits, or their private 
 pursuits. 
 
 Bishop Beckington forms no exception to this re- 
 mark. Little is known about him beyond the situations 
 which he filled, and the admirable manner in which he 
 expended his property ; on which subjects enough has 
 been said. That he was a man distinguished among 
 his contemporaries for his learning, is evident, from the 
 offices for which he was selected, and from his manu- 
 scripts : and his biographers have represented him as 
 having been profoundly versed in theology, a good 
 preacher, and so generous a patron of learned and in- 
 genious men, as to be styled the Maecenas of his age. 2 
 Though hitherto wholly unnoticed by historians, his 
 MSS. are of the highest historical value ; and it is to be 
 
 1 Esch : 10 Hen. VI. Pedigree in " Vincent's Warwick," in the College 
 of Arms, f. 39. His mother married, secondly, William Brocas. Ibid. 
 
 2 Biographia Britannica, Leland, Bale, Pitts, &c. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. IxV 
 
 hoped that this volume may be the cause of their re- 
 ceiving the attention which they deserve. His eloquence 
 and other qualifications are represented in glowing co- 
 lours by his friend Chaundler ; but there is an unnatural 
 glare about his painting which justifies a suspicion as 
 to the strict fidelity of the likeness, though the outline 
 is probably correct. 
 
 It is at Wells, that the lover of the arts, and 
 the admirer of the zeal and disinterestedness of the 
 prelates of the middle ages, will be most impressed with 
 respect for Bishop Beckington ; but whilst viewing the 
 effects of his munificence, will he be able to refrain from 
 asking himself, why it is that the successors of those 
 great men have so rarely imitated them ? Will his 
 respect for the established order of things be sufficient 
 to repress the reflection, that with nearly the same reve- 
 nues, the\nodern clergy seldom indeed beautify or 
 repair cathedrals, endow hospitals, or found colleges. 
 There is an apathy about ancient ecclesiastical build- 
 ings in this country, which is surprising ; inproof of which 
 it may be observed, that the repairs of parish churches, 
 are generally left to the superintendence of uneducated 
 men, who every where leave marks of their barbarous 
 ignorance and want of taste. Whether this neglect, of 
 what are termed the " temples of God," is indicative of 
 greater zeal in his service, than was felt by the reviled 
 monkish priesthood; or whether the public, who are 
 so commonly accused from the pulpit of indifference to 
 their religious duties, are likely to become more strict 
 observers of them, whilst the richly endowed hierarchy 
 of England allow the venerable religious fabrics to 
 fall to decay, may be a proper subject for the conside- 
 ration of the dignitaries of our church. 
 
 Besides the MSS. which have been alluded to s a 
 
 f 
 
Ixvi 
 
 THOMAS DE BECKINGTON. 
 
 volume of Bishop Beckington's letters are preserved in 
 the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is 
 thus described in the catalogue. 
 "No. 211. 
 
 Codex membranaceus, in fol. sec. xv. folior. 161. 
 
 Thomae de Bekyntona Regi Henrico VI. ab Epis- 
 tolis (et postea Episcopi Bathoniensis et Wellensis) 
 Epistolae. Titulus ( Opusculum ex Missivis Literis 
 Serenissimi Principis Henrici VI. Angliae et Franciae 
 Regis, tempore venerabilis viri Thomae de Bekyntona, 
 Legum Doctoris,ejusdem Regis Secretarii, per eundem 
 Regem missis una cum quibusdam aliis Literis ejusdem 
 Secretarii ac aliorum, ad utilitatem Simplicum in unum 
 collectum et compilatum.' 
 
 These letters are chiefly on public and ecclesiastical 
 affairs, between 1438 and 1456; but the following ap- 
 pear to be of a personal nature : 
 
 fol. 80 b — 83\ Epistolae Bekintoni Familiares. 
 
 93. b Epistolae VI. Thomae Chaundeler, Wellensis 
 Cancellari, ad Bekintonum ; quibus ipsum laudat, de 
 beneficiis gratias agit, et miserum Regni statum deflet. 
 
 The annexed wood cut represents the badge, which 
 is placed in the houses built by Beckington, and which 
 forms a rebus of his name, T. Beck-in»ton. 
 
BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS. Ixvii 
 
 His arms were Argent, on a fess Azure, between, 
 in chief, three stag's heads caboshed, Gules, attired 
 Or, and in base three pheons 2 and 1 Sable, a mitre, 
 labelled, of the fourth. 1 
 
 1 Philpot's Ordinary, f. 110, in the College of Arms; Collinson's History 
 of Somersetshire, vol. iii. p. 376.; and a contemporary representation on the 
 ceiling of the Divinity Schools, Oxford. 
 
 
 
 
SIR ROBERT ROOS, 
 
 BANNERET, CARVER TO HENRY THE SIXTH. 
 
 Although the chief person of the embassy to the 
 Count of Armagnac, precedence has been given 
 to the memoir of Bishop Beckington, because the 
 Journal more particularly relates to the latter ; and 
 however eminent Roos may have been in his time, 
 he has been so completely forgotten by posterity, that 
 it was with some difficulty the following imperfect no- 
 tices of him could be collected. 
 
 Sir Robert Roos was the fourth son of William 
 Lord Roos, K. G. by Margaret, daughter of Sir John 
 Arundell, Knight, and was born about the year 1409 
 or 1410. 1 Of his early life nothing is known ; but it must 
 be inferred that he had eminently distinguished him- 
 self before he is mentioned in records, for the first 
 notice which has been discovered of him is his appoint- 
 ment as one of the ambassadors to negociate a peace 
 with France on the 3rd November 19 Hen. VI. 14-40 ; 2 
 
 1 His eldest brother, John Lord Roos, succeeded Lis father in Septem- 
 ber 1414, at which time he was eighteen years old ; his lordship and his 
 next brother William, were slain in France on the same day, the 22nd 
 March, 1421, when Thomas the third son, succeeded his brother in his 
 honors, and was then fourteen years of age. 
 2 Fcedera, tome x. p. 827. 
 
SIR ROBERT ROOS. Ixix 
 
 and in May 1442, he was sent to treat for the King's 
 marriage, 1 at which time he was a Knight, and one of his 
 Majesty's Carvers, 2 an office of considerable consequence 
 in the royal household. 3 The Journal affords much infor- 
 mation relative to his conduct on the occasion, from which 
 it is manifest that he evinced considerable talent, firm- 
 ness, and zeal, in the difficult situation in which he 
 was placed. It appears that he was elected (t . Regent," or 
 Commander of the three States, which were in the Eng- 
 lish interests, on the 15th of August, 1442 4 ; and that 
 though his health was then excessively bad, he did not 
 allow it to interfere with the performance of his du- 
 ties. 5 He returned to England in February 1443 6 ; and 
 in May or June in that year, performed the office of 
 Chamberlain to John Stafford, Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, at his installation, as proxy for his nephew, 
 Thomas Lord Roos, then a minor. 7 On the 19th of 
 July, 21 Hen. VI. 1443, the King granted to him and 
 the heirs male of his body, the situation of Keeper 
 of the Forest of Rockingham, between the bridges of 
 Stanford and the gates of Oxford : 8 he was also Keeper 
 of the park of Brigstoke, and of the foreign woods 
 there, called Brigstoke-bailly, and of the park and war- 
 ren of Multon. 9 He obtained a grant of the manor of 
 
 1 Fiedera, tome. xi. p. 7. 2 Journal, p. 5. 3 See " Notes," p. 109. 
 
 4 Journal, pp. 28, 32. 5 Ibid, p. 38. 6 Ibid. p. 90. 
 
 7 Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 553, but that writer confounds this Sir 
 Robert Roos with his uncle of the same name, who died on the 30th Sep- 
 tember, 1441, leaving his two daughters his co-heirs. Esch. 20 Hen. VI. 
 8 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 193. Rot. Patent, 21 Hen. VI. 2 p», m. 1. 
 9 Rot. Par I. vol. v. p. 319. 
 
Ixx SIR ROBERT ROOS. 
 
 Bekford, in Gloucestershire, for life, in 1442 ; and an 
 annuity to him, and to Anne, his wife, of £60. for their 
 lives, and for the life of the survivor, out of the 
 great customs of woolfell, and wools in the port of 
 London. 2 
 
 That Roos did not lose the King's favor by his con- 
 duct in his mission to the Count of Armagnac is proved 
 by his having received most of these grants soon af- 
 ter his return ; and it is equally certain that he then 
 rather added to, than lessened, his reputation, as he 
 was selected to negociate a peace with France, and 
 to conclude a treaty of marriage between the King 
 and Margaret, daughter of Ren6, titular King of Sicily, 
 at Tours, in February, 22 Hen. VI. 1444, 3 at which 
 time he was a Banneret. 4 It was probably for his ser- 
 vices on that occasion that the offices of Chamber- 
 lain and Customer of the town of Berwick for life, were 
 bestowed upon him in the 24th Hen. VI. 1445. 5 
 
 At a Chapter of the Order of the Garter held on 
 the 12th of May 1445, to fill up the vacancy occasioned 
 by the death of Sir Hertank Von Clux, Roos was nomi- 
 nated by Sir John Fastolf, and Sir John Beauchamp ; 
 and at the chapter on the eve of the feast of St. George 
 1447, when the King of Portugal was elected, he was 
 one of the Knights named in the ballotting list of the 
 Marquess of Suffolk and of Sir John Beauchamp. 7 
 
 Sir Robert Roos had proved himself too useful* a 
 servant to be allowed to remain long unemployed ; and in 
 March 1448, he was again sent to conclude a truce with 
 
 1 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 49. 2 Ibid. p. 198. 
 
 3 Foedera, tome xi. pp. 53, 80. 4 Ibid. 
 
 5 Rot. Patent, 2d pt. m 11. Printed Calendar, p. 288. 
 6 Anstis' Register of the Order of the Garter, vol. ii. p. 128. 
 7 Ibid. p. 133. 
 
SIR ROBERT ROOS. Ixxi 
 
 France ;* but he survived this appointment a short 
 time, dying on the 30th of December in the same year, 
 aged about forty, leaving Anne his widow, and Henry 
 his son and heir fifteen years old. 2 
 
 Henry Roos, the son of Sir Robert, by the style of 
 " Henry Roos, Esquire," was protected by the Act of 
 Resumption, 28 Hen. VI. in the possession of the 
 grants made to his father of the office of Keeper of 
 Rockingham Forest ; and Sir Robert's widow, Anne 
 Lady Roos, was also secured in the receipt of her an- 
 nuity of £60. before noticed. In the Act of Resump- 
 tion, in the 34th Hen. VI. by which Henry Roos 
 was again protected in the enjoyment of the office of 
 Keeper of Rockingham Forest, a recognition occurs 
 of the services of his father : the former being described 
 as " our well beloved Squire Henry Roos, son and heir 
 of Robert Roos, now dead, and sometime one of our 
 Carvers, the which Robert daily in his life continued in 
 our service." 4 
 
 Henry Roos was knighted between the 34th and 
 39th Hen. VI. and having fought in defence of his 
 unfortunate sovereign at the battle of St. Alban's, on 
 Palm Sunday, 29th March, 1 Edw. IV. 1461, he shared 
 the fate of the other adherents of the House of Lan- 
 caster, being declared guilty of high treason, by statute 
 1 Edw. IV. in which he is called " Henry Roos, late 
 of Rokyngham, in the county of Northampton, Knight," 5 
 which description admits of the inference that he was 
 there slain. After that time nothing is known either 
 of him or his family. 
 
 1 Fxdera, tome xi. pp. 199,' 206. 2 Esch. 27 Hen. VI. 
 
 z Rot. Pari vol, v. pp. 193, 198. 
 4 Ibid. p. 319. 5 Ibid. p. 480. 
 
SIR EDWARD HULL, K. G. 
 
 It is only by one notice in the Journal, that this indivi- 
 dual, who was the colleague of Sir Robert Roos and 
 Beckington in their mission, and subsequently became 
 a person of much consideration, can be identified. The 
 latter, is said to have dined with Hull, at Enmore, in 
 Somersetshire, when on his journey to Plymouth, 1 
 which proves that he was the son of Sir John Hull, by 
 Eleanor, daughter and heiress of Sir John Mallet, eldest 
 son of Sir Baldwin Mallet, of Enmore. As Sir John 
 Mallet died in his father's lifetime, that property, which 
 had been for many centuries in the possession of the an- 
 cient house of Mallet, devolved, upon the death of Sir 
 Baldwin, either on his grand-daughter and heiress, or 
 on her son, the subject of this memoir. 2 
 
 Many notices exist, of the family of Hull, in the 
 county of Somerset ; s but it is not possible to form a 
 
 1 Journal, p. 2. 
 
 % ^Collmsoris History of Somersetshire, vol. i. p. 91. Pole's Collections for 
 Devon, p. 275. The Heralds' Visitations of Somersetshire corroborate this 
 statement, excepting that they erroneously call the issue of Sir John Hull 
 and Eleanor Mallet, Sir Henry Hull. 
 
 3 In the 22 Rich. II. Michael Marshal released to Robert Hull and 
 Isabel his wife, all claim to the manor of Edyngton, in Somersetshire, 
 Ancient Charters in the British Museum, xv. 17. Richard the Second, in the 
 nineteenth year of his reign, granted to John Hull, and Robert his son, the 
 custody of the lands which Thomas Fychet held in consequence of the 
 
SIR EDWARD HULL, K. G. IxXlii 
 
 regular pedigree from them. The earliest record of 
 Edward Hull, which has been discovered, is that in 
 February, 20 Hen. VI. 1442 he, and Eleanor Hull, 
 probably his mother, received a grant of an annuity of 
 fifty marks for their lives, and the life of the survivor of 
 them, with reversion to the king and his heirs ; but 
 which reversion Henry in the twenty-third year of his 
 reign, bestowed on the provost of his new college of 
 Eton. 1 In the following May, he was appointed one of 
 the ambassadors to the Count of Armagnac, at which 
 time he was an Esquire of the King's body, and had just 
 returned from Guienne. 2 
 
 After having a conference on the state of that duchy 
 with Beckington, at his seat of Enmore, he proceeded 
 to the king, and instead of accompanying his colleagues 
 to Bourdeaux, Henry, intended to detain him about his 
 person, until the army, which was destined for Guienne, 
 was ready. 3 He arrived at Bourdeaux, however, on the 
 22nd of October, 4 having been dispatched with letters 
 to the ambassadors, and to the inhabitants of that city, 
 promising that reinforcements should soon be sent 
 thither ; 5 and he brought with him an artist to paint the 
 portraits of the Count of Armagnac's daughters. 6 
 
 Hull left Bourdeaux with Roos and other personages, 
 attended by a large force, to attack the French, near St. 
 Lopyes, on the 26th of October ; 7 and an account of his 
 
 minority of Isabel, sister of the said Thomas. Ibid, marked 43 E. 33. See also 
 48 E. 52, Maud Chadde, widow of Thomas Chadde, and daughter of John 
 Jourdan, granted to John Hull, and Isabel his wife, in the 7th of Hen IV. 
 certain lands, with others in Aldwardstoke. Ibid. 111. E. 30. ;. 
 
 1 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 79. 2 Journal, pp. 5-6. 3 Ibid. 
 
 4 Ibid. p. 53. 5 Ibid. pp. 54-55. 6 Ibid. p. 60. 1 1bid, pp. 58-59, 
 
Ixxiv SIR EDWARD HULL, K. G. 
 
 able conduct on the occasion, apparently written by one 
 of his servants, or followers, will be found at the end of 
 the journal. 1 He came back the same day, and remained 
 until the 10th of November, when he proceeded to Lan- 
 gon, with three hundred men at arms, and the same num- 
 ber of archers ; 2 and on the 19th, was at St. Makary. 3 He 
 seems to have returned to Bourdeaux with Roos, on the 
 24th ; 4 and on the 31st of December, he had an interview 
 with the Archbishop of that city. 5 As a new year's 
 gift, he presented Beckington with two pots of green gin- 
 ger 6 on the 1st, and with twelve heads for arrows, on the 
 8ih, of January, 1443. 7 It having been determined that 
 Hull should not return to England with Roos and 
 Beckington, he was elected constable of the castle of 
 Bourdeaux, on the 9th of January, when he is said 
 to have made a present of a bow of holly, 8 
 
 It is not known how long Hull remained in Gui- 
 enne: he was a feoffee of some of the King's lands, 
 on the 30th of November, 1443, and 7th July, 
 1444, at which time he was still an Esquire, 9 but 
 he soon afterwards received the honour of knighthood, 
 for he is mentioned as a feoffee on the 23rd February, 
 23 Hen. VI. 1445 ; " as Sir Edward Hull, Knyght :" 10 
 again, on the 29th June, in that year ; u and in the 27th 
 Hen. VI. 1448-9 12 . 
 
 In the 25th and 27th Hen. VI. he obtained a grant 
 of free warren in his manor of Milton, near Bruton, in 
 
 1 Journal, pp. 97-98. 2 Ibid. p. 65. 3 Ibid.-p.67. 4 Ibid. pp. 71-72. 
 
 6 Ibid. p. 81. 6 Ibid. p. 82. ? Ibid. p. 83. 8 Ibid. 
 
 9 Rot. Perl. vol. v. p. 71, bis. w Ibid. p. 72. 
 
 11 Ibid. p. 73. i 2 Ibid. p. 165. 
 
 
SIR EDWARD HULL, K. G. IxXV 
 
 Somersetshire ; x and in the Act of Resumption, 28 Hen. 
 VI. he was protected from its effects, excepting with 
 respect to the grant of fifty marks yearly, out of the 
 King's Exchequer. 2 
 
 At a Chapter held for the election of a Knight of 
 the Garter in the 28th Hen. VI. 1449, Sir Edward 
 Hull was one of the Knights nominated by the Duke of 
 Somerset and Lord Beauchamp : 3 and on the 7th of 
 May, 31 Hen. VI. 1453, he was elected into that noble 
 Order in the room of Lord Willoughby. 4 Hull was at that 
 time abroad, having accompanied the Earl of Shrews- 
 bury in the expedition into Guienne ; 5 and served un- 
 der that nobleman at the battle of Chastillon in July 
 following, when he shared the fate of his gallant chief, 
 both being killed in the field, with the Earl's son, 
 Viscount L'Isle, and several other distinguished per- 
 sonages. 6 The circumstance of Sir Edward Hull never 
 having been installed, explains why his name does 
 not occur in the Windsor Tables, and also accounts 
 for no plate having been ever placed in the Chapel of 
 the Order; 7 nor is it certain that he lived long enough 
 to be informed of the high honour which had been 
 conferred upon him. 
 
 Soon after his decease, directions were issued under 
 the Privy Seal for the settlement of the wages due to 
 him, from which we learn that he appointed his mother 
 his executrix. His Majesty commanded that a settlement 
 should be made, " with oure righte welbeloved Dame 
 Alianore Hull, modre and executrice of Edward Hull, 
 
 1 Calend. Rot. Chart, p. 201. 2 Rot. Purl. vol. v. p. 193. 
 
 3 Anstis' Register of the Order of the Garter, vol. ii. p. 143. 
 4 Ibid. pp. 150, 151. SJbid. 
 
 6 Ibid. Hall's Chronicle, Ed. 1809. p. 229. * Anstis' Register, vol. i. p. 48. 
 
Ixxvi SIR EDWARD HULL, K. B. 
 
 Knight, late Constable of our castel of Bourdeaux, 
 &c. and to make paiement of al maner wages of werre, 
 of men of armes, and archers, with the said Edward in 
 our service for the keeping and defense of oure cite of 
 Burdeux, and other towns and places in our Dutchie of 
 Guienne, at his propre expensis and wages in the com- 
 pany of th'erle of Shrewsbury Lord Talbot, which late 
 was Lieutenant of oure Dutchie of Guienne aforesaid, 
 beyng from the xxij day of Octobre, in the yere of our 
 Lord 1452, unto the xviij day of Juyl than next fol- 
 lowing, which day the said Edward deceased." 1 
 
 Sir Edward Hull continued Constable of Bour- 
 deaux until his death ; but he latterly performed the du- 
 ties of his office by his deputy, George Swillington,^ 
 whose name occurs in the Journal. In the Act of 
 Resumption in the 34th Hen. VI. 1455-6, it is pro- 
 vided that that statute shall not be prejudicial to a grant 
 to " Dame Aleanor Hull and to Sir Edward Hull, late 
 one of our Esquires, attending our body, of fifty 
 marks, to be perceived yearly by the hands of the Ab- 
 bot and Convent of St. Alban's, but that the same 
 grant shall stand in force for the same Dame Elea- 
 nor." 3 
 
 According to Collinson, Sir Edward Hull died 
 without issue male ; but Sir William Pole says he died 
 issueless, which is most probable, as it is certain that 
 Enmore reverted to Hugh Mallet, a younger son of 
 Sir Baldwin Mallet, before-mentioned, by his second 
 wife. The name of Hull continued for several centu- 
 
 1 Anstis' Regisler, vol. ii. p. 151. 
 2 Ancient Charters in the British Museum, 43 B 52, 43 B 53. See the 
 " Additional Notes," at the end of the volume. 
 
 3 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 313. 
 
SIR EDWARD HULL, K. B. IxXvii 
 
 ries, in the counties of Somerset and Devon, and is not 
 yet extinct. 
 
 Ashmole states that the arms of Sir Edward Hull 
 were Argent, three cross crosslets Azure, between two 
 bendlets Gules j 1 but according to Anstis, who refers 
 to his seals, he bore his mother's coat of Malet, Azure, 
 three escallops, Or; and generally described himself as 
 the son of Dame Aleanor Hull. 2 
 
 1 Institution of the Order of the Garter, p. 169. 
 2 Register of the Order of the Garter, vol. 1. p. 48. 
 

ERRATA. 
 
 p. xvi. To Note 1. add " The account given of the recapture of Dacq's, &c." 
 from note 2 ; and note 2, should be " Ibid. p. 28, 29." 
 
 pp. 44, 45, 67, 71, 73, 77, 78, for Auxerre" read " Auch." 
 
 p. 97, 1. 11, for " xx." read " xxvj." 
 
 p. 120. Dele the note to " Viscount of Lomaine," and see Additional 
 Notes. 
 
 p. 123. 1. 22. for " 39th" read " 29th of October." 
 
 p. 128. 1.43. for " windlas" read " windas." 
 

 
JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. 
 
 ANNO 1442, 
 
 UNE V. Memorandum. — In the 
 year of our Lord One thousand 
 CCCC and forty-two, on Tues- 
 day the fifth of June, his excel- 
 lency my lord, Master Thomas 
 Bekynton, secretary of our Lord King Henry 
 the Sixth, came from Windsor to Henley-upon- 
 Thames, where he supped, and passed the night. 
 With him there were Mr. William Say, Mr. 
 Ralph Legh, an officer of the eatery to our Lord 
 the King, and Thomas Chamberlaine. In the 
 morning, at the second hour, Thomas Daniel 
 came upon the said king's business to my lord 
 the secretary. 
 
 VI. Wednesday, my lord rode on horseback 
 to Sutton. 
 
 VII. Thursday, to dinner at Abingdon with 
 the lord abbot, where was the Bishop of Salis- 
 bury. Supped at Sutton. 
 
 VIII. IX. Friday at Sutton, Saturday dined 
 at Sutton, and slept at Bedwin. 
 
 X. Sunday, at Bedwin, whither John Water, 
 
 came upon the king's business. 
 
 B 
 
2 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 June XI. Monday, at the same place, where 
 the aforesaid John Water took his oath. 
 
 XII. Tuesday to Devizes, 1 where my lord 
 spoke with the Lord de Hungerford, and supped 
 
 and slept with the mayor of the town 2 
 
 To-day Mr. Ralph Legh and John Water re- 
 turned to the king at Bedwin. 
 
 XIII. Wednesday, dined at Beckinton, whi- 
 ther the Lord de Hungerford sent two flagons 
 of wine in bottles. Supped at Wells. 
 
 XIV. Thursday, dined at the same place 
 with Mr. J. Bernard. In the afternoon my lord 
 drank with the chanter, and was there installed 
 in the choir for his prebend ; supped at Glaston- 
 bury with the abbot, who lent his lordship a 
 horse. 
 
 XV. Friday, dined at the same place, and 
 slept at Taunton, from whence my lord sent 
 Richard Erie to Basingstoke to M. Robert 
 Roos, and Thomas Chamberlain to Enmore to 
 Edward Hull. 
 
 XVI. Saturday, dined with Edward Hull at 
 Enmore, with whom my lord held a conference 
 upon the state of Guienne. With him there 
 were Mr. W. Say, J. Blakeney, and J. Say, and a 
 
 1 " Le Vise," in the original, but clearly Devizes, which 
 is just sixteen miles from Bedwin. 
 
 2 The following words occur in the original, but to which it 
 is difficult to assign a meaning : " Sejur t0 viz uno cap r0 ." 
 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 3 
 
 servant for their horses ; all the rest at Taunton, 
 where his lordship slept. 
 
 June XVII. At the same place all day, but 
 slept at Tiverton. 
 
 XVIII. Monday, in the castle of the Earl of 
 Devon, where my lord dined. After dinner, 
 at one of the manors of the earl, called Comb 
 John : my lord afterwards drank on the road to 
 Exeter, and there supped and passed the night. 
 
 XIX. Tuesday, at the same place to dinner 
 with Master J. Cobyorn, the dean. 
 
 XX. Wednesday, with Mr. John Snetesham, 
 where my lord dined with the chancellor. 
 
 XXI. Thursday, at the inn. To-day a buck 
 was sent from Tiverton to his lordship. 
 
 XXII. Friday, at the same place : dined with 
 Friar Curteys. 
 
 XXIII. Saturday, at the same place : dined 
 with Master William Browneng, the prebendary. 
 To-day, Mr. William Say and Thomas Chamber- 
 lain returned back. 
 
 XXIV. Sunday, the festival of the nativity 
 of John Baptist, Sir Robert Roos came in the 
 morning. My lord dined with Mr. J. Stevens, 
 and supped with Mr. Richard Merton. 
 
 XXV. Monday, at the same place to dinner 
 with Sir 1 Richard Hillier, the inspector; 2 to 
 
 1 Query — u Domino" in the original. 
 2 " Supervisore." 
 
4 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 supper with J. Wadham, sheriff of the county of 
 Devon. After supper, M. Roos took horse to 
 Powderham, and passed the night with Sir 
 Philip Courtenay, Knight. 
 
 June XXVI. Tuesday morning, he breakfast- 
 ed with the said Philip Courtenay, and dined at 
 Chudleigh with the Lord Bishop of Exeter, 
 and supped at Ashburton, where John was 
 dismissed with Alice. Thomas fell ill, and 
 afterwards came to Plymouth. 
 
 XXVII. Wednesday, dined at Plymton with 
 the Prior there, and supped at Plymouth, at the 
 house of Thomas Hill, an innkeeper. 
 
 XXVIII. Thursday, at the same place. 
 
 XXIX. Friday, at the same place, where 
 Mr. Adrian gave us a pipe of white wine, and 
 N. Huse, Esquire, set off to the king at two in the 
 afternoon, with certain articles, &c. To-day 
 the following letter of the king's was received 
 at Plymouth, and delivered by the hands of 
 John de Gules, Huse's servant. 
 
 BY THE KING. 
 
 Je h „«S S A^r Right trusty and welbeloved, 
 
 *:^C we § rete y° u wel - And for as 
 
 much as our trusty and welbeloved squier 
 for our body Edward Hull, the which nowe 
 late is commen unto us out of our Duchie of 
 
Guienne hath amonge other things reported 
 unto us ho we our enemies and adversaires are 
 commyng toward our cite of Bourdeaux for to 
 besiege hit, w T e late you wete that we kepe 
 stille our said squier aboute our personne unto 
 tyme that we have ordeined here our armee to 
 goo thider for the helpe succor and defense of 
 our said cite and of all our cuntreyes there ; of 
 the whiche arme our cousin of Suffolk hathe 
 tolde us that he and ye our Secretaire have di- 
 vers tymes communed before this tyme. Where- 
 fore we wol that for the comfort and encou- 
 ragement of our true subgetts there ye do this 
 to be knowen amonge thym at your thider com- 
 myng, as hit shall seme to your discrecions to 
 be doon, wherin ye shal do to us good pleasir. 
 Yeven under our signet of Th'egle at our Castel 
 of Windesore the xxiij day of Juyn. 
 
 Also our said Squier shal bringe certaine an- 
 swere upon al the matiers and articles that he 
 hath brought at his said commyng thider. Yeven 
 as above. 
 
 To our right trusty and welbeloved knight Sir 
 
 Robert Roos oon of our Kervers, and 
 
 Maister Th : Bekynton our Secretaire and 
 
 to either of them. 
 
 June XXIX. To-day, Friday, at Plymouth 
 
 Stephen Messangier delivered another letter 
 
 sealed by the King's hands, here following. 
 
6 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 BY THE KING. 
 
 ^SLldS ^ght trusty and welbeloved, 
 
 matriage^ 6 ' ^ 8 We ^ ete y 0U Wel ' Lating yOU 
 
 wete that our trusty Squier for our body Ed- 
 ward Hull is commyn unto us oute of our 
 Duchie of Guienne and hath reported unto us 
 certain things of that cuntrey, whereupon we 
 purpose to sende him thider agen in al haste. 
 Wherfore we wol that ye holde forthe your wey 
 thiderwarde usinge at your thider commyng the 
 pouaire and instructions that ye received in our 
 presence, except al oonly where there is in the 
 name of a personne that ye go for conteined in 
 an article of your same instructions, in especial, 
 that in the stede therof ye sette hit general, to 
 th' entent that we may have choys, as ye wote 
 wel hit was profred us to have by the Arche- 
 diaken that came thens ; and so ye may grounde 
 you upon the generalte, for the same Arche- 
 diaken [promised] al the children to be at our 
 disposicion. And for as muche as ye have noon 
 instruction of this forme, but this oonly which 
 procedeth of our owne mocion, desiring there- 
 fore that ye notwithstanding al other doo the 
 execucion therof, we have signed this lettre of 
 our owne hande, the whiche as ye wote well we 
 be not muche accustumed for to do in other 
 
1442. 7 
 
 caas. Yeven under our Signet of Th'egle at 
 our Castle of Windsore the xxiij day of Juyn. 
 To our Right trusty, ut supra. 
 
 A reply to the letter immediately preceding, 
 sent by N. Husse, in confidence. 
 
 TO THE KING OUR SOVERAIN LORD. 
 
 Reply to the King Moost excellent and moost 
 
 by his Ambassa- 
 dor Christian Prince. After as lowly 
 
 recommendacion unto your highnesse as we 
 your humble servants can or may devise, please 
 hit unto your said highnesse to wete that we 
 have received at the tyme of writing of thees 
 your gracious letter signed above with your owne 
 hande and seeled with your signet of th'egle, 
 by the whiche ye geve us in commandement to 
 holde forthe our journey using the pouaire 
 instructions which hath be delivered unto 
 us by your auctorite, except al oonly that 
 where as oon personne is named in especial, 
 that we in stede therof sholde sett hit gene- 
 ral to th'entent that your said highnesse 
 may have choys of all. And for as muche, our 
 moost doubted Souveraign Lord, as fer as we 
 can understande after our simple witts, the 
 pouaire whiche ye have geven unto us by your 
 letters of commission which we sende you by 
 thee beerer of thees, is by this your commaunde- 
 ment plainly expired, we beseeche you as 
 
5 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 lowly as can or may be thought, that consider- 
 ing that in matier of so grete a weight as this 
 is, farst men wol look that our auctorite and 
 pouaire be suffisaint, which as is before re- 
 hersshed, we holde hit plainly expired, please 
 hit your noble grace for the hasty spede of us 
 your humble servants which abiden here upon 
 our passage, and ben redy to passe, to sende us 
 suche pouaire and auctorite as shal please your 
 said noble grace that we shal have and use, so 
 that when we shal come to the parties to the 
 whiche ye sendeth us we be not understande as 
 naaked of pouaire, and so al our labour be vaine 
 and inutile. And for as muche as N. Husse your 
 menial and true servaunt beerer of thees, sworn 
 before us to the secrete of this matier, as he that 
 hath laboured in the same heretofore can and 
 may declare unto you al that we feel in this 
 behalve, we beseeche you lowly yf hit may 
 please you to geve hym benigne audience and 
 also feith and credence in that he shal seye unto 
 your highnesse, whom w r e knowe for right feith- 
 full and secrete, which causeth us in this so grete 
 a mater and so secrete to sende hym unto your 
 said highnesse, the whiche Almighty God pre- 
 serve. 
 
 Writen at Plymmouthe the xxx day of Juyn. 
 Your moost humble subgetts and 
 servaunts Roos Ro. and Th : Beck' 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 9 
 
 June XXX. Saturday at the same place. At 
 two in the afternoon the said N. Husse returned 
 to the King. 
 
 July I. II. III. Sunday, Monday, and Tues- 
 day, at the same place. The Prior of Plympton 
 sent " 1 sahn' & gall' ij iij." * 
 
 IV. V. Wednesday and Thursday at Plymp- 
 ton with the Prior. 
 
 VI. VII. Friday and Saturday, at Ply- 
 mouth ; on the latter day, at nine in the even- 
 ing, N. Husse returned from the King with the 
 following answer to the letter before men- 
 tioned. 
 
 o T v h e e r an R d ^ove^e The Kinge wol Sires that ye 
 
 histmctions afore j^j^ forth yQUr J oumey ugmg 
 
 th'instrucions that were delivered unto you 
 in his presence, saveng only where ye had 
 the name of oon in especial, the King wol 
 that ye trete in general, to th'entent that he 
 may have the choys. And thereas ye have 
 noon instruction therof, the Kinge wol that ye 
 take thoo letters signed with his owne hande 
 which he sent you for your instruction, and that 
 hit be kept with your other instructions. More- 
 over, wheras ye wrote unto the King that your 
 commission was expired by his said letters that 
 
 1 Query, a Salmon, and two or three fowls. 
 
10 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 he sent unto you, I have brought you an other 
 according to the said letters. Furthermore the 
 Archdeken offered to the kinge the choys of al 
 the children and the remenaunt to be at the 
 king's disposition, wherfore the kinge wol 
 ye shold grounde you thereupon, and to lete 
 theim have knowlage which the kinge lust to 
 have or ye departe oute of that Cuntrey ; and 
 at your first commyng thider, in al haste possible, 
 that ye do portraie the iij doughters in their 
 kertelles simple, and their visages, lyk as ye see 
 their stature and their beaulte and color of 
 skynne and their countenaunces, with al maner 
 of features ; and that one be delivered in al haste 
 with the said portratur to bring it unto the kinge, 
 and he t'appointe and signe which hym lyketh ; 
 and therupon to sende you word how ye shal 
 be governed. And after my departing that ye 
 use forth your instructions ; and yf ye seme 
 hit be over longe or ye have answere, yf hit 
 lyke you ye dispose you t'abide at Burdeaux or 
 Bayon or in some other place where hit shal 
 lyke you best. 
 
 July VIII. IX. Sunday and Monday, at the 
 same place. 
 
 X. Tuesday, at six in the evening, embarked on 
 board a vessel, called the Katherine of Bayonne. 
 
 XI. Wednesday, XII. Thursday, XIII. Fri- 
 day, at sea, in a calm, about seven in the even- 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 11 
 
 ing, as we thought, a fish, called a shark, pur- 
 sued the ship, and was driven back, after being 
 twice struck with a harping-iron : but in spite 
 of his wounds he again followed the ship ; upon 
 which the master, with the harping-iron, pierced 
 his sides. After this, to obtain a wind, my lord 
 secretary, with a devout and humble heart, 
 pledged and bent silver to the most blessed and 
 glorious Virgin, Mary of Eton : the rest in the 
 ship, at his bidding, then did the same, and then 
 they chaunted the antiphonale, ( Sancta Maria/ 
 When it was ended, the wind veered to the 
 north, and blew steadily from that point until 
 
 July XIV. Saturday, in the evening, when the 
 ship entered the river Garonne, and the wind 
 shifted to the south-west. On the same day, 
 a party of stipendiaries came in a small vessel, 
 from the castle of Riaunt, which is at the 
 entrance of the river on the left side, bringing 
 news that the seneschal of Bourdeaux was taken 
 prisoner. Near the castle just mentioned, at 
 the entrance of the river, and on the same side, 
 are the town and castle of Tallemont; and 
 near to them, the English towns, le Roket, Conak, 
 Bloye, and Burghe. 
 
 XV. Sunday, still in the river. In the morn- 
 ing the captain of the castle of Castellion came 
 to our ship, and told us of the capture of the 
 seneschal above-mentioned. About two hours 
 
12 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 after noon, Nicholas Dryver, the Provost of 
 Bourdeaux, came down the river in a small 
 coggeship, on his way to England. 
 
 July XVI. Monday, in the river, till about an 
 hour after noon, when M. Robert Roos and his 
 lordship, the secretary, with all their servants 
 landed at Bourdeaux, and breakfasted with Sir 
 Robert Clyfton, Knight, constable of the castle 
 there ; and supped at an inn. 
 
 XVII. Tuesday, from the morning, amongst 
 the lords of the country, and at home. Dined 
 with Gailerd Shorthose, and supped with the 
 mayor of the town. 
 
 XVIII. Wednesday, at the church of St. 
 Andrew, where the Archbishop of Bourdeaux 
 proclaimed to the people, in the language of the 
 country, the royal letters, which had been shown 
 to the lords of the king's council the day pre- 
 ceding. Dined at the inn. 
 
 XIX. XX. Thursday and Friday, at home. 
 
 XXI. Saturday, at home. On this day Mr. 
 J. de Batulo withdrew, who had been always 
 hitherto associated with their lordships [in their 
 mission.] 
 
 XXII. Sunday, with the Archbishop of Bour- 
 deaux to dinner ; at home to supper. 
 
 XXIII. Monday, with the Bishop of Bassaten 
 to dinner : at home to supper. The bishop 
 gave a pipe of claret wine to the secretary. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 13 
 
 July XXIV. Wednesday/ to dinner at home ; 
 M. Roos with him. 
 
 XXV. Thursday,, with Bernard Angevin, to 
 dinner. Their lordships, Roos and the secre- 
 tary, were engaged amongst the chief persons of 
 the town and the mariners, about the expedition 
 of the archbishop, who embarked to-day at three 
 in the afternoon : at home to supper. To-day my 
 lords sent the subjoined letters to our Lord the 
 King, and others, by Robert Trumpet. On the 
 preceding days my lords were, before dinner, in 
 council, and afterwards rode about the town to 
 survey the new fortifications made for its safe 
 custody. 
 
 2££ £«Q Moost high and moost mighty 
 AquitaTn ndlti ° n ° f Prince and oure moost doubted 
 and dradde Souverain Lord, After the moost 
 lowly recommendacion that we your true hum- 
 ble subgetts and servaunts may or can in any 
 maner unto your roial mageste doo or devise, 
 please hit your said roial mageste to have in 
 knowlage that we your said subgetts and ser- 
 vaunts with al our felaship in good helth of body 
 
 1 These dates are erroneous, for Tuesday, which was the 
 24th of July, is unnoticed. The mistake is not corrected until 
 the first of August, which is properly said to have occurred on 
 a Wednesday, though the preceding day, Tuesday, is called 
 the 30th instead of the 31st of July. 
 
14 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 blessed be God cam and arrived to this your 
 noble cite of Burdeaux on Monday the xvj day 
 of Juil, where at oure first commyng we founde 
 as sorrowful a town and as gretly dismayed 
 and discoraged as any might be in th'erth as 
 poeuple desolat and cast out of al comfort of 
 any socour to be had from your said mageste 
 ageinst your ennemies that ben in this countrey 
 in gret puissaunce ; and after deliverance made 
 unto them of the town of Tarteys have geten 
 by assaulte the town of Saint Severs; and 
 also have woune and subdued al the cuntrey of 
 the landes except Baion and Ax. So that al 
 that cuntrey was waxen almoost rebelle within 
 viij dayes as wel barons as gentils, and other. 
 And nowe your said enemies ben before the 
 said cite of Ax holding their siege there rounde 
 aboute hit in grete multitude of men of armes ; 
 and another party of their puissaunce under 
 the Lord Powns and other have laid siege to 
 Sursak, which is but a day and a half journey 
 from this your cite of Burdeaux as men seyn 
 here. And as tidings ben commen late from 
 your town of Baion your enemies purposen to 
 make hij bastailles about the said town of Ax 
 and stuff yeyin with iij or iiij m 1 men of armes ; 
 and the remanent wol departe and besiege your 
 said town of Baion ; and so they enforce them 
 selve in oo tyme to gete both townes, and so 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 15 
 
 streit to come down hider and besiege this your 
 towne of Burdeaulx. Your adversaire of 
 Fraunce and his son which calleth hym selve 
 dolphin have been and beeth in propre personne 
 on the feld in al this voyage, not only thees grete 
 entreprisses and the mighty puissaunce of your 
 said ennemies caused th'abaisshment of your 
 trewe pouple of this your cite of Burdeaux, but 
 morewithoute comparison the letters whiche were 
 sent from your highnesse under your prive seel 
 andborn hider by oon that calleth hymselve Fran- 
 ceys whoos name in dede is Juon Goer, and deli- 
 vered to divers estats here the Sonday before our 
 arrival, in the which Sonday the said Fraun- 
 cois and othere were sette on lande at Castel- 
 lion ; and from thens rood by lande unto Bur- 
 deaulx before our commyng had reported and 
 noysed thorough the cite that they sholde no 
 succours have ; and, as theym semed, the letters 
 meaned the same ; so that at our commyng 
 the cite was ful of rumour and of sorrowe, and 
 had noon other trust, beleve, nor conceipt, but 
 that they were abandoned and cast awey for 
 evere. But blessed be God which as we beleve 
 verrely in a good houre sent us hider for your 
 wele, Soveraine Lord, of your countrey here by 
 our commyng and arriving al your cite was 
 greatly recomforted, and in especial by the com- 
 fortable reporte of your succours to be had in 
 
16 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 haste,, which to their grettest joye and gladnesse 
 we shewed and declared unto them, after the 
 forme of your gracious letters geven under your 
 signet of th'egle at your castel of Windesore the 
 xxiij day of Juyn, and sent unto us to Ply- 
 mouth, the which your letters we shewed openly 
 and redde theym before al your Counsel and other 
 estatshere the Tuesday next following; and after 
 their desire we ded theym to be translated in to 
 Frenissh and delivered theym to the most Reve- 
 rend Fader in God th'archbisshop of this cite, 
 which, the Wednesday next followeing, making 
 a good and a right sturing collacion in his 
 cathedral chirche redde and declared the said 
 letters so translated openly in the pulpitte be- 
 fore al the pouple, rehersshing the good and 
 tendre zele that ye have to the conservacion, 
 and the wele of this your cite, and of all your 
 true subgetts in thees parties, and putting theym 
 oute of doubte of souccurs to be had in right 
 brief tyme ; exciting theym furthermore and 
 exhorting by the feith and liegeaunce that they 
 owe to your highnesse to do al their payne, labor, 
 and true diligence aboute the defence and sauf 
 garde of your cite on the meane tyme ; and so 
 in trouthe they have doon, and do dayly in the 
 best wise, and have fortified the said cite with 
 bulwerks, gunnes, engynes, and al other neces- 
 saire abiliments in the strongest wise ; and also 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 17 
 
 skured and pared the diches and made their 
 towne in al parties so redy and so mighty that 
 in our conceipt they be grete and notable thanke 
 worthy. And for sothe Soverain Lord we 
 have not cessed nor cesse dayly to geve theym 
 comfort and courage, offering oureselve and our 
 pour company to be redy at al tymes to helpe 
 theym and strength theym in asmuche as in us is, 
 for the defense and saveng of the cite, abiding 
 here with theym stille: for as yet we can not con- 
 ceive that we shal mowe, hanging this werre wel 
 passe any ferther, after the nature and qualite of 
 our message. Wherefore moost gracious and 
 moost christian Prince, we besech your high and 
 moost noble grace that ye wel opene your ighes 
 of pite and compassion upon your true subgetts 
 here, which as nowe lyven in grete dred, and 
 withoute that help be had they rather been lyke 
 to perishe ; and that ye wol also calle unto 
 your consideracion how this your Duchie of 
 Guienne is oon th' oldest lordship longing to your 
 crowne of Englande ; and thereupon of your 
 moost merciful and pituous grace, commaunde 
 and do suche diligence be had that your suc- 
 cours be sent in hasty tyme after the forme of 
 your said letters, so that by negligence or delaies 
 it comen not to late, and inconvenients irre- 
 cuperable be growen the meene tyme, which 
 God defende, in suche wise also that we be 
 
18 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 founde no gabbers in executing your com- 
 maundement and declaring your letters. Also 
 Soverain Lord,, in taking of Saint Severs, Sir 
 Thomas Rempston, your seneschal, is taken pri- 
 soner, and as it is said the seel which he had 
 and occupied under my Lord of Huntingdon is 
 taken also, whereof we advise your highnesse 
 to th'entente that yf your enemies wool forge 
 or contrive any writing under the said seel no 
 credence be given thereunto. Maister John de 
 Batute departed hens on Saturday at noen to- 
 wards his cuntrey. Furthermore Soveraine Lord, 
 before the closing of thees, tidings of trouthe ben 
 sent hider that the towne of Sursak longyng to 
 the Baron of Gomond upon the ryver of Dur- 
 don is taken by a party of your adversaries 
 puissance, which is under the governaunce of 
 the Lord Pouns and other ; and they nowe 
 have leyd seige to the town of Bellinder upon 
 the same ryver longing to the Archbishop of 
 Bourdeaux, which commeth nowe to your 
 highnesse ; and so they purpose to subdue al the 
 forteresses in that party of the said ryver, and 
 passe into your countrey of Deuxmars and to 
 wynne hit, the siege being at Bourdeaux ; for as 
 for the cuntreys of Pantonge and of Madok 
 they make noon doubt with oon over ryding 
 soon to gete hit. Moost high and moost mighty 
 Prince and our moost doubted Soveraine Lord, 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 19 
 
 we beseche oure blessed Trinite ever to have 
 you in his gracious keping and govournaunce, 
 and to sende you as grete prosperite as ever had 
 erthly Prince, and send you victory of al your 
 enemies. Written at Bourdeaux, in hast, the 
 xxiiij day of Juyl. 
 
 Your most humble subgetts and 
 servaunts Roos R. and Thomas Bekinton. 
 
 TO THE RIGHT NOBLE AND WORSHIPFUL LORD, THE 
 LORD CROMWEL, TRESORER OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Letter sent to the Right noble and worshipful 
 
 Treasurer of Eng- ° ^ 
 
 land - Lord, After due and lowly recom- 
 
 mendacion, please hit you to wete that by 
 cause Robert Trumpet bringer of thees couth 
 not reporte unto you certain matiers of credence, 
 inasmuch as he is not lettered, notwithstanding 
 he can open unto your good Lordship much of 
 the substance therof ; and also the paril that this 
 cuntreystondeth inne. Sitchen true men as wolde 
 the King wele and of this cuntrey, here send the 
 saide matiers herenclosed unto your said Lord- 
 ship, praieng you that considering the weight 
 of this matier, and ho we true men for their ac- 
 quitaille might be subtil wise misrewarded, there- 
 fore peraventure for ever to kepe the bille of 
 the said credence cloos and secrete to youselve, 
 opening by mouth al the contents of the same 
 to such as hit shal seme to your high wisdom to 
 
20 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 be doon for the wele of the King and of this 
 cuntrey ; and Almighty God ever have you in his 
 blessed keping. Written, &c. 
 
 The Kings true men which loveth 
 his wele, and the wele of this cuntrey. 
 
 These articles were written in a certain sche- 
 dule, which was inclosed in the above-written 
 letter. 
 
 ■ Sc ^ le «. m ?°l? Sir ; nit is semed right ex- 
 
 in the letter to the 3 O 
 
 Treasurer touching pe dient unto suche as loveth the 
 
 the condition of *■ 
 
 Aquitain. we i e f the King and of this land 
 
 of Guienne, that at suche tyme as that ye shal 
 mowe have leyser, ye commune aparte and fel 
 thorughly th'archbisshop of Bourdeaux, which 
 commeth into Englande, of the maner and gou- 
 vernaunce of the counseil here ; and by whom hit 
 is governed, and howe and what bounds be 
 amongs theym, by the which the Kings wele and 
 his proufFuits and availe be leied apart, and al 
 maner of justice, and no thing doon nor spedde 
 but by favour and particulier lucre ; and ever 
 in the conclusion al is ageinst the King and to his 
 grete hurt. Item, hit is not to be doubted but con- 
 sidering the trouthe and simplenesse of the said 
 Archbisshop, and he be wel groped and thorughly 
 examined after the grete wisdom of you, so 
 he folowe not th'instruccion which is supposed 
 that he hath here before his departing ; but 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 21 
 
 may be so induced oons to leep in the mergyn, 
 he would telle the trouthe ; the which, so re- 
 medie be proveied therefore, is lyke to be the 
 salvation of this londe, which elles must be 
 nedely the losse by the selfe misgovernaunce, 
 though noon other enemies were. Item me- 
 morie, yf hit be seye to your grete discrecion 
 that a commission be had and sent hider under 
 the Kings grete seel directed to Sir Ro : Roos, 
 the Mair and Conestable of Bourdeaux, geveng 
 theym pouair to examine and to procede law- 
 fully after the lawes and customes of this cun- 
 trey ageinst oon which callethe him selve Fraun- 
 ceys, whoos name in dede is Juon Gore, that late 
 was in Englande, and now is here under arrest 
 for his fals reporte that he made oute of Eng- 
 lande to the pouple here that no succours shol 
 be had from thens ; and that Englande tok no 
 account of this cuntry nor sette therby, to sture 
 the herts of the pouple ageinst the King for to 
 departe from his obeissaunce, wherof grete com- 
 mocion and grete sedicion was growen, as wel 
 in this cite as in al this countrey aboute ; the 
 which Fraunceys also under arrest bycause of 
 his false famed message that he did last in Eng- 
 lande upon his owne hed, wher as by th'advis 
 of al the counsel here, as they openly sey and 
 avoweth, he was commaunded oonly to seve to 
 S r Ro : Roos and to folowe his direction, where 
 
22 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 as he never spak with hym in al his being there. 
 But ageinst th'advis and wel of al the said 
 counseil and of al th'astats and Jurats of this 
 cite axed oonly finaunce to be had withoute 
 pouple. Wherupon hit semeth to be expe- 
 dient for the wele of this euntrey and right 
 honest and worshipfull to al the Lords of the 
 Kings counseille therefore, th'excuse of their 
 ignorance of this grete necessite here, to send 
 hider letters testimonial witnessing his said 
 axing ; and so hit is right necessare to be doon, 
 and semblably the Kings true men praieth to be 
 doon seing that for thexcuse of the said Lords 
 of the Kings counseil there the maner of the 
 said misgovernaunce and demeneng of the said 
 Francois as is before reherced hath be openly 
 declared before the Kings counseil here, and for 
 the worship of al sides ought to be proved. 
 
 July XXVI. XXVII. Friday and Saturday, 
 at home. 
 
 XXVIII. Sunday, at home to dinner; and to 
 supper with the chanter of the church of St. 
 Andrew, where his lordship the secretary, and 
 Beek, conferred on the proceedings of an officer 
 against Robert Clyfton, constable of the castle 
 of Bourdeaux. 
 
 XXIX. Monday, at home to dinner; with 
 Bernard Angevin and Huse. To-day, in the 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 23 
 
 evening, an agreement was made between M. 
 Roos and the Capitowe, in a garden within the 
 castle. 
 
 July XXX. Tuesday, to dinner with the Dean 
 of St. James's : at home to supper. In the even- 
 ing a pursuivant at arms came to Master Roos, 
 with the following letter from the Count Ar- 
 magnac ; and to-day M. Roos consulted by 
 letter with Mr. J. de Batute. 
 
 TO MY VERY DEAR AND GREAT FRIEND, MONS R . 
 ROBERT ROOS. 
 
 First letter of the y ery ^ear and great friend, 
 
 Earl Armagnac to J ° 
 
 the Knight Am- please to know that my beloved, 
 
 bassador. x ' 
 
 [in French]. and faithful councillor Master 
 
 Jean de Batut, Licentiate in law, Canon 
 and Archdeacon of Saint Antonine, the church 
 of our Lady of Rhodes, is arrived and come 
 to me ; and he has reported and informed 
 me of your arrival here, by which I have been as 
 rejoiced and consoled as possible. My said coun- 
 sellor has informed me of the wish, desire, and 
 affection which you have to come to me : never- 
 theless, because of the things that have hap- 
 pened and the impediments which have occurred 
 on account of them, as you yourself may know 
 and it is notorious, your coming to me cannot 
 be hastened, as you would wish and I desire, 
 the said impediments preventing it. But I will 
 give such order as to your coming, and will 
 cause such diligence to be made in it, that your 
 
24 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 said coming shall be as soon and brief as 
 possible, and when it can be done properly. 
 Praying you especially, very dear and great 
 friend, that you will please to take patience 
 touching the postponement of your said coming, 
 having regard to the said impediments. Very 
 dear and great friend, may the Lord have you 
 in his holy keeping. Written at Leyttoure the 
 xxiijth day of July. 
 
 The Count D'armaignac. 
 
 TO MY VERY HONOURED LORD, MONS. ROBERT ROOS. 
 
 [Partly in French jy[ y very hoilOUTed Lord, I 
 
 and partly in J J 
 
 Latin -] commend myself to you as humbly 
 
 and heartily as I can, and be pleased to know 
 that I am arrived here safe and well, by God's 
 grace and yours. My Lord has derived great 
 joy and pleasure from your coming and mine, and 
 has great desire and inclination for the accom- 
 plishment of the business to the satisfaction of 
 our said Lord; and he will cause great diligence 
 to be used with respect to your safe coming 
 hither ; and it shall be done as soon as it can, 
 for I have already sent for your safe conduct, 
 and I trust it will be obtained. The arrival 
 of your friends will be expected afterwards, &c. 
 with whom, I trust in the Lord, you will safely 
 pass over. Upon this my heart is bent above 
 all things. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 25 
 
 It would be more expedient, as you know, 
 that the picture should be done on your part 
 than on ours, and my lord constantly uses the 
 utmost diligence, that with God's assistance, you 
 may find here a fit artist when you arrive ; and 
 he grieves excessively for the delay and impedi- 
 ments which have taken place in the arrange- 
 ments which, with his good will, he has earnestly 
 made. I pray you that you use the utmost dili- 
 gence that you can on your part for the advance- 
 ment of the business, and in such wise that it 
 may come to the good conclusion which you 
 desire, for we will do so likewise. Please you 
 to recommend me to Mr. Secretary, Mr. Tirel, 
 Huse, Savage, William Austin, and William Bur- 
 ton, and your other servants, with the best. Very 
 honoured Lord, the blessed son of God have you 
 in his holy keeping, and give you good life and 
 long. Written at Leytoure the xxixth July, your 
 humble servant. 
 
 John de Batute. 
 
 August I. Wednesday, at home to dinner ; 
 Huse with his lordship. In the afternoon at 
 three, the pursuivant at arms before mentioned 
 returned. In the night, about two, cxxx French 
 from Tollemont and Riaunt, with vj gabbers, 
 landed at Bourdeaux, and took a large vessel in 
 the river, without opposition, though they were 
 seen by many. In sailing homewards, they took 
 
26 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 a small vessel with corn and wine ; but between 
 Bloy and Mergans, T. Scot and other country 
 people gave them battle, and retook the vessels, 
 about twenty men being killed on each side. 
 
 August II. Thursday, at home ; Bernard 
 Angevin and William Tirel with his lordship. 
 
 III. Friday, at home to dinner. In the even- 
 ing his lordship the secretary, and the Dean of 
 St. Andrews made terms between the constable 
 and the officer, concerning all suits and de- 
 mands. 
 
 IV. V. Saturday and Sunday, to dinner with 
 his lordship, the Dean of St. Andrews, &c. 
 
 VI. Monday, to dinner at home, with Ber- 
 nard de Groos. 
 
 VII. VIII. IX. Tuesday, Wednesday, and 
 Thursday, at home. To-day George Swillington 
 was with his lordship. 
 
 X. Friday, at home, with Bernard de Groos 
 and N. Huse. To-day being the feast of Saint 
 Laurence, the following letter was sent to the 
 King, with the utmost secrecy of conveyance, by 
 an old pilgrim : it was written in three lines on 
 vellum, the whole length of the skin, and was 
 sewed up in the border of his garment. 
 
 &5S.E Please hit y° ur ^g^esse to 
 
 bassadors to the ^^ the things f this cuntrey ; 
 
 that on Friday the third day of August, the cite 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 27 
 
 of Ax, which is holden the strengest of all Gui- 
 enne, was wonne, and your adversarie was in 
 hit ; and his son called the Dolphin with the 
 Constable and Marschall of France forth with 
 have leyd siege unto your cite of Baion, which 
 as they seith maketh them sure to have hit 
 within viij dayes .-; and from thens streight to 
 come to Bourdeaux, wher - as God knoweth is 
 division, and never was so litel help nor store of 
 Englissh pouple, the lak of whom is cause of losse 
 of al this cuntrey ; as we doubt not, on lesse that 
 succour be had withoute any delaie, all is goon. 
 This we write unto you for our last and true 
 acquitaille ; God send grace that the son and 
 hastly sende hider som comfort and succour to 
 revieve the herts of the pouple that been here, 
 the which seeing that the promise of your letters 
 which ye sent unto us unto Plymouthe, and we 
 by your commaundement opene hit unto theym, 
 is not fulfilled, been plainly dispaired ; and for 
 the wele of you and of this your cuntrey, trust 
 noon other worde nor writing, for by our lieg- 
 ance this is trouthe. Writen at Bourdeaux, the 
 ix day of August. Th'entent principal of al this 
 is to lette the fruit of our message. 
 
 Roos Ro. T. Bekinton. 
 
 August XL Saturday, at home, with the friar 
 provincial of the order of the Carmelites. 
 
28 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 August XII. Sunday, at home ; Sir Lowez 
 Despoir and the town elerk 1 to dinner. 
 
 XIII. Monday, George Swillington and Wil- 
 liam Tirell with his lordship. To-day he rode 
 to the tower of St. Thomas, and then along the 
 walls, and met the Capitowe in le Roperye, and 
 afterwards came into the castle to council. 
 
 XIV. Tuesday morning, the Capitowe, Ro- 
 bert Roos, his lordship the Secretary, and the 
 rest conferred together in the church of St. 
 Peter, and afterwards went over to the castle to 
 the council. To-day Bernard Angevin gave his 
 lordship twelve geese, twelve capons, "thirty pul- 
 lets ; Blake, nine turtle-doves ; and Bernard de 
 Groos, two. 
 
 XV. Wednesday, the feast of the assump- 
 tion of the blessed Mary, his lordship the Capi- 
 towe, and the other lords of the council were at 
 the inn of M. Roos, where his lordship dined; 
 and after noon, at the castle, M. Roos was 
 chosen regent to-day. 
 
 XVI. XVII. XVIII. Thursday, Friday, Sa- 
 turday, at home. 
 
 XIX. Sunday, at home. At dinner, M. Roos, 
 the regent, and Mons r . Guillautine, to whom his 
 lordship the regent, sent some new wine, called 
 " le Must." To-day the regent mustered the 
 armed men of the city of Bourdeaux ; there 
 
 1 Clericus Ville. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 29 
 
 were two hundred men armed with lances,, and 
 many others armed for the preservation of the 
 city upon the walls and in the towers, with 
 cannons and other necessary arms. 
 
 August XX. Monday, at home, and in 
 council at the castle. 
 
 XXI. Tuesday, to dinner with Guilla utine : 
 to supper at home, George Swillington with him. 
 
 XXII. XXIII. Wednesday and Thursday, at 
 home, Huse with him. 
 
 XXIV. Friday, with Bernard de Garos. To- 
 day was the festival of St. Bartholomew. Let- 
 ters were received from d'Armagnac. 
 
 TO MY VERY DEAR AND GREAT FRIEND, MONS. ROBERT 
 
 ROOS. 
 
 Second letter of the * _ n . , 
 
 Eari Armagnac to Very.; dear and great mend. 
 sador. n [Tn French.] My friend and faithful counsellor, 
 Mons r . John de Batute, licentiate in laws, canon 
 and archdeacon of Saint Antonine, the church 
 of our lady of Rhodes, writes to you now on your 
 coming hither, and on the safety of the same. So 
 I pray you, that to what he writes to you, you 
 will please to give faith and full credence, as 
 you would do to myself in person. Very dear 
 and great friend, the blessed son of God have 
 you in his keeping. Written at Leittour, the 
 xxth day of the month of August. 
 
 The Count D'armaignac. 
 
30 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 TO MY VERY HONOURED LORD, MONS. ROBERT BOOS. 
 
 [Partly in French Very honoured Lord, I com- 
 
 and partly in 
 
 Latin.] mend myself to you as heartily 
 
 as I can. I wrote to you before of the good 
 wishes and intentions that my lord the Count 
 had and has, regarding the business which you 
 know, and the diligence which he has used, 
 and still always uses respecting the safety of 
 your coming hither ; and I must inform you that 
 he has felt much displeasure at the delay of 
 your said coming, as I have with all my heart : 
 and it would have pleased our lord that we 
 had all come hither together, for I think cer- 
 tainly that you might very safely have come and 
 returned by the middle of August ; * for all the 
 King's people were then very far from us and from 
 our road, who are now come near. Neverthe- 
 less, my said lord has sent to the King for your 
 safe conduct, because, since he is so near, and has 
 so great a force in this neighbourhood, my said 
 lord is advised thathe neither ought nor couldpro- 
 perly send for you without the said safe-conduct ; 
 but the messengers are not yet returned. And to 
 confess the truth to you, I doubt if the King will 
 grant the safe conduct, knowing the business on 
 which you have come ; for our friend intimated 
 it to the Regent of Marsano as soon as we ar- 
 
 1 The original word appears to be mayoument. Mayoust 
 Mayaoust. i. e. Mi-aout. See Roquefort. 
 
SECERETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 31 
 
 rived at Bourdeaux, and thence it was told to his 
 nephew, and finally to the King. But I trust in 
 the Lord that the King will dissent from those 
 with whom he is associated, and that we shall 
 still have friends on the banks of the Garonne, 
 which they hope to occupy, through the midst 
 of whom we may pass securely. " Ou vraiment 
 le nort" will send us news that you may come 
 over, to your honour and ours, which news our 
 lord wishes to send to you. I write this to you 
 now, that you may not grieve on account o your 
 long stay ; but as soon as the message touching 
 the said safe conduct shall arrive, I will inform 
 you of all other news, by the aid of God. And 
 I commend myself with all my heart to Mr. 
 Secretary, and Masters William Tirel, N. Huse, 
 Hetton, Robert Savage, William Austin, and to 
 all your other servants; and I pray that you 
 will let me know all news of your good country, 
 which may our Lord grant and make, and hold 
 you in his safe keeping as I desire. Written at 
 Leittour, the xxth of August. 
 
 Your servant, John. 
 
 August XXV. Saturday, at home, William 
 Tirel and Robert Savage to dinner. To-day the 
 Capitowe mustered lxx lances ; and a reply was 
 given to the letters of the Count of Armagnac, 
 and of Mr. John de Batute, as follows: — 
 
32 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 TO MY VERY HONORED LORD, THE COUNT d'ARMAGNAC. 
 
 Letter to the Count y ery honoured Lord, I commend 
 
 of Armagnac, by a J 
 
 soldier, [in French.] m y Se lf to you, and humbly thank 
 you that you have been pleased that Master John 
 de Batute, your counsellor, should send me 
 letters and credence of your will. On which ac- 
 count I supplicate you, and beg that you will be 
 pleased to put faith and credence in the letters 
 sent by me to the said Master John by the bearer 
 of these ; praying our Lord that he may have you 
 in holy keeping. Written at Bourdeaux, the 
 xxiiijth day of August. 
 
 Roos Ro. 
 
 TO MY VERY DEAR FRIEND, MASTER JOHN DE BATUTE. 
 
 Letter to the Chan- y ery dear friend. Be pleased to 
 
 cellor, by a sol- J L 
 
 dier. [in French.] know, that touching the coming of 
 my companion the secretary and myself, the case 
 is changed, since your departure, in several ways. 
 The first is, that the three states of our party 
 have chosen me for their Regent, until the King 
 shall have otherwise provided, in which office I 
 will employ myself to the utmost of my power in 
 all things for the defence of his country. The 
 second is, that it appears to me that when the 
 King, our Sovereign Lord, shall be correctly in- 
 formed of the war which the Viscount of Lomaine 
 has carried, and still daily carries on against him, 
 he will not agree to the business which you are 
 aware of. The third is, that after the arrival of 
 our army from England, which we are certainly 
 informed will shortly arrive, I make no doubt that 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 33 
 
 their first attack will be on you, the which is likely 
 to be destruction to your country, and for which 
 you can blame no one but yourselves, considering 
 all things done and said before. And know that if 
 we do not see another disposition and behaviour 
 on your part, from that which exists at present, 
 we shall have no further desire to transport our- 
 selves to the other side, nor any thing more to 
 do in the matter which you know of; for we 
 are well informed whence the evil is come by 
 which the king's territories have suffered ; and if 
 it seems to you that the count is well advised, 
 we submit ourselves to him, and to you his 
 other counsellors. Do not suspect such folly in 
 us that we should purchase evil for good in our 
 mission. After taking measures for the defence 
 of the country, we intend to transport ourselves, 
 in the first ship which shall come over, to our 
 Sovereign Lord the King, to lay before him what 
 we have met with here, unless we have spee- 
 dily other news from you. Written at Bour- 
 deaux, the xxiiij th day of August. 
 
 Roos R. 
 August XXVI. Sunday, at home ; Bernard de 
 Graos here. Letters were received which had 
 been sent to the Lady de Toneux by the Coun- 
 tess of Armagnac and the Viscount of Leomaine, 
 declaring that if the said lady and her husband 
 would deliver themselves up to him, that is, 
 to the Viscount of Lomaine, they should be sub- 
 jects of France, because, forsooth, the pretended 
 
 D 
 
34 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON. 
 
 King of France had invaded Gascony and Ac- 
 quitain, and had written to the said viscount 
 that as many fortresses and places upon the 
 river Garonne as would surrender to him, should 
 be kept by him unharmed, with their lords and 
 all their goods. On this account, both the 
 countess and viscount have written to the said 
 lady, advising her to persuade her husband and 
 the other lords near her, to surrender them- 
 selves to the viscount as subjects of France, 
 and he would keep them, &c. 
 
 August XXVII. XXVIII. Monday and Tues- 
 day, Tirel. 
 
 XXIX. Wednesday, Huse. 
 
 XXX. Thursday, Tirel. 
 
 XXXI. Friday, and Saturday, September I. 
 at home. To-day, at the xijth hour, at noon, his 
 lordship the regent, and his household, with Sir 
 J. Trevenaunt, Davy Ap Llewellyn, Robert Re- 
 pinghale, and John Payntour, sailed in a small 
 vessel towards Saint Makary. 
 
 September II. Sunday, to dinner, B. de Garos. 
 To supper, Janecot de Lahet, and the comp- 
 troller with him. 
 
 III. Monday, before noon in the council- 
 house with the mayor. To dinner with his lord- 
 ship, the king's procurator. 
 
 IV. Tuesday, after hearing mass, his lord- 
 ship went to the place of the lady, his hostess, 
 " en entre deux mars," and went round the hill 
 and the wood of cypress, called Cinon, which 
 
1442. 35 
 
 belong to the king. To supper with the con- 
 stable. 
 
 September V. Wednesday. In the afternoon 
 in the castle, with the other members of the 
 council. 
 
 VI. Thursday, after dinner, he sailed to Lore- 
 mont, to the chapel of St. Katherine, and rested 
 there in the hermitage. To supper at home. 
 
 VII. Friday, before noon at the castle with 
 the rest of the council : to-day his lordship the 
 regent returned. 
 
 VIII. Saturday, the festival of the blessed 
 Mary. 
 
 IX. Sunday, Rokbey and Janicot Maucamp 
 to supper. 
 
 X. Monday, the comptroller with his lord- 
 ship. 
 
 XI. Tuesday, Blake and Richard Logan. 
 
 XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. Wednesday, 
 Thursday, Friday, Saturday ; Sunday, at noon, 
 with the Bishop of Bassat. 
 
 XVII. Monday, at home. 
 
 XVIII. Tuesday; after dinner he and the 
 comptroller rode to the place of St. Severinus, 
 where they saw the process of making wine. 
 At this place they drank, and then rode to Le 
 Bordeu of St. Andrew, near the chapel of St. 
 Denis, and there also drank. 
 
 XIX. XX. Wednesday and Thursday, at 
 home ; Sir Lowez Despoir with him. 
 
36 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 September XXI. Friday, the comptroller with 
 him to dinner. Before noon at the castle with 
 the Prior of St. Martin's, between whom and 
 Friar Bernard there was a great quarrel. 
 
 XXII. Saturday, the comptroller to dinner. 
 
 XXIII. Sunday, at home. 
 
 XXIV. XXV. Monday, Tuesday, and to- 
 day, he was with the constable who was sick 
 and apparently at the point of death ; so that 
 he caused him to make his will. The following 
 morning at four, or thereabout, he died. At 
 home to dinner and supper. 
 
 XXVI. Wednesday afternoon at the castle 
 at the funeral service for the constable, which 
 was said in the following manner ; — First, Pater 
 noster ; next the Invitatory, Regem cui omnia 
 veniunt Venite adoremus, Venite, with the usual 
 verses and place. Gloria patri. Regem etemum. 
 Lastly, three psalms, three lessons, with re- 
 sponses and verses, and with the prayer, Inclina 
 et non plus. 
 
 Note. — The constable had borrowed of Ber- 
 nard de Garos, 1 ... in the month of May last, 
 and was bound by a bond to pay the sum to the 
 said Barnard at the feast of St. Michael next. Yet 
 Bernard caused the constable to be excommu- 
 nicated for non-payment of the money, on the 
 third day before the festival at which it was due. 
 
 1 Query — C franks. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 37 
 
 September XXVII. Thursday, at the Car- 
 melites, at the constable's mass in the church 
 where he was buried. To-day all the goods of 
 the constable were seized for the king, until, &c. 
 Huse, with his companions and five servants of 
 my lord the secretary, went out as far as Rieul, 
 which the pretended King of France, the Dau- 
 phin, and other nobles of France have besieged 
 for a long time past, viz weeks. 
 
 XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. Friday, Saturday, 
 Sunday, to dinner with his lordship the regent. 
 
 October I. Monday, at home. 
 
 II. Tuesday, to dinner at home, his lordship 
 the regent with him. After dinner the Capi- 
 towe, the Viscount de Longevile, and Sir Lowez 
 de Spoy came thither, and informed his lord- 
 ship the regent, in the presence of my lord the 
 secretary, that when Gailard Shorthose, mayor 
 of the city of Bourdeaux, received the letter 
 which the regent sent under seal of the office of 
 Seneschal of Bourdeaux to preserve the town of 
 Burgerac ; the mayor having read the letter, 
 carelessly kicked his stirrup, and said before all, 
 that he cared no more for it than he did for that. 
 
 III. IV. Wednesday and Thursday, at home. 
 After dinner my lord went to his lordship the 
 regent, and in returning home met the mayor 
 at the regent's gate. A little after, he met the 
 Capitowe, the Dean of St. Andrew's, Sir Bernard 
 
88 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 Montferant, the town-clerk, and others. The 
 capitowe requested him to return to his lord- 
 ship the regent to hold a council, to which he 
 replied that there was no council remaining that 
 cared for the interests or advantage of the king, 
 &c. and so he came home. This afternoon the 
 Dean of St. Andrew's said openly to the Viscount 
 de Longville, Sir Louis de Spoy, and others in 
 the council-house, that if the enemy came to 
 Bourdeaux, and a thousand English came to its 
 aid, they must abide by the stronger. To-day 
 letters were sent from Rieul from Huse and 
 and his companions, by Thomas Wilson, to their 
 lordships the regent and the secretary. 
 
 October V. VI. Friday and Saturday, at 
 home. His lordship the regent and my lord 
 the secretary dispatched a letter and some habi- 
 liments of war, together with a friar in orders, 
 to hear the confessions of such of the English 
 as could not understand French or Gascoigne : 
 they sent also a surgeon to heal the wounded, 
 if there should be any, in Rieul. 
 
 VII. Sunday, before noon, his lordship the 
 regent, who is almost weighed down with infir- 
 mity, rode with great pain to the place of St. 
 Eloy, where he persuaded the jurates and other 
 principal persons of the town, to send men at 
 arms to Rieul ; in consequence of which in the 
 evening they sent thirty men at arms and ar- 
 
39 
 
 chers, and ten men at arms and archers from 
 Saint Makery. His lordship the regent dined 
 with my lord secretary,, and the Prior de Mar- 
 moud, Louis Despoy, Tirel, and the comptroller. 
 To-day his lordship sent a letter to the captains, 
 esquires, and good soldiers of the tower of St. 
 Thomas within Rieul. 
 
 October VIII. Monday, to dinner with 
 N. Gremond ; to supper at home, the Prior Mar- 
 moud there. The town of Rieul was stormed 
 and taken to-day by the French. 
 
 IX. Tuesday, to dinner, the Prior Marmoud 
 and nine servants of the constable. 
 
 X. XI. Wednesday and Thursday, at home. 
 The following letter was received from Mr. J. 
 de Batute: — 
 
 TO THE WORSHIPFUL AND EXCELLENT SIR ROBERT 
 ROOS, REGENT, AND THOMAS BEKYNTON, DOCTOR 
 OF LAWS, HIS MAJESTY'S SECRETARY, MY HO- 
 NOURABLE LORDS. 
 
 Letter of the Chan- Mine honourable, noble, and 
 
 cellor of the Count 
 
 of Armagnac, de- most worthy Lords ; my humble 
 
 clarative of entering 
 
 upon the matter of duty remembered. From my 
 
 marriage, and by J 
 
 whom. —[Latin.] inability to speak, and especially 
 to write correctly in French, a fact which 
 you well know, I have determined on this 
 occasion to write in Latin, a tongue familiar to 
 us both, though at former times I have at- 
 
40 JOURNAL OF BEeKINGTON, 
 
 tempted to write in French. I have received, 
 Mons r . de Roos, your letter, to the following 
 effect :— " Tres cher," &c. (See before xxiiijth of 
 August) which has given me great anxiety and 
 pain ; and the more so as I looked for nothing 
 from it but satisfaction and pleasure. The same 
 feelings have been experienced by my noble lord, 
 who has read it with great astonishment, and 
 commanded me to inform your lordships as 
 follows : — That the business now in agitation, 
 was not begun at his instance, but at the re- 
 quest of the illustrious princes and lords, the 
 Dukes of Bretagne, Orleans, and Alencon ; as is 
 confirmed by their letters signed and sealed. 
 This, Mons r . le Roos, you well know, and that 
 my lord is, and always was, well disposed to 
 proceed in the said business with the pleasure 
 of the most serene king your master. As to 
 what you write, that it is not your intention to 
 proceed in the business, till you see the govern- 
 ment and disposition of the country changed, 
 my lord is unable to comprehend it, without 
 further explanation. On his part, however, he has 
 determined to inform the lords and dukes afore- 
 said, on the subject, and to communicate every 
 thing to them ; and on your part, you may do 
 so if you see fit. But being concerned in this 
 business of my lord, above all things that I de- 
 sire on earth, I must speak from the fullness of 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 41 
 
 my heart. There are three things, Mons r . Roos, 
 which you say have changed the business on 
 which you came. First, that the direction and 
 government of the country is committed to 
 you, &c. This my illustrious lord has heard 
 with pleasure, and heartily wishes you joy and 
 good fortune, in which I also join him, praising 
 God for it : yet I do not see (always speaking 
 with honour and respect) why this should im- 
 pede the business upon which you came ; be- 
 cause, although at present you may be much 
 occupied, yet the time will shortly arrive (I trust 
 in the Lord) in which you will be more at 
 liberty, and able, if you please, to attend to this 
 business ; and as to your anxiety about my 
 Lord of Leomagne, &c. it ought to be no impe- 
 pediment ; because, as you know the matter is 
 not fixed and concluded, and therefore he could 
 not honorably have disobeyed the commands 
 given him ; and indeed if he had, our country, 
 as we have often said, would now have been 
 given up to pillage, Therefore I am much 
 astonished that you should reproach us, for you 
 know that it is the wish of the king and all his 
 council to preserve the house of my lord from 
 all reproach or injury on account of this busi- 
 ness, which certainly would not have been the 
 case if he had in any respect resisted the afore- 
 said commands. Much less also could the king's 
 
42 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 majesty have esteemed my lord, if he had deli- 
 berately surrendered himself to pillage and de- 
 struction ; nor would it have been honorable to 
 his majesty to have done so, as you must be 
 yourselves convinced. The lawyers also say, 
 that there is no merit in attempting or essaying 
 a thing which, if attempted or essayed, would 
 have been to no effect, &c. ; and therefore I do 
 not see (saving your honour as before) why this 
 should have been an impediment to the business 
 in agitation. As to the other point to which 
 you allude, of the approach of an armament, 
 God forbid that it should be designed, as you 
 think, for the destruction of this country ; for we 
 have done nothing which should entail war upon 
 us ; and since you intimate that you know 
 whence the mischief of this war has arisen, I 
 appeal to you to say openly whence it has arisen. 
 For you cannot assert it has originated with us, 
 nor can you have been told so by others, except 
 by our declared enemies, who may have im- 
 pressed you with that opinion. This, indeed, I 
 have always feared they would do, and have 
 intreated you to lend no ear to any thing they 
 might say, for they arein defatigable, as I have 
 told you, in devising means to obstruct this 
 alliance ; and their success is but too manifest ; 
 for since my departure (I speak as before with 
 respect) you seem quite an altered man ; nor 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 43 
 
 could I then have thought that you had any- 
 evil in view in prosecuting this business,, but 
 only the honour and advantage of the king's 
 majesty. However, I leave the matter to your 
 discretion ; but if you desire to know whence 
 the war has arisen and what was its origin 
 from other authority than that of our declared 
 enemies, you will find that they are themselves 
 its cause, and no other ; a fact which is noto- 
 riously manifest in that country, as every where 
 else. I should not have thought that you would 
 have thus decided against us on their reports. 
 As to the rest of your letter, of your returning 
 to your serene king, and telling him what you 
 have discovered, I do not believe that you could 
 make an unfavorable report of our conduct, ex- 
 cept on the information of our known enemies, 
 and to which, as you well know, no credit is to 
 be given. With regard to my lord, he is pre- 
 pared to proceed in the business whensoever it 
 shall please the king's majesty, and his pleasure 
 in the matter shall be declared to my lord by 
 you or some other. I lament from the bottom 
 of my heart, that you should allow such an 
 alliance to remain unaccomplished, through the 
 suggestions of our adversaries ; but I leave the 
 matter to God, the knower and searcher of 
 hearts, with my maledictions on those who ob- 
 struct it. I cannot, however, sufficiently express 
 my astonishment that you should thus relinquish 
 
44 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 it, considering the zeal which you have formerly- 
 shown in it. While the boundaries of the country 
 shall stand, my lord will never permit innova- 
 tions in its government, because this would be 
 to deliver it up to fire and plunder — a consum- 
 mation which you cannot desire. In conclu- 
 sion : my lord, be of good heart, and fear not 
 the happy termination of your embassy, which 
 with God's good pleasure I hope shortly to see, 
 if there be no deficiency on your part : also let 
 it please you to write back as soon as may be, 
 of your determination in the matter, and what- 
 ever you demand shall be complied with to the 
 utmost of our power. May the Most High dis- 
 poser of events have your noble and excellent 
 lordships in his safe-keeping in all prosperity 
 and happiness. From Auxerre the xvth of Sep- 
 tember, 1442. 
 
 Yours to command, 
 
 J. de Batute. 
 
 October XII. XIII. XIIII. Friday, Saturday, 
 Sunday, at home. On the latter day a reply was 
 given in writing to the above letter of Mr. J. 
 de Batute. 
 
 TO THE WORSHIPFUL AND EXCELLENT, MASTER 
 JOHN DE BATUTE. 
 
 din ply ie tt?r e P from Worshipful and worthy Sir, 
 
 the Ambassadors vvith our inmost recommenda- 
 
 — [Latin.] 
 
1442. 45 
 
 tions. Your letter written on the xvth of Sep- 
 tember, at Auxerre, was received by us in this 
 city on the xjth day of this month. On ac- 
 count of its great prolixity, to rehearse it would 
 be to write a volume, rather than a letter. 
 But as you are a prudent man, we doubt not 
 that you have a copy of it in your possession, and 
 we will therefore, at once, reply summarily to 
 each of its articles. With regard to the first 
 point, on which you require an explanation on 
 the part of your lord, we observe, that as to the 
 origin of the negociation, whatever it might be, 
 it is a question which we have no authority or 
 inclination to discuss. But you well know, and 
 cannot refuse your lively testimony to the warm 
 and earnest desire evinced for its happy conclu- 
 sion in the part of the country which you have 
 visited, and which had been so evident in the 
 smiles and attentions which you and yours 
 have every where received, that it may be al- 
 most said to rest on a sensible and tangible 
 proof. As to what you write of your lord 
 being still, and having always been, earnest and 
 sincere for proceeding, &c. we should certainly 
 be astonished at any change of his mind in this 
 respect, though facts might seem to imply it ; 
 especially when we consider the honour, fame, 
 and dignity which the happy conclusion of the 
 business would bring to his house. We rejoice 
 
46 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 at his constant determination to prosecute it, 
 and should rejoice still more if he should carry 
 his purpose into effect, and thereby release us 
 from this wearisome delay, in which so much 
 expense of time and money have been in- 
 curred. With regard to your accusation, that 
 we have signified in our letters that we had no 
 intention of proceeding, &c. unless we saw the 
 government and temper of the country changed, 
 and that you know not what we mean by this, 
 &c., with your permission we must say, that 
 we have neither said nor thought any thing 
 about the country, as our letters will plainly 
 prove. We knew that we were writing to an 
 intelligent man, and to such a one it is proper to 
 write with caution on subjects of secrecy. But 
 if, in addition to what we have said, and in 
 which we have perhaps gone too far, you weigh 
 the letters which have lately proceeded from 
 the house in question, you will have no diffi- 
 culty in perceiving our real sentiments. Further 
 on, where you divide and treat separately the 
 three circumstances which have altered the face 
 of the business, you err widely from the inten- 
 tion of the writer, who placed those circum- 
 stances together, to be viewed in conjunction, 
 and not separately. As to that person, Leo- 
 magne, one might very properly reply with the 
 verse, " Est modus in rebus sunt certi denique 
 
1442. 47 
 
 fines/' &c. To all the other points, one answer 
 will be enough ; that we are in no respect 
 changed into different men, or seduced from our 
 sincere and honest intentions by the arguments 
 or flatteries of any persons whatsoever. Indeed 
 you ought long ago to have acquitted us of such 
 an imputation, and even of the possibility of 
 guilt. We desire nothing more than to see you 
 perform your part with earnestness and since- 
 rity, and to be released from spending our time 
 and property in this place to no effect, in a state 
 of weariness and suspense. We conclude by 
 hoping that you will quickly read, and send us 
 your reply, to the present letter, and also to the 
 others that we send you with it. We believe 
 that by means of that man, Leomagne, who 
 cannot be far off, the road behind you is per- 
 fectly safe for a messenger. We bid you fare- 
 well, recommending ourselves most humbly to 
 your lord. From Bourdeaux, the xijth of Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 Roos R. T. B. 
 
 TO THE WORTHY AND EXCELLENT, MASTER JOHN 
 DE BATUTE. 
 
 My very dear friend : As there appears to 
 us no possibility of going up in safety, to shorten 
 the matter we have determined that the three 
 likenesses or pictures should be finished and 
 
48 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 sent hither with all dispatch. I wish they were 
 now here and in our possession, for there is 
 plenty of messengers ; also that you and some 
 other at the pleasure of your lord, possessing 
 full powers, and sufficiently instructed in this 
 behalf, would come down hither as quickly as 
 may be, or to some intermediate place, safe 
 to both parties ; and to render the business 
 more efficacious and mature, you should be 
 instructed with regard to the dower, and also 
 of the paraphernalia or female ornaments, 
 commonly called " le chambre ;" also to what 
 place she ought to be conducted at the charges 
 and expense of his lordship, &c. and what 
 homage, &c. ; and it will be very expedient that 
 a herald or poursuivant at arms should come 
 with you, who, if any doubt should arise in the 
 business, may speedily consult his lordship and 
 return. Fare you well, in all happiness and 
 prosperity. From Bourdeaux, the xiijth of Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 Roos R. 
 
 October XV. Monday, to dinner with his 
 lordship the regent. 
 
 XVI. XVII. Tuesday and Wednesday, at 
 home. To-day letters were sent by his lordship 
 to the king, to the lords of Gloucester, Cardi- 
 nal, &c. by Pikbourn, who embarked in the 
 evening about seven. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. Ao. 1442. 49 
 
 Letter to the King Most Christian and moost 
 
 from the Ambassa- 
 dors on the wretch- gracious Prince, oure moost dred 
 
 ed s tate of A qui tain . ° 
 
 Sovereign Lord : After our moost 
 humble recommendacion, please hit your high 
 and noble grace, as for tidings from this your 
 cuntrey of Guienne, to wete, that after your ad- 
 versary of France had taken your town of Saint 
 Sever and your cite of Ax, and put under his 
 obeissance the cuntrey of the Lawndes, he 
 drew hym down towards this your cite of Bur- 
 deaux, by the ryver of Garon, where in right 
 brief tyme he hath geten and taken the townes 
 and castles and fortresses whoos names be spe- 
 cified in the cedule her enclosed. And after 
 that he had the towne of Marmaude, he abode 
 there with right litel puissance iij weks and 
 more ; so that by all lyklyhode yf any stuf or 
 pouaire of Englissh pouple had be here, he might 
 never have had escaped by reason untaken. And 
 sithens he hath of new encresced his armee, 
 and after that sieged and taken your town and 
 castel of Mavesyn, and upon that the iij day of 
 this present moneth he leied siege to your town 
 and castel of Rieul, which is but vij leucks 
 from this your cite of Burd' the whiche town 
 he gate with asaulte the vij day of this same 
 moneth, and slewe therin muche pouple. Never- 
 theles the castel holdeth as yet, and within hit 
 for lak of other help there ben of our felawship 
 
 E 
 
50 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 al such as we might spare : God send hem com- 
 fort and more help be tyme. After this he 
 purposeth, as mey seym, to besiege the townes of 
 St. Makery, Cadiliac, and Rious ; and he holdeth 
 hym sure to gete theym al by sault in right brief 
 tyme, and than al is Frensshe, and by the said 
 ryver unto the gatis of this your cite. Also 
 please it your roial Mageste furthermore to 
 knowe that after that your said cite of Ax and 
 your town of Saint Sever were nowe late reduct 
 to your obeissance, as we suppose ye have wel 
 had in knowlage by such passagis as have come 
 fro your towne of Bayon, for as from hens sithen 
 the departing of th'archbisshop of Burdeux 
 went never passage ; nor unto this tyme was no 
 maner of navir for to passe inne. Your adver- 
 sarie hath commaunded th'erl of Fux to leye 
 newe siege to your said town and cite of Saint 
 Sever and Ax. The which Erl as is do us to 
 understand by letters sent hider for succurs from 
 the said town of Saint Sever, hath disposed hit 
 to besiege hit ; and as we trowe he hath leied 
 the siege before this. And he may be had no 
 comfort of succours to helpe theym with, for 
 we have not wherewith to help our serve, the 
 which causeth grete hevynesse, desolacion, and 
 sorowe amongis al your pouple here, seing that 
 after promisse of succours declared unto theym 
 by your commaundement is passed so longe a 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 51 
 
 tyme and no comfort commeth, not so much in 
 al this tyme as oon balanger to revive their 
 herts, and putt theym in good trust and hope of 
 comfort. Truly in conceipt of your true men 
 here a lytle nombre of good men sent hider by 
 tyme as hit was promissed mought have kept 
 your cuntrey from this grete hurt ; which xx M 
 li wol not nowe by many dayes lightly recovere ; 
 and yet furthermore, yf your merchaunts had be 
 soufFred to passe hider for the vintaige in suche 
 tyme as they have be accustumed in yers be- 
 fore, doubtles your "enemies wold not have 
 abiden to do this grete harme that they have 
 do on and dayly doth. God send us hasty tidings 
 for comfort of your pouple here, which in trouth, 
 as in our opinion, stode never so dismaied before 
 this tyme. By thees tidings moost gracious 
 soverain lord, ye may clierly understande howe 
 the weyes of our message been empeched and 
 forbarred ; and as Maister John de Batute hath 
 writen unto us, your said adversary by no man- 
 ner of meen may be induced to graunte us his 
 letters of sauf condeuct ; and so hit is not seyn 
 unto us possible as yet in any maner of wise to 
 passe upward in surte of our personnes. Where- 
 fore please hit your high and noble grace to late 
 us have knowlage of your gracious pleasir in 
 this behalve, and howe ye wol we shal be fur- 
 thermore gouverned and demeaned. Over this 
 
52 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 at the request of your counseil here and for our 
 true acquittaile we avis as we dare your High- 
 nesse, for the wele of you and of this your cuntrey 
 here, not lightly to passe upon suche graunts of 
 your demaynnes or other lands, rents, or re- 
 venues here, as peraventure shal be axed of 
 your said Highnesse, but that hit please your 
 Mageste t'abide th'advisment of your said coun- 
 seille which purposen by commune and mure 
 deliberacion t'acertaine your said Mageste of such 
 inconvenients as by such graunts have growen 
 here before, and in what wise they may for your 
 wele be eschewed hereafter. Moost blessed 
 Soverain Lord, we have right nowe received 
 letters from the Lord de Gramond, written at 
 Ax the ixth day of this moneth, declaring that 
 the said towne of Saint Sever hath appointed 
 with the said Erl to be Frenissh on lesse than 
 they be reskued within a moneth. Please hit 
 furthermore your Highnesse to knowe that Sir 
 Robert Clyfton, Knight, late your conestable of 
 your castel of Burd', is to God passed the 
 iij day of this moneth ; so hit is right expe- 
 dient for your wele in hasty tyme to purveye an 
 other soufhsant officer in that behalve. Most 
 Christian, &c. Written at Burd', the xviij day 
 
 of October. 
 
 « 
 
 Roos R. 
 T. B. 
 
1442. 53 
 
 COPY OF THE SCHEDULE. 
 
 [French.] 
 
 First, before our coming hither, the town of 
 Clairac. Item, since our coming the town of 
 Toninges of the Sire de Caumont. The towns 
 of Foylet, De Gountaut, De Saint Barthilmewe, 
 and Caumont. Item, the town of " Tonnyngs 
 du Baron." Item, the towns and castles of 
 Marmaude de Saint Basille. Of Couturez and 
 Marceriz. Of Millan. Of Malvesin. The 
 town of le Rieul, and at present the siege before 
 the castle. The town of Langon on the river 
 Garonne. Losseun. Tombabut. The Castle 
 of Aymet. Le Sanuetat de Belver. The Castles 
 of Clermont, Monela, Monteseurt, Sursac, Cur- 
 sonne, Bonnegille, Masduran, Tewbount, 
 " S r Durdoine on Pres." 
 
 October XVIII. Thursday. 
 
 XIX. XX. XXI. Friday, Saturday, Sunday ; 
 to day the ships arrived. 
 
 XXII. Monday, Mr. J. Tregoran to dinner, 
 who brought letters from England. In the even- 
 ing Edward Hull arrived ; the doctor of the 
 Archbishop of Bourdeaux ; and the regent's ser- 
 
54 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 vant also brought letters, with the following one 
 from the king : 
 
 TO OUR RIGHT, &C. ROBERT ROOS, KNIGHT, &C. AND 
 M. T. B. OUR SECRETAIRE. 
 
 The King's letter Right trusty &c. we grete you 
 
 consolatory to his ° J ° J 
 
 Ambassadors. hertly wel and late you wete that 
 
 we have received your letters, by the which we 
 have understande to oure grete displeasire the 
 grete enterprises that our adversary of Fraunce 
 doeth dayly upon our duchie of Guienne and 
 subgetts of the same. And also hit hath be 
 further reported unto us of the grete diligences, 
 discrete labours, and demeneng that ye do at al 
 tymes aboute the surete of our cite of Burdeaux, 
 and the continuancis of true obeissaunce unto us 
 wards of our subgetts therin ; wherof we can 
 you right good and special thanke, and praye 
 you and netheles charge you of good perseve- 
 raunce in the same. Lating you wete that we 
 have appointed our cousin of Somerset and 
 with hym a right noble puissaunce of men of 
 werre to pass into our said duche ; which 
 with Godds mercy shal be there in al possible 
 haste, for the resistence of our said adversaire, 
 and unto grete comfort, consolacion, and defense 
 of you, and of al our true subgetts in thos par- 
 
55 
 
 ties ; wherupon we write at this tyme our 
 letters consolatory unto th'inhabitants of our 
 said cite, as ye may understande by a copy of the 
 same letters which we sende unto you heren- 
 closed. Wherefore we wool and charge you, 
 that in al that ye can or may, ye comforte our 
 said subgetts, exhorting and sturing theym to 
 continue their true leigeaunce unto us wards, as 
 they have truly doon of tyme that noon mynde 
 is, unto their perpetuel honour and rennoune. 
 Yeven, &e. at Windsor, the xxi day of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 COPY OF THE SCHEDULE ENCLOSED. 
 
 copy of the letter Very dear and well-beloved, we 
 
 of comfort, sent to ^ 
 
 the commons of have well known and have truly 
 
 Bourdeaux, by the ^ 
 
 King.- [French.] ascertained as well by letters and 
 messages as esspecially by the very reverend 
 father in God, our beloved and faithful coun- 
 sellor the Archbishop of Bordeaux, the great 
 hardships, evils, and oppression, losses, and da- 
 mage which you have already suffered for some 
 time, and have still to suffer and support on ac- 
 count of the continual war which our adver- 
 sary, Charles de Valois, carries on, on the 
 other side with a military force \ % and also 
 the true obedience, love, union, and concord, in 
 
 i " A puissance de gens de guerre." 
 
56 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 which, to preserve your loyalty towards us, you 
 have always conducted and maintained your- 
 selves, together with the people and officers 
 whom we have sent over, very patiently await- 
 ing succour and aid from us, which you have 
 humbly caused to be requested and beseeched 
 of us. And because, very dear and well-beloved, 
 we sustain your wrongs, evils, and oppressions 
 with great bitterness of heart, grief, and com- 
 passion, and because on no account will we 
 suffer the property, 1 which has belonged to us 
 for so long a time, and which our predecessors 
 so dearly loved and so carefully kept, thus to go 
 to perdition, as we know that it would go very 
 soon, unless great remedy and powerful succour 
 were afforded it : We, with the pleasure of our 
 blessed Creator, to whom be praise for all that 
 it pleases him to do and permit, considering the 
 magnitude, urgency, and necessity of the affair, 
 have assembled and summoned such a sufficient 
 and great aid and succour, which shall be com- 
 manded by a powerful and distinguished prince 
 of our blood and lineage, that greater succour 
 has never been granted at any time within re- 
 collection, which succour shall be sent over in 
 all possible haste, without fail. So we pray and 
 require you that, as you have always been good 
 
 1 « Chose." 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 57 
 
 and loyal towards us, you still continue in vir- 
 tuous patience awaiting the said aid and succour. 
 And by the pleasure of our blessed Creator, 
 without forgetting them, we will acknowledge 
 the great loyalty and very commendable pa- 
 tience of you and of all our other loyal subjects 
 in the marches on the other side, in all affairs 
 whether common or individual. To which other 
 loyal subjects we will that you signify the con- 
 tents of these presents, exhorting them, on our 
 part, always to continue in their said loyalty, in 
 which you and they have so long persevered, 
 that there is no recollection of the contrary ; 
 and we entertain no doubt that you will do this 
 effectually. 
 
 October XXIII. Tuesday, at home to dinner ; 
 his lordship the regent there, and E. Hull with 
 two servants. To supper in the castle with 
 E. Hull, who was lodging in the chamber of 
 Chipnam, clerk of the castle. To day Thomas 
 de Regula came with letters. 
 
 XXIV. XXV. Wednesday and Thursday, at 
 home ; Flexemer there. To day E. Hull de- 
 livered the following royal letter : 
 
58 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 BY THE KING. 
 
 TO OUR RIGHT, &c. RO. ROOS, &c, AND T. B. AND TO 
 EITHER OF THEYM. 
 
 J he K i n f l l £l er ' Right trusty and welbeloved, 
 
 forwarded by Edw. o j j 
 
 huii, Esq. to the we grete you wel, latino you wete 
 
 other Ambassadors. ° J ° J 
 
 that as wel by your letters ye 
 have late sent unto us, as by the reporte of our 
 welbeloved servaunt John Pury, we have wel 
 understande the good and effectuel diligence 
 that ye have doon in your voiage for the good 
 and hasty expedicion of the charge by us com- 
 mitted unto you, wherof we be right wel pleased 
 and can you right good and special thanke ; and 
 signifie unto you, more overe, that lyke as we 
 were advised to sende soon after you out e 
 trusty, &c. squier for our body, Edward Hull, 
 we sende hym now unto you, desiring therefore 
 that as soon as hit shall be semed unto you 
 and hym to be doon we have woord from 
 you, as therof he can reporte to you more 
 largly ; wherin ye shall do unto us good and 
 singulier pleasir. Yeven, &c. at Windesore, the 
 xx day of Juiel. 
 
 October XXVI. Friday, at home ; his lord- 
 ship the regent, Edward Hull, and his servants 
 and my lord's the secretary's, and the men of the 
 English ships, the Capitowe, his son, Bernard 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 59 
 
 Monferant, Louis Despoir, Sir Guilamtin, and 
 about one thousand persons from Bourdeaux 
 and other parts of the country, with four hun- 
 dred from the English ships, went out as far as 
 the town of St. Lupe, where the French were 
 scouring the country on horse and foot; and 
 were compelled by his lordship the regent 
 and his company to retreat. For several days 
 after the women of the country continued to 
 capture the French, and deliver them up pri- 
 soners. 
 
 October XXVII. XXVIII. Saturday and 
 Sunday. 
 
 XXIX. XXX. Monday, Tuesday : afternoon, 
 
 his lordship was in the Dean of St. Andrew's 
 
 house amongst the lords of the council : the 
 
 adversaries' gun was broken to-day at Rieul. 
 
 XXXI. Wednesday, amongst the lords of 
 
 the council, at the said dean's house. 
 
 November I. Thursday, at home to dinner ; 
 
 Mr. I. Tregerant and Rokley there. 
 
 II. III. Friday and Saturday, the same. 
 
 To-day came Bulkley and others; and letters 
 
 were sent to the Count of Armagnac and Mr. 
 
 J. Batute, as follow : — 
 
60 journal of beckington, 
 
 to my very honoured lord,, the count 
 d'armagnac. 
 
 Letter of the Knight jyjy very h 0n0 ured Lord, I 
 
 Ambassador to the " J 
 
 count of Armag- recommend myself to your good 
 
 , nac, by the artist of J J ° 
 
 the aforesaid art. i- favour ; and may it please you to 
 
 [French.] J r J 
 
 know that Edward Hull is come 
 from England, the which Edward has brought 
 with him an artist to take the likenesses/ as I 
 believe M. J. de Batute has fully explained to 
 you. Which artist 3 I now send you ; and I 
 humbly pray that it may please your good lord- 
 ship to cause the business and the return of the 
 said artist to be expedited, considering the long 
 stay and sojourn that we have made here, with- 
 out having sent anything to our master, con- 
 cerning this affair. For if he has no news from 
 us in this month, which is now arrived, I doubt 
 not that he will be displeased, notwithstanding 
 it would be no fault of ours. Be pleased to know 
 also that we have written more fully on this sub- 
 ject to the said Mr, John, to whom be pleased 
 .to give faith and credence; and to deem this 
 artist 3 recommended to your good lordship, 
 
 1 " Operatorem operis prelocute," 
 
 2 " Le quele Edward a amene une overir avec lui pour faire 
 les figures." 
 
 3 " Overir," or " overeur." 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 61 
 
 whom I pray God to keep as your noble heart 
 
 desires. Written at Bourdeaux, the iij day of 
 
 November. 
 
 Roos. R. 
 
 TO OUR VERY DEAR AND GOOD FRIEND, M. J. DE 
 BATUTE. 
 
 theCounH?A? Trusty and worthy Sir; By 
 
 magnac sent by the same means which you em- 
 
 the skilful artist in * 
 
 painting, for the ployed in conveying your letters, 
 
 three pictures. 1— r J J ° J 
 
 [Latin.] we sent you, some time ago, a 
 
 letter for the duke, containing likewise those bear- 
 ing date the xiij of October ; in which amongst 
 other things we have said, that since there was 
 no possibility of going up safely, we had thought 
 it better in order to shorten the business, that 
 the three pictures or likenesses 2 should be sent 
 hither with airspeed; and that we earnestly 
 wished they were now here in our hands, as 
 there are persons who could convey them to 
 their destination without delay. In order to 
 ensure your attention to their instant trans- 
 mission, we send you these letters by a man 
 who is very able in these kind of performances; 3 
 and we entreat that you would provide him 
 with opportunities from time to time of working 
 
 1 " Littera Ambass' ad consilium Comitis Ar' ci miss' per 
 scientiflcum operatorem in pictura pro tribus yrnaginibus." 
 
 2 " Picturas seu similitudines." 
 
 3 " Virum quidem in hoc genere satis -instructum." 
 
62 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 at the pictures, that he may be able to despatch 
 them without delay, and return. It has also 
 seemed desirable to us that you and some other, 
 as your lord may determine, furnished with full 
 power and instructions to act in the matter, 
 should come down to this place as quickly as 
 may be, or to some other intermediate place, 
 secure alike to all. In our opinion, a fitter 
 place cannot be chosen than the town of Mount 
 Secure, only three leagues from Marmaud, 
 and which is recommended by its vicinity to 
 your part of the country, as well as by the 
 abundance of its provisions, and the security of 
 its position. And that the business may be 
 the more efficaciously and maturely accom- 
 plished, we have desired you to be instructed 
 upon the dowry ; the paraphernalia or female 
 ornaments, commonly called " le chambre ;" the 
 place to which she ought to be conducted at 
 the charge and expense of his lordship ; with the 
 homage, &c. And it will further be very expe- 
 dient that you should bring with you a herald 
 or a pursuivant at arms, who may speedily 
 consult his lordship, and return if any doubt 
 should arise in the proceedings. To conclude, 
 be particularly careful that the messenger here- 
 with dispatched may be speedily sent back. 
 Farewell. Written on the iij of November. 
 It will perhaps give you satisfaction to know 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 63 
 
 that our colleague, Edward Hull, is arrived, and 
 that all things are ready on our part. He is 
 much astonished at our long and fruitless stay 
 in this place, the tediousness and expense of 
 which you may well imagine. On this account 
 we trust you will use all diligence for the speedy 
 consummation of the matter, otherwise you 
 must in justice excuse our departure from this 
 place, lest we should incur blame in other 
 quarters, for protracting our stay longer than was 
 proper or necessary, if our labours should be 
 fruitless. It is now nearly half a year since the 
 commencement of our embassy. We all three 
 desire you to make our recommendation to our 
 Lord. Sept. as above. 
 
 Roos. R. 
 
 T. B. 
 
 E. Hull. 
 
 Hans, the artist, bearer of these letters, with 
 a pastoral staff. 1 
 
 November IV. Sunday, at home : in the 
 council at the castle, where the lords, and barons, 
 and others, granted certain men at arms with 
 archers for the defence and succour of the castle 
 of Rieul. 
 
 V. Monday, in the morning, news came from 
 
 1 Hans le overor' lator l'rar' Baculo pastorali. 
 
64 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 St. Machary, that yesterday evening the men 
 of the town of Machary took three vessels laden 
 with xx pipes of bread, and vij men in them, of 
 whom iij were slain. They were coming from 
 Agen, with the intention to go up to the French 
 at Rieul. To-day, the second letter of Mr. J. 
 de Batute was received. 
 
 TO THE NOBLE AND WORTHY LORDS, SIR R. ROOS, 
 AND TH. BEKYNTON, DOCTOR OF LAWS, HIS MA- 
 JESTY'S SECRETARY, MY HONORED LORDS, &C. 
 
 Noble and worthy Sirs, [word for word as in 
 the first, received on the xith of October, with 
 the following termination J : — 
 
 Duplicate letter of jyj y i or( } s I have sent you other 
 
 the cnanc of the J J 
 
 Lord Armagnac— letters of the same tenor and 
 
 [Latin.] 
 
 purpose, but having had no reply 
 to them, I send you the present letter. I be- 
 seech you to write to me of your intention 
 on all these points ; and if you have any other 
 commands, be so good as to make them known 
 to me. Do not be surprised at the date of these 
 letters, as they have been carried half way, and 
 then brought back again, &c, from the difficulty 
 of finding bearers. Yours, as above 
 
 Archdeacon. 
 
 November VI. Tuesday, to dinner with his 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 65 
 
 lordship the regent. To-day there was a great 
 contention between his lordship the regent and 
 the dean of St. Andrews. 
 
 November VII. Wednesday, at home. To 
 dinner, his lordship the regent, and Hervy, a 
 vintner of London, who brought a letter from 
 Mr. Richard Taunton. 
 
 VIII. Thursday, D. de Conak here with 
 Rokley, and the master and purser 1 of the ship, 
 called the " Chirchisship." 
 
 IX. Friday, Mr. Tregoran here. 
 
 X Saturday, at home. About nine, his lord- 
 ship the regent, and Hull, with about CCC men 
 at arms, and as many archers, went out towards 
 Langon. 
 
 XL Sunday, the master of the ship called 
 " N. of Toure" here, who arrived about ten 
 before noon. 
 
 XII. Monday, to dinner with Mr. Stephen 
 de Brosses. To-day the town of Langon was 
 destroyed, and my lord sent a letter to his lord- 
 ship the regent, and Hull, especially about this 
 verse, " Pacem tract abant, et fraudes intus ara- 
 bant" — they treated of peace, but inwardly cul- 
 tivated deceit. 
 
 XIII. Tuesday, Chipman here, to dinner and 
 supper. 
 
 XIV. XV. Wednesday, Thursday, Stephen 
 de Brossis, and John de Pont here. Letters 
 
 1 " Bursarius." 
 
66 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON^ 
 
 were also received from Rieul, concerning the 
 death of J. Poyntour. 
 
 November XVI. XVII. Friday, Saturday, his 
 lordship and Mr. Stephen de Brossis sailed in 
 the forenoon amidst all the ships, and directed 
 the master of each, and others in the castle, to 
 appear before them at one in the afternoon. 
 When the hour arrived, they made their ap- 
 pearance, ij or iij excepted. His lordship con- 
 ferred patiently with them as to sending up men. 
 The following night, accordingly, at one iij small 
 ships went up full of armed men. 
 
 XVIII. Sunday, the butler * of the Bishop of 
 Exeter here. 
 
 XIX. Monday, at home. After the depar- 
 ture of his lordship the regent, my lord alter- 
 nately wrote to the regent and Hull, stating 
 various reasons why they should not delay going 
 up. To-day the letters of the Count of Armagnac 
 and of Mr. Batute were received. 
 
 TO MY VERY DEARr AND GREAT FRIEND, MONS*' 
 R. ROOS. 
 
 Letter of the count y erv dear an d g rea t friend, 
 
 to the knight am- * ° ' 
 
 bassador. [French.] please to know that I have seen 
 certain letters which you wrote some time ago, 
 and sent to my beloved and faithful counsellor 
 Mess r * J. de Batute, licentiate in law, canon and 
 archdeacon of the church of Rodes. I have 
 
 1 Pincerna, 
 
1442. 67 
 
 also perceived, by the contents of your said 
 letters, the good will and affection which you 
 entertain for the success and continuance of 
 the business, and for its accomplishment, for 
 which I most sincerely, heartily, and truly 
 thank you. Praying, very dear and great friend, 
 that you will continue your good will and affec- 
 tion, and furthermore give faith and entire cre- 
 dence to what my said counsellor now writes to 
 you by my command. I likewise assure you of 
 the entire good will and intention that I enter- 
 tain respecting the said business and its accom- 
 plishment. Very dear and great friend, may 
 our Lord have you in his holy keeping. Written 
 at Auxerre, the vijth of November. 
 
 The Count D'Armagnac, John. 
 
 This letter his lordship sent to the lord re- 
 gent, together with the following letter, by John 
 Trevenaunt, the lord regent and Hull being at 
 St. Machary. 
 
 TO THE HONOURABLE AND WORSHIPFUL SIR R. ROOS, 
 KNIGHT, AND THOMAS BEKYNTON, MY MOST EX- 
 CELLENT LORDS, 
 
 ofX°chanceiio e r tt for Honorable and worthy Sirs, 
 the ^u-anTactions, my most excellent Lords, with 
 "Lt/cutfn.7 my humble and dutiful commen- 
 dations. I received your letter, written at 
 
 ! 
 
68 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTOtf, 
 
 Bourdeaux the xiijth of October by the bearer of 
 the present letter, on the last day but one of the 
 same month ; and had great pleasure to learn 
 from it that you enjoy good health. The full- 
 ness of my heart, and the affection with which 
 I regard the matter referred to, together with 
 the many careful and anxious provisions made 
 by my illustrious lord for the safety of your 
 journey in visiting him, would, if time permitted* 
 give me many things to say to you. But for 
 the present I will only intimate that my lord, 
 who has always had this matter at heart, is at 
 the present time more especially earnest in it, 
 and can allow nothing to divert him from his 
 purpose. He is every day more affected towards 
 it ; and if it had been possible, would long ago 
 have convinced you in the way which you de- 
 sire, by sending envoys 1 expressly for your 
 journey. But the adverse state of the times 
 has hitherto prevented him from adopting this 
 step. There is little confidence in the country 
 at this day between man and man, (the more 
 the pity), and my lord is as unwilling to permit 
 any injury to happen to your excellent per- 
 sonages, as to his own. He is exceedingly 
 grieved, yea, above measure, at these ob- 
 stacles. But he does not, and will never, relax 
 
 1 Nuncios. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 69 
 
 his exertions till he shall procure you a safe 
 and assured mode of coming, when his joy will 
 be the greater in proportion to his present vexa- 
 tions ; like the apostle, who says, * When I am 
 weak, then am I strong/ If, however, it ap- 
 pears expedient to your reverences, that his 
 lordship should send any special persons of his 
 to communicate with you upon your orders, he 
 is ready to proceed in these respects as you may 
 determine. I entreat you, therefore, that you 
 will write back to me on these points as soon as 
 possible, and not conceive a suspicion that we 
 are hindered by that man, Leomagne. If hitherto 
 he has in some respects interfered in the matter, 
 we assure you that he will not venture to cross 
 our purpose, as you well know. I beseech you, 
 therefore, to bear with us a little while, and do 
 not despair of a happy issue to this arduous 
 business, after the courage and manliness with 
 which you have laboured in it. I trust in the 
 Lord that the road will soon be mutually open 
 between us both; the obstacles have already 
 begun to diminish, and would have diminished 
 more, if the north had blown as it ought to 
 have done, and as we thought it would. God 
 grant that it may blow prosperously, that we 
 may be able to hasten a matter which we so 
 much desire. My lord also returns you his ac- 
 
70 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 knowledgments for your constancy and affection 
 in the business ; and entreats you from his heart 
 to persevere with your wonted diligence., pro- 
 ceeding, if possible, from good to better. The 
 time and expense which you have bestowed m 
 so high and happy an undertaking, will be re 
 compensed by God himself. I had news this 
 evening from Masters William Tirell, N. Huse, 
 and William Ettoing, your servants, who by the 
 grace of God are well in the castle, &c. May 
 God by his grace preserve and defend them 
 from all evil and mischief, and send them back 
 to you with joy. I am sorry that Huse, who 
 was secure in the embassy, &c. went thither. 
 If, however, you think that my lord ought to 
 become the mediator of any peace or truce, and 
 you will write back to him on the subject, I am 
 certain it would succeed, and bring about the 
 desired result. By this means, besides the many 
 other advantages which would ensue, our wishes 
 would be accomplished; and many evils avoided 
 which are proceeding from our present state. If 
 you should have hereafter any news touching 
 ourselves, or upon other matters which you can 
 communicate, I pray you to write to me upon 
 it, and whatever may be your wish, shall be 
 fulfilled to the utmost of our power. May the 
 most high disposer of events keep and direct 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 71 
 
 you in all happiness and prosperity. Written 
 from Auxerre, the viijth November, 1442. 
 Your servant, as accustomed, 
 
 Jo. Archd. with my own hand. 
 
 November XX. Tuesday, his lordship sent 
 his chaplain, D. Trevenaunt, with the letter of 
 the Count of Armagnac immediately preceding, 
 and with a copy of the letter of Mr. J. de Batute, 
 to the lord regent and Hull, at St. Machary, to 
 have his servants outside the castle of Rieul. 
 
 XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. Wednesday, 
 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, at home. His lord- 
 ship the regent returned home in the evening 
 from St. Machary. 
 
 XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. Sun- 
 day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 
 at home. To-day their lordships were in council 
 at two in the afternoon. 
 
 XXX. Friday forenoon, his lordship was at 
 the church of St. Andrew amongst the lords of 
 the council. Early this morning, the Lord de 
 Conak went out with CCC. men towards St. 
 Faith. 
 
 December I. II. Saturday, and Sunday; the 
 seneschal of the lord the Capitowe was buried 
 at the Carmelites, and his lordship was there at 
 mass. To day arrived iiij ships from Hull. 
 
 III. IV. Monday, Tuesday ; after dinner his 
 
72 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 lordship rode to the Bishop of Basatense, and 
 the Lord de Conak with him. The Lord de 
 Conak and Rokley were also with him to supper. 
 To day consolatory letters were sent to Rieul. 
 
 December V. VI. Wednesday, Thursday, 
 at home. News came from the Archbishop of 
 Bourdeaux; and in the evening he arrived. 
 
 VII. Friday, the castle of Rieul was sur- 
 rendered; and the town of Mount Secure. 
 
 VIII. Saturday. To-day G. Swillington came 
 home from the castle of Rieul, and the rest of 
 the lord regent's and my lord's companions, ex- 
 cept John Payntor, who was killed by a cul- 
 verin. 
 
 IX. Sunday afternoon, my lord visited the 
 ship, called " le Heleyne," of London. 
 
 X. Monday, the lord regent, Hull, Rokley, 
 Savage and others, were with my lord to supper. 
 
 XI. Tuesday, the Lord de Conak with my 
 lord to dinner. In the middle of dinner the 
 Lord de Conak arose, and took leave to ride 
 towards Conak. T. Mortimer was with him, 
 and yj horses of my lord's. The castle, " en Dort," 
 was lost. 
 
 i XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. Wednesday, 
 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, to dinner 
 with Bernard Angevyn. To day letters were 
 received from the Count of Armagnac and from 
 Mr. J. de Batute, as follows :— 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442 73 
 
 TO MY VERY DEAR AND GREAT FRIEND, MESS R> 
 R. ROOS. 
 
 Letter of the count Very dear and great friend, 
 
 of Armagnac to the ^ 
 
 knight ambassador, please to knOW that I have re- 
 certifying [the arri- A 
 
 vai of the portrait ceived your letter, and have duly 
 
 painter.i [French.] . 
 
 considered and understood its 
 contents. The artist/ concerning whom you 
 wrote to me, is arrived, and I have seen him. 
 He is every day diligently employed on the 
 work for which he came ; and as soon as he 
 has finished it, he shall return to you. 
 I have also seen the letter which you 
 wrote to my counsellor, Messr. J. de Batute, 
 and by my command he now writes and answers 
 the whole. So I pray you, very dear and great 
 friend, that you will give as entire faith and 
 credence to what he writes, as you would to 
 myself. Very dear and great friend, our Lord 
 have you in his holy keeping. Written at 
 Auxerre, the xxijnd day of November. 
 
 The Count D'Armagnac, John. 
 
 1 " Operatoris picture." 2 Overir. 
 
74 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 TO THE HONOURABLE AND WORSHIPFUL SIR R. ROOS, 
 KNIGHT, THOMAS DE BECKINGTON, E. HULL, THE 
 SECRETARY AND ESQUIRE OF THE KING, MY MOST 
 EXCELLENT LORDS, 
 
 Letter of the chan- jyj y honourable, worshipful, 
 
 cellor to the am- J , „* 
 
 bassador, both about anc [ most excellent Lords, my 
 
 the arrival of the ^ 
 
 portrait painter, 1 humble and dutiful commenda- 
 
 upon proposing a 
 
 truce through his tion remembered. By the bearer 
 
 lord, and an ex- 
 
 cuse for the delay of the present letter and M. 
 
 in the business. . 
 
 [Latin.] Hansa, I have received your two 
 
 letters the first written at Bourdeaux on the xijth 
 of October, and the second on the iijrd day of 
 the present month, November, which you sent 
 to my lord and me, accompanied by a pastoral 
 staff. 2 They gave us both great joy, to find that 
 your zeal and affection in the matters referred 
 to were unchanged. The same feelings are 
 entertained by his lordship, and indeed increase 
 every day. Accordingly, as soon as Hansa had 
 arrived, which he did safely, by the grace of 
 God, he diligently applied himself to the object 
 for which he came, namely the three pictures or 
 likenesses ; 3 and such have been his zeal and 
 assiduity in the work, that with the help of God 
 we hope quickly to return him to you. Within 
 four days, or little more, the first of the three 
 portraits will be upon the canvas/ and the rest 
 
 1 " Operatoris pictur'." 3 " Ymagines et picturas." 
 
 2 " Baculo pastorali." 4 " Linthes impresserit." 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 75 
 
 he will despatch still more quickly, as he will 
 have the whole of the materials ready provided. 
 To the utmost of my power I will urge him to 
 expedition, that we may the sooner arrive at the 
 happy and desired consummation of our labours. 
 With regard, however, to your proposal, of send- 
 ing persons on the part of my lord to confer with 
 you on our proceedings, &c. you write that my 
 lord thought, and still thinks, that the business 
 does not stand in need of further expediting, 
 especially when you consider the intimation which 
 I lately made in my letter, that my lord would 
 become the medium of effecting any peace or 
 truce, so that every thing might be accomplished 
 with the greater certainty and expedition, and 
 we might mutually have a free passage to one 
 another. I am sure that if you make known to 
 my lord your wishes on this point, he would 
 make an effectual interference, such as the case 
 might demand. We are confident he would 
 willingly exert himself on the point with the 
 other party. Speaking with respect, I certainly 
 do not see, M. Hull, why you should wonder at 
 the long delay and tarrying of my lord, if you 
 duly consider the great and numerous obstacles 
 which, without any fault of our own, have im- 
 peded both my lord and ourselves. Before God 
 and men we all stand accused; and we appeal 
 on this point to your judgment, on the ground 
 
76 JOURNAL OP BECRINGTON, 
 
 of our known good faith. We are not wanting, 
 nor have ever been, in zeal for the conclu- 
 sion of the matter, as by God's assistance shall 
 soon be manifested in facts. I entreat you, 
 therefore, my lords, to take the matters referred 
 to into your speedy consideration, and to write 
 back your pleasure upon them ; after which, 
 the persons whom my lord designs to send to 
 you, may come the better informed, and with 
 the greater security. In my opinion you ought 
 to consent to such a truce as I have before more 
 fully described, for many reasons which I will 
 not now explain, but which cannot but be ob- 
 vious to prudent persons like yourselves. I 
 commend myself to Mr. William Tirel, William 
 Austin, and others of you, praying God that he 
 would deign to preserve those who are in the 
 castle, &c. from dangers and mischiefs, and grant 
 them a happy return ; also that he would deign 
 to direct your proceedings according to your 
 desires. Given from Auxerre the xxijnd of 
 November, 1442. 
 
 Your servant, as accustomed, 
 
 Archdeacon. 
 
 COPY OF A NOTE ENCLOSED. 
 
 [Latin.] 
 
 Mons r Roos, I beseech you, by the love of 
 God, to receive our commendations for our 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VL A°. 1442. 77 
 
 poor captives, and the bearers of the present 
 letters. 
 
 December XVII. XVIII. XIX. Monday, 
 Tuesday, Wednesday, to dinner with the lord 
 regent. 
 
 XX. XXI. Thursday, Friday, the festival of 
 St. Thomas : at home. To dinner, the lord re- 
 gent, E. Hull, T. Swillington, Tirel, Savage. 
 
 XXII. Saturday, at home, Bernard de Garos 
 with his lordship. To day were sent the follow- 
 ing letters to the Count of Armagnac and Mr. 
 Batute. 
 
 to my very honoured lord, the count 
 d'armagnac. 
 
 Letter of reply from jyfly very hoilOUred Lord, I re- 
 
 the Knight Ambas- ' ' 7 
 
 sador to the Count, commend myself humbly to your 
 
 with recommenda- * . 
 
 tion of attention to good lordship: and may it please you 
 
 the letter addressed ° L J \ J 
 
 to his chancellor, i-o know that on the xvi th dav of 
 
 [French.] L . _ 
 
 December, I received your letters 
 written the xxijnd day of November, mentioning 
 the artist sent to you, and who, as it appears 
 by your letters, is employed in finishing the work 
 for which he was sent to your lordship, and 
 which my companions and myself, considering 
 his long stay, think ought long since to have 
 been executed and forwarded to us and my lord. 
 If he has not yet set out on his return, may 
 
78 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 it please you to cause him to be expedited and 
 safely sent hither as speedily as possible. 
 Also,, may it please your good lordship to 
 learn that my companions and myself are now 
 writing to M. John de Batute concerning the bu- 
 siness of which you are aware ; and we pray that 
 you will give faith and credence to all that he 
 shall report of what we have written. And if 
 there is any thing which it may please your 
 good lordship to command me in these parts, I 
 will employ myself in it to the utmost of my 
 power with the assistance of our Lord God, 
 whom I pray to grant you a good life and long. 
 Written the xxijnd day of December. 
 
 TO THE EXCELLENT AND TRUSTY MR. J. DE 
 BATUTE. 
 
 Letter of reply Excellent and trusty Sir, 
 
 from the Ambassa- * 
 
 dor to the chancellor after our inmost commendations. 
 
 of the Count about 
 
 the delay of the ar- Your letter, written the xxijnd of 
 
 tist, and the form 
 
 of a truce. [Latin.] November, at Auxerre (whither 
 we sent our's with a pastoral staff) was received 
 here to our no small comfort, on the xvjth of 
 December. It gave us great joy to find that 
 your lord's desire in the business at issue not 
 only stands immoveable, but as you write, in- 
 creases daily ; and we hope that as it has 
 hitherto done, so it will always continue to do. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 79 
 
 With the same feelings we learned that Hans 
 had safely arrived, and when you wrote had 
 nearly finished his task. From the description 
 which you give in your letters of his progress, 
 we had hoped that by using the despatch which 
 he evidently ought and could have done, he 
 would already have finished every thing, and 
 returned hither. However, we thank you for 
 the earnest and hearty zeal which you have 
 daily manifested in this, as in all other points 
 relating to the present business ; and we have 
 no doubt that you will one day receive from 
 other quarters far greater thanks for your desert 
 than we can bestow. At the same time we do 
 most earnestly entreat you, that if Hans is not 
 already on his way back to us, he may be 
 speedily and safely sent, for considering the 
 present posture of affairs, we have no hope but 
 in seeking a certain medicine for the dis- 
 order, without which the business which is so 
 near our hearts cannot be brought to a success- 
 ful issue, but by which we hope that it will 
 speedily be the case. We cannot think it right 
 that your lord should put himself very forward 
 in the making of truces, for besides other reasons 
 which we have elsewhere partly explained, it is 
 a sufficient objection that it would injure the 
 present business, and make himself still more 
 an object of suspicion. Besides there is a certain 
 
80 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 great man in the adverse party,, who is said to 
 rule every thing, and who has many times 
 openly protested against this very affair. 
 Tirel, Austin, and all the rest who were 
 blocked up, but have returned without dis- 
 honour, in health and safety, recommend them- 
 selves to you. We beseech you to make known 
 our commendations to your lord, and to receive 
 our good wishes for your happiness. From this 
 place, the xxijnd of December. 
 
 Roos. R. 
 
 T. B. 
 
 E. Hull. 
 
 December XXIII. XXIV. XXV. Sunday, 
 Monday, Tuesday, the festival of the Nativity 
 of our Lord. At home, the provincial of the 
 Carmelites, and the prior of Marmaud, with his 
 lordship. To supper, T. Skotte.. 
 
 XXVI. Wednesday. 
 
 XXVII. Thursday, to dinner with the pro- 
 vost of St. Severinus. To supper at home, 
 D. D. Selby there. 
 
 XXVIII. XXIX. Friday, Saturday, at home, 
 the bailiff of Sparre with his lordship. 
 
 - XXX. Sunday, Strangwys, to dinner; N.Elysr 
 and his other iij servants with him, and father 
 Hugh,, called John Forster. In the evening, Etyn* 
 
14 1 2. 81 
 
 Robert Savage, and Robert a servant of the 
 lord regent's, brought " waiffers" and apples. 
 
 December XXXI. Monday, his lordship and 
 E. Hull went before noon to St. Andrew, to his 
 lordship the archbishop. At home to dinner. 
 His lordship supped with Hull, and after supper 
 they went to the lord regent, and there they 
 saw " le Revell." 
 
 TO THE HONORABLE AND TRUSTY, MR. J, DE 
 BATUTE. 
 
 batadof to A t£ Honourable and trusty Sir, 
 
 chancellor of Ar- After our hearty recommenda- 
 
 magnac, to urge his J 
 
 Lordship to remain tions ; your letters, written on the 
 
 in his original pur- * 
 
 pose, and returning viiith of November, we received 
 
 thanks for his dili- 
 gence.— [Latin.] here on the xxviijth of the same 
 
 month. Their contents gave us great joy, as 
 we learn from them that your lord maintains a 
 fixed and unalterable disposition to the business, 
 and from which nothing can divert him. We sin- 
 cerely hope, for his own fame and honour, that 
 he will persevere in the same feelings. On the 
 other hand, you may assuredly reckon on our 
 being heartily affected to the cause according 
 to our instructions ; and being more deeply de- 
 sirous, if possible, than ever, that every thing 
 which yet remains to be done may be speedily 
 concluded. But as we plainly see, and are con- 
 firmed in this by your letters,, that it is neces- 
 
82 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 sary in the first place to provide as quickly and 
 effectively as possible for the general security, 
 we are now preparing to go back to our own 
 country, from which, with God's assistance we 
 expect to return, with a medicine of such kind 
 as will accelerate the business. In the mean 
 time, therefore, act with constancy, and wait the 
 result with patience. You must be well aware 
 that far greater thanks than you have yet re- 
 ceived, are due to you for your meritorious con- 
 duct. We are in daily expectation here of the 
 return of the artist whom we sent, and desire 
 most earnestly to receive the likenesses which 
 he will bring, that we may carry them with us, 
 and so all things be speedily concluded. Fare- 
 well : commend us to your lord. Written the 
 last day of December but one. 
 
 Roos. R. 
 
 T. B. 
 
 E. Hull. 
 
 January I. Tuesday, to dinner at home ; 
 Hull, B. de Garos, and his lordship the provin- 
 cial with his lordship. To supper, the bailiff de 
 Sparre. To day the lord regent gave my lord 
 
 for his new-year's-gift. And Hull 
 
 gave him ij small pots of green " Z Z." My lord 
 gave them each a scarlet hat. Bernard de Garos 
 gave my lord pimento and " wafFers." The lady 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. Ao. 1442. 83 
 
 of the inn gave " lemogV' fixed in a rod of 
 €t lorey," with a little book in the middle ;* and 
 the wife of Richard Gebbis gave apples, &c. 
 
 January II. III. Wednesday, Thursday, at 
 home. To dinner the Bishop of Bassat, the 
 Lord de Rosan, I. de Pont, Hayward, and Savage. 
 In the evening the constable's servants. 
 
 IV. V. Friday and Saturday, at home. To 
 day all things were brought to the ship, called 
 " le Elyn," of London. 
 
 VI. Sunday, to dinner with the lord the 
 Capitowe, where a bow of wyndas was given to 
 his lordship. To supper at home. 
 
 VII. Monday, to dinner with the Viscount 
 de Longvyle, son of the Capitowe, when another 
 bow of wyndas was given to his lordship. To 
 supper at home. 
 
 VIII. Tuesday, to dinner with the comp- 
 troller. The mayor of the city gave ij bows 
 with ij " garoch." To supper with the lord re- 
 gent ; Hull gave xij heads for quarrelles. 
 
 IX. Wednesday, at home to dinner. To 
 supper with the lord regent. To day Hull was 
 elected constable of the castle of Bourdeaux, 
 who gave a bow of " garoch." 
 
 X. Thursday, at home : the lord Capitowe, 
 
 1 Domina de Hospicio dedit lemog' fix' in una virgula de 
 lorey cum libello in medio. 
 
84 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 the viscount his son,, and the Bishop of Basatten, 
 came to take leave of my lord on his leaving 
 Bourdeaux. Dined at home. After dinner my 
 lord went to the lord regent, and took leave 
 both of him and of Hull, and then immediately 
 proceeded to the gabarre. The gabarre went 
 on the river to the boat of the ship of the 
 " Gabriell of Hull/' where the master of the 
 ship and xviij mariners received my lord, rowing 
 in the best manner. In the evening they ar- 
 rived at the ship, called " le Elyn," opposite the 
 town of " nostre Dame," where the master of 
 the ship and the mariners of Hull, received 
 twenty shillings of my lord for their pay, and 
 returned to Bourdeaux, Thomas Est remained 
 in the gabarre with my lord's baggage all night 
 opposite Bloy. 
 
 January XI. Friday, his lordship heard mass 
 in a chapel of St. Stephen, and then went to the 
 town of Nostre Dame, where he dined. T. 
 Est in the gabarre came with the luggage to the 
 ship, whither his lordship returned after dinner. 
 To day the master of " le Trinite," of London, 
 was elected admiral. 1 
 
 XII. Saturday, in the ship ; the Lord de 
 Conak with his lordship. 
 
 XIII. XIV. Sunday, Monday, in the ship : 
 
 1 Electus fuit in admirallum. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 85 
 
 after dinner George Swillington, Tirel, and 
 Eston, came to the ship to my lord, and re- 
 turned to Bourdeaux. 
 
 January XV. Tuesday morning the ships 
 were removed to Riaunt roads. 
 
 XVI. XVII. Wednesday, in Riaunt roads. 
 On Thursday morning they made sail, and got 
 out to sea, 
 
 XVIII. Friday, at sea. In the evening they 
 anchored opposite Penmark. 
 
 XIX. Saturday, under sail. About noon 
 they entered " le Raas," and in the evening they 
 began to enter into Crowdon roads, where xj 
 ships of Flanders were lying, and v of Hol- 
 land ; and ix escaped, 1 which, it is said, belonged 
 to Brittany. 
 
 XX. Sunday, in the same roads. In the 
 morning their lordships landed with their ser- 
 vants, and went to the church of Crowdon, 
 where they heard masses. Afterwards my lord 
 ate oysters in Crowdon. To dinner in the 
 ship, Mr. Tregoran the admiral, and the other 
 masters of ships, with his lordship. In the after- 
 noon an Inquisition was held upon a ship found 
 there, as follows : 
 
 On Sonday the xx day of Januer, in the 
 rode before Crowdon, at after mete an Inquisi- 
 
 1 Fugert. 
 
86 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 tion was made in the forme that foloweth, for 
 certain merchandisses that men seid the hulks 
 of Flaundres and of Holande sholde have had 
 within theym of Frensshmen goods, Spaniards, 
 and of other rebells unto the King, our Soverain 
 Lord. First, th'admirall of the foresaid hulks 
 was warned by M. Tregoran, in presence 
 of two notaries, as also of other witnesses, to 
 come to the admiral on the name of Englande 
 there being. Thanne all men drewe to the ad- 
 mirall ; and there Xpen Bonishon Bruges, maister 
 of the Holy Goost of Brugis, admiral of the 
 hulks of Flanders, in presence of the admirall of 
 English shipps and of two notaries, and other 
 wittenesses there stonding togider in the fore- 
 castell of the ship of the seid admiral of Eng- 
 lisse nave, was sworn upon a book to seye the 
 trouthe of such articles as sholde be declared 
 unto him. First how many hulks or vessels were 
 under his admiralte ? ; and he said x : than he 
 as asked what was his name, and what was 
 e name of the ship that he had governance of, 
 and what were the names of all the vessells that 
 were under his admiralte ? ; to the which three 
 articles he ansuered as is declared herafter in a 
 bille of the names of ships with pa ... . The 
 xvj day of January ageinst eve the ships riding 
 at ancre ageinst Riant, there went to londe, 
 under truze, v men of the Julian of Fowey with 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 87 
 
 their cokbote, there the Frenshmen tok theym 
 prisoners notwithstanding the truze. Than he 
 was asked of what portage his ship was of? and 
 he said of xiij xx and x tonne ; than what mer- 
 chaunts had lade the ship ? and therto he shewed 
 his chartre party which was delivered to th'ad- 
 mirall : than yf he had any goods in his vessell 
 of any rebelles unto our Soveraine Lord the 
 King ? and he said he had in his ship xxj tonne 
 and j pipe of wyn of Lumberds, called Dominiac 
 and Lusart, wherof a pipe was dronken ; and 
 than he was asked yf he knewe any rebells 
 goods in any of the ships which were under his 
 admiralte ? and he said he could not in any wyse 
 declare therof ; and than he was kept stille with 
 th'admiral of th'English nave. 
 
 In the evening my lord supped at Crowdon ; 
 and David Selly, Chattok, and Huy, were with 
 him. 
 
 January XXI. Monday, there until after 
 noon, and then they sailed. To day we heard 
 that Arthur de Bretagne, at Temple Crantyn, 
 was made councillor to the adversary of France, 
 and that Giles the duke's brother was then 
 there. 
 
 XXII. Tuesday, at sea all day, betwixt 
 Crowdon and the Abbey of St. Matthew. 
 
 XXIII. XXIV. Wednesday, at sea. On 
 

 88 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 Thursday forenoon all the ships returned to 
 Crowdon. In the afternoon my lord took a 
 walk in the country. To supper in the ship. 
 
 January XXV. Friday, in the ship. In the 
 afternoon my lord took a walk as far as Knolles 
 tower. 
 
 XXVI. Saturday, in the ship. Mr. Tregoran 
 gave a fish called " base and le Wratbyhe, 
 alias a Tenche of the see." Chattok gave a fish 
 called " Pedulup," or " Wolfsfoote al' Luperins." 
 
 XXVII. Sunday, in the ship. Mr. T. with 
 his lordship. 
 
 XXVIII. Monday, in the ship. To dinner 
 the master of the ship of Dartmouth. 
 
 XXIX. Tuesday, Edward Sheffeld, William 
 Chattok, and John Huy, on board. 
 
 XXX. XXXI. Wednesday, in the ship ; and 
 Thursday there to dinner. To supper at Crow- 
 don, with a merchant. 
 
 February I. Friday, in the ship. 
 
 II. Saturday, the purification of the blessed 
 Mary. At Crowdon, to mass. In the ship to 
 dinner. In the evening Mr. T. with his lord- 
 ship. 
 
 III. IV. Sunday, in the ship. On Monday, 
 to dinner at Crowdon ; Selly, Tregoran, Pow- 
 deram, and Stawnford with his lordship. In 
 the afternoon he took a walk : in the evening in 
 the ship. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 89 
 
 February V. Tuesday, the ships remained op- 
 posite Crowdon : in the afternoon they made sail. 
 In the evening they rested in the Blanksable 
 roads. Ushant and Bellingier 1 are large islands : 
 there I heard by a Breton, who eight days ago 
 was at Plymouth, that Sir W. Bonvile had been 
 there with iiij M men and xxxv ships ; and the 
 Breton thought that by that time the said Lord 
 de Bonvile was about Bordeaux, or not far off. 
 
 VI. Wednesday, they made sail, and about 
 the xj hour we were at le Sourme. 
 
 VII. VIII. Thursday : Friday, day and night 
 under sail after the beginning of Wednesday. 
 In the evening a " plover," rested upon the sail. 
 
 IX. Saturday, at sea. In the evening we 
 saw the Foreland and Mountsbay. 
 
 X. Sunday, at noon, his lordship entered 
 Falmouth, and arrived at Penryn, where he 
 rested in the house of the bailiff. T. Parker re- 
 mained in the ship with the luggage. 
 
 XL Monday, to dinner at Penryn, and to 
 supper at Trewren. 2 To-day B. was sent [to] 
 Lord Bonvile. 
 
 XII. Tuesday, to dinner at St. Austle. In 
 the afternoon with Copston, at Lostwithiel : 
 to supper at Liskeard, with the vicar. To 
 day Robert Ripingal was sent to our lord the 
 king. 
 
 1 Query, Belle Isle. 2 Query, Truro. 
 
00 
 
 February XIII. Wednesday, to dinner at 
 Teriton : to supper at Okynton. 1 
 
 XIV. Thursday morning, at Kirton. To 
 dinner at Exeter, where Mr. N. Colles gave my 
 lord a horse, and Snetesham one. To supper 
 at Honiton. 
 
 XV. Friday, to dinner at Crewkerne : to 
 supper at Sherborne. To day I. Blakis returned 
 with a horse given by the Lord de Bonvile. 
 
 XVI. Saturday, to dinner at Shaftesbury ; 
 to supper at Salisbury, where Ingram gave a 
 horse, and Cantor one. 
 
 XVII. Sunday, to dinner at Collingbourn ; to 
 supper at Bedwind, where T. Chamberleyn 
 came with the king's letters. There, " pull' 
 cap' pen'," were given by the parish .... 
 
 XVIII. Monday, to dinner at Bedwind ; to 
 supper at Sutton. 
 
 XIX. Tuesday, to dinner at Sutton ; to 
 supper at Henley-upon-Thames. 
 
 XX. Wednesday morning, at Maidenhead, 
 with the king. To dinner at Eaton ; to supper 
 at Colnbroke. To-day, at Maidenhead, my lord 
 met M. R. Roos, from whom he had copies of 
 the following letters of the Count of Armagnac 
 and Mr. John de Batuz, which were received 
 by M. Roos, at Bordeaux, the xiiij of Ja- 
 nuary. 
 
 1 Query, Oakhampton. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 91 
 
 TO MY VERY DEAR AND VALUED FRIEND, MESSR. 
 ROBERT ROOS. 
 
 [French.] 
 
 Very dear and great friend, Please to know 
 that I have received your letter, informing me 
 that on the xvjth day of the month of December 
 last, past, you received my letters written the 
 xxijnd day of November, respecting the artist 
 sent to me, and who is employed in completing 
 the work for which he came, but who ought, 
 yourself and your companions think, considering 
 his long stay, to have been expedited, and sent 
 back to you. Your companions and yourself 
 have also now written again to my beloved and 
 faithful counsellor M. J. de B., &c. concerning 
 the business which I know of, as these things 
 are more fully and plainly expressed in your 
 letters. Very dear and great friend, be certain, 
 for I assure you that my said counsellor has 
 shewn me the said letters ; and that having com- 
 prehended and understood all the things contain- 
 ed in them, I was very much rejoiced and consoled 
 by them. I thank you and your said companions 
 for the good will and affection you have for the 
 success of the said business ; and assure you that 
 I entertain similar and inexpressible good will 
 and affection for its accomplishment. With re- 
 spect to the said artist, the great severity with 
 
92 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 which the winter weather has set in, has, as 
 you may know, created such delay in his work 
 that he has not been able to proceed so fast, 
 and to return to you so soon, as you expected. 
 But I will use all possible diligence that his work 
 shall be accomplished to the satisfaction of our 
 lord : he shall very soon and shortly be with 
 you, with his work concluded. My said coun- 
 sellor also writes now again to you, touching my 
 intention and will concerning the business afore- 
 said. I pray very heartily that you will give 
 faith and firm credence to the things contained 
 in the letter as you would to myself in person. 
 Very dear and great friend, may our lord have 
 you in his keeping. Written at Lisle the iijrd 
 day of January. 
 
 The Count D'Armanaak, John. 
 
 TO THE HONORABLE AND EXCELLENT SIR R. ROOS, 
 T. B. E. HULL, THE KING'S KNIGHT, SECRETARY, 
 AND ESQUIRE, &C. MY MOST EXCELLENT LORDS, 
 
 The chancellor to jyjy honourable and most ex- 
 
 the Ambassadors, J 
 
 both about a recom- cellent Lords : After my humble 
 
 mendation of their _ * 
 
 return, and to excuse an( j dutiful commendations. By 
 
 the artist, and to re- , 
 
 new writing. [Latin] the bearer of this letter I received 
 on the xxix day of December, your two letters 
 tied together, written with your own hand and 
 sealed with your own seals, the first written 
 on the last day but one of November, and the 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 93 
 
 second on the nineteeth of December Just passed. 
 If as you state, it gave you pleasure to learn 
 from my last letter, the constant and unalterable 
 disposition of my lord to bring the business to 
 a happy termination, my lord and myself have 
 received still greater pleasure from your letter 
 and its contents, to find that your resolution is 
 unchanged, and that you are determined to per- 
 severe with even greater vigour. My lord thanks 
 you from his heart for continuing to entertain 
 these sentiments, and entreats that you will 
 persevere in them with your wonted zeal. He 
 is grieved at heart that the business on which 
 you came could not at present be brought to 
 its desired consummation ; but be used every 
 means in his power to attain it, nor has he ceased 
 from them ever since my arrival. He still 
 hopes, and will continue to hope for its happy 
 termination, but hitherto he has been prevented 
 as you well know, de facto rather than de jure. 
 After all, if the ability to proceed in the matter 
 as we wish, should be denied, yet still, my lord 
 will always preserve an ardent disposition to- 
 wards it, according to the royal pleasure ; and 
 it will be right for you to make such provisions 
 as will afford a facility to both parties, in which 
 we will co-operate with you, as far as possible, 
 unless our efforts should be resisted as they 
 lately were. In this case we fear the matter 
 
94 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 may be longer protracted. We therefore entreat 
 you to make the necessary provisions on your 
 part for passing to the appointed place,, and 
 with God's help we intend to do the same on 
 ours. My lord anticipated what you have 
 written respecting the truce ; he was sincerely 
 earnest in the matter as he still is, and if he had 
 obtained your consent, would, as I told you, 
 have exerted himself in it with zeal ; but it has 
 so happened that he has been opposed on both 
 sides. I believe in the Lord, if you would 
 engage in the business with proper earnestness, 
 it would not be without success. But a word to 
 the wise, &c. Hans has finished one of the 
 three likenesses. From the severe coldness of 
 the weather which has prevented his colours 
 from working, he could not finish it sooner, 
 though he laboured with constant diligence. He 
 is beginning to proceed with the other two, 
 which, with God's help, he will finish in a shorter 
 time, especially if the cold should subside, and 
 give him greater facilities. But on this subject 
 he has more fully written to you. I am con- 
 stantly urging his operations, and shall continue 
 to do so, as there is nothing on earth I more 
 desire than to see them completed; and as soon 
 as they are, which will be shortly, he shall be 
 sent back to you in safety. I will write again 
 by him, on some other points respecting our affair 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 95 
 
 which do not now occur to me. May the lord 
 deign to preserve you in all happiness and pros- 
 perity. From the island on the iijrd of January, 
 1443. Do not be surprised that I have not 
 written this time as usual with my own hand, 
 for I have recovered my accustomed writer, and 
 am hindered by other trifles. But when Hans 
 returns, I will, with God's help, write to you 
 more at large. 
 
 Your servant, as usual, 
 
 Jo. &c. de B. 
 
 February XXI. Thursday, at the mansion of 
 Mr. Somerset, with his wife. To dinner at 
 Chiswyk with the lord chancellor. To supper 
 at London, with Asherley, the mayor of London. 
 
 XXII. Friday, in the inn at London. In the 
 afternoon, at Greenwich, with his lordship the 
 Duke of Gloucester. To-day my lord sent 
 Robert Repinghale, my Lord of Suffolk being at 
 Ewelm, and also Blakeney, to the lord treasurer, 
 at his manor of Depham. 
 
 XXIII. Saturday morning, to mass at the 
 hospital of St. Katherine. To dinner with the 
 said lord treasurer at the Mewes : after dinner 
 with the Bishop of Norwich. To supper with 
 Atherley. 
 
 XXIV. Sunday, at London, in the inn to 
 breakfast: to dinner with the lord chancellor. 
 
96 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 After dinner his lordship went up in a small 
 vessel, with the Lord of Suffolk, to Shene. 
 
 February XXV. Monday, to dinner at Shene, 
 with the king. In the afternoon with the car- 
 dinal of England, upon the king's business. To 
 supper with the Bishop of Norwich. 
 
 XXVI. Tuesday morning, his lordship rode 
 to the king at Shene, with the answer of the 
 Cardinal. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 97 
 
 Hit is to be had in remembrance how that 
 my lord regent, R. Roos, of the Senesca ie - of 
 Guienne, and my maister Hull demeaned theym 
 and their puissaunce gadered by their and my 
 maister secretarie Morton of the shipmen of the 
 nave and of Gascoigne of Burd' for the drive 
 horn Frenisshmen which were at Saint Lopyes 
 in Sucre dieux mars to the n ombre of iij M e 
 and more, as hit is said. First, as on Fry day the 
 xx of October after mete by th'advis of the 
 said regent my maister Hull went to Loremont, 
 where in a felde there he abode and taried al 
 men unto the commyng of the said regent which 
 laboured gretly to gete forthe the pouple. At 
 his commyng th'Englisshmen mustred by theym- 
 selve, the Gaiscoignes by theymselve : of English- 
 men there were CCCC, of Gaiscoignes M 1 . 
 After that they sent Rokly and iij wel horssed 
 men with hym t'aspie. And than they folowed 
 after tylthey comme nigh to the to wne of Saint 
 Lopyes where the bowes were divided from 
 other; and my said M. Hull had the rieul of 
 theym and went on foote to grete merveille of 
 many men how he might endure hit, and gou- 
 verned theym in the moost notable wise. And 
 whan they were approched nigh the same 
 towne there comme upon theym the skoulk 
 wache, and there a showte was made of St. 
 
 H 
 
98 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 George d'Angleterre, and there was sleyn ij or iij 
 of the saide waiche. Than they went forth to the 
 firres that the Frenisshmen had made, shwotting 
 continually St. George, and soe toke the feeld 
 more nigh to the towne. Than the Frenissh- 
 men nedde as we might see by the fierres on 
 horsbak at the townesende nigh half a mylle 
 from us. Than al men that had bowes drue 
 thider, and there they entred the towne, which 
 is called the south side of the town. And in 
 the meen tyme the horsmen and men of armes 
 entred in the north side. So they mette in the 
 middis of the towne at a crosse stonding upon 
 the chirch dykside where the standerds were 
 sette and kept up al night. The beginning of 
 the showting was aboute viij, and by x or ther- 
 aboute hit was doon. The Frensshmen that 
 skaped said, as hit is reported, they lakked moo 
 than viij c men and M 1 horses. In they morown- 
 eng the said regent and M' Hull with all their 
 puissaunce went homward and come to Burd' 
 to mete. 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A°. 1442. 99 
 
 Hit is to be had in remembrance how at 
 such tyme as the kings adversary of Fraunce 
 had leied siege unto the cite of Ax with grete 
 puissaunce, the Lord Usak and Augerot de Saint 
 Pier,, diveris tymes come oute of the said cite 
 unto the said adversarie by a ladder over the 
 walle, and re-entered the said cite by the same 
 ladder. After that by th'assent of the commens 
 there, the said lord and Angeret with the said 
 lords soon went over the walle by a ladder unto 
 the said adversary, and made composicion with 
 him for the said cite under this wise, that all 
 the communes sholde be his true lieges, and they 
 sholde have their goods save and sure, &c. And 
 as touching to their owne personnes, they sholde 
 chese whether they wolde leve their hors and 
 harneys, and goo saf whether theym lyked, or to 
 have their hors and harnesse and stonde in his 
 grace ; and also that the said lord sholde deli- 
 vere unto hym iij castell ; that is to seye, the 
 castel of Bellingnau, Venseurs, and the castell of 
 Casteluan ; and for the surtee of thoo to be 
 delivered his son was left there as for plegge ; 
 and so upon this composicion the towne was de- 
 livered the Friday the iij day of August. And as 
 soon as the said adversarie was in hit, in iiij parties 
 of the said cite, he dide cry that no man under 
 payn of deth take any good fro no man, which 
 
100 JOURNAL OF BECKINGTON, 
 
 cry was not hold. Wherfore after complainte 
 made on the Saturday next, execucion was had 
 thereupon, and iij were hanged in the markett 
 place. As touching the castel, as soon as the 
 king entered the cite, James Hersage offred to 
 hym the keyes of the castel and becam his liege 
 man, and toke hym to the white crosse ; and the 
 said adversaire abode there x dayes, and made 
 Arnald Guillam de Bormenham his stuard of 
 the Lawndez and lieutenant of the castel and 
 cite, of which lieutenant with xxx men of armes 
 held hit unto the Fry day the xxiiij day of August ; 
 at which tyme by night Piers Arnald of S. Gryk 
 ordeined iiij or moo of balasters and logged 
 theym secretly in a chirch, Estrope, not a shot 
 lenght from the gate, and on the morowe by 
 tyme he sent iiij men of his arraied with white 
 crosses unto the gate ; and whan they wer entred 
 the gats they killed the porters and made a 
 grete noyse. And than the said Piers with his 
 balesters fllle upon and entred and toke the 
 town and slewe the Frenisshmen except thoo 
 that toke the castel ; and on the morowe after 
 come down from Baion and the Lawndes thither 
 grete pouple. And on the Monday after be 
 tyme there came thider the Lord Gramonde 
 and the Viscount de Hort with grete pouple, and 
 skaled the castel, and toke the lieutenaunt, and 
 gentilmen and of al other they smote of the 
 
SECRETARY TO HENRY VI. A . 1442. 101 
 
 hedes and cast them into the ryver ; which lieu- 
 tenaunt as hit is said is now rawnsoned to xl M 
 escut s . Also as hit is reported that there is in 
 pypes, what in the towne so in the castel, moo 
 than CC legge herneys ; and also al the said ad- 
 versaries grete gunnes. Also James Hersage is 
 suffice t'abide unto the tyme they knowe the 
 wil of our soverain lord the King. 
 
102 JOURNAL OP BECKINGTON, 
 
 Tonyngs were yelden, unto the kings adver- 
 saire withoute siege or saute made tho Baron 
 Wyf was within hit. 
 
 Gramond was yelden wherof Strangwise Capitain 
 Mausyn was yelden N. Elys Capitain 
 
 Melan was yelden J. de Puis Capitain. 
 
 The logging of hym that calleth hym selve 
 king of France, in the town of the Rieul was 
 brent sodenly by night, and ne had the Scotts 
 myned a wall there he had be ibrent, as al his 
 stuf was ; in so muche that his swerd called 
 S. Lowes swerd was brent at the same tyme, and 
 hit was said he eskaped by the foresaid myne, 
 in his shert. This was doon on a Saturday at 
 night in the moneth of December. 
 
 M°. the Monday the xxix day of October the 
 grete gunne was broken at the Rieul. Item, on 
 S 1, K. even at evensonge tyme the Frensshmen 
 beganne to shete with gunnes, and cast with in- 
 gynnes in to the castel not cessing unto Sonday 
 that masse was doo ; in which tyme they shot 
 xxiiij shotts, and cast with ij ingynnes xxij 
 casts ; every cast of th'oon ingynne vij c weight, 
 of th'other v c - 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Abingdon, 1, in Berkshire. 
 
 « , Abbot of, ib. 
 
 William Ashenden was Abbot of 
 Abingdon from 1435 to 1468, when 
 he resigned. 
 
 Admiral, the, elected, 84, 85, 86. 
 It was then the custom for the 
 merchants, masters, and crews of a 
 fleet of merchant ships to appoint 
 one among tbem their Admiral, 
 to whom they swore obedience. 
 The following extract from the 
 Itolls of Parliament throws much 
 light on the subject. In the 3 Hen. 
 V., 1415, the Commons stated in a 
 petition to the king, "purjohan 
 Tutbery, Robert Sharp, et plu- 
 sours autres merchantz et mariners 
 de Hull, que come la nief le dit 
 Johan, appelle Cristofre de Hull, 
 cest present an puis la fest de Pas- 
 que, fuist a Burdeux et la charge 
 ovesque cclx tonelx de vyn et 
 autres merchandises envers ycest 
 parties d'Engleterre et par election 
 de toutz merchantz, maistres, et ma- 
 riners d'Engleterre, adonques la 
 esteaniz, le dit Christofre fuist esluz 
 un des Armiralz de tout la Jiete 
 d'Engleterre la a Burdeux esteant, de 
 Burdeux tanque en Engleterre, pur 
 salvation et sauf garde de tout le 
 dit flete : a temps de quell election, 
 les chiefs merchantz, maistres, et 
 mariners suis ditz, devaunt Consta- 
 ble de Burdeux, solonc Vauncien 
 custume de tout temps la usee, fur ent 
 jurez, que null departeroit de lour 
 Admir,alx tanque a lour rivall en 
 Engleterre;" but that, having on 
 their passage encountered the 
 enemy's carracks, the Christopher 
 was attacked, and in consequence of 
 being deserted by the other ships 
 was taken, whilst if the fleet had 
 remained with her " solonc le sere- 
 ment les merchantz, ministres, et 
 
 mariners suis dit, le dit Christofre 
 ust eschape hors des mayns des ditz 
 enemyes." The Commons there- 
 fore prayed that in consequence of 
 the loss of the said Christopher, 
 " a la velany a tout la naveye 
 d'Engleterre," the owners of the 
 ships which deserted her might be 
 obliged to pay the whole value of 
 that vessel and of her cargo. The 
 king in his answer ordered that 
 these who were in the fleet should 
 be summoned before the Chancellor, 
 who was to inquire into the affair, 
 with power to compel the said mer- 
 chants to make the restitution pray- 
 ed, and to imprison such, as at the 
 time of the attack of the Christo- 
 pher abandoned her. — Vol. iv. pp. 
 85, 86. The name of the vessel, 
 commanded by the Admiral, is sub- 
 stituted in this petition for that of 
 the individual, in the same manner 
 as when speaking of an engagement 
 in naval dispatches, the ships, rather 
 than the commanders are men- 
 tioned. See Officers. 
 
 Adrian, Mr., 4. 
 Adversary of France. 
 
 The King of France. See France. 
 Agen, 64. 
 
 A city on the banks of the Garonne, 
 in the department of Lot and 
 Garonne, and capital of Agensis. 
 It is 108 miles S. E. of Bordeaux. 
 
 Alenc, 
 
 on, Duke of, 40. 
 
 John, surnamed " le Beau :" he was 
 born 2nd March, 1409, and succeed- 
 ed to the Dukedom on the death of 
 his father, who was slain at Agincourt 
 in October, 1415. The Duke of 
 Brittany spoken of in the text was 
 his maternal uncle. A long account 
 of the Duke of Alengon will be 
 found in L'Art de Verifier les 
 Dates. Ed. 1784, Tome ii. p. 887. 
 I 
 
106 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Alice, 4. 
 
 A servant. 
 Angerin, Bernard, 13, 22, 26, 
 28, 72. 
 Apparently the person who was 
 appointed one of the judges to .try 
 criminal causes in Acquitaine, 26th 
 July, 14 Hen. VI. 1436. Fuedera, 
 tome x. p. 651. In March, 1445, 
 by the title of " one of the king's 
 councillors in Acquitaine," he 
 obtained a grant of lands; he 
 and his legitimate descendants were 
 ennobled ; and the following arms 
 were assigned to him and them, " de 
 asura, cum uno leone ungulato et 
 linguato de goules, ac cum decern 
 floribus per circuitum, vocatis An- 
 gevines, de Argento," ibid, tome xi. 
 p. 81. He is again noticed in the 
 Fcedera, ibid. p. 116, in the year 
 1446, as deputy to the Seneschal 
 of Acquitaine. 
 
 Apples given, 81, 83. 
 
 Archdeacon. See Batutz. 
 
 Armagnac, Count of, 23, 24, 29, 
 30, 31,59,66, 67,71,72,77. 
 
 ■ , Countess of, 33, 34. 
 
 See the Prefatory Remarks. 
 
 Arms, Pursuivant of. 23, 25. 
 
 It is well known that Pursuivants 
 of Arms were frequently the bearers 
 of letters, and more particularly, 
 of letters from parties hostile to each 
 other. 
 
 Army, an, prepared to be sent 
 into Guienne, 5. 
 
 Arnald, Piers, 100. 
 
 Artist, the. See Hans. 
 
 Ashburton, 4. 
 
 In Devonshire, about nine miles 
 from Chudleigh, where the) 7 dined. 
 
 Asherley, , 95, bis. 
 
 John Atherley or Hatherley, iron- 
 monger, was mayor of London from 
 Michaelmas 1442, to the same time 
 in the next year. 
 
 Austin, William, 25, 31,76,80. 
 Aux, 44, 67 71, 73,76,78. 
 
 Audi, the Cap tal of the Count of 
 Armagnac's dominions, about ninety 
 miles S. E. of Bordeaux, and 20 
 South of Lectoure, where the other 
 letters of the Count are dated. 
 
 Ax, 14, bis, 27, 49, 50, bis, 52, 
 99, 100. 
 
 Dax or Acqs, a city on the river 
 Adour in the department of Landes, 
 25 miles N. E. of Bordeaux. It was 
 long in the possession of the Eng- 
 lish, and we learn that it was besieged 
 by the French in July, 1442, and 
 taken by them on the 3rd of August 
 following, on which day the King of 
 France was in it ; but it was very 
 soon afterwards retaken. An in- 
 teresting account of the stratagem 
 by which it was recovered from the 
 French is given in p. 100. It was 
 again besieged by them in October 
 following 
 
 Bastaiiles, 14. 
 
 Wooden towers, sometimes called 
 Bulwarks ; they were chiefly used 
 in besieging towns, and were of 
 sufficient height to enable the men 
 in them to shoot over the walls of 
 the place invested. These ma- 
 chines are frequently mentioned in 
 the account of sieges. For one 
 among other allusions to them in 
 the description of the siege of Har- 
 fleur, in 1415, see Bulwarks. 
 
 Balanger, 51. 
 
 A small vessel. In the year in 
 which this letter was written, the 
 Commons prayed the king that 
 among other measures for the de- 
 fence of the realm there might 
 be always on the sea for the sea- 
 sons " fro Candiimes to Marty- 
 messe viij shippes with forstages, 
 the whiche shippes, as it is thought 
 most have on with an other, eche of 
 hem cl men : summa £j men. 
 Item every grete Shippe most have 
 attendyng opon hem a Barge, and 
 a Bulynger ; and every barge most 
 have in f;?- men. Item the viij 
 Balyngers most have in eche of hem 
 xl men." — Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 59. 
 In the list of what may be called the 
 Royal Navy in the 4 Hen. V. 
 1417 ten Baleugers are mentioned. 
 
 Balestiers, 100. 
 
 Arblestiers, cross bow men. 
 
 Base, [Bass.] a fish, given, 88. 
 
 Bassatense, Bishop of, 12, 35, 
 72, 83, 84. 
 In March, 1433, Bernard de Biol 
 held that situation, Fcedei'a, tome x. 
 p. 543. 
 
 Basingstoke, in Hampshire, 2. 
 
IXDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 107 
 
 Batutz, John de, 6, 10, 12, 18, 
 23, 24,29, 30, 31,32, 39, et 
 seq. 41, 47, 51, 59, 61, 64, 
 
 66, 71, 72, 73, 76, 77, 78, 
 81, 90, to 95. 
 
 Licentiate in Law, Canon and Arch- 
 deacon of St. Antonine, the Church 
 of oar Lady of Rhodes, Chancellor 
 and Chief Councillor of the Count 
 of Armagnac. He was one of the 
 Ambassadors sent to England by 
 the Count in April, 1442, to offer 
 his daughter to Henry the Sixth, 
 Ftedera, tome xi. p. 6, and appears to 
 have accompanied the English am- 
 bassadors to Bordeaux, which place 
 he left for Lectoure on Saturday 
 the 21st of July, where he arrived 
 before the 29 th of that month. From 
 his correspondence some informa- 
 tion, may be gained of his character. 
 He was evidently a man of consi- 
 derable shrewdness and ability ; and 
 evinced not a little address in the 
 attempt to pursuade the English 
 ambassadors of the sincerity of his 
 master's conduct. Though always 
 styled " Canon and Archdeacon of 
 St. Anthony in the Church of 
 "Rodes," in the letters of the 
 Count of Armagnac, he is called 
 in the Faedera, " Canonicum, et 
 Archidiaconum Sancti Anthonii in 
 Ecclesia Ruthenemi." 
 
 Bayonne, 10, 14, ter, 27, 50. 
 
 A large city in the department of 
 the Lower Pyrenees, at the entrance 
 of the river Adour. 
 
 Beckinton, 2. 
 
 Beckington,in Somersetshire, three 
 miles north of Frome, and seven- 
 teen miles E. N. E. of Wells. 
 
 Bedwin, 1, hi , 2, 90, bis. 
 
 Either Great or Little Bedwin, in 
 Wiltshire, both of which places are 
 about twenty-one miles from Sutton 
 Courtney. 
 
 Beek, , 22. 
 
 Bellinder, 18. 
 
 A small town on the river Dur- 
 dogne, then belonging to the Arch- 
 bishop of Bordeaux. 
 
 Bellingier, 89. 
 
 Evidently Belle Isle, a well known 
 large island, about 35 miles S. W. of 
 Vannet in Brittany. 
 
 Bellingnau, castle of, 99. 
 
 Bernard, J., 2. 
 
 --, Friar, 36. 
 
 Blake, , 28, 35. 
 
 Blakis, J., 90. 
 
 Blakeney, J., 2, 95. 
 
 John Blakeney, an usher of the 
 king's eham jer : he was excepted 
 from the effects of the Act of Re- 
 sumption, 28 Hen. VI. Rot. Pari. 
 vol. v. p. 192 ; and was among those 
 who were requested to be removed 
 for ever from about the king's per- 
 son, in 1451, Ibid, p. 216. 
 
 Blank Sable, 89 
 Bloye, li, 26, 84. 
 
 Blaye, a sea port on the banks of the 
 
 Garonne, about 20 miles N. N. W. 
 
 of Bordeaux, then in the possession 
 
 of the English. 
 
 Boat, with eighteen Mariners, 
 84. 
 A perfect idea of the kind of boats 
 used at the period may be formed 
 from some of the illuminations to 
 the copy of Froissart's Chronicle in 
 the Harleian Collection in the 
 British Museum. 
 
 Bonnegille, castle of, 53. 
 Bonviile, Sir William, 89, ter, 90. 
 
 A distinguished <oldier in the reign 
 of Henry the Sixth, and the repre- 
 sentative of an ancient Devonshire 
 family, of which county he was 
 sheriff in 1422 3. His expe- 
 dition to Bordeaux, noticed in 
 p. 89, is thus alluded to by a con- 
 temporary chronicler ; '' Also in this 
 yere wente S r William Bonevylle, 
 knight to Burdeux, with viij c of 
 goode fytynge men to kepe the 
 town unto the tyme a grett rete- 
 newe myght be mad and sent 
 thider." — Chronicle of London, p. 
 132. In the 21st Hen. VI. he was 
 retained to serve in the French wars 
 with twenty men at arms, and six 
 hundred archers, when he was 
 made Seneschal of Acquitaine. For 
 his service there he is said by Dug- 
 dale to have been summoned to 
 Parliament as a Peer of the realm 
 in the 28 Hen. VI., and in the 
 33 Hen. VI. was Lieutenant of 
 Acquitaine. Favouring the claims 
 of the House of York he rendered 
 
108 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 himself so obnoxious to the Queen 
 of Henry the Sixth, that being in 
 her power after the defeat of the 
 Lancastrians at the second battle of 
 St. Albans, she caused him to be be- 
 headed in 1461. As Sir William 
 Bonvile is said to have been at Ply- 
 mouth on the 28th January, and 
 was supposed to have been near 
 Bordeaux by the 5th of February, 
 (p. 89.) if he was the individual 
 mentioned as having given I. Blake 
 a horse on the 15th of that month, 
 he of course could not then have 
 sailed. 
 Bordeaux, 10, 12, 14, 15, scepe, 
 
 18, sape, 19, 25,27, 28, 31, 
 
 33, 37, 38, 47, 48, 52, 54, 
 
 59,61, 89,90. 
 — -, Archbishop of, 12, 
 
 lis, 16, bis, 20, 55. 
 
 Peter Berland : he was the son of a 
 labourer of Medoc, became canon 
 of the church of St. Andrew of 
 Bordeaux; and for " his good con- 
 duct and sound doctrines," he was 
 elected Archbishop of Bordeaux in 
 1430. In 1442 he is stated to have 
 been sent to England to ask for re- 
 lief from Henry, which is corro- 
 borated by the letter from the am- 
 bassadors to Lord Cromwell, dated 
 the 24th of July, and from the 
 king to the inhabitants of Bor- 
 deaux, dated the 21st of September 
 in that year. It would appear 
 from the allusion to the " trouthe 
 and simplenesse" of the Archbishop 
 in the former of those letters that 
 he was frank and ingenuous in his 
 character, and too little of a di- 
 plomatist to bear being " groped" 
 without betraying all he knew. He 
 founded a college for twelve poor 
 children in Bordeaux, and dying in 
 1455, was succeeded by Blaize de 
 Grele. Gabriel L'Urbes Chronique 
 de la Bordeaux, 4to. 1594, p. 35. 
 
 — . , Doctor of the Arch- 
 bishop of. 
 
 ■ , Clerk of the castle of, 
 
 57. 
 
 See Chipnam. 
 
 ~ /Town Clerk of, 38. 
 
 ,Constableofthe Castle 
 
 of, 12,21, 22,26, 35, 36,37, 
 
 52. 
 
 Sir Robert Clifton. — See Clifton. 
 
 Bordeaux, Seneschal of, 11, bis, 
 37: 
 
 From the passage in p. 18, it seems 
 that the seneschal of Bordeaux was 
 Sir Thomas Rampston : he was 
 taken prisoner by the French in 
 July, 1442, at the capture of St. 
 Severs. 
 
 . , Jurats of, 22. 
 
 , Provost of 12. 
 
 Nicholas Dryver. 
 
 , Mayor of, 21, 34,37, 
 
 83. 
 
 Gailard Shorthose. — See Shorthose. 
 
 Bormenham, Arnold Guilham 
 
 de, 100. 
 
 Bows given as presents, 83, bis, 
 
 Brittany, Arthur of, 87. 
 
 Comte de Richmonte, and Consta- 
 ble, son of John, fourth Duke of 
 Brittany, He succeeded to that 
 dukedom in 1457, on the death of 
 his nephew Peter the Second, being 
 then sixty years of age. 
 
 ■ , Duke of, 40. 
 
 John.surnamed "the good and the 
 wise." He was born in 13S9, suc- 
 ceeded his father in 1399, and died 
 in October, 1442. 
 
 Brosses, Mr. Stephen de, 65, 
 bis, 66. 
 It appears from a letter from John 
 Count de Foix, dated 22 July, 1422, 
 that a " Maistre Estienne dez 
 Brosses Procureur en Guienne," of 
 Henry the Sixth, and probably the 
 same person, was then one of the 
 persons appointed to meet the 
 Count relative to a treaty which 
 his ambassadors had then re- 
 cently concluded with the kings 
 of England and France. — Fazdera, 
 tome x. p. 230. De Brosses was 
 clearly a Priest. 
 
 Browneng, William, 3. 
 
 Prebendary of Exeter. 
 Bruges, Christian Boniston, 
 [9 «ery of] 86. 
 
 Master of the ship called the Holy 
 
 Ghost of Bruges, and Admiral of 
 
 the Hulks of Flanders. 
 
 •, ships of, 86. 
 
 In the 14th century, Bruges in 
 Flanders, is said to have been a 
 place of the greatest trade in 
 Europe. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 109 
 
 Buck a, sent as a present/3. 
 Bulkley, , 59. 
 
 Probably the " William Bulkeley 
 Squire of oure Household," who 
 was excepted from the effects of the 
 act of Resumption, 28 Hen. VI. 
 1450, with respect to a grant of 
 " xhd. by the day for the Ser- 
 geante of Armes in oure ile of An- 
 glesey for terme of hys lyf." Rot. 
 Pari. vol. v. p. 195b. 
 Bulwarks, 16. 
 
 The following passages in the ac- 
 count of an eye-witness of the siege 
 of Harfleur in September, 1415, 
 contain a description of " Bul- 
 warks ;" " And before the entrance 
 of each of these gates, the prudence 
 of the enemy had erected a strong 
 defence, which we term a Barbican, 
 but commonly called Bulwarks : 
 that towards the king was the 
 strongest and largest, being de- 
 fended without with round thick 
 trees, nearly to the height of the 
 walls of the town, fastened around, 
 bound, and girded together very 
 strongly. The interior is fortified 
 with a wall of earth, and rough 
 hewn beams in the bye-paths and 
 narrow places for the reception of 
 the enemy, with narrow chinks 
 and places full of holes through 
 which they might fire among us 
 with their tubes, which we in Eng- 
 lish call ' gunnys,' and with arrows, 
 cross-bows, and other offensive 
 weapons. — History cf the Battle of 
 Agincourt, 8vo. 1827, p. 99. Bul- 
 warks were also sometimes move- 
 able : " Our king had caused faggots 
 of ten feet in length to be carried 
 by the army for the filling up of 
 the ditches on his side : also towers 
 and wooden bulwarks to the height 
 of the walls, and ladders and other 
 instruments." — Ibid. p. 113. 
 
 Burgerac, 37. 
 
 Bergerac, a town on the river Dur- 
 dogne, about 45 miles E. of Bor- 
 deaux. 
 
 Burghe, 11. 
 
 Bourg, a town on the banks, and at 
 the entrance of the river Durdogne, 
 12 miles North of Bordeaux, then 
 in the possession of the English. 
 
 Burton, William, 25. 
 
 Perhaps the " William Burton, 
 grome of the chambre, with the 
 
 quene oure best beloved wyff," who 
 was protected from the effects of 
 the act of resumption, 2S Hen. VI. 
 1450. Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 197 b - 
 
 Butler of the Bishop of Exeter, 
 66. 
 
 Cadiliac, 50. 
 
 A town on the banks of the Ga- 
 ronne, 15 miles S. E. of Bordeaux. 
 
 Cannons, 29. 
 
 Cantor, , 90. 
 
 Canvas, painting upon, 75. 
 
 Capitowe, the, 23, 28, ter, 37, 
 scepe, 58, 83, bis. 
 Gascon de Foix, Capitowe, or Capi- 
 tawe de la Busch, brother of Jean, 
 Comte de Foix. He was created 
 Comte de Longueville in Nor- 
 mandy, by Henry V. and Comte of 
 Benanges, and a Knight of the 
 Gaiter, by Henry VI. 
 
 , son of the, 37, 38, 58. 
 
 John de Foix, Viscount of Longue- 
 ville, eldest son of the last men- 
 tioned personage. Having mar- 
 ried a niece of William de le Pole, 
 Duke of Suffolk, he was created 
 Earl of Kendal in 1446, a Knight of 
 the Garter, and obtained extensive 
 grants of lands. In the impeach- 
 ment of the Duke of Suffolk in the 
 28 Hen. VI. the creation of the 
 Earl of Kendal, and the benefits 
 conferred upon him, formed a prin- 
 cipal charge. 
 
 , Seneschal of the, bu- 
 ried, 71. 
 
 Capons given, 28. 
 
 Captives, poor, 77. 
 
 Carmelites Friar, Provincial of 
 the Order of, 27. 
 
 Carvers, one of the king's, 5. 
 
 The offices of Carvers to the King 
 and Queen were generally filled 
 by knights, Rot. Pari, vol. v. 
 p. 194. b I98. b The "regulations 
 for the household of Edward IV," 
 state that " Bannerettes iiii. or 
 Bacheler Knights to be Kervers, 
 and Cup Bearers in this courte," 
 and their privileges and duties 
 are minutely described, p. 32. 
 Their pay was then eight marks 
 at Christmas and Whitsuntide, and 
 ten marks at Easter and Michael- 
 
110 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 mas, and each " after the king is 
 passed it, may chese for hymself one 
 dyshe or two that plenty is among." 
 In the 17 Hen. VIII. two Peers 
 were the king's carvers, with fees 
 of fifty marks each. Ibid. p. 168. 
 By the statute regulating apparel, 
 4 Edw. IV. it was provided that 
 the Steward, Chamberlain, Trea- 
 surer and Controller of the King's 
 Household, "and your Kervers 
 and Knyghtes for youre body, and 
 ' their wyfes may use and were 
 furres of sable and ermyns. Ibid. 
 p. 504. b It is worthy of remark 
 that the famous Jack Cade the 
 traitor appointed an esquire to be 
 his Carver and Sword Bearer. Ibid. 
 p. 248,* 396. a " 
 
 Castellion, castle of, 11, 15. 
 
 A castle near the entrance of the 
 Garonne. 
 
 . , captain of, 11. 
 
 Casteluan, castle of, 99. 
 
 Catery, an officer of the, 1 . 
 
 One of the King's Purveyors. In 
 the 23 Hen. VI. the Commons 
 in their petition relative to pur- 
 ve} ors, prayed that the Sergeant of 
 the Catery might satisfy all 
 damages, debts, and executions 
 which might be recovered against 
 any purveyor or caterer under 
 him in actions for misbehaviour 
 in his office. Rot. Pail, vol. v. 
 p. 104. 
 
 Caumont, Lord of, 53. 
 Chamberlaine, Thomas, 1, 2, 3, 
 90. 
 
 A person of these names, who was 
 Yeoman of the King's Chamber, 
 was protected from the effects of the 
 act of resumption in the 28 Hen. 
 VI. 1450. Rot. Purl. vol. v. p. 192. 
 
 Chambre, Le, 48, 62. 
 
 This expression is so well ex- 
 plained where it occurs, that but 
 little need he added on the subject. 
 Roquefort defines "Chambre," 
 " ce qui est accorde a la femme 
 comnie meubles apres la mort du 
 mari." Bequests often occur in 
 Wills for " the chamber," but the 
 sense in which the word is used 
 in them is not perhaps always the 
 same. Humphrey de Bohun, Earl 
 of Hereford, in 1361 gave his niece 
 
 Katherine, wife of Sir Thomas 
 Engaine 40L " pur sa chamber ;" 
 and Thomas Lord Burgh in 1495 
 gave his son Thomas " to his 
 chamber 40/., the one half in 
 plate, the other in household stuff. 
 Testamenta Vetusta, p. 67, 429. 
 
 Chancellor, the Lord, 95, bis. 
 John Frank, Clerk, Keeper of the 
 Rolls, was appointed Keeper of the 
 Great Seal on the 22nd April, 
 11 Hen. VI., 1433, which office he 
 held until January, 28 Hen. VI. 
 1450, when Cardinal John Kemp, 
 Archbishop of York, was made 
 Chancellor. Dugdale's Origines. 
 
 Children of the Count of Ar- 
 magnac. 
 See the Introductory Remarks. 
 
 Chipn; 
 
 57, 65. 
 
 Clerk of the Castle of Bordeaux. 
 He was probably the Master 
 Thomas Chipenham, who was ap- 
 pointed with several other persons, 
 Commissioners from Henry the 
 Sixth, to treat for the reformation 
 of some abuses committed contrary 
 to the treaty with the Duke of 
 Burgundy in 1458. — Faidera, tome 
 xi. p. 411. 
 
 Chirchis ship, a vessel so called, 
 
 65. 
 Chiswick, 95. 
 
 Near Hammersmith, in Middlesex, 
 where, it seems, the Eord Chan- 
 cellor had a house. 
 
 Chudleigh, 4. 
 
 In Devonshire, nine miles W.S.W: 
 of Exeter. 
 Cinon, wood of, 34. 
 
 A village a few miles East of Bor- 
 deaux, on the opposite side of the 
 river. 
 
 Clairac, 53. 
 
 A town on a branch of the Garonne, 
 
 50 miles S. E. of Bordeaux. 
 Clermont, Castle of, 53. 
 
 The town of Clermont is nine 
 
 miles W. of Agen. 
 Clifton, Sir Robert, 12, 22, 26, 
 35, 36, 37, 52. 
 
 Constable of the Castle of Bordeaux. 
 
 He was the 2nd son of Sir Adam 
 
 Clifton of Frebridge and Denvere in 
 
1KDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Norfolk, who died in 1411, and 
 uncle of John, first Baron Clifton. 
 In 1411 he was Sheriff of Nor- 
 folk, and in 1435, being then a 
 knight, he was appointed with 
 Stephen Wilton, Doctor of Laws, 
 to treat with the Archbishop of 
 Cologne. Fcedera, tome x. p. 626. 
 He was perhaps the Sir Robert 
 Clifton, Knt. who was an exe- 
 cutor of Thomas Ingoldesthorp, 
 Esq. in January 1422; and who, 
 with Sir John Clifton, Knt., were two 
 of the persons on whom Sir Simon 
 Felbrigge says in his will, dated on 
 the 1st of September, 1431, divers 
 manors in the county of Norfolk, 
 Suffolk, and Bedford, were settled 
 in remainder. Testamenta, Vetusta, 
 pp. 204, 245. It appears from 
 the Journal, that he died on the 
 25th or 26th of September, 1442 ; 
 and as he entertained Beckington 
 to supper on the 4th of that month, 
 it would seem that he was ill but a 
 short time, but the Inquisition on 
 his death states that he died on the 
 27th of September. Blomefield 
 says that pursuant to the directions 
 in his will, which is dated at Bour- 
 deaux in 1442, and in which he 
 mentions his wife Alice, the 
 Lady Hastings his daughter, who 
 married secondly John Wyndham, 
 Esq., and Alice, and Eleanor, his 
 daughters who were then nuns, he 
 was buried in Buckenham Priory, 
 in Norfolk ; but it is certain from 
 the Journal that he was buried in 
 the Carmelites church, at Bor- 
 deaux, on the 26th of September. 
 By Emma, his first wife, he had 
 Thomas Clifton, Esq., his son and 
 heir, who was found to be above 
 thirty years of age at his father's 
 decease. His second wife, Alice, 
 who survived until 1453, also mar- 
 ried Fulke de Grey, Esq. The 
 said Thomas Clifton died in 1452, 
 and his son, Sir Robert Clifton, 
 died 7th March, 14C0, leaving Eli- 
 zabeth his daughter and heiress. — 
 Blomefield, Norfolk, folio, vol. i. 
 p. 255.— ExheaU, 21 Henry VI. ; 
 33 Henry VI., No. 18 ; and 9 and 
 10 Edward IV. No. 51. The 
 statement in the letter from Beck- 
 ington and Roos, p. 52, that Clifton 
 died on the third of October, must 
 be erroneous. The notice of his cre- 
 
 ditor having excommunicated him, 
 for not having paid some money 
 lent to him, is deserving of attention. 
 
 Cobyorn J., 3. 
 
 John Cobethorn was Dean of Exe- 
 ter from August, 1419 to 1452. 
 
 Cock-boat, 87. 
 
 A small boat belonging to a ship. 
 
 " yond tall anch'ring 
 
 bark 
 Seems lessen'd to her cock, her 
 
 cock a buoy 
 Almost too small for sight." 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 Cog-ship, a, 12. 
 
 A small vessel. Matthew of West- 
 minster, says of William the Con- 
 queror, " Venit ad hoc in Ang- 
 liam trecentis cogg.iribus advectus." 
 In the stat. 23 Hen. VIII. c. 18, 
 Cogs are mentioned, and appear to 
 have been a kind of small vessel or 
 boat employed on the river Ouse 
 and Humber. The word Coggles is 
 still used. 
 
 " Col'lacion," 16. 
 
 A discourse, harangue, lectures." No 
 parson, &c. shall preach any ser- 
 mon or 0011001071." — Todd's Johnson. 
 
 Cold weather said to impede the 
 painter in his work, 94. 
 
 Colles, Mr. R., 90. 
 
 Collingbourn, 90. 
 
 Collingbourn Kingston, or Colling- 
 bourn Ducis, fifteen miles N. N. E. 
 of Salisbury. 
 
 Colnbrook, 90. 
 
 Near Windsor, in Berkshire. 
 
 Comb John, 3. 
 
 A manor in the parish of Broad 
 Clist, in Devonshire, five miles 
 N.E. of Exeter : one of the Earls 
 of Devon built a seat there. — 
 Polivhele's Devon, vol. ii. p. 190. 
 
 Comptroller, the, 34, 35, bis, 36, 
 bis, 39, 83. 
 
 Conak, 11. 
 
 A town near the entrance of the 
 Garonne, then in the possession of 
 the English. 
 
 Lord de, 65, 71, 72, 
 
 tar, 84. 
 
 Copston, - 
 
 Courtenay, Sir Philip, 4, bis. 
 
 Grandson of Sir Philip Courtenay, 
 of Powderham Castle, in Devon- 
 
 -,89. 
 
112 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 shire, sixth son of Hugh.secondEarl 
 of Devon, by Margaret de Bohun, 
 grand- daughter of KingEdward I. 
 He succeeded to the lands of his 
 uncle, Richard Courtenay, Bishop 
 of Norwich, who died at the siege 
 of Harfleur, in 1415, and died in 
 "December, 1463. By his wife, 
 Elizabeth, daughter of the Walter 
 Lord Hungerford mentioned in the 
 Journal, he had issue several chil- 
 dren, from the eldest of whom, 
 Viscount Courtenay, the present 
 possessor of Povvderham, is de- 
 scended. The regulation for the 
 safety of the realm in 1442, com- 
 mands that his " grete ship atte 
 Dertemouth" and a barge, and a 
 balinger, should be taken for that 
 purpose. — Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 59. b 
 
 Couturez, 53. 
 Crewkerne, 90. 
 
 In Somersetshire, twenty miles 
 S. W. of Taunton. 
 
 Crowdon, 85, 87, bis, 88, 89. 
 
 A small sea port in Brittany, 
 situated on the extreme part of 
 the Point du Raz, about twenty- 
 five miles West of Quimper. 
 
 ■ Roads, 85. 
 
 • , Church of, ib. 
 
 Cry, i. e. a Proclamation, 100. 
 
 Cursonne, Castle of, 53. 
 
 Curteys Friar, 3. 
 
 Daniel, Thomas, 1. 
 
 Several notices of a Thomas Da- 
 niel, Esquire of the King's body, 
 occur on the Rolls of Parliament. 
 By the Act of Resumption, 28 
 Henry VI. 1450, he was protected 
 in the possession of every thing 
 which had been granted to him, 
 excepting the honour of Gedyng- 
 ton, in Northamptonshire, which 
 the king resumed into his own 
 hands — vol. v. p. 190. In the next 
 year, a person of these names, 
 " late of London, squire," was 
 among those whom the commons 
 prayed might be removed from the 
 king's presence for life, " for mys- 
 behaving aboute youre Roiall per- 
 sone." — p. 216. Further notices of 
 him will be found in the same 
 volume, pp. 340, b 477, b 480, b 512, a 
 and vol. vi. 104. a 
 
 Dartmouth, a ship of, 88. 
 
 Dartmouth, perhaps the most beau- 
 tifully situated town in England, 
 was once a considerable sea-port. 
 In the 20 Edward III. it furnished 
 thirty-two ships and 756 mariners 
 to the king's fleet, being six times 
 as many ships as Portsmouth pro- 
 vided. Bree's Cursory Sketch, p. 
 339. Chaucer thus alludes to it 
 as a well known sea-port — 
 
 " A shipnian was ther woned fer by 
 west, 
 
 For ought I wote he was of Derte- 
 mouth." 
 
 De Gountaut, 53. 
 
 Depham, 95. 
 
 Deepham, in the parish of Edmon- 
 ton, about seven miles from town. — 
 Lyson's Environs of London, vol. ii. 
 p. 256. We learn from the Journal 
 that Deepham then belonged to 
 Ralph Lord Cromwell, the trea- 
 surer. 
 
 Despoir, Sir Lewis. See Spoy. 
 
 Deuxmars, 18, 34. 
 
 Appears to have been the tract of 
 country which is nearly surrounded 
 by the rivers Garonne and Dur- 
 dogne " en entre deux mars." In 
 p. 34, it clearly means the place 
 " between the two rivers ;" but 
 from the manner in which " Deux 
 Mars" is used in p. 18, it seems to 
 have been a proper name. 
 
 Devises, in Wiltshire, 2. 
 Devon, Earl of, 3. 
 
 Thomas Courtenay, fifth Earl of 
 Devon, who was then about twenty- 
 one years of age, and died in Fe- 
 bruary, 145S. He possessed a 
 castle at Tiverton, the remains of 
 which are still visible : after dinner 
 his guest left him, and refreshed 
 himself at Comb John, another of 
 his places of residence. 
 
 Dolphin. See France. 
 Dominiac, Wine of Lombardy 
 
 so called, 87. See Wine. 
 Dowry, the daughter of the 
 
 Count of Armagnac's, 48, 62. 
 Diyver, Nicholas, 12. 
 
 Provost of Bordeaux. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 113 
 
 Durdon, the River, 18. 
 
 A small river which meets the 
 
 Garonne, near Bourg. 
 Dykside, 98. 
 
 Eagle, Seal of, 5, 7, 16. 
 
 Though several other notices of the 
 Seal of the Eagle exist, it has 
 hitherto wholly escaped the atten- 
 tion of Antiquaries, a term not 
 used to designate the members of 
 the imbecile society incorporated 
 by royal charter, but those few 
 individuals who have really la- 
 boured to illustrate the history and 
 antiquities of this country. King 
 Henry the Fifth is said to have sealed 
 his will, " cum magno et privato si- 
 gillis, ac signeto ipsius nuper Regis, 
 una cum quodam codicillo, in qua- 
 dam cedula papirea manu ejusdem 
 nuper Regis scripto, et signeto tno 
 de L'Egle signato." — Rot. Pari. 
 vol. iv. p. 299. b Henry the Seventh 
 thus concludes his will, 
 
 " In testimony of ail whiche pre- 
 misse nd of ery theim and also in 
 witte nesse that theis presents be 
 o laste will and testament We 
 have comaunded and caused and 
 by warant of thies presents signed 
 with oure signe manuell wol and 
 comaunde aswel our Privy Seale, 
 as our 6ignet remaynyng in the 
 keping our Secretary and 
 
 our p vie signet of the Eguell 
 remaynyng in owen keping as 
 lso our s le to be put to theis 
 said prese Dated at unter- 
 
 bury the of Aprill the xxiiij 
 ye of our reigne" 
 Impressions of the Seal are pre- 
 served to two letters from Henry 
 the Sixth in the Tower of London, 
 and contain an Eagle displayed. 
 It was probably the signet of the 
 Honor of the Eagle, which was 
 granted to Prince Edward, after- 
 wards Edward the First, by his 
 father Henry the Third, in the 
 fifty-third year of his reign, to him 
 " et hseredibus suis Regibus An- 
 glicae totum honorem Aquilse ita 
 quod non separetur a corona" — 
 Calend. Rot. Patent, p. 42. b An 
 engraving of the seal, with some 
 remarks, will be found in the Re- 
 trospective Review. New Series. 
 
 Elected, Officers, 83. 
 
 See Admiral, and Regent. It would 
 appear from the frequent notices on 
 the Rolls of Parliament of persons 
 being elected to fill various offices, 
 as well as from the facts stated in 
 this Journal that the Admiral, and 
 the Regent and Constable of Bor- 
 deaux were elected, that the ap- 
 pointment to a variety of situations 
 which are now filled by the Crown, 
 depended in the fourteenth and 
 fifteenth centuries, like Bishopricks, 
 Canonries, and other ecclesiastical 
 offices, Orders of knighthood, Re- 
 presentations in Parliament, &c. on 
 the choice of a body of individuals, 
 though it is probable that the king 
 -possessed a Veto. The shadow 
 of this mode of filling up some 
 situations still remains. 
 
 Eloy, St. Jurates of, 38. 
 
 Elys, N. 80. 
 
 En Dort, Castle of, 72. 
 
 Engines, 16, 102. 
 
 All the machines used for besieg- 
 ing a town were called Engines, 
 by which term they are constantly 
 described in early writers. Dr. 
 Meyrick's work on Armour con- 
 tains some interesting remarks on 
 the subject. 
 
 England, King of, 32, 33, 42, 
 43, 96. 
 
 , Cardinal of, 48, 96, 
 
 bis. 
 This title was attributed to Henry 
 Beaufort, then Bishop of Win- 
 chester, third son of John of Gaunt, 
 Duke of Lancaster, by Katherine 
 Swynford. He died 11th April, 
 1447. 
 
 Enrnore, 2, bis. 
 
 A village in Somersetshire, six 
 miles North of Taunton. It appears 
 that it was then the residence of 
 Edward Hull. 
 
 Erie, Richard, 2. 
 
 Esquire of the king's body, 4, 
 58. 
 
 Est, Thomas, 84, bis. 
 
 A Yeoman of the Crown. He was 
 excepted from the effects of the 
 Acts of Resumption in the 28th 
 and 34th Henry VI.— Hot. Pari. 
 vol. v. pp. 192, b 316. In the 2nd 
 K 
 
114 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Henry VI. a person of these names 
 is said to have been entrusted with 
 the custody of the property of King 
 Henry the Fifth. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 239, 
 and part of bis goods was included 
 in the inventory of those of that 
 monarch. Ibid. p. 235. 
 
 Eston, , 85. 
 
 Eton, 90. 
 
 Near Windsor. 
 
 Ettoing, William, 70. 
 
 Etyn, , 80. 
 
 Ewelm, 95. 
 
 In Oxfordshire, the seat of Thomas 
 Chaucer, son of the poet : the Earl 
 of Suffolk having married Alice his 
 daughter and heiress, became pos- 
 sessed of Ewelm in her right. 
 
 Excommunicated, The Constable 
 of Bordeaux excommunicated 
 by his creditor, 36. 
 From the passage referred to, it 
 would appear that a creditor pos- 
 sessed the power of excommuni- 
 cating a debtor, if money lent upon 
 a bond was not repaid at the 
 stipulated time. The original is, 
 " Dictus tamen Bernardus, dictum 
 Constabularium fecit excommuni- 
 cari pro non solucione dicte summe 
 in tercio die ante dictum festum 
 solucionis." 
 
 Exeter, 390. 
 
 , Bishop of, 4, 66. 
 
 Edmond Lacy, who was translated 
 to that see from Hereford in 1420, 
 and died on the 18th of Septem- 
 ber, 1455. 
 
 ■, Dean of, 3. 
 John Cobythorn was Dean of 
 Exeter from August 1419 to 1452. 
 
 , Chancellor of, 3. 
 
 John Snetisham, S. T. P. who was 
 collated chancellor of the church of 
 Exeter, 11th March, 1438, and 
 died in 1448.— 
 
 Falmouth, 89. 
 
 A well known port in Cornwall. 
 Finaunce, i. e. money, 22. 
 Fish given, 88. 
 Flanders, Ships of, 85, 86. 
 
 Flexemer, , 57. 
 
 Foix, see Fux. 
 Foreland, 89. 
 
 The writer of the Journal has com- 
 
 mitted a mistake in speaking of 
 the Foreland, there being no point 
 of land so called, which can be 
 seen at the same time with Mount's 
 Bay. It was more probably the 
 Lizard : but perhaps any very 
 prominent point of land was then 
 called Fore-land. 
 
 Fortifications of Bordeaux, the 
 
 New, inspected, 13. 
 Forecastle of a Ship, 86. 
 
 Large ships in the fourteenth and 
 fifteenth centuries had a raised 
 platform or stage at each end, 
 called castles, which contained the 
 fighting men. The castle forward 
 was termed the fore-castle, or 
 fore-stage. In Robert de Aves- 
 burg's Hiitoria, is a letter describ- 
 ing the progress of Edward the 
 Third, in France, in July, 1346, 
 in which it is said that " He found 
 at the Hague, eleven ships, of 
 which eight had castles before and 
 behind, " ove chastiels devant et 
 derere;" and the writer, frequently 
 speaks of other ships in the same 
 manner. Bree, in his ° Cursory 
 Sketch" has sadly misunderstood 
 this subject, as he has thus printed 
 a passage on the Rolls of Parliament 
 relating to Shipping in 1441, 
 " eight ships with four stages," in- 
 stead of " viij shippes with 
 forstages." Rot. Pari. v. 5, p. 59. b 
 These castles were also called top- 
 castles, 
 
 " XV. hundryd shippys redy 
 there he fond 
 
 With riche sayles and heye top- 
 castell. ' ' — Lydga te. 
 
 We learn from the text, that the 
 forecastle was also the place in 
 which business was transacted. 
 
 Foster, John, 80. 
 
 A Priest. 
 Fowey, Julian of, a ship so 
 called, 86. 
 
 Though now remarkable for little 
 besides its beautiful situation, and 
 for being one of the most venal of 
 all the corrupt boroughs in Corn- 
 wall, Fowey was once a port of 
 considerable importance, and as 
 early as the 20th of Edward the 
 Third, 1345, furnished twenty-six 
 ships, and six hundred and three 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 115 
 
 mariners to that monarch's fleet. 
 Bree's Cursory Sketch, on the autho- 
 rity of the Harleian MS. 246. 
 
 Foylet, 53. 
 
 France, Kin^ of, 15, 30, bis, 31, 
 33, 37, 49, 50, 55, 102. 
 
 Charles the Seventh , surnamed " the 
 Victorious." He was born 22nd 
 of February, 1403, succeeded his 
 father 22nd of October, 1422, and 
 died 22nd July, 1461. 
 
 This journal fully corroborates 
 the statement of historians, that 
 His Majesty took the field in 
 person in Acquitaiue in 1442. 
 We find that he was present at 
 the siege of Rieul ; and a curious 
 anecdote occurs in p. 102, of 
 the eminent danger he experi- 
 enced in December in that year, 
 when his lodging in that town 
 was burnt by the English, he es- 
 caping in his shirt with the' loss 
 of all his clothes, &c. It is amus- 
 ing to notice the care which is 
 taken by the writer to avoid styling 
 him King of France, a title, how- 
 ever, which is fearlessly ascribed 
 to him, by the Count of Armagnac's 
 counsellor, De Batutz. 
 
 France, Dauphin of, 27, 37. 
 
 Louis, afterwards Louis the Ele- 
 venth, who was then just twenty 
 years of age. 
 
 . Marshal of, 27. 
 
 • Constable of, 27. 
 
 Francis. See Goer. 
 
 French, the Councillor of the 
 Count of Armagnac writes in 
 Latin from his inability to 
 speak, 39. 
 
 This is an extraordinary statement, 
 for it is difficult to believe that the 
 Counsellor of the Count of Armag- 
 nac should be incapable of writing 
 his native tongue. As, however, 
 he was a Priest, it is possible that 
 he was not taught to write in any 
 other language than Latin ; and this 
 fact tends to prove how exclusively 
 it was used in the cloister in the 
 fifteenth century. 
 
 Friar, a, sent to hear the confes- 
 sions of such English in Rieul 
 
 as could not " speak French or 
 Gascoigne," 39. 
 
 -, A, 38. 
 
 Funeral of the Constable, the 
 Service used at, 36. 
 
 Fux, Earl of, 50. 
 
 Gaston IV. Comte de Foix. See 
 Capidawe. 
 
 Gabarre, or Gabbers, 25, 84. 
 
 Roquefort explains Gabare to be a 
 kind of flat boat, or a lighter : pro- 
 bably a small vessel used in the na- 
 vigation of shallow rivers. 
 
 Gabbers, 18. 
 
 To Gab, to talk idly, to prate, to 
 lie or impose upon. 
 
 "I gabber not; so have I joy 
 and bliss." — Chaucer. 
 
 Garonne, the River, 11, 31, 34, 
 49. 
 
 Garos. See Groos. 
 
 Garoch. See , 83, bis. 
 
 Garos, is thus explained by Roque- 
 fort, and winch agrees with the 
 manner in which the word is used 
 in 1. 21, in the page cited, " dart, 
 arrow, &c." " Garrus" is defined 
 to be Holly or Holm : thus, " a 
 bow of Garoch," is a bow made of 
 holly. 
 
 Gascoigne, the language of, no- 
 ticed in contradistinction to 
 French, 38. 
 
 Gebbis, Richard, the wife of, 83. 
 
 Geese given as a present, 28. 
 
 Giles of Brittany, 87. 
 
 Third son of John V., Duke of 
 Brittany. In 1446, being suspected 
 of treasonable designs with the 
 English, he was arrested by com- 
 mand of his brother Francis I. 
 Duke of Brittany, and notwith- 
 standing that Henry the Sixth en- 
 deavoured to avert his fate, he was 
 murdered at the castle of Haudi- 
 naiet on the night of the 24th or 
 25th April, 1450, being suffocated 
 between two mattrasses, after 
 having experienced the most bar- 
 barous treatment, and every indig- 
 nity during a confinement of four 
 years, U Art de Verifier les Dates, 
 tome iii. p. 908. Johnnes' Mon- 
 strelet, vol. xiii. p. 409. The fol- 
 
116 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES* 
 
 lowing allusion to this prince - 
 occurs in the articles of impeach- 
 ment of the Duke of Suffolk on 
 the 7th February, 28 Hen. VI. 
 1450. After stating that by his 
 intrigues with the King of France, 
 Suffolk had rendered the Duke of 
 Brittany the king's enemy, the 
 Commons add, " and Gyles of 
 Britayn is brother, which is, and 
 by longe tyme hath been your 
 true welwilled man and servaunt 
 putte in grete duresse of prison, 
 and likely to be put to the deth 
 or distroied for his true feith 
 and wille that he hath to you." 
 Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 179. In all 
 probability the interest felt for himby 
 Henry accelerated rather than re- 
 tarded his death, for we find the 
 Commons of England, expressing 
 their sympathy in his situation in a 
 petition to their sovereign just ten 
 weeks before he was destroyed. It 
 is said that in revenge for his re- 
 quest not being complied with, 
 Henry ordered Francis de Sunenne 
 to surprize the town of Fongeres, 
 which he performed. L' 'Art de Veri- 
 fier les Dates, vol. iii. p. 908. 
 
 Glastonbury, 2. 
 
 In Somersetshire, five miles S. S. W. 
 of Wells. 
 
 — , Abbot of, 2. 
 
 Nicholas Frome was Abbot of 
 Glastonbury from 1420 to the 24th 
 April, 1456, when he died. 
 
 Gloucester, Duke of, 48, 95. 
 
 Humphrey Plantagenet, youngest 
 son of Henry the Fourth. He was 
 created Duke of Gloucester and 
 Earl of Pembroke in September, 
 1414, and died in 1446, having, it 
 is supposed been murdered. 
 
 Goer, John, 15, 21, 22. 
 
 Of this individual nothing more is 
 known than what is said of him in 
 the letter to the king. 
 
 Gomond, Baron of, 18. 
 
 Goods the Constables seized for 
 the king, 37. 
 Upon the demise of an individual 
 who held lands in capite in Eng- 
 land, the king's Escheater seized 
 them until an inquisition was 
 taken to ascertain of what lands 
 he died seized, how they were 
 
 held, and who was his heir, in 
 order that if he was a minor the 
 Crown might not be defrauded of 
 his wardship. 
 
 Gramond, Lord, 52, 100. 
 Gramond, 102. 
 
 Grammond a town fifteen miles 
 N. E. of Limoges, and about 120 
 N. E. of Bordeaux. 
 
 Graos. See Groos. 
 
 Gremond, N. 39. 
 
 Greenwich, in Kent, 195. 
 
 It seems that it was then one of the 
 residences of Humphrey, Duke of 
 Gloucester. 
 
 Groos, Garos or Graos, Bernard 
 de, 26, bis, 28, 29, 33, 34, 
 36, bis, 77, 82. 
 
 All that has been ascertained of 
 this individual is that he is de- 
 scribed as a Burgess of Bourdeaux 
 in a writ tested 6th of April, 1433. 
 Fcedera, tome x. p. 547, 
 " Groped," 20. 
 
 Felt, examined ; now generally ap- 
 plied in a corporeal sense. Chaucer 
 however uses it as in the text. 
 
 " These curates ben so negligent and 
 
 slow, 
 To gropen tenderly a conscience." 
 
 Guilamtin, Mons" 28, 29, 59. 
 
 Gules, John de, 4. 
 
 Guns, 16, 102. 
 
 , Great, 101, 102. 
 
 , mentioned as having burst, 
 
 59, 102. 
 
 Hans the Artist, 60, 63, 73, 74, 
 77,91,95. 
 The Artist who was intrusted with 
 the delicate office of taking the por- 
 traits of the three candidates for 
 the heart and crown of the youth- 
 ful monarch, is here said to have 
 been brought from England, and to 
 have arrived on the third of No- 
 vember, 1442, has only the Chris- 
 tian name "Hans," without a pa- 
 tronymic, and which renders it 
 likely that he was not a native 
 artist, but a German or Fleming. 
 He was the bearer of a letter to 
 De Batute, in which he is de- 
 scribed to be a very competent artist, 
 and that he was enjoined to execute 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 117 
 
 his commission with all possible 
 haste, and to return on the 22nd 
 of November. The Count himself 
 writes, that the painter was very di- 
 ligently employed, having begun on 
 canvas on the 22d of December: 
 the ambassadors became impatient, 
 and demanded tbat Hans should be 
 immediately sent back to them, in- 
 sinuating that he was detained 
 merely as a pretext for delay. In 
 reply, in Jan. 2nd, 1442-3, the 
 Archdeacon De Batute says, that 
 the winter weather had impeded his 
 progress, but that the portraits 
 would be shortly completed, that 
 one of them was actually finished, 
 and that Hans would be able to 
 complete the two others, because he 
 had now procured proper materials. 
 Hans was not treated reasonably by 
 the ambassadors, with respect to the 
 time allowed, and under the circum- 
 stances. Neither in Walpole's anec- 
 dotes, nor in the late edition of them 
 is this proof adverted to that portrait 
 painters were so early employed in 
 England. Mabusa is the first au- 
 thenticated painter in the reign of 
 Henry VII. ; and he too like Hans 
 was a foreigner.** 
 
 Harping Iron, 11. 
 
 An Iron with three prongs like a 
 trident. It is fixed on a staff, with 
 a long rope attached to it, and is 
 still used for striking fish, but is 
 now generally called a Harpoon. 
 
 Hat, a Scarlet, given as a New- 
 Year's gift, 82. 
 
 Hay ward, -, 83 
 
 Henley, upon Thomas, 1, 90. 
 
 Hervy, , a Vintner of Lon- 
 don, 65. 
 
 Herald, a, 62. 
 
 Hersage, James, 100, 101. 
 
 No other notice has been found of 
 this person than the account of his 
 treason in his text. 
 
 Hetton, , 31. 
 
 Hill, Thomas, 4. 
 
 An innkeeper at Plymouth. 
 
 Hillier, Richard, 3. 
 Holland, Ships of, 85. 
 
 Honiton, 90. 
 
 In Devonshire, sixteen miles E. of 
 Exeter. 
 
 Hort, Viscount de, 100. 
 
 Horse, a, lent, 2. 
 
 ■ — — , given, 90, scepe. 
 
 These presents of horses seem 
 to have been made for their journey, 
 perhaps to supply the places of 
 animals which were incapable of 
 proceeding. 
 
 Hour, the Second, 1. 
 
 Two hours after Matins, six o'clock 
 in the morning. 
 
 Hull, Ship of, 71, 84. 
 
 Some curious particulars relative to 
 the shipping of Hull will be found 
 in Mr. Frost's valuable " Notices 
 relative to the early History of the 
 port of Hull," pp. 132, 133, 134, 
 145, 147, Appendix I. 25. It 
 furnished twenty ships, and 466 
 mariners to the fleet of Edward the 
 Third in 1345. 
 
 ■ , Gabriel of, a ship so called, 
 
 84. 
 
 , Edward, 2, 4, 6, 53, 57, 
 
 scepe, 58, bis,60,s<zpe, 63,65, 
 67, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 81, 
 bis, 82, 83, bis, 84, 97, scepe, 
 98, 
 
 See the Introduction. 
 Huntingdon, Earl of, 18. 
 
 John Holland, K. G. He was ap- 
 pointed Admiral of England and 
 Acquitaine in the 14 Hen. VI.; 
 in the 20th Hen. VI. he was Go- 
 vernor General of the whole Duchy 
 of Acquitaine ; and in the 21 Hen. 
 VI. was created Duke of Exeter. 
 This distinguished personage died 
 on the 5th of August, 1447, leaving 
 Henry his son and heir then four- 
 teen years of age, who died without 
 issue male in 1473, having been 
 attainted in the 1st. Edw. IV. 
 Dugdale's Baronage. Fcsdera, tome 
 xi. p. 8. 
 
 Huse, N.4, 7, 8, 9, bis, 22,25, 
 26, 29, 31, 34, 37, 38, 70, 
 bis. 
 He was, in all probability, the Ni- 
 cholas Hussey, son of Sir Henry 
 Hussey, Knt. who died seized of 
 
118 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Harting and Wenham, in the 
 County of Sussex, and of lands 
 in Surrey, on the 15th of De- 
 cember, J 470, leaving his daugh- 
 ters, Christiana set. 12, and Ka- 
 therine aet. 10 his heirs. The 
 former married first Sir Henry 
 Lovell, Knt. by whom she had 
 issue, and secondly Roger Lewk- 
 nor, and died in 1524. Kathe- 
 rine, her sister, was the wife of 
 Sir Reginald Bray, K. G. Escheats, 
 9 and 10 Edw. IV. and " Vin- 
 cent's Sussex," in the College of 
 Arms. It is evident that he was 
 one of the Esquires of the king's 
 body or household, that he accom- 
 panied the ambassadors to Bor- 
 deaux, and proceeded from thence 
 to reinforce Rieul when it was be- 
 sieged by the French, after which 
 time he is not mentioned in the 
 Journal. The Foedera does not 
 present any notice of him. 
 Huy, John, 87, 88. 
 
 Iges, i. e. Eyes, 17. 
 
 Ingram, , 90. 
 
 Inquisition, 85. 
 
 An Inquisition was an inquiry by 
 a jury to ascertain any particulai 
 fact. 
 
 Inspector, the, or Supervisor, 3. 
 
 Island, 95. 
 See LTsle. 
 
 John, 4. 
 
 Apparently a servant. 
 
 Katherine of Bayonne, master of 
 the ship so called, 11. 
 
 Kirton, 90. 
 
 In Devonshire. The exact situa- 
 tion of the place so designated in 
 the Journal has not been ascer- 
 tained, but it was on the road 
 between Oakhampton and Exeter. 
 There is a place called Kir stow 
 between Moreton Harapstead and 
 Exminster, which lies too far to 
 the right of their route for it to be 
 meant. 
 
 Kirtles,the Count of Armagnac's, 
 
 daughters to be painted in 
 
 their, 10. 
 
 A Kirtle in the sense used by the 
 
 king must mean a petticoat ; but 
 
 a man's mantle, cloak, gown, 
 waistcoat and tunick were all de- 
 scribed as Kirtles. Thus Chaucer, 
 
 " Yclad he was full small and 
 properly, 
 
 All in a Kirtel of a light waget." 
 and " Un Kirtell de rouge damask 
 sengle, pris xiij s - iv d " was among 
 the effects of Henry the Fifth. — 
 Rot. Pari. vol. iv. p. 236. 
 But Kirtle most frequently meant 
 a petticoat. 
 
 " Damoisellis two 
 
 Right young and full of seme- 
 lyhede 
 
 In ifirti/s,and none other wede." 
 Chaucer. 
 In a petition from Isabel, widow of 
 Sir John Boteler, Knt. in the 15 
 Hen. VI. she complains that she 
 had been " felonousely and moste 
 horribely ravysshed, and hir naked, 
 except hir Kirtyl and hir smokke 
 ledde with him into the wylde and 
 desolate plaees of Wales." Ibid. 
 p. 497 b ; and a man who had mur- 
 dered a woman in the 23 Hen. VI. 
 is said to have afterwards stolen 
 her clothes, which consisted of " a 
 gowne, a Kirtell, a hode, two ker- 
 chieffes." Ibid. vol. v. p. 111. 
 ldonea Ughtred in 1419, be- 
 queathed to her daughter " all her 
 gowns and kirtles," and Elizabeth 
 Lady Fitz Hugh, in her will, 
 dated in 1427, gave her servants 
 " all her clothing, as my gowns 
 and my /art/es." Testamenta Ve~ 
 tusta, pp.200, 213. 
 A modern antiquary thus explains 
 a kirtle. " Sometimes they were 
 laced close to the body, and pro- 
 bably answered the purpose of 
 boddice or stays. Though, it was 
 occasionally a habit of state, and 
 worn by persons of high rank, to 
 appear in a kirtle only, was a mark 
 of servitude; and at the close of 
 the 15th century was used as a 
 habit of penance." — Fosbroke's En- 
 cyclopaedia of Antiquities, vol. ii. 
 p. 857. 
 Knolles' tower, 88. 
 
 A Tower near Crowdon, in Brit- 
 tany, probably so called after Sir 
 Robert Knolles, K. G. a distin- 
 guished soldier in that province in 
 the reign of Edward the Third, 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 119 
 
 and one of the thirty English who 
 
 fought the celebrated " Combat 
 
 de Trente." 
 Lahet, Janecot, 34. 
 Langon, 53, 65. 
 
 A Town on the Garonne, about 20 
 
 miles S. E. of Bordeaux. 
 
 Lawndes, Country of, 49, 
 
 The department of Lawndes, of 
 which Monte de Marsan is the 
 chief city. It adjoins, on the south, 
 the department of the Giroude, in 
 which Bourdeaux is situated. 
 
 Lawyers, the, cited, 47. 
 Leg Harness, 101. 
 
 Armour for the legs. 
 Leigh, Ralph, 1,2. 
 
 Probably the individual who is de- 
 scribed in the Act of Resumption, 
 28 Hen. VI. 1450 ; as Rauff Legh 
 Squyer, Marchall of oure all 
 halle," who with others are pro- 
 tected from the effects of the sta- 
 tute. Rot. Pari. vol. v. p. 194. 
 
 Leittour, 23,29, 30, 31. 
 
 Lectoure. A town situated on a 
 hill over the river Ger, about 70 
 miles S. E. of Bordeaux, and 20 
 N. of Auch. It was the chief 
 town of the county of Armagnac. 
 
 " Le Mog. fixed in a rod of 
 lorey with a little book in the 
 middle," given as, a New 
 Year's gift, 83. 
 tt j)na Hospicii dedit lemog in una. 
 virgula de lorey, cum libello in me- 
 dio." The following translation is 
 proposed, which may not exceed the 
 fair limits of conjecture. A lemon 
 in a sprig of laurel (laurier) having 
 a sweet meat within side. Lorey is 
 evidently laurier, and libellus was 
 a thin sweetmeat rolled up as a 
 sheet of paper, or so enclosed. 
 Whether this interpretation be ad- 
 mitted or not, it will be allowed 
 that such a present was in cha- 
 racter from the mistress of an 
 hotel to her noble guests at their 
 departure.** 
 
 Letters from Henry VI. to the 
 Ambassadors, dated at 
 Windsor Castle, 23 
 June, 5. 
 
 Letter, Hid. 6, 7. 
 
 , dated in July, 9, 10. 
 
 , dated at Windsor 20th 
 
 July, 58. 
 , dated at Windsor 21st 
 
 September, 54, 55. 
 
 to the Inhabitants of 
 
 Bourdeaux, dated 21st 
 September, 55 } 57. 
 
 from the Ambassadors to 
 
 the King, dated Ply- 
 mouth, 30th June, 1442, 
 7. 
 
 Bourdeaux, 24th July, 
 
 13, 19. 
 
 , - 9th August, 26. 
 
 ] 8th October, 49, 52. 
 
 from the Ambassadors to 
 
 Ralph Lord Cromwell, 
 dated at Bourdeaux, 
 24th July, 19, 22. 
 
 ■ ■ from Sir Robert Roos to 
 
 the Count of Armag- 
 nac, dated Bourdeaux, 
 24th August, 32. 
 
 Bourdeaux, 3rd Novem- 
 ber, 60. 
 
 Bourdeaux, 2"nd De- 
 
 ber, 77, 78. 
 
 . from the Count of Ar- 
 magnac to Sir Robert 
 Roos, dated Lectoure, 
 23rd July, 23. 
 
 ■ ibid, dated Lectoure, 
 
 20th August, 29. 
 
 ibid. Auch, 7th Novem- 
 ber, 67. 
 
 ibid. 22nd Novem., 73. 
 
 ibid. Lile, 3rd January, 
 
 1443,91,92. 
 
 from the Ambassadors 
 
 to John de Batute, 
 dated Bourdeaux, 24th 
 August, 33. 
 
 , 12th October, 44, 47. 
 
 -, 13th October, 47, 48. 
 
 — , September, and No- 
 vember 3rd, 61, 63. 
 
120 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES, 
 
 Letter, ibid. 22nd Dec, 78, 80. 
 
 . t,ibid. 30th Dec, 81, 82. 
 
 . — from John de Batute to 
 
 the Ambassadors, dated 
 Lectoure, 29th July, 
 1442, 24. 
 
 — ibid. Lectour, 20th Au- 
 gust, 30. 
 
 — ibid. Auch, 15th Sep- 
 tember, 39, 44, 
 
 , Duplicate of the above, 
 
 64. 
 
 . ibid, dated Auch, 8th 
 
 November, 67, 71. 
 
 . ibid. 22nd Nov., 74, 76. 
 
 ■ ibid. The Island (L'Isle) 
 
 3rd January, 1443, 95. 
 
 . the king's, proclaimed to 
 
 the inhabitants of Bour- 
 deaux, by the Arch- 
 bishop in a Church, 12, 
 16. 
 
 — , the cause explained why 
 it was not in the writer's 
 own hand, 95. 
 This and all the other passages on 
 the subject of Correspondence are 
 peculiary wo: thy of attention, as 
 they afford much interesting infor- 
 mation. 
 
 • difficulty of finding car- 
 riers of, noticed, 64. 
 sent by a Pilgrim, 26. 
 
 This description of the manner 
 in which a letter was sent to 
 the king of England by his am- 
 bassadors, is extremely curious, 
 as it presents undoubted evidence of 
 the difficulty of conveying letters 
 at the period, and which is fre- 
 quently alluded to : it perhaps 
 arose from the state of France. 
 
 - 4 signed with the king's 
 
 own hand, 6. 
 The fact here stated that the king 
 very rarely signed letters with his 
 own hand is worthy of notice. They 
 generally commenced like the one 
 in question, with the words " Ey 
 the King," but in this instance 
 Henry added thereto his signature. 
 
 Letter sent with a Pastoral 
 Staff, 63,74, 78. 
 
 The exact meaning of this expres- 
 sion has not been discovered : a pas- 
 toral staff must have been a protec- 
 tion bestowed by an ecclesiastie. 
 
 by a Soldier, 32. 
 
 the writer of a, presumed 
 
 to have a copy in his 
 possession because he 
 was " a prudent man," 
 45. 
 
 Liskeard, in Cornwall, 89. 
 
 , Vicar of, 89. 
 
 L'Isle, 92, 95. 
 
 Most likely L'Isle en Jourdain, a 
 small town about 20 miles E. of 
 Auch, and a Jittle more than one 
 hundred S. E. of Bourdeaux. It 
 is so called because it is situated 
 on an island formed by the Sarre, 
 and which belonged to persons 
 named Jourdan. 
 
 Llewellyn, Davy Ap, 34. 
 Logan, Richard, 35. 
 Lomaine, Viscount of, 32, 33, 
 bis, 34,41, 46, 69. 
 
 Odon III. who married Audine de 
 Ferragut, by whom he had Odon 
 IV. VArt de Verifier les Dates, 
 tome iii. p. 281. 
 
 London, 95. 
 
 Longvile, Viscount, &c. 
 See Capitowe. 
 
 Loremont, 35, 97. 
 
 Loremon and L'Hermitage are very 
 near each other, on the opposite 
 side of the Garonne to, and about 
 three miles N. E. from, Bourdeaux. 
 
 Losseun, 53. 
 
 Lostwithiel, in Cornwall, 89. 
 
 Maidenhead, in Berkshire, 90, 
 
 bis. 
 Malvesin, 53. 
 Marceriz, ib. 
 Marmand, 49, 62. 
 
 Erroneously printed Marmawd : a 
 town on the Garonne, forty miles 
 S. E. of Bordeaux. 
 
 , Prior of, 39, 80. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 121 
 
 Marmand de St. Basille, 53. 
 
 Marsano, Regent of, 30. 
 
 It is not perhaps possible to dis- 
 cover who the " Regent of Mar- 
 sano" was ; but from the sense in 
 which the word " Regent" is used 
 in relation to Sir Robert Roos, it 
 may be inferred that he was the 
 governor of Marson, a district in 
 the department of Landes, of which 
 Mont de Marson was the capital. 
 
 Martin, Prior of, 36. 
 
 Mary of Eton, St., invoked for a 
 
 fair wind, 11. 
 Masduran, Castle of, 53. 
 Mauchamp, Janicot, 35. 
 Mausyn, 102. 
 Mavesyn, Castle of, 49. 
 Medok, 18. 
 Melan, 53, 102. 
 
 Probably Meillan, a town about 
 four miles S. W. of Mont de Marson. 
 
 Mergans, 26. 
 Menial servant, 8. 
 
 A servant of the household, from 
 meigne, a household. Edward 
 Duke of York, in his will dated in 
 1415, says — " Je veuille qe touz 
 mes servants meignalx queux feu- 
 rent demorrantz en mon hostel," 
 &c— Royal Wills, p. 219. 
 
 " Mergyn," 21. 
 
 This word is used in a singular 
 manner. " Mergyn" is a verge or 
 border ; and the passage probably 
 meant that if the archbishop could 
 be diverted from the chief object of 
 his mission, he would tell all he 
 knew, rather than what he was in- 
 structed to state. 
 
 Merton, Richard, Mr. 3. 
 
 A priest. 
 Messenger, Stephen, 5. 
 
 Stephen, the messenger. Several 
 notices relative to the king's mes- 
 sengers occur on the Rolls of Par- 
 liament:. In the 12 Henry VI. 
 1433, the expenses of them are 
 stated to be 2002. — vol. iv. p. 436. 
 The Liber Quotidianus Garderolxz, 
 of the 28 Edward I. p. 45, contains 
 some curious particulars relative 
 to the " messengers" of that reign. 
 
 Mewes, 95. 
 
 Most probably in the Tower of 
 London. 
 
 Monela, Castle of, 53. 
 
 Monferant, Sir Bernard, 38, 59. 
 Several notices occur in the Fcedera 
 and on the Rolls of Parliament of 
 a Sir Bertram de Montferant, but 
 no mention is made of a person of 
 the baptismal name of Bernard. It 
 is very possible, however, that it was 
 the error of the writer of the Journal 
 to describe him by the latter appella- 
 tion, and that he was the faithful and 
 beloved knight " Bertrandus Do- 
 minus de Monteferrando et de 
 Laygorano," who is stated in a writ 
 to the archbishop and other autho- 
 rities of Bordeaux, in 1435, to have 
 petitioned the king for some lands 
 which had belonged to his uncle, 
 Sir Bernard de la Bret, Knt, 
 Fcedera, tome x. p. 618. In the 
 Acts of Resumption, 4th and 7th, 
 and 8th and 13th Edward IV. 
 " oure oratrice and true bedewoman, 
 Petronille Mountferant, late wife of 
 Bertram, Lord of Mountferant," in 
 Gascony, is secured in the posses- 
 sion of a rent of 201. per annum, 
 granted to her out of the revenue 
 of the shires of Bedford and Bucks. 
 Rot. Pari, vol, v. p. 542, b 608 ; 
 and vol. vi. p. 77. a 
 
 Monteseurt, Castle of, 53. 
 Mortimer, T. 72. 
 Morton, Secretary, 97. 
 
 Several persons of the name of 
 Morton are mentioned on the Rolls 
 of Parliament in the reign of Henry 
 the Sixth, but it is impossible to 
 identify either of them as the per- 
 son noticed in the Journal. 
 
 Mountsbay, in Cornwall, 89. 
 
 Mount Secure, 62, 72. 
 
 A town three leagues from Mar- 
 mand, which is described to be very 
 secure, and to abound in provisions. 
 It surrendered to the French on 
 the 7th of December, 1442. 
 
 " Mure," 52. 
 
 Ripe, deliberate. 
 
 Must, le, wine so called, 28. 
 
 Navir, 50, a ship. 
 New Year's Gifts, 82. 
 
 L 
 
122 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 North, if the, had blown pros- 
 perously, 70. See also 31. 
 There seems to be an allusion in the 
 passages referred to, which it is not 
 possible to penetrate. 
 
 Nostre, Dame, 84, bis. 
 
 Notaries, 86. 
 
 Oath taken by one of the ser- 
 vants, 2. 
 
 Probably an oath of fidelity, or 
 secrecy, with respect to Bekyng- 
 ton's mission. See the allusion to 
 the oath which had been admi- 
 nistered to Hussee in a letter in a 
 subsequent page. 
 
 Okynton, 90. 
 
 Oakhamton, in Devonshire, about 
 twenty miles West of Exeter, on 
 the road from Liskeard to London. 
 
 Over-riding, 18, 
 
 An invasion or attack. 
 
 Oysters eaten, 85. 
 
 Orleans, Duke of, 40. 
 
 Charles, son of Louis Duke of 
 Orleans, younger son of Charles 
 the Fifth, King of France. He is 
 known to the English reader by 
 the poems which he composed 
 during his long captivity in Eng- 
 land, having been made prisoner 
 at the battle of Agincourt, where 
 he eminently distinguished him- 
 self. He had three wives, Isabel, 
 daughter of Charles VI. King of 
 France ; Bona, daughter of Ber- 
 nard, Count of Armagnac ; and 
 Mary, daughter of Adolph, first 
 Duke of Cleves. By the latter he 
 was father of Louis Duke of Or- 
 leans, afterwards Louis XII. King 
 of France, and died in 1465. 
 
 Painting. See Pictures. 
 
 Pantonge, 18. 
 
 Parker, T., 89. 
 
 Pastoral staff, letters sent with 
 a, 63, 74, 78. See Letters. 
 
 Payntour, John, 34, 66, 72. 
 
 This individual, of whom nothing 
 more is 'known, was killed by a 
 culverin at Rieul, in November 
 1442. 
 
 Pedulup, or Woifsoote, alias 
 Luperins, 88. 
 
 Pied de Loup. 
 
 Penmark, 85. 
 
 Pointe de Penmark, which forms 
 one point of the bay of Audierne. 
 It is eighteen miles S. W. of the 
 town of Quimper, in Brittany. 
 
 Penryn, 89, bis. 
 
 In Cornwall, a town at the head 
 of Falmouth harbour. 
 
 Pictures, the, 10, 60, 61, 62, 
 73,74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 91, 
 92, 94. 
 
 Pikbourne, , 48. 
 
 Pilgrim a, 26. 
 
 Pimento, given as a new year's 
 gift, 83. 
 Spiced wine mixed with honey. It 
 is also called clarre, or claret. The 
 following receipt for making it is 
 given by Tyrwhitt from the " Me- 
 dulla Cirugie Rolandi," a MS. in 
 the Bodleian Library, No, 761, 
 f. 86. :— 
 
 " Claretum bonum, sive Pigmen- 
 tum. Accipe nucem moschatam, ca- 
 riofilos, gingebas, maris, cinamo- 
 mum, galangum; quae omnia in 
 pulverem redacta, distempera cum 
 bono vino, cum tertia parte mellis ; 
 post cola per sacculum, et da ad 
 bibendum. Et nota, quod illud 
 idem potest fieri cerevisia." 
 
 "Ne let therefore to drinke 
 
 clarrie 
 £)r piment makid freshe and 
 newe. ' ' — Chaucer. 
 
 Pipes, 101. 
 
 Casks in which armour was en- 
 closed. 
 
 of bread, 64. - 
 
 Bread packed in casks so called. 
 
 Plover a, noticed as resting on 
 the sail of the ship, 89. 
 
 Plymouth, 4, scepe, 5, 8, 9, 89. 
 
 Plymton, Prior of, 4, 9. 
 
 William Hill was prior of Plymp- 
 ton from the 3rd of May, 1440, to 
 the 9th of August, 1462. 
 
 Pont, John de, 65, 83. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 123 
 
 Portraiture, a Portrait. See 
 
 Pictures. 
 Powns, Lord, 14, 18. 
 
 This was probably the person who 
 is thus noticed on the Rolls of 
 Parliament — " Item atte Derte- 
 mouthe, the Spaynyshhe ship tha t 
 was the LordPouns." vol. 5. p. 59.b 
 
 Poyntour. See Payntour. 
 
 Powderham, 4. 
 
 Powderham Castle, then the seat 
 of Sir Philip Courtenay, and now 
 in the possession of his descendant, 
 Viscount Courtenay. It is situated 
 close to the banks of the river Ex, 
 about six miles S. S. E. of Exeter. 
 
 Powderam, -, 88. 
 
 Presents made, 2, 3, 4, 9, 12, 
 28, 81, 82, 83, sape, 88,90. 
 
 Procurator, the King's, 34. 
 
 Puis, I de, 102. 
 
 Pull' Cap' Pen/ 90. 
 
 The last word appears to have been 
 mistaken in the transcription for 
 ' vin ;' it would then be pullets, a 
 capon, and wine, which was a cus- 
 tomary present from corporate 
 bodies. 
 
 Pullets, &c. given, 28, 90. 
 
 Purser of a ship, 65. 
 
 Pury, John, 58. 
 
 Quarrel a, noticed, 36, 65. 
 Quarrelles, heads for, given as a 
 present, 83. 
 
 Raas, Le, 85. 
 
 The passage between the Pointe 
 du Raz and the Isle de Sein twenty 
 miles,N.W.of Pointe dePenmarke, 
 and twenty-five miles W. N. W. of 
 Quimper, in Brittany. 
 
 Regent, Sir Robert Roos, 28, 32, 
 35, 37, scepe, 38, scepe, 39, scepe. 
 40, etseq., 48, 53, 57,58,65, 
 6m, 66, stfpc, 7 1,72, 76,83, 84, 
 90, 97. See the introduc- 
 tory REMARKS. 
 Regent of Guienne, to which office 
 he was elected in the manner de- 
 scribed in p. 82. The term "Re- 
 gejit" appears to have been used 
 
 synonymously with Governor, or 
 Commander. " The Regent of 
 Marsano,"isalso mentioned in the 
 Journal, and in the same sense. 
 
 Regula, Thomas de, 57. 
 
 Rempston, Sir Thomas, 18. 
 
 In 1424, Monstrelet says, Sir 
 Thomas Rampston, with Sir John 
 de Luxemburgh, besieged Guise ; 
 and was a party to the treaty for 
 the surrender of that place, in 
 which he is described as " Sir 
 Thomas Rampstone, Knight, 
 Chamberlain to the Lord Regent 
 the Duke of Bedford, and with 
 John de Luxenburgh, Governor of 
 that district of Prance." After the 
 siege, Rampston went to Paris to 
 wait on the Duke of Bedford, by 
 whom he was most graciously re- 
 ceived. Johnes' Monstrelet. vol. vi. 
 p. 98 — 107. It appears from the 
 Journal, that he commanded the 
 town of St. Severs, in July, 1442, 
 when it surrendered to the-French. 
 
 Repinghale, Robert, 34, 89, 95. 
 The name of " Robertus Reping- 
 hale Clericus Secretarius Regis," 
 occurs in the Calendar to the Patent 
 Rolls, in the 26 Hen. VI. p. 291; 
 but nothing more has been found 
 respecting him. \ 
 
 Revell, le, 81. 
 
 " Revel" is described to be an 
 entertainment at night, consist- 
 ing of feasting, dancing, masks, 
 &c, Chaucer says, 
 
 " For which this noble duk, as he 
 
 wel can 
 Comforteth and honoureth every 
 
 man, 
 And made revel all the longe 
 
 night." 
 
 But from the manner in which the 
 word is used in the text, it would 
 rather seem to mean a performance 
 of some kind : " After supper they 
 went to the Lord Regent, and 
 there saw ' le Revell."' 
 
 Riaunt, 11, 25, 86. 
 . ■ Roads, 85. 
 
 Royan, a town at the entrance of 
 
 the Garonne. 
 
 Rieul, 37, 38, bis, 39, bis, 49, 53, 
 59, 72, 102, bis. 
 
124 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 Rieul, Castle of, 53, 63, 64, " 
 
 66 71,72. 
 L,e Reole, a town on the right 
 bank of the Garonne, nearly thirty 
 miles E.S.E. of Bordeaux, built 
 on the top of a small hill, and was a 
 place of considerable strength. 
 The remains of the castle and of a 
 very fine convent of Benedictines, 
 are still visible. We learn that 
 the King of France, in person, 
 and the Dauphin, laid siege to it 
 for some time before September, 
 1442, and that they took it by 
 assault the 7th of October; but 
 that the castle held out until the 
 7th of December. The notice that 
 the gun which the French used 
 during the siege, was " broken" 
 by which is probably meant 
 " burst," on the 39th of October, 
 is curious. 
 
 Rions, 50. 
 
 Rious, a town fifteen miles S. E. 
 of Bordeaux. 
 
 Rokeby, , 35. See Rok- 
 
 ley. 
 Roket, Le, 11. 
 
 Rokley, , 35, 65, 72, 97. 
 
 Apparently from the last reference 
 a soldier. 
 
 Roos, Sir Robert, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 
 12, 13, 21, bis, 22, 27, 28, 
 scepe, 32, 33, See Regent 
 and Introductory Re- 
 marks. 
 
 Roperye, Le, 28. 
 
 Rosan, Lord de, 83. 
 
 St. Andrew, 81. 
 
 The Metropolitan Church of the 
 Archbishoprick of Bourdeaux. A 
 history of it was published in 
 1668, by Jerome Lopez, Canon of 
 that Church, in quarto ; and the 
 AbbeXaupi printed a Dissertation, 
 on that edifice. Le Long's Biblio- 
 theque Historique de France. 
 
 , Chantor of the 
 
 Church of, 22. 
 — , Dean of, 26, bis, 
 
 37, 38, 59, 65. 
 
 In 1433, Theobald Dagen was Dean 
 
 of the Church of St. Andrew of 
 Bourdeaux. 
 
 St. Andrew, le Bordeu of, 35. 
 
 St. Austle, 89. 
 
 In Cornwall, a town on the road 
 from Truro to Lostwithiel. 
 
 St. Bartholomew, 53. 
 
 St. Cryk, 100. 
 
 St. Denis, Chapel of, 35. 
 
 Near Bordeaux. 
 
 St. Durdoine on pres, 53. 
 
 St. Eloy, 38. 
 
 St. Faith, 71. 
 
 St. George D'Angleterre, 98. 
 " St. George, of England ;" the 
 national war cry of the English. 
 
 St. James's, Dean of, 23. 
 
 The Dean of the Church of St. 
 James of Bourdeaux. 
 
 St. Katherine, Hospital of, 95. 
 Near the Tower of London. 
 
 St. Lopyes, 97, bis, 
 
 A town on the opposite side of the 
 river to Bourdeaux, and about 
 seven miles distant from it. 
 
 St. Lupe, 59. 
 
 St. Makary, 34, 39, 50, 64, bis, 
 17, bis. 
 
 St. Macaire, a small town on the 
 banks of the Garonne, eight miles 
 S.E. of Bourdeaux. 
 
 St. Matthew, Abbey of, 87. 
 
 St. Peter, Church of, in Bor- 
 deaux, 28. 
 
 St. Severinus, 35. 
 
 Provost of, 80. 
 
 It has not been ascertained who 
 was Provost of St. Severines. The 
 Dean of St. Severines was Dr. John 
 Grafton, whom the Chronicle of St. 
 Albaris, and Hall state was one of 
 the Commissioners appointed to 
 negociate the Marriage between 
 Henry VI. and a daughter of the 
 Count of Armagnac, but this was 
 not the fact. See the Introduc- 
 tion. 
 
 St. Severs, 14, 18, 49, 50, ter, 
 52. 
 A town in the Lawndes, fourteen 
 miles from Tartas, and about five 
 from Dax. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 125 
 
 St. Thomas, Tower of, 28. 
 
 Near Bordeaux. 
 
 -, 39. 
 
 In Le Reole. 
 
 -, 90. 
 
 Salisbury, 1. 
 
 ■ , Bishop of, 1. 
 
 William Aiscough, clerk to the 
 council. He was elected to the See 
 of Salishury, 11th February, 1438, 
 and was murdered at Edington, 
 in Wiltshire, 29th June, 1450. 
 
 Sancta Maria, the antiphonale, 
 chaunted to obtain a fair wind, 
 
 11, 
 
 Sanuetat de Belver, 53. 
 
 Savage, Robert, 25, 31, bis, 72, 
 77, 81, 83. 
 Perhaps the Robert Savage, a yeo- 
 man of the Crown, who was ex- 
 cepted from the effects of the Act 
 of Resumption, 28 Hen. VI. 1450, 
 Rot. Pari, vol. v. p. 192.b Florence, 
 the wife of a person of these names 
 was appointed keeper of a part of 
 the King's wardrobe in the city of 
 London, called " Prince Ward- 
 robe," in the 3 Hen. VI. Ibid. 
 p. 545. 
 
 Say, John, 2. 
 
 Say, William, 1,2,3. 
 
 One of the ushers of the king's 
 chamber : he was protected from 
 the effects of the Act of Resump- 
 tion, 20 Henry VI. 1450. Rot. 
 Pari. vol. v. p. 191 ; b and was 
 among the persons whom the 
 commons prayed in 1 451, might be 
 banished the king's presence for 
 life. Ibid. p. 216. 
 
 Scot, T. 26, 80. 
 
 Seals, 18. 
 
 The attention which was paid to 
 the Seals attached to letters, is 
 remarkable. Some observations on 
 the subject will be found in the 
 Retrospective Reviexo New Series. 
 
 Secure Mount. See Mount. 
 Selby, David, 80,87, 88. 
 
 A David Selby, is said, in 1445, to 
 have been one of the owners of a 
 ship, called " Le Jamys de Land- 
 help," which was then allowed to 
 convey forty pilgrims to the shrine 
 
 of St. James, in Galacia. Fadera. 
 Tome xi. p. 78. 
 
 Shark, a, caught, 11. 
 Ships, 87. 
 
 The Petition which occurs on the 
 Rolls of Parliament, in the 14th 
 Rich. II. 1390, relative to the 
 communication between England 
 and Bourdeaux, presents so much 
 information on the subject, and of 
 the shipping employed, that its 
 introduction cannot require an apo- 
 logy* 
 
 " 'A tres sages Chivaliers et Com- 
 munes de cest present Parlement 
 monstrent les possessours des niefs 
 parmy tout le roialme qe par la ou 
 Mariners, en temp de 1' aiel nostra 
 Seigneur le Roi q' or est, soleient 
 prendre pur lour travaill en niefs, 
 pur passer hors d' Engleterre vers 
 Burdeux, et pour retourner en 
 Engleterre on autres parties dela, 
 oept soldz, et le fraght d' un 
 tonell ; et Meistre Shipman sesze 
 souldz, et fraght de deux tonelx a 
 plus. Et ore, les ditz Mariners 
 sont entant confederez et alliez 
 ensemble, pur defaut de punisse- 
 ment sur eux ordeine, q' ils ne 
 voillent servir es ditz niefs come 
 desuis si noun pur trop excessive 
 salarie. C est assavoir le Meistre 
 Mariner vint et quatre soldz, et 
 le fraght de trois tonelx ; et as- 
 cuns cent souldz, et le fraght de 
 trois tonelx. Et nientmeyns les 
 ditz Mariners ne voillent passer 
 ovesque les Engleys, mes soule- 
 ment ovesque Aliens si ascuns 
 y soient, en grant arierissement de 
 1' estat des ditz possessours, et de 
 la navie d' Engleterre. Qe plese 
 ordeiner en cest present Parlement 
 sur ce due remede, qe les mairs et 
 bailiffs des villes outielx Mariners 
 y sont eient poair de punir les ditz 
 Mariners al suite de chescuny qe 
 soi sentra greve, qe devant eux se 
 vorra compleindre, sicome fuist en 
 temps du dit aiel — ' 'Le Roi voet 
 charger ses Admiralx, d' ordeigner 
 qe les Mariners preignent reson- 
 ablement pur lour service et tra- 
 vaill, et de les punir s' ils facent a 
 1' encontre." — Rot. Pari. vol. iii. 
 283. 
 
 , the Master of the, sum- 
 
126 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 moned to appear before Beck- 
 
 ington, 66. 
 Shaftesbury, 90. 
 Sheffeld, Edward, 88. 
 Shene, 96, ter. 
 
 Now Richmond, in Surrey. 
 Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, 90. 
 Shorthose, Gailard, 12, 37. 
 
 Mayor of Bourdeaux. This person, 
 whose discourteous conduct on re- 
 ceiving Sir Robert Roos' orders is 
 amusingly described, is spoken of 
 in a document in the Fatdera, with 
 the appellation of" Knight" in Ja- 
 nuary, 1446. — Vol. xi. p. 115. 
 Silver bent to obtain a fair 
 wind, 11. 
 The Editor is not aware whether 
 any notice of a similar act of su- 
 perstition is to be found elsewhere : 
 its derivation has also escaped his 
 research. The act of turning money 
 on the appearance of a new moon, 
 " for good luck," or to obtain 
 what one wishes bears a sufficient 
 resemblance to the circumstance 
 mentioned in the text to be brought 
 to the reader's remembrance. 
 
 Skoulk wache, 97. 
 
 Probably that part of the English 
 forces which formed a kind of ad- 
 vanced guard, to be ready to take 
 every advantage which might pre- 
 sent itself against, and to give early 
 notice of any attack from, the 
 enemy. " To skulk" is to lurk in 
 hiding places ; to lie close. 
 
 Snetisham, , 3, 90. 
 
 Somerset, Cousin of, 54. 
 
 John de Beaufort, Earl of Somer- 
 set, grandson of John of Gaunt, 
 Duke of Lancaster. This eminent 
 nobleman served in the French 
 wars from the 9 Henry V. until his 
 death in the 22 Henry VI. the 
 greater part of the time as Lieu- 
 tenant and Captain- General of 
 Acquitaine and Normandy ; and 
 in 1443, he was created Earl of 
 Kendal, and Duke of Somerset. 
 We learn from the king's letter, 
 that he was about to send him 
 to the relief of Bourdeaux with 
 a powerful army, in September, 
 1442. He died on the 27th May, 
 
 1444, leaving an only daughter, 
 Margaret, mother of King Henry 
 the Seventh. 
 
 Somerset, Mr. 95. 
 
 It is difficult to determine who this 
 person was. A John Somerset 
 Clerk, was one of the feoffees of 
 some of the royal lands in the 
 22 Henry VI. but the Journal 
 speaks of Mr. Somerset and his 
 wife. A Master John Somerset 
 was excepted from the effects 
 of the Act of Resumption, 28 
 Henry VI. : in the next year the 
 Commons prayed that he, with 
 others, might be banished for ever 
 from the king's presence, and he 
 is spoken of as " late discesid " 
 in the 33 Henry VI.— Rot. Pari 
 vol. v. pp. 72, 198, b 216, b and 
 339. An individual of those 
 names was Chancellor of the 
 King's Exchequer from the 19 to 
 the 25 Henry \1.—Calend. Rot. 
 Patent, pp. 282, b 286, b 289, b 290 ; 
 and according to Mr. Gough in his 
 account of the Bedford Missal, a 
 John Somerset, physician to Henry 
 the Sixth, attested in his own hand 
 that that volume was presented by 
 the Duchess of Bedford to his 
 Majesty in 1430, p. 19. See also 
 Dibdin's Bibliographical Decameron 
 vol. i. p. 137. 
 
 Sourme le, 89. 
 
 Sparre, Bailiff* of, 80, 82. 
 
 Spoy, Sir Louis de, 28, 35, 37, 
 38, 39, 59. 
 Or Despoir. Although repeatedly 
 mentioned in the Journal, nothing 
 can be ascertained about him in 
 the various books which have been 
 consulted for the purpose. It is 
 manifest that he was a soldier, and 
 a person of considerable import- 
 ance. 
 
 Standards, 98. 
 
 The banners of the English forces. 
 
 Strawnford, , 88. 
 
 Stuff, 49. 
 
 Few words have so extensive a 
 meaning 'as " stuff." It is applied 
 to every description of goods ; but 
 in the sense used in the text, it is 
 evidently intended to describe the 
 implements of warfare. 
 
INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 127 
 
 Stephens, I., 3. 
 
 Strangwys, — , 80, 102. 
 
 Suffolk, Earl of, 5, 95, 96. 
 
 William de la Pole, K. G. He 
 succeeded his nephew, Michael, 
 who was slain at Agincourt in 
 October, 1415, in the Earldom of 
 Suffolk, and became one of the 
 most distinguished personages of 
 his times. In September, 1444, 
 he was made Marquess, and in 
 June, 1448, Duke of Suffolk, 
 having in 1447 succeeded to the 
 earldom of Pembroke, according to 
 an express limitation on the death 
 of the Duke of Gloucester, in 
 whose murder he is supposed to 
 have been materially concerned. 
 The singular fate of this nobleman, 
 he having been beheaded on board 
 a small vessel on his voyage to 
 Calais in 1450, is minutely related 
 in one of the " Paston Letters," and 
 his career is fully detailed by Dug- 
 dale. One of the most interesting 
 facts concerning him is, that he 
 married Alice, daughter and heiress 
 of Thomas, the son of Geoffrey 
 Chaucer, the poet. 
 
 Surgeon, a, sent to heal the 
 wounded in Rieul, 38. 
 
 Sursak, 14, 18. 
 
 A town on the river Dordogne. 
 
 . •, Castle of, 53. 
 
 Sutton, 1, scepe, 90, ter. 
 
 Apparently Sutton Courtney, about 
 two miles south of Abingdon, in 
 Wiltshire. 
 
 Swillington, George, 26, 28, 29, 
 72, 85. 
 
 , T., 77. 
 
 Query if the initial " T." is not 
 an error for " G. ;" but of George 
 Swillington no particulars have been 
 discovered. 
 
 Sword of St. Louis, 102. 
 
 An importance was evidently at- 
 tached to the destruction of this 
 sword, which it appears was sup- 
 posed to have belonged to St. Louis, 
 King of France from 1226 to 1270. 
 
 Tallemont, 11, 25. 
 Tarteys, 14. 
 
 Tartas, a small town on the river 
 Douze, in the Lawndes, twelve 
 
 miles S. W. of Mont de Marson, 
 and about sixty miles south of Bor- 
 deaux. 
 
 Taunton, 2, 3, bis. 
 
 In Somersetshire. 
 
 Taunton, Mr. Richard, 65. 
 
 Temple Crantyn, 87. 
 
 Tench given, 88. 
 
 Teriton, 90, 
 
 This place must have been between 
 Liskeard, in Cornwall, and Oak- 
 hampton, in Devonshire ; but no 
 such name occurs in the maps. 
 Torrington, which it most nearly 
 resembles, is too far out of the 
 route. 
 
 Tewbount, Castle of, 53. 
 
 Thomas, , 4. 
 
 Tirel, Mr. William, 25, 26, 28, 
 31, bis, 34, bis, 39, 70, 76, 
 77, 80, 85. 
 
 Most probably a priest. He was 
 
 a witness to the will of Sir Robert 
 
 Clifton. See Clifton. 
 Tiverton, 3. 
 
 In Devonshire, about twelve miles 
 
 north of Exeter. 
 
 Tombatut, 53. 
 
 Toneux, Lady de, 33. 
 
 Toninges, 53. 
 
 A large town on the right bank of 
 the Garonne, about forty-five miles 
 S. E. of Bourdeaux. 
 
 i ■, du Baron, 53. 
 
 Treasurer, Lord, 95, bis. 
 
 Ralph Lord Cromwell, who suc- 
 ceeded to that title about the year 
 1419, at which time he was little 
 more than sixteen years old. In 
 the 11 Henry VI. he was appoint- 
 ed Lord Treasurer, which office 
 he held until his death in 1455. 
 
 Tregoran, I. Mr. 53, 59, 65, 85, 
 86, 88, scepe. 
 A priest. It seems that he arrived 
 from England in October, 1442, 
 and returned with Beckington. 
 
 Trevenaunt, Sir John, 47, 36, 
 71. 
 A priest and chaplain to Beck- 
 ington. 
 
 Trewren, 89. 
 
 Most likely Truro, a town in Corn- 
 
128 
 
 INDEX AND NOTES. 
 
 wall, eight or nine miles from 
 Penryn, on the London road. 
 Trumpet, Robert, 13, 19. 
 
 Robert, a trumpeter, whose literary 
 acquirements are represented as 
 being very slight. 
 
 Turtle Doves given as a present, 
 
 28. 
 Tyrrell. See Tirell. 
 
 Venseurs, Castle of, 99. 
 
 A castle near Dax, in the Lawndes. 
 Vintage, the, 51. 
 Vintner of London, a, 65. 
 
 Wadham, I., 4. 
 
 A mistake for William Wadham, 
 who was then Sheriff of Devonshire, 
 the representative of one of the 
 most ancientfamilies in that county, 
 and the immediate ancestor of 
 the Founder of Wadham College, 
 Oxford. 
 Wafers given, 81, 82. 
 A sort of cake. 
 
 " He sent her pinnes, methe, and 
 
 spiced ale, 
 And u-afres piping hot out of the 
 glede." — Chaucer. 
 A seller of these cakes was called 
 "a Waferer." 
 
 " ■ yonge fruitesteres 
 
 Singers with harpes, baudes, 
 
 vmferers, 
 Which ben the very devils 
 officeres." — Ibid. 
 
 Water, John, 1, 2, bis. 
 
 A John Water, Yeoman of the 
 Crown, was protected from the 
 effects of the Act of Resumption, 
 28 Henry VI.— Rot. Pari. vol. v. 
 p. 192. 
 
 Wells, 2. 
 
 In Somersetshire. We are told 
 that Beckington was a Prebend of 
 the Cathedral of Wells. 
 
 , Chantor of, ib. 
 
 White cross, 100, bis. 
 
 For several centuries, the soldiers 
 of England and France were dis- 
 tinguished by wearing crosses over 
 their armour : the English used a 
 red cross on a white ground, the 
 arms of St. George ; the French a 
 
 white cross on a red ground. In 
 the regulations for the army of 
 Richard the Second, in 1386, it is 
 ordered that " everi man of what 
 estate, condicion, or nation they be 
 of, so that he be of owre partie, 
 bere a signe of the armes of St. 
 George, large bothe before and 
 behynde, upon parell that yf he be 
 slayne or wounded to deth, he 
 that hath so doon to hym shall not 
 be putte to deth for defaulte of the 
 cross that he lacketh, and that non 
 enmy do bere the same token or 
 cross of St. George, notwithstand- 
 yng if he be prisoner, upon payne 
 of dethe." 
 
 Wilson, Thomas, 38. 
 
 Windsor, 55, 58. 
 
 , Castle of, 5, 7. 
 
 Wind, act of devotion to obtain 
 a fair, 11. See Silver. 
 
 Wine, 87. 
 
 , the Secretary went to see 
 
 the manner of making it, 34. 
 
 sent as presents, 12, 28. 
 
 Women noticed as capturing 
 some French soldiers, 59. 
 
 Wratbyhte, a fish given, 88. 
 
 Wyf, Baron, 102. 
 
 Wyndas, bows of, given as pre- 
 sents, 83, bis. 
 
 Cross-bows with windlasses, which 
 were bent by means of a windlass 
 affixed to the handle. Roquefort 
 explains " windas" * as a sort of 
 capstan, and Chaucer uses it in a 
 similar sense — 
 
 ** Ther may no man out of the 
 
 place it drive, 
 For non engine of uindlas or 
 
 polive." 
 
 Cross-bows seem to be an extra- 
 ordinary present to a priest, unless 
 they were intended for the defence 
 of the ship in which he was about 
 to embark. 
 
 Z. Z. Green, given as a new 
 years' gift, 82. 
 
 Zinziberis, i. e. ginger. 
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES. 
 
 Brosses, Mr. Stephen de, 65 
 bis. 66. referred to also 
 in p. Ixxvi. 
 
 Among the Ancient Charters in 
 the British Museum are two 
 receipts of this person, the one 
 marked 43 B 52 dated in 
 March 1447-8, and the other 
 marked 43 B 53 dated in Fe- 
 bruary 1448-9, to Sir Edward 
 Hull, Knight,Constable of Bour- 
 deaux, acknowledging the re- 
 ceipt of his wages, as a Judge 
 of criminal causes, by the hand 
 of Hull's locum tenens George 
 Swillington. Brosses described 
 himself as a Bachelor in both 
 laws, one of the King's Coun- 
 sel in Bourdeaux, and Judge of 
 criminal causes in the court of 
 Gascony. His seal is attached 
 to these documents, and con- 
 tains his arms, which appear to 
 have been a tree bearing fruit, 
 , issuing from amount, with a 
 crescent in chief. 
 
 Couturez, 53. 
 
 Probably, Coutrasa. town in Gui- 
 enne, on the river L'Isle, be- 
 tween Perigeux and Bourdeaux, 
 about ten leagues from each. 
 
 Eagle, Seal of. 
 
 In the note in p. 113, a refer- 
 ence occurs to an Engraving and 
 further account of this Seal in 
 the New Series of the Retro- 
 spective Review. As the article 
 which was prepared for that 
 work was not inserted, it is 
 necessary to introduce in this 
 place, what has been discovered 
 on the subject. The earliest 
 notice of this Seal is in the 9th 
 of Henry the Fifth, 1421, when 
 a letter which is preserved in 
 
 the Record Office, in the Tower, 
 is thus concluded : 
 
 " Given under our Signet of 
 the Eagle, in the absence of our 
 other, at our Town of Dover, 
 the 8th day of June." 
 
 The Seal is twice mentioned 
 in letters from Henry the Sixth 
 in the Journal, in June 1442; 
 and two years afterwards it is 
 thus alluded to in a document 
 in the Fee lent, tome xi. p. 74. 
 
 " Pat. p. 1. 23 Hen. VI. m. IS. 
 P' Cancillar' Angl' "") Herry by 
 f the grace of 
 D' et p' warrantis } (god Kynge 
 Regiis allocaud'. } ) of E ng l an d 
 
 and of Fraunce and Lord of 
 Irland To our Channceller of 
 England gretynge All such 
 grauutes as that sith the xth 
 yere of our regne unto this tyrne,- 
 ye by force and vertue of billes 
 with our own hond and by lettres 
 under our Signettes of the Egle 
 and armes and also by bilks 
 endocedby our Chamberlegns 
 handes and clerk of our counsail 
 have made our lettres patentes 
 under our giete seel, we hold 
 theym ferme and stable and 
 of as grete strength and valevve 
 and to yowe as sufficiant war- 
 rant as though ye had had for 
 theime our lettres of prive seal, 
 any statut charge restraint act or 
 commaundement to yowe made 
 in to the contrarienotwithstond- 
 yng, Yeven under our privie 
 seal at our manoir within our 
 Park of Wyndesore the vij day 
 of November the yere of our 
 regne xxiij." 
 
 Henry the Seventh, as is stated 
 in the note in p. 113, affixed the 
 Signet of the Eagle to his will, 
 which is the last time that any 
 allusion to it has been found. 
 
130 
 
 ADDITIONAL NOTES. 
 
 has been before observed, that 
 that Signet was probably the 
 seal of the Honor of the Eagle, 
 which was annexed to the 
 Crown by Henry the Third, by 
 the following patent ; and like 
 the Seal of the Duchy of Lan- 
 caster, and of other royal Seig- 
 niories, was chiefly used to seal 
 documents relating to that Ho- 
 nor. 
 Hot. Patent. 53. Hen, III. m. 24. 
 P' Edwardo "I Henr' par la 
 filioReg' J" grac e de Deu 
 Roy de Engleterre seignur de 
 Irelaund & Due de Aquitaigne 
 a tuz ceus ki cestes lettresver- 
 runt ou orrunt, saluz. Sachetke 
 nus par Pasentement e la volente 
 . ., V nostre cbere com- 
 J paigue AlianoreRayne 
 de Engleterre avuns donee & 
 grauntee et par ceste nostre pre- 
 sente cbartre conferme a Ead- 
 ward nostre cher fuiz enie le 
 honur del Egle ove tuttus les 
 apurtenaunces a avoir e tenyr 
 a luy e a ses eyrs Reys de En- 
 gletrere ensy ke enterement re- 
 mayce a la corune quitement et 
 enterement par droyt heritage 
 a tuz jurs. Et pur co ke nus 
 voluns ke cest nostre dun et 
 nostre graunt et nostre confer- 
 mement seoynt ferme et estable 
 a tuz jurs nus avuns fet seeler 
 ceste pesente cbartre de nostre 
 seel, et nus Alianor p' la grace 
 de Deu Royne de Engletere 
 avuns ferme et estable icest duu 
 et cest graunt et cest conferme- 
 ment et en temoyne de ceo 
 avuns fet mettre de nostre bon 
 gre et de nostre p'pre volente a 
 ceste chaitre nostre seel en- 
 semblement ove le seel nostre 
 seignur le Roy, a ces temoynes, 
 Gilbert de Clare Cunte de 
 Gloucestre et de Herteford 
 Johan de YVarenne Cunte de 
 Surraye William de Valenz 
 seignur de Penbroc Robert 
 Walerand Roberd Aguilon Gil- 
 berd de Preston Johan deBretun 
 Roberd de Brywes Henry de 
 
 Maulay etplusursautres. Done 
 a Wyncestre le v\nt et utyme 
 jur de Decembre le an del 
 Incarnacion nostre seignur mil 
 et deus cenz et seysaunte 
 utyme. 
 
 Annexed is an accurate engrav- 
 ing of the Seal of the Eagle 
 from a document preserved in 
 the Tower, for a drawing of 
 which, and for some of the pre- 
 ceding extracts from records, 
 the editor is indebted to the 
 kindness of Thomas Duffus 
 Hardy, Esq. F. S. A. 
 
 Lomaine, Viscount of, 32, 33, 
 bis. 34, 41, 46, 49. Eldest 
 son of the Count of Armag- 
 nac. See the Introduc- 
 tory Remarks. 
 
 North, 31,70. 
 
 The conjecture hazarded in the 
 note on this word in p. 122, that 
 there was some covert allusion 
 in the passages where it occurs, 
 is strengthened by the following 
 extract from an answer to a bal- 
 lad said to have been sent by 
 the English to the French, when 
 besieging Pontoise, about July 
 1441. 'lhe Frenchmen replied, 
 " Vos're grand orgueil abatrons 
 Soyez-en seurs commedemoit 
 Etbien les peaux vous fourbirons 
 A la venne du Due d'Yorck. 
 Or retournez uu vent du nort 
 Et ne parler plus de combatre : 
 Male fiebure vous puisse aba- 
 tre." 
 
 Jean Chartiers Hhtoirede Charles VII. 
 parGodefroy, p. 119. 
 
LIST 
 
 OF 
 
 MR. NICOLAS' PUBLICATIONS, 
 
 SOLD BY 
 
 WILLIAM PICKERING, CHANCERY LANE. 
 
 HISTORY of the BATTLE of AGINCOURT, 
 
 and of the Expedition of Henry V. into France, with the 
 Roll of the Men at Arms in the English Army, cr. 8vo. 
 bds. II. Is. (only 250 printed.) Lond. 1827. 
 
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 TESTAMENTA VETUSTA, being illustrations 
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 Preface. 
 
2 
 
 SYNOPSIS of the PEERAGE of ENGLAND, 
 
 exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the Date of 
 Creation, Descent, and present State, of every Title of 
 Peerage which has existed in this Country since the Con- 
 quest, 2 vols. I2mo. 15s. Lond, 1825. 
 
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 of Dignity which has existed in this Country, from the Conquest to the pre- 
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 each individual who possessed a particular honour in any year within that 
 period ; for, from the mutability of political affairs in the early part of our 
 history, the same title has often been borne by four, five, and, even ten dif- 
 ferent families. 
 
 " The 'Synopsis of the Peerage of England,' which exhibits, under 
 strictly alphabetical arrangement, the descent of every Title which has been 
 conferred in this Country since the accession of "William the Conqueror, the 
 manner and period of its creation, the dates of the deaths of those who inhe- 
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 ment afford of the Sittings in Parliament of Barons of the Realm. 
 
 u At the end of the second volume, an Alphabetical List of all the 
 Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter is introduced, because such a 
 List is only to be found in a scarce tract, whilst its utility to those who are 
 interested in the biography of illustrious persons, cannot be doubted. 
 
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 Titles of Honour in this Kingdom." — Preface. 
 
 A CHRONICLE of LONDON, from 1089 to 1483, 
 
 written in the fifteenth century, and for the first time printed 
 from MSS. in the British Museum. To which are. added, 
 numerous contemporary Illustrations, consisting of Royal 
 Letters, Poems, and other articles descriptive of public 
 events, or of the manners and customs of the Metropolis, 
 hitherto inedited. 4to. 21. 2s. Lond. 1827. 
 
 A ROLL of ARMS of PEERS and KNIGHTS in 
 
 the reign of Edward the Second, from a contemporary MS. 
 in the British Museum, 1828. 8vo. 
 
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 raldic information which this document affords, as it undoubtedly contains the 
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 King, Earls, and Barons. 2d. The Knights arranged under their respective 
 counties. 3d. The names and arms of Earls and Barons, who lived before 
 the accession of Edward the First. Nearly thirteen hundred individuals are 
 mentioned, and an " ordinary" of the arms described is added. 
 
THE SIEGE OF CARLAVEROCK, in the 28 
 
 Edvv. 1. anno 1300, with the Arms of the Earls, Barons, 
 and Knights, who were present, a translation, as well as the 
 original of the Norman-French Poem, a History of the Castle 
 and Memoirs of the personages commemorated by the poet, 
 4to. bds. 21. 2s. Lond. 1828. 
 
 The same, with the Arms beautifully Emblazoned, 
 
 4to. 4/. 14s. 6d. 
 
 " The claims of this poem to attention are great and unquestionable : 
 instead, therefore, of a feeling of surprise being excited at its present ap- 
 pearance, it is extraordinary that it should not long since have been given 
 to the world in an accurate and satisfactory manner. For the Historian, 
 the Poem minutely details the siege of a celebrated fortress in Scotland, by 
 King Edward the First, in July, 1300, of which no other account is to be 
 found, excepting in one line of Peter de Langtoft's rhyming Chronicle, and 
 in a few words of the inedited Chronicle of Lanercost Abbey. For the 
 Antiquary, it abounds in descriptions of considerable interest, chiefly re- 
 specting the mode in which a siege was conducted, and the appearance and 
 equipment of an army, at the end of the thirteenth century. By the Biblio- 
 grapher, its value must be at once admitted, since its antiquity is undoubted. 
 When compared with other poems of the time, its merits as a composition 
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 the subject of which it principally treats, it is unique. It is by the lover of 
 Heraldry, however, (if, which it is difficult to believe, such an individual can 
 exist, who is not to a greater or less extent an antiquary,) that this Poem 
 will be the most eagerly perused, and the most attentive'y studied. It con- 
 tains the accurate blazon of above one hundred Knights or Bannerets of the 
 reign of Edward the First, among whom were the King, the Prince of Wales, 
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 that early period, and from which it is manifest that it was reduced to a 
 science, when it is generally considered to have been but in ics infancy. 
 Valuable as the " Siege of Carlaverock" is to Historians and Antiquaries, it 
 is difficult to believe that the raciness of the author's descriptions, his quaint 
 notices of the characters of the different personages, and the occasional beauty 
 of his passages, will not possess a charm for far more general readers." — 
 Preface. 
 
 NOTITIA HISTORICA, containing Tables, Calen- 
 dars, and miscellaneous information for the use of Historians, 
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 Lond. 1824. 
 
 The Tables and Calendars in this volume shew the dates of all ancient 
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 scription of all the works published by the Record Commission, and a List of 
 Courts in which Wills are proved, &c. 
 
 THE LITERARY REMAINS of LADY JANE 
 
 GREY, with a Memoir of her Life, crown 8vo. boards, 
 9s. London, 1826. 
 
 In this volume all the productions of this celebrated individual's pen have 
 been for the first time collected, to which is prefixed a Memoir of her life , 
 where her pretensions to the throne are minutely considered. 
 
THE PRIVY PURSE EXPENSES of KING 
 
 HENRY the EIGHTH, from November 1529 to Decem- 
 ber, 1532, with introductory Remarks and illustrative 
 Notes, 8vo. 1/. Is. Lond. 1827. 
 
 " This volume presents an account of the sums paid out of the Privy 
 Purse of King Henry the Eighth ; and as every payment, whether for the 
 daily expenses of the royal establishments, or for the gratification of his 
 Majesty's wishes, is minutely noticed, it must be evident that they afford 
 interesting information, not merely on the general customs and manners of 
 the times, but on the personal character of that monarch, his occupations, 
 amusements, and places of residence. The MS. here printed contains 
 what may be termed Henry's personal expences, whether arising from his 
 purchases, from his ' rewards' to those who brought him presents; from his 
 losses at dice, cards, bowls, and other games ; from his attachment to Anne 
 Boleyn, or his favourite courtiers; or from the wages and liveries of his 
 servants, fools, jesters, and other minions. Of Anne Boleyn and her 
 family numerous curious particulars will be found, many of which tend to 
 shew the manner in which she was treated at Court from November, 1529, 
 until her elevation to the throne." — Preface. 
 
 JOURNAL of the EMBASSY of THO. BECK- 
 INGTON, Secretary to Henry VI. afterwards Bishop of 
 Bath : Sir Robert Roos, Banneret ; and Sir Edward Hull, 
 K. G. to negotiate a Marriage between the King and a 
 daughter of the Count of Armagnac in 1442. With an 
 Introduction and Illustrative Notes. 
 
 The MS. printed in this volume is no less interesting to the Antiquary 
 than valuable to the Historian. It contains every particular relative to an 
 event which has been but briefly noticed, and presents much curious infor- 
 mation on the manners and customs, and state of the arts in the middle of the 
 fifteenth century. Besides stating where Beckington dined and supped 
 every day, the names of his host and guests, and other equally minute facts, 
 descriptive of his voyage and journey, it contains a copy of all letters sent 
 and received by him connected with his mission, including several from 
 Henry VI. of considerable interest. The Ambassadors proceeded from 
 Windsor to Plymouth, where they embarked for Bourdeaux, and on their 
 return landed at Falmouth. From the paucity of historical documents re- 
 lating to the reign of Henry VI., the information afforded by this MS. on 
 many subjects, but more particularly on the state of Bourdeaux and its 
 vicinity, when visited by Beckington, is well deserving of attention. 
 
 LIFE of WILLIAM DAVISON, Secretary of State 
 and Privy Counsellor to Queen Elizabeth, 8vo. bds. 7s. 
 London, 1823. 
 
 " The connection of Secretary Davison, with the fate of Mary Queen of 
 Scots has obtained for him the notice both of Historians and Biographers, and 
 he is in a great degree identified with that event. In examining his conduct 
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 every thing which relates to him is of great interest, as additional light is 
 thrown on an obscure point of history, and new traits are developed in the 
 character of that extraordinary woman. From the original matter inserted 
 in this volume, sufficient evidence is perhaps adduced to form a conclusive 
 opinion of her real intentions towards her kinswoman." — Preface. 
 

 
 THE POETICAL RHAPSODY, to which are added 
 several other Poems. By Francis Davison, with Me- 
 moirs and Notes, reprinted from the edition of 1608. 2 vols, 
 8vo. 1/. Is. 1826. 
 
 "The Contributors to the Rhapsody, which has been pronounced by a 
 highly competent judge, to be the most valuable poetical miscellany of the day, 
 were Sir Philip Sydney, Spenser, Raleigh, Sir John Davies, Mary Countess of 
 Pembroke, Sir Henry Wotton, Constable, John Donne, Greene, Campion, 
 Watson, Sylvester, Best, Spelman, the aditor Francis Davison, and his bro- 
 ther Walter, sons of the unfortunate Secretary Davison. Biographical no- 
 tices of each of the contributors, and also of Sir Edward Dyer and Fulke 
 Greville, afterwards Lord Brooke are prefixed. The account of Francis Da- 
 vison and of Sir Edward Dyer, will, it ispresumed, be deemed particularly 
 worthy of attention from the many curious original letters which are introduced. 
 Of these letters the extraordinary communication from Dyer to Sir Christopher 
 Hatton respecting Queen Elizabeth, which has not hitherto been printed, 
 appears to throw considerable light upon the delicate question of her majesty's 
 moral character." — Preface. 
 
 PRIVATE MEMOIRS of Sir KENELM DTGBY, 
 
 Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King Charles the First, 
 written by himself, and now first published from the original 
 Manuscript, with an introductory Memoir, 8vo. bds. 15s. 
 London, 1827. 
 
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 eccentricity, and his marriage with the beautiful Venetia Stanley, a lady of 
 far purer birth than fame, has tended to create a lively interest in all which 
 relates to him. Under feigned appellations, but to the greater part of which 
 there is no difficulty in giving a key, Digby has here detailed all the events of 
 his life, from his childhood until his victory over the Venetian squadron in 
 June 1628; and as the narrative was solely written from feelings of affec- 
 tion for his wife, that celebrated woman is the heroine of his tale. It 
 will be seen from the Memoir which is prefixed to it, that it throws much 
 light not only upon Digby 's own character, but also upon the character and 
 conduct of Lady Venetia ; and many curious particulars will also be found of 
 ome of the most distinguished personages of their times." — Preface. 
 
 MEMOIR of AUGUSTINE VINCENT, Windsor 
 
 Herald, temp. James the First, cr. 8vo. with the Addenda, 
 5s. London, 1827. 
 
 " The merits of Augustine Vincent, the particulars of whose life are now 
 for the first time collected, are well known to all who can appreciate the ser- 
 vices which he has rendered to antiquarian and genealogical researches ; nor 
 is his name less familar to general readers, from the part which he took in the 
 celebrated controversy between Camden ar.d Ralph Brooke, which dispute is 
 here fully canvassed." — Preface. 
 
 HISTORY of the Town and School of RUGBY, in 
 the County of Warwick, Parts I. to III. 4to. 8s. each. 
 Coventry, 1827. 
 
6 
 
 FLAGELLUM PARLIAMENT A RIUM, being 
 
 Sarcastic Notices of nearly two hundred Members of the 
 Parliament after the Restoration, A. D. 1661 to 1678. 
 London, 1827. 
 
 This bitter catalogue was written by Andrew Marvel, and fifty pounds 
 were offered in ihe London Gazette for a discovery of the author. This copy 
 was taken from a contemporary MS., and differs irom that printed under the 
 title of a ' Treasonable Argument.' 
 
 CATALOGUE OF THE HERALDS' VISITA- 
 TIONS, with reference to many other valuable Genealogi- 
 cal and Topographical MSS. in the British Museum, 8vo. 
 5s. London, 1825. 
 
 " It is the object of this compilation to form an exact and convenient book 
 of reference to the copies of the Heralds 9 Visitations in the British Museum. 
 Besides the many valuable collections noticed under the different counties, a 
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 Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and to the few connected with foreign 
 pedigrees. At the end an account is given of such Heraldic MSS. as would 
 be of almost constant reference if they were generally known." — Preface. 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED. 
 
 THE STATUTES of the ORDER of the 
 GUELPHS, translated from the original German, with 
 Introductory Remarks. 4to. 1828. 
 
 Only one hundred and fifty copies printed, for the use of the English 
 Members of the Order — and not for sale. 
 
 THE STATUTES of the ORDER of the THIS- 
 TLE, to which are added a History of the Order, and. a 
 Catalogue of the Knights since its revival bv James the 
 Second in 1687. 4to. 1828. 
 
 Only fifty copies printed, and not for sale. 
 
 CASTRATIONS, from the private Memoirs of Sir 
 Kenelm Digby. London, 1828. 
 
 PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION. 
 
 A REPORT of the Case of the BARONY of 
 L'ISLE, claimed before the House of Lords in the Ses- 
 sions of 18 — 
 
 A TREATISE ON BARONIES, by Tenure, by 
 Writ, and by Patent. 
 
 WALTON and COTTON'S COMPLETE ANG- 
 LER, with designs by T. Stothard, Esq. R. A. With 
 original Memoirs and Notes. A highly embellished Edition 
 in royal 8vo. 
 
 LEJL '09