uisions, and collations, by your predecessours apostolik of Rome, and by you most holy father in your time haue ben graunted (& that more largely then they haue ben accustomed to bee) vnto dyuers persons, as well straungers & of sundry nations, as vnto some suche as are our enemyes, hauing no vnderstanding at all of the toung & cōdicions of thē, of whō thei haue the gouernmēt & cure. MarginaliaDecay of the church of England by the pope.Wherby, a greate number of soules are in perill, a great many of their parishioners in daūger, the seruice of God destroyed, the almes and deuotion of men diminished, the hospitalls perished, the churches with their apurtenances decayed, charitie withdrawen, the good and honest persons of our realme vnaduaunced, the charge and gouernment of soules not regarded, the deuotion of the people restrayned, many poore scholers vnpreferred & the treasure of the realme caried out against the minds & intents of the founders. All which errours, defaultes, and sclaunders moste holy father, we neyther can nor ought to suffer nor indure. We therfore most humble require your holines, that the sclaunders, errours, and defaultes, whiche wee haue declared vnto you, may bee through your great discretion cōsidered: and that it may please you that such reseruations, prouisions, and collations may be vtterly repelled, that from henceforth, the same be no more amongst vs vsed. But to take such order & remedie therin, that the sayd benefices, edifices, rights, with theyr apertinents, may be to the honour of God, by our own countreymen cured, defend and gouerned. And that it may farther please your holynes, by your letters to signifie vnto vs without delaye and other detract of tyme, what your pleasure is touchyng this our lawfull request and demaund: and that we may do our indeuour with diligence herein for the remedy, correction, & amendmēt of those enormities aboue specified. In witnes wherof, vnto these letters patentes we haue set our seales. Giuen in the full Parliament at Westminster the 18. day of May anno. 1343.

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After these thinges thus passed ouer, the king shortly after sent ouer his Procuratours, Earle of Lancaster, Earle of Darby, Hugh Spencer, L. Raufe Stafford, with the bishop of Exetour and diuers other, to the popes court to discusse and pleade about the right of his title, before the Pope. Vnto whom the sayde Pope Clement the vi. not long after, sent down this message: MarginaliaThe popes message to the K.how that Ludouike Duke of Bauarie, themperour, whom the pope had before deposed, had submmitted himselfe to hym in all thinges, and therefore deserued at his hands the benefite of absolution: And how the pope therfore had conferred and restored to him iustly and gratiously the empire, which he before vniustlye did hold. &c. Which message when the king dyd heare, being therewith moued to anger, answered againe saying: MarginaliaThe kings aunswer to the popes message.That if he dyd agree and compounde also with the Frenche king, he was ready to fight with them both. &c. Ex chro. Albanens.

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Within the tyme of this yere, pence, halfepence and farthings began to be coyned in the tower. MarginaliaAn 1344
Windsore inlarged.
The round table builded in Windsore.And the next yeare folowing, which was an. 1344, the castle of Wynsore (where the king was borne) began to bee repayred: and in the same, the house called the round table was situate, the diameter whereof from the one syde to the other, contained. 200. feete, to the expenses of which house weekely was alowed an hundreth pound, for the maynteining of the kinges chiualry: til at length by the occasion of the French warres, it came downe to. ix. pound a weeke. By the example whereof, the Frenche king being prouoked, began also the like round table in Fraūce for the mayntaing of his knighthoode. At which tyme, the sayde French king moreouer gaue free libertie thorough his realme to fel downe trees for making of ships & maintainyng of his nauy, wherby the realme of England was not a litle damnified.

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MarginaliaTenthes graunted to the king by the clergy for iii. yeares.During the same yeare, the Clergye of Englande graunted to the kyng tenthes for three yeares: For the which the king in recompence againe graunted to them his Charter contayning these priuileges: that no archbishop nor bishop shuld be areygned before his IusticesMarginaliaPriuelegies graūted by the king to the clergysiue ad sectam suam, siue partis, if the sayd clarke doo submit and claime his cleargy, professing himselfe to be a member of holy church, who so doing shal not be bound to come to his answer before the Iustices. And if it shal be laid vnto thē to haue maried two wyues, or to haue maryed a wydowe: MarginaliaBy this it is lyke that priests had wyues.the Iustices shall haue no power to procede against them, to enquire for the matter: so that the cause shal be reserued to the spiritual court. &c.

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MarginaliaPrince Edward first prince of Wales.About this present time, at the setting vp of the roūd table, the king made prince Edward his eldest sonne the fyrst prince of Wailes. All this whyle yet continued the truce betwene the two kinges. Albeit it is likelye to bee thought, that the French king gaue many attemptes to infringe the same. Marginalia1345.
Henry erle, after made duke of Lācaster, sent ouer to Gasconie.Whereupon Henrye earle of Lancaster with. 600. men at armes, and as manye Archers was sent ouer to Gascoin, the yeare after, an. 1345. who there so valiantly is sayd to behaue himselfe, that he subdued. lv. townships vnto the king. xxiij. noble mē he toke prisoners, encountring with the Frenche men at Allebroke. So courteously and liberally he delt with hys soldiours, that it was ioye to them and a preferment to fyght vnderneath hym. His maner was in winning any towne, litle or nothing to reserue to himselfe, but to sparse the whole spoyle to his soldiours. MarginaliaA rare exāple of a liberal captaine to his souldiours.One example in the autor (whom I folow) is touched: how the foresaid earle at the winning of the towne of Briers, where hee had graunted to euery soldiour for his booty, the house with all the implementes therein whiche he by victorye should obtayn: among other his soldiours, to one named Reh, fell a certayne house, with the implementes therof, wherein was contayned the mynt and money coyned for that coūtry to the valure of a great substaunce: which when the souldiour had founde, in breaking vp a house wher first þ^e grose mettal was not yet perfectly wroght, he came to the earle declaring to hym the treasure, to knowe what was his pleasure therein. To whome the Earle aunswered, that the house was his, and whatsoeuer he found therein. Afterward, the soldiour fyndyng a whole mynt of pure syluer readye coyned, sygnified the same to the earle, forsomuche as he thoughte suche treasure to be to great for his portiō. MarginaliaThe liberal hart and cōstant voyce of a worthy captain.To whom the said earle agayne aunsweryng, declared: that he had once geuen hym the whole house, and that he had once geuen he would not call backe agayne, as children vse to play. And therfore bad him enioy that whiche was graunted to hym: And if the money were thrise as much, it should be his owne. Ex chron. Albanens. Whiche story whether it was true or otherwise in those dayes, I haue not to affirme. But certes, if in these our couetous wretched dayes nowe present, any autor shoulde reporte the lyke acte to be practised, I would hardly beleue it to be true.

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As the earle of Lancaster was thus occupied in Gasconie, the Scottes were as busie here in England, wastyng & spoylyng without mercy. Which were thought, (and not vnlyke) to be set on by the French kyng. MarginaliaThe Scots partly a meane of breaking truce.And therefore was iudged both by that, and by other diuers wayes to haue broken the couenantes of truce betwene hym, and the kyng of England.

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Marginalia1346Wherefore the next yeare ensuyng. an. 1346. kyng Edward, first sendyng his letters to the court of Rome, and therin complayning to the pope of Philip de Valios, how he had transgressed, and broken the truce betwene them made, which by euident probations he there made manifest:  

aboute the moneth of Iulye made hys viage into Normandie in suche secrete wise, that no man well knew whether he intended. MarginaliaThe viage of king Edward into Fraunce.Where first he entred the towne of Hogges, from thence proceded vnto Cardone. MarginaliaThe battel at CardoinWhere, about þ^e xxvii. of Iuly by the riuer of Cardone he had a strong battaile, with the Normandes and other French men, whiche to stop his passage, defended the bridge. At the which battail were takē of the Lordes of Fraunce the earle Ewe, the Earle of Tankeruile.

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