How þe gode Duke of Gloucestre, Humfrey, þe Kinges vncle, was Arested at þe parlement of Bury; And of his death; And how Anges in Mayn was deliuered.

In þe xxv^te yere of King Henry þe VI^te, was A parlement at Bvry called seynt Edmundes Bury; About which was commaunded all þe communes of þe cont[r]e to be þer in þer most defensable Aray, to A-wayt vpon þe King, to which parlement come þe Duke of Gloucestre, Humfrey, þe Kinges vncle, which had bene þe protector of Englond al þe non-Age of þe King. And Anone after þat he was come to his logyng, he was Arested bi þe Viscount Bemond, þe Constable of Englond, acompanyed with þe Duke of Bokyngham & many oþer lordes, and forth with al his seruandes wer commaunded for to depart fro him; And xxxij of þe chief of them wer arested also, & sent to diuerse prisones. And anone, after þe said Arest, þe said Duke was on þe morn found dede: on whos soul, God haue mercy, Amen! But how he died, & in what maner, þe certentie is nat knowen to me. Some said he died for sorow; some said he was murthred bitwene ijPage  513 federbeddes; other said þat an hote spytt was put in his foundement; & so, how [Addit. MS., Brit. Mus. 10,099 192a] he died, God knoweth, to whome is no thing hidd. And when he was thus dede, he was leid open, þat al men might se him, And so both lordes & knightes of þe shires, with burgessers, come & saw him ded; but þai coud nat perceif wound ne token how he died. here may men mark what þis world is! this Duke was A noble man & A gret clerk, & had worsshippfully rewled þis reame to þe Kinges behove, & neuer coude be found faute in him, but envy of þame þat wer gouernoures, & had promised þe Duchis of Anges & þerldome of Maign, caused þe destruccion of þis noble man; for thei drad him, þat he wold haue enpesshed þat deliuerance. And after, þei sent his body to seynt Albones with certeyn lightes for to be buried; And so Sir Geruase of Clifton had þan þe charge to convey þe corps; & so it was buried at Seynt Albons in þe Abbey; & v persones of his houshold wer sent to London, & þer wer reyned & juged to be drawen, honged & quartred; Of wome þe names wer Sir Roger Chammbrelayn, knight, one Midelton, A squyere, Herbard, A squyer, Arthur, A squyer, & Richard Nedham: which v persons wer drawen fro þe Toure of London thrugh Chepe to Tiburn, & þer honged, & lat down quyck, & þen striped for to have bene heded & quartred. And þan þe Marquys of Southfolk shewed þer for þame þe Kinges pardon vnder his gret Seale; & so þei wer pardoned of þe remanent of thexecucion, & had þer lyues, & after war brought agen yn to London, & frely deliuered. this began þe trouble in þe reame of Englond for þe deth of þis noble Duke of Gloucestre; & al þe communes of þe reame began forto murmure for it, & were nat contente.

After þat Pope Eugeny was dede, Nicholas þe Fyft was elect Pope. This Nycholas was chosen for Eugeny, yet honggyng þePage  514 Scisme. natwithstondying he gat þe obedience of al Cristen Reames; for after þat he was electe & sacred [Addit. MS., Brit. Mus. 10,099 192b] Pope, certayn lordes of Fraunce & of England wer sent vnto Sauoy, to Pope Felix, for to entrete him to cese of þe Pepecy. And bi þe special labour of þe Bisshop of Norwich & þe lorde of Seynt Iohnes, he cessed þe ijde yere after þat Pope Nicholas was sacred. And þe seid Felix was made Legate of Fraunce & Cardinal of Sauoye, & resigned þe hole papacy to Nicholas; after, lyved an holy lyfe, & died an holy man; And as it is said, Almighty God shewed miracles for him. This was þe xxiij Scisme bitwen Eugeny & Felix, & dured xvi yere. þe cause was þis: The general Counsel of Basil deposed Eugeny, which was only Pope & vndoubted, for-as-myche as he obserued nat & kept þe decrees & statutes of þe Counceyl of Constance, as it is A-fore said; nethir he rought not to gyve obedience to þat general Counsell in no maner wise; wher-of Arose A gret Altercacion emong Writeres of þis mateer, pro & contra, which kan nat Accorde vno þis day. one partie seith þat 'þe Counsel is Aboue þe Pope,' þat oþer partie seith "nay, but þe Pope is Aboue þe Counsel." Godd, blessed Aboue all thinges, gif & graunt his pees in holy chirche, spouse of Criste, Amen! This Nicholas was commen of Iene, of low burth; A doctour of dyvynite, an Actif man, he reedyfied many places þat wer broken & ruynouse, & did do make A gret wall About þe Palays, & made þe wall new About Rome, for drede of þe Turkes. And þe peple wonndred of þe eresing & resignyng of Felix to him, considering þat he was A man of so humble burth; And þat othir was of Affinite to al þe moste parte of Cristen princes; wherof þer was A verse publisshed in Rome, þus: hic fulsit mundo; cessit Felix Nicholas.