The Brut, or The chronicles of England. Edited from Ms. Raw. B171, Bodleian Library, &c., by Friedrich W. D. Brie, with introduction, notes, and glossary ...

How King Richarde spoused dame Isabell, þe Kingis douȝtir of Fraunce, yn the towne of Caleys, and brouȝt hir yn-to Engelond, and let croune hir Quene yn þe Abbey of Saint Petris of Westmynstre. Capitulum ccxlj.

In þe xxti yere of King Richardeȝ regne, he went ouyr se to Caleys, with dukis, Erlis, lordis, and Barons, and mony oþer worthi squyers, yn grete aray, and comyn pepil of þe Reme yn gode aray, as longith to such a worþi king and prynce, of his nobley to do hym reverence and obseruaunce, as owed to be do to hir liege lorde, and so myȝty a King and Emperour yn his owne, to abyde and resceyve there þat worthi & gracious lady þat schulde be his wif, a yong creature of ix yere of age, Dame Isabell, þe Kingis douȝtir of Fraunce, and mony worthi lordiȝ of grete name, bothe Barons and knyȝtis, with moche oþer pepil þat comen vn to þe toun of Grauenyng, and ij Dukis of Fraunce: þat on was þe Duk of Burgoyne, and þat oþer, Duk of Barre, þat wolde no firþer lasse þanne þey hadde pleggeȝ for ham. And þanne King Richarde delyuered ij pleggeȝ for ham to goo saaf and come saaf: his ij worthi vncleȝ, þe Duk of Glowcestre and þe Duk of York. And þei ij went ouer þe watir of Grauenyng, & abiden þere as for pleggeȝ, vnto þe tyme þat þe Maryage and þe fest were do. ¶ And þanne þeȝe ij worthi Dukis of Fraunce come ovir þe water at Grauenyng, and so to Caleis, with þe worschepful lady, Dame Isabell, þe Kingis douȝtir of Fraunce. And with hir come mony a worthi lorde and lady, knyȝtis and squyers, yn þe best aray þat myȝt be; and þere þai mette with our meyne at Caleys, þe which welcomyd hir and hir meyne with þe grettest honour and reuerence þat myȝt be, and so brouȝt hir to Caleys toun. And þere sche was resceyvid with alle þe solempnite and worschip þat myȝt be do vnto such a lady. And þanne þei brouȝt hir vnto þe King; and þe King toke hir, and welcomed hir and alle hir fayr mayne, and made þere alle þe solempnite [Cambridge Univ. Lib. MS. Kk. 1. 12 115b] þat myȝt be do. ¶ And þanne þe King and his counsel axed of the Frensche lordeȝ whethir alle þe conauntes and

forwardeȝ, with þe composicion þat were ordeyned and made on bothe parteys, schulde be trewly kept and holde betwene hem; and þai sayde "ye"; & þere þay sworon and token hir charge apon a boke, and toke hir oth welle and trewli it to holde yn alle maner poyntis and couenauntes, without contradiccion or delay yn euery maner wyse. And þanne was sche brouȝt to Seint Nicholas chirch yn Calis; and þere sche was worthili weddyd, with þe moste solempnite þat eny king or quene myȝt haue, with archebischoppes and Bischopeȝ, and alle mynystreȝ of holy churche. ¶ And þanne were þai brouȝt hom vnto þe Castell, and set to mete, and þere were serued with alle maner of delicaceȝ of alle riall metis and drynkis plenteuously, to alle maner of strayngoureȝ and al oþer. And no creature warned þat Fest, but alle were welcome; for þere were grete halys & tentis sette vp on þe grene without þe castell, for to resceyue alle maner of peple, and euery office redy to serue ham alle; and þus þis worthi mariage was solemli do and ended with alle ryalte.

¶ Thanne þese ij Dukys of Fraunce, with hir peple, tokon hir leue of þe King and Quene, and went ayen to Grauenyng watir; and þere þe Frensch lordeȝ, þat is to say, þe ij Dukis & hir meyne, were comen ovir þe watir of Grauenyng, & þere þay mette, & euerych toke leue of oþer; and so þai departed, and our lordeȝ come ayen to Caleys, and þe Frensch lordeȝ went hom ayen yn-to Fraunce.

And anon aftir, þe King made hym redy with þe Quene and alle his lordeȝ and oþer pepil with ham, & comyn ouyr þe see yn-to Engelond, and so to London, and þe Maire and þe Schereveȝ, with al þe aldermen and worthi comyneȝ, ryden ayens ham vnto þe Blacke-Heþ yn Kent; & þere þay mettyn with þe King and þe Quene, and welcomyd ham, and þat yn gode aray, and euery man in his cloþing of his crafte, and her mynstrelles to-fore ham; and so þay brouȝ ham to Saint Georgeȝ Barre yn Southwerke; and þere

hy tokyn hir leue, and þe King and þe Quene redyn to Kenyngton; and þanne þe peple of London turned hom ayen. And yn turnyng ayen to London brygge, þere was so moche prees both on fote & on hors, þat þere were ded on þe brygge a xj personeȝ of men, wymmen & chyldryn: on whose souleȝ God haue mercy! amen! ¶ And þanne aftirward þe Quene was brouȝt to the Tour of London, and þere sche was al nyȝt. And on þe morowe sche was brouȝt þrouȝ þe Cete of London, and so forth to Westmynstre, & þere sche was crouned Quene of Engelonde. þan was sche brouȝt ayen yn-to the Kingis Palis, and þere was holde an opon & a ryall Fest after hir coronacion, for al maner peple þat þedir come: and þus was do þe Sonday afftir þe Fest of seint Clement, in þe xx yere of King Richardeȝ regne.

And þan, þe xxv day of august next folouyng, be euyl excitacion & ffals counsel, & for grete wrathe [Cambridge Univ. Lib. MS. Kk. 1. 12 116a] and malice þat he had of olde tyme vnto his vncle, þe gode Duke of Gloucester, and to þe Erle of Arundel, & to þe Erle of Warwic, ¶ The King, by is euylle counsell, late yn the Euenyng on þe same day aboue saide, made hym redy with his streynthe, and rode yn-to Essex vnto þe toune of Chelmesforde, and so come to Plassche sodenly, þere Ser Thomas of Wodestoke, þe gode Duk of Gloucestre, lay. And þe gode Duk come anon to welcome þe King; and þe King hym self arestid þe gode Duke; and so he was ladde doun to þe water, and anon put yn to a schippe, and had vnto Caleis, and brouȝt vnto capteynys warde, to be kept yn holde be þe Kinges commaundement of Engelond: ¶ And þat tyme þe Erle Marchal of Engelond was capten of Caleis. ¶ And anon aftir, be commaundement of þe King and of his fals Counsel, commaunded þe capten to put hym to deth. ¶ And anon certeyn yemen þat had þe gode Duk yn kepyng, tooke her counsel how þei wolde put hym to deth; and þis was her poyntment: þat þai schulde come vpon hym whanne he were yn bedde, and aslepe on a Fetherbed. And anon þei bonde hym honde and foot, & chargid hym to ly

stylle; and whanne þai hadde þis do, þe tokyn ij smale tewellys, and made on ham rydyng knottis, and caste þe tewellys aboute þe Dukis nek: and þanne þei token þe fetherbed þat lay vnder hym, and cast hit aboue hym; and þan þei drowen her towellis eche wayeȝ; and sum lay vpon þe fethir bed apon hym, vnto þe tyme þat he were ded, because þat he schulde make non noyse. And þus þei strangled þis worthi Duk vn[to] the deth, on whose soule God, for his pite, haue merci! Amen! ¶ And whenne þe King hadde arestid þis worthi Duke, and his owne vncle, and sent hym to Caleis, he come ayen to London yn alle hast, with a wondir grete peple. And as he was come, he sent for the Erle of Arundel and for the gode Erle of Warwic; and anon as þay cam, he arestid ham his owne self. Sir Iohn Cobham & Ser Iohn Cheyny, knyȝtis, he arestid also yn þe same wyse, til he made his parlement; & anon þei were put ynto holde. But þe Erle of Arundel went at large vnto þe parlement tyme, for he founde sufficient surete to abyde þe lawe, & al maner of answere at þe poynteȝ þat þe King & his Counsel wolde put vp on hym.