Letters and papers of John Shillingford, mayor of Exeter 1447-50. Ed. by Stuart A. Moore, F. S. A.

XXIX.

PETITION OF THE MAYOR AND CITIZENS TO THE EARL OF DEVONSHIRE, SIR PHILIP COURTENAY, AND SIR WILLIAM BONEVYLL, praying them to make an end of the matter which had been "yn debate by tyme of iiij yere, of the whiche tyme almost ij yere yn entrety." [It occurs at the end of a fragment which appears to have been a statement of the documentary evidence adduced before the arbitrators.]

Please hit youre gode lordeship my lorde of Devonsshire, and yow oure to Maysters S^r Philip Courtenay and S^r William Bonevyll, and and also yow oure two other Maysters S^r John Copleston and Nicholas Radeford, to have yn knawliche that alle the evydences whereof writynges shorte titelynges or mencyon buth made, the orygynallys or true copyes therof buth redy to be shewed with right meny other dyvers and moo, concernyng oure right, title, and

clayme of franchises and libertees of the seid Cyte of Excetre, to prove oure ententes, and specyally suche as ye well commaunde us to bryng and shewe next and best to ende the mater. The whiche evydences so shewed and right proved conceyved and knowed we the Mayer and Comminalte lowly byseke yow oure seid Lord and yow oure other Maysters alle so to procede and make an ende as lawe, right, reson and conscience requyreth. And yf the right by evidences be not declared by suche a mene, as yow seme yn youre conscyence next to the right is to be done to make an ende after the kynges furst commaundement considryng the premisses. And that this mater hath honged yn debate by tyme of iiij yere, of the whiche tyme almost ij yere yn entrety, the whiche hath bene to the seid Maier and Comminalte right grete laboure, troble, vexacion, coste, loste, and other right grete hurte and hyndryng, and moche more like to falle, aswell as right meny other perilles and yncon∣venyences yn subvercion and anyntysshement of the said Cite, and dysherityng of oure soverayn lorde the Kyng, and the Maier and Comminalte, of lesse than an ende is like to be made. [The end was made by an award which is printed in the second part of this volume after the Articles and Answers.]