Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶Of the debate that was bytwene quene Isabell & syr Henry erle of Lancastre & of Ley¦cetre / and of the rydynge of Bedforde.

THen as the for sayde Dauyd had spow∣syd dame Iohan̄e of the toure in y^e tow¦ne of Berwyk as before is sayde / The Scot∣tes in dyspyte of y^e Englysshmen called dame Iohanne the countesse make peas / for the co∣wardly peas y^t tho was ordeyned. But y^e kyn∣ges persone bare all the wyte and blame wyth wronge of makynge of the accorde / And alle was done thrugh the quene / & Roger Morty∣mer. And it was not longe after that the quene Isabell ne toke in to her hond{is} all the lordshyp of Pountfret almoste all the londes that were of ony value that apperteyned to the crowne of Englonde / Soo the kynge had not to dys∣pendede / but of hys vses and of hys escheker / For the quene Isabell & the Mortymer hadde grete mayne of the retenewe y^t folowed y^e kyn∣ges courte euer more & went and toke the kyn∣ges pryces for her peny worthes at good ch••∣pe / wherfore the countre that they came in we¦re / fullsore addrade / and almoost dystroyed of theym. ¶Tho began the comyna••te of Eng∣londe for to haue enuye to Isabell the quene. y^t somoche louyd her before whan she came ayen for to pursue y^e fals traytours y^e Spensers fro Fraunce. And in that same tyme the fals tray¦tour Roberte of Holonde / that bytrayed hys lorde syr Thomas of Lancastre. was tho de∣lyuerde and out of pryson / & was wonder pre∣uy witth the quene Isabell / & also with Roger Mortymer. But that auaylld hym but lytyll For he was taken at Myghelmasse y^t tho cam nexte after / as he rode to warde quene Isabell to London / and syr Thomas whyther smote of his heed besydes the towne of saynt Albons And thys syr Thomas dwelled with syr Hen∣ry erle of Lancastre / and he put hym asyde for drede of the quene / For the quene loued hym wonder moche. And prayed vnto the kyng for hym that y^e same Thomas might be exyled out of Englonde. And the noble erle syr Henry of Lancastre had often tymes herde the comyn claymore of y^e Enghysshmen / of y^e dysease that were doon in Englond / & also for dyuers wrō∣ges that were done to the comyn people. of the whyche the kyng bare the blame with wronge For he was but fulle yonge & tender of aege. & thought as a good man / for to do awaye / & sla∣ke the sklaūder of y^e kynges persone / yf that he myght in ony manere a wyse / so as the kynge was therof nothynge gylty / wherfore he was inperyll of lyf & lymme· ¶And so he assēbled all his retenuwe & wente & spake with them of the kynges honoure / and also for to amende his estate. And syr Thomas Brotherton erle of Marchall / and syr Edmond wodstok / that were the kynges vncles / and also men of Lon∣don made theyr othe hym fo. to mayntene in y^e same quarell. And theyr cause was this / that the kynge sholde holde his house and hys mey∣ne / as a kyng ought for to do / and haue all his ryalt••e· And that the quene Isabell sholde de¦lyuer out of her hondes in to the kynges honde alle manere of lordshyps rentys / townes and castels that apperteyneth vnto the crowne of Englonde as other quenes haue done here be∣fore / and medle with none other thynge. ¶And also that syr Roger Mortymer sholde abyde and dwelle vpon his own•• londes / For

moche people / In so moche that the comyn people were dystroyed and gretely domaged / thoroughe suche wrongfulle takynge. ¶And also the enquere howe and by whome that the kynge was betrayed and falsly dysceyued att Stanhope / and thrughe whose counseyll that the Scottes went awaye by nyght from the kynge / And also how and thrugh whoos coun∣seyll the ordynaūce that were made at the kyn∣ges coronacyon / was put downe. That is to saye / that the kynge for amendement and hel∣pynge of his reame / & in honour of hym sholde be gouerned and rulyd by .xii. of the grettest & wysest lordes of the reame / and wythout them Sholde no thynge be grauntyd ne done / as be¦fore is sayd / whiche couenauntes were malicy¦ously put downe fro the kynge / where many harmes. shamys and repreues haue falle to the kyng & hys reame / and that is to vnderstonde for asmoche as Edwarde kynge of Englonde some tyme / was ordeyned by assent in playne parlement for to be vnder warde & gouernaun¦ce of Henry erle of Lancastre his cosyn / for sal¦uacyon of hys dody he was take out of the cas∣tell of Kenilworth / there that he was in warde. & thrugh colour of quene Isabell / & of the Mor¦tymer without consent of ony parlement they tooke & ladde hym there that neuer after none of his kynred / myght wyth hym speke ne see. & after tratorursly toke & morored hym for who∣se deth arose a sklaūdre thrugh all crystendom whan it was done. And also the tresore y^e syre Edwarde of Kernaruian left in many places in Englonde and in walys was wastyd & bor∣ne awaye / wythout the wyll of kynge Edwar¦de his sone / in dystruccyō of hym & of al his fol¦ke. ¶Also thrughe whose counseyll / that y^e kyn¦ge yaue vp the kyngdom of Scotlond / for the whiche reame / the kynges aūcetours had full sore traueiled / and so dyd many a noble mā for theyr ryght / & was delyuered vnto dauyd that was Robert brus sone all y^e ryght / y^t no ryght had to the reame. as all the world it wyst. And also by whom the chartres & remēbraunces y^t they had of the ryght Scotlond were take out of the tresory / taken to the Scottes the kynges enmyes / to dysheritynge of hym and of his suc¦cessours / & to grete harme of hys lyeges / & gre¦te repreef to all Englysshemen for euer more. ¶Also wherfore dame Iohan of the toure the kynges syster Edward / was dysperagyd and maryed vnto Dauyd that was Robertbrus so¦ne. that was a traytour & enmye vnto Englon¦de. & thrugh whoos counseyl she was take into our enmyes hondes out of Englonde. ¶And in this meane whyle. y^e good erle Henry of Lā¦castre & hys companie toke counseyl how those poyntes aboue sayd myght be amended to the worshyp of the kynge & to hys profyte & to the profyte of his leyg{is} / and the quene Isabel thru¦ghe coniectynge & also of the Mortymers lete ordeyne a parlement at Salysburye. And at y^e same parlement / the Mortymer was made er¦le of Marche ayenst all the barons wyll of En¦glonde in preiudyce of y^e kyng & of hys crowne And syr Iohan of Eltham the kynges brother was gyrde with a swerde of Corne waylle. and tho was callyd erle of Corne waylle. & euer mo¦re quene Isabell procuryd so moche ayenst her sone y^e kyng / that she had the warde of y^e forsay¦de syr Edward & of his lōdes. And at that par∣lemente the erle of Lancastre wolde not come / But ordeyned all his power ayenst quene Isa¦bel and the Mortymer / And men of London or¦deyned them with fyue hūdred men of armys. ¶Whan quene Isabel wist of the doynge 〈◊〉〈◊〉 swore by god and by hys names full angerly / that in an euell tyme he thought vppon tho po∣yntes / Tho sente the quene Isabell & the Mor¦tymer after theyr retenwe & after the kyngys retenewe / soo that they had ordeyned amonge them an huge hoste. And they counseylled the kynge / so that vppon a nyght •• they rode .xxiii. myles to Bedford / there the erle of Lancastre was with his company / and thought to haue hym dystroyed / and that nyght she rode besyde the kynge her sone as a knyght for drede of de∣the. And it was done the kyng to vnderstond / that the erle Henry of Lancastre and hys com¦pany wolde haue dystroyed the kyng and hys counseylle for euer more / wherfore the kynge was somdele to wardes hym heuy and anoye•• ¶Whan the erle Marshall and therle of Ken∣te the kynges brother herde of thys tydynges / they rode soo in message bytwene theym / that the kynge grauntyd hym hys peas to therle Henry of Lancastre / for a certayne raunsom∣me of an leuen thousande pounde / But that was neuer payed afterwarde. And thyse were the lordes that helde with Syr Henry of Lan¦castre. Syr Beaumont / syr Fouk fytz waren syr Thomas Rocelyn / Syr wyllyam Trus∣dr••••

••ynghtes moo that were to hym consen¦ted / and alle those were exyled thrughe coun∣seylle of the quene Isabell and of Mortymer. For y^e Mortymer wayted to haue theyr lōdes yf that he myght thrugh ony maner coniectyn¦ge / For he was to coueytous & hadde to moche his wyll and that was grete pyte.