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

¶How Edmonde of wodstok that was er¦le of Kente & the kynges brother Edwarde of Carnaryuan / was heedyd at wynchestre.

ANd vppon a tyme it befell soo / that syr Edmonde of wodstok erle of Kent spa∣ke vnto pope Iohan the .xxii. at Auinion / & say¦de that almyghty god had ofte tymes done for Thomas loue of Lancastre many grete myra¦cles to many men and wymmen / y^t were thru∣ghe dyuers maladyes vndoone. ¶As vnto the worlde / and thrughe his prayer they were brou¦ghte vnto there helthe. and soo syr Edmonde prayed the pope hertely that he wolde graunt hym grace / the forsayde Thomas myghte be traunslatyd. But the pope sayde naye that he sholde not be traunslatyd / vnto the tyme that he were better certyfyed of the clergye of Eng¦lond

and seen by theyr obedyence what thyn¦ge god had done for the loue of saynt Thomas of Lācastre after the suggestiō that the forsayd erle of Kent hadde vnto hym made And whan this Edmonde saw that he myght not spede of his purpos: as touchynge the traunslacion He prayed hȳ of coūsell. as touchynge syr Edwar¦de of Carnariuan hys brother / & sayd. that not longe agon he was kynge of Englonde / what thynge myghte beste be done as touchynge his delyueraūce / sythe y^t a comune fame was thr∣ugh Englonde y^t he is alyue. hole & sauf whā y^e pope herde hȳ tell y^t syr Edwarde was alyue. He cōmaūded y^e erle vpō his blyssynge. that he sholde helpe with all the power that he myght / that he were deliuered out of pryson / & saue his body in all manere that he myght. And to bryn¦ge this thynge to an ende he assoyled hym & his cōpany a pena et culpa) & all that to his delyue¦raūce. Tho toke Edmond of wodstok his leue of y^e pope & came ayen into Englōde / & whā syr Edmonde was come / some of y^e frere prechers came & sayd that syr Edwarde his brother yet was alyue in y^e castell of Corf / vnder y^e kepyn∣ge of syr Thomas Gurnay. tho sped hȳ the for¦sayd Edmonde as fast as he myght / tyll he ca∣me to y^e castel of Corf / & acquaynted hym & spa¦ke so fayre to Iohn̄ Dauerel / that was conesta¦ble of the same castell / & yaue hym ryche yeftes for to haue acquayntaunce of hym & to knowe of his coūsell. And thus it befel that the forsayd Edmonde prayed specyally to tel hym pryuely of his lorde his brother syr Edward / yf that he lyued or were deed / & yf he were alyue he pray∣ed hym ones to haue a syght of hym. And this syr Iohn̄ Daueryl was a hygh herted mā & ful of courage / & answerde shortly to syr Edmond & sayd / that syr Edwarde hys brother was in helth. & vnder hys kepynge. & durst not shewe hym vnto no man syth it was defended him in the kyngys halfe Edwarde / y^t was Edwardes sone of Carnuariuan & also by the cōmaunde∣ment of quene Isabel y^e kynges moder / & of syr Roger Mortymer / that he sholde shewe hys bo¦dy to noo mā of the world sauf only to thē vpō lyf & lym̄e & disherytynge of his heyres for euer more. But the fals traytour falsly lyed. For he was not in his warde / but was take thēs and lad to the castell of Berkeley by syr Thomas of gurney by the cōmaūdemente of Mortymer tyll he was dede as before is sayd / But syr Ed¦monde of wodstok wyst no thynge that syr ed∣warde his brother was deed / wherupon he to∣ke a letter vnto kyng Edward his brother as to his worthy lorde & receyued y^e letter of hym and behyght hym ryght faythful to do his mes¦sage without fayll. And with that syr Edmon¦de toke leue of the forsayd Iohn̄ / and yede into his owne coūtre & lordshyp in kent that he had there. Anone as this same Iohan wist. that syr Edmonde was gone into Kent his owne lord¦shyp. anone he went in all y^e hast that he myght fro the Castell of Corf & came vnto syr Roger Mortymer and toke hym the letter that syr Ed∣mond of wodstok erle of Kent had taken hym closyd and ensealed with his owne seale / And whan syr Roger Mortymer had receyued the letter / he vnclosed it / and sawe that was con∣teyned therin / & began it to rede. wherof the be∣gynnynge was this. ¶Worshyppes and reue¦rence wyth brother alyegaunce & subieccyon / syr knyʒt worshypfull & dere brother •• yf it you please I praye you hertely that ye be in gode cō¦forthe / for I shall soo ordeyn for you y^t ye shall come out of prysō & be delyuered of that dysese that ye ben in / and vnderstondyth of your gre∣te lordshyp / that I haue to myn assentynge all moost all the grete lordes of Englonde wyth all theyr apperyll / that is to say wyth armour with tresour wythout nombre / for to maynte∣ne your quarell so ferforth / that ye shall be kyn¦ge agayn as ye were before / and that they ha∣ue sworne to me vpon a boke / and aswell prela¦tes as erles and barons. ¶Whan syr Roger Mortymer saw & vnderstode / the myght and the strenth of the letter anone his hert for wra∣the began to boll and euyll herte bare to ward syr Edmōde of wodstok that was erle of kent. and wyth all the hast that he myght / he wente vnto dame Isabell the quene / that was y^e was the kynges moder / & shewed her syr Edmonds letter / his wyll and his purpose and how that he had coniected & ordeyned to put downe kyn∣ge Edwarde of wyndsore her sone. of his ryal¦te and of his kyngdome / Nowe certes syr Ro∣ger sayd she hathe syr Edmonde done so now by my faders soule sayde she / I wyll be therof auenged / yf that god graunte me lyf / and that in a shorte tyme. And with that quene Isabell wente vnto kynge Edwarde her sone / there he was att the parlemente at wynchestre. to haue

amende the wrongys and the trespasses that were done amonge the people of hys reame / & tho she toke and shewed hym the letter that syr Edmond of wodstok had made / and ensealed with hys owne seale and badde hym vpon her blessynge. that he sholde be auengyd vpon syr edmond as vpon his dedely enmye. Tho was the quene sore wrothe to warde syr Edmonde erle of Kente. And sessyd neuer to praye vntyll her sone / tyll that he had sente in all the hast af¦ter hym. And vpon that the kynge sent by hys letters after syr Edmoode of wodstok / that he sholde come & speke wyth hym att wynchestre all manere thinge left. And whan syr edmond sawe that the kynge sente after hym wyth hys letters ensealed / ye hastyd hym in alle y^t he my∣ghte tylle that he came to wynchestre. ¶But whan the quene wyst that syr Edmonde was come to wynchestre tho anone she prayed and so faste wende vnto kynge edwarde her sone / that the good erle was arested anone / and lad¦de vnto the barre before Robert of Hamonde that was Coroner of the kynges housholde. And he assocyed vnto hym syr Roger Morty∣mer. And tho spake the for sayd Roger and say¦de syr edmonde erle of Kent / ye shall vnderstō¦de that it is done vs to wyte / and pryncypally vnto our lyege lorde the kynge edwarde of en¦glonde almyghty god hym saue and kepe / that ye be his deedly enmye / and a traytoure / and also a comune enmye to the reame and that ye haue ben aboute many a day. For to make pry¦ue delyueraunce of syr edwarde somtyme kyn∣ge of englonde your broder / the whiche somty¦me was put downe of hys ryaltee by y^e comyn assent of the lordes of englond / in peasynge of our lorde the kynges estate / and also of his rea¦me. ¶Tho answerd the good man and sayd / For soth syr vnderstonde well that I was ne∣uer traytoure to my kynge / ne to the reame / & that I doo me on god / and on all the worlde / & therfore by my kynges leue. I shalle it preue & defende as a man ought for to do. ¶Tho say∣de Mortymer. syr Edmonde. it is so ferfor the knowe that it may not be well gaynsayd / and that in presence of all that here been. it shalle be well prouyd. Now had this fals mortymer the same letter that syr edmonde hadde take to Syr Iohan Daueryll in the castell of Corf for to take to kynge edwarde hys brother that syr Edmonde wyst not of ne supposed no thynge that syr Iohn̄ Daueryll had be so fals to dely∣uer his letter in suche wyse vnto Mortymer. And thought no manere of thynge of that let∣ter. Thenne Mortymer sayd to syr edmonde / and shewed a letter sealed. & axed hym yf that he knewe y^e letter and y^e seale. This syr edmon¦de lokyd theron / & auysed hym longe tyme on the prynte of the seale / for he myght not see the letter with in. and wyst well that it was his se∣ale / & thought that it had be somme letter that had bore no grete charge / & thought no thinge of that other letter. And sayd openly in heryn∣ge of them all / ye for soth thys is my seale. and I wyll it not for sake. ¶Lo sayde the Morty∣mer / syres ye here al what he hath sayd / & that he knowlegyth hym that this is his letter & hys seale. And now ye shall here what is conteyned therin / & thenne Mortymer openyd the letter that he had folde tofore togyder. & redde it open¦ly worde by worde in herynge of theym all / & whan the letter was redde / he sayd / Loo syres ye haue herde alle y^e herin is wrytē / and that he hath knowlegyth that this is his letter & his se¦ale. & he may not go therfro / And thenne they cryed & yaue dome / that he sholde be hangyd & drawen / & hys heed smyten of in a manere of a traytour & he & hys heyres dysheryted for euer more / & so he was ladde forth and put in to pry¦son. and whan this was done. & the quene wist that he was dampned by way of lawe / both of lyf and of lym̄e / & hys heyres dysheryted for e∣uermore. thrugh open knowlegynge in playn∣court / where them thought that it were good / that the forsayd syr Edmond were hastyly slay¦ne / wythout wyttynge of the kyng / or elles the kynge wolde lyghtly foryeue hym hys dethe / & thenne it shode torne theym so moche sorowe / so as he was empechyd / And anone the quene thrugh counseyll of the Mortymer / and wyth out ony other counsell sent in hast to the Bay¦lyfe of wynchestre that they sholde smyte of Syr Edmondes heed Erle of Kente wythout ony manere abydynge or respyte vpon payne of lyf and lymme. And that he sholde haue no¦ne other execusyon / By cause of caryenge not withstandynge the Iugement. Tho toke the Baylyes syr edmonde out of pryson / and lad∣de hym besyde the castell of wynchestre / & the∣re they made a gonfermer smyte of hys heed / for none other durste it doo / and soo he deyed there / alas the whyle. That is to say the tenth

daye of Octobre / the thyrde yere of kynge Ed¦warde regne. ¶And whan the kyng wist ther¦of / he was wonder sory / and lete entyere hym at the frere Mynors at wynchestre.