Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

Henry the .iiii. Anglia.

HEnry the .iiii. of that name, and sonne of Iohn̄ of Gaunte late duke of Lācas∣ter / toke possessy¦on of the domy∣nion of y^e realme of Englande as before in the ende of the story of the seconde Rycharde is shewed, vpon the laste daye of Sep∣tembre in the yere of our lorde a .M.CCC.lxxxxix / and in the .xix. yere of Charles y^e .vii. than kyng of Fraūce. After whyche possessyon so by hym taken, anone he made newe officers. As the erle of Northumberlande he made Constable of Englande, the erle of westmerlāde was made Mar¦shall, syr Iohn̄ Serle Chaunceller, Iohn̄ Newebery esquyer tresorer, and syr Rycharde Clyfforde knyght

keper of y^e priuey signet. And y^t done, prouysyon was made for hys corona¦cyon agayne the day of translacyō of saynt Edwarde the confessour nexte than commyng. And the parlyament was prolonged tyll the tuysdaye fo∣lowynge the sayd daye of coronacyō. Than vpō the euyn of the sayd daye of coronacyon, the kynge wythin the towre of Londō made .xli. knyghtes of the bate wherof .iii. were hys owne sonnes, & .iii. erles, & .v. lordes. And vpon mondaye beynge the sayd daye of saynt Edwarde & the .xiii. daye of October / he was crowned at west∣mynster of the archebysshop of Caū∣torbury. After whych solempnyte fy∣nysshed an honorable feest was hol∣den wythin the greate halle of west∣mynster. where the kyng beyng set in the mydde see of the table / the arche∣bisshop of Caūtorbury with .iii. other prelates were set at the same table vp¦pon the ryght hāde of the kyng / & the archebysshoppe of yorke wyth other iiii. prelates was set vpō that other hāde of the kyng / & Hēry the kynges eldest sonne stoode vppō the ryghte hande wyth a poyntlesse swerde hol∣dyng vp ryght / & the erle of North∣humberlāde newely made constable, stode vpō the left hāde wyth a sharpe swerd holdē vp ryght. And by eyther of those swerdes, stode .ii. other lor∣des holding .ii. scepters. And before y^e kyng stode all the dynerwhyle the du¦kes of Amnarle of Surrey & of Exce¦ter, wyth other .ii. lordes. And y^e erle of westmerlāde thā newly made Mar¦shal, rode about the halle with many typped staues aboute hym, to se the roume of y^e halle kepte, that offycers myghte wyth ease serue the tables. Of the whych tables the chyefe vpō the ryghte syde of the halle was be∣gunne wyth the Barons of the fyue portes, & at the table nexte the cup∣borde vppō the lefte hande, sate the mayre and hys bretherne the aldemē of Londō. whych mayre than beynge Drewe Barentyne goldsmyth, for seruice there by hym that daye done, as other mayres at euery kynges & quenes coronacion vse for to do / had there a stādyng cuppe of golde. Thā after the seconde course was serued / syr Thomas Dymmoke knyght be∣ynge armed at all peaces, & syttynge vpō a good stede, rode to the hygher parte of the halle / & there before the kynge caused an herowde to make proclamacyon, that what mā wolde saye that kynge Hēry was nat ryght full enherytoure of the crowne of En¦gland, & ryghtfully crowned / he was there redy to wage wyth hym batayl than, or suche tyme as it shuld please the kynge to assygne. whyche procla∣macyon he caused to be made after in iii. sundry places of the halle in En∣glyshe & in Frenche, wyth many mo obseruaunces at hys solemnyte exer∣cysed & done, whyche were longe to reherse.

Than thys feest wyth all honour en∣ded / vpon the morne beyng tuysday, the parliamēt was agayne begunne. And vpon wednysdaye syr Iohanne Cheyny that before that tyme had oc¦cupyed as speker of that parlyamēt, by hys owne labour for cause of such infyrmytyes as he than hadde, was dyscharged / and a squyer named wyllyam Durwarde was electe to that roume for hym.

And thanne was the parlyament and the actes thereof laste called by kynge Rycharde adnulled, and sette at noughte / and the parlyamente holden in the .xi. yere of hys reygne holden for ferme and stable. And the same daye Henry the kynges eldeste sonne was chosen & admytted prynce of walys, and duke of Cornewalle, and erle of Chester, and heyre ap∣paraunte to the crowne. Uppon

the thursdaye folowynge was putte into the comon house a byll, deuysed by syr Iohn̄ Bagot than prysonere in the Towre. whereof the effecte was, that the said sir Iohn̄ confessed that he harde kynge Rycharde saye dyuers tymes and at sondry parlya∣mentes in hys tyme holden, that he wolde haue hys entente and plea∣sure concernynge hys owne maters, what so euer betyde of the resydue. And yf any withstode hys wyll or mynde / he wolde by one meane or other brynge hym out of lyfe.

Also he shewed farther, that king Rycharde shulde shewe and saye to hym at Lychefelde, in the .xxi. yere of hys reygne, that he desyred no lenger to lyue, than to see hys lordes & commons to haue hym in as great awe and drede, as euer they had of any of hys progenytours / so that it myghte be cronycled of hym, y^t none passed hym of honour and dygnite / with condycyon that he were depo∣sed and put from his sayde dygnytie the morowe after. And yf euer it came so to, that he shulde resygne hys kyngelye magestye / he sayde his mynde was to resygne to the duke of Herforde, as to hym that was moste ableste to occupye that honoure. But one thynge he feared, leste he wolde do tyrannye agayne the chur∣che. More ouer he shewed by y^e said byll, that as the sayde syr Iohn̄ Ba∣got rode behynde the duke of Nor∣folke towarde westmynster / the sayd duke layed to hys charge, that he with other of y^e kynges counsell had murdred y^e duke of Glocetyr / y^• which at y^e tyme to the said duke he denyed, & sayd at y^e day he was on lyue. But within .iii. wekes after, the sayde syr Iohn̄ by y^e kynges cōmaundemente was sent with other {per}sones vnto Ca¦lays / where for fere of his owne lyfe, he sawe y^e said murdre put in execu∣cion. And farthermore he shewed, y^t there was no man of honour at that dayes more in fauour with king Ry¦charde, thā was y^e duke of Amnarle / & that by his coūsell he toke y^e lordes, & wrought many other thinges after y^e said dukes aduyce. Also he shewed, y^t he harde the kynge beynge than at Chyltrynlangley swere many great othes, y^t the duke of Herforde nowe kyng, shulde neuer returne into En∣glande / and rather than he shulde a∣gayne enheryte hys fathers landes, he wolde gyue them vnto the heyres of the duke of Glocetyr, and of the erles of Arundell, and of warwyke, at the laste parliament adiuged. And farther he shewed, that of all these matters he sent the said duke know∣lege into Fraunce, by one named Ro¦ger Smerte / admonastynge hym to prouyde by his wysedome to wyth∣stande the kynges malyce, whyche shewed hym to be hys mortall ene∣mye. And lastelye he shewed in the sayde byll, that he harde the duke of Amnarle say vnto sir Iohn̄ Busshey and to syr Henry Grene / I had leuer than .x••. thousande pound, that thys man were dede. And whan they had axed of him whyche man / he said the duke of Herforde / nat for drede that I haue of hys persone, but for so∣rowe and rumours that he is lykely to make within this realme. whiche bylt was than borne vnto the kyn∣ges parlyamente chaumbre, & there ••adde. After redynge whereof / the sayd duke of Amnarle stode vp, and sayd as touchynge suche artycles as in that byll were putte agayne hym, they were false and vntrewe, & that he wolde proue vpon hys body or o∣therwyse as the kynge wolde com∣maunde hym. Upon fryday the said syr Iohn̄ Bagot was brought into the sayd parlyament Chambre, and examyned vpon euery artycle of his

byll all the whych he there affermed Than it was axed of hym what he coulde saye y^e duke of Exceter. where unto he answered and sayed, that he coulde laye nothyng to hys charge. But there is he sayd a yomā in New¦gate called Halle, y^t can say somwhat of you. Than sayd the duke, what so euer he or ye can or lyste to say of me / thys is trouthe that I shall here ex∣presse. Trouth it is that the last tyme that the kyng was at woodstoke, the duke of Northfolke & ye haue hadde me to you into the chapel, and closed the dore vpon vs. And there ye made me to swere vpō the sacrament there present, to kepe suche counsayll as there ye shuld than shewe vnto me. where after ye shewed to me, that ye coulde neuer brynge your purpose a¦bout, whyle syr Iohn̄ of Gaunt late duke of Lācastre lyued. wherfore ye were aduysed for to haue shortely af∣ter a coūsayll at Lychefelde / by the whyche ye cōdiscended y^t the sayd syr Iohn̄ shuld be arested, in such maner that he shuld haue occasyō to disobey y^t areste / by reason wherof by chaūce medley he shuld be there slayn. wher∣unto my coūsayl thā was, y^t the kyng shulde calle hys secrete coūsayll / & yf they agreed thereunto, I for my part wolde agree vnto y^e same. To which sayeng syr Iohn̄ Bagot gaue none answere. And vpō saterday, the sayd Bagot & Halle were bothe broughte into the parlyament chaūbre, & there examined / and after coūtrymaunded to prysone. And as soone as they were departed / the lorde Fitz water stoode vp and sayde. Moste redough¦ted souerayne lorde, where as y^e duke of Amnarle hath before tymes and nowe lately, excused hym of the deth of the duke of Glouceter / I saye and wyll iustyfye it, that he was cause of hys deth and that I shall proue vpō hys body yf your grace be so conten∣ted. To the cōtrary whereof the duke wyth sharpe wordes answered / so that gaugys of batayll were offered of bothe partyes, and sealed and de∣lyuered vnto the lorde Marshall. Than partyes beganne to be taken amonge the lordes / in so moche that the duke of Surrey toke party•• with the duke of Amnarle / and sayde that all that by hym was done, was done by constraynte of Rycharde thanne kynge / and he hym selfe and other consented parforce to the same. where agayne the sayde lorde Fytz water and other replyed. wherfore sylence was commaūded / and forth∣wyth the fore named Halle for that he hadde confessed before the lordes, that he was one of theym that putte to deth the duke of Gloucetyr at Ca¦lays / he therefore was iuged to be drawen frome the towre of London vnto tybourne / and there to be han∣ged and quartered.

The whyche execucion was done vppon the mondaye folowynge. Thus wyth these causes and many other thys parlyamente contynued, tyll a newe mayre named Thomas Knolles grocer was admytted and sworne, vppon the daye folow∣ynge the feaste of Symonde and Iude.

Notes

• Coronaciō of Henry y^e fourth.