Prolicionycion [sic]

¶Capitulum 42

AFter the fourth clement the two and twentyest Iohan was pope aboute an eyghtene yere / He renewyd the seuen bokes

of decretales & auaunced clerkes and ordeyned general studyes lore of thre langages of hebrue / grue· and latyn / And fyrst by¦cause that hit shold seme that he hated takyng of yeftes / he damp∣ned pluralyte of benefyces / Soo that euery creatuure sholde hold hym appayd with one benefyce with cure / and this pope shold ha¦ue the fruytes of the other benefyces that voyded long tyme of ye∣res ¶ Also he reserued to hym self the fyrst benefyce that voyded by deth resygnacion other by translacion / Soo that the personne that were institute shold chese whether he wold haue the taxe of the benefyce other the ouerpluys / by that cautel come hu∣ge tresour to the popes hande / ¶ But the duc of bauaria / that clepyd hym self emperour werryd ofte ageynst hym and ba∣re hym doune alwey / ¶ Also this yere was greete deth of men and of beestes and greete fallyng of reyne in somer and in heruest / therof cam grete derth of Corn•• so that a quarter whete was sold for fourty shillyngys / ¶ A wryter that hyghte Iohn had a catte that was homely with hym aboute pentecost at oxenford / this Iohn sayde openly that he was heyr of englond Therfor at northampton byfore the kyng and lordes he was pre¦ued fals / and hanged and drawen / ¶ That yere twey car¦dynals come in to englond and cursyd Robert le bruys and his fautours / and enterdyted scotland / kynge edward fauoured the twey spensers hugh the fader and hugh the sonne ageynste the wyll of lordes / therfor thomas erle of lancastre and many other withdrewe soo the kynges strengthe / Soo that they made hem a colour as it were by assent of the kyng and exyled these spensers and threwe doune her castels in wales / they ladde awey the bees¦tes and gadred tresour and occupyed gloucestre in the wynter ty¦me / and sone therafter withoute counseyll of other men the king sente ageyne for eyther hughe / than wreth and stryf encreaced from day to day / Among al this twey lordes de mortimer toke ha¦stely Cytees in the marche er the erle of lancastre myghte be re∣dy / and pursued the kynges knyghtes till that the kyng come a¦boute by shrowesbury vppon hem with a grete multitude of fote men / there for defaute of money / and by cause that therle of lan∣castre was to long behynde / the knyghtes wente awey / and the two mortyners must nedes yelde hem and soo they dyde and we¦re prysoned at london / than the kyng wente to Gloucestre / and had with hym thens eyther spenser / Than he wente to lyche feld aboute saynt Chedde day for to take the erles of lancastre and of

and her fautours that were at Tutbury and at burton but whi¦le the kyng passed the waterr out of the toun at afoorde / the erle of lancastre and his men fled oute of the toune of burton to the Cyte of burghbrydge / there cam andrew of herkeley in the kyn∣ges syde and slewe the Erle of herford ryght vpon the brydge the syxtenth day byfore apryll and toke the erle of lancastre & many other noble men / the most dele of hem were in dyuers pla¦ces hanged by the throte / but the Erle was byheded at his own Castel of Poūfret / the tenth day byfore Apryl· Of this Erle and of his dedes it is ofte grete stryfe among the comyn people / whether he shold be acounced amonge sayntes or noo / Somme sayde yes for he dyde many almes dedes and worshiped men of re¦lygyon and mayntened a trewe quarel as it semed to his lyues ende / Also his enemyes dured afterward but a whyle and de∣yde in shameful deth / Other seyn the contrary and tellyn that he was an husbond man / and rought not of his wyf and de∣fouled a grete multitude of gentil wymmen and wēches / yf ony man offended hym a lytel he lete hym sle anon / Apostatas and euill doers he fauoured strongly for they sholde not be punisshed by the lawe· Also he wolde commytte alle his doynges to one of his secretaryes to doo with as he wolde / ¶ Also that be fled shamely in tyme of fightyng for the right vnto the deth / and suche one sholde not be acounted a saynt namely whyle le was ta¦ke and slayne maugre his trethe / But offrynges and likynes of myracles that ben now done in the place there he was by••••d••d what yssue they shal take it shall be knowen after this tyme / From that tyme to the syx••h yere after the fortune of the spen∣cers beganne to encreace / and the condicion of the quene drough̄ toward seruage till that the kyng of Fraunce pursued hugely the kyng of Englond / for hommage of Gascoyne was not done / ¶ About the Ascencion of oure lord the kyng helde a parlemente at yorke / there he made hugh the spenser the elder / Erle of wynchestre and Andrewe of harkley erle of Carleell / The same yere aboute Lammasse the kyng wente in to Scotlond And though he had none withstandyng / yet he loste many men with sekenesse and with honger / ¶ Aboute the Natyuy¦te of oure lady the kyng cam homewarde ageyne. and the scot∣tes come after hym and toke the castell norham· and afterward aboute saynt lukes tyde at the abbay of bella lauda vpon blak∣hammor / they hadde nyghe take the kyng at mete yf he had not

fledde / but they toke the Erle of Rychemond / and the kynges tresour was lost / th•• same yere the morow after saynt chaddes day Andrew of harkeley was taken at Carleel / as a traytour han∣ged and drawen and heded and his bowels brente and quartred and his heede set••e vppon london brygge / ¶ At lammasse Rogyer mortimer the yonger / that was in prisonne escaped oute of the toure of london by a slepyng drynke that his wardeynes hadde dronke / Aboute mydlente for to make pees the quene of en∣glond was sente to her brother kyng of Fraunce / that had assayl¦led a grete dele of gaskoyn / ¶ Aboute the natyuyte of our lady the kyng sente his sonne edward in to Fraunce for to do the kynge of Fraunce homage for the ducherye of guyan that was yeuen hym / and the kyng of Fraunce made hym abyde with his moder in the coūte of Pontyeu / the moder and the sone dwellyd soo by yonde see / and wold not come ageyne other durst not for drede of the spensers / ¶ Thenne the kyng of englond by counseil of the twey spensers outlawed and banysshed his wyf and his sonne openly at london in cheepe as traytours of the Royamme /