The pastyme of people The cronycles of dyuers realmys and most specyally of the realme of Englond breuely co[m]pylyd [and] empryntyd in chepesyde at the sygne of the mearemayd next to pollys gate. Cum priuilegio.

[illustration]

Richardus .ij.

Vrban.

[ P] ¶Vrban was nexte pope / the yere of Chryst. M.CCC.lxxviii. he hylde the see .xi. yere. [ P]

¶Wyncelant.

[ E] ¶wyncelant was nexte Emperour / the yere of chryst. M.CCC.lxxix. he hylde the Empyre .xxii. yere / but he was vnprofytable to the Empyre therfore he was deposed. [ E]

Rycharde the seconde.

[ B] RIcharde the seconde of that name / & son to prince Edwarde eldyst son to kynge Edwarde the .iii. beynge of .xi. yere of age / was crowned kynge of Englande the .xv. day of Iuly / the yere of Chryst .M.CCC.lxxvii. In the .ii. yere of this kynges reyne / certayne galeys and other shippes / were sent by Charles kynge of Fraunce with a great companye / whiche came into dyuers hauyns in Englande and dyd moche hurte / and at the last came into Thames / and so to Grauysende and brent parte of that towne / and returned into Fraunce agayne. And in the same yere / the erle of Cambrydge the kynges vncle went into Fraunce with .viii.M. men / and passed the water of Sōme / and so forthe to Troys and wan it / and so passed to the contrey of Gascoyne / and so into Brytteyn / where syr Iohn̄ of Mounforde duke of Brytteyn gladly receyued them.* 1.1 Anone after this the cōmons of Englande arose / and specially in Essex and Kent / and made them Capteyns / of whome the chefe they called Iacke Strawe / another wyll wawe / another wat Tyler / and another Iacke Sheparde / whiche came into the Towre of London where the kynge was / and there they toke the Archebysshoppe of Caunterbury / the lorde of saynt Iohans / and a frere the kynges Confessour / and at the Towre hyll smote of theyr hedes / and slewe and robbed all the straungers in Sothewarke / & toke with them all the Sentwary men in westmyster / and saynt Martyns / and brent the Sauey the duke of Lancasters place / and spoyled saynt Iohans and the Innes of court / and brent theyr bokes / and slewe as many men of lawe and questmongers as they coude fynde / & toke out all the pri∣soners in all the prisons about London / and after brought the kynge out of the Toure / & caused hym to ryde thorowe parte of the citye. And in Smythfilde made a proclamacyon in the kynges presence with smal reuerence. And thus they contynued seterday and sonday / & vpon the mōday one willyam walworthe Mayre of London disdaynynge Iacke strawe his pryde & his tyrranye / * 1.2 amonge the multytude and prese of the people in the strete (aswell of the cōmons of the citye as of other) came boldely vnto Iacke strawe and wonded hym to dethe / and shortely smote of his hede / and set it vpon a speres ende and cryde kynge Rycharde kynge Rycharde / and when the re¦belles behylde theyr captayns hede / they fled as shepe / and many of them were slayne and taken. wherfore the kynge afterwarde made the sayd Mayre syr willyam walworthe and .v. other of the Aldermen knyghtes. Also in the same tyme the cōmons of Northfolke came to the Abbey of Burye / and there slewe one of the kynges Iustyce Iohn̄ Candysshe and the prior of the place / but after the rebelles wexe taken and put to dethe.

¶Also in the .v. yere of this kynge / there was a great erthe quake in Englande / wherof the lyke was neuer sene before. Also about the same tyme y^e bysshoppe of Norwyche went into Flaūders by the popes lycence / with a great power and wanne Dunkyrke and Grauelyn / & brent .xl. shypp{is} and moche goodes beynge within them / but after there fell a syckenesse of the flyckes and other diseases amonge his soudears / that he was fayne to returne into Englande.

¶The tytle of Edwarde the .iiii.

¶In the .vii. yere of this kyng / a great {per}lyament was holden at westmyster / where many dukes and erles were made / and Roger Mortymer son to Edmonde Mortymer / and Dame Philyppe eldyst doughter to syr Leonell / seconde son of Edwarde the thyrde / was proclaymed heyre ap∣parant / whiche syr Roger went after into Irelande & there was slayne by the wylde Irysshemen. [ B]

¶Charles.

[ F] ¶Charles the .vi. was nexte Frenche kynge / the yere of chryst .M.CCC.lxxx. he made great warre agaynst them of Gaunt / and other of the Flemynges that wolde nat obey theyr duke / and slewe of them .xl.M. [ F]

¶Lewys.

[ T] ¶Lewys called Lewys de marle / was nexte erle of Flaunders. [ T]

Bonyface.

[ P] ¶Benyface was nexte pope / he hylde the see .xiiii. yere. [ P]

[ E] [ E]

¶This syr Roger Mortymer had issue .ii. sonnes / Edmonde & Roger / and .ii. doughters Anne [ B] and Alys that was made a nonne / the .ii. sayd sonnes dyed without issue / and Anne the eldyst doughter was maryed to Rycharde erle of Cambryge / whiche was son to Edmonde of Lan∣gley / before named whiche had issue betwene them Richarde duke of yorke father to kynge Ed∣warde the .iiii. as after shalbe shewed.

* 1.3¶In the .x. yere of this kynge / the erle of Arondell was sent into Gu••an to strengthe the soul∣dyars there / but in the se he mette with a flote of Flemynges laden with Rochell wyne / and set vpon them and toke them / Amonge the whiche was taken the Admyrall of Fraunce. ¶In the .xi. yere Thomas of wo••stocke than duke of Glocester / y^e kynges vncle y^e erle of Aron∣dell / the erles of warwyke / Darby / and Notyngham / consyderynge howe the kynge & the lande was ladde / caused a parlyament to be called at London / and those lordes that knewe them selfes fautye fledde out of the lande and neuer came agayne / that is to say / Alexander Archebysshop of yorke / Leonell Vere markes of Deuelyn / and syr Myghell Delapole erle of Suffolke and Chauncellour of Englande. And at this parlyament syr Robert Treuilyan the chefe Iustyce of Englande / * 1.4 syr Nicholas Breneber late mayre of London / syr Iohan Salysbury / syr Iohan Beuchampe stewarde of the kyng{is} house / syr Symon Beuerley / syr Iames Bernet / syr Robert Belknappe chefe Iustyce of the cōmon place / and a seriant of armes called Vske / were by auc∣toryte of y^e parlyament atteynt of treason / and put to execucyon at Tyborne and at the Towre hyll / and Iohn̄ Holt / Iohn̄ / Locton̄ / Rycharde Gray / wyllyam Burgh / and Robert Fulthorpe Iustyce / were exyled the lande for euer.

* 1.5¶In the .xiiii. yere of this kynge / Iohn̄ of Gaunt duke of Lancaster went into Spayne with a great armye / and claymed to be kynge there by the tytle of his wyfe Constaunce doughter to Peter late before kynge of Spayne / as is before rehersed / and with the helpe of the kynge of Portyngale droue Henry kynge of Spayne to take a peace and a concorde with hym / whiche was concluded thus / that Henry kynge of Spayne shulde mary Constaūce the eldyst doughter of the duke of Lancaster / that was ryght heyre to Spayne / & that he shulde gyue the duke .viii. charyottes laded with wedges of golde / & yerely to pay to the duke and his wyfe .x.M. markes durynge theyr lyues. After whiche thynge parfyted and done / the duke with the kynge of Por∣tyngale departed / and after maryed his other doughter to the sayd kynge of Portyngale. ¶In the .xv. yere of this kynge / a seruant of the bysshppe of Salysburye / whiche was tresorer of Englande / toke a horselofe from a bakers basket in Fletestrete / and when the baker ranne to haue recouered his lofe / the bysshoppes seruant brake his hede with his dagger / and the inhaly∣taunce arose to haue brought this bysshoppes seruant to prison / * 1.6 but his felowes rescued hym / & than the people in a furye / wolde haue entryd into the bysshoppes place with force / and the other made stronge resystence / so at the last the Mayre with dyuers of the Aldermen and Sheryffes / came thyder with a great companie / but y^e more the people increased the wors they were to rule / that nat withstandynge the Mayres presence they assauted styll the bysshppes place / that it was longe tyme or they coude be pacefyed / wherof worde came to the bysshop of Salysburye beynge at wyndesore with the kynge / that what by the meanes of the bysshoppe of Caunterburye then Chancellour of Englande the complaynt was made so greuous to the kynge / that the Mayre was discharged of the rule of the citye / and the lybertes seased into the kynges handes / and syr Edwarde Dalyngtyge knyght made gouerner of the citye.* 1.7 And the kynge and his coūsell toke suche displeasure with the citye / that the courtes in westmyster were remoued vnto yorke / and y^e terme kept there. But then the kynge and his counsell perceyuynge it was nat so conuenyent for the welthe of the realme it was remoued agayne to London / but yet the kynges displeasure [ B]

[ F] [ F] [ T] [ T]

[ P] [ P] [ E] [ E]

[ B] towardes the citye somewhat styll contynued. Therfore y^e citye made dyuers meanes to obteyne his fauour / and at the last by meanes of the quene / and specially by one doctor Grauysende bys∣shoppe of London / they opteyned the kynges fauour agayne. And after they receyued the kyng into the citye / where they made many goodly stages and thynges of pleasure. And after gaue to the kynge a great sōme of money and many other great gyftes of pleasure / and so at the last obtayned his fauour / and were agayne restored to theyr lybertes by the meanes of the sayde bysshoppe of London.

¶And in the .xvii. yere / the kynges wyfe quene Anne dyed / and is buryed at westmyster. ¶In the .xviii. yere of kynge Rycharde / the heresyes of Iohan wykelyffe began to sprynge in Englande / and the more because of the Cisme of the .ii. popes.

¶Also in the .xix. yere / this kynge Rycharde maryed Isabell doughter to the Frenche kynge at Caleys / and after brought her into London with a great tryumphe. And also in the same yere the towne of Brest was delyuered vnto the duke of Brytteyn / wherfore the duke of Glocester after that sayd to the kynge / that it had ben more honour to the kynge to put his body to payne to wynne a stronge towne and holde / than to gyue vp y^t whiche was gotten by his progenytours by great diffyculte / whervpon discencyon fell betwene the kynge and hym. And after that the duke perceyuynge howe the kynge was myslad by certayne persons / intendynge a reformacyon for the welthe of the realme / caused an assemble to be at Arondell of dyuers lordes and other / * 1.8 at whiche assemble there met the sayd duke the erle of Arondell / the erle of warwyke / the erle of Notyngham / the bysshoppe of Caunterbury and dyuers other spirituall lordes / and sware eche to other secretely / to put theyr wylles and powers to auoyde from the kynge the duke of Lan∣caster / and the duke of yorke / and other whiche mysgouerned the realme / but the erle of No∣tyngham vttred this conspiracye to the kynge / wherfore the kynge sodaynly and secretely toke y^e duke of Glocester and sent hym to Caleys / where by his cōmaundement he was shortely after strangled in his bedde and so mourdred. And after the kynge called a parlyament at west∣myster / where the erle of Arondell was Iudged to dethe and beheded at the Towre hyll / and y^e erle of warwyke banysshed into the Ile of man for euer / and dyuers other persons cōmytted to perpetuall prison. And in this same parlyament all the actes made in the parlyament before the .xi. yere of kynge Rycharde were adnulled / and in the same yere Iohn̄ of Gaunt duke of Lan∣caster dyed.

¶Also in the .xxi. yere / the people of the lande greatly murmured and grudged / at the mysorder of the kynge for dyuers causes / one was for that he had leuyed many exaccyons and charges of the people / and wasted it & gyuen it to lyght persons.* 1.9 And also for because that the duke of Glo∣cester was secretly murdred without proces of the lawe. And also for that he wolde chose She∣ryffes and other offycers at his owne wyll and pleasure / without aduyse of any discrete coūsell. Also another cause was that he wolde rebuke the Iudges yf they gaue any iugement contra••ye to his mynde / wherfore they gaue many iugementes contrary to the order of the lawe. And also that before his parlyament he wolde sende his letters to Sheryffes / cityes / and borowes / com∣maundynge them to chose suche knyghtes of the shyre and suche citezyns and burgeses / as he hym selfe wolde apoynt and name. And also for that he cōmaunded the Sheriffes of his shyres and other offycers / to cause the people to make certayne generall othes / and to wrytte & to seale certayne bondes and wrytynges for the performance of the same othes. And also for y^t he caused and compelled many men of great substaunce to seale certayne blanke charters / and after put ī the sōmes / and wrote in them certayne clauses to the vtter vndoynge of them that sealed them. And also an other rumour ranne vpon the kynge / y^t he had set Englande to ferme to .iii. {per}sons / that was syr Iohn̄ Busshe / syr Iohn̄ Bagot / and syr Henry Grene. [ B]

[ F] [ F] [ T] [ T]

[ P] [ P] [ E] [ E]

¶Also sone after the forsayd parlyament / a great discorde fell betwene the duke of Northfolke whiche before was erle of Notyngham / and Henry Bolingbrake sonne to Iohn̄ of Gaunt than [ B] duke of Herforde / and the duke of Herforde accuse•• the other that he had taken .iiii.M. markes of the kynges / wherwith he shulde haue waged certayne Soudyers / & conuerted it to his owne vse / vpon whiche tryall they shulde haue waged battell / but at the last bothe these dukes were banysshed the lande. And than the duke of Herforde sayled into Fraunce and there taryed / and the duke of Northfolke went into Venyce and there dyed.

¶Also in the .xxii. yere of this kynge / the kynge with a great armye sayled into Irelande / and there conquered the lande and prospered marueylously / and set the contrey in good order.* 1.10 But than anone tythynges there came to the kynge / that Henry Bolyngbroke duke of Herforde was landed in Englande / at a place called Rauyns Sporre in the Northe contrey / and proclaymed hym selfe duke of Lancaster / and with that moche people resorted vnto hym / wherfore the kyng in all hast came ouer into Englande with a small companye / and l••fte moche of his ordynance behynde hym and came to the castell of Flynt / and there rested hym to the intent to gather more strength.* 1.11 But in the meane whyle the duke was cōmyn vnto Brystowe with a great companye and there toke syr willyam Scrope erle of wylshyre / syr Iohan Busshy / and syr Iohn̄ Grene / whiche .iii. anone had theyr hedes smytten of / & syr Iohn̄ Bagot was taken there the same tyme / but he escaped agayne and ••led into Irelande / but after that he was taken agayne and brought vnto London and put into Newgate.* 1.12 whan the kynge harde of the strength of the duke / the kynge and all that euer were about hym feared sore / wherfore one Thomas Percye erle of wor∣cester stewarde of the kynges house contrary to his alegeaunce / brake his whyte rodde openly in the kynges hall / & bad euery man shyfte for hymselfe / wherby the kynges seruantes went away and there the kynge was lafte comfortles. So that he was shortely after taken and brought to y^e duke / whiche in contynently brought hym to London / and whan he was nyghe the citye he sent kynge Rycharde secretely to the Towre. And dyuers wylde persons of the citye herynge therof / assembled a great nombre / to the intent to haue taken kynge Rycharde / and to haue slayne hym or that he had cōmyn to the Towre / for y^e great cruelte that he before tyme had vsed to the citye / But the Mayre and other discrete cōmyners herynge of theyr purpose / gathered another com∣panye and by good polecye / but nat without great difficulte / put those wylde felowes from theyr purpose.* 1.13 Than anone after there was a parlyament called at westmyster / where many of the artycles before rehersed were layde to the kynges charge / that he had mysgouerned the realme / and that he was nat worthy therfore to be the prince or gouernour of a realme / whiche thynges he confessed hym selfe by his mouthe / and renounced and resygned vp all his kyngly maieste / & all the tytle and ryght that he had to the crowne / and further released to all lordes spirituall and temporall / and to all other of euery degree / all homage and fealte that euer they made or auowed to hym. And than the kynge by the hole consent of all the lordes & the cōmons in the sayd parlya¦ment was deposed of his kyngly dignyte / & all they by one assent / chase the sayd Henry duke of Harforde for the great manhode and wysdome that they sawe in hym aboue all other to be kynge of Englande. And thus this kynge Rycharde was deposed / the yere of Chryst .M.CCC.xCix. the last day of Septēbre. And he was fyrst buryed at Langley / but he lyeth nowe at westmyster. [ B]

[ F] [ F] [ T] [ T]

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iacke strawe.
• * 1.2

  Iacke strawe slayne.
• * 1.3

  battell in the see.
• * 1.4

  y^e kinges councel∣lours at∣teynt of treason.
• * 1.5

  Iohan of Gaunte wēt into spayne.
• * 1.6

  A ryot in Fletestre¦te.
• * 1.7

  The ter∣me remo¦ued to yorke.
• * 1.8

  Conspi∣racye.
• * 1.9

  the arty∣cles whi∣che cau∣syd the peple to murmur againste the kyng
• * 1.10

  the kyng sayled in to Irelā∣de.
• * 1.11

  henry bo¦līgbroke landed.
• * 1.12

  the kyng came a∣gayne in to Eng∣lande.
• * 1.13

  the kyng taken pri¦soner.