¶Of the aunswere of the / Duke of Lancastre to the knyght sent to hym fro his sonne the erle of Derby / and howe the duke of Lancastre dyed. Cap. CC .xxxiiii. (Book 234)
WHan sir Dinorth Whom the erle of Derby had sente in to Englande to his fa∣ther the duke of Lancastre and had his answere of the duke / and had vysyted all the erles landes / and had sene his chyldren four sonnes and two dough¦ters / than he toke his leaue and retourne in to Fraunce. His aunswere was / howe that the duke wolde nat counsayle the erle his sonne to go in to Hungery / but whan he was wery of beynge in Fraūce / than rather to go in to Ca∣stell to the kynge there / and to his suster / and if he lyste to go further / than to go and vysite his other suster the quene of Portugale. The erle redde his fathers letters two tymes ouer / and studyed theron a season. and syr Dinorth shewed him that the physicions and surgyons in Englande sayd surely / howe that the duke his father had on hym a paryllous sycknesse / whiche shuld be his dethe. these wordes gret∣ly letted the erle to take on hym any maner of voyage / but so taryed styll at Parys / and of∣ten tymes he went and sawe the frenche kyng / the duke of Orlyaunce / and the kynges vn∣cles / and alwayes they made hym good chere so that he was moche bounde to them / and he sayde to the kynge. Syr / ye do me so moche honoure and curtesy / and shewe me so great sygne of loue / that I knowe nat in all my lyfe dayes howe to deserue it / but if euer I come in Englande my lady yt quene your doughter to my power shall haue my seruyce. I thanke you cosyn quod the kynge. So it fell that a∣boute the feest of Crystmasse / duke Iohan of Lancastre / who lyued in great dyspleasure / what bycause the Kynge had banysshed his sonne out of the realme for so litell a cause / and also bycause of the yuell gouernynge of the re∣alme / by his nephewe kynge Rycharde / for he sawe well that if he longe percepuered & were suffred to contynewe / the realme was lykely to be vtterly loste. With these ymagynacyons and other / the duke fell sycke wheron he dyed / whose dethe was greatly sorowed of all his frendes and louers. The kyng by that he she∣wed toke no great care for his dethe / but sone he was forgotten. Than certayne of the noble men of Englande sawe well howe the realme feblysshed / sythe the duke of Lancastre was deed / and the duke of Gloucestre his brother slayne / and the erle of Arundell. and the erle of Derby banysshed / who ought than to be duke of Lancastre by ryght succession. Than some sayde. Nowe we shall se what the kynge wyll do / it is tyme nowe yt he repeale home agayne his cosyn of Derby / and to pardone hym his yuell wyll / though he haue no cause to be dys∣pleased with hym / it were tyme he came and entred in to his landes as duke of Lancastre. Suche wordes ranne a brode in the Realme in dyuers places / and specyally in the cytie of London / where the erle of Derby was a hun∣dred tymes better beloued thanne the kynge / howe be it for all the wordes and murmuryng that the kyng and his counsayle knewe of / yet he dyd nothynge therafter / but clene the con∣trary. He was yuell counsayled / for if he had incontynent after the dethe of the duke of Lan¦castre sente for the erle of Derby / and at his cōmynge haue frendely welcomed hym home and haue called hym duke of Lancastre / and haue taken hym as greatest personage in En∣glande nexte hym selfe / and haue sayde howe he wolde be gouerned in all poyntes after his aduyse and counsayle / and to do nothynge without his aduyse / than the kynge had done well / and lykely to haue contynued his estate as kynge of Englande / and had nat receyued the yuell fortune that fell to hym shortly after / as ye shall here after.