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AS sone as the englyssh∣men knewe that the voyage by the see that the frensshmen sholde haue made beynge at Sluse was dasshed and bro∣ken. Then in Englande be∣gan dyuers murmuracyons
in sundry places / and suche as loued euyll rule rather then good / sayd / Where be nowe these grete entrepryses and these valyaunt men of en¦glande yt were in the dayes of kynge Edwarde the thyrde / and with the prynce his sone / we we¦re wonte to go in to Fraunce and put backe our enemyes in suche maner that none durst make batayle with vs / yf they dydde they were soone dyscomfyted.
O What a dede was that when the noble kynge Edwarde aryued in Normandy / and in Constantyne and passed thrugh the roy∣alme of Fraunce / and what goodly entrepryse he acheued in his waye / and after at Cressy he dyscomfyted kynge Phylyp and all the puys∣saunce of Fraunce / and or he retourned he wan the towne of Calays / But as nowe the knygh∣tes and men of warre in Englande doo none su¦che feates. ¶Also the prynce of Wales sone to this noble kynge / dyd he not take the Frensshe kynge. Iohn̄ and dyscomfyted his pyssaunce at Poycters with a smal nombre of people agayn¦ste the people that kynge Iohn̄ hadde / In those dayes Englande was fered and doubted / and were spoken of thrughe al the worlde for ye flou∣re of chyualry / but as nowe no man speketh of vs / for nowe there is noo warre made / but at poore mennes purses / therto euery man is en∣clyned / in Fraunce as nowe the kynge there is but a chylde and yet he hath done more agaynst vs then ony of his predecessours. And also he shewed grete courage to haue come in to En∣glande / the lette therof was not by hym / but by his men. The tyme hath ben sene that yf suche an apparell of shyppes had ben made at Sluse they sholde haue ben foughten withall in theyr owne hauen / and nowe the noble men of En∣glande are ioyfull when they maye sytre at rest and suffre them in peas / but yet for all that they suffre not poore men to be in rest / but put them to busynes to paye money. The tyme hath ben that grete conquestes haue ben done in fraunce without payenge of ony money / but suche ry∣ches as hath ben gotten there it hath ben spred abrode in the royalme. where is become ye grete fynaunces and tayles that hath ben gadered in this royalme with the kynges rentes and acco∣stomed reuenues / outher they haue lost it or ta∣ken fro them / it is behouable that it be knowen howe the royalme of Englande is gouerned / and howe the kynge is ledde / it were not good that it sholde be longe or it were knowen / for this royalme of Englande is not soo ryche nor so puyssaunt to bere lyke charges as the roy∣alme of Fraunce dothe. ¶Also it appereth wel that we in this royalme of englande are febled of wyttes and of grace. We were wonte to kno¦we euery thynge that was done in Fraunce a thre or foure monethes or the case fell / wherby we myght conuenyently make prouysyon and resystence / but as nowe we knowe noo thynge / But the Frensshe men knoweth all our secre∣tes and counsayles / we cannot tell in whome is the fawte / it wyll be knowen vpon a daye. There be some preuy traytours / and it were better it were knowen betymes then to late / for it maye be knowen soo la••e that it wyll be past remedy.
THus dyuersely men talked in En∣glande as well knyghtes and squy¦ers as the comons soo that the roy¦alme laye in a harde case and gre∣te peryll. And the grete assembly that the kyng and his vncles and his counsayle hadde made with grete expence in dyuers maners to resyst the frensshe kynge beynge a Sluse redy to en∣tre in to Englande / suche knyghtes and squy∣ers / and other as were in a redynes wolde as then be payde of theyr wages / and so for that en¦tente there was a parlyamente somoned to be holden at London by the nobles / prelates / and comons of Englonde / and pryncypally it was ordeyned that there sholde be reysed a grete tay¦le and subsydye thrughe out the royalme of En¦glande / the ryche to bere out the poore. This parlyament was remoued to westmynstre / and thyder came all suche as were sente for / and ma¦ny moo to here tydynges. ¶There was the kynge and his two vncles Edmunde and Tho¦mas with many other nobles of the royalme. And amonge other thynges yt was sayd that in the kynges treasoure there was substaunce skante to maynteyne the kynges estate sober∣ly. Wherfore they of his counsayle sayd howe there must be leuyed a subsydye thrughe out all the royalme of Englande yf suche costes and charges sholde be payde as hathe ben done / for the defence of the royalme of englande agaynst the frensshe men. To this agreed well they of the bysshopryche of Norwyche / and also the archebysshopryche of Cauntorbury / and the countye of Essex / the countye of Hampton and Warwykeshyre / and the lande of ye erle of Sa∣lysbury / they agreed soner then they of ferther
countreys as they of the north and marches of Wales / and of Cornewall / al these rebelled and sayd / We haue not sene none of our enemyes come in to this countrey / why sholde we be gre¦ued and haue done no fawte / yes yes sayd some let the bysshop of yorke be spoken withall and the kynges counsayle / and the duke of Irelan∣de who hathe .lx. thousande frankes of the con∣stable of fraunce for the redempcyon of Iohan of Bretayne / this money ought to be tourned to the comon profyte of all Englande. ye and speke with syr Symon Burle / Syr Wyllyam Helmen / Syr Thomas Branbe / Syr Ro∣bert Tryuylyen / and syr Iohan Beauchampe who haue gouerned the kynge and the royal∣me / yf they make a good accompte of that they haue receyued and delyuer it / the comons shall sytte in rest / and euery thynge payde as it ou∣ght to be. ¶When these wordes came abrode and to the herynge of the kynges vncles / they were ryght gladde therof / for that made well for them / for al those before named were agayn¦ste them. Nor they coulde bere noo rule in the courte for them. Wherfore they ayded the peo∣ple in theyr oppynyons and sayd. These good men that thus speketh are well counsayled / in that they desyre to haue accompte / and wyll not paye ony more money. For surely outher in the kynges treasure / or elles in theyr purses that gouerne hym there must nedes be grete treasu∣re. Thus by lytell and lytell multyplyed these wordes / and the people beganne to waxe bolde to deny to paye ony more money by reason that they sawe the kynges vncles of theyr accorde / and susteyned them. ¶And the archebysshop of Cauntorbury / the erle of Salysbury / the er∣le of Northumbrelande / and dyuers other lor∣des of Englande put of this taxe for that tyme and deferred theyr counsayle to Myghelmasse after / at whiche tyme they promysed to retour∣ne agayne / but the knyghtes and squyers suche as had thought to haue had money for the arre¦rages of theyr wages hadde noo thynge / Wher¦fore / they were in dyspleasure with the kynge and his counsayle. They were apeased as well as myght be / & euery man departed / the kynge toke no leue of his vncles / nor they of hym.
THen the kynge was counsayled to dra∣we in to the marches of Wales and the∣re to tary tyll he herde other tydynges / and soo he was contente to doo / and departed fro Lon∣don without leue takynge of ony man / and toke with hym all his counsayle excepte the arche∣bysshop of yorke who wente backe in to his ••••∣ne countrey / whiche was happy for hym / for I thynke yf he hadde ben with the other / he sholde haue ben serued as they were / as ye shall here after. But it is requysyte that I speke as well of Fraunce as of Englande / for the matter re∣quyreth it.