Late Medieval Books, The Brut

The Brut is in Late Medieval Books.

1322 Battle of Boroughbridge

1327 Battle of Stanhope Park

1327 Death of King Edward II

Battle of Boroughbridge

16 Mar 1322. Though might men seen Archers drawn ham in that on side and in that other; and Knights also fight together wonder sore; and among other, Sir Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford (age 46), a worthy knight of renown throughout all Christendom, stood and fought with his enemies upon the bridge. And as the noble lord stood and fought upon the bridge, a serf, a ribald, sculked under the bridge, and fiercely with a spear smote the noble knight into the fundement, so that his bowels come out there.

How Kyng Edward went to Stanhop forto mete þe Scottes.

And ȝitte in þe same tyme was Kyng Edward in þe castel of Kenylworth, vnder þe kepyng of Sir Henry þat was Erl Thomas broþer of Lancastr, þat þo was Erl of [Leycestre; and þe Kyng grantede him the erldome of] Lancastre þat þe Kyng hade seisede into his hande, and put out Thomas of Lancastre his broþer, and þo was he Erl of Lancastre & of Leicestre, and eke Stiward of Engeland, as his broþer was in his tyme. but Sir Edward, þat was Kyng Edwardes fader, made sorw wiþouten ende, for cause þat he might nouȝt speke wiþ his wif ne wiþ his Sone; wherfor hit was miche meschief; ffor þauȝ hit were so þat he were ladde & reulede þrouȝ false conseile, ȝitte he was Kyng Edwardus sone, & come of þe worþiest bloode of al þe worlde; and þilk to whom he was wonede forto ȝeue grete ȝiftes and large, were most pryue wiþ þe Kyng, his owen sone; and þai were his enemys boþe by nyght and by day, and procurede forto make debate and contak bituene him and his sone, and Isabel his wif. but þe ffter Prechoures to him were gode frendes euermore, and caste and ordeynede, boþe nyght and day, how þai might bryng him out of prison. And amonge her company þat þe ffreres priueliche hade brouȝt, þere was a ffrere þat me callede Dunheuede; and he hade ordeynede an[d] gaderede a grete company of folc forto helpe at þat nede; but þe ffrere was take a[nd] put into þe castel of Pountfrett, and þer he deide in prisone. And Sir Henry, Erl of Lancastr, þat hade þe Kyngus fader in kepyng, þrouȝ commandement of þe Kyng, delyuerede Edward, þe Kingus fader, by endentur vnto Sire Thomas of Berkelee, and to Sir Iohn Mautrauers; & þai lad him fram þe castell of Kenylworth vnto þe castell of Berkelee, and kepte him þere safly.

And at Este[r] nexte after his coronacioun, þe Kyng ordeynede an huge host forto feiȝt aȝeins þe Scottes; and Sir Iohn, þe Erles broþer of Henaud, from byȝonde þe see, come forto helpe Kyng Edward, and brouȝt wiþ him v C men of Armes, and arryuede at Douer; and þai hade leue forto gone forth til þat þai come vnto Ȝork, þere þat þe Kyng abode ham. and þe Scottes comen þider vnto þe Kyng forto make pees and accorde, but þe accordement bituene ham laste but a litel while. and at þat tyme þe Englisshe-men were cloþe alle in cotes & hodes, peyntede wiþ lettres & wiþ floures ful sembli, wiþ longe berdes; and þerfore þe Scotes made a bille þat was fastenede oppon þe cherche dores of Seint Peres toward Stangate. & þus saide þe Scripture in despite of the Englisshe-men Longe berde hertles, peyntede Hode witles, Gay cote graceles, makeþ Engl[i]ssheman þriftles.

And on þe Trinite day next comyng, biganne þe contak in þe citee of Ȝork bytuene þe Englisshemen and þe Henaudres. and in þat debate were quellede of þe Erldom of Nichole and Mordrede, iiijxx and after, þai wer buriede vnder a stone in Seynt Clementis cherche haw in Fossegate. And for enchesoun þat þe Henaudres come forto helpe þe Kyng, hir pees was criede, oppon payne of lif and lime. and in þat oþere Half, it was fonden by enquest of þe citee, þat þe Englisshe-men biganne þe debate.

Battle of Stanhope Park

[04 Aug 1327]. How þe Englisshe-men Stoppede þe Scottes in þe park of Stanhope, and How þai turnede aȝeyne into Scotland Capitulo CC xiiij.

And at þat tyme þe Scottes hade assemblede al her power, and come into Engeland, and quellede & robbede alle þat þai might tak, and brent and destroiede al þe North contre þrouȝ-out, til þai come to þe Parke of Stanhope in Wyredale: and þer þe Scottes helde ham in a busshement. But whe[n] þe Kyng hade herde þrouȝ certeyne aspieȝ wher þe Scottes were, anone right wiþ his host he bisegede þe forsaide park, so þat þe Scottes wiste neuer wher forto gon out, but onliche vnto her armes, and þai abiden in þe parke xv daies; and vitailes ham failede on euery side, so þat þai wer gretly empeyrede of her bodyes. And siþ þat Brut come ferst into Britaigne, vnto þis tyme, was neuer seyne seþenes so fair an host, what of Englisshemen and of Aliens, and of men on foot, whiche ordeyned ham forto feiȝt wiþ þe Scottes, þrouȝ egging of Sire Henry, Erl of Lancastr, and of Sir Iohn of Henaude, þat wolde haue gone ouer þe water of Wythe forto haue fouȝt wiþ þe Scottes; but Sir Roger of Mortymer consentede nouȝt þerto, for he hade priueliche tak mede of þe Scottes, ham forto helpe, þat þai myght wende aȝeyne into hir owen contre. And þe same Mortymer counseilede miche Thomas of Broþerton, þat þe Erl Marchal, þat was Kyng Edwardes vncle, þat the orsaide Thomas shulde nouȝt assemble at þat tyme vnto þe Scottes; and he assentede; but he wiste nouȝt þe doyng bituene þe Scottes and þe forsaide Mortymer. and for enchesoun þat he was Marchal of Engeland, and to him perteynede euer þe vauntward, he sent hastely to þe Erl of Lancastre and to Sire Iohn of Henaude, þat þai shulde nouȝt feiȝt oppon þe Scottes, in preiudice and in harmyng of him and his fee, and if þai dede, þat þai shulde stande to her owen peril. and þe forsaide Erl Marchal was al aredy wiþ his bataile at þe redose of þe Erl of Lancastre forto haue fouȝten wiþ him and wiþ his folc, if he hade meuede forto feiȝt wiþ þe Scottes. and in þis maner he was desceyuede, and wiste no maner þinge of þis tresoun and þus was þe Kyng Principaly desceyuede.

And when it was nyȝt Mortymer, þat hade þe wacche forto kepe of þe host, þat nyght destourblede þe wacche þat noþing most be done. and in þe meny-while þe Scottes stele by nyȝt toward her owen contre, as fast as þai myght; and so was þe Kyng falsely desceyuede & bitraiede, þat wende þat alle þe traitoures of his land had bene brouȝt vnto and ende, as it was saide bifore. Now here, ȝe lordes, how traterousely Kyng Edward was desceyuede, and how mervailously and boldely þe Scottes dede of werr; ffor þe same nygh[t] Iames Douglas, wiþ CC men of Armes, ryden þrouȝ-out þe host of Kyng Edward, þe same nyght þat þe Scottes were scapede toward her owen contre, as is a aboue [said], til þat þai comen to þe Kyngus Pauylon, and quellede þere men in her beddes; and criede somme "Noward, Noward!" and anoþere tyme, "A Douglas, A Douglas!" wherfore the Kyng, þat was in his pauyloun, and miche oþer folc, were wonder sore afraiede; but, —blessede be Almyghty God!—þe Kyng was nouȝt taken; and in grete perile was þo þe reaume of Engeland. And þat nyght the mone shone ful clere and briȝt; and for al þe Kyngus men, þe Scottes ascapede harmeles. and in þe morwe, when þe Kyng wist þat þe Scottes were ascapede, he was wonder sory, and ful hertly wepte wiþ his ȝonge eyne; and ȝitt wist he nouȝt who had done him þat tresoun; but þat tresoun was wel knowe a gode while after, as þe story telleþ. The Kyng Edward come þo aȝeyne vnto Ȝork, ful sorweful, and his hoste departede, and euery man went into his owen contre wiþ ful heuy and mornyng semblant. and þe Henaude toke her leue, and went into her owen contre; and þe Kyng, for her trauaile, hugely ham rewarded, and for enchesoun of þat viage, þe Kyng had despended miche of his tresour, and wastede.

And in þat tyme wer seyne ij mones in þe firmament: þat on was clere, and þat oþer was derc, þat men myȝt hit þo see þ[r]ouȝout al þe worlde. and Grete debate was þat same tyme aȝeyn þe Pope Iohn þe xxij after þat Seynt Petre was Pope, and þe Emperoure of Almaigne, þat made him Emperour aȝeins þe Popes wille, þat þo helde his see at Avy[n]oun; wherfore þe Emperour made his crie at Rome, and ordeynede anoþer Pope þat hight Nicholas, þat was a ffrer menour; and þat was aȝeynes þe right of holy cherch, wherfore he was cursede; and þe power of þat oþer Pope sone was laide; and for encheson þat soche mervailes were seyne, men saide þat þe wor[l]de was neiȝ at an ende.

Death of King Edward II

[21 Sep 1327]. Of þe deþ of Kyng Edward of Carnaruan, sometyme Kyng of Engeland.

And now let us return again to Sir Edward of Carnarvon, who was once King of England and was deposed from his dignity, alas, for his tribulation! And sorrow befell him through the false counsel that he believed and trusted in too much, which was afterward destroyed through their falseness, as God willed. And this Edward of Carnarvon was in the castle of Berkeley, under the keeping of Sir Maurice of Berkeley and of Sir John of Mautravers, and to them he made his complaint of his sorrow and distress; and oftentimes he asked his wardens what he had trespassed against Lady Isabel his wife, and Sir Edward his son, who had newly been made King, that they would not visit him. [Then one of his wardens answered him] 'My worthy lord, do not be displeased by what I shall tell you; the reason is that they have been made to understand that, if my Lady your wife were to come anywhere near you, you would strangle and kill her, and likewise that you would do the same to my lord your son.' Then he answered with a simple expression and said: 'Alas, alas! Am I not in prison, and entirely at your own will? Now God knows, I never thought of it; and now I wish that I were dead! So would God that I were! For then all my sorrow would be passed.'

And now [go] we aȝeyne vnto Sir Edward of Carnaruan, þat was some-tyme Kyng of Engeland, and was put adoune of his dignite, allas for his tribulacioun! and sorwe him bifelle þrouȝ false consel þat he leuede, & truste oppon ham to miche, þat afterward was destroyede þrouȝ her falsenesse, as God wolde. And þis Edward of Carnaryuan was in þe castel of Berkele, vnder þe kepyng of Sir Morice of Berkeley and of Sire Iohn of Mautrauers and to ham he made his compleynt of his sorwe and of his disese; and oftetymes he axede of his wardeyns what he hade tressepassede aȝeins Dame Isabel his wif, and Sir Edward his sone, þat was new made Kyng, þat þai wolde nouȝt visite him. [þo ansuerede one of his wardenes] "My worþi lord, displese ȝow nouȝt þat y shal ȝow telle; þe enchesoun is, for it is done ham to vnderstonde þat, if my Lady ȝour wif come eny þing neiȝ ȝow, þat þe wolde her strangle and quelle, and al so þat ȝe Wolde do to my Lord ȝor Sone." þo ansuerede he wiþ simple chere, and saide: "allas, allas! am y nouȝt in prisoun, and all at ȝour owen wille? Now God it wote, y þouȝt it neuer; and now y wolde þat y were dede! so wolde God þat y were! for þan were al my sorwe passede.

It was not long after that the King, through the counsel of Mortimer, granted the ward and keeping of Sir Edward his father to Sir Thomas Gourney and to the aforementioned Sir John Mautravers, through the King’s letter, and entirely removed the aforementioned Sir Maurice from the ward of the King. And they took him and led him to the castle of Corfe, which the King hated as much as death, and they kept him there safely until it came to St. Matthew’s Day in September [21st], in the year of Grace 1327, when the aforementioned Sir Roger Mortimer sent instructions on how and in what manner he should be put to death. And as soon as the aforementioned Thomas and John had seen the letter and the command, they made King Edward of Carnarvon good cheer and good company, as best they could at supper, and the King suspected nothing of their treachery. And when it was time to go to bed, the King went to his bed and lay down and slept deeply. And as the King lay sleeping, the traitors, false and forsworn against their oaths and loyalty, came secretly into the King’s chamber with their company. They laid a huge table upon his stomach, and with men pressed and held down the four corners of the table upon his body. With that, the good man awoke and was terribly afraid of being killed there, and turned his body upside down. Then the false tyrants, like mad traitors, took a horn and placed it into his anus as deep as they could, and took a copper rod, burning hot, and put it through the horn into his body, and rolled it around inside him many times, thus killing their lord without leaving a visible mark. Afterward, he was buried at Gloucester.

Hit was nouȝt longe after þat þe Kyng, þrouȝ conseil of þe Mortymer, grantede þe ward and þe kepyng of Sire Edward his fader, to Sire Thomas Toiourneye and to þe forsaide Sir Iohn Mautrauers, þrouȝ þe Kyngus lettre, and put out holliche þe forsaide Sir Morice, of þe warde of þe Kyng. and þai tok and lad him to þe castel of Corf, þe whiche castel þe Kyng hatede as eny deþ and þai kepte him þere safly til þat it come to Seint Matheus day in Septembre [21st], in þe ȝere of Grace Ml CCC xxvij, þat þe forsaide Sir Roger Mortymer sent þe maner of þe deþ, how and in what maner he shulde be done to deþ. And anone as þe forsaide Thomas and Iohn Hade seyne þe lettre and þe commandement, þai maden Kyng Edward of Carnaruan gode chere and gode solace, as þai myght atte þat soper; and noþing þe Kyng wiste of her traitoureȝ. And when tyme was forto gone to bed, þe Kyng went vnto his bed, and laye, and slepte faste. And as þe Kyng lay and slepte, þe traitoures, false forsuorne aȝeins her homage and her feaute, come priueliche into þe Kyngus chaumbre, and her company wiþ Ham, and Laiden an Huge table oppon his Wombe, and wiþ men pressede and helde fast adoune þe iiij corners of þe table oppon his body: wherwiþ þe gode man awoke, and was wonder sore adrade to bene dede þere, and slayn, and turnede his body opsadoun. þe tok þe false tirauntȝ, and as wode traitoures, an horne, and put hit into his fundement as depe as þai might, and toke a spete of Copur brennyng, & put hit & þrouȝ þe horne into his body, and ofte tymes rollede þerwiþ his bowailes; and so þai quellede here Lorde, þat noþing was perceyuede; and after, he was enterede at Gloucestr.