AUTOGRAPH OF EDWARD OF LANCASTER, SON OF HENRY VI.
In the Museum of Antiquities of Rouen is preserved an original document, thus designated, "Lettre d'Edouard, Prince de Galles (1471)." It is kept under a glass case, and shown as "an undoubted autograph of the Black Prince," according to the testimony of the gentleman who has very obligingly placed a transcript of this interesting relic at my disposal. It is as follows:
"Chers et bons amis, nous avons entendu, que ung nostre homme lige subject, natif de nostre pays de Galles, est occupé et détenu es prisons de la ville de Diepe, pour la mort d'un homme d'icelle ville, dont pour le dict cas autres ont esté exécutez. Et pour ce que nostre dict subject estoit clerc, a esté et est encores en suspens, parce qu'il a esté requis par les officiers de nostre très cher et aimé cousin l'archevesque de Rouen, afin qu'il leur fut rendu, ainsi que de droict; pourquoy nous vous prions, que icelui nostre homme et subject vous veuillez bailler et delivrer aux gens et officiers de mon dict cousin, sans en ce faire difficulté. Et nous vous en saurons un très grant gré, et nous ferez ung essingulier plaisir. Car monseigneur le roy de France nous a autorisez faire grace en semblable cas que celui de mon dict subject, duquel desirons fort la delivrance. Escript à Rouen, le onziesme jour de Janvier.
(Signed) Eduard.
(Countersigned) Martin."
The error of assigning this signature to Edward the Black Prince is sufficiently obvious, and somewhat surprising, since we here have an undoubted, and, I believe, unique autograph of Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales, only son of Henry VI. by Margaret of Anjou. He was born at Westminster, October 13th, 1453, and was therefore, in January, 1471 (no doubt the true date of the document), in the eighteenth year of his age. He had sought refuge from the Yorkists, in France, with his mother, ever since the year 1462, and in the preceding July or August, 1470, had been affianced to Anne Neville, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Warwick. At the period when this
letter was written at Rouen, Margaret of Anjou was meditating the descent into England which proved so fatal to herself and son, whose life was taken away with such barbarity on the field at Tewksbury, in the month of May following. The letter is addressed, apparently, to the magistrates of Rouen or Dieppe, to request the liberation of a native of Wales (imprisoned for the crime of having slain a man), and his delivery to the officers of the Archbishop of Rouen, on the plea of his being a clerk. The prince adds, that he was authorised by the King of France (Louis XI.) to grant grace in similar cases. As the signature of this unfortunate prince is at present quite unknown in the series of English royal autographs, it would be very desirable that an accurate fac-simile should be made of it by some competent artist; and perhaps the art of photography might in this instance be most advantageously and successfully used to obtain a perfect copy of the entire document.
F. Madden.