The lord Camois arreigned & acquited. The lord Camois was arreigned the last of October, before Edmund earle of Kent that daie high steward of England, and by his péeres acquit of the offense, whereof he had beene indicted (as before yee haue heard) and so dismissed at the barre, was restored againe both to his goods, lands, and offices. ¶ This yeare the winter was excéeding sharpe through frost and snow that continued & couered the ground by all the moneths of December, Ianuarie, Februarie, and March, insomuch that thrushes, blackbirds, and manie thousand birds of the like smaller size, perished with verie cold and hunger.
1408.
———— The earle of Northumberland, and the lord Bardolfe, after they had béene in Wales in France and Flanders, to purchase aid against king Henrie, were returned backe into Scotland, and had remained there now for the space of a whole yeare: and as their euill fortune would, whilest the king held a councell of the nobilitie at London, the said earle The earle of Northumb. & the lord Bardolfe returne into Englād. of Northumberland and lord Bardolfe, in a dismall houre, with a great power of Scots returned into England, recouering diuerse of the earls castels and seigniories, for the people in great numbers resorted vnto them. Héerevpon incouraged with hope of good successe, they entred into Yorkeshire, & there began to destroie the countrie. At their cōming to Threske, they published a proclamation, signifieng that they were come in comfort of the English nation, as to reléeue the common-wealth, willing all such as loued the libertie of their countrie, to repaire vnto them, with their armor on their backes, and in defensible wise to assist them.
The king aduertised hereof, caused a great armie to be assembled, and came forward with the same towards his enimies: but yer the king came to Notingham, sir The shiriffe of Yorkeshire. Thomas, or (as other copies haue) Rafe Rokesbie shiriffe of Yorkeshire, assembled the forces of the countrie to resist the earle and his power, comming to Grimbaut brigs, beside Knaresborough, there to stop them the passage; but they returning aside, got to Weatherbie, and so to Tadcaster, and finallie came forward vnto Bramham more, neere to Haizelwood, where they chose their ground méet to fight His hardie corage to fight. vpon. The shiriffe was as readie to giue battell as the earle to receiue it, and so with a standard of S. George spred, set fiercelie vpon the earle, who vnder a standard of his owne armes incountered his aduersaries with great manhood. There was a sore incounter and cruell conflict betwixt the parties but in the end the victorie fell to the shiriffe. The lord Bardolfe was taken, but sore wounded, so The earle of Northumberland slaine. that he shortlie after died of the hurts. ¶ As for the earle of Northumberland, he was slaine outright: so that now the prophesie was fulfilled, which gaue an inkling of this his heauie hap long before; namelie, Abr. Fl. out of Tho. Walsin. Hypod. pag. 172
Stirps Persitina periet confusa ruina.
For this earle was the stocke and maine root of all that were left aliue called by the name of Persie; and of manie more by diuerse slaughters dispatched. For whose misfortune the people were not a little sorrie, making report of the gentlemans valiantnesse, renowne, and honour, and applieng vnto him certeine lamentable verses out of Lucane, saieng;
Sed nos nec sanguis, nec tantùm vulnera nostri Affecere senis; quantum gestata per vrbem Ora ducis, quæ transfixo deformia pilo Vidimus.
For his head, full of siluer horie heares, being put vpon a stake, was openlie carried through London and set vpon the bridge of the same citie: in like maner was the lord Bardolfes. The bishop of Bangor was taken and pardoned by the king, for that when he was apprehended, he had no armor on his backe. This battell was fought the ninteenth day of Februarie. ¶ The king to purge the North parts of all rebellion, and to take order for the punishment of those that were accused to haue succoured and assisted the earle of Northumberland, went to Yorke, where when manie were condemned, and diuerse put to great fines, and the countrie brought The abbat of Hails hanged. to quietnesse, he caused the abbat of Hailes to be hanged, who had béene in armour against him with the foresaid earle.
The earle of Kent sent to the sea. In the beginning of March, the king sent Edmund Holland earle of Kent with an armie of men imbarked in certeine ships of warre vnto the sea, bicause he had knowledge that diuerse rouers were wafting about the coasts of this land, and did much hurt. When the earle had serched the coasts, and could meet with no enimie abrode, he was aduertised by espials, that the pirats hearing of his comming to sea were withdrawne into Britaine: wherefore the said earle intending to be reuenged on them, whome he sought, directed his course thither, and finding that they had laid vp their ships in the hauens, so as he could not fight with them by sea, he lanched out his boates, and with his fierce souldiers tooke land, and manfullie Briake in Britaine assaulted by the Englishmen.
The earle of Kent woūded to death. assaulted the towne of Briake standing by the sea side. They within stoutlie defended themselues, dooing their best to repell the Englishmen, with throwing darts, casting stones, and shooting quarels; in which conflict the earle receiued a wound in his head, so that he died thereof within fiue daies after.
Briake taken by force. The Englishmen not dismaied with his death, but the more desirous to obteine their purpose, continued their assaults, till by fine force they entered the towne, set it on fire, and slue all that made resistance; and after for want of a generall to command what should be doone, they being pestered with preies and prisoners, returned into England. ¶ The countesse of Kent that was daughter (as yée haue heard) to Bernabo viscont lord of Millaine, hauing no issue by hir husband, was now mooued by the king after hir husbands death, to marrie with his bastard brother the earle of Dorset, a man verie aged and euill visaged; wherevpon she The countes of Kent maketh hir owne choise of hir second husband. misliking him, meant rather to satisfie hir owne fancie, and therefore chose for hir husband Henrie Mortimer, a goodlie yoong bacheller, by whome she had issue a daughter named Anne, married to sir Iohn Awbemond.
This yeare, the next daie after the feast daie of Marie Magdalen, in a councell A disputation betwixt diuines of Oxford & Cambridge for their obediēce to the pope. holden at London by the cleargie, the doctors of the vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxenford being there, with the rest assembled, debated the matter, whether they ought to withdraw from the pope, paiments of monie, and their accustomed obedience, considering that contrarie to his word and promise so solemnlie made, and with an oth confirmed, he withdrewe himselfe from the place where he (according to couenants) should haue béene present, to aduance an agréement and concord in the church. ¶ Vpon the euen of the Natiuitie of our ladie, there chanced such flouds through abundance of raine, as the like had not béene séene afore by anie An. Reg. 10.
The cardinal of Burges cōmeth into England in disfauor of pope Gregorie. man then liuing. Also about the feast of All saints, the cardinal of Burges came into England, to informe the king and the cleargie of the inconstant dealing of pope Gregorie, in like maner as he had informed the French king and the Frenchmen, to the end that he might persuade both these kings which were accounted the chéefe in christendome, to put vnto their helping hands, that the same pope Gregorie might be induced to obserue and performe that oth, which he had receiued, so as by the roiall authoritie of those two kings, concord might be had in the church. The French king (as this cardinall alleged) following the aduise of the learned men of the vniuersities of Paris, Bologna, Orleans, Tholouse, and Montpellier, to auoid The resolutiō of the French king concerning the two popes. the danger of fauouring schisme, determined to obeie neither the one nor the other that contended for the papasie, vntill peace and concord might be restored in Christes church. The king vnderstanding the purpose of the cardinall, shewed him what courtesie might be deuised, offering to beare his charges, so long as it pleased him to remaine in England, and promising him to consider aduisedlie of the matter.