The oth of the iustices. The king caused these iustices to sweare vpon the holie euangelists, that they should kéepe his assises which he first had ordeined at Clarendon, and after had renewed here at Northampton, & also caused all his subiects within the relme of England to kéepe and obserue the same.
Ger. Dor. Moreouer at this councell, king Henrie restored vnto Robert earle of Leicester all his lands, both on this side the sea, and beyond, in maner as he held the same fiftéene daies before the warre. To William de Albenie earle of Arundell, he gaue the earledome of Sussex. About midlent, the king with his sonne and the legat came to London, where at Westminster a conuocation of the cleargie was called, but when the legat was set, and the archbishop of Canturburie on his right hand as primat The presumptuous demeanor of ye archbishop of Yorke. of the realme, the archbishop of Yorke comming in, and disdaining to sit on the left, where he might séeme to giue preheminence vnto the archbishop of Canturburie (vnmanerlie inough indeed) swasht him downe, meaning to thrust himselfe in betwixt the legat, and the archbishop of Canturburie. And where belike the said archbishop of Canturburie was loth to remooue, he set his buttocks iust in his lap, but he scarslie touched the archbishops skirt with his bum, when the bishops and other chapleins with their seruants stept to him, pulled him away, and threw him to the ground, and beginning to lay on him with bats and fists, the archbishop of Canturburie yeelding good for euill, sought to saue him from their hands. Thus was verified in him that sage sentence,
Pub. Mim. Nunquam periculum sine periculo vincitur.
The archbishop of Yorke with his rent rochet got vp, and awaie he went to the king with a great complaint against the archbishop of Canturburie: but when vpon examination of the matter the truth was knowne, he was well laught at for his labour, and "that was all the remedie he got. As he departed so bebuffeted foorth of the conuocation house towards the king, they cried out vpon him; Go traitor that diddest betray that holy man Thomas, go get thee hence, thy hands yet stinke of bloud." The assemblie was by this meanes dispersed, and the legat fled and got him out of the waie, as he might with shame enough, which is the common panion and waiting-woman of pride, as one verie well said,
Pub. Mim. Citò ignominia fit superbi gloria.
Appeales made. After this, followed appealings, the archbishop of Yorke appealed to Rome, and the legat also for his owne safegard appealed the archbishop of Canturburie vnto Rome, which archbishop submitting himselfe and his cause vnder the popes protection, made a like solemne appeale from the legat to the pope. The legat perceiuing that the matter went otherwise than he wished, and séeing little remedie to be had at that present, gaue ouer his legatship as it had béene of his owne accord, though greatlie against his will, and prepared himselfe to depart. Neuerthelesse, through mediation of fréends that tooke paines betwixt them, they gaue ouer their appeales on either side, and dissembled the The conuocation dissolued. displeasures which they had conceiued either against other, but yet the conuocation was dissolued for that time, and the two archbishops presented their complaints to the king, who kept his Easter this yeare at Winchester, and about the same time or shortlie after, licenced his sonne Henrie to saile ouer into Normandie, meaning shortlie after to go vnto Compostella in Spaine, to visit the bodie of saint James the apostle, but beeing otherwise aduised by his fathers letters, he discontinued his purpose and staied at home.
The same yeare, the ladie Johan the kings daughter was giuen in marriage vnto William king of Sicill. Also the same yeare died the lord cheefe N. Triuet. iustice of Ireland, Robert earle of Striguill otherwise Chepstow, then was William Fitzaldelme ordeined lord cheefe iustice in his place, who R. Houed. N. Triuet. seized into the kings hands all those fortresses which the said earle of Striguill held within the realme of Ireland. The Irishmen also paied to A tribut grāted by the Irish. the king a tribute of twelue pence yearelie for euerie house, or else for euery yoke of oxen which they had of their owne. William earle of Arundell died also this yeare at Wauerley, and was buried at Wimondham.
R. Houed. This yeare, when it might haue beene thought that all things were forgotten touching the rebellious attempts made against king Henrie the father by his sons, and other (as before ye haue heard) he caused the The wals of the towne and castell of Leicester raced. wals both of the towne and castell of Leicester to be raced and all such castels and places of strength as had béene kept against him during the time of that rebellion, to be likewise ouerthrowne and made plaine with the ground, as the castels of Huntington, Waleton, Growby, Hey, Stutesbirrie or Sterdesbirrie, Malasert, the new castell of Allerton, the castels of Fremingham and Bungey, with diuers other both in England and Normandie. But the castels of Pascie, and Mountsorell he reteined in his owne hands as his of right, being so found by a iurie of fréeholders impanelled there in the countrie; further he seized into his hands all the other castels of bishops, earles and barons, both in England and Normandie, appointing keepers in them at his pleasure. This yeare also Elinor the kings daughter married to the king of Castile. he married his daughter Elianor vnto Alfonse king of Castile.
Gilbert Fitz Fergus. Moreouer, Gilbert the sonne of Fergus lord of Galloway, who had slaine his brother Uthred coosen to king Henrie, came this yeare into England, vnder conduct of William king of Scotland, and became king Henrie the fathers man, swearing fealtie to him against all men: and to haue his loue and fauour gaue him a thousand marks of siluer, and deliuered into his hands his son Duncane as a pledge. It is to be remembred also, that Richard earle of Poictow. in this yeare Richard earle of Poictow sonne to king Henrie, fought with certeine Brabanders his enimies betwixt S. Megrine and Buteuille, where he ouercame them.
¶ Here I haue thought good to aduertise the reader, that these men of war, whom we haue generallie in this part of our booke named Brabanders, we find them written in old copies diuerslie, as Brebazones, Brebanceni, and Brebationes, the which for so much as I haue found them by the learned translated Brabanders, and that the French word somewhat yeeldeth thereto, I haue likewise so named them: wherein whether I haue erred or not, I must submit mine opinion to the learned & skilfull searchers of such points of antiquities. For to confesse in plaine truth mine ignorance, or rather vnresolued doubt herein, I can not satisfie my selfe with any thing that I haue read, whereby to assure my coniecture what to make of them, although verelie it may be, and the likelihood is great, that the Brabanders in those daies for their trained skill and vsuall practise in warlike feats, wan themselues a name, whereby not onelie those that were naturallie borne in Brabant, but such also as serued amongst them, or else vsed the same warlike furniture, order, trade and discipline, which was in vse among them, passed in that age vnder the name of Brabanders. Or else I must thinke, that by reason of some od kind of habit or other speciall cause, a certeine sort of souldiers purchased to themselues the priuilege of that name, so to be called Brabanceni or Brebationes (whether ye will) as hath chanced to the Lansquenetz and Reisters in our time, and likewise to the companions Arminaes and Escorchers in the daies of our forefathers, and as in all ages likewise it hath fortuned amongst men of warre. Which if it so chanced to these Brabanceni, I know not then what countriemen to make them: for as I remember, Marchades that was a chiefe leader of such souldiers as were knowne by that name (as after ye shall heare) is reported by some authors to be a Prouancois.