Good orders and discipline instituted. There were also good orders deuised, both for the aduancement of Gods glorie, and the releefe of the common-wealth, as that no man should sweare in any outragious maner, that no man should plaie at cards, dice or tables, and that no maner of person after Easter should weare any costlie furs or cloth of scarlet, nor that men should vse to haue their tables serued with more than two dishes of meat at one meale, nor should haue their apparell cut, iagged, or laced: and further, that none of them should take any women foorth with them in this iourneie, except such a landresse, of whome there might not growe anie suspicion of wanton life. It was also ordeined, that the monie of such as died in this iournie, should go towards the finding and maintenance of their seruants and of poore people, and towards the aid of the christians in the holie land. Moreouer, the pope granted that all those that went foorth in this iournie, repenting and confessing their sinnes, should be The king returneth into England. absolued and pardoned of the same. The king hauing thus taken for his businesse in the parts on the further side the sea, came now ouer into England againe, landing at Winchelsey on a Saturday the thirtith day of A council holden at Gaitington. Ger. Dor. Januarie, and calling a councell togither at Gaitington, which is eight or nine miles from Northampton, he there declared what orders he had taken for his iournie into the holie land. Wherevpon the bishops of Norwich and Lincolne, and a great number of other people tooke vpon them the crosse at the preaching of the archbishop of Canturburie, and the bishop of Rochester.
A tenth leuied. This doone, king Henrie tooke order also for the leuieng of the tenth, as well here in England, as he had doone in the parts subiect to him on the further side the sea. He also sent Hugh bishop of Durham, and other both spirituall and temporall persons, vnto William king of Scots, to gather the tenth likewise within his countrie, but he met them betwixt The king of Scots. Wark and Brightham, and would not suffer them to enter into Scotland, but he offered to giue vnto the king of England in recompense of the tenths, and for to haue againe his castels, the summe of 5000. marks of siluer, which could not be accepted. The French king likewise gathered the tenths in his countrie towards this intended iournie. But by the The good meaning of the two kings disappointed. Polydor. working of some wicked spirit (as we may well thinke) which enuied the aduancement or the christian common-wealth, that good meaning of the two kings was broken and disappointed: for the peace latelie concluded betwixt them continued not long vnuiolated.
The French writers impute the fault thereof vnto English men, and the English writers laie it to French men. The French writers say, that earle Richard the son of king Henrie in breach of the league, made warre Reimond earle of Tholouze. vpon Reimond earle of Tholouze. The English writers reproue the French king as a wicked man, in that he should of purpose breake the peace and moue warre against king Heurie, to withdraw him from going to make warre against the Saracens, to the which enterprise, he was wholie bent and inclined. Such is the maner of manie writers, who more affectionat to the loue of their countrie than to the truth, doo not obserue the law of histories in their writings, but rather inueie one against another in a bralling and reprouing maner.
¶ Examples hereof are more than by any possibilitie may be remembred, and namelie for breuitie sake George Bucchanan in the 8. booke of his Scotish historie verie reprochfullie speaketh of Richard Grafton (a right reuerend man whiles he liued and of entier name also being dead) charging him with ignorance, and the report of a shamelesse lier. Whose case, bicause it is not so conuenient to be handled in this place as els * Where he shall be fellie & sufficientlie answered. where, we will remit to the reigne of* Edward the third, in whose time John Balioll was king of Scots, cleere him (as well as we can) from a Scotish slander. Another example also we haue, and that most notorious, of Gabriel Prateolus the Jesuit, who hauing neuer beene in England, nor yet vnderstanding the English toong, blusheth not to say that the translation of the English bible hath in it a thousand faults. O singular and insufferable impudencie, when men passe not what they vomit and cast vp out of a full gorge surfetting with malice and rancour! But what shall we say,
Horat. in art. poet. Omne superuacuum pleno de pectore manat.
Rog. Houed. The nobles of Poictou rebell against earle Richard. In deed (as Roger Houeden and other doo witnes) the foresaid earle Reimond, and also Aimer earle of Angolesme, Geffrey de Racon, and Geffrey de Lusignan, with the most part of all the nobles of Poictou, made warre against earle Richard, and he held tacke against them all, and in the end ouercame them. Amongst other of earle Reimonds part whom Peter Seille he tooke, was one Peter Seille, by whose counsell earle Reimond had taken diuerse merchants of Poictou that were subiects to earle Richard, & doone manie other displeasures to him and to his countrie, wherefore earle Richard kept this Peter in verie close prison, and would not put him to his ransome: in somuch that earle Reimond tooke two of the king of Englands knights, sir Robert Poer, and sir Richard Fraser, as they were returning from Compostella, where they had béene to visit the bodie of S. James, but they were quicklie set at libertie by the French kings commandement, for the reuerence of S. James whose pilgrims they were.
Erle Richard inuadeth the earle Tholouze lands. After this, earle Richard entred with a great armie into the lands of earle Reimond, wasted the same, and tooke by siege a castell of his situate néere vnto Tholouze, called Moisac: whereof the French king hearing, sent out of hand to the king of England, requiring to know if the damages doone by his sonne earle Richard vnto him & his people in Tholouze, were doone by his commandement, for the which he demanded restitution. Herevnto the king of England answered, that his sonne earle Richard did nothing in that behalfe, either by his knowledge or commandement: but that as he had signified to him by the archbishop of Dublin, what soeuer he did therin, was doone by the counsell of the French king himselfe.
Howsoeuer this matter went, certeine it is, that king Philip taking Annales de France. weapon in hand, vpon a sudden entred into Berrie, and tooke from king Henrie Chasteau Raoull, Brezancois, Argenton, Mountrichard, Mountresor, Vandosme, Leprose, Blanc en Berrie, Culan and Molignon. Wherfore king Henrie (who was at this[13] time in England about to prepare an armie to go Rog. Houed. The archbishop of Canturburie with the bishops of Chester, saith Ger. Dor. therewith into the holie land) when he heard thereof, with all spéed he sent Baldwin archbishop of Canturburie, and Hugh bishop of Durham ouer into France, to appease the French kings displeasure with courteous words and reasonable persuasions if it might be: but when that could not be brought to passe, he sailed ouer into Normandie himselfe, with an armie of Englishmen and Welshmen, landing with the same at Herflue the Ger. Dor. 10. daie of Julie, after he had beene sore tossed by a cruell tempest that rose as he was on the sea, to the great danger of his person, & all that were with him.
Now after his comming to land, he repaired vnto Alencon, increasing his power by gathering vp souldiers and men of warre out of Normandie and Chateau Roux it is called in the French annales: but ye chronicles of Aniou name it Chasteau Raoul, and rightlie as I thinke. other his countries on that side the sea. In the meane time his sonne Richard earle of Poictou entred into Berrie with a mightie armie, and the French king deliuering Chateau Raoull vnto the keeping of sir William de Berres returned into France, so that earle Richard spoiled and wasted the lands of those earls and barons which tooke the French part exceedinglie. The French king kept him as yet within France, and durst not come foorth now after the ariuall of king Henrie, but manie enterprises were atchiued by the capteines on both sides. Philip bishop of Beauuois inuading the frontiers of Normandie, burned Blangeuille, belonging to the earle of Augi, and the castell Albemarle (that belonged to William de Mandeuille, whereof he bare the title of earle) and wasted the countrie round about. The French king also came to the towne of Trow, and burned it, and tooke 40. men of armes there, but the castell he could not win. On the other part, Richard earle of Poictou tooke a Sergeants. strong place called Les Roches, beyond Trow towards Vandosme, with 25. men of armes, and 60. yeomen.
About this time king Henrie sent ambassadours vnto the French king, as Walter the archbishop of Rouen, John bishop of Eureux, and William Marshall, to require restitution for the damages doone to him and his people. And furthermore, that if the French king refused to make restitution, then had they in commandement to declare defiance against him. Wherevnto the French king answered, that he would not giue ouer to make warre till he had Berrie, and the countrie of Veuxin or Veulgesine wholie in his possession. Wherefore king Henrie with a mightie armie (on the tuesdaie after the feast of the decollation of S. John) entred into the realme of France, and burned manie townes and villages, approching the same day néere to the towne of Maunt, where the French king was thought to be. Now as it chanced, William de Berres and Drogo de Merlo encountred with Richard earle of Poictou and William de Mandeuille earle of Albemarle, so that William de Berres was taken by earle Richard, but by negligence of them that should haue taken héed to him, escaped awaie vpon his pages horsse. The morrow after also, earle Richard departed The Welshmen. from his father towards Berrie, and vpon the thursdaie the Welshmen burned manie villages, with the castell of Danuille that belonged to Simon Daneth, and tooke manie rich preies and booties. Also William Mandeuille earle of Albemarle burned a place called saint Clare, that was belonging vnto the demaine of the French king.