A parlement.
Toward the latter end of Nouember, William earle Ferrers & of Derbie departed this life, a man of great yeares and long troubled with the gout, a iust man and a peaceable. The same moneth the countesse his wife died also, a woman of yeares, vertue and fame like to hir husband: Thomas Becket the archbishop of Canturburie did minister the priests office at their marriage. Their eldest sonne William succéeded his father in the earledome, a good man and a discréet, but vexed with the gout verie pitifullie, hauing that disease also as it were, by inheritance from his father. There died likewise other of the nobilitie, as Richard de Burgh, and William Fitz Ham. Beatrice the countesse of Prouance mother to the quéene and Thomas de Sauoy late earle of Flanders, came into England to visit the king and quéene and were honorablie receiued, and at their departure backe towards home, richlie rewarded. This yeare in the octaues of the Purification, a parlement was holden at London, where all the nobilitie of the realme in manner was present. There were nine bishops, as the archbishop of Yorke, with the bishops of Winchester, Lincolne, Norwich, Worcester, Chichester, Elie, Rochester and Carlell, with the earles of Cornewall, Leicester, Winchester, Hereford, Northfolke, Oxford, Lincolne, Ferrers, and Warwike, with Peter de Sauoy earle of Richmond, besides lords and barons. The archbishop of Canturburie was at the court of Rome, & the bishop of Duresme was letted by sicknesse.
A subsidie demanded.
Polydor.
Matth. Paris.
The king charged for his immoderate inriching of strangers.
The parlemēt proroged.
In this parlement king Henrie earnestlie required a subsidie, in reliefe of the great charges which he had diuerse waies susteined, wherevpon he was streightwaies by the péeres of the realme noted both of couetousnesse, vnthankfulnesse, and breach of promise, bicause he neuer ceassed gathering of monie, without regard had to his people: and where he had promised manie things, as that he would not be burdenous vnto them, and such like; he had performed verie little of those his gaie promises. Manie misdemeanors, and wrongfull dooings, to the gréeuance of his people were opened and laid before him, as cherishing and inriching of strangers, & vsing his prerogatiues too largelie, to the great decaie & hinderance of the common-wealth. The king abashed herewith, and supposing that the confession of his fault should make amends, & aswage the displesure which his Nobles and other had conceiued at his misgouernance, to content them all with one answer, he promised that he would reforme all that was amisse, and so quieting the minds of his barons, the parlement was proroged till the quindene of the natiuitie of S. Iohn Baptist. Wherein his prudence and wisedome was to be commended, but his patience deserueth excéeding great praise, whereby he shewed himselfe princelike-minded, in that he could tollerate the exprobation and casting of his faults in his face, euen by such as should rather haue concealed than disclosed them: wheras it had stood with his roialtie to haue giuen them the counterchecke, and in angrie mood to haue tamed their malapertnese: but that he prouidentlie considered that
——parit ira furorem,
Turpia verba furor, verbis ex turpibus exit
Rixa, ex hac oritur vulnus, de vulnere lethum:
——patientia virtus,
Qua quicúnq; caret, careat probitate necesse est.
Qui nil ferre potest, hominum commercia vitet.