Strangers kéepe the castell of Windsore.
The king although these conditions séemed verie hard and displeasant to his mind, yet was he driuen to such an extremitie that he granted to accept them, and so an agréement was made and had betwixt him and the lords. But now all the difficultie was to appease the lord Edward, and to remooue the strangers which he had placed in the castell of Windsore, which they had not onelie fortified, but also in manner destroied the towne, and doone much hurt in the countrie round about them. There were to the number of an hundred knights or men of armes (as I may call them) beside a great number of other men of warre. But now after that the king had agréed to the peace, the barons entred the citie on the sundaie before S. Margarets daie; and shortlie after the king came to Westminster with the quéene, and those of his councell. And immediatlie herevpon, by consent of the king and the barons, sir Hugh Spenser was made chéefe iustice and kéeper of the tower. During the time that the lords remained in London, manie robberies and riots were doone within the citie, and small redresse had in correcting the offendors, they were so borne out and mainteined by their maisters and others.
The great disorder in the citie of London.
Abington.
Nic. Treuet.
The commons of the citie were farre out of order, for in the assemblies and courts, as well at Guildhall as in other places, the matters and iudgement of things went by the voices of the simple and vndiscréet multitude, so that the substantiall and worshipfull citizens were not regarded. The barons on the morrow following the feast of saint Iames, departed from London toward Windsore, in which meane while prince Edward was gone to Bristow, & there thinking himselfe to be out of danger, by mishap there rose variance betwixt the citizens & his men, so that the whole citie reuolted from him, and prepared to besiege him in the castell, not doubting but easilie to win it. When he saw how the world went, he sent to the bishop of Worcester that was of the barons side, promising that he would agrée with the barons, if he would helpe to deliuer him out of the Bristow mens hands. The bishop taking his promise conueied him foorth in safetie toward the court; but when he came néere vnto Windsore, he turned thither, greatlie to the misliking of the bishop: yet neuerthelesse when the barons came forward to besiege that castle, the lord Edward met them not farre from Kingston, offering them conditions of peace. Some write that he was staied and not suffered to returne againe to Windsore, after he had ended his talke with the barons: but howsoeuer it was, the castell was surrendred, with condition that those that were within it should safelie depart, and so they did, and were conducted to the sea by Humphrey de Bohun the yoonger. ¶ About the same time, Leolin prince of Wales destroied the lands of prince Edward in Cheshire, and the marshes thereabouts. The two castels of Disard and Gannoc he tooke and destroied, being two verie faire fortresses.
A parlement.
Abington.
The kings protestation against the articles at Oxenford.
About the feast of the Natiuitie of our ladie, there was a parlement holden at London, at the which all the nobles of the realme both spirituall and temporall were present; and then the citie of London, and the cinque ports ioined in league as confederats with the barons: but the king plainly protested before all the assemblie, that by the statutes and prouisions (as they termed them) made at Oxenford, he was much deceiued. For contrarie to that which the barons had promised, he felt himselfe rather charged with more debt than anie thing reléeued: and therefore sith he had obteined of the pope an absolution of the oth both for himselfe and his people, his request was to be restored vnto his former estate of all such prerogatiues as in time past he had inioied. The barons on the other side stiffelie mainteined, that they could not with safe consciences go against their oth, and therefore they meant to stand in defense of the articles aforesaid euen so long as they had a daie to liue.