The king about the beginning, or (as other saie) about the middle of Lent, held a parlement at Winchester, during the which, Edmund of Woodstoke earle of Kent the kings vncle was arrested the morrow after saint Gregories day, and being arreigned vpon certeine confessions and letters found about him, he was found giltie of treason. There were diuerse in trouble about the same matter, for the earle vpon his open confession before sundrie lords of the realme, declared that not onelie by commandement from the pope, but also by the setting on of diuerse nobles of this land (whome he named) he was persuaded to indeuour himselfe by all waies and meanes possible how to deliuer his brother king Edward the second out of prison, and to restore him to the crowne, whome one Thomas Dunhed, a frier of the order of preachers in London, affirmed for certeine to be aliue, hauing (as he himselfe said) called vp a spirit to vnderstand the truth thereof, and so what by counsell of the said frier, and of thrée other friers of the same order, he had purposed to worke some meane how to deliuer him, and to restore him againe to the kingdome. Among the letters that were found about him, disclosing a great part of his practise, some there were, which he had written and directed vnto his brother the said king Edward, as by some writers it should appeare.
1330.
Anno Reg. 4.
The earle of Kent beheaded.
Naughtie seruants bring their master into disfauour.
The bishop of London and certeine other great personages, whome he had accused, were permitted to go at libertie, vnder suerties taken for their good demeanour and foorth comming. But Robert de Touton, and the frier that had raised the spirit for to know whether the kings father were liuing or not, were committed to prison, wherein the frier remained till he died. The earle himselfe was had out of the castell gate at Winchester, and there lost his head the 19 day of March, chiefelie (as was thought) thorough the malice of the quéene mother, and of the earle of March: whose pride and high presumption the said earle of Kent might not well abide. His death was the lesse lamented, bicause of the presumptuous gouernement of his seruants and retinue, which he kept about him, for that they riding abroad, would take vp things at their pleasure, not paieng nor agréeing with the partie to whome such things belonged; in so much that by their meanes, who ought to haue doone their vttermost for the inlargement of his honour, he grew in greater obloquie and reproch: a fowle fault in seruants so to abuse their lords names to their priuat profit, to whome they cannot be too trustie. But such are to be warned, that by the same wherin they offend, they shall be punished, euen with seruants faithlesse to plague their vntrustinesse, for
Qui violare fidem solet, & violetur eidem.
The Blacke prince borne.
Croxden.
An eclipse.