1424
An. Reg. 4.
Memorandum, the seauenth daie of March in the fourth yeare of our souereigne lord the king, Henrie the sixt, the high and mightie prince Humfrie duke of Glocester at the reuerence of God, and for the good of the king our souereigne lord in this land, & namelie at the reuerence, and especiallie at the request and praier of the mightie and high prince my lord of Bedford his brother, agréed him to put, and putteth all maner matters and quarels indéed, with all their incidents, circumstances, dependents and connexes that touchen him and his person, that he hath in anie wise doo, or féeleth himselfe gréeued or heauie against my lord his vncle, my lord of Winchester: or else that my lord of Winchester findeth him agréeued against him, in as much as they touch him or his person from the beginning of the world vnto this daie, in the aduise, ordinance and arbitrement of the worthie father in God, Henrie archbishop of Canturburie, the high and noble prince Thomas duke of Excester, and Iohn duke of Norffolke, the worshipful father in God Thomas bishop of Duresme, Philip bishop of Worcester, Iohn bishop of Bath, the noble lord Humfrie earle of Stafford, the worshipfull persons maister William Alnewicke kéeper of the kings priuie seale, and Rafe lord Cromwell, promising and behighting by the faith of his bodie, & word of his princehood and kings sonne, to doo, kéepe, obserue, and fulfill for him and his behalfe, all that shall be declared, ordeined, and arbitrated, by the foresaid archbishop, dukes, bishops, earle, kéeper of the priuie seale, and lord Cromwell in all matters and quarels abouesaid.
Granting also and promising ouer that, to be comprehended in the foresaid arbitrement, as toward putting awaie all heauinesses and displeasures, in anie wise conteined, by my lord of Glocester against all those that haue in anie wise assisted, counselled, or fauoured vnto his said vncle of Winchester, and as toward anie matters that be touching my lord of Glocester, remitteth it, and the gouernance thereof vnto the king & his councell, they to déeme it by the aduise of his councell, as him thinketh it to be doone. In witnesse of the which thing to this present compromise my said lord of Glocester hath subscribed his name with his owne hand: Humfreie Glocester. And in like forme my lord of Winchester in another compromise hath subscribed with his owne hand vnder the word of his priesthood, to stand at the aduise, ordinance, & arbitrement of the persons abouesaid, Mutatis mutandis.
A decrée or order taken by the kings councell for the pacifieng of the quarels and variances that were betwéene the duke of Glocester, and the bishop of Winchester.
The causes aforesaid and quarels by vs séene, heard, and diligentlie examined and decréed, by the assent of the said parties, ordeine and award, that my lords of Glocester and of Winchester, for any thing doone or spoken, by that one partie against that other, or by anie of theirs, or anie other person or persons, afore the seuenth daie of this present moneth of March, neuer hereafter take causes, quarels, displeasures, or heauinesses, that one against the other, ne neither against the counsellers, adherents, or fauourers of that other for anie thing or things that are past. And that my said lord of Glocester be good lord to my said lord of Winchester, & haue him in loue and affection as his kinsman & vncle. And that my said lord of Winchester haue to my said lord of Glocester true and sad loue and affection, doo and be readie to doo him such seruice as apperteineth of honestie to my said lord of Winchester and his estate to doo. And that each of them be good lord vnto all those adherents, counsellers, and fauourers of that other, and shew them at all times fauourable loue and affection, as for anie thing by them doone or said, before the seauenth daie of March.
And we decrée, ordeine, and award, that my said lord of Winchester, in the presence of the king our souereigne lord, my lord of Bedford, and my lord of Glocester, and the residue of the lords spirituall and temporall, and commons being in this this present parlement, saie and declare in maner and forme that followeth: My souereigne lord, I haue well vnderstand, that I am noised among the states of your land, how that the king our souereigne lord that was, at that time being prince, and lodged in the great chamber at Westminster, by the baieng of a spaniell, there was on a night taken behind a [5]tapet in the same chamber, a man, that should haue confessed, that he was there by mine excitation and procuring, to haue slaine the foresaid prince there in his bed; wherevpon he was sacked, and foorthwith also drowned in the Thames.
[5] Or hanging.
Furthermore, I am accused, how that I should haue stirred the king that last died, the time also that he was prince, to haue taken the gouernance of this realme, and the crowne vpon him, his father liuing the same time, being king. Through which language and noising, I féele my name and fame greatlie enblemished in diuerse mens opinions. Wherevpon, I take first God to my witnes, and after all the world, that I haue béene at all times, and am true louer, and true man, to you my souereigne lord, and shall be all my life. And also, I haue béene to my souereigne lord that was your father, all the time of his reigne, true man, and for such he tooke me, trusted me and cherished me to his liues end; and as I trust, no man will affirme the contrarie, nor neuer in my life procuring nor imagining death nor destruction of his person, ne assenting to any such thing, or like thereto, the time that he was king or prince, or else in other state.