The practise of a knight being chiefe iustice at the law to rid himselfe of life.
This yeare also, being verie troublesome, and the gouernement vncerteine, men were in great perplexities, & wist not what to doo. And among manie there was one speciallie to be remembred, who to rid himselfe out of these troubles, did deuise this practise: his name was sir William Haukesford knight, a man verie well learned in the lawes of the realme, and one of the chiefe iustices at the law: he dwelled at Annorie in Deuonshire, a gentleman of great possessions, and hauing neuer a sonne, the lord Fitz Warren, sir Iohn Sentleger, & sir William Bulleine, who maried his daughters, were his heires. This man being one of the chiefest lawiers in the land, was dailie sought to and his councell asked: and he considering that when the sword ruled, law had a small course, and finding by experience what fruits insue such counsell as dooth not best like the parties, was verie heauie, sorrowfull, and in great agonies.
An vniust or surmised charge of the knight against the kéeper of his parke.
Herevpon suddenlie he called vnto him the keeper of his parke, with whom he fell out and quareled, bicause (as he said) he was slothfull and careles, and did not walke in the nights about the parke, but suffered his game to be spoiled and his deere to be stolen, wherefore he willed him to be more vigilant and carefull of his charge, and also commanded him that if he met anie man in his circuit and walke in the night time, and would not stand nor speake vnto him, he should not spare to kill him what so euer he were. This knight, hauing laid this foundation, and minding to performe what he had purposed for the ending of his dolefull daies, did in a certeine darke night secretlie conueie himselfe out of his house, and walked alone in his parke. Then the kéeper in his night walke hearing one stirring and comming towards him, asked who was there? but no answer was made at all.
The kéeper killeth his maister the knight with an arrow.
Then the keeper willed him to stand, which when he would not doo, the kéeper nocked his arrow and shot vnto him, and killed him; who when he perceiued that it was his maister, then he called to remembrance his maisters former commandement. And so this knight, otherwise learned and wise, being affraid to displease man, did displease God, and verie disorderlie ended his life. It is inrolled amongst the records of this citie, of a commission directed to Iohn earle of Deuonshire, & from him sent to the maior of the citie of Excester to be proclamed. The words be these: Decimoquarto die Aprilis, vz. in vigilia Paschæ, An. 49. Hen. 6. commissio domini regis directa Iohanni comiti Deuon. missa est maiori vt proclamaretur. And likewise in an other place: Quatuor marcæ sunt solutæ Iohanni comiti Deuon. ex assensu maioris.
Howbeit, certeine it is there was no such earle of that name, onelie there was Iohn Holland then liuing duke of Excester, wherefore something is mistaken herein.
Abr. Flem.
But was this a practise (thinke you) beséeming a man of worship, learning, and iudgement, to make awaie himselfe, bicause he saw a temporall interruption of his prosperitie? Suerlie how much learning so euer he had in the lawes of the land, litle at all or none (as appeareth) had he in suffering the forces of aduersitie, whom the feare of it did so terrifie, that it droue him to his end. Wise therefore is the counsel of the comedie-writer, and worthie of imitation, that a man, when he is in best case and highest degrée of welfare, should euen then meditate with himselfe how to awaie with hardnesse, with penurie, perils, losse, banishment, and other afflictions: for so shall he prepare himselfe to beare them with patience when they happen: as souldiers trained vp in militarie exercises at home, are so much the forwarder for the field, & fitter to incounter their foes (with lesse dread of danger) when they come abroad to be tried: and therefore it is wiselie (& to the purpose) said of Virgil:
Aeneid. 5.