London and the Kingdom - Volume 3 / A History Derived Mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the Custody of the Corporation of the City of London.

by Reginald R. Sharpe

Letter Book K, fo. 55b.

Right worshipful & ryght mighti lord we recomaunde us to your gret lordsship & noble grace in as humble maner as we can or ought Thankyng it fro þe deppest of our hertis of þe gentill lettres writene at Yenvile þe v day of Septembre last þ^t ye liked to sende us be your herauld.... Which lettres after the resceit of hem whith dhue reverence And after þat thei were publisshed and redde to fore þe Commens of þis Cite putte us all in singler comfort & Joye because of þe fervent & special desir we hadde afore to here comfortable tidynges of your good spede and welfare. And mekely we þanke our lord of heven for þe gret & greüx oevre þat it liked hym to sende you of his mercy so sone after youre First comyng at þis tyme in to þo parties as your seid lettres make noble mencioun Beseching hym of his infinit pite continue & encrese it to his plesaunce. Right worshipful & ryght mighty lord of þat þ^t it liketh youre high lordship so favorably to wryte & desire in yo^r seyd lettres to here & know of oure welfare & offre us your good lordship in tyme comyng plese it yow to wite þat þe sayd Cite is in gret pees tranquillite & good accorde and we þat are þe simple governors þerof in good hele & disposicõn of our personnes blessed be god. And be cause we perceyve wel þat þis desire & ofre procedeth of your gret gentilesse & good grace & not of our merit ne desert so þ^t it excedeth incomparablich our puissaunce to recompense it be thankinges or ought elles. Therefore we pray to god þat is almyghti to acquite & guerdone it in stede of us. But we & suche service as we can do þough it be simple or mene of value shal ever be Dressed & apparailled to your plaisirs. Whiles we lyve God knoweth which of his endles grace kepe & preserve your noble lordship in alle þe actes of knyghthode to Hys plesaunche. Wrytten at London þe xii day of Octobre.

No. 14.

Letter from King Henry VI to the City asking for a loan of 10,000 marks. Dated Rouen, 10 Nov. [1430].

Letter Book K, fo. 84.

Trusty and welbeloved we grete yow wel and signiffie un to yow þat amonge alle þevident tokens of trewe affeccioun and of kyndenesse þat our sugettes of oure Roy^me of England hav shewed and shewen un to us for þavantyng forward of oure present voiage þe tender love and kynde acquitail of oure goode and trew cite of London bothe un to our progenitours of noble memoire in like cas, and al so un to us is noȝt owt of our remebrance but writen and wel emprinted þeryn for þe which we have and purpos to have our said citee as þe principalle and most notable of our said Roy^me and yow as our kynde and trewe suggettes þe moore specialy recommended and can yow singuler thank and as owre entencioun is to shew yow perseverance of goode lordship semblably we trust þat on yowre part ye wol put yow in yowre trewe dewire and kynde acquitaille un to us att alle tymes and namely at our nede as ye have wel done al weyes hedir toward and soþe hit is þat be cause of many costlew charges long to declare our necessitee is at þis tyme suche þat on lesse þan it be in short tyme releved suche inconveniences þat god defende been noȝt unlike to falle boþe til us and oures, as shuld be right displesant til alle oure trewe suggettes and to yow in special whom we wold entierly desirous of our welfare. Wherfore siþ we have founden yow redy and welwilling to chevese us of good at alle tymes ar þis, þat nede hape required, and oure necessitee is suche at þis tyme as was never gretter. We pray yow hertely and also right entierly, as ye desiere þe seurte of oure personne and þe wel and worship of boþe oure Roy^mes þat continuing un to us þe kynde tendirnesse in oure absence þat ye shewed un to us in oure presence ye wol at þis tyme make un to us a prest of x^ml marc repaiable at suche tyme and of seure repaiment as may bee accorded be twix our counsaille þer and yew of which chevance we trust ye wol not faille us consideryng þat þe said some may do us more ese and service in our present necessite þan perventure shuld þe double and muche more an oþer tyme whan þat whan þat [sic] our nede war lasse. To þe whiche loone we trust þat our personel beyng here among our enemyes in þis our tendir age shal muche þe more meve yow for to take yow nigh to serve oure desire. Wyting for certain and withouten dowte þat in perfourming at þis tyme of our prayer ye may do un to us soo notable and þanklewe service þat we wol wel considre hit in tyme comyng and be þe more enclined to shewe you favorable and good lordship. Wyting also þat we wold noȝt desire of yow þis charge as nowe be cause of þe charges þat ye have borne un to us ar þis, ner urgent and verray necessite required us þer to and our lord have yow in his kepyng. Yeven under our signet at our toun of Rouen þe x day of Novembre.

No. 15.

Letter from Cardinal Beaufort to Mayor, Sheriffs and Aldermen of the City informing them of his intention of returning to England. Dated Ghent, 13 April [1432].

Letter Book K, fo. 105.

My ryght trusty and with al myn herte entierly welbeloved frendis I grete yow wel as hertily as I can. Desiring evermore to knowe of the welfare and prosperite of yowe alle and of ech of yow and of al þ^e good commune of þe noble citee of þ^e which ye bee for my singuler joye and gladnesse. Biseching oure blessed lord evermor to give yow as good welfare as ye can desire and as I wold for my self. And wol ye wite þat nought wiþstanding divers adversitees þat I soeffre ayeinst Reson and gentilesse I hadde pourposed me to have goon to þe court of Rome to doo þ^e duetee þat loongeþ to myn astat trustyng always þat þe moost xr̃en prince my souverain lord of whos disposicioun I ne have noo doubte and also his wise counsail of his Royaume in engeland wel advised wolde have doon me Right and favour also al þing considered aswel in myn absence as yn my presence. Nevertheless as in to þis tyme I feele right littel or noon as me þenkeþ And þerfore nought wiþstanding þat oure holyfader haþ sent un to me for to come to hym in haste I wol leeve al þing for a tyme and retourne agein into engeland and bee þer yif god wol a boute þe bigynnyng of þis parlement to knowe þe causes why I am þus straungely demeened and declare my self as a man þat have nought deserved soo to be treted. Mi right trusty and wiþ al myn herte entierly welbeloved frendis I þanke yow wiþ al þentierness of my herte of youre good love favour and will wich I have ever founden in yow paying you of youre good continuance and douteth not ye schull þerinne doo to god plesance for he is al trouþ^e to þ^e Kyng my soverain lord noo trespas nor offence but to hym comen to more age which with goddis mercy shal in haste growe singuler plesir, and to your self worshipp. My right trusti and wiþ al myn herte entierly welbeloved frendis yef I can or may goodly eny thing doo to your ese ye certiffie me þerof as to hym þat to my trewe pouer wol faithfully parfourme hit right gladdly and wiþ al myn herte þat knoweþ our blessed lord whom I hertily beseche to have yow evermor in his gracioux proteccioun and keping. Written att þe good town of Gaunt þe xiii^e day of Averil.