I sent you this rynge for a token.

To my feithefull and hartely belovid Cossen Kateryn Ryche at Stonor this letter be delyvered in

hast.

Stonor Letters and Papers

27.

ADAM OF EYNSHAME. Englished

c. 1480

The Monk awakes from his Vision How the monke came owte ageyne throw the same gate of paradyse. Ca. 181

T

HERFORE when y had seyn al these syghtys above seyde and many othyr innumerable, my lorde Sent Nycholas that hylde my by the hande seyde schortly thys to me. Loo sonne, he seyde, now a party aftyr thy peticion and grete desir thow haste seyne, and beholde the state of the worlde that ys to cumme as hyt myghte be to possible...

Of the swete pele and melodye of bellys that he herde in paradyse and also how he came to hym self ageyne

And whyle the holy confessour Sent Nycholas thys wyse spake yet with me, sodenly y herde ther a solenne pele and a rynggyng of a mervelus swetenes, and as al the bellys yn the worlde, or whatsumever ys of sownyng, had be rongen togedyr at onys. Trewly yn thys pele and rynging brake owte also a mervelus swetenes, and a variant medelyng of melody sownyd 26 medelyng) mingling

wyth alle. . . Sothly anone as that gret and mervelus sownnyng and noyse was cessyd, sodenly y saw myselfe departyd fro the swete feleschippe of my duke and leder Sent Nicholas. Than was y returnyd to myselfe ageyne, and anone y herd the voycis of my brethyrne that stode abowte our bedde; also my bodely strenthe cam ageyn to me a lytyl and a litil, and myn yes opinde to the use of seying as ye sawe ryghte wele... Ful delectable hyt was to hym, as he seyde, fro that tyme forthe, as ofte as he herde any solenne pele of ryngyng of bellys, bycause hyt wolde then cum to hys mynde ageyne, the ful swete pele and melody the whyche he herde when he was amonge the blessyd sowlys yn paradyse. Sothely aftyr that he was cum to hymselfe, and hys brethirne had tolde hym that now ys the holy tyme of Estyr, than fyrst he belevyd, when he herde hem rynge solenly to complen. For then he knew certenly that the pele and melodye that he herde yn paradyse wyth so grete ioy and gladnes betokynde the same solennyté of Estir yn the whyche owre blessyd lorde and sauyur Jesus Criste rose uppe visibly and bodely fro dethe onto lyfe, to whome wyth the Fadyr and the Holy Gooste be now and evermore everlastyng joy and blysse Amen.

The 1482 edition of William de Machlines

JOHN BOURCHIER, LORD BERNERS

28

IT

The Death of the Bruce

1467-1532

T fortuned that kyng Robert of Scotland was right sore aged, and feble; for he was greatly charged with the great sickenes, so that ther was no way with hym but deth. And whan he felte that his ende drew

nere, he sent for suche baronis & lordis of his realme as he trusted best; & shewed them, how there was no remedy with hym but he must nedes leue this transitory lyfe: Commaundyng them on the faith and trouth that they owed hym, truly to kepe the realme, and ayde the yong prince Dauid his sonne, and that whan he were of age, they shulde obey hym and crowne hym kyng, and to mary hym in suche a place as was conuenient for his estate. Than he called to hym the gentle knyght sir William Duglas, & sayde before all the lordes: Sir William my dere frend, ye knowe well that I haue had moche ado in my dayes to vphold and susteyne the ryght of this realme, and whan I had most ado, I made a solemne vow, the whiche as yet I haue nat accomplysshed, whereof I am right sory. The which was, if I myght acheue and make an ende of al my warres, so that I myght ones haue brought this realme in rest and peace, than I promysed in my mynd to haue gone, and warred on Christes enemies, aduersaries to our holy christen faith. To this purpose myn hart hath euer entended, but our Lorde wolde nat consent therto, for I haue had so moche ado in my dayes, & nowe in my last entreprise I haue taken suche a malady that I can nat escape. And syth it is so that my body can nat go nor acheue that my hart desireth, I wyll sende the hart in stede of the body to accomplysshe myn avowe, and bycause I knowe nat in all my realme no knyght more valyaunt than ye be, nor of body so well furnysshed to accomplysshe myn avowe in stede of my selfe: Therfore I require you myn owne dere & speciall frende that ye wyll take on you this voiage for the loue of me, and to acquite my soule agaynst my Lorde God. For I trust so moche in your noblenes and trouth, that and ye wyll take on you,

I doubte nat but that ye shall achyue it, and than shall I dye in more ease and quiete, so that it be done in suche maner as I shall declare vnto you. I will that as soone as I am trepassed out of this worlde that ye take my harte owte of my body, and embawme it, and take of my treasoure as ye shall thynke sufficient for that entreprise, both for your selfe and suche company as ye wyll take with you, and present my hart to the holy Sepulchre where as our Lorde laye, seyng my body can nat come there. And take with you suche company and purueyaunce as shalbe aparteynyng to your estate. And where soeuer ye come let it be knowen howe ye cary with you the harte of kyng Robert of Scotland, at his instaunce and desire, to be presented to the holy Sepulchre. Than all the lordes that herde these wordes, wept for pitie. And whan this knyght, syr William Duglas myght speke for wepyng, he sayd: A, gentle & noble kyng, a .C. tymes I thanke your grace of the great honour that ye do to me, sith of so noble and great treasure ye gyve me in charge. And syr I shall do with a glad harte all that ye haue commaunded me, to the best of my true power, howe be it I am nat worthy nor sufficient to achyve suche a noble entreprise. Than the kyng sayd, A, gentle knyght, I thanke you so that ye wyl promyse to do it. Sir, sayd the knyght, I shall do it vndoubtedly, by the faythe that I owe to God, and to the ordre of knyghthode. Than I thanke you, sayd the kyng: for nowe shall I dye in more ease of my mynde, sith that I knowe that the most worthy and sufficient knyght of my realme shall achyue for me, the whiche I coulde neuer atteyne unto. And thus soone after thys noble Robert de Bruse kyng of Scotland, trepassed out of this 4 trepassed) gone forth

vncertain world, and hys hart taken out of his body, and embaumed, and honorably he was entred in the abbey of Donfremlyn, in the yere of our Lord God, M.CCC.xxvii, the .vii. day of the moneth of Nouembre.

29

Froissart's Chronicles

The Battle of Crecy

HE valyant kyng of Behaygne called Charles of

emperor Henry

of Luzenbourge, for all that he was nyghe blynde, whan he vnderstode the order of the batayle, he sayde to them about hym, Where is the lorde Charles my son ? his men sayde Sir we can nat tell, we thynke he be fightynge. Then he sayde Sirs ye are my men, my companyons and frendes in this iourney. I requyre you bring me so farre forwarde, that I may stryke one stroke with my swerde. They sayde they wolde do his commaundement and to the intent that they sholde nat lese hym in the prease, they tyed all their raynes of their bridelles eche to other... Than the seconde batayle of th'englysshmen came to socour the princes batayle, the whiche was tyme, for they had as than moche ado, and they with the prince sent a messanger to the kynge, who was on a lytell wyndmyll hyll. Than the knyght sayd to the kyng, Sir, th'erle of Warwyke, and th'erle of Canfort, sir Reynolde Cobham, and other suche as be about the prince your sonne ar feersly fought withall and are sore handled: wherfore they desyre you that you and your batayle wold come and ayde them, for if the frenchmen encrease as they dout they wyll, your sonne and they shall haue moche ado. Than the kynge sayde Is my sonne dede or hurt, or on