A.D. 1340. Constant negotiations for peace. Edward finally 1 Notwithstanding these arrangements for the continuance of the war, Edward constantly negotiated with Philip for peace. He did so at the earnest solicitation of the Pope, who wrote to him continually, to persuade him to break off his friendship with the Emperor and make peace with France. His Holiness insinuated, that Edward's friends were sure to leave him in the lurch, and that "with subtle and ingenuity and exquisite fraud" they would shift their burthens off their own backs on to his; 1 and soon afterwards, finding apparently that his cardinals were unsuccessful in their negotiations, the Pope said that, if they could not arrange a peace, he would himself go to England to negotiate personally with Edward.2 At breaks off last, Edward seems to have become weary of the the nego Pope's interference and of the fruitless negotiations; and, at the end of January 1340, he wrote, as King of France and England, to the Pope, telling him that, at his persuasion he had tried to make peace with France, but that his efforts were all in vain. He then, repeating his title of King of France and England, notified to his subjects in France the cause of the war, recapitulated his rights to the throne of France, and ordered a document to the same effect to be affixed to the doors of all the churches and other places in Flanders bordering on France. On the same day he made known to the peers and commons of France and Flanders that all who submitted to him and recognised him as their king, before a certain day, should be "received into his peace and taken under his protection." 5 tiations. 3 4 Ibid. p. 1109 (February 8th, 1340). CHAP. VIII. THE KING RETURNS TO ENGLAND. 159 Edward's After this, he embarked for England, leaving the A.D.1840. four Earls as hostages for his return, and empowering Van Artevelde and Reynald Count of Gueldres return to to go through Flanders and receive the oaths of the people to him.1 February 21st,2 1340. 1 Voisin, p. 30. Edward arrived at Orewell on 2 Rymer, vol. ii. p. 1115. England. Parliamentary proceed King's absence. CHAPTER IX. EDWARD'S NECESSITIES FOR MONEY, HIS RETURN TO FLANDERS, THE FIRST BATTLE, THE FRUITLESS END OF THE CAMPAIGN, A.D. 1340. DURING the King's absence in Flanders, a Parliament had been assembled, on October 13th, A.D. 1339, to take into consideration three subjects. The first ings in the was, the way in which the internal peace of the kingdom could be best kept; the second, the guarding of the northern borders against the Scots; and the last and most important, how the sea should be cleared of enemies, so that they should do no damage, nor "enter the kingdom to destroy it." Archbishop Stratford, who had just returned from the King, opened the proceedings by giving a short account of the course of events in Flanders. He then went on to say that the King had contracted obligations to the enormous amount of 300,000l., and that for this reason, and to enable him to carry on the war, he required a large aid. It is worthy of remark, that the Commons were now, for the first time, specially mentioned with the "Great Men," as those to whom this address was delivered. They had evidently already begun to increase in importance, and it was the King's necessities that produced this result.1 1 See Report on the Dignity of a Peer, vol. i. p. 308. CHAP. IX. EDWARD'S NECESSITIES FOR MONEY. 161 verished war. Parliament proceeded to consider how the aid [A. D. 1340.] could be granted with the least injury to the people, England taking into account the dearth of money; for the impocountry had been greatly impoverished by the war, by the and actual coin was very scarce. Some of the members of the King's Council proposed, that the tenth sheaf, lamb, and fleece, should be granted for two years. A long debate ensued; the redress of certain grievances was insisted on; and at last the Peers, "Les Grauntz," granted the tenth sheaf of corn of all sorts of their demesne lands' except the lands of their bondsmen, the tenth fleece, and the tenth lamb of the next year, to be paid in two years; but they stipulated, that the maletolt of wool which had lately been illegally levied, should be done away with, and the old custom abided by; that a charter should be granted to them, providing that the maletolt should never be levied again; that the grant thus made should not be considered a custom; and, lastly, they desired that the wardship of lands, which then went into the King's hand by the nonage of heirs, should pass to the nearest of kin instead. These were considerable, but most reasonable conditions; the Commons, however, acting for themselves as a separate and distinct body, declared they could not grant an aid "without consulting the commons of their counties." This seems The Com openly to be the first occasion on which members of mons first Parliament openly declared themselves the repre- declare "This grant being confined to their demesnes, they did not attempt to charge their tenants in capite by subinfeudation. The Commons declined granting such an aid without consulting those whom they represented, including possibly the tenants of the Lords by sub-infeudation."-Report on the Dignity of a Peer, vol. i. p. 309. themselves the repre of the electors. A.D. 1340. sentatives of their electors. They accordingly demanded that another Parliament should be summoned, sentatives to meet at a convenient time, promising that, in the meantime, they would return to their counties, and do their utmost to obtain for the King a proper aid. They prayed, also, that writs should be sent to every sheriff, ordering that two of the most esteemed knights in counties should be elected for the Commons, but that none of them should be sheriffs or other officers. The sheriffs had so much oppressed the people, that the King, shortly before, had provided for their annual election by the freeholders of each county; it was doubtless on account of their oppressions, that the Commons wished. to exclude them from Parliament.2 The Commons also required that none but knights, "ceynt des espes," that is, military tenants of the Crown actually knighted, should be returned for counties.3 Other important matters were also brought under the consideration of the Commons in this Parliament, such as the state of the country, which was evidently Dangerous lawless and dangerous. Bodies of men throughout the kingdom had banded themselves together looking out for bad news from the seat of war, intending, if any such arrived, to rise and plunder the country. The Commons, however, declared that the law, if properly put in force, was sufficient for the protection of the country. The capture of merchant vessels by the French was another matter which was brought before the Commons, and it is amusing to find them complaining that the owners of ships, "for the sake state of the country. 1 Rot. Parl. vol. ii. pp. 103 and 104. 2 Rymer, vol. ii. p. 1090 (Sept. 22, 1339). |