A Chronicle of London from 1089 to 1483 Part 46

Up in to the chirche, with ful devout syngyng; And whanne he had mad his offryng, The Mair, the Citezeins, abood, and lefte hym nought, Unto Westmynster til thei hadde hym brought; Where, all the covent in copis richely, Mette with hym of custome as they ought; The abbot after moost solempnely,

Among the relikes, the scripture[234] out he[235] sought, Of seynt Edward, and to the kyng he brought; Though it were longe, large, and of gret weighte, Yit on his shuldres the kyng bar it on heighte, In the mynstre, whiles alle the bellys ronge, Til that[236] he come to the heighe auter; And ful devoutly Te Deum there was songe.

[Footnote 234: sceptre.]

[Footnote 235: _Omitted._]

[Footnote 236: _Omitted._]

[Sidenote: Ex duabus arboribus viz s'c'i Edwardi et s'c'i Lodewyci.]

And all[237] the peple, glad of look and cher, Thankynge[238] G.o.d with alle there hertys entier, To se there kyng with too crownes shyne, From too trees treuly fet the lyne: And aftyr this,[239] it ys verrey sothe, Unto his palys of kyngly apparaile, With his lordes the kyng anon forth goth,

[Footnote 237: _Omitted._]

[Footnote 238: Thanked.]

[Footnote 239: That this is the, &c.]

To take his reste after his travaile; And thanne of wysdom, whiche[240] may so moche availe, The Meir, the Citezeins, which al this[241] thing ded se, Be hom repaired in to there Citee.

The s.h.i.+rreves, the Aldermen in fere, The Satyrday alther next suyng, There Mair presentyd with all there hertes entere,

[Footnote 240: that.]

[Footnote 241: this dyd se.]

Goodly to be resceyved of the kyng; And at Westmenster confermed there[242] a thyng, The Mair and they with ful hol entent, Unto the kyng a gyfte gan[243] present; The whiche gifte, thei goodly han disposyd, Tok an hamper of gold that shene shone; A thousand pound of gold ther inne closyd:[244]

[Footnote 242: there askyng.]

[Footnote 243: gan to.]

[Footnote 244: yclosyd.]

And there with alle to the kyng they gone, And fill on knees to fore hym everych on, Ful humbly the trouthe to devyse, And to the Kyng the Mair seide in this wyse;

Moost cristen prince and n.o.ble kyng, the goode folke of youre moost notable Citee of London, other wyse callid[245] youre Chambre, besechyn in there moost lowly wyse they mow be recomaundyd to youre highnesse, and that it can like unto youre n.o.ble grace to resceyve this litel gyfte gevyne with as good a wille, trouthe,[246] and lounesse, as ever any gift was gevyn to any erthely prynce.

[Footnote 245: cleped.]

[Footnote 246: of trouthe.]

[Sidenote: V'ba t'nslat'.]

Be glad, O Londone, be glad ant make gret joye, Citee of Citees, of n.o.blesse procellyng; In thi begynnyng called Newe Troye, For worthynesse thank G.o.d of all thing, Whiche hast this day resceyved so the[247] kyng, With many a signe and many an observaunce, To encrese thi name be newe remembraunce.

[Footnote 247: thy.]

Swyche joye was[248] in the consistorie, Mad for the tryumple with al the surpluage, Whan Cesar Julius com hom with his victorie, Ne for the conquest of Stepyon[249] in Cartage, As Londone made in every maner age, Out of Fraunce at his[250] hom comyng, In to this Citee of there n.o.ble kyng.

[Footnote 248: was nevere.]

[Footnote 249: Syprion.]

[Footnote 250: the.]

Of vij thinges y preyse this Citee; Of trewe menyng, and feithfull obeisaunce,[251]

Of rightwysnesse, trouthe, and equyte, Of stabilnesse, ay kept in alegiaunce, And for of vertu, thou hast suche suffisaunce In this land here, and othere londes alle, The kynges Chaumbre, of custom men the calle.

[Footnote 251: observaunce.]

L'ENVOYE.

O n.o.ble Meir, be it into[252] youre plesaunce, And unto[253] alle that duellithe in this Citee, On my rudenes and on myn ignoraunce, Of grace and mercy for to have pite, My symple makyng for to take at gre; Considere this that in the[254] moost lowly wyse, My wille were good for to do[255] servyse.

[Footnote 252: unto.]

[Footnote 253: to.]

[Footnote 254: _Omitted._]

[Footnote 255: for to do you servyse.]

Here endith the makyng of the Comynge of the Kyng out of Fraunce to Londone, Be the monk of Bery.--_Deo gracias._[256]

[Footnote 256: _This paragraph is omitted._]

P. 139. A^{o} 36 Hen. VI. "In this yere was a grete watch in London, and al the gates kepte every nyght, and ij aldermen watchyng: and withynne a while after the kyng and lordes were accorded, and went a procession in Paulis."

The temporary reconciliation between the adherents of the King and of the Duke of York, so briefly alluded to in the text, and which is best ill.u.s.trated by the following extract from a contemporary letter, served, like every other event of his times, for the exercise of Lydgate's pen; but his description of it in the following ballad is infinitely more valuable from its historical accuracy, than its poetical merit. Of this article there are two copies extant; one in the Cottonian MS. Nero A. VI. and the other in the Cottonian MS.

Vespasia.n.u.s B. XVI.: the latter copy has been printed, though very erroneously, and with the orthography modernized, by Mr. Sharon Turner; but the former has not been before noticed. As they differ in some places from each other, and are very short, it has been thought advisable that both transcripts should be inserted.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM JOHN BOKKING TO SIR JOHN FASTOLF: DATED ON THE WEDNESDAY AFTER MID LENT SUNDAY, _i.e._ 15 MARCH, 1457.

[_Paston Letters_, vol. i. p. 154.]

"Lyke it your maisters.h.i.+p to wyte, that as for tidings, the Counsell is, the fornone, at the blake Frires, for the ease of resortyng of the Lordes that ar withinne the toun; and at afternon at the white Frirers in Fletstrete, for the Lordis with owte the town; and all things shall come to a good conclusion with G.o.d is grace; for the Kyng shall come hidre this weke, and the Quene also, as some men sayn, and my Lord Buk and Stafford with hire, and muche puple. My Lord of Caunterbury takith grete peyne up on hym daily, and will write unto yow the certeynte of suche tidings as falle; and shuld have doon or this tyme, saf for that he wolde knowe an ende of the mattre."

UPON THE RECONCILIATION OF THE LORDS OF THE YORKIST FACTION WITH THE KYNG AND HIS ADHERENTS.

[_Cottonian MS._ Nero A. VI.]

Whan Charyte ys chosen with stats to stonde, Stedfast and styll, with oute distaunce, Then wreth may be exilid out of thys londe, And G.o.d oure gide to have governaunce; Wysdom and welthe with all plesaunce, May ryghtfulle reigne, and prosperite, For love hath underleyde wrethfull vengeaunce; Reioyse Enlond the lords acordid bee.

Reioyse, and thonke G.o.d, and sorw no more, For now shal encrese thi consolacone; Oure enemes quake for drede ful sore, That pees ys made that was divisione, Whiche ys to them grete confusione, And to us joy and felicite; G.o.d hold them longe in every seasone, That Englond may reioyce, the concord and unite.