Henry the Sixth Part 6

I think Hearne is mistaken about Ussher, who does no more than quote a pa.s.sage from Blacman in his Historia Dogmatica (Opp. XII. 363).

It may further be remarked that Holinshed and other chroniclers make small extracts from Blacman without naming their source. I have not discovered who is actually the earliest writer to cite him: but Hall (1548) does not appear to do so.

p. 4. _quidam Angliae reverendus antistes._ This bishop who was Henry's confessor for ten years I suppose to have been William Ayscough, bishop of Salisbury 1438-1450, who was much in Henry's confidence. It is remarked in the _Dict. Nat. Biog._ that it was "a novelty in those days for a bishop to be a king's confessor."

p. 6. _missalia, oracula._ I take these words together and regard them as a 'refined' way of saying 'orationes in missa' or the like.

_sanctae crucis signorum seriem in corona._ These crosses on the ring of the crown are seen alternating with fleur de lys in the (early XVIth century) representation of Henry in painted gla.s.s in the Hacomblen chantry in King's College Chapel.

p. 8. _Francisci Petrarchae._ This, Blacman's one literary quotation, is a garbled one from Petrarch's _De Vita Solitaria_, lib. II. sect. vi. c.

I.

p. 9. _Jaspere et Edmundo._ The sons of Owen Tudor by Katherine, widow of Henry V.

p. 10. _cardinalis et episcopi Winton._ Cardinal Beaufort, d. 11 April 1447. The gift to Eton and King's was in fact made by a codicil to the cardinal's will executed two days before his death. See Maxwell Lyte, _Eton College_, p. 27.

p. 11. _decem mutatoria casularia._ I suppose this to mean enough silk to make ten or more sets of ma.s.s-vestments for a single priest.

_Episcopos Wurcestriae et Cestriae._ Chester had no bishop till 1541.

Chichester must be meant. The bishop was doubtless Adam Moleyns 1445-50, and he of Worcester John Carpenter 1443-76. Both appear in the king's will as his feoffees for Eton and King's.

p. 12. This is the most interesting page of the tract to those who have enjoyed King Henry's bounty. A happy thought has of recent years dictated the use of his words _Sitis boni pueri_ and the rest on the occasion of the admission of the new King's Scholars at Eton.

p. 13. _Sed libera nos._ It is at this point in the Lord's Prayer that the congregation responds, at the end of the Prayer of Consecration (or Canon) of the Roman Ma.s.s.

_magistro doctore Town._ William Towne was scholar of Eton in 1443, and pa.s.sed on to King's. He died in 1484: his chantry and bra.s.s are in one of the side-chapels on the N. of King's College Chapel.

_quidam discus._ It is not clear to me whether a piece of plate representing the Five Wounds in enamel is meant, or some edible 'subtilty': probably the former.

p. 14. _c.u.m capucio rotulato._ Perhaps a hood with a liripip (i.e.

tapering into a tail) is meant.

_caligas, ocreas, calceos_: foot-gear for walking, riding and indoor use respectively.

p. 15. _dominus Ricardus Tunstall._ Sir Richard Tunstall of Thurland in Westmorland (or Lancas.h.i.+re) appears frequently in the Patent Rolls etc.

of Henry VI, Edward IV and Henry VII. Under Edward IV his lands are naturally granted to other people and he is attainted. In 1470, at Henry's restoration, he is 'king's chamberlain' (_Cal. Pat. R._ p. 227).

Under Henry VII he is in favour and holds many important posts.

An entry in William Worcester's Annals (Rolls, _Wars of the English in France_, II. pt. 2 [785]), wrongly printed, is of interest here. Under 1464 he writes: "Mense Julii, dolo cujusdam monachi Abendoniae, rex Henricus in comitatu Lancastriae capitur per quendam Johannem Talbois et Ricardum Tunstalle milites, ibidem captus evasit. Dictusque rex Henricus una c.u.m monacho Thoma Mannyng et Bedone doctore ... versus Londoniam adducebatur etc." We should certainly read 'et Ricardus T. miles ...

evasit.'

Tunstall was afterwards taken in Wales by Lord Herbert, and confined in the Tower, but soon pardoned (_Warkeworth's Chron._ Camd. Soc. p. 43).

Another entry (_Three Fifteenth Cent. Chronicles_, Camden Soc. p. 80) says:

"Kynge Harry was take in the northe contre, and ii doctors with him, the whiche wer called Doctor Mannynge and Doctor Beden, the whiche were all thre brought to London."

On the whole episode see Sir J. H. Ramsay, _Lancaster and York_, II. 316.

What follows in the text is Tunstall's story. Blacman adds that he himself witnessed a similar occurrence.

p. 17. I do not know that the four n.o.bles or the three great lords who were pardoned can be certainly identified. Nor is it plain whether the first of the two men who wounded him attacked him when confined in the Tower.

p. 18. _isti [=pr]iales._ Blacman intends a word of the sense of 'parricidiales.' But either he or the printer has gone wrong.

p. 19. _ex miraculorum ubi corpus ejus humatur diutina continuatione._ A large collection of Henry's miracles is preserved in two MSS, Royal 13.

c. viii. and Harley 423. The latter is a partial copy of the former.

See a special note on them below.

_Cognatus noster de Marchia_, i.e. Edward IV, Earl of March.

p. 20. _in festo S. Edwardi etc._ The _depositio_ of S. Edward the Confessor which falls on 5 January.

_vox corporalis._ Probably means a voice audible to the bodily senses.

p. 21. _magistris Bedon et Mannynge._ On these companions of Henry VI at his capture see above in the note on Tunstall. John Bedon, clerk, receives a general pardon from Edward IV in 1467 (_Cal. Pat. R._ p. 11).

Holinshed and those who copy him call him Bedle. He may be the John Bedon who took a B.D. degree at Oxford in 1455. Thomas Mannynge, though called a monk by Will. Worcester, seems undoubtedly to be the man who was dean of Windsor from 1452 to 1462, and is indicted (1 Ed. IV, _Rot.

Parl._ V. p. 477 etc.) of treason in the first year of Edward IV: he is described as late of New Windsor in Berks.h.i.+re, clerk. On Nov. 7, 1465, he has a general pardon for all offences up to the 26th of August previous. Earlier, in 1451 (Aug. 24) when Henry VI grants him the prebend of Na.s.sington in Lincoln cathedral, he is described as the king's clerk and chaplain.

On 29 Nov. 1469 he is dead; the king is informed by his executor that Thomas was in debt and indigent in his life, and had made forfeiture to the king, so that a licence to administer was necessary.

The Rev. J. N. Dalton, Canon of Windsor, has kindly informed me that no records in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Windsor throw light on Dean Mannynge's life.

_a dextra sua._ Corrupt: I suppose the meaning to be that the king saw the woman out of his window: _camera_ or _fenestra_ is wanted.

I. A PRAYER TO HENRY VI IN ENGLISH VERSE.

An English prayer in verse to Henry VI from a Primer of 1408 (in which it has been inserted on the flyleaf) in the Library of St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, was printed in the _Ushaw Magazine_ of 1902, p. 279. I have the kind permission of the authorities to quote it here:

O blyssed king so full of vertue The flowr of all knyghthood that never was fyled Thou pray for us to Christe Jhesu And to hys modyr Mary myld In all thi warkys thu was never wyld Bott full of grace and of charyte Mercyfull ever to man and chylde Now sweyt kyng Henre pray for me.

O crownyd kyng with sceptur in hand Most n.o.byll conqueror I may thee call For thou hast conqueryd I undyrstand A hevynly kyngdome most imperyall Hwar joye haboundeth and grace perpetuell In presens of the holy Trenite Off wych grace thou make me parcyall Now swet kyng Henre praye for me.

All Apostels and Patriarchs shall thee honor Martyrs and Confessors with all their delygens And eke Virgynes in the hevynly towr Ar glad and joyfull of thi presens Angelys and Archangelys with ample(?) reverence Schall mynystyr and bryng(?) to the The well of pety and of pacyens Now swet kyng Henre praye for me.

Thy prayer I trust is herd in hevyn With the Fadyr omnipotent Now blyssyd be thy name to nemyne For ever att neyd thou art present In trowbyll or payn wen I am schent Or stand in warely juberte Thy socur to me full son thu sentt Now sweyt kyng Henre praye for me.

Thy trowblas life and grett vexacion With pacyens that thu had therein And thi constans in contemplacion Has mad the hevyn for to wyne Thy sett is ordenyd with seraphyn As langhyght ((be)longeth) to thi regalyte With mor melody than I can myn Now swet kyng Henre praye for me.

O blessyd kyng so gracios and gud Thou pray to sett this reme in rest Unto our Saveyour that dyed on roud And to hys modyr that madyn blessyd That alkyn wrangys may be redressyd To plesor of the Deyte Thys I besech at my request Now swet kyng Henre praye for me.

II. ON THE Ma.n.u.sCRIPT MIRACLES OF HENRY VI.

There are two ma.n.u.scripts of these Miracles, both in the British Museum.