Articles proponed by the commons against the duke of Suffolke.

1 First they alleged that he had traitorouslie excited, prouoked, and councelled Iohn earle of Dunois bastard of Orleance, Bertram lord Presignie, William Cosinet, enimies to the king, and fréends and ambassadours to Charles, calling himselfe French king, to enter into this realme; and to leauie warre against the king and his people, to the intent to destroie the king and his fréends, and to make Iohn his sonne king of this realme, marieng him to Margaret, sole heire to Iohn duke of Summerset, pretending and declaring hir to be next heire inheritable to the crowne, for lacke of issue, of the kings bodie lawfullie begotten.

2 Item, the said duke, being of the kings priuie and néere councell, allured by great rewards and faire promises, made by the said earle of Dunois, caused the king to deliuer and set at libertie, Charles duke of Orleance, enimie to the king, and the kings noble father: which deliuerance was prohibited by expresse words, in the last will of the kings most victorious father.

3 Item, that before the departing of the said duke of Orleance, the aforenamed duke of Suffolke traitorouslie fast cleauing to Charles called the French king, counselled, prouoked, and intised the said duke of Orleance, to mooue the same king to make warre against England, both in France and Normandie. According to which procurement & counsell, the said French king hath recouered the whole realme of France, and all the duchie of Normandie, and taken prisoners the earle of Shrewesburie, the lord Fauconbridge, and manie other valiant capteins. ¶ These thrée articles afornamed he denied, either for fact or thought.]

4 Further it was alleged, that he being ambassadour to the king of England, to Charles calling himselfe the French king, promised to Reiner king of Sicill, and to Charles d'Angiers his brother, enimies to the king, the release of Aniou, with the deliuerance of the countie of Maine, and the city of Maunt or Mans, without the knowledge of the other ambassadours with him accompanied. Which promise, after his returne, he caused to be performed, to the kings disinheritance and loss irrecouerable, and to the strength of his enimies, and féeblishment of the duchie of Normandie. ¶ To this article he answered, that his commission was to conclude, and doo all things according to his discretion, for the obteining of a peace: & bicause without deliuerie of those countries, he perceiued that the truce could not be obteined, he agréed to the release and deliuerance of them.

5 Also they had great cause to iudge by the sequele, that the said duke being in France in the kings seruice, and one of the priuiest of his councell there, traitorouslie declared and opened to the capteins and conductors of warre, apperteining to the kings enimies, the kings counsell, purueiance of his armies, furniture of his townes, & all other ordinances, whereby the kings enimies (instructed aforehand by his traitorous information) haue gotten townes and fortresses, and the king by that meanes depriued of his inheritance.

6 Item, the said duke declared to the earle of Dunois, to the lord Presignie, and William Cosinet ambassadours for the French king lieng in London, the priuities of the kings councell, both for the prouision of further warre, and also for the defense of the duchie of Normandie: by the disclosing whereof, the Frenchmen knowing the king secrets, defeated the kings appointments, and they obteined their purpose.

7 Item, that the said duke, at such time as the king sent ambassadours to the French king, for the intreating of peace, traitorouslie before their comming to the French court, certified king Charles of their commission, authoritie, and instructions: by reason whereof, neither peace nor amitie succéeded, and the kings inheritance lost, and by his enimies possessed.

8 Item, the said duke said openlie in the Star-chamber before the lords of the councell, that he had as high a place in the councell-house of the French king, as he had there: and was as well trusted there as here, and could remooue from the French king the priuiest man of his councell, if he would.

9 Item, when armies haue béene prepared, and souldiers readie waged to passe ouer the sea, to deale with the kings enimies: the said duke, corrupted by rewards of the French king, hath restreined & staid the said armies to passe any further.

10 Item, the said duke being ambassadour for the king, comprised not in the league (as the kings alies) neither the king of Aragon, neither the duke of Britaine: but suffered them to be comprised on the contrarie part. By reason whereof, the old amitie of the k. of Aragon is estranged from this realme, and the duke of Britaine became enimie to the same: Giles his brother, the kings sure fréend, cast in strong prison, and there lie to end his dais.

All these obiections he vtterlie denied, or faintlie auoided: but none fullie excused. Diuerse other crimes were laid to his charge, as inriching himselfe with the kings goods and lands, gathering togither and making a monopolie of offices, fées, wards, and farmes, by reason whereof, the kings estate was greatlie diminished and decaied, and he and his kin highlie exalted & inriched: with manie other points, which bicause they be not notable nor of great force or strength, I omit and ouerpasse.

The duke of Suffolke cōmitted to the Tower.

Blewbeard capteine of the rebels.

The quéene, which intierlie loued the duke, doubting some commotion and trouble to arise, if he were let go vnpunished, caused him for a colour to be committed to the Tower: where he remained not past a moneth, but was againe deliuered and restored to the kings fauour, as much as euer he was before. This dooing so much displeased the people, that if politike prouision had not béene, great mischéefe had immediatlie insued. For the commons in sundrie places of the realme assembled togither in great companies, and chose to them a capteine, whom they called Blewbeard: but yer they had attempted anie enterprise, their leaders were apprehended; & so the matter pacified without anie hurt committed.

After this outrage thus asswaged, the parlement was adiourned to Leicester, whither came the king and quéene in great estate, and with them the duke of Suffolke as chéefe councellour. The commons of the lower house, not forgetting their old grudge, besought the king, that such persons as assented to the release of Aniou, and deliuerance of Maine, might be dulie punished. And to be priuie to that fact, they accused as principall, the duke of Suffolke, with Iohn bishop of Salisburie, and sir Iames Fines, lord Saie, and diuerse others. When the king perceiued that there was no remedie to appease the peoples furie by anie colourable waies, shortlie to pacifie so long an hatred, he first sequestred the lord Saie being treasuror of England, and other the dukes adherents from their offices and roomes, and after banished the duke of Suffolke, as the abhorred tode and common noiance of the whole realme, for tearme of fiue yeares, meaning by this exile to appease the malice of the people for the time, and after (when the matter should be forgotten) to reuoke him home againe.

The wretched death of the duke of Suffolke.

But Gods iustice would not that so vngratious a person should so escape: for when he shipped in Suffolke, intending to transport himselfe ouer into France, he was incountered with a ship of warre, apperteining to the duke of Excester, constable of the Tower of London, called the Nicholas of the Tower. The capteine of that barke with small fight entered into the dukes ship, and perceiuing his person present, brought him to Douer road, and there on the one side of a cocke bote caused his head to be striken off, and left his bodie with the head lieng there on the sands. Which corps being there found by a chapleine of his, was conueied to Wingfield college in Suffolke, and there buried. This end had William de la Poole duke of Suffolke, as men iudge by Gods prouidence; for that he had procured the death of that good duke of Glocester, as before is partlie touched.

Iacke Cades rebellion in Kent.

Soone after an other disquiet befell here. Those that fauoured the duke of Yorke, and wished the crowne vpon his head, for that (as they iudged) he had more right thereto than he that ware it, procured a commotion in Kent on this manner. A certeine yoong man of a goodlie stature and right pregnant of wit, was intised to take vpon him the name of Iohn Mortimer coosine to the duke of Yorke (although his name was Iohn Cade, or (of some) Iohn Mend-all) [an Irishman as Polychronicon saith] and not for a small policie, thinking by that surname, that those which fauoured the house of the earle of March would be assistant to him. And so in déed it came to passe (as in such cases there is no bréeder of a broile but he shall find adherents enow, no lesse forward to further his pernicious enterprise by their foolehardines, than himselfe was in the plot of his deuise) though in fine (as it is the vnluckie lot of such tumults) their attempts were withstood, and their offense dulie rewarded, as in processe of the storie shall more at large appeare; according to the wisemans sentence:

Abr. Fl. ex I. S. 653.

This capteine assembling a great companie of tall personages, assured them, that the enterprise which he tooke in hand, was both honourable to God and the king, and profitable to the whole realme. For if either by force or policie they might get the king and quéene into their hands, he would cause them to be honourablie vsed, and take such order for the punishing and reforming of the misdemeanours of their bad councellours, that neither fiftéens should hereafter be demanded, nor once anie impositions or taxes be spoken of. The Kentish people mooued at these persuasions & other faire promises of reformation, in good order of battell (though not in great number) came with their capteine vnto the plaine of Blackeheath, betwéene Eltham and Gréenewich, and there kept the field more than a month, pilling the countrie about; to whome the citie of London at that time was verie fauourable. ¶ And the said capteine (as I find recorded saith Iohn Stow) sent for such citizens of London as it pleased him to command to repaire vnto him, vnder letters of safe conduct, as followeth.