Note 81.1 — THE PASTON LETTERS Richard III.
Reading edition
[From Fenn, ii. 318.] The MS., as Fenn tells us, was endorsed in an ancient hand, ‘Kent Cherfys [Sheriffs].—Copia literæ Regis R. III. persuadentis subditos suos ad resistendum Henr’ Tydder, postea Regem Angliæ ac declarantis a quo idem Henricus descendebat.’ Another but imperfect copy of this proclamation will be found in the Harleian MS., No. 433, f. 220 b. A similar proclamation had been issued on the 7th December 1484, of which a copy will also be found in the same Harleian volume at folio 273 b. Sir Henry Ellis has also printed in his Original Letters (2 Ser. i. 162) a copy of this proclamation as set forth in the original warrant for issuing it, which the King addressed to the Bishop of Lincoln as Chancellor. The MS. followed by Ellis was a transcript from one of the records formerly in the Tower. I have compared these different texts throughout with that printed by Fenn, and noted all variations that are of any consequence. The two Harleian texts I have called A. and B., the former being that of the proclamation issued on the 7th December preceding. The text printed by Ellis I have called E.
81.2 Peter Courtney, Bishop of Exeter, after the miscarriage of the Duke of Buckingham’s conspiracy, fled into Bretagne to the Earl of Richmond, who, after he became Henry VII., promoted this Prelate to the See of Winchester in 1486, in which he died in 1492.—F.
81.3 Jasper Tudor of Hatfield, half-brother to Henry VI. He was created Duke of Bedford in 1485.
81.4 John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who had escaped from the Castle of Hammes.—F.
81.5 Sir Edward Wodevile, brother to the Queen of Edward IV.—F. The names given in text A. are ‘Piers, Bisshop of Excestre, Thomas Grey, late Marques Dorset, Jasper, late Erle of Pembroche, John, late Erle of Oxenford, and Sir Edward Widevile.’
81.6 Francis II., the last Duke of Bretagne, was overthrown by Charles VIII., King of France, and died in 1488.—F.
82.1 ‘The said traytours.’ They. A.
82.2 that. A. B. E.
82.3 ‘and’ omitted in A. B. and E.
82.4 Charles VIII. ascended the throne in 1483, and died in 1498.—F.
82.5 Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who in 1483 became King of England, by the title of Henry VII.—F.
82.6 ‘one Herry . . . . Owen Tydder’ oon Herry late calling himself Erle of Richemond. A.
82.7 ‘ambicious and insaciable.’ A. B. E.
82.8 ‘stirred and excited by the confederacie of the Kinges said rebelles and traytours,’ added in A.
82.9 Here text B. comes to an end.
82.10 ‘usurpeth.’ E.
82.11 From here to the end of the paragraph is omitted in A.
82.12 ‘ther’ her. A.
82.13 This either means double adultery, that is adultery on both sides; or indubitable, undoubted adultery.—F. I suspect the true reading to be ‘and of her in double avowtry gotyn.’ It is a great question whether John, Earl of Somerset, John of Gaunt’s eldest son by Catherine Swynford, was not born during the life of her lawful husband as well as during that of John of Gaunt’s lawful wife.—See Excerpta Historica, 155-6.
82.14 Supplied from E.
83.1 The beginning of this sentence in A. is as follows:—‘And to th’entent to accheve the same by th’aide, support, and assistence of the Kinges seid auncyent ennemyes and of this his royaume.’
83.2 From the words ‘and discevir’ to the sentence beginning ‘And over this,’ all is omitted in A.
83.3 Aneantisement—anientised is used by Chaucer in his Tale of Melibeus, for reducing to nothing.—F.
84.1 ‘if they may be of power,’ omitted in A.
84.2 rebelles and traytours. A.
84.3 malicious purposes. A.
84.4 discomfited. A. E.
84.5 Or rather, made good their landing by force.—F.
84.6 desireth. A. E.
84.7 the auncyentes ennemyes of this lande. A.
84.8 ‘and traitours,’ omitted in A.
84.9 rebelles, traitours, and enemyes. A. In which text the proclamation ends with these words, and is followed by the usual words addressed to the Chancellor as his authority for making out the proclamation: ‘And thise oure lettres shall be your sufficient warrant in that behalve.’ This warrant to the Chancellor is dated ‘at oure Castell of Notyngham, the xxj. day of Juyn, the secund yere of our reigne,’ two days before the proclamation was issued.
84.10 and singlier. A.