Volume Ii Part 26 (1/2)
Item, suth the matier first moeved of the convencyon of trewes and pees by twenne you and your seid grette enemeye Charlys, callyng hem selfe kyng of Fraunche, wheroppon by grete diberacyon ye, by the advyse of your Councell, have send many solempne amba.s.satours to the same Charles for the G.o.d of pees to be hadde be twyn you and this your realme, and your subjettes in your realme of Fraunche, duchie of Normandye, and othir places under your obeysauns, and the same Charles and heis subgettes, the seid Duke of Suffolk being next and grettest of your Councell, havyng knowlach of the power and auctorite comytted to alle your amba.s.siatours send in this be half, hath deseyvabely and trayterously by heis lettres and messages discovered and opened to your seid grete enemeye Charlys, calling hym self kyng of Fraunce, alle ynstrucciouns and informaciouns yeven to your seid amba.s.satours afore their comyng in to Fraunce, werby the effectuale concord and trewes that schuld have folowed of suche amba.s.siat by tywnne both the seid realmes and subgettes, have take non effectualle conclusyon, but by his fals, fraudelent, traiterous werkes, dedes, and deceyvable yma gynacyons, your grete enheritaunce, seygnyouries, lords.h.i.+ppis, townes, castell, forteresses, and possessions in your seid realme of Fraunche and duchie of Normandye, by cause of heis false messages, sendyngs, and wrytyngys have be takyn by reft, and gotten fro you be your seid enemeys.
In proof of the wich treson the seid Duke of Suffolk, sittyng in your Councell in the Stere Chambre, in your pales of Westminster, seid and declarid openly be for the Lordis of your Councell ther being, that he had his place in the Councell hows of the French kyng as he had ther, and was ther as wel strostid as he was here, and couth remeve from the seid French kynge the prevyest man of heis Councell yf he wold.
Item, whan in this your roialme ful oftyn tymes provicyon hath be mad for divers armes to be sent in to your seid realme of Fraunche, d.u.c.h.es of Normandy and Gyand, the seid Duke of Suffolk, by the instaunce and meenes mad to hym be your seid enemeys and adversareys for grette outeragyous yeftes and rewardes of them takyn, trayterously hath restrayned, and utterly lettyd the pa.s.sage of such armees in favour and supporte of your seid enemeys.
Item, the seid Duke of Suffolk, as your amba.s.satours by twene you and Charles, callyng hym self kyng of Fraunche, in fortefyeng of hem and enchresing of his myght, hath not comprised in trewes, taken in your party the Kyng of Arregon,[126.1] your old allye and frend, nother the Duke of Breten,[126.2] but sufferd and causid the seid Duke of Bretayne to be compremysid of the party of the seid Charles as his subget, frende, and allye, wherby ye have ben estraunged from the G.o.d loffe and a.s.sistence of the seid King of Arregon, and therby and be othir on trewe and falce conjectours of the seid Duke of Suffolk, the seid Duke of Breteyn is become your enemeye; and Gyles[126.3] of Breten, his brothir, the wiche is, and of long tyme hath ben, your trewe and welvylled man and servaunt, put in gret dures of pricon, and likely to be potte to the dethe or distroid for his trewe feith and welle that he hath to you.
And of alle tresons and offensys in alle theis seid arteculys specyfied and conteyned, we your seid Comens accuse and empeche the seid William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and pray that this be enacte in this your High Courte of Parlement, and theroppon to precede in this your High Courte of Parlement, as the mater and caas aforseid requireth for the surete and welfar of your most roiale person, and savacyon of this your realme, &c.
[Footnote 120.5: [From Fenn, iii. 62.] These are the articles of impeachment exhibited against the Duke of Suffolk, as printed by Fenn from a contemporaneous copy among the Paston MSS., endorsed 'Coumpleyntys ayens the Dewke of Suffolk.' Another copy will be found in the _Rolls of Parliament_, v. 177. The day of the Duke's impeachment was the 7th February 1450.]
[Footnote 121.1: A.D. 1447.]
[Footnote 121.2: John, Count of Dunois, one of the most renowned warriors of the times. He was a grandson of Charles V. of France, a natural son of Louis, Duke of Orleans, and half-brother of Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was prisoner in England.]
[Footnote 121.3: Blank in Fenn.]
[Footnote 121.4: Cousinot.]
[Footnote 121.5: Charles VII.]
[Footnote 122.1: A.D. 1439.]
[Footnote 122.2: Charles, Duke of Orleans. --_See_ p. 46, Note 3.]
[Footnote 123.1: John Talbot, first Earl of Shrewsbury, the great hero of the French wars, slain at Castillon in 1453.]
[Footnote 123.2: William Nevill, Lord Fauconberg.]
[Footnote 123.3: Rene, Duke of Anjou, father of Queen Margaret.]
[Footnote 123.4: Charles of Anjou, Count of Maine.]
[Footnote 124.1: A.D. 1447.]
[Footnote 125.1: These words are omitted in Fenn, and are supplied from the _Rolls of Parliament_.]
[Footnote 126.1: Alfonso V., King of Arragon.]
[Footnote 126.2: Francis I., Duke of Brittany.]
[Footnote 126.3: Giles of Brittany, the duke's brother, who was murdered in April 1450, after having been kept four years in prison by the duke.]
[[your duchiee of Guyan and Normandie ... your countee of Anjoye and Mayne _text unchanged (correct if ”Guyenne and Normandy” and ”Anjou and Maine” were each a single unit)_]]
102
JOHN PASTON'S PEt.i.tION[127.1]
_To the Kyng, oure Soverayn Lord, and to the right wyse and discrete Lordis, a.s.semblyd in this present Parlement._
[Sidenote: 1450]