treasure. Marry, true it is that once I laid an ambush to have slain the duke of Lancaster that there sitteth; but, nevertheless, he hath pardoned me thereof, and there was good peace made betwixt us, for the which I yield him hearty thanks. This is that which I have to answer, and am ready to defend myself against mine adversary: I beseech you therefore of right, and to have the battle against him in upright judgment.

'After this, when the king had communed with his council a little, he commanded the two dukes to stand forth, that their answers might be heard. The king then caused them once again to be asked if they would agree and make peace together, and they both flatly answered that they would not; and withal the duke of Hereford cast down his gage, and the duke of Norfolk took it up. The king perceiving this demeanour betwixt them, sware by St. John Baptist that he would never seek to make peace betwixt them again. And therewith Sir John Bushy, in the name of the king and his council, declared that the king and his council had commanded and ordained, that they should have a day of battle appointed them at Coventry. Here writers disagree about the day that was appointed; for some say it was upon a Monday in August, other upon St. Lambert's day, being the 17th of September, other on the 11th of September. But true it is, that the king assigned them not only the day, but also appointed them lists and place for the combat, and thereupon great preparation was made, as to such a matter appertained.

'At the time appointed the king came to Coventry, where the two dukes were ready according to the order prescribed therein, coming thither in great array, accompanied with the lords and gentlemen of their lineages. The king had caused a sumptuous scaffold or theatre and royal lists there to be erected and prepared.

'The duke of Aumerle that day being high constable of England, and the duke of Surry marshal, placed themselves betwixt them, well armed and appointed, and when they saw their time, they first entered into the lists, with a great company of men apparelled in silk sendal, embroidered with silver both richly and curiously, every man having a tipped staff to keep the field in order.

'About the hour of prime came to the barriers of the lists the duke of Hereford, mounted on a white courser barded with green and blue velvet embroidered sumptuously with swans and antelopes of goldsmith's work, armed at all points. The constable and marshal came to the barriers, demanding of him what he was: he answered, I am Henry of Lancaster, duke of Hereford, which am come hither to do mine endeavour against Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, as a traitor untrue to God, the king, his realm, and me. Then incontinently he sware upon the holy evangelists that his quarrel was true and just. Then he entered into the lists, and descended from his horse, and set him down in a chair of green velvet at the one end of the lists, and there reposed himself, abiding the coming of his adversary.

"Soon after him entered into the field with great triumph King Richard, accompanied with all the peers of the realm. The king had there above ten thousand men in armour, lest some fray or tumult might rise amongst his nobles by quarrelling or partaking. When the king was set in his seat, a kingat-arms made open proclamation, prohibiting all men in the name of the king, and of the high constable and marshal, to enterprise or attempt to approach or touch any part of the lists upon pain of death, except such as were appointed to order or marshal the field. The proclamation ended, another herald cried, Behold here Henry of Lancaster, duke of Hereford, appellant, which is entered into the lists royal to do his devoir against Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, defendant, upon pain to be found false and recreant.

'The duke of Norfolk hovered on horseback at the entry of the lists, his horse being barded with crimson velvet embroidered richly with lions of silver and mulberry trees; and when he had made his oath before the constable and marshal, that his quarrel was just and true, he entered the field manfully, saying aloud, God aid him that hath the right! and then he departed from his horse, and sat him down in his chair, which was of crimson velvet, curtained about with white and red damask. The lord marshal viewed their spears to see that they were of equal length, and delivered the one spear himself to the duke of Hereford, and sent the other unto the

duke of Norfolk by a knight. Then the herald proclaimed that the traverses and chairs of the champions should be removed, commanding them on the king's behalf to mount on horseback, and address themselves to the battle.

'The duke of Hereford was quickly horsed, and when the trumpet sounded set forward courageously towards his enemy six or seven paces. The duke of Norfolk was not fully set forward, when the king cast down his warder, and the heralds cried Ho, ho! Then the king caused their spears to be taken from them, and commanded them to repair again to their chairs, where they remained two long hours, while the king and his council deliberately consulted what order was best to be had in so weighty a cause.

Finally, after they had devised and fully determined what should be done therein, the heralds cried silence; and Sir John Bushy, the king's secretary, read the sentence and determination of the king and his council, in a long roll, the effect whereof was, that Henry duke of Hereford should within fifteen days depart out of the realm, and not to return before the term of ten years were expired, except by the king he should be repealed again, and this upon pain of death; and that Thomas Mowbray duke of Norfolk, because he had sown sedition in the realm by his words, should likewise avoid the realm, and never to return again into England, nor approach the borders or confines thereof, upon pain of death; and that the king would stay the profits of his lands till he had levied thereof such sums of money as the duke had taken up of the king's treasurer, for the wages of the garrison of Calais, which were still unpaid. When these judgments were once read, the king called before him both the parties, and made them to swear, that the one should never come in place where the other was, willingly, nor keep any company together in any foreign region; which oath they both received humbly, and so went their ways. The duke of Norfolk departed sorrowfully out of the realm into Almaine, and at the last came to Venice, where he for thought and melancholy deceased. The duke of Hereford took his leave of the king at Eltham, which there released four years of his banishment. So he took his journey over to Calais, and from thence went into France, where he remained.

'The duke of Lancaster departed out of this life at the bishop of Ely's Place in Holborn, and lieth buried in the cathedral church of Saint Paul in London, on the north side of the high altar, by the Lady Blanch his first wife. The death of this duke gave occasion of increasing more hatred in the people of this realm toward the king; for he seized into his hands all the goods that belonged to him, and also received all the rents and revenues of his lands, which ought to have descended unto the duke of Hereford by lawful inheritance, in revoking his letters patent which he had granted to him before, by virtue whereof he might make his attorneys-general to sue livery for him, of any manner of inheritances or possessions that might from thenceforth fall unto him, and that his homage might be respited, with making reasonable fine: whereby it was evident that the king meant his utter undoing.

'This hard dealing was much misliked of all the nobility, and cried out against of the meaner sort. But, namely, the duke of York was therewith sore amoved, who before this time had borne things with so patient a mind as he could, though the same touched him very near, as the death of his brother the duke of Gloucester, the banishment of his nephew the said duke of Hereford, and other more injuries in great number, which, for the slippery youth of the king, he passed over for the time, and did forget as well as he might.'

'It fortuned at the same time in which the duke of Hereford or Lancaster, whether ye list to call him, arrived thus in England, the seas were so troubled by tempests, and the winds blew so contrary for any passage to come over forth of England to the king, remaining still in Ireland, that for the space of six weeks he received no advertisements from thence: yet at length, when the seas became calm, and the wind once turned anything favourable, there came over a ship, whereby the king understood the manner of the duke's arrival; whereupon he meant forthwith to have returned over into England, to make resistance against the duke; but through persuasion of the duke of Aumerle (as was thought) he stayed till he might have all his ships and other provision fully ready for his passage.

"In the meantime he sent the earl of Salisbury over to England, to gather a power together, by help of the king's friends in Wales and Cheshire, with all speed possible, that they might be ready to assist him against the duke upon his arrival, for he meant himself to follow the earl within six days after. The earl passing over into Wales, landed at Conway, and sent forth letters to the king's friends, both in Wales and Cheshire, to levy their people, and to come with all speed to assist the king; whose request with great desire and very willing minds they fulfilled, hoping to have found the king himself at Conway; insomuch that within four days' space there were to the number of forty thousand men assembled, ready to march with the king against his enemies, if he had been there himself in person.

'But when they missed the king, there was a bruit spread amongst them, that the king was surely dead; which wrought such an impression and evil disposition in the minds of the Welshmen and others, that, for any persuasion which the earl of Salisbury might use, they would not go forth with him till they saw the king: only they were contented to stay fourteen days, to see if he should come or not; but when he came not within that term, they would no longer abide, but scaled and departed away.'

'King Richard being thus come unto the castle of Flint, and the duke of Hereford being still advertised from hour to hour, by posts, how the earl of Northumberland sped, the morrow following he came thither, and mustered his army before the king's presence, which undoubtedly made a passing fair show, being very well ordered by the lord Henry Percy, that was appointed general, or rather as we may call him master of the camp, under the duke, of the whole army.

'There were come already to the castle, before the approaching of the main army, the archbishop of Canterbury, the duke of Aumerle, the earl of Worcester, and divers other. The archbishop entered first, and then followed the other, coming into the first ward.

'The king that was walking aloft on the brays of the walls, to behold the coming of the duke afar off, might see that the