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From Illustrations of Chaucer's England, edited by Dorothy Hughes, M.A.; Longmans, Green and Co.; 1919.
Because it is ordained by the magnates and others of our Council that there shall put to sea with all speed one fleet of ships with the Admiral of the West, and one from the Admiralty of the North, well supplied with men-at-arms, armed men, and archers, and with victuals, to resist the malice of our enemies of France, who have recently invaded our realm, and seized the town of Winchelsea, slaying persons therein, and doing much damage. . . .
We, fully trusting in your loyalty and discretion, have assigned you, separately and together, to arrest all large ships and barges suitable for war, in all ports and other places northward from the mouth of the river Thames; and to cause them without delay to be provided with men-at-arms, archers, armed men, and victuals for one month, and to come together at a certain place appointed according to your judgment; so that in each large ship there shall be placed 40 mariners, 40 armed men, and 60 archers, and in each barge, as many as is suitable and expedient — to be chosen by the makers of the array as well from the men of the good towns near the coast, as from the men of those parts to be arrayed by them; taking so much money as shall suffice for one month for the wages of these same men each day, namely, for each knight, 2s., for each squire, 12d., for an armed man, 6d., an archer, 4d., and a mariner, 3d.
— And to cause victuals and other things necessary for the supply of the ships to be taken and borrowed from merchants and other good men of these parts, for which prompt payment shall be made from the first payments of 131 the “15th” and “10th” lately granted by the community of the counties of our realm, for the wages and expenses of men-at-arms, and for the setting out for the defence of the realm.
— And to put out to sea with all speed, with the ships thus arrayed, against our enemies, by reason of the present necessity, together with other ships that are now on the sea, and ready to come from the Western parts.
And you shall have power of arresting all person whom you shall find rebellious or resisting in the execution of the foregoing, and of detaining them in prison until we shall otherwise have ordained concerning them. . . .
The King to all and sundry sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, officers, and other faithful lieges, etc., greeting. Know that we have assigned our beloved Thomas Clark, master of a ship called the “Edward,” to choose and take 60 mariners, wheresoever they can be found, within liberties or without, as well within the liberty of the Cinque Ports as elsewhere, and to put them into his said ship, for the management of it, to stay there at our wages; and to seize and imprison all whom he shall find rebellious or contrary. . . .
Therefore we order you to be intendant to the said Thomas, and to give him advise and assistance whensoever he shall give you notice in our name. . . .
To the Warden of the Cinque Ports, and the Mayors and bailiffs of other important ports.
Because we have learned for certain that our adversary of France and other our enemies his adherents, are 132 preparing, with great multitude of ships and men-at-arms, to destroy the shipping of our realm of England, and to hinder the passage of merchants and merchandise of our said realm, and to injure merchants and other our lieges in all ways that they possibly can, unless forcible resistance be made to them will all speed — we, being desirous of resisting the malice of our said enemies, as is fitting, and of providing for the safety of the ships, merchants, and merchandise of our realm, so far as we can, do command you, that immediately upon receipt of these letters, you shall choose in each town of these ports,1 two of the more sufficient and discreet men, who are best acquainted with foreign parts, and have most knowledge and experience in the management of ships, merchants, and merchandise, and other matters; and you shall cause them to come before us and our Council at Westminster on the Octaves of St. Mark next, at latest, to give advice and information to us and our Council, with the advice and assent thereof, as to what shall be done for the safety of ships, merchants, and merchandise, and their passage to and fro, and for the greatest advantage and security of our realm and people, against the said enemies, and for their destruction.
1 The Cinque Ports — this writ was addressed to the Warden.
Item, the Commons put forward, that it may please our lord the King to know the principal causes whereby our shipping1 is so nearly destroyed.
In the first place, the arrests of ships that have often been made a long time before our lord the King had occasion to make use of them; during which time those who owned them have always borne all the expenses connected 133 with them at their own cost, as well of the mariners as of all other appurtenances, without making any profit in the meantime. Whereby many of them have been so impoverished that by insufficiency they have abandoned this calling, and allowed their ships to rot and be ruined.
On the other hand, the merchants of the land, from whom the support of shipping must come, have been restrained from their voyages and other business by various ordinances, so that they have had no need of shipping. And for this reason, the mariners have in great part left that labour, and sought their living in other ways, and the ships have been laid up to rot.
And also, the masters of our lord the King’s ships, whenever they have been given notice to prepare for any voyage, have, by colour of their office, taken the masters of other ships to serve them, and the other ablest men in them; so that the ships of other owners have been left without direction, and for this reason many of them have been ruined, and those who owned them undone.
Item, the Commons pray, as also the merchants and mariners of England, that whereas 20 years back, and always before that time, the shipping of the realm was so noble and plentiful in all ports and good towns on the sea and on rivers, that all countries used to consider and to call our said lord the King of the sea, and feared him the more, both by sea and land, by reason of the said navy — it is now so diminished and ruined by various causes, that there remains barely sufficient to defend the country against royal power, if great need arose. . . .
1 La navie. 134
To increase the shipping of England, which is now greatly diminished, it is assented and accorded that none of the King’s lieges shall from henceforth ship any manner of merchandise, going out or coming into the realm of England, except in ships of the King’s ligeance; and every person of the said ligeance who after the Feast of Easter next ensuing, at which Feast this ordinance shall first begin to be of force, shall ship merchandise in other ships or vessels upon the sea than those of the said ligeance, shall forfeit to the King all his merchandise shipped in other vessels, wherever they may afterwards be found, or the value of them. Of which forfeiture the King wills and grants that he who shall discover, and duly prove that any person has forfeited anything against this ordinance, shall have the third part for his labour, of the King’s gift.
Although lately . . . it was ordained that no liege subject of the King . . . should in anywise ship merchandise or goods . . . in any ships . . . except in ships of the King’s ligeance; yet . . . it is ordained and granted, that the said ordinance shall hold good so long as able and sufficient ships of the King’s ligeance shall be found in the ports where the said merchants shall happen to resort; so that thus they shall be bound to freight these ships with their merchandise before all other ships, under the aforesaid penalty; but otherwise it shall be lawful for them to hire other suitable ships, and freight them with their goods and merchandise, notwithstanding the former statute.
135So the season came that the Earl of Pembroke should depart, and so took his leave of the King and all his company. And Sir Otho of Grandson was ordained to go with him; he had no great company with him but certain knights by the information of Guichard d’Angle; but he had with him such certain sum of money to pay the wages of three thousand men of war. And so they made speed till they came to Hampton and there tarried 15 days abiding wind, and then they had wind at will, and so entered into their ships and departed from the haven in the name of God and St. George, and took their course towards Poitou. King Charles of France who knew the most part of all the counsell in England, I cannot tell how or by whom, but he knew well how Sire Guichard d’Angle was gone into England, to the intent to get out of the King a good Captain for the county of Poitou; and also he knew how the Earl of Pembroke should go thither, and all his charge. The French King was well advised thereof, and secretly sent an army of men of war by the sea, of Spaniards at his desire, because his own men were gone to King Henry of Castile, because of the confederation and alliance that was between them. The Spaniards were 40 great ships and 13 barques, well purveyed and decked, as these Spanish ships be. And sovereigns and patrons of that fleet were 4 valiant captains, Ambrose de Boccanegra, Cabeça de Vaca, Don Fernando de Peon, and Ruy Diaz de Rojas.
These Spaniards had been at sea, awaiting the return of the Poitevins and the coming of the Earl of Pembroke, for they well know it was their intent to come to Poitou, 136 wherefore they lay at anchor off the town of Rochelle. And so it happened that the day before the vigil of St. John the Baptist in the year 1372 the Earl of Pembroke and his company were to arrive in the haven of Rochelle; but they found the aforesaid Spaniards before them, who intended to prevent their landing, and were right glad of their coming.
When the Englishmen and Poitevins saw the Spaniards and perceived how they must needs fight with them, they comforted themselves howbeit they were not equally matched, neither of men nor of ships; but they armed themselves and put themselves in good order, their archers before them, all ready to fight.
And then the Spanish ships which were well purveyed with a great number of men of war and brigands, with crossbows and cannon, with great bars of iron and plummets of lead to cast down, began to approach, making great noise; these great ships of Spain took the wind to fetch their turn, against the English ships whom they had but little feared and so came upon them with full sail spread. So thus at the beginning there was great cry and noise of the one and the other, and the Englishmen bore themselves right well, and there the Earl of Pembroke knighted certain of the squires for honour. There was a great battle and hard, the Englishmen had enough to do, for the Spaniards who were in ships so great that they towered above the English vessels, had great bars of iron and stones, and cast them down to sink the English ships, and hurt many a man right sorely. And among the knights of England and Poitou great nobleness of knighthood and prowess was shown. The Earl of Pembroke fought and met his enemies right fiercely, and did that day many a noble feat of arms, and in like manner so did Sir Otho de Grandson, Sir Guichard d’Angle, the lord of Puyane, and all the other knights.
137From what I have heard recorded by those who were there in the battle before Rochelle, the English and Poitevins who were there showed clearly how they desired to win praise in arms, for never did they bear themselves more valiantly; for they were but few in regard to the Spaniards, and with much smaller ships, that it might well be marvelled how they endured so long. But the noble knighthood that was in them supported them and held them in strength, for if they had been like in ships, the Spaniards had taken but little ado of them, for they held their lances so close together that none durst abide their strokes without they were well armed and pavessed. But the casting down of plummets of lead, and great stones and bars of iron hurt and troubled them marvellously sore and hurt and wounded divers knights and squires. The people of the town of Rochelle easily saw this battle, but they made no advance to come to help the Earl of Pembroke and his company, who so valiantly there fought with their enemies, but did let them alone. Thus in this battle and strife they endured till it was night and then they departed from each other and they cast their anchors. But this first day the Englishmen lost 2 barges laden with their provisions and all that were in them were put to death. The same night Sir John of Harpenden who was then Seneschal of Rochelle made great entreaty to them of the town, to the Mayor Sir John Caudrier1 and others that they should arm them, and cause to be armed all the commonalty of the town, and to enter into barges and ships and go to aide and comfort their people, who all the day had so well fought with their enemies. But they of the town, who had no will to the matter excused themselves, and said they had enough to do to keep the town, and how they were no sea men nor wist not how to fight the 138 Spaniards on the sea, but if the latter were on land they said they would then gladly go forth. So the Seneschal could not get them forth for all that he could do.
The same time within the town there was the lord of Tonnay-Bouton, Sir Jaques of Burgeres and Sir Mauburni de Lignières, who also desired them to go forth. But when they saw that their request could not avail, these 4 knights went and armed them and all their company, such as would go forth with them, the which was but a small number. So they entered into 4 barges and at the breaking of the day when the flood came they went to their company who gave them great thanks for their coming. And there they showed unto the Earl of Pembroke and Sir Guichard d’Angle how that they would not be succoured or supported by those of the town of Rochelle. And then since they could not amend it they answered that they must abide the grace of God and the adventure of fortune and that the time would come when they of Rochelle would repent of it. When the day was come and the flood came up and it was high tide, the Spaniards weighed up their anchor, making great noise with trumpets, and put them in good order as they did the day before, and got under way their great ships strongly armed and purveyed, and took the advantage of the wind to close in the English ships who were nothing to the number of the Spaniards. And so the aforesaid 4 captains of the Spaniards came forward in good order. The English and Poitevins saw well their order and so drew all together and set their archers before them. Therewith came on the Spaniards at full sail and so began a fierce and cruel battle; then the Spaniards cast great hooks of iron with chains and grappled their ships to the English ships so they could not depart. With the Earl of Pembroke and Sir Guichard d’Angle there were 22 knights who right valiantly fought with lances and swords and such weapons as they had. Thus fighting 139 they continued a long space, but the Spaniards had too great advantage of the English men, for they were in great ships and cast down great bars of iron and stones the which sore travailed the English men. Thus shouting, struggling and fighting with each other they endured till 3 of the clock;2 there were never men that endured more travail on the sea than the English did that day, for the most part of their men were sore hurt with the casting down of bars of iron and stones, so that Sir Aymerie of Tharse that valiant knight of Gascony was there slain and Sir John Langton that was knight of the body to the Earl of Pembroke.
To the Earl’s ship there were grappled 4 great ships whereof Cabeça de Vaca and Don Fernando de Peon were captains, and in them were many good fighting men, and they did so much that they entered into the Earl’s ship, where was done many a valiant feat of arms, and thus the Earl was taken, and all that were in his ship taken or slain. . . . And on the other hand the Poitevins, Sir Guichard d’Angle, the lord of Puyane, the lord of Tonnay-Bouton, and in another ship Sir Otho de Grandson were fighting with Ambrose Boccanegra, Ruy Diaz de Rojas, until all the knights were taken by the Spaniards so that none escaped being captured or slain, and all these people were in danger of like fate. But when they had taken the chief masters they left slaying of servants for their masters desired that they would forbear, saying how they would pay for all. . . .
And you must know that besides the loss of so many good knights and squires as were taken and slain, the King of England that day had the greatest loss, for by this discomfiture he lost afterwards the whole country. . . . And as I was told, the English ship wherein was all the treasure and riches wherewith Sir Guichard d’Angle should have paid all the wages of the soldiers in Guienne, 140 perished, and all that was therein, so that nothing thereof came to any profit. All that day, the which was the vigil of St. John the Baptist, and that night, and the next day till it was noon, the Spaniards lay still at anchor before Rochelle, making great joy. And it fortuned so well to a knight of Poitou called Sir Jaques of Surgeres, for he spoke so fairly and gently to his master that he was quit with the paying of 300 francs. He came on St. John’s day to dinner in the town of Rochelle. By him there it was known how the day had sped, and who were slain and who were taken; and divers burgesses of the town showed by semblance how they were sorry and displeased, howbeit they were indeed right joyous, for they never naturally loved the Englishmen.
1 M. Luce points out that he was not in office at this time — the Mayor was Piere Boudré.
2 Nine o’clock (Nicolas).
Concerning the folly of our people on the sea —
. . . Meanwhile a fleet was being prepared in all the English ports; fighting men were gathered together in great numbers, and the Master of the Hospital of St. John, and Lord Percy, brother of the Earl of Northumberland were placed in command as admirals. But for the whole summer they were destined to keep an idle lookout on the sea, frequently seeing the French fleet, at one time sailing by them, at another openly making mock of them; yet they did not think fit to do anything against those on board, being prevented either by private disagreement or by mere folly. But not thus the men of Portsmouth and Dartmouth! not thus did they decree to remain idle; no man had hired them to inflict damage upon the enemy, but they were spurred on by their own inborn valour. For, having no fear in the face of a great multitude of 141 ships, dreading no attacks of the enemy, they crossed the sea with a small company, and sailed over to the Seine, where without difficulty they sank four of the enemy’s ships, and carried off four more, with a barge belonging to the lord of Clisson whose equal was not to be found in the kingdoms of England or France — wherein they won such booty as was enough to satisfy the most covetous, and to relieve their want.
[The French King’s invasion schemes were delayed by events in Flanders, and by tempests]. . . . To say nothing of the damage inflicted upon him on land, he suffered great mischiefs on the deep, by the loss of his men and goods; for there came a dreadful tempest, while his fleet was returning from Sluys, that scattered his ships and dashed them to pieces, casting many of the sailors on the shores of the King of England, to wit, at Calais, and the neighbouring places. For on Holy Cross day, two great galleys, and a ship of another kind, called a “lyne,” with a barge and two balingers, were wrecked off the town of Calais, and the townspeople took captive 500 Frenchmen and Normans who came to the harbour when their fleet was sunk; among whom was Robert Bremville, a very wealthy man and most influential among all the merchants of France. On the third day following, 72 French ships returning from Sluys, were trying to make their way past Calais, but the Calais men put out, and fought against them, winning 18 ships and a great barge, wherein were slain or taken 60 armed men. Three days later, after this fight, 45 great ships returning from Sluys, and endeavouring to round Calais, were hindered by our people, for the men of Calais, when their coming was known, took arms against them, and fought for more than six hours; at last the victory fell to our men, who put to flight all these ships but two, and a cog, wherein two French admirals were taken with much plunder. But two of these ships were 142 so large that they could not be brought into Calais harbour, wherefore they were sent to Sandwich. The larger of the two had been hired at Sluys by the lord of Clisson for 3000 francs, and it was a new ship only built that same year. The Normans had hired the cog from Estland for 5000 francs, so that it might be a protection and defence for them as they went back to their own country; but none the less, when the English attacked them, it could not avail to defend itself from being taken, and it fell a prey to them. There were captured and slain in these ships 256 men, both sailors and hired troops.
When it was understood for certain that the King of France had collected his ships and made ready his army, and was of purpose to invade England, the Londoners, timid as hares and nervous as mice, sought conflicting counsel on all sides, peered into dark places, and began to mistrust their own strength, and despair of resistance as though the city were on the point of being taken. Those who in peace had arrogantly boasted that they would drive all the Frenchmen out of England, now when they heard the rumour, albeit unfounded, of the enemy’s approach, thought that all England could scarcely protect them. And so, as though drunken with wine, they rushed to the city walls, breaking and tearing down all the adjacent houses, and timorously doing everything that they were wont to do in the greatest extremity. Not one Frenchman had yet set foot on a ship, no enemy had put to sea, yet the Londoners were as fearful as though all the surrounding country had been conquered, and they saw the enemy before their gates.