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A.D. 1400. before the body, and in this state they brought it to the church of Saint Paul, the chief church of London, where it remained all that night until the morrow, when it was brought on the said chariot to the street of Chepe, the chief street of London, where they halted for more than two hours, and more than twenty thousand persons came to see it, for it had the visage uncovered so that it might be looked upon and recognised by all. Some felt pity, seeing him thus, while others did not, saying that he had well deserved death. This thing happened in the year of grace 1399,1 the 12th day of March. Now consider, ye kings, dukes, princes, and lords, and all people of high degree, how astonishing are the fortunes of this world, and how variously they turned on this King Richard, who in his time reigned in great prosperity twenty-two years as King of England, and as to keeping up state and honour they say in England they never had a king who surpassed him, spending in his house alone near one hundred thousand florins every year; and besides he was a very free giver, no one went away from him without having some gift. He was mild, compassionate, and merciful, and if his counsellors had resembled him this ill fortune would never have befallen him, for if they had advised him loyally, as he had great confidence in them, he would have reigned King of England peaceably all his life. When the said chariot, on which the king's body was, had been in the street of Chepe for more than two hours, it was moved forward, and they went out of the town of London, the four knights behind, who conducted it to a little village quite near to Pomfret, where they interred the body of King Richard in a little church, in which he remained until the death of King Henry, his slayer, when King Henry his son, the fifth of that

1 The year is imperfectly given in A.

name, caused him to be brought to Westminster, where A.D. 1400. that King Henry had a very magnificent tomb of brass made [for him] with his first wife, who was the daughter of the King of Bohemia.

We will now go back to speak of King Henry, who after he had given orders for putting to death his cousin-german and sovereign lord King Richard, set out with the intention of fighting his enemies, and that night lay at Windsor, at which place the Constable of Cirencester and the townspeople in his service came to him, where they presented to him the head of the Duke of Surrey and another head of a great baron which they had fixed on the ends of two poles, and they also presented to the said King Henry a great crowd of barons and knights, with esquires in great number, all prisoners; and King Henry was lodged in a Carmelite convent, when these presents were made to him, at which he was greatly rejoiced. Then King Henry gave orders to Sir Thomas Erpingham that all the prisoners that were taken at Cirencester should be executed according to justice, except one young knight whom King Henry had dubbed with knighthood on the Saturday before his coronation, whom the king, because he was still young and of noble lineage, pardoned for his offence. Sir Thomas Blount, Sir Bennett Seely, and four other great barons, were all six drawn from the town to a gibbet, more than two full leagues off, and were there hanged, but not quite strangled, for the ropes were instantly cut; then a great fire was made, round which they caused these lords to sit down on a seat. The executioner then came, knife in hand, and fell on his knees before Sir Thomas Blount, praying him that for God's honour he would pardon him his death, for he was obliged to do his office. Then Sir Thomas Blount asked the executioner: "Friend, art thou he who is to deliver me

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A.D. 1400." from this world?" Yes, sir," said the executioner, which lies heavy upon me, and I beseech you to pardon me;" and the good knight immediately embraced the executioner in forgiving him his death. This executioner held in his hand a fleam and a knife, and knelt down between the fire and the knight, unbuttoned his dress, and then laid open his belly below the navel and drew out the bowels from his body, then cut the bowel underneath the stomach, which he bound with a very strong cord so that the air should not enter the body; and when this was done he cast all these bowels to burn in the fire, and Sir Thomas Blount, sitting with belly open and gaping before the fire, looked most piteously at his bowels burning. Then Sir Thomas Erpingham, in derisive manner, asked him if he was very comfortable, saying that he had sent for a master who well knew how to cure him. Whereupon Sir Thomas Blount, raising his hands to heaven, cried out, half dead, "Te Deum laudamus; blessed be the hour that I was born, as well as the "hour of this very day that I die and can receive torment in the just quarrel of my sovereign and

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rightful lord the noble King Richard." At which words the said Sir Thomas Erpingham, at that time chamberlain of King Henry, asked Sir Thomas Blount : "Who are the lords and knights on your side?" and the good knight, with belly all open, answered: “Thou, Erpingham, art a false traitor, which I never was.” "Thou liest," said Erpingham. Then Sir Thomas Blount swore by the death which he was suffering that he never at any time of his life had spoken ill of prince, duke, earl, or knight, esquire, or any other person unjustly, "but thou speakest these false thoughts a false traitor must do; for by thy false and traitorous will the noble chivalry of England is today destroyed: cursed be the hour that thou wert

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This day I pray for mercy of God my A.D. 1400. "Creator, beseeching that He will vouchsafe to pardon "my sins: but thee, traitorous Erpingham,' I summon "on the day of judgment before the face of Jesus. Christ, and thee also, Earl of Rutland, for the treasons which you both have committed against your sovereign lord King Richard and his noble chivalry." After this, the executioner asked Sir Thomas Blount if he wished to drink. "No," said he, "for I should not "know where to put it:" then he begged the executioner to deliver him out of this world, for he saw with pain these traitors before him. Wherefore the executioner threw himself again on his knees before the knight, praying that he would pardon him his death, whereat the good knight kissed the executioner on the mouth, saying, "May God pardon thee, I willingly pardon thee;" and then the executioner cut off his head. And in like manner was it done to Sir Bennett and the others, and they were afterwards quartered, and their limbs sent to divers places throughout the good towns of the country, and the other knights and esquires who had been taken with them were executed in Oxford Castle. These executions being carried out, as you have heard, King Henry, in order the better to please the London people, sent them a most lamentable present, that is to say, the heads of the Duke of Surrey, Sir Thomas Blount, Sir Bennett, and other great barons, and also twelve noble men all prisoners, which gift was very acceptable to the Londoners, who came forth to receive the present with a great array of trumpets and minstrels going first, after whom came the Archbishop of Canterbury with eighteen bishops and thirty-two abbots, all mitred and vested in the robes which they wore at church in celebrating divine service, who all came to meet the said present sent

1 Conte DOrpeheu et DOstreland in text.

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A.D. 1400. by King Henry, singing "Te Deum laudamus," and evincing great joy; and on entering the city the people cried out with loud voice, "God save and bless King Henry and my lord the prince his son." Thence the archbishop went to Saint Paul's, the chief church, where he himself and the other prelates again sang the "Te Deum," and afterwards he preached a very notable discourse. On the morrow King Henry entered London, where he was magnificently feasted, and dismounted before Saint Paul's church, where he made his orisons and offerings, and on the day of his entry all work ceased in the city. And all the prelates of the kingdom came to do him reverence, again singing the "Te Deum" as they had done on the preceding day, and the archbishop gave the king holy water. Which being done the king stopped quite still, saying to the prelates: "By Saint George, it is a fine thing to see you altogether, provided that you are all good and loyal friends one with the other. There are certainly traitors among you, but I swear to God and "to Saint George that I will uproot all the bad trees "in my garden, and plant there such herbs as shall be good and wholesome for me;" and saying these words he departed from the church and went to his hostel. When the morrow came the king went early to the procession, at which were all the prelates and clergy of the city, and when he had gone halfway round he stopped very quietly, and said loudly and clearly: "My "lords and friends, I thank you for your goodness and "the great honour you have done me, for which I shall ever be greatly beholden to you, especially to the people of London, and therefore I promise you that "henceforth you will find me a good and true lord, "and I swear and promise to you that neither his highness my grandfather King Edward, nor my uncle "the Prince of Wales, ever went so forward in France as I will do, if it please God and Saint George, or I

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