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"will die in the attempt." Then on every side the A.D. 1400. all who were present cried out "God save the noble king our noble King Henry, and God bless

common people and with a loud voice: sovereign lord, the

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"the noble prince his son."

How the Earl of Huntingdon, brother of King
Richard, was taken and miserably put to death.
CHAPTER XIII.

THUS, as you have heard, King Henry and the Londoners were feasting and enjoying themselves, but the Earl of Huntingdon, Duke of Exeter, brother of the deceased King Richard, and Sir Thomas Saielle, who had been his steward, a very valiant and brave knight in his time, seeing, as you have before heard, how the townspeople of Cirencester had used the Duke of Surrey and the other noblemen, departed from the town, where the earl found his steward and eleven men, and together with them took the road to Scotland,1 and arrived at a little town where the Countess of Arundel, sister of the Earl of Arundel who had been beheaded in London at the great Parliament, was then living. The Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon, and his attendants quartered themselves in a hostelry where, formerly, he had been wont to stay when he was passing that way. Then the Countess of Arundel, knowing that the earl with his household was in the town, secretly sent to her constable to assemble all the commonalty to take and seize the Earl of Huntingdon, brother of

The word Escoce in A. is pro- | bably a mistake for Excesses (Essex), see Chapter X.

2 Joan Countess of Hereford,

sister of the Earl of Arundel and
mother-in-law of King Henry,
seems to be meant.

3 See above.

A.D. 1400. King Richard, and all those who were with him, for she wished to take vengeance on him for the death of her brother, which was done just as she had ordered, that is to say, the said Earl of Huntingdon and three of his knights were strongly bound and brought before the countess. And you must know of a truth that at that time they did nothing in England but watch all the ways, whereby at last were taken the greater part of the barons, knights, and esquires who were on the side of King Richard, which was very pitiable to see, nor did they know whither to flee without being forthwith challenged, as there was not a passage where there were not men appointed to take them prisoners. Now, then the Duke of Exeter being thus taken, the Countess of Arundel1 wrote to King Henry, who was then at London, all that had happened, and that he would be pleased immediately to send the Earl of Arundel, his cousin, to see vengeance taken for his father, for her intention was to have the said Earl of Huntingdon hanged and drawn. King Henry rejoiced at the news when he had read the letter, called for the young Earl of Arundel and said to him: "Fair cousin, do you go "and see your aunt yonder, and bring me all the prisoners she has there, dead or alive." At which embassy the Earl of Arundel, much rejoiced, mounted his horse and made such haste that he came to the town where his aunt, the Countess, was, who had collected around there more than eight thousand peasants, all armed and supplied with weapons, and she caused the noble Earl of Huntingdon to be brought before them to put him to death, but there was certainly no one in all that company but what had pity on him, for he was a very fair prince, tall and straight and well formed in all his limbs, who was

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there before them with his hands bound. At this A.D. 1400. very hour the Earl of Arundel arrived at the place and saluted his aunt, and seeing there present the Earl of Huntingdon, Duke of Exeter, he spoke thus to him: "My lord, what say you? Do you not repent "that by the advice of yourself and others, my lord my father was put to death, and that you have so long held my land, and, besides, have wickedly governed my sister and myself till by very poverty "I have been obliged to depart from the kingdom of "England, and if it had not been for my cousin of "Clarence I should have died of want. And thou, " villain, dost thou not remember how I have often "taken off and cleaned thy shoes when thou hadst to "taste before King Richard, and thou treatedst me "then as if I had been thy drudge? But now the hour "has come when I will have vengeance upon thee;' and then he caused the earl to be brought in front of the line of townsmen that they might kill him. The Earl of Huntingdon seeing himself in this position. and looking piteously on those who were going to kill him, said to them: My lords, have pity on me, for "I have never done ill in anything to any of this country." And there was none of them who would. have wished to do him any harm, or who felt not great pity for him, excepting the Earl and the Countess of Arundel, who said to her men: "Cursed be ye all, "false villains, who are not brave enough to put a man to death." Then there drew near an esquire of the lady and of the Earl of Arundel, who offered himself to behead the said Earl of Huntingdon, and the countess ordered him to do it forthwith, so the esquire, axe in hand, came forward and throwing himself on his kneee before the Earl of Huntingdon, said: "My lord, pardon me your death, for my lady has "commanded me to deliver you from this world." Then the Earl of Huntingdon, who had his hands

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A.D. 1400. bound, fell on his knees and spoke thus to him who had asked him pardon for his death: "Friend, art thou "he who is to put me out of this world?" "Yes,

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lady." And the earl said to him:

command of my "Friend, why

"dost thou wish to take away the life which God "has given me? I never did harm to thee or thy lineage, and you can see very well that there are "here seven or eight thousand persons or more of "whom there is none who wishes to harm my body excepting thee. Ah! my friend, why canst thou find "it in thy heart and thy conscience to slay me?" Then the earl began to weep a little, saying, "Alas! "if I had gone to Rome when our holy father the "Pope sent for me to be his marshal I should not "have been in this danger, but it is too late. I pray "God to pardon my sins." When the esquire had heard the piteous words of the Earl of Huntingdon, such dread took possession of him that he began to tremble, and turned to the countess, weeping, and said to her: "My lady, for God's mercy, pardon me, for I "will not put the Earl of Huntingdon to death for "all the gold in the world." Then the lady in great anger said to him: "Thou shalt do what thou hast promised, or I will have thine own head cut off." Whereupon the esquire, hearing the lady, was very dismayed, and returned to the Earl of Huntingdon, saying, "My lord, I pray of your mercy pardon me "your death." Then the Earl, throwing himslf on his knees, spake thus: "Alas! is there no help for me but "I must die? I pray to God and the Virgin Mary

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and all the saints of Paradise to have mercy on me." Then he said to the esquire: "My friend, I pray thee "despatch me," at which words the squire swung up his axe and struck the earl such a blow with it that he fell to the earth badly wounded on the breast and face, but directly the esquire had withdrawn the axe

the earl sprang to his feet saying, "Man, why dost A.D. 1400. "thou this? for God's sake deliver me quickly," and then the esquire gave him eight blows with the axe before he could strike home on his neck. Then said the earl again, "Alas! why dost thou thus?" and then the esquire drew a little knife with which he cut the throat of the Earl of Huntingdon. And then the Earl of Arundel caused the head to be put on a pole. And afterwards the knights who were taken with him had their hands bound as had the other prisoners whom the Earl of Arundel caused to run on foot after him till they came to London, where they arrived on the Monday the 9th of January, about the dinner hour, and the Earl of Arundel entered London, his trumpets sounding and minstrels before him, and between the said Earl of Arundel and the minstrels eame the said prisoners and those who carried the head of the Duke of Exeter, Earl of Huntingdon. The Londoners showed great joy at this adventure, and cried along all the roads and streets where they passed: "God save our noble King Henry and his highness the prince, his son, and all their noble "council." On this very day there arrived in London the Earl of Rutland, who, in like manner, was having borne before him the head of Lord Despencer likewise set up on a pole, his trumpeters and minstrels before him, and a cart in which were twelve prisoners bound hand and foot, who were all sent to the Tower of London, and right behind came the said Earl of Rutland with a great force of men-at-arms, and so he guarded the prisoners to the Tower. If I were to relate to you at length, word for word, the cruel deaths and tortures which were wrought by command of King Henry on the men and servants of the noble King Richard it would be pitiful to hear it, for as soon as it was known who were or had been adherents of King Richard he had them put to a wretched

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