Close Rolls, Edward II: December 1325 | British History Online

Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II: Volume 4, 1323-1327. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1898.

'Close Rolls, Edward II: December 1325', in Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II: Volume 4, 1323-1327, (London, 1898) pp. 579-582. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/edw2/vol4/pp579-582 [accessed 23 April 2024]

December 1325



Dec. 2. Westminster.	To [Edward] the king's son. Albeit he is young and of tender age, he is enjoined to remember well what the king charged and commanded him when he left him at Dovre, and what he then answered to the king, for which the king thanks him, and he is enjoined not to trespass or contravene in any point for any one what the king then enjoined upon him. Since his homage is received, he is to repair to the king of France and take his leave, and come to the king in the company of the queen, if she will come so soon, or if she will not, to come himself with all haste without further delay, as the king has great desire to see him and speak with him; and this he is not to omit in any wise, either for his mother or for any other, under the king's blessing. French. [Ibid.]
Dec. 1. Westminster.	To the queen. The king has frequently ordered her, both before and after the homage, to come to him with all speed, laying aside all excuses; but before the homage she was excused by reason of the advancement of the affairs, and she has now informed the king by the bishop of Winchester, with her letters of credence, that she will not return now for danger and doubt of Hugh le Despenser. The king marvels at this to the extent of his power, especially as she always behaved amiably to him, and he to her, in the king's presence, and particularly at her departure by her behaviour, and after her departure by very special letters sent to him, which he has shown to the king. The king knows for truth, and she knows, that Hugh has always procured her all the honour with the king that he could; and no evil or villainy was done to her after her marriage by any abetment and procurement, unless peradventure sometimes the king has addressed to her in secret words of reproof, by her own fault, if she will remember, as was befitting, without other hardship, and she ought not, for God and the law of the church and for the honour of the king and of her, to transgress the king's commands for anything on earth, nor leave his company. It will much displease the king if now, after homage has been done to the king of France, and the king and the king of France are in such a good way of love, she, whom the king sent for peace, should be the reason of any difference between the king and the king of France, and especially for feigned and untrue reasons. He therefore orders her to put aside all such feigned reasons and excuses, and to come to him with all speed, especially as the king of France has, according to the bishop's report, said, in the bishop's presence, that she shall not be molested nor delayed from coming to the king contrary to her safe-conduct, since the king is her husband and she is his wife. As to her expenses, the king will, when she has returned to him as a wife ought to do to her husband, ordain so that she shall have no lack of things appertaining to her, whereby neither the king nor she may be dishonoured in any wise. The king also wills and orders that she suffer and make Edward, his son, return to him in as much haste as possible, according to the king's orders to him, and this she is in no wise to neglect, since the king has a great desire to see and talk with him. And whereas lately, when Walter, bishop of Exeter, was with the queen, the king was informed that some of the king's banished enemies lay in wait for the bishop to have done him harm of his body if they had seen a fitting time, and the king, to eschew such perils and by reason of the great affairs of the king's that the bishop had to do, ordered him to hasten home in the most secure manner possible, putting aside all other matters, in order to save himself; the king therefore wills and orders her to excuse the bishop for coming to him so suddenly from those parts, and she is to understand that the bishop did so for no other reasons than those aforesaid. French. [Ibid.]
	To the king of France. The king has received and understood his letters, delivered by the bishop of Wyncestre, and has also understood what the bishop has told him by word of mouth concerning the matters contained in the letters. As to the king of France's information to the king that he understood from trustworthy men that the queen of England durst not come to the king for peril of her life and for the doubt that she has of Hugh le Despenser, it is not fitting that she should doubt Hugh or any other man living in the king's realm, since if either Hugh or any other man in the realm wished her evil, and the king knew of it, he would chastise them in such a manner that others should take example; and such is, and has been, and always will be the king's will, and he has sufficient power therefor. He wishes the king of France to know that he could never perceive that Hugh privately or openly, in word or deed, or in countenance did not behave himself in all points towards the queen as he ought to have done to his lady; but when the king remembers the amiable countenances and words between the queen and Hugh that he has seen, and the great friendships that she held to him upon her going beyond sea, and the loving letters that she sent him not long ago, which Hugh has shown to the king, he cannot in any manner believe that the queen by herself can understand such thing concerning Hugh, whoever has out of hatred made her so understand, and the king cannot believe it of Hugh in any manner, but he believes that, after himself, Hugh is the man of his realm who wishes her most honour, and this Hugh has always shown, and the king testifies it in good truth. He prays the king of France not to give credence to those who would make him understand otherwise, but that he will believe the king's testimony, because the king has, and of reason ought to have, much greater knowledge of this matter than others. He therefore prays the king of France as especially as he can, that he will, for the honour of him, the king, and of the king's wife, do so much that she shall come to the king in such haste as she can, because the king is rendered very uneasy because he has such loss of her company, and he would not have deprived himself thereof if it had not been for the great trust that he had, and has, in the king of France and in his good faith that she would return at the king's will. The king also prays the king of France to expedite and cause to be delivered Edward, the king's eldest son, nephew of the king of France, and to render to him the lands of the duchy that the king of France holds, for the love and affection that the king of France has to Edward, and so that he shall not be disinherited, which the king does not think the king of France wishes. He also prays the king of France to suffer Edward to come to him with all possible haste, as the king has ordered him, as the king has a great will to see and speak with him, and it was always his will that he should return to him so soon as the homage was done and when the king should order him. Whereas when Walter, bishop of Exeter, was with the king of France, the king was given to understand that some of the king's enemies lay in wait for the bishop to do him harm of his body, and the king, to eschew such perils and for the great affairs of his that the bishop had to do, ordered him to hasten home in the most secure manner, putting aside other matters, to save himself; the king prays the king of France to excuse the bishop for his sudden return from those parts, and to understand that he did so solely for the aforesaid reasons. French. [Ibid.]
	The like letters, (fn. 1) together with the said transcripts enclosed therein, are sent to the following:
	The archbishop of Rheims,	peers of France.
	The bishop of Laon,
	The bishop of Beauvais,
	The duke of Burgundy, kinsman,
	The duke of Britanny, kinsman,
	The count of Flanders, kinsman,
	The count of Valois, kinsman,		peers of France.
	The abbot of St. Denis,		peers of France.
	Sir Walter de Chastillon, constable of France.
	Sir Miles, lord of Noyers (Noere).
	The count of Diois (Dien').
	The archbishop of Rouen (Roan),		peers.
	The bishop of Langres (Lengres),		peers.
	The lord of Coucy (Cossi),		kinsmen and non-peers.
	Louis, count of Clermont,
	Robert de Arteys, count of Beaumont,
	These three were written to, like the others, until 'we send to you as to our dear friend,' and then it was said 'as we have done to the peers (piers) and to the magnates of France,' etc. French. [Ibid.]