EDWARD THE SECOND,
the sonne of Edward the first.

Table of Contents Added by Transcriber

The tenour of the kings letters patents.
The tenour of the said sixt letter lacking a direction.

Edward, the second of that name, the sonne of Edward the first, borne at Carnaruan in Wales, began his reigne ouer England the seauenth day of Iulie, in the yeare of our Lord 1307, of the world, 5273, of the comming of the Saxons 847, after the conquest 241, about the tenth yeare of Albert emperour of Rome, and the two and twentith of the fourth Philip, surnamed Le Beau, as then king of France, and in the third yeare after that Robert le Bruce had taken vpon him the crowne and gouernement of Scotland. His fathers corpse was conueied from Burgh vpon Sands, vnto the abbie of Waltham, there to remaine, till things were readie for the buriall, which was appointed at Westminster.

Within thrée daies after, when the lord treasurer Walter de Langton bishop of Couentrie and Lichfield (thorough whose complaint Péers de Gaueston had béene banished the land) was going towards Westminster, to make preparation for the same buriall, he was vpon commandement from the new king arrested, committed to prison, and after deliuered to the hands of the said Péers, being then returned againe into the realme, who sent him from castell to castell as a prisoner. His lands and tenements were seized to the kings vse, but his mooueables were giuen to the foresaid Péers. Walter Reignold that had béene the kings tutor in his childhood, was then made lord treasurer, and after when the sée of Worcester was void, at the kings instance he was by the pope to that bishoprike preferred. Also Rafe bishop of London was deposed from the office of lord Chancellour, and Iohn Langton bishop of Chichester was thereto restored. Likewise, the barons of the excheker were remooued, and other put in their places. And Amerie de Valence earle of Penbroke was discharged of the wardenship of Scotland, and Iohn de Britaine placed in that office, whom he also made earle of Richmond.

But now concerning the demeanour of this new king, whose disordered maners brought himselfe and manie others vnto destruction; we find that in the beginning of his gouernement, though he was of nature giuen to lightnesse, yet being restreined with the prudent aduertisements of certeine of his councellors, to the end that he might shew some likelihood of good proofe, he counterfeited a kind of grauitie, vertue and modestie; but yet he could not throughlie be so bridled, but that foorthwith he began to plaie diuers wanton and light parts, at the first indéed not outragiouslie, but by little and little, and that couertlie. For hauing reuoked againe into England his old mate the said Péers de Gaueston, he receiued him into most high fauour, creating him earle of Cornewall, and lord of Man, his principall secretarie, and lord chamberlaine of the realme, through whose companie and societie he was suddenlie so corrupted, that he burst out into most heinous vices; for then vsing the said Péers as a procurer of his disordred dooings, he began to haue his nobles in no regard, to set nothing by their instructions, and to take small héed vnto the good gouernement of the common-wealth, so that within a while, he gaue himselfe to wantonnes, passing his time in voluptuous pleasure, and riotous excesse: and to helpe them forward in that kind of life, the foresaid Péers, who (as it may be thought, he had sworne to make the king to forget himselfe, and the state, to the which he was called) furnished his court with companies of iesters, ruffians, flattering parasites, musicians, and other vile and naughtie ribalds, that the king might spend both daies and nights in iesting, plaieng, blanketing, and in such other filthie and dishonorable exercises: and moreouer, desirous to aduance those that were like to him selfe, he procured for them honorable offices, all which notable preferments and dignities, sith they were ill bestowed, were rather to be accounted dishonorable than otherwise, both to the giuer and the receiuer, sith

About the thirtéenth day of October, a parlement was holden at Northampton, in the which it was ordeined by the kings appointment, that the coine of his father king Edward should be still currant, notwithstanding the basenesse thereof, as some reputed it, and therefore it was mooued in the parlement to haue it disanulled. ¶ Also, order was taken for the buriall of his fathers corpse, which was solemnelie conueied from Waltham, and brought to Westminster the seauen and twentith day of October following, where with all funerall pompe it was interred. Moreouer, at the same parlement, a marriage was concluded betwixt the earle of Cornewall Péers de Gaueston, and the daughter of Gilbert de Clare earle of Glocester, which he had by his wife the countesse Ioane de Acres the kings sister, which marriage was solemnized on All hallowes day next insuing.

About the two and twentith of Ianuarie, the king sailed ouer into France, and at Bullongne in Picardie on the foure and twentith day of Ianuarie, he did homage to the French king for his lands of Gascoine and Pontieu, and on the morrow after, maried Isabell the French kings daughter, and on the seauenth of Februarie he returned with hir into England, and comming to London, was ioifullie receiued of the citizens, and on the fiue and twentith daie of Februarie, being Shrouesundaie in the leape yeare, they were solemnlie crowned by the bishop of Winchester, bicause that Robert the archbishop of Canturburie was not as then within the realme. There was such prease and throng of people at this coronation, that a knight called sir Iohn Bakewell aliàs Blackwell, was thrust or crowded to death. ¶ On the day of the circumcision this yeare, a great tempest of thunder and lightning began about euensong time, that continued the most part of the night following.

On wednesdaie after the Epiphanie, the knights templers in England were apprehended all in one day by the kings commandement, vpon suspicion of hainous crimes & great