EDWARD THE THIRD,
who came to the crowne by the resignation of his father Edward the second.

Table of Contents Added by Transcriber.

The articles of agréement betwéene the moonks of Burie and the inhabitants of Burie.
A letter of W. Northbourgh the kings confessor describing the kings voiage into France.
The copie of sir Iohn Winkefields letters.
The tenor of an other letter written by sir Iohn Wingfield, directed to sir Richard Stafford knight, who had béene in Gascoigne, and there leauing his familie, was now returned into England.
The méeke and comfortable oration of the English prince to the French king being taken prisoner.
The tenor of the said prince of Wales his appeale or summons of appearance before the French king, &c.

Edward the third of that name, the sonne of Edward the second, and of Isabell the onelie daughter of Philip le Beau, & sister to Charles the fift king of France, began his reigne as king of England, his father yet liuing, the 25 daie of Ianuarie, after the creation 5293, in the yeare of our lord 1327, after the account of them that begin the yeare at Christmasse, 867 after the comming of the Saxons, 260 after the conquest, the 13 yeare of the reigne of Lewes the fourth then emperour, the seuenth of Charles the fift king of France, the second of Andronicus Iunior emperour of the east almost ended, and about the end of the 22 of Robert le Bruce king of Scotland. He was crowned at Westminster on the day of the Purification of our ladie next insuing, by the hands of Walter the archbishop of Canturburie.

And bicause he was but fourtéene yeares of age, so that to gouerne of himselfe he was not sufficient, it was decréed that twelue of the greatest lords within the realme should haue the rule and gouernment till he came to more perfect yeares. The names of which lords were as followeth. The archbishop of Canturburie, the archbishop of Yorke, the bishops of Winchester and of Hereford, Henrie earle of Lancaster, Thomas Brotherton earle marshall, Edmund of Woodstoke earle of Kent, Iohn earle of Warren, the lord Thomas Wake, the lord Henrie Percie, the lord Oliuer de Ingham, & the lord Iohn Ros. These were sworne of the kings councell, and charged with the gouernement as they would make answer. But this ordinance continued not long: for the quéene, and the lord Roger Mortimer tooke the whole rule so into their hands, that both the king and his said councellors were gouerned onelie by them in all matters both high and low. Neuerthelesse, although they had taken the regiment vpon them, yet could they not foresée the tumults and vprores that presentlie vpon the yoong kings inthronizing did insue: but néeds it must come to passe that is left written where children weare the crowne, & beare the scepter in hand,

He confirmed the liberties and franchises of the citie of London, and granted that the maior of the same citie for the time being might sit in all places of iudgement within the liberties thereof for chéefe iustice, aboue all other, the kings person onelie excepted; and that euerie alderman that had béene maior should be iustice of peace through all the citie of London and countie of Middlesex; and euerie alderman that had not béene maior, should be iustice of peace within his owne ward. He granted also to the citizens, that they should not be constreined to go foorth of the citie to anie warres in defense of the land, and that the franchises of the citie should not be seized from thenceforth into the kings hands for anie cause, but onelie for treason and rebellion shewed by the whole citie. Also Southwarke was appointed to be vnder the rule of the citie, and the maior of London to be bailiffe of Southwarke, and to ordeine such a substitute in the same borough as pleased him.

In the first yeare of this kings reigne, we find in records belonging to the abbeie of S. Edmundsburie in Suffolke, that the inhabitants of that towne raised a sore commotion against the abbat & moonks of the same abbeie, and that at seuerall times, as first on the wednesdaie next after the feast of the conuersion of S. Paule, in the said first yeare of this kings reigne, one Robert Foxton, Richard Draiton, and a great number of other, assembling themselues togither in warlike order and araie, assaulted the said abbeie, brake downe the gates, windowes, and doores, entered the house by force, and assailing certeine moonks and seruants that belonged to the abbat, did beat, wound, and euill intreat them, brake open a number of chests, coffers, and forssets, tooke out chalices of gold and siluer, books, vestments, and other ornaments of the church, beside a great quantitie of rich plate, and other furniture of household, apparell, armour, and other things, beside fiue hundred pounds in readie coine, & also thrée thousand florens of gold.

All these things they tooke and caried awaie, togither with diuerse charters, writings, & miniments, as thrée charters of Knute sometime king of England, foure charters of king Hardiknute, one charter of king Edward the confessor, two charters of king Henrie the first, & other two charters of king Henrie the third, which charters concerned as well the foundation of the same abbeie, as the grants and confirmations of the possessions and liberties belonging thereto. Also they tooke awaie certeine writings obligatorie, in the which diuerse persons were bound for the paiement of great summes of monie, and deliuerie of certeine wines vnto the hands of the said abbat. Moreouer they tooke awaie with them ten seuerall buls, concerning certeine exemptions and immunities granted to the abbats and moonks of Burie by sundrie bishops of Rome.

Furthermore, not herewith contented, they tooke Peter Clopton prior of the said abbeie, and other moonks foorth of the house, and leading them vnto a place called the Leaden hall, there imprisoned them, till the thursdaie next before the feast of the Purification of our ladie, and that daie bringing them backe againe into the