“Will of William De Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, dated Holy Rood Day, 1296, 25 Edward I. being in perfect health. My body to be buried in the quire of the Friars-Minors, commonly called the Gray-friars at Worcester, if I die within the compass of the four English Seas; otherwise, then in the house of the Friars-Minors nearest to the place in which I may happen to die, and my heart to be buried wheresoever the Countess, my dear consort, may herself resolve to be interred; to the place where I may be buried two great horses, viz., those to the which shall carry my armour at my funeral, for the solemnizing of which I bequeath two hundred pounds; to the maintenance of two soldiers in the Holy Land, one hundred pounds; to Maud my wife, all my silver vessels, _with the cross, wherein is contained part of the wood of the very cross whereon our Saviour died_; likewise the vestments of my Chapel, to make use of during her life; but afterwards the best suit to belong to Guy, my eldest son; the second best to my Chapel of Hanslape; and the third best to my Chapel at Hanley; to Guy, my son, a gold ring with a ruby in it, together with my blesing; to my said wife a cup, which the Bishop of Worcester gave me, and all my other cups, with my lesser sort of jewels and rings, to distribute for the health of my soul, where she may think best; to my two daughters, nuns at Shouldham, fifty marks.” WILL OF EDWARD I (1307) This will seems entitled to find a place among those which may be regarded as abnormal, and when we come to the record of it in the simple and _naïf_ style of that matchless old chronicler Froissard, we are irresistibly tempted to make a transcript of the few lines which in describing it carry us back to the days of that turbulent and brilliant monarch. “Le bon roy,” he writes, “trépassa en la cité de Warvich. Et quend il mourut il fit appeler son aisné fils (Edouard II. qui après luy fust roy) pardeuant ses barons, et luy fit iurer sur les saincts, qu’aussitost qu’il seroit trespassé il le feroit bouilleir dans une chaudière, tant que la chair se departiroit des os: et après ferait mettre la chair en terre et garderoit les os: et toutes les fois que les Escoçois de rebelleroient contre luy, il semondroit ses gens et porteroit avesques luy les os de son père. Car il tenoit fermement que tant qu’il auroit ses os avesques luy les Escoçois n’auraient poinct de victoire contre luy. Lequel n’accomplit mie ce qu’il auait iuré: ains fit rapporter son père à Londres et là enseuelir; dont luy meschent.” WILL OF GUY DE BEAUCHAMP, EARL OF WARWICK (1315)