[Sidenote: The kings demand in parlement.] The king demanded in this parlement, that it might be granted to him, to haue euerie yeare in which he held no parlement a tenth of the cleargie, [Sidenote: A long parlement.] and a fifteenth of the laitie; but the estates would not agrée therevnto, by reason whereof, [Sidenote: A fiftéenth granted.] the parlement continued till almost the middle of Maie. At length they granted to giue him a fiftéenth, [Sidenote: Earle of Surrie deceasseth.] not without murmuring and grudging of the commonaltie. About this season died the lord Thomas Beauford earle of Surrie. The eleuenth of April or therabouts, the towne of saint Omers was burnt by casuall fire togither with the abbeie, [Sidenote: Preparation made to win Calis. _Thom. Walsi._] in which towne was such strange and maruellous prouision of engines, and all manner of furniture and preparation for the winning of Calis, as the like had neuer béene séene nor heard of. Some write, that they of Calis standing in doubt of such purueiance, & great preparation deuised to annoie them, procured a yoong man to kindle a fire, whereby all that dreadfull prouision was consumed to ashes, and so they within Calis deliuered of a great great deale of care and feare which they had thereof. ¶ But Tho. Walsingham maketh a full & complet declaration, both concerning the dukes deuise, & also of the Calesians deliuerance from the danger of the same; which because it perfecteth the report of this present matter, [Sidenote: _Abr. Fl._ out of _Thom. Wals._ _Hypod._ pag. 175.] I haue thought good to set downe word for word as I find it in his Hypodigme. About the ninth of April (saith he) the towne of saint Andomaire was burned with the abbeie, wherein was hidden and laid vp the execrable prouision of the duke of Burgognie, who had vowed either to destroie the towne of Calis, [Sidenote: The engines of the duke of Burgognie against Calis that shot out barrels of poison.] or else to subdue it to the will and pleasure of the French. There a great manie engines to this daie no where seene, there an excéeding sort of vessels conteining poison in them were kept in store, which he had aforehand prouided to cast out to the destruction of the said towne. For he had gathered togither serpents, scorpions, todes, and other kinds of venemous things, which he had closed and shut vp in little barrels, that when the flesh or substance of those noisome creatures was rotten, and dissolued into filthie matter, he might laie siege to Calis, and cast the said barrels let out of engines into the towne; which with the violence of the throw being dasht in péeces, might choke them that were within, poison the harnessed men touched therewith, & with their scattered venem infect all the stréets, lanes, & passages of the towne. In the meane time, a certeine yoong man allured with couetousnesse of gold, or lead with affection and loue towards the kings towne, asked of