There was a bruite raised (whether of truth or otherwise we leaue to the credit of the authors) that the Poictouins had practised to poison the most part of the English nobilitie. Indéed diuers of them were gréeuouslie tormented with a certeine disease of swelling and breaking out, some died, and othersome verie hardlie escaped, of which number the earle of Glocester was one, who laie sicke a long time at Sunning a place besides Reading. At length he recouered: but his brother William died of the same disease, and vpon his death-bed laid the fault to one Walter Scotenie, as the occasioner of his death, which afterwards cost the said Walter his life. For although he was one of the chéefe councellors, and steward also to the said earle of Glocester, yet being had in suspicion, and thervpon apprehended and charged with that crime, when in the yeare next following in Iune he came to be arreigned at Winchester, and put himselfe to be tried by a iurie, the same pronounced him guiltie: and when those that were impanneled vpon that iurie were asked by the iudges how they vnderstood that he should be giltie, they answered, bicause that where the said Walter was neuer indebted, that they could heare of, either to William de Valence, or to any of his brethren, they were fullie certified that he had of late receiued no small sum of monie of the said W. de Valence to poison both his maister and other of the English nobilitie as was to be thought, sith there was no other apparant cause why he should receiue such a gift at the hands of their enimie the said William de Valence, and so was the said Walter executed at Winchester aforesaid. [Sidenote: A late haruest.] [Sidenote: Dearth of corn increaseth.] [Sidenote: Fasts & processions vsed.] The haruest was verie late this yeare, so that the most part of the corne rotted on the ground, and that which at length was got in, remained yet abrode till after Alhallowentide, so vntemperate was the weather, with excessiue wet and raine beyond all measure. Herevpon the dearth so increased, that euen those which had of late reléeued other, were in danger to starue themselues. Finallie solemne fasts and generall processions were made in diuerse places of the realme to appease Gods wrath, and (as it was thought) their praiers were heard, for the weather partlie amended, and by reason the same serued to get in some such corne as was not lost, the price thereof in the market fell halfe in halfe. A good and memorable motiue, that in such extremities as are aboue the reach of man to redresse, we should by and by haue recourse to him that can giue a remedie against euerie casualtie. For Flectitur iratus voce rogante Deus. [Sidenote: Richard Gray, lord warden of the ports.] [Sidenote: Erlotus the popes Nuncio returneth home.]