The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 1 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authorsBeattie, William
History
The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 1 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authors
Beattie, William
Abbeys -- England; Castles -- England
Then the speaker, Sir John Bushie, with open mouth besought that
judgment might be had against such a traitor; and “your faithful
commons,” said he to the King, “ask and require that so it may be done.”
The Earl, turning his head aside, quietly said to him, “Not the King’s
faithful commons” require this, “but thou, and what thou art I know.”
Then the eight appellants standing on the other side, cast their gloves
at him, and in prosecuting their appeal--which already had been
read--offered to fight with him, man to man, to justify the same.
“Then,” said the Earl, “if I were at libertie, and that it might so
stande with the pleasure of my sovereign, I would not refuse to prove
you all liars in this behalfe.”
Then spake the Duke of Lancaster, saying to him, “What have you further
to say to the points laid before you?” He answered, that of the King’s
grace he had his letters of general pardon, which he required to have
allowed. Then the duke told him that the pardon was revoked by the
prelates and noblemen in Parliament; and therefore willed him to make
some other answer.
The Earl told him again that he had another pardon under the King’s
great seal, granted him long after the King’s own motion, which also he
required to have allowed. The Duke told him that the same was likewise
revoked. After this, when the Earl had nothing more to say for himself,
the Duke pronounced judgment against him as in cases of treason is used.
But after he had made an end, and paused a little, he said, “The King
our sovereign lord of his mercy and grace, because thou art of his
blood, and one of the Peers of the realm, hath remitted all other pains,
saving the last that is to say, the beheading, and so thou shalt only
lose thy head;”--and forthwith he was had away, and led through London,
unto the Tower-hill. There went with him to see the execution done, six
great lords, of whom there were three earls, Nottingham, that had
married his daughter; Kent, that was his daughter’s son; and Huntington,
being mounted on great horses, with a great company of armed men, and
the fierce bands of the Cheshiremen, furnished with axes, swords, bows
and arrows, marching before and behind him, who only in this parliament
had licence to bear weapon, as some have written. When he should depart
the palace, he desired that his hands might be loosed to dispose of such
money as he had in his purse, betwixt that place and Charing Cross. This
was permitted; and so he gave such money as he had in alms with his own
hands, but his arms were still bound behind him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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