Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources
Then the King, with the Bishop of Carlisle, the Earl of Salisbury, Sir
Stephen Scrop, Fereiby, and the Gascon squire, withdrew into the chapel
of the castle; and the King said to them: "My lords, you have heard
what the earl says; what think you of it?" To which they replied: "My
lord, do you speak first." The King answered: "It seems to me that a
good peace would be made between us two, if it be as the earl says;
but, in truth, whatever agreement or peace he may make with me, if I
can ever get him into my power, I will cause him to be foully put to
death, just as he hath deserved." The Bishop of Carlisle said: "My
lord, peace is desirable; but it appears to me that it will be well
that you should make the Earl of Northumberland swear upon the Holy
Gospels, and on the body of our Lord, that what he has said is true."
The Earl of Salisbury and others said: "It is well spoken." The King
then said: "Tell Northumberland to come in." Upon which came in the
said earl, who can only be likened to Judas or to Guenelon,[101] for
he falsely perjured himself on the body of our Lord in everything
which he said. When he was in the presence, the King said to him as
follows: "Northumberland, if you will assure us by your loyal oath,
and swear upon the sacred body of our Lord, that what you have told us
from our cousin of Lancaster is true, we will believe you, and will
go and lodge at Flint; and there our good cousin of Lancaster can
come and speak to us." Then said the earl, who was old and venerable:
"Dear sire, I am quite ready to make what oath you wish." Upon which
the King commanded that they should chant the mass, for it was still
early; which he heard with much devotion as well as all his companions,
for he was a true Catholic. When mass had been chanted, he caused the
Earl of Northumberland to come forward, who placed his hand upon the
body of our Lord which was upon the altar in the presence of the King
and of the lords, and swore that all that he had said to the King from
Henry of Lancaster was true; in which he perjured himself wickedly and
falsely. After the oath had been taken, the King and those present
went to dinner, and the King ordered that everyone should get ready to
set out to go to Flint after dinner. When dinner was over, the King
said to the earl: "Northumberland, for God's sake, be sure you consider
well what you have sworn, for it will be to your damnation if it be
untrue." The earl replied: "Dear sire, if you find it untrue, treat me
as you ought to do a traitor." "Well, then," said the King, "we will
go to Flint trusting in God and in our opinion of your honesty." "Dear
sire," said the earl, "I will go forward to order your supper, and will
tell to my lord the duke what I have done." The King replied: "Go": and
the false earl said, on setting out: "Dear sire, make haste, for it is
already two o'clock or thereabouts." The earl then left, with his seven
attendants, as he had arrived, and rode to the mountain where he had
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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