How the prelates of England promised a large sum of money to the king on certain conditions About this same time the prelates of England, who had become weak and timid (not imitating the constancy of the Cistercians, who gave a flat refusal to the king in person when he demanded a large sum of money), granted to the king the sum of forty-two thousand marks, to the enormous and irreparable injury of the Church and the kingdom; and this sum was granted to the king or to his son Edmund, for the purpose of obtaining possession of the kingdom of Apulia; though the acquisition of that kingdom was more and more despaired of every day. The king, who was but little satisfied with this gift, promised that he would, as soon as possible, moderate the Church's oppressions, and restore her to her proper state of liberty. . . ... How the king of England made preparations for an expedition to Wales About the same time the king issued his warrants throughout all England, calling on each and every one who owed knightly service to their lord and king to be ready and prepared, provided with horses and arms, to follow him into Wales, on the feast of St. Mary Magdalen, whither he was about to proceed on an expedition to check their violence; as they were roving about at will, seizing the castles of the frontier nobles, and even those of the English, with impunity, putting the garrisons to death, and spreading fire, slaughter, and incendiarism in all directions. The Welsh, thereon, learning that the king intended to take the field against them with his army, prudently sent away their wives, children, and flocks into the interior of the country, about Snowdon and other mountainous places inaccessible to the English, ploughed up their fields, destroyed the mills in the road which the English would take, carried away all kinds of provisions, broke down the bridges, and rendered the fords impassable by digging holes, in order that, if the enemy attempted to cross, they might be drowned. Fortune favoured them in this war; for their cause appeared, even to their enemies, to be just; and what chiefly supported and encouraged them was the thought that, like the Trojans (from whom they were descended), they were struggling, with a firmness worthy of their descent, for their ancestral laws and liberties. Woe to the wretched English, who, trodden underfoot by every foreigner, allowed the ancient liberties of their kingdom to be extinguished, and were not put to shame by the example of the Welsh. How the king returned from Wales without having performed any remarkable achievement At the decline of autumn, as the approaching winter had shortened the days and brought on cold, and as the greatest scarcity prevailed in his army, the king, by the advice of his especial counsellors, who could ill bear this state of want, took his departure from Chester, and returned towards London, to be present at the festival of the Translation of St. Edward. Llewellyn, on hearing of this, followed him in Llewellyn, pursuit for a long time, for the purpose of attacking and Prince of slaying any stragglers from the king's army. Thus, after expending a great deal of money, the king returned ingloriously, and followed by the derisive sneers of the enemy to his own country, which was a place of greater safety for him. . . The summary of the year This year throughout was barren and meagre; for whatever had been sown in winter, had budded in spring, and grown ripe in summer, was stifled and destroyed by the autumnal inundations. The scarcity of money, brought on Wales. by the spoliation practised by the king and the pope in Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora (translated by J. A. Giles, Probably by WILLIAM RISHANGER (†1312?), a monk of St. Albans. The work from which the following 26. The Battle of Evesham 1265) Simon, earl of Leicester, always keeping the king in his company, returned from the south of Wales, and on the festival of St. Peter ad Vincula, arrived at Kempsey, a manor of the bishop of Worcester, and stayed there on the day following. Edward then returned from Kenilworth to doubtless in- Worcester, which is only three miles distant from the abovecontinuation named manor; and Simon, on hearing of his arrival there, of the Chron- went away with the king at nightfall, and took up his extract was taken was tended as a icle of Mat thew Paris, and covers the period from 1259 to 1306. quarters in the town of Evesham, where he awaited his unhappy destiny. For on the morrow, which was the day of the Finding of St. Stephen, Edward moved from Worcester, crossed the river near the town of Claines, and cut off the approach of the earl to his son, who was in the castle On a prisoner. Prince Edcaptive at Lewes, had ward, taken made his escape. of Kenilworth, and prevented all chance of the father and After Lewes the king was son meeting. On the following day he drew near the town practically of Evesham on one side, and the earl of Gloucester and Roger Mortimer came up with their respective forces in two other directions; and thus the earl of Leicester was hemmed in on all sides, and was under the necessity either of voluntarily surrendering, or of giving them battle. the 5th of August, which fell on the third day of the week, both armies met in a large plain outside the town, where a most severe conflict ensued, till the partisans of the earl began to give way, and the whole weight of the battle falling upon him he was slain on the field of battle. At the time of his death, a storm of thunder and lightning occurred, and darkness prevailed to such an extent, that all were struck with amazement. Besides the earl, there fell, in that battle, twelve knights bannerets; namely, Henry, his son; Peter de Montfort; Hugh Despenser, justiciary of England; William de Mandeville; Ralph Basset; Walter de Crespigny; William York; Robert Tregor; Thomas Hostelee; John Beauchamp; Guy Balliol; Roger de Roulee; and a great number of others of inferior rank, such as esquires and foot-soldiers; the greatest loss being amongst the Welsh. Thus ended the labours of that noble man Earl Simon, who gave up not only his property, but also his person, to defend the poor from oppression, and for the maintenance of justice and the rights of the kingdom. He was distinguished for his learning; to him an assiduous attention to divine duties was a pleasure; he was moderate and frugal; and it was a usual practice of his to watch by night, in preference to sleeping. He was bold in speech, and of a severe aspect; he put great confidence in the prayers of religious men, and always paid great respect to ecclesiastics. . . After gaining this lamentable victory, Edward, after the battle, gave orders to the monks of that place to bury the De Montfort had gained the support of the Welsh. The sympathies of the clergy were with De Montfort and he appears to advantage in the chron icles of the time. ANONY MOUS. bodies of the dead, especially those of the higher orders, with decency. He himself attended, in person, the obsequies of Henry de Montfort, whom the king his father had held at the font when he was baptized, and who had been brought up with, and beloved by, himself from boyhood. Before the above battle, as some say, Simon having gone out of the town of Evesham, and seen with what prudence and skill the ranks of his adversaries were drawn up, said to his companions, "By St. James's arm" (such was his usual oath), "they are approaching with wisdom, and they have learned this method from me, not of themselves. Let us, therefore, commend our souls to God, for our bodies are theirs." He also urged Hugh Despenser, Ralph Basset, and others, to fly and save themselves for better times; but they said that they would not live if he died. After he was killed [his enemies] cut off his head, feet, and hands, contrary to all the laws of the knightly order; and his head was presented to the wife of Roger Mortimer, who was staying in the castle of Worcester. In this battle the king was wounded by a spear inadvertently hurled at him, and was in danger of losing his life. By this victory over his enemies, the king was re-established in his royal authority . . . ... W. Rishanger, Chronica Majora (translated by J. A. Giles, "A 27. The Lament of Earl Simon (1265) |