The Holinshed Texts (1587, Volume 6, p. 605)

¶In this kings time, & somewhat about this yeare,

Abr. Fl. ex Polychron.

A widow without Al|gate murthe|red in hir bed by a Breton whome she charitablie reléeued.

a certeine Breton, whome a good honest widow had receiued into hir house, and conceiued well of him in opinion, was by hir mainteined of hir owne pursse, & (as Polychronicon saith) she found him of almes and for Gods sake. This charitable deed of hirs deserued a deuout mind to God ward, and a thank|full hart to hir. But (good soule) how was she recom|pensed? O fowle in|gratitude. Euen murthered in hir bed by the hands of that villaine whome so bountifullie she succoured, and motherlike tendered. Unto which bloudie fact (which was a preparatiue to a further mischeefe bred in his vnnaturall hart) he added another offense: for when he had dispatched the woman, vsing the riddance of hir to his aduantage, and as he had obteined oportu|nitie (to his thinking) he conueied all that she had a|waie with him for his owne releefe. Then being per|secuted with guiltinesse of conscience, which trou|bleth offendors with ceaslesse vexations, and forceth them from place to place to séeke corners of euasion and shift, he tooke priuilege of holie church at saint Georges in Southwarke, where laieng hands on the crosse, as a shield of sufficient safegard, he abiured this land, and by that meanes thought himselfe frée from afterclaps.

Neuerthelesse, God (whose mercifull nature ab|horreth the effusion of mans bloud) prepared a pu|nishment for the malefactor, who passing through the suburbs of London, without Algate (the place where he had committed the murther) the women of the same parish and stréet (as it were inraged) came out with stones, staues, kenell doong, and other things, wherewith they so bethwackt him on all parts of his bodie, that they laid him a stretching,The murther reuenged by women at the appointment of Gods iu|stice. and rid him quite of life. In the wreking of this their teene they were so fell and fierce, that the constables with their assistants (which were no small number) dooing what they could by their authoritie and maine strength, EEBO page image 606 were not able to rescue him out of the womens hands; who had sworne in their hearts (as it séemed by the maner of their reuenge which was void of all mercie) to sée the end of such a villaine as most vn|naturallie had slaine a woman, a neighbour, a wi|dow, a pitifull woman, a good neighbour, an honest widow; the wretch himselfe being a fugitiue, a stran|ger borne, a begger, and he to whome she shewed hir selfe the staffe of his support. O singular ingratitude which nature abhorreth, law dissalloweth, heauen dis|claimeth, God detesteth, humanitie condemneth, and euerie good bodie to the verie death defieth; as the old distichon excellentlie and with good sense noteth;

Lex & natura, coelum, Deus, omnia iura

Damnant ingratum, moerent illum quo natum.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 But to returne to the affaires of king Henrie, who in the moneth of Nouember remooued from Rone to Pontoise, and so to saint Denis, to the intent to make his entrie into Paris, and there to be sacred king of France. There were in his companie of his owne nation, his vncle the cardinall of Winchester, the cardinall and archbishop of Yorke, the dukes of Bedford, Yorke, and Norffolke, the earles of War|wike, Salisburie, Oxenford, Huntington, Ormond, Mortaigne, and Suffolke. Of Gascoigns, there were the earles of Longuille and Marche, besides manie other noble men of England, Guien, and Norman|die. And the chéefe of the French nation were the dukes of Burgognie, and Lewes of Lutzenburgh, cardinall and chancellor of France for king Henrie: the bishops of Beauuois and Noion, both péeres of France, beside the bishop of Paris, and diuerse other bishops; the earle of Uaudemount, and other noble men, whose names were superfluous to rehearse. And he had in a gard about his person three thou|sand price archers, some on horssebacke, and part on foot.