Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 On S. Lucies daie, there fell a great snowe, and withall a winters thunder, for a token of some euill to follow.Winter thunder. The king to settle the state of the countrie of Gascoigne in better order, tarried there all the winter, and repared certeine decaied townes and ca|stels. The quéene kept hir Christmasse at London, where she laie in child-bed, and was purified on the euen of the Epiphanie, making a roiall feast, at the which manie great lords were present, as the archbi|shop of Canturburie, the bishop of Elie, the earls of Cornewall and Glocester, and manie other. She sent ouer at the same time to hir husband for a new yeers gift the summe of fiue hundred marks of hir owne reuenues,The quéenes liberalitie to|wards the K. towards the maintenance of his warres. On the euen of the Circumcision of our Lord,A strang sight in the aire. in the night season, whilest the aire was most cleare and bright with shining starres, the moone being eight daies old, there appeared in the element the perfect forme and likenesse of a mightie great ship, which was first séene of certeine moonks of saint Albons, who remaining at saint Amphibalus,Redborne. were got vp to behold by the starres, if it were time for them to go to mattens; but perceiuing that strange sight, they called vp such of their acquaintance as lodged néere at hand, to view the same. At length it séemed as the bourds and ioints thereof had gone in sunder, and so it vanished awaie. There followed a maruellous sore later end of a winter, through cold and ouer|sharpe weather, which continued till the feast of S. Gregorie in March next insuing.A death of sheepe. Also there chanced the same yeare a great murren and death of shéepe and deere, so that of whole flocks and heards scarse the one halfe escaped.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 Whilest the king remained still in Gascoigne, he sent for his wife queene Elenor, with his eldest sonne Edward, but bicause he could not make an end of all his businesse that winter, he continued there the summer also. And forsomuch as he stood in néed of monie, to haue some reasonable pretense to demand a subsidie, in the beginning of March, he sent to his brother Richard the earle of Cornewall (which was come ouer before cheefelie for that purpose) certeine instructions, to declare how there was like to follow great warre, by means of Alfonse the tenth of that name king of Castile, who manaced verie shortlie to inuade the confines of Gascoigne perteining to the English dominion,The king de|mandeth a subsidie. and therefore he required of his faithfull subiects some aid of monie, wherby he might be able to resist his aduersarie the said K. of Castile. Earle Richard did what he could to persuade the peo|ple to this paiment, but he cast his net in vaine be|fore the face of the feathered foule, as the old pro|uerbe saith,
Apparens rete fugêre volucria quae.For though he set forth the matter to the vttermost in the presence of the Nobles and other estates, yet would they not heare of anie paiment to be made, as those that smelled out the feined fetch and forged tale of the kings need. For they had intelligence that there was an agreement concluded betwixt him and the king of Spaine. And for the same cause the quéene and the lord Edward were gone ouer, that the king of Spaine might haue a sight of him, as he had required, when the couenants of the marriage were accorded.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The states of the realme were twise assembled at London about the grant of this paiment, but all in vaine; so that they were constreined to passe it ouer with silence, and to surceasse in the matter to their great gréefe, and namelie the earle of Cornewall, who had taken great paines therein. Yet for that he would not returne with emptie hand, he leuied by rigorous means a great summe of the Iewes (of whom a maine multitude inhabited at that season in London) and therewith returning to his brother king Henrie, shewed him how he had sped. The king was not a little offended with them that thus had denied to helpe him with monie,The king of|fended with them that re|fused to helpe him with monie. insomuch that vpon euerie light occasion, he was readie to reuenge his displea|sure towards them, in taking awaie such grants of priuileges and liberties as before he had made. But now to auoid suspicion of his feined pretense of war betwixt him and king Alfonse, he sent his sonne Ed|ward into Castile vnto the same Alfonse,Edward the kings sonne is sent to the K. of Castile. vnder a co|lor to compound with him for peace, wheras the verie occasion of his going thither, was to purchase him the ladie Elenor to wise, that was sister to the said king Alfonse.