15.1. Articles sent from the duke of Yorke, and the earles, to the archbishop of Can|turburie and the commons.

Articles sent from the duke of Yorke, and the earles, to the archbishop of Can|turburie and the commons.

_IN primis, the great oppression, extortion, robberie, murther, and other violences doone to Gods church, and to his mini|sters thereof, against Gods and mans law.

2 Item, the pouertie and miserie that to our great heauinesse our souereigne lord standeth in, not ha|uing anie liuelod of the crowne of England where|of he may keepe his honorable houshold, which cau|seth the spoiling of his said liege men by the takers of his said houshold, which liuelod is in their hands that haue beene destroiers of his said estate, and of the said common-weale.

3 Item, how his lawes be parciallie and vnright|fullie guided, and that by them that should most loue and tender his said lawes, the said oppression and ex|tortion is most fauoured and supported; and general|lie, that all righteousnesse and iustice is exiled out of the said land, and that no man dreadeth to offend a|gainst the said lawes.

4 Item, that it will please his said good grace to liue vpon his owne liuelod, wherevpon his noble progenitors haue in daies heretofore liued as hono|rablie and as worthilie as anie christian princes, and not to suffer the destroiers of the said land, and of his true subiects, to liue therevpon, and therfore to lacke the sustenances that should be belonging to his said estate, and find his said houshold vpon his poore com|mons, without paiement, which neither accordeth with Gods nor mans law.

5 Item, how oft the said commons haue beene greatlie and maruellouslie charged with taxes and tallages to their great impouerishing, whereof little good hath either growne to the king or to the said land, and of the most substance thereof the king hath left to his part not halfe so much; and other lords and persons, enimies to the said common-weale, haue to their owne vse, suffering all the old possessions that the king had in France and Normandie, Aniou and Maine, Gascoine and Guien, woone and gotten by his father of most noble memorie, and other his no|ble progenitors, to be shamefullie lost or sold.

6 Item, how they can not ceasse therewith, but now begin a new charge of imposition and tallages vpon the said people, which neuer afore was seene; that is to saie, euerie towneship to find men for the kings gard, taking example therein of our enimies and aduersaries of France. Which imposition & tallage, if it be continued to heire, heires, and successors, will be the heauiest charge and worst example that euer grew in England; and the foresaid subiects, and the said heires and successors in such bondage, as their ancestors were neuer charged with.

7 Item, where the king hath now no more liue|lod out of his realme of England, but onelie the land of Ireland, and the towne of Calis, and that no king christened hath such a land and a towne without his realme; diuerse lords haue caused his highnesse to write letters vnder his priuie seale, vnto his Irish enimies, which neuer king of England did hereto|fore, EEBO page image 653 wherby they may haue comfort to enter into the conquest of the said land, which letters the same Irish enimies sent vnto me the said duke of Yorke, and maruelled greatlie that anie such letters should be to them sent, speaking therin great shame and villanie of the said realme.

8 Item, in like wise the king by excitation and labour of the same lords, wrote other letters to his e|nimies and aduersaries in other lands, that in no wise they should shew anie fauour or good will to the towne of Calis, whereby they had comfort inough to procéed to the winning thereof. Considered also, that it is ordeined by the labour of the said lords, that no where vittels nor other thing of refreshing or defense should come out of England, to the succour or reliefe of the said towne, to the intent that they would haue it lost, as it may openlie appeare.

9 Item, it is déemed and ought greatlie to be dée|med, that after the same lords would put the same rule of England, if they might haue their purpose and intent, into the hands and gouernance of the said enimies.

10 Item, how continuallie since the pitious, shame|full, and sorrowfull murther to all England, of that noble, worthie, and christian prince Humfreie duke of Glocester the kings true vncle, at Burie, it hath beene laboured, studied, and conspired, to haue de|stroied and murthered the said duke of Yorke, and the issue that it pleased God to send me of the roiall bloud, and also of vs the said earles of Warwike and Salisburie, for none other cause but for the true hart that (God knoweth) we euer haue borne, and beare to the profit of the kings estate, to the common-weale of the same realme, and defense thereof.

11 Item, how the earles of Shrewesburie and Wilshire, and the lord Beaumont, our mortall and extreme enimies now, and of long time past, hauing the guiding about the most noble person of our said souereigne lord, whose highnesse they haue restreined & kept from the libertie & freedome that belongeth to his said estate, & the supporters & fauourers of all the pr [...]misses, would not suffer the kings said good grace to receiue and accept vs, as he would haue doone, if he might haue had his owne will, into his said pre|sence, dreading the charge that would haue beene laid vpon them, of the miserie, destruction, and wret|chednesse of the said realme, whereof they be causes, and not the king, which is himselfe as noble, as ver|tuous, as righteous and blessed of disposition, as a|nie prince earthlie.

12 Item, the earles of Wilshire and Shrewesbu|rie, and the lord Beaumont, not satisfied nor content with the kings possessions and his goods, stirred and excited his said highnesse to hold his parlement at Couentrie, where an act is made by their prouocati|on and labour, against vs the said duke of Yorke, my sonnes March and Rutland, and the earles of War|wike and Salisburie, and the sonnes of the said earle of Salisburie, & manie other knights and esquiers of diuerse matters falselie and vntrulie imagined, as they will answer afore almightie God in the daie of doome; the which the said earles of Shrewesburie & Wilshire, and the lord Beaumont prouoked to be made, to the intent of our destruction and of our is|sue; and that they might haue our liuelod and goods, as they haue openlie robbed and despoiled all our places and our tenements, and manie other true men, and now procéed to hanging and drawing of men by tyrannie, and will therin shew the largenesse of their violence and malice as vengeablie as they can, if no remedie be prouided at the kings high|nes, whose blessednes is neither assenting nor know|ing thereof.

We therefore, seeing all the said michiefes, hea|ring also that the French king maketh in his land great assemblie of his people, which is greatlie to be dread for manie causes, purpose yet againe with Gods grace to offer vs to come againe to the said presence of our said souereigne lord, to open and de|clare vnto him there, the mischiefes aboue declared; and in the name of the land to sue, in as reuerent and lowlie wise as we can, to his said good grace, to haue pittie and compassion vpon his said true subiects, and not to suffer the same mischiefs to reigne vpon them. Requiring you in Gods behalfe, and praieng you in our owne, therein to assist vs, dooing alwaie the due|tie of liege men in our persons to our souereigne lord, to his estate, prerogatiue, and preheminence, and to the suertie of his most noble person, wherevnto we haue euer béene and will be as true as anie of his subiects aliue, whereof we call God, our ladie saint Marie, and all the saints in heauen to witnesse.