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1587

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Although this motion séemed onelie to increase loue and continuall amitie betwéene the princes; yet the Frenchmen, hauing in their perfect remem|brance the innumerable damages and hurts, which they of late daies had susteined by the English na|tion (whereby continuall hatred increased against them in France) thought by policie and wisedome, with faire words and friendlie countenance, to put by this request, and to motion them rather to depart homeward, than to pricke them forward to Paris; where peraduenture they might be so interteined at this time, that they would at another come thither, both vndesired and vnwelcomed. This peace was said to be made onelie by the Holie-ghost, bicause that on the daie of méeting, a white dooue sat on the top of the king of Englands tent: whether she sate there to drie hir, or came thither as a [...]oken giuen by God, I referre it to your iudgment. At this treatie and méeting was not the duke of Glocester, nor o|ther lords which were not content with this truce; but the duke came afterwards to Amiens, with di|uerse other lords of England, to the French king, which both highlie feasted them, and also presented them with plate and horsses well garnished.

King Lewes, considering what gaine the Eng|lishmen had gotten by making warre in France; and what miserie, what calamitie, and what pouertie the French nation had suffered, and manie yeares susteined, by reason of the said warres; determined clearelie rather to pacifie and interteine the Eng|lish nation by faire words and great rewards (al|though it were to his great charge) than by too much hardinesse to put himselfe, his nobilitie & realme in hazard, by giuing them battell, as his predecessors had vnwiselie doone at Poitiers, and at Agincourt. Wherefore to buie peace, he granted king Edward for a yearelie tribute fiftie thousand crownes, to be paied at London; which, accounting a crowne at foure shillings, amounteth to ten thousand pounds. And to haue the fauour and good will of his chiefe councellors, he gaue great pensions, amounting to the summe of sixteene thousand crownes a yeere, that is to saie: to his chancellor, to the lord Hastings his chiefe chamberleine, a man of no lesse wit than ver|tue, and of great authoritie with his maister, and that not without cause; for he had as well in time of ad|uersitie, as in the faire flattering world, well and tru|lie serued him: and to the lord Howard, to sir Tho|mas Montgomerie, to sir Thomas Sentleger, to sir Iohn Cheinie maister of the kings horsses, to the marques Dorsset, sonne to the queene, and diuerse o|ther, he gaue great and liberall rewards, to the in|tent to keepe himselfe in amitie with England, while he wan and obteined his purpose and desire in other places.

These persons had giuen to them great gifts, be|side yearelie pensions. For Argenton his councellor affirmed of his owne knowledge, that the lord Ho|ward had in lesse than the tearme of two yeares, for reward in monie and plate, foure and twentie thou|sand crownes; & at the time of this méeting, he gaue to the lord Hastings the kings chiefe chamberleine, (as the Frenchmen write) an hundred markes of sil|uer, made in plate, whereof euerie marke is eight ounces sterling. But the English writers affirme, that he gaue the lord Hastings foure and twentie doo|zen bolles, that is to saie, twelue doozen gilt, & twelue doozen vngilt, euerie cup weieng seuentéene nobles: which gift, either betokened in him a great liberall nature, or else a great and especiall confidence that he had reposed in the said lord chamberleine. Beside this, he gaue him yearelie two thousand crownes pension, the which summe he sent to him by Piers Cleret, one of the maisters of his house, giuing him in charge to receiue of him an acquittance for the re|ceipt of the same pension, to the intent that it should appeare in time to come, that the chancelor, chamber|leine, admerall, maisters of the horsses to the king of England, and manie other of his councell, had bin in fée and pensionaries of the French king, whose yearelie acquittances (the lord Hastings onelie ex|cepted) remaine of record to be shewed in the cham|ber of accounts in the palace of Paris.

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