16.1. The intimation of Gartier king of armes to the Edenburghers.
The intimation of Gartier king of armes to the Edenburghers.
_I Gartier king of armes, seruant, Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol. Ccxlvij. proctour and messenger vnto the most high and mightie prince, my most dread souereigne lord Ed|ward, by the grace of God king of England and of France, and lord of Ireland, by ver|tue of certeine letters of procuracie here readie to be shewed come, by my said soue|reigne lord made and giuen, make notice and giue knowledge vnto you prouost, bur|gesses, merchants and communaltie of the towne of Edenburgh in Scotland, that whereas it was sometime communed and agreed betweene my said souereigne lord on the one partie, and the right high & migh|tie prince Iames king of Scots on the o|ther partie, that mariage and matrimonie should haue beene solemnized, and had be|tweene Iames the first begotten sonne of the said king of Scots, and ladie Cicilie, daughter to my said souereigne lord the king of England.
And for the said mariage to haue beene performed, certeine and diuers great sums of monie beene paied and contented by my said souereigne lord, which summes of mo|nie, in case of refusall of the said mariage, by my said souereigne lord to be made and declared, yee the said prouost, burgesses, merchants, and communaltie, and euerie one of you are bound and obliged by your letters, vnder your common seale of your towne of Edenburgh, to repaie vnto his highnes vnder like forme, & at such termes as they were first paied. So that the king my souereigne lord would make notice and knowledge of his pleasure and election in taking or refusing of the said mariage of the repaiment of the said sums of monie, EEBO page image 708 before the feast of Alhalowes next to come; like as in your said letters, bearing date at Edenburgh the fourth daie of August last past, it was conteined all at large.
The pleasure and election of my said so|uereigne lord, for diuerse causes and consi|derations him moouing, is to refuse the ac|complishment of the said mariage, and to haue the repaiment of all such summes of monie, as (by occasion of the said betrusted mariage) his highnesse had paied. The said repaiment to be had of you prouost, bur|gesses, merchants, and communaltie, and euerie of you, your heires and successours, according to your bond and obligation a|fore rehearsed. And therefore I giue you notice & knowledge by this writing, which I deliuer vnto you, within the terme in your said letters limited and expressed, to all intents and effects, which thereof may insue.
When Gartier had thus declared all things gi|uen to him in charge, the prouost and other burgesses made answer, that they now knowing the kings de|terminat pleasure, would (according to their bond) prepare for the repaiment of the said summes; and gentlie interteining Gartier conueied him to Ber|wike, from whence he departed to Newcastell, to the duke of Glocester, making relation to him of all his dooings: which duke with all speed returned to Shrithuton, and there abode. Shortlie after Gartiers departing, the duke of Albanie, thinking to obteine againe the high fauour of the king his brother, deli|uered him out of captiuitie and prison, wherin he had a certeine space continued (not without the dukes as|sent, which besieged him in the castell of Edenburgh a little before) and set him at large, of whome out|wardlie he receiued great thanks, when inwardlie nothing but reuenging & confusion was in the kings stomach fullie setled. So that shortlie after in the kings presence he was in ieopardie of his life, and all vnprouided for dread of death, constrained to take a small balinger, and to saile into France, where shortlie after riding by the men of armes, which in|countered at the tilt, by Lewes then duke of Orle|ance, after French king, he was with mischarging of a speare by fortunes peruerse countenance pitifullie slaine and brought to death, leauing after him one onelie son named Iohn, which being banished Scot|land, inhabited & maried in France, and there died.
How dolorous, how sorrowfull is it to write, and much more painefull to remember the chances and infortunities that happened within two yeares in England & Scotland, betwéene naturall brethren. For king Edward, set on by such as enuied the estate of the duke of Clarence, forgetting nature and bro|therlie amitie, consented to the death of his said bro|ther. Iames king of Scots, putting in obliuion that Alexander his brother was the onelie organ and in|strument, by whome he obteined libertie & fréedome, seduced and led by vile and malicious persons, which maligned at the glorie and indifferent iustice of the duke of Albanie, imagined and compassed his death, and exiled him for euer. What a pernicious serpent, what a venemous toade, and what a pestiferous scor|pion is that diuelish whelpe, called priuie enuie? A|gainst it no fortresse can defend, no caue can hide, no wood can shadow, no fowle can escape, nor no beast can auoid. Hir poison is so strong, that neuer man in authoritie could escape from the biting of hir teeth, scratching of hir pawes, blasting of hir breth, & filth of hir taile. Notable therefore is the Gréeke epigram in this behalfe, touching enuie of this kind, which saith, that a worsse thing than enuie there is not in the world, and yet hath it some goodnesse in it; for it consumeth the eies and the hart of the enuious. The words in their owne toong sententiouslie sound thus:
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