In this yeare (saith he) was a great dearth in all parts of England, Abr. Fl. out of Henrie Knigh|ton canon of Leceister ab|beie. and this dearth or scarsitie of corne began vnder the sickle, and lasted till the feast of saint Peter ad vincula, to wit, till the time of new corne. This scarsitie did greatlie oppresse the people, and chieflie the commoners of the poorer sort. For a man might sée infants and children in stréets and houses, through hunger, howling, crieng, and cra|uing bread: whose mothers had it not (God wot) to breake vnto them. But yet there was such plentie and abundance of manie yeares before, that it was thought and spoken of manie housekéepers and hus|bandmen, that if the séed were not sowen in the ground, which was hoord [...]d vp and stored in barnes, lofts, and garners, there would be inough to find and susteine all the people by the space of fiue yeares fol|lowing. But the cause of this penurie,The cause of the scarsitie was not want of breader corne. was thought to be the want of monie in a great manie. For mo|nie in these daies was verie scant, and the principall cause hereof was, for that the wooll of the land lay a sléepe and hoong heauie in some mens hands by the space of two yeares; and in others thrée yeares, with|out a chapman. For it was enacted in a certeine parlement, that the merchants of England should not passe out of the land with wooll and other mer|chandize, but should bring the same vnto twelue pla|ces within the realme appointed for the same pur|pose, that the merchants strangers might haue re|course thither with their commodities and so by ex|change should transport our merchandize for theirs. By meanes whereof the merchants of England did forbeare to buy wooll and other wares vntill the next parlement insuing, wherein it was granted them to traffike whither they would with their commodities. In these daies wooll was dogcheape:Wooll sold dogcheape [...] the stone. for one stone of good wooll of the chosen and piked sort, was sold for thrée shillings, and in Leicester and Kent at some times for two shillings or two and twentie pence. This scarsitie of victuals was of greatest force in Leicester shire, & in the middle parts of the realme. And although it was a great want, yet was not the price of corne out of reason. For a quarter of wheat, when it was at the highest, was sold at Leiceister for 16 shillings 8 pence at one time, and at other times for a marke or fourteene shillings: at London and o|ther places of the land a quarter of wheat was sold for ten shillings, or for litle more or lesse. For there arriued eleuen ships laden with great plentie of vic|tuals at diuerse places of the land, for the reliefe of the people. Besides this,Prouision a|gainst scar [...]|tie to relie [...] the poore. the citizens of London laid out two thousand marks to buy food out of the com|mon chest of orphans: and the foure and twentie al|dermen, euerie of them put in his twentie pound a EEBO page image 477 peece for necessarie prouision, for feare of famine, likelie to fall vpon the citie. And they laid vp their store in sundrie of the fittest and most conuenient places they could choose, that the néedie, and such as were wroong with want, might come & buy at a cer|teine price so much as might suffice them and their familie: and they which had not readie monie to paie downe presentlie in hand, their word and credit was taken for a yeares space next following,O charitie of London! and their turne serued. Thus was prouision made that people should be relieued, and that none might perish for hunger.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 On Christmasse day, a dolphin that came foorth of the sea vp the Thames vnto London-bridge, was es|pied of the citizens as he plaied in the water, and be|ing followed & pursued, with much adoo was taken. He was ten foot long,A dolphin ta|ken at Lon|don bridge. and a monstrous growne fish, so as the sight of him was strange to manie that be|held him. He was thought by his comming so farre into the landward, to foreshew such stormes and tem|pests as within a wéeke after did raginglie follow. Ye haue heard how the matter for a treatie of peace had béene first broched by the French king, by sending ambassadors to the king of England, to mooue the same. Which motion being throughlie con|sidered of the estates assembled in this last parle|ment, it was decréed, that it should go forward (as before ye haue heard) and so about Candelmasse, the lord Thomas Persie,Ambassadors sent to the French king to treat of peace. sir Lewes Clifford, and sir Ro|bert Briquet, with diuerse other in their companie, were sent ouer to the French king, and comming to Paris, found him lodgd in his house of Loure, where they declared to him the good affection of the king their maister toward peace. And the better to bring it to passe, they shewed that king Richards desire was to haue some place and time appointed for com|missioners to méet, with authoritie to treat and con|clude vpon articles, as should be thought expedient. The French king greatlie honored these ambassa|dors, in feasting and banketting them for the space of six daies togither, and for answer, concluded with them, that he himselfe, with his vncles and other of his councell, would be at Amiens by the middest of March next insuing, there to abide the king of Eng|lands comming, and his vncles, if it should please them thither to come.
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5 The English
ambassadors said there was no doubt, but that either the king himselfe, or his vncles shuld be there at the
day assigned, with full authoritie to conclude anie agréement that should seeme reasona|ble, and so those ambassadors returned with great gifts presented on the kings behalfe to
ech of them, sir Robert Briquet excepted,Sir Robert Briquet a Frenchman of king Richard
his priuie chamber. vnto whome it séemed the French king bare no great good will, for that be|ing
a Frenchman borne, he had euer serued the Na|uarrois or Englishmen, and was now one of king Richards priuie
chamber. The king of England (as some write) was once minded to haue passed the seas himselfe,
The dukes of Lancaster & Yorke, the earls of Der|b [...]e and Hun|tington, the lord Thomas Persie, the bishops of Durham and London were sent o [...]er, as Fro [...]ssard saith. A roiall am|bassage. The duke of Lancaster, a prince of great renowme.