6.1. The same in English.

The same in English.

[1] _VEtus de Monte to Lupold duke of Austrich sendeth greeting. Where manie kings and princes beyond the seas blame Richard king of England of the marques his death, I sweare by the lord that reigneth euerlastinglie, and by the law which we hold, that he was not in fault for his death. For the verie cause of the marques his death was such as followeth. One of our bre|thren in a ship of Satalie came towards our parties, and chanced by tempest to be driuen vnto Tyre, and the marques caused him to be taken and slaine, and tooke a great portion of monie that he had in the ship with him. Wher|vpon we sent our messengers to the marques, commanding him to restore vnto vs the mo|nie of our brother, and to compound with vs for our said brothers death, and he would not.

[1] Moreouer, he also contemned our messen|gers, & laid the fault of our brothers death vp|on Reginald lord of Sidon, and we did so much through our freends, that we got full vnder|standing that the marques himselfe caused him to be slaine, and tooke his monie. And there|fore we sent vnto him againe an other messen|ger named Edrisus, whome he would haue drowned in the sea, but our freends made such shift, that they procured him to depart with speed from Tyre, who returned to vs, [...] signi|fied these things to vs for certeine. And from that houre euer after we had a desire to slea the marques: and so then we sent two of our bre|thren vnto Tyre, who openlie, & in a manner in presence of all the people of Tyre slue him.

[1] This therefore was the verie cause of the death of the marques; & we say to you in good sooth, that the lord Richard king of England, in this death of the marques was nothing cul|pable: and they that haue doone anie displea|sure vnto the king of England for this cause, they haue doone it wrongfullie, and without a|nie iust occasion. Know ye for certeine, that we doo not vse to kill anie man of this world for a|nie [page 137] bribe, or for monie, except he haue doone to vs some harme afore time. And know ye that we haue made these letters in our house at our castell of Messuat, in the midst of Septem|ber, in the yeare from Alexander the great, 1505.