[1] There was a bruite raised (whether of truth or o|therwise we leaue to the credit of the authors) that the Poictouins had practised to poison the most part of the English nobilitie. Matth. Paris. The Poicto|uins suspected to haue poi|soned ye Eng|lish lords. Indéed diuers of them were greeuouslie tormented with a certeine disease of swelling and breaking out, some died, and othersome verie hardlie escaped, of which number the earle of Glocester was one, who laie sicke a long time at Sunning a place besides Reading. At length he re|couered: but his brother William died of the same disease, and vpon his death-bed laid the fault to one Walter Scotenie, as the occasioner of his death, which afterwards cost the said Walter his life. For although he was one of the chéefe councellors, and steward also to the said earle of Glocester, yet being had in suspicion, and thervpon apprehended and char|ged with that crime, when in the yeare next follow|ing in Iune he came to be arreigned at Winche|ster, and put himselfe to be tried by a iurie,Walter Sco|tonie arreig|ned and con|demned. the same pronounced him guiltie: and when those that were impanneled vpon that iurie were asked by the iud|ges how they vnderstood that he should be giltie, they answered, bicause that where the said Walter was neuer indebted, that they could heare of, either to William de Ualence, or to any of his brethren, they were fullie certified that he had late receiued no [page 260] small sum of monie of the said W. de Ualence to poi|son both his maister and other of the English nobili|tie as was to be thought, sith there was no other ap|parant cause why he should receiue such a gift at the hands of their enimie the said William de Ualence, and so was the said Walter executed at Winche|ster aforesaid.He suffereth.