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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 December 2009
All this time the king insisted, the Peircies resisted, and both persisted: hee in stiffe demaunding, they in stoute denying the Scottish prisoners which had beene taken at Hallidowne, and Nesbite. For of all the captive captaines in those twoe conflicts, only Mordake, Earle of Fife, the Duke of Albanies sonne, was delivered to the king, and hee (as it was protested) under tearmes rather of honor then of right. All the residue were retained by the Peircies as theire owne proper purchase and prey. These Peircies at the first were the greatest fur-therers of King Henries designmentes: for Henry Peircie, Earle of Northumberland and Lord Henry Peircie his sonne were the first whoe incouraged him to returne out of banishment, first who adjoyned unto him at his arrivall, and the principall countenance and strength to all his proceedings. Thomas Peircie, Earle of Worcester, was the occasion that the forces which King Richard brought out of Ireland, yea his houshold officers & servauntes, did breake & scatter from him. But they, being mightie and proude, were able to give him the kingdome, but could not bee content that hee should rule. In which case it often falleth that such great desertes are but [fo. 48] ill requited, not alwaies throughe the princes disposition, ether forgettfull or unthankefull, but for the most parte throughe theire owne presumption, who bearing themselves upon theire service become respectlesse of the prince, and arrogant among theire peeres, incurring thereby the indignation of the one and envie of the other.
1 see above.
2 ‘Mouldwarpe’ = ‘mole.’ The prophecy of the Welsh bard Merlin is reported, after Hall, by Holinshed (521/1/74) as a basis for the proposed division of the kingdom, and repeated by Shakespeare in I Henry IV, III, I, 149–53.Google Scholar
3 ‘Foile’ = repulse, or defeat (OED).
4 ‘Disme’ = var. of ‘dime,’ a tenth part, or tithe, usually a church tax; the fifteenth was generally a tax on personal property.
5 Adherents, partisans (OED).
6 MS: ‘seemes’
7 ‘Ayes,’ i.e., assurances.
8 ‘Hold them playe’ = ‘keep them occupied or engaged’ (OED).
9 MS: ‘from.’
10 21 July 1403.
11 MS marginal note: ‘The nature of the English.’
12 MS: ‘as a resolute a man’
13 ‘Strewn.’
14 MS: ‘souldier.’
15 MS: ‘… condition condition & shew’.
16 To give a gleek = to play a trick upon (OED).
17 MS: ‘… unexpected danger danger …’.
18 Wine exported from the French port of La Rochelle. The Breton raid on Plymouth occurred io Aug. 1403, the English naval retaliation later the same month.