The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-18

and entreat our dear Lord and Father to
grant US two attendants in addition to those
we have-namely. Gilbert de Glare and
Perot de Gavaston''-Piers Gavaston-fatal
name! Prince Edward was twenty when
he wrote this. and the letter may be the
earliest mention of that unhappy intimacy
which dishonored his reign and brought
"Perot" to bloody end.
Edward ~ by the Grace Of God King of
England. Lord Of Ireland. and Duke of
Aquitaine. was extremely angry. in the
year 1906. with two gentlemen named Sir
Michael de Wymes and Sir Gilbert de la
Haye. He writes thus to his dear cousin.
Eymar dc Valance. commanding the royal
forces in Scotland:
Forasmuch as We have found in Sir
Michael de Wymes neither good work nor
good service, We hold him as our traitor
and enemy. We command you that We
cause his manor where We lay. and all his
! other manors to be burnt his lands and
goods destroyed, and his gardns thorough
IL stripped. SO that nothing remains OF
them, ;norder that all other such persons
may take warning by him."
And as for Gilbert de Ia Haye. his man
ors and goods and gardens were to be
treated in the same way, even worse-if
worse be possible-unto him than as
aforesaid unto Sir Michael" Eymar is to
do the work $50 vigorously and openly that
we may know your good will therein"
Two documents. beautifully written in
Norman French but stained by damp and
neglect. bring before us the mirror OF
chivalry, Edward the Black Prince. In one
of them, dated 1857, he binds himself TO pay
to six gentlemen of France, who had and
held as their prisoner in this Battle Of
Poictfers, Sir James de Bourbon. Count OF
Ponthieu. the sum Of $1,000 old golden
ments) and the payments are endorsed on
the back. Another document of the high
est interest is the grant of pension by
writ of Privy Seal by the Black Prince:
In consideration of the good service
which our beloved and faithful John of Es-
quet has done and will for the future do
for us We have given and granted him 30
marks sterling by the year - by
hands OF our chamberlain there who shall
be for the time being, he doing loyal ho-
mage to us as We have received from him
on this side of the sea-
The writ is signed not with his name.
but with his mOttoes-those famous mot
toes which are engraved upon his tomb
at Canterbury in accordance with the di-
rections of his last will They are thus
written beneath the text:
DE PAR h En npIs
Although no other such signature
Of the Black Prince is known by which this
one could be tested, there is but little
doubt that he wrote the words with his
own hand, the writing being quite different
to that in the body of the document "Ho-
mout,' 1t is presumed, is the German for
'Hoch muth" High courage" and the |
''Ich dene' is the Itch diel'' CT serve''), |
which is still the motto of the Black |
Princes successors.
Skipping hundred years we come to |
another OF the most remarkable docu-
ments of this wonderful collection II is |
letter missive'' from Richard III to |
the Lord Chancellor, dated from Lincoln. !
october II. 1883. and asking that the |
Great Seal he at once sent to him there,
as he intended briefly to avaunt tow
ardes the rebelle and traytour, the Due
oil birmingham, to resist and withsonde |
his maliciouse purpose" The eleven lines
OF the letter. so far. are in the hand of
secretary, but Richard has added in
his own hand the following postscript:
we wolde most gladly We canine your
settle VI that ye may, and Vt ye may not
We pray you not to fayle but to accom-
piyshe in all dyllygence Cure sayde COM
awndemcnt TO sende Cure Scale incon-
tenent apone the sight heroffe, as we
trust you with such ye trust and the |
oHycerS pertenyng to attend with hyt
praying You to assertayne Us of your
newes there. Here, loved be God. VS.
welle and trewly determyned and for to
resys:e the malysse of hyme that had
best cawse TO be trew, the Due of Bokyn-
game. the most untrewe creature lyvyng. |
whome with Codes Grace We shalle not
be long tylie that we wylle in that par |
tyes and subdewe his malys. We as
sure you there was never false traytor
better purvade for, as this berorre
Gloucester shalle shewe you"
There is a piece of character study!
How the sight OF these words brings to
mind. in his habit as he lived" the
Richard of histories. The we assure
you" of the last sentence seems to be
almost apologize for what he was 60
ing 70 do, and so 10 point to the preca-
rious tenure of his crown.
Such are 4 few--a mere drop in an
ocean-of the interesting documents in
our national treasure house of literature.
OF the artistic treasures, the seals; the |
gold buila of the Pope attached TO the
Treaty of the Field of Cloth of Gold;
the stamped and embossed bindings; the |
beautiful miniature paintings and por-
traits on some of the deeds there is not |
space to speak. And, in any case they |
are things as difficult to describe as they
are easy to see. And they may be seen !
by anyone who will give himself the |
trouble to sign his name in a book and |