King John to William Picolf.

A.D. 1200.

2

To William Picolf, and Geoffry, his son: 2 John, by the grace of God, &c. Know ye, that we have given, and by the present charter have confirmed to William Picolf, our fool, Fonte-ossanne, with all its appurtenances, to have and to hold it for himself and his heirs, on condition of doing henceforward annually for ourself the service of fool, as long as he shall live; and after his decease, his heirs shall hold the same land from us, by the service of one pair of gilded spurs, to be rendered to ùs annually.

Wherefore, we will and positively command that the foresaid Piculf and his heirs shall have and hold for ever, fairly and in peace, freely and in quiet, the foresaid land, with all its appurtenances, by virtue of the aforesaid service.

Mandate of Henry III. concerning the heart of his

father.

3rd December, 1235.

The king to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting. Whereas we have been informed that

1 From the Records in the Tower, translated from the Latin.

2 This same Picolf and his son Geoffry received other donations in land and men from King John. See the Rolls of Normandy, 1835, pp. 20, 21, 61.

3 We have here a curious memorial of the value set on the services of the court jester. The name is variously spelt in the MS.

4 Cotton MSS., Vitell., E. v., Art. 17. Translated from the Latin. It is scarcely necessary to observe that it was formerly customary for the

the Lord Henry of celebrated memory, formerly King of England, our father, when he was long since at the monastery of Fontis-Ebrard,' promised his heart, after his decease, to the same monastery; and the abbess of the said monastery, beloved by us in Christ, lately coming into England, hath demanded that the heart should be delivered to herself, according to the promise. aforesaid; our beloved in Christ, Walter, the abbot of Westminster, delivered the same heart whole and entire, in the presence of the venerable Fathers A. of Durham and R. of Bath and Wells, our bishops, and of our faithful and well beloved keeper of our palace, and of William de Valencia, our uncle, and of other our faithful nobles, on the Monday next before the feast of the blessed Virgin, in the twentieth year of our reign, in the church of Westminster, to the same abbess, according to our will and purpose; to be conveyed to the same monastery of Fontis-Ebrard, and to be buried in the same. In witness, &c.

The king himself witness at London on the third day of December, in the twentieth year of his reign.

Henry III. to Louis IX. of France.2

June 8th, 1242.

The king to my Lord the King of France, greeting. Your serene highness well remembereth in what manner,

hearts of persons of distinction to be preserved in a different place to which the body was interred. Richard Coeur de Lion was buried in three different places.

1 Or Fonte-Evrault.

2 Tower Records. From the Latin.

for five weeks from Easter-tide, a day had been appointed for making amends for the damages done on both sides, being contrary to the truce between you and ourself, at a place assigned for this purpose. To which when we sent our people specially on this account, no one on your part (as we did believe there would be, and as it was meet) made his appearance there. And your highness also remembreth in what manner afterwards we directed our messengers unto you, requiring you to make and in turn receive amends, touching the aforesaid damages. By whom you notified unto us that you would willingly do so, and you demanded another fixed day for that purpose; and we, although the place of Surgeres, where you wished the same to be treated of, had been by our people justly looked upon as suspicious, and not quite safe, nevertheless, from your honour, and that it might not be imputed to us that the truce between us was infringed on any pretence, have acquiesced in the day and place that were well pleasing to you. When, however, your messengers as well as ours had assembled on the day and at the place aforesaid, and we on our part were ready immediately to make amends to you for whatever damages might appear to have been done against you by us or our people, there was not one on your part to make any amends for the territory of Savaricus, of Maloleo, and for the Fort of Berceres, or for other things which had been plainly done against us, after the truce aforesaid. Wherefore, we notify to your serene highness that, as it has been through you, and still is, that satisfaction has not been made on each side for the aforesaid damages, hereafter we are not bound to observe the

truce, which you have broken, according to the articles contained in the body of the truce. Witness our hand at Saintes the 8th day of June, in the 26th year of our reign.'

Henry III. to the Justiciary of Ireland.2

The king to M. son of Gerald, justiciary of Ireland, greeting. Know ye that, after we had arrived in our land of Poictiers, in good health and safety, we, having in due and solemn form sent messengers unto the King. of the Franks, caused it to be demanded of himself that he would compel amends to be made to ourself and our subjects for the damages done, on his part, to us and ours, subsequently to the truce made between ourself and him. And, as the same king, though many times sued unto on this point, hath refused so to do, the aforesaid truce between ourself and him is broken in course, and war hath been begun between us.

But, as for the maintenance of the said war we have great need as well of money as of men, we command you, by the faith and liegeance that you owe to us, that you

1 In the new edition of Rymer, several letters are printed, in which Henry informs the barons of England of the rupture with France, and demands their immediate assistance. Some of them were written after the king arrived at Saintes. When he had collected his vassals and allies, his army amounted to about twenty-five thousand men; but, although the forces of Louis were not at first more numerous, they increased so rapidly, that the advantage gained shortly afterwards by the French can scarcely be considered a matter of surprise. One of Henry's letters has been selected, as a specimen, from the Tower Records, and follows the present one.

2 Tower Records. From the Latin.

procure for our service all the money that you shall be able, and that you take measures for sending unto us of chosen men one hundred soldiers and two hundred knights, fit for service, all well and sufficiently furnished with horses and equipped with arms; and that you delay not to send them, together with the aforesaid money. And if, percase, our trusty lieges of Ireland, whom we have ordered to come unto us into Gascony with horses and arms, have not yet, at the receipt of these presents, set out on their journey towards us, we require of you, that you enjoin them, on our behalf, to come unto us with speed. Myself being witness, at Saintes, the 8th day of June, in the 26th year of our reign.

Henry III. to the Prior of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, at Paris.1

15 November, 1253.

The king to his beloved Prior of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, in France, or to his deputy, greeting.

Whereas, we delivered one thousand pounds sterling as a deposit into your house at Paris, in lieu of four thousand of the money of Tourenne, out of which you were to pay, on our account, annually to the Earl of March, eight hundred pounds, Tourenne money, for the custody of the Isle of Oleron, until the whole sum of

1 From the Records in the Tower. Translated from the Latin. There is also preserved in the same office a warrant to Richard Earl of Cornwall, to compel the Prior to deliver the money to the Earl of Leicester, likewise dated on the 15th November.