Biography of Aubrey de Vere 10th Earl of Oxford 1338-1400

Archaeologia Volume 22 Section XVI. The prynces^c desyrous to make peace betwyxt the cytezyns and the duke, sent unto London these knyghtes, the Lord Albred de Ver,^d the L. Symon Burle,^e the L. Lewes Clyfford,^f requestyng them, that for love of her, & at her request, they wold make peace with the duke, and end such tumultes for the generall evill or myschefe which comonly followeth such sedytions. The cytezyns, with all reverence, made answeare, that they wold do for her honor what soever she had commanded, but yet they willest or enjoyned the knyghts that came, to tell the duke in words, that he suffer the Lord Byshop of Wynchester to stande to his answeare, and be judged by his peeres, because at that tyme he was an ecclesyastycall person of such aucthoryty, they wold not suffer so greate losse without answeare and processe of lawe, & suffer the Lord Peter de la Mar to answeare for hym self, & prove hym selfe not gyltye, or otherwyse, as he had deserved, after the custome of the lawes of the realme to recyve manyfest judgment; the thyrd they wold account a traytor wheresoever he should be founde. The afore sayed knyghtes, no otherwyse then they had heard of the sayed citizens, reported unto the duke with full mouth those thyngs which had ben enjoyned them, whereby they made the duke very wofull, for whereas they had spoken of a traytor, this sayed he they speak of me, and ytt is not credible that they speak this of him.

Note c. The Princess was Joan, the widow of the Black Prince, who in her youth had been celebrated for her beauty as the "Fair Maid of Kent." She had been twice married or affianced before she became the wife of Edward, whom she survived nine years. Her death in 1385 is related by Walsingham (p. 343) to have been caused by her grief at the refusal of her son Richard the Second to pardon his half brother John Holand, who nevertheless after his mother's death was restored to favour, and created Duke of Exeter. Dr. Lingard says that the Princess obtained her son's full pardon. But according to Knyghton (col. 2676), it was by the intervention of the Duke of Lancaster and other lords, that the king's pardon was procured, as well as the indulgence of the Earl of Stafford, whose eldest son Sir John Holand had killed in their servants' quarrel. An ancient portrait of the Princess is copied in Strutt's Regal and Ecclesiastical Antiquities, No. XXXV. In her will, printed in Nichols's Collection, she declares her firm adherence to the Catholic faith, though five of the most distinguished supporters of Wicliffe are in the list of her executors.

Note d. Sir Aubrey de Vere was uncle to Robert Earl of Oxford, afterwards Duke of Ireland, the favourite of Richard the Second.

Note e. Of Sir Simon Burley, and the proceedings against him in the following reign, when he was beheaded on Tower Hill, a particular account is given by Froissart, his personal friend. Some inaccuracies in Froissart are pointed out by Tyrrel (Hist. Eng. vol. iii. p. 902), and a singular mistake in the MS. Ambassades, "Relation de la Mort," &c. where John Carnailly is substituted for Sir Simon Burley, has been noticed in the Archaeologia, vol. xx. p. 425, note.

Note f. Sir Lewis Clifford, an ancestor of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, became a leader among the Lollards, but afterwards recanted to Archbishop Arundel. Walsingham, p. 409. His very remarkable will, in which he enjoins his executors to bury him, "false and traytor to his Lord God," with extraordinary indignities, is preserved in Dugdale's Baronage, i. p. 341. It may not be unworthy of remark, that his descendants have adhered to their ancient faith.