Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. When the king heard of these things, he immediately gathered his army and turned aside there, sending letters to his brother Lord Edmund and to the Earl of Lincoln¹, who at that time were in the port of Portsmouth with many thousands of armed men, prepared to cross over into Gascony, ordering them to return to him in Wales with all haste. Upon hearing this, they hurried to him and remained there until nearly the middle of Lent. Now it happened that on the Feast of Saint Martin [11th November 1294] in winter, while the Earl of Lincoln was hastening before our king to his own castle of Denbigh, hoping perhaps to save it. as he believed, he was intercepted by his own Welsh men, he had many possessions and castles there, who engaged him in a fierce battle. These Welshmen of his ultimately prevailed against him, and after many on both sides had been killed, they finally forced him to flee with a few men, although he had fought bravely for a long time. Our king also, after crossing the river Conway, while making his way to the castle [Map], was not followed by the whole army. And so, as the sea waters and sudden tides overflowed, he was besieged by the Welsh for some time. Thus separated from his men and cut off, he suffered for a short time both hunger and thirst, drinking water mixed with honey and not eating bread to satisfaction; for the Welsh had overtaken his wagons, seized his supplies, and slaughtered the men they could catch. When they had only a small amount of wine, barely a flask's² worth, which they had decided to preserve for the king, the king refused it and said: "In necessity all things ought to be held in common, and we shall all endure one and the same meagre fare until God Himself from on high looks down upon us. I will not be preferred to you in food, since I am the very cause and origin of this hardship." But soon after, God Almighty visited them with mercy: the waters receded, the whole army came to the king, and the Welsh were turned to flight. After many events and various battles, the Welsh were so harassed and pressed that, after many messengers were sent and returned, Madog himself and his followers were admitted to the king's peace, on the condition, however, that he would pursue and capture the other, namely Morgan, and hand him over to the royal prison within a set time. This agreement he kept and fulfilled, and so he obtained full peace. Many nobles from all over Wales were taken as hostages and sent to various castles in England to be held there until the king gave further orders; and they remained in those places until nearly the end of the war in Scotland. In the same year, a severe famine afflicted England, and many thousands of the poor died. A quarter of wheat was sold for sixteen shillings, and often for twenty.

Quæ cum audisset rex, mox congregato exercitu declinavit ibidem, missisque literis ad dominum Edmundum fratrem suum et comitem Lincolniæ, qui tunc temporis in portu de Portesmuth cum multis millibus armatorum parati fuerant in Vasconiam transfretare, ut ad eum in Walliam cum omni festinatione redirent; qui cum audissent talia properabant ad eum, et manserunt ibidem usque and defeat fere ad medium Quadragesimæ. Contigit autem quod die sancti Martini in hyeme dum idem comes Lincolniæ ad castrum suum de Tynebech ante regem nostrum festinaret, si forte illud salvare posset, sicut credidit, obviatus est ab hominibus suis propriis Wallensibus, habet enim ibidem multas possessiones et castra, qui quidem Wallenses sui commisso cum eo gravi prœlio prævaluerunts adversus eum, et interfectis hinc inde multis, ipsum tandem, cum jam diu strenue militasset, in fugam cum paucis converterunt. Rex etiam noster, transito flumine de Conway, dum ad castrum declinaret non est eum secutus totus exercitus, unde superabundantibus aquis maris et fluctuum subitorum obsessus est a Wallensibus per tempus aliquod. Sic separatus a suis et exclusus passusque est ad tempus modicum et famem et sitim, bibitque aquam cum melle mixtam et panem in saturitate non comedit; præoccupaverant enim Wallenses quadrigas suas, et victualibus acceptis et ablatis, homines quos poterant detruncabant. Cumque haberent modicum vini, vix unius lagenæ costrellum, quod pro rege salvare decreverant, non adquievit ipse rex, sed ait, "Omnia in necessitate debent esse communia, et omnes unam et similem dietam patiemur quousque respiciat nos ipse Deus ab alto, nec præficiar vobis in esu qui coarctationis istius origo et causa sum;" cito autem post visitavit Deus omnipotens eos, et decrescentibus aquis, venit ad regem exercitus totus et ipsi Wallenses in fugam versi sunt. Post multos autem eventus et conflictus varios in tantum Wallenses sunt agitati et astricti, quod missis et remissis nuntiis ipse Maddoch cum suis ad pacem regis admissus est, sub conditione tamen tali quod alterum scilicet Morgan prosequeretur et caperet, et infra certum tempus regio carceri manciparet. Quod quidem pactum tenuit et fecit, et plenam pacem adeptus est; acceptique sunt obsides multi de nobilioribus and gives totius Walliæ, et missi sunt in Angliam ad diversa castra ut custodirentur in eis usque ad jussionem regis, manseruntque in eisdem usque ad guerram Scotia fere finitam. Eodem anno fames valida Angliam afflixit et moriebantur pauperum multa millia, vendebatur enim quarterium frumenti pro XVI solidis et multotiens pro XX.

Note 1. Henry de Lacy, third earl of Lincoln, succeeded his father in 1257. In the preceding year, having espoused Margaret, daughter and co-heir of William de Longespee, (son of William de Longespee, Earl of Salisbury,) he became, jure uxoris i.e. by right of his wife, Earl of Salisbury.

Note 2. The capacity of the 'lagena' i.e. flask is thus given in an Assize of David, King of Scotland, concerning weights and measures. The lagena should be capable of containing twelve pounds of water, four pounds of sea-water, four of stagnant water, and four of pure. Its depth should be six inches and a-half, its breadth at the foot should be eight inches and a-half, taking the thickness of the wood on either side; at the higher extremity it should measure in circumference twenty-seven inches, and at the lower twenty-three. The lagena was also a dry measure, as we read of it in connection with corn and butter.

Chronicle of Gregory. 1460. And that same nyght the King remevyde unto London a-gayne his wylle, to the byschoppe is palys of London, and the Duke of Yorke [aged 48] com unto him that same nyght by the torchelyght and toke a-pon him as kyng, and said in many placys that this is owrys by very ryght. Ande then the quene [aged 29] hyrynge this she voydyde unto Walys, but she was met with be-syde the Castelle of Malepas [Map], and a servand of her owne that she hadde made bothe yeman and gentylman, and aftyr a-poyntyd for to be in offysce with her son the prynce, spoylyde her and robbyde hyr, and put her soo in dowt of her lyffe and sonys lyffe also. And then she com to the Castelle of Hardelowe [Probably Denbigh Castle, Possibly Hawarden, Flintshire] in Walys, and she hadde many grete gyftys and gretely comfortyd, for she hadde nede there of, for she hadde a full esy many a-boute hyr, the nombyr of iiij personnys. And moste comynly she rode by-hynde a yonge poore gentylle-man of xiiij year age, his name was Jon Combe, i-borne at Amysbery [Map] in Wyltschyre. And there hens she remevyd full prevely unto the Lord Jesper, lord and Erle of Penbroke [aged 28], for she durste not a byde in noo place that [was] a opyn but in pryvatt. The cause was that conter fete tokyns were sende unto her as thoughe that they hadde come from her moste dradde lord the Kyng Harry the VI; but it was not of his sendyng, nothyr of [his] a doynge, but forgyd thyngys, for they that brought the tokyns were of the kyngys howse, and some of the pryncys howse, and some of her owne howse, and bade her beware of the tokyns, that she gave noo credans there too; for at the kyngys departynge fro Covyntre towarde the fylde of Northehampton, he kyste her and blessyd the prynce, and commaundyd her that she shulde not com unto him tylle that [he] a sende a specyalle tokyn unto her that no man knew but the King and she. For the lordys wolde fayne hadde her unto Lundon, for they knew welle that alle the workyngys that were done growe by hyr, for she was more wyttyer then the King, and that apperythe by his dedys, &c.