I.

RICHARD OF ALMAIGNE,

"A ballad made by one of the adherents to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, soon after the battle of Lewes, which was fought May 14, 1264,"

--affords a curious specimen of ancient satire, and shews that the liberty, assumed by the good people of this realm, of abusing their kings and princes at pleasure, is a privilege of very long standing.

To render this antique libel intelligible, the reader is to understand that just before the battle of Lewes, which proved so fatal to the interests of Henry III., the barons had offered his brother Richard, King of the Romans, 30,000_l._ to procure a peace upon such terms, as would have divested Henry of all his regal power, and therefore the treaty proved abortive. The consequences of that battle are well-known: the king, prince Edward his son, his brother Richard, and many of his friends, fell into the hands of their enemies: while two great barons of the king's party, John, Earl of Warren, and Hugh Bigot, the king's justiciary, had been glad to escape into France.

In the first stanza the aforesaid sum of thirty thousand pounds is alluded to, but with the usual misrepresentation of party malevolence, is asserted to have been the exorbitant demand of the king's brother.

With regard to the second stanza the reader is to note that Richard, along with the earldom of Cornwall, had the honours of Walingford and Eyre confirmed to him on his marriage with Sanchia, daughter of the Count of Provence, in 1243. Windsor Castle was the chief fortress belonging to the king, and had been garrisoned by foreigners: a circumstance which furnishes out the burthen of each stanza.

The third stanza alludes to a remarkable circumstance which happened on the day of the battle of Lewes. After the battle was lost, Richard, king of the Romans, took refuge in a windmill, which he barricaded, and maintained for some time against the barons, but in the evening was obliged to surrender. See a very full account of this in the _Chronicle of Mailros_, Oxon. 1684, p. 229.[1]

The fourth stanza is of obvious interpretation: Richard, who had been elected king of the Romans in 1256, and had afterwards gone over to take possession of his dignity, was in the year 1259 about to return into England, when the barons raised a popular clamour, that he was bringing with him foreigners to over-run the kingdom: upon which he was forced to dismiss almost all his followers, otherwise the barons would have opposed his landing.

In the fifth stanza the writer regrets the escape of the Earl of Warren, and in the sixth and seventh stanzas insinuates that if he and Sir Hugh Bigot once fell into the hands of their adversaries, they should never more return home; a circumstance which fixes the date of this ballad, for, in the year 1265, both these noblemen landed in South Wales, and the royal party soon after gained the ascendant. See Holinshed, Rapin, &c.

The following is copied from a very ancient MS. in the British Museum. (Hart. MSS. 2253, fol. 58 v°.) This MS. is judged, from the peculiarities of the writing, to be not later than the time of Richard II.; _th_ being everywhere expressed by the character þ; the _y_ is pointed after the Saxon manner, and the _i_ hath an oblique stroke over it.

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[The date of the MS. in which this ballad occurs is usually placed at an earlier period than that fixed upon by Percy. Mr. Thomas Wright, who prints it in his volume of _Political Songs of_ _England_ (Camden Society), with several other poems in French, Anglo-Norman, and Latin, on Simon de Montfort and the Barons' Wars, assigns it to the reign of Edward II. It will be seen from Percy's note to verse 44, that the last stanza was printed for the first time in the fourth edition of the _Reliques_. This is explained by the fact that these lines are written on a new folio of the MS., and must therefore have been overlooked by the original copyist.

This little poem is without rival as an early exhibition of English popular feeling in the vernacular; and it also stands alone as the first dated English historical ballad in existence. It was probably written during the first flush of enthusiasm after the memorable battle of Lewes, because, before a year had gone by, victory had passed to the other side, and at the battle of Evesham, fought on the 4th of August, 1265, Simon, his eldest son Henry, and a host of distinguished men, fell on the fatal field. As Drayton sang:

"Great Lester here expired with Henry his brave sonne, When many a high exploit they in that day had done."

Prince Edward, who had passed his boyhood in Henry's company and was much attached to him, personally attended his funeral.

Richard, Earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry III., was elected King of the Romans on the 13th of January, 1256-7, at Frankfort, and is styled in Latin documents _Rex Alemanniæ_. In earlier times Richard had been a leader of malecontents, and "all from the child to the old man heaped frequent blessings upon him," but Montfort (then a courtier) gained him over to the King's side, and the insurgents were in consequence dispersed.

Richard was probably not so base a man as the writer of the ballad would wish us to believe, and a good action is recorded of him which was very ill returned. He interceded for the life of De Montfort's second son Simon, when that youth surrendered to the royal party at Northampton in 1266, and he was successful in his suit. In 1271, Simon and his brother Guy assassinated Henry, Richard's son, then in the suite of Philip of France, on his return from the Holy Land, while he was at mass in the church of St. Lawrence, at Viterbo. Richard himself died in this same year at Berkhampstead, and his estates descended to his son Edmond, Earl of Cornwall.

The uncertain manner in which biographic honours are apportioned is noteworthy, and a writer in the _Quarterly Review_ (vol. cxix. p. 26) very justly points out a deficiency in English literature, when he writes that Simon de Montfort V., second Earl of Leicester, "the founder of the English House of Commons, has had no biographer."[2] Mr. Freeman, however, promises to do full honour to his memory in a forthcoming volume of his history.

This is not the place to give any detailed account of De Montfort, but a few words on the great leader may be allowable, more particularly as Percy's introduction does injustice to the anti-royalist party.

Simon de Montfort, fourth son of Simon de Montfort IV., fourth Comte de Montfort,[3] married Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke, the daughter of King John. She had made a vow of widowhood, and although her brother Henry III. gave her away when she was married, by one of the royal chaplains, in the king's private chapel at Westminster, 6th January, 1238, Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, remonstrated strongly against the marriage. It is said that when the prelate left England, he stood on a hill which commanded a view of London, and, extending his hands towards the city, pronounced a

## parting blessing on his country, and a curse on the countess and

the offspring of her unholy union.

Events so came about that the courtier and alien became the representative leader of Englishmen, with the famous war-cry of "England for the English." The battle of Lewes placed everything in the power of Simon de Montfort, but in his prosperity many of his followers fell away from him. The last scene of the great man's life is truly pathetic. He lay at Evesham awaiting the troops which his son was to bring from Kenilworth. He did not know, however, that the garrison of that town had been surprised by Prince Edward, who had escaped from confinement. The army that marched upon Evesham bore the banners of Simon's son, but they were flying in the van of an enemy. Simon's first words, when he saw the force approach, were those of soldierly pride: "By the arm of St. James they come on well; they learnt that order from me." Before he spoke again, however, he had realized his position, and he cried out: "May God have mercy on our souls, for our bodies are Prince Edward's." When he died liberty seemed to have been crushed out of existence, but it was not so, for his spirit lived though his body died, and the real victory was with him.

The fate of Simon de Montfort was a subject of general lamentation, but none of the songs upon it that have come down to us are in English. In an Anglo-Norman lament he is likened to Thomas of Canterbury, and described as "a precious flower." Priest and layman united in his praise, and he was revered as a saint and martyr. Prayers were said in his honour, and a hymn was sung at his shrine, beginning:

"Salve Symon Montis-Fortis Totius flos militiæ Duras p[oe]nas passus mortis, _Protector gentis Angliæ_."

Miracles were supposed to be worked by the power of his name,[4] and the character of these miracles may be judged by the following samples. The "old Countess of Gloucester" had a palfrey, which was asthmatic for two years, until one day in journeying from Tewkesbury to Evesham, it drank from the earl's well and was restored to perfect health. The next instance of miraculous healing is still more remarkable. A chick, which belonged to Agnes of Selgrave, fell into a pond and was drowned. Its mistress pulled it out and commended it to "blessed Simon," whereupon it got up and walked as usual.

Simon had six children by his wife Eleanor, viz., Henry, Simon, Guy, Amauri, Richard, and Eleanor. Henry was slain with his father, but the countess and the other children escaped out of England. Simon and Guy went to Tuscany; Amauri accompanied his mother to France, was taken prisoner in 1276, and kept in confinement by Edward for a time, but set at liberty in 1280; Richard went to Bigorre, but nothing certain is known of his after career, and it is said that he settled in England under the assumed name of Wellysborne, an assertion founded on two or three deeds of doubtful authenticity.[5] Eleanor was married to Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, in 1279, Edward I. paying all the expenses of the ceremony, which was performed with great pomp.]

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Sitteth alle stille, ant herkneth to me; The kyn[g] of Alemaigne,[6] bi mi leaute,[7] Thritti thousent pound askede he For te make the pees[8] in the countre, Ant so he dude more. 5 Richard, thah[9] thou be ever trichard,[10] Tricthen[11] shalt thou never more.

Richard of Alemaigne, whil that he wes kyng, He spende al is tresour opon swyvyng,[12] Haveth he nout of Walingford o ferl[.y]ng,[13] 10 Let him habbe,[14] ase he brew, bale to dryng,[15] Maugre[16] Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c.

The kyng of Alemaigne wende do[17] ful wel, He saisede the mulne[18] for a castel, 15 With hare[19] sharpe swerdes he grounde the stel,[20] He wende that the sayles were mangonel[21] To helpe Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c.

The kyng of Alemaigne gederede ys host, 20 Makede him a castel of a mulne post, Wende with is prude,[22] ant is muchele bost,[23] Brohte[24] from Alemayne mon[.y] sori gost To store Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c. 25

By God, that is aboven ous, he dude muche s[.y]nne, That lette passen over see the erl of Warynne: He hath robbed Engelond, the mores,[25] ant th[e] fenne, The gold, ant the selver, and [.y]-boren henne,[26] For love of Wyndesore. 30 Richard, thah thou be ever, &c.

Sire Simond de Mountfort hath suore bi [.y]s ch[.y]n, Hevede[27] he nou here the erl of War[.y]n, Shulde he never more come to is [.y]n,[28] Ne with sheld, ne with spere, ne with other g[.y]n,[29] 35 To help of Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c.

Sire Simond de Montfort hath suore bi ys cop,[30] Hevede he nou here Sire Hue de Bigot:[31] Al[32] he shulde quite here twelfmoneth scot[33][34] 40 Shulde he never more with his fot pot[35] To helpe Wyndesore. Richard, thah thou be ever, &c.

Be the luef, be the loht,[36] sire Edward,[37] Thou shalt ride sporeles o thy lyard[38] 45 Al the ryhte way to Dovere-ward, Shalt thou never more breke foreward; Ant that reweth sore Edward, thou dudest as a shreward,[39] Forsoke thyn emes lore[40] 50 Richard, &c.

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[***] This ballad will rise in its importance with the reader, when he finds that it is even believed to have occasioned a law in our statute book, viz. "Against slanderous reports or tales, to cause discord betwixt king and people." (_Westm. Primer_, c. 34, anno 3 Edw. I.) That it had this effect is the opinion of an eminent writer [the Hon. Daines Barrington], see _Observations upon the Statutes_, &c. 4to. 2nd edit. 1766, p. 71.

However, in the Harl. Collection may be found other satirical and defamatory rhymes of the same age, that might have their share in contributing to this first law against libels.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] [Robert of Gloucester wrote: "The king of Alemaigne was in a windmulle income."]

[2] [A German has taken upon himself the duty of an Englishman, but Dr. Pauli's life of the hero has not yet been translated out of the German language.]

[3] [Montfort is a small town between Paris and Chartres.]

[4] [See _Miracula Simonis de Montfort_. MS. Cotton. Vespas. A. vi., annexed to Mr. Halliwell's edition of William de Rishanger's _Chronicle of the Barons' Wars_ (Camden Society), 1840.]

[5] [This tradition is possibly connected with the one to be found in the _Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green_, where the Blind Beggar is said to be Henry de Montfort, who was taken off the battlefield, blind but not dead.]

[6] [Germany.]

[7] [loyalty.]

[8] [peace.]

[9] [though.]

[10] [treacherous.]

[11] [deceive (should be _trichen_).]

[12] [lechery.]

[13] [He has not of Wallingford one furlong. The MS. reads _oferlyng_, and Percy and Warton explain that word to mean _superior_, in opposition to underling, but it has not been met with elsewhere. Mr. Wright's reading of "one furlong" is much more in accordance with the context.]

[14] [have.]

[15] [evil to drink.]

[16] [in spite of.]

[17] [thought to do.]

[18] [he seized the mill.]

[19] [their.]

[20] [steel.]

[21] [a military engine for throwing great stones.]

[22] [pride.]

[23] [great boast.]

[24] [brought.]

[25] [moors.]

[26] [bore them away hence.]

[27] [had.]

[28] [house.]

[29] [engine.]

[30] [sworn by his head.]

[31] [The Hugh Bigod here mentioned, was the cousin of Hugh Bigod, who took part with the barons, and was slain at Lewes.]

[32] [although.]

[33] [tax or revenue.]

[34] [Ver. 40. Percy prints _grante here_ (_i.e._ grant their), but the MS. reads _qte here_ (_i.e._ quite or pay here).]

[35] [with his foot push on. Percy prints this _sot pot_, but it is undoubtedly _fot_ in the MS.]

[36] [whether you like it or loathe it.]

[37] Ver. 44. This stanza was omitted in the former editions.

[38] [ride spurless on thy grey horse.]

[39] [male shrew.]

[40] [forsookest thy uncle's teaching. De Montfort was Prince Edward's uncle.]