THE " BLACK PRINCE'S " DIARY

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 152, 27 June 1914, Page 13

THE " BLACK PRINCE'S " DIARY

"Edward, the Black Prince," may not have been "a hero to his valet," but what British boy has not mentally worshipped at his shrine, or, as a- man grown, will fail to take an interest in the ■ajinounce-me.iit of the discovery of a valuable and interesting addition to the contemporary chronicles relating to one of the most, popular figures in English history.? This highly important document —a sort of Diary in the form of a large folio, 10 inches by 10 wide, aud containing some 2SO pages—was found in the library of a firm of London solicitors, which has existed for two or three centuries. On the changing of its offices some time ago, about 100 volumes of very old docunvents were found, among them this "Diary." It is not known how long these documents have been in the possession of the firm, •but there is .the evidence that the "Diary"' of the Black Prince was in its custody more than 50 v-ea-rs ago. ISo one has any idea, however, whence it came. The owner of the volumes spoke of them to a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, who communicated with another (Fellow, who has made a special study of palaeography, and took to him a parchment roll 'which proved to be the Court Roll of John Lord Serope of Bolton in Wensleydale, dated 1537. He added that there were 'other manuscripts, including a volume lettered, "The Black Prince's Diary." When he saw this book the. expert at once recognised it as part cif a Record or Register of which the two other volume? are preserved at the Record Office. Three volumes cover exactly the same period— from March. 1351. to January. I3CR. One of the volumes deals with the Duchy of Cornwall, one with th-e Earldom of Chrs'ter. and the third, t'lo one now under considenraitkm, with all the rest of the Enyl'sli property. This book is called "Engleterrc," 'anil comparison of it with the volumes at the Record Office showed that the writing corresponded and that the volumes agreed in efeery particular. The newiyd'soovftrcd "Di.in" consists of parchment leaves, -most of which arc covered on hotli sides with a small clerkly writing—a characteristic official haiwl of the period. The manuscript is entirely without ornament or rubrica-

tion, i.e., headlines in red' or capital letters, and averages about 52 lines to the •pige. F.ach leaf is headed with the word "EngletETte," -the month, and the year. Three pages at the .beginning of the MSS are somewhat muti'iated', and sonic of the pages are stained With damp, but on the whole, however, the volume is in good condition and •wonderfully legible. Parts of it are in French, some in Latin, and eo-mc in English. The chief interest of the volume, which was found with other ancient MSS in.a. dilitpidated sheet-iron box, is in the ..sidelights breaking in here and there upon the character and customs of the Black Prince and of his day. Wh.ti is thought to be the earliest known reference to the Garter as an. established order occurs in an inventory of N-evv Year's presents doted 1345: —

Twenty j four Garters made for the Lord Prince, bought and given by him the same day to the Knights of the Society of the Garter. Further entries among the New-Year's presents arc "to my lady the Queen (his mother) a large nouch (brooch) of three baleast rubies and emeralds"; to "the King (his father), my lord the Prince" gives a cup of gold ''weighing four marks"; to the Lady Joan (his sisterl "a tun of Gascon wine and a trotter-

horse." Two most interesting Mitrics iv the heroic relate to the pledging by the Prince of a crown formerly .belonging to the King of France. These have been translated thus-:— •AVhcreas our well-beloved Sir Richard, Earl Darund'ell. has lent to us a crown of gold, with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and great pearls and a star of gold, "with 'rubies, -diamonds, sapphires, and great pearls, 2,000 Hvres Desterlings, to be paid -to him at the feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady one thousand livres, and at the month of Easter following one thousand pounds, we have granted that in ease the said

Earl shall he in arrears of payment (i.e.. if the paymente to the Earl fall into arrears) on the days aforesaid, he may of the said crown and star make his profit in any manner that pleases him without hindrance from us. Given under our sea] the twentyfourth day of July. In October of the same year the Prince issu-ed the following proclamation:— Known that John Pecche, citizen of London (Pecche is elsewhere mentioned as a goldsraiith), is to receive from Richard, tEarle of lATund'ell a crown and star, once the King of France's, wliich we put in pledge to .the said carle in our great need for a certain sum' of money. An amusing tale of a French knight, Charles Count of Dampmartin, who was thrice captured at (Poitiers, is told 1 in a confession- made- to -the Prince after the battle: —•

I confesß and admit in loyalty that'l wa.s taken and surrendered myself a prisoner on the baittlefield to one whose name I did' not then iknoov, but who was one of the household of the Lord Prince of Wales, and -whoso name (I 'know •now) was John, Tradllyj (The said esquire demanded' from one that 1 should surrender myself, and I did thus and pledged uny faith in euch a way that he spared' ime and he Teplred' itha-t I should be sipared and need doubt nothing, and he bade mc open my Ibacynct (helm) and he took nny bacynet and my gauntlets, and -them he again demanded my faith to be his lanvfuJ prisoner and I gave him my faith, and! thereon he mounted mc on his -own honsie and placed mc in the charge of his vadlet (groom), and soon after the vadlet left mc alone and' afterwards there came a Gascon and demanded of mc my faith, and I replied to him that I was a ■priso.u.cr and nevertheless I .pledged) him my faith and Ire

took from mc an escutcheon of my •coat-armour and I asked him if another came .what he .wished 'm<e to do then, and he replied, "Save .tihyself if thou canst." Then another came, who was of (the troop of) Mr. Johne a'e ißlankmonster, and lie demanded my faith and I replied to him. that I had given my faith to two others, and' I gave him also my faith aoid he stayed with mc and guarded mo and took mc before the Earl of Salisbury and 1 I pledged my faith to the 6aid Earl and the said Earl Prince being present. This much-captured iknight was adjudged iby the Black Prince to his esquire John Trailly. An entry in 'French which exhibits the Black Prince in a very favourable light concerns his thought for hi 6 old nurse. The translation 16: "To our well-beloved clerk Henri de Blake-bourne, treasurer ■of our household, greetings. Whereas We have given and granted to our beloved Jane of Oxford, once Our nurse, a tun of wrine, *We order this to be done. Deliver of our wines of a tun of good wine (to her). Given in the hostel of the Bishop of Ely, 2Sth June. 1357." The Prince tvouhi' 6eem to have been ,exceedingly fond of pearls, for the diary

discloses enormous purchases. Fifteen hundred marks -was paid to John de la Mare for four hundred and fourscore pearls, and at the same time another lot (unnumbered) was? bought for L'loo marks. The enormous sum of I,SS'». 'livres, six shillings and' eighipence is one total payment for jewels. The book contains a reference —possibly the —to the (Prince of .Wales feathers, where the prince orders from John de IHiltof't a (Privy iSeail. "facit d<c noa armes dc pennes.** This is in June, 1355.