Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 2.djvu/40

24 reign of Edward III., with the exception of a short memorandum, which is not to our purposes.

The above extracts from Rymer contain the history of the seals E, F, and G, and I have affixed the respective letters to them whenever they appear in the narrative; but the grounds upon which I have thus identified them remains to be explained. Seal G, "which was made in accordance with the peace of Bretigny." is the richest and handsomest of them all. It is engraved in Rymer as appended to a document dated July 19, 1363; and is also described by Wailly, and said by him to be employed for sealing a great number of acts relating to the treaty of Bretigny in 1360 and following years, which are preserved in the archives of France. Its legend omits the title of France altogether; but differs in the latter half from those of the seals B C, which also omitted France; for B has "Dns Hybernie Dvx Aquitanie," C has "Dominus Hibernie et Dvx Aquitannie," but G has "Dns Hibernie et Acquitannie," omitting "Dvx;" and thus it is shewn that the great seal mentioned in the last page, which was delivered by the bishop of Winchester on the 2Sth of March, as one that had been laid aside but had been in his custody, was this Bretigny seal G, and not one of the other seals B or C, both of which also omitted France in their legends. It is true that the Bretigny seal was returned to the treasury on the llth of June 1369, but it seems to have been afterwards taken out for some purpose or other not recorded, and put in possession of the chancellor. The same matrix, however, was again used by Edward III. in the latter years of his reign, with the new legend "Edwardus Dei gracia Rex Erancie et Anglie et Dns. Hibernie." I am indebted to the politeness of Sir Frederick Madden for pointing out this fact to me, and for shewing me four impressions of the matrix in this state annexed to Harleian charters in the British Museum, the earliest of which is dated Feb. 18, 1374. As the document just quoted shews that the legend of this seal remained in its original state on March 28, 1371, the change must have been made between these two dates. Edward's immediate successors used the same matrix, with the simple substitution of "Ricardus" and "Henricus" for " Edwardus."

There remain only the seals E and F to be described.