Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/118

80 were at Charing, near Westminster, where the mayor and bailiffs of Northampton had brought them. Which being heard, the mayor of London sent to them certain citizens, bringing the aforesaid writ, which writ being read and understood, they were still unwilling to assent that these prisoners should be liberated to the messengers of the mayor. Then, indeed, the mayor of London, with an innumerable multitude of people, approaching the king, shewed him, heavily complaining, how the bailiffs themselves, in despite of royalty, and to the great dishonour of his city of London, wished to make his third writ of no avail, who, moved by anger, sent Peter de Nevile, a certain marshal of his household, to Charing, who immediately brought the prisoners before the king, and they were delivered to the mayor. But the citizens immediately told against those of Northampton their transgression, and their contempt of the royal writ, and they replied. Upon which relation and answer the king assigned a day to give judgment on the morrow, to give and receive which judgment, to those intent on deceiving, it was postponed from day to day for more than five weeks, and afterwards the third day before the feast of the Annunciation the mayor and citizens came to the Tower, and the bailiffs of Northampton, before the king in his chamber, there being present the chief justice Philip Basset, John Maunsel, Robert Walerand, and others of the royal council. And the men of Northampton said that they would never answer to them, but to the king alone, because they were not bound to plead beyond the walls of their borough, and then they produced the charter of the king, which was made in the 41st year of the king who now occupies the throne; and the citizens say that that charter ought not to avail them any thing, because they are not in possession of many provisions contained in it, and chiefly because the provisions apply to all the fairs of England; to which they answered, that the fairs of St. Ive's, St. Botulfs, Winchester, Lynn, and Stamford, and even this, are particularized by their charter. Afterwards the record of the justices' roll was read, in which was openly and distinctly specified the enrolment concerning the answer made to the king for contempt of his writ; but regarding the complaint of the citizens and the answer of the burgesses little or nothing was written. And the citizens said that they complained against them that they had unjustly detained their free men, against the liberties of the Londoners, after the receipt of the royal writs, and even still detain their chattels; and they complained of other injuries which they had sustained to the value of ten pounds. To which in turn they so replied that part they acknowledged and part they defended, and in this business placed themselves upon the record of the bishops and barons who were present on that day, and then sought judgment. And they sought judgment concerning the new charter of the burgesses, which ought to be of no value against the charters of the citizens which they produce, namely, those of Hen. II., Richard, John, and the charter of the reigning monarch, and that they are in possession of all the liberties contained in the aforesaid charters.

"At length, after much altercation between them, a convention and council