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were taken and sent to England; and at that
time the said Earl of Huntyngdon returned to England, to be cured of a
ma- lady which he had, and Mr. William de Septvans, father of
the infant, who was of the company and retinue of the said
Earl, returned to England with him; at which time they found
the wife of the said Mr. "William pregnant of the said
infant; and the Earl of Huntyngdon went away to Poplar (Popeler) to
lodge there, in order to have his physicians handy from London,
and made the Countess1 live at Preston, in order
to be godmother of the child, when it should be born; and the infant was born
on the day of St. Austyn the Doctor2 next
after, and the Abbot of St. Austyn's, predecessor of the Abbott that now is,
and Mr. Thomas Daldon3 the elder, who is dead, were godfathers of
the said infant, and the Countess godmother; and very soon
after, when the Earl was cured, he returned from thence over the
sea, and came to the siege of Calais, and Mr. William de
Septvans with him; and the said Mr. William told his companions,
the knights-esquires who are now sworn on this inquest, how,
since his departure from them, God, of his grace, had so
visited him, that he had sent him a son; and that this thing is true,
they are ready to do whatever it becomes any gentleman to do,4
and how long it is since the siege of Calais is not an
unknown thing.
"Another evidence they have: William, Abbot of St.
Austyn's,5 predecessor of the Abbot that now is, godfather of
the infant, very soon after he raised him from the font,
died, within one month after; and immediately the Abbot that now is,
and the monks, sued our dread Lord the King, to obtain leave
from him to go to a new election; and our dread Lord the King granted license by his patent, which is of record, and
which was then shown at Canterbury, bearing date the twentieth year of the King that now is; and that this thing
is true, the
1 i.e. Juliana
de Leyborne, the subject of our article, p. 1.
2 The 28th of August.
3 i.e. Thomas
de Aldon.
4 "Defaire quq attient a nul gentiz homz
defaire," i.e. to vouch the truth in any way becoming to a gentleman.
5 i e. William Drulege, who died September 11,
1346. |