THE summe of expenses aswell of wages, & prests, as for the expenses of the kings houses, and for other gifts and rewards, shippes and other things necessary to the parties of France and Normandie, and before Calice, during the siege there, as it appeareth in the accompts of William Norwel keeper of the kings Wardrobe, from the 21. day of April in the 18 yeere of the reigne of the said king, unto the foure and twentieth day of November in the one and twentieth yeere of his reigne, is iii. hundreth xxxvii. thousand li. ix. s. iiii.d.

A note out of Thomas Walsingham touching the huge Fleete of eleven hundred well furnished ships wherewith king Edward the third passed over unto Calais in the yeere 1359.

In the yeere of our Lord 1359. John the French king craftily, and under pretence of peace, offered unto Edward the third king of England, Flanders, Picardie, Gascoigne, and other territories which he had spoyled and wasted: for the ratifying of which agreement, the foresaid king Edward sent his ambassadors into France, but the Frenchmen gainsaied them in all their articles and demaunds. Whereupon the king of England being provoked, speedily prepared himselfe and his forces to crosse the seas, carying with him Edward Prince of Wales his heire apparant, and Henry duke of Lancaster and almost all his Nobles, with a thousand wagons and cartes attending upon them. And the said king had at Sandwich eleven hundred ships exceedingly well furnished: with which preparation he passed over the seas, to abate the Frenchmens arrogancie: leaving his yonger sonne Thomas of Woodstocke, being very tender of age, as his vicegerent in the Realme of England; albeit not without a protectour, &c.

The voyage of Nicholas de Lynna a Franciscan Frier, and an excellent Mathematician of Oxford, to all the Regions situate under the North pole, in the yeere 1360. and in the raigne of Edward the 3. king of England.

TOUCHING the description of the North partes, I have taken the same out of the voyage of James Cnoyen of Hartzevan Buske, which alleageth certaine conquests of

Arthur king of Britaine: and the most part, and chiefest things among the rest, he learned of a certaine priest in the king of Norwayes court, in the yeere 1364. This priest was descended from them which king Arthur had sent to inhabite these Islands, and he reported that in the yeere 1360, a certaine English Frier, a Franciscan, and a Mathematician of Oxford, came into those Islands, who leaving them, and passing further by his Magicall Arte, described all those places that he sawe, and tooke the height of them with his Astrolabe, according to the forme that I (Gerard Mercator) have set downe in my mappe, and as I have taken it out of the aforesaid James Cnoyen. Hee sayd that those foure Indraughts were drawne into an inward gulfe or whirlepoole, with so great a force, that the ships which once entred therein, could by no meanes be driven backe againe, and that there is never in those parts so much winde blowing, as might be sufficient to drive a Corne mill.

Giraldus Cambrensis (who florished in the yeere 1210, under king John) in his booke of the miracles of Ireland, hath certaine words altogether alike with these. videlicet:

Not farre from these Islands (namely the Hebrides, Island &c.) towards the North there is a certaine woonderful whirlpoole of the sea, whereinto all the waves of the sea from farre have their course and recourse, as it were without stoppe: which, there conveying themselves into the secret receptacles of nature, are swallowed up, as it were, into a bottomlesse pit, and if it chance that any shippe doe passe this way, it is pulled, and drawen with such a violence of the waves, that eftsoones without remedy, the force of the whirlepoole devoureth the same.

The Philosophers describe foure indraughts of this Ocean sea, in the foure opposite quarters of the world, from whence many doe conjecture that as well the flowing of the sea, as the blasts of the winde, have their first originall.

A Testimonie of the learned Mathematician master John Dee, touching the foresaid voyage of Nicholas De Linna.

ANNO 1360. (that is to wit, in the 34. yeere of the reigne of the triumphant king Edward the third) a frier of Oxford, being a good Astronomer, went in companie with others to the most Northren Islands of the world,

and there leaving his company together, hee travailed alone, and purposely described all the Northerne Islands, with the indrawing seas: and the record thereof at his returne he delivered to the king of England. The name of which booke is Inventio Fortunata (aliter fortunæ) qui liber incipit a gradu 54. usque ad polum. Which frier for sundry purposes after that did five times passe from England thither, and home againe.

It is to be noted, that from the haven of Linne in Norfolke (whereof the foresaid Franciscan frier tooke his name) to Island, it is not above a fortnights sailing with an ordinarie winde, and hath bene of many yeeres a very common and usuall trade: which further appeareth by the privileges granted to the Fishermen of the towne of Blacknie in the said Countie of Norfolke, by king Edward the third, for their exemption and freedome from his ordinary service, in respect of their trade to Island. The voyage of Henry Earle of Derbie, after Duke of Hereford, and lastly king of England, by the name. of Henry the fourth, An. Dom. 1390. into Prussia and Lettowe, against the infidels, recorded by Thomas of Walsingham.

ABOUT the same time L. Henry the Earle of Derbie travailed into Prussia, where, with the help of the Marshall of the same Province, and of a certaine king called Wytot, hee vanquished the armie of the king of Lettowe, with the captivitie of foure Lithuanian Dukes, and the slaughter of three, besides more then three hundred of the principall common souldiers of the sayd armie which were slaine. The Citie also which is called Wil or Vilna, into the castle whereof the king of Lettow named Skirgalle fled for his savegard, was, by the valour of the sayd Earle especially and of his followers, surprised and taken. For certaine of the chiefe men of his familie, while others were slouthfull or at least ignorant of their intent, skaling the walles, advanced his colours thereupon. And there were taken and slaine foure thousand of the common souldiers, and amongst others was slaine the king of Poland his brother, who was our professed enemie. And the castle of the foresaid Citie was besieged for the space of five weekes: but by reason of the infirmities and inconveniences wherewith the whole armie was annoyed, the great masters of Prussia and of Lifland

would not stay any longer. There were converted of the nation of Lettowe eight persons unto the Christian faith. And the master of Lifland carried home with him into his countrey three thousand captives.

The voyage of Thomas of Woodstocke Duke of Glocester into Prussia, in the yeere 1391. written by Thomas Walsingham.

AT the same time the Duke of Glocester Lord Thomas of Woodstock (the yongest sonne of Edward the third) to the great griefe of many, tooke his journey towards Prussia whom neither the Londoners mones nor yet the lamentation of the communaltie could restraine from his intended expedition. For the common people both of the Citie and of the countrey feared lest in his absence some newe calamitie might happen; which they feared not while he was present. For in him the whole nation seemed to repose their hope and comfort. Howbeit having skarce passed as yet the bounds of his owne countrey, he was immediatly by hard fortune tossed up and downe with dangerous stormes and tempests, and was brought into such distresse, that he despaired even of his owne life. At length, having not without danger of death, sailed along the coastes of Denmarke, Norway, and Scotland, he returned into Northumberland, and went to the castle of Tinmouth as unto a place of refuge knowen of olde unto him: where, after hee had refreshed himselfe a fewe dayes, hee tooke his journey toward his Mannour of Plashy, bringing great joy unto the whole kingdome, aswell in regard of his safetie as of his returne. The verses of Geofrey Chaucer in the knights Prologue, who living in the yeere 1402. (as hee writeth himselfe in his Epistle of Cupide) shewed that the English Knights after the losse of Acon, were wont in his time to travaile into Prussia and Lettowe, and other heathen lands, to advance the Christian faith against Infidels and miscreants, and to seeke honour by feats of armes.

The English Knights Prologue.

A KNIGHT there was, and that a worthie man,
that from the time that he first began

to riden out, he loved Chevalrie,

trouth, honour, freedome, and Curtesie.