HOW THE LORD JAMES AUDLEY GAVE TO HIS FOUR SQUIRES THE FIVE HUNDRED MARKS OF REVENUES THAT THE PRINCE HAD GIVEN HIM
WHEN sir James Audley was brought to his lodging, then he sent for sir Peter Audley his brother and for the lord Bartholomew of Burghersh, the lord Stephen of Cosington, the lord of Willoughby and the lord Ralph Ferrers, all these were of his lineage, and then he called before him his four squires, that had served him that day well and truly. Then he said to the said lords: ‘Sirs, it hath pleased my lord the prince to give me five hundred marks of revenues by year in heritage, for the which gift I have done him but small service with my body. Sirs, behold here these four squires, who hath always served me truly and specially this day: that honour that I have is by their valiantness. Wherefore I will reward them: I give and resign into their hands the gift that my lord the prince hath given me of five hundred marks of yearly revenues, to them and to their heirs for ever, in like manner as it was given me. I clearly disherit me thereof and inherit them without any repeal〖‘Rappel,’ i. e. power of recalling the gift. The word ‘repeal’ is a correction of ‘rebell.’〗 or condition.’ The lords and other that ere there, every man beheld other and said among themselves: ‘It cometh of a great nobleness to give this gift.’ They answered him with one voice: ‘Sir, be it as God will; we shall bear witness in this behalf wheresoever we be come.’ Then they departed from him, and some of them went to the prince, who the same night would make a supper to the French king and to the prisoners, for they had enough to do withal, of that the Frenchmen brought with them,〖‘Who was to give the king of France a supper of his own provisions; for the French had brought great abundance with them, and provisions had failed among the English,’ etc.〗 for the Englishmen wanted victual before, for some in three days had no bread before.