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III. An Enquiry into the Nature and Cause of King John's Death; wherein is shewn that it was not effected by Poison. In a Letter to the Rev. Dr. Milles, President of the Society of Antiquaries, London, from the Rev. Mr. Pegge
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2012
Extract
As the discussion of historical facts, especially such as relate to the affairs of our island, falls in with the design of your institution, I beg leave to present you with an enquiry into the nature of the death of that unfortunate prince king John, it having been attributed by some of our later chronicles to the effects of poison. After the declaration of Mons. Rapin, “that the story of the poison is very improbable, since it is not mentioned by any of the contemporary historians;” to which his learned annotator, who, I presume, was the late Mr. Philip Morant, has added, “that the poison is not mentioned by any “historian that lived within sixty years of the time,” or before A. D. 1276, one would imagine there could be no occasion for re-considering this point: but the late Mr. John Lewis of Margate, partly in vindication of his favourite William Caxton, and partly from the forwardness of his zeal against Popery, has endeavoured to puzzle the cause, and to invalidate the assertions of the judicious Frenchman, and his learned English annotator; so that it is become absolutely necessary to review this particle of our history, and to bring it to a new hearing.
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References
page 30 note [a] These washes are between a place called the Cross-Keys in Norfolk, and Fosdike in Holland, in the county of Lincoln. Annot. on Rapin, and Brady, p. 516. As for the Wellstream, see Dr. Brady, p. 516.
page 30 note [b] R. Higden makes him dine there. This was 14 Oct. Brady, p. 516.
page 30 note [c] According to Caxton, an English Chronicle cited by Mr. Lewis, John Fox, and my MS. Chronicle, he stayed two days at Swineshead. But see Brady, p. 515, and Appendix, p. 163.
page 30 note [d] Sleford castle, and Newark castle mentioned afterwards, were both of them now in the king's hand.
page 31 note [e] P. Langtoft says he died at Hauche, but read Naũche, i. e. Nauerche, or Newark.
page 31 note [f] The abbot of Croxton (perhaps Ralph de Lincoln, Willis Mitr. Abb. II. p. 109) was his physician at Newark. M. Paris; p. 288.
page 31 note [g] Dr. Brady, p. 515. and Appendix p. 164.
page 31 note [h] Dr. John Barcham's life of king John, in Speed's Hist. p. 587.
page 31 note [i] William Caxton, John Major, and George Lilly, all papists, make no scruple in acknowledging the poison.
page 31 note [k] Barcham, l. c.
page 31 note [l] John Fox, Sir Francis Hastings, Dr. Barcham, Sir Richard Baker, John Lewis, &c.
page 31 note [m] Mons. Rapin and his Annotator.
page 32 note [n] So most authors. See Dr. Brady, p. 517.
page 32 note [o] Tanneri Biblioth. p. 572.
page 32 note [p] Cyder; Since M. Westminster calls it pomarium, for which word see Du Fresne. This part of the country was famous for its pippins called Kirtonpippins. Fuller's Worthies in Lincolnshire. Dr. Brady, p. 517. calls it new Bracket; but see Fox, p. 333.
page 32 note [q] Tanneri Bibl. p. 757. Wats, Prolegom. ad M. Paris.
page 32 note [r] Leland, Collect. II. p. 421.
page 33 note [s] Hearne's praef. p. 21.
page 33 note [t] Willis, Mitr. Abb. II. p. 2.
page 33 note [u] Cave's Hist. Lit. Appendix, p. 9.
page 33 note [x] Lewis's Life of Caxton, p. 34.
page 34 note [y] Rex—caedibus et incendiis vacans de Northfolk versus Lyndesey per abbathiam Swyneshevede venit; ubi, secundum quosdam, potionatus transiit Slaford. Chron. Petriburg. p. 96.
page 37 note [z] The story is transcribed by Knyghton, col. 2425.
page 37 note [a] Mr. Lewis endeavours to salve the author's credit, as to the place of interment, by saying (in behalf of Caxton, who makes the same mistake, putting Winchester for Worcester), “which difference, perhaps, might be occasioned by “the old spelling the names of these two places, thus, 
and 
, the one being mistaken for the other;” but this, will not serve the turn, it being Wintoniae in the author, and not Wincestriae. It would be a better apology to say it is a misprint in Hemingburgh, since Henn. Knyghton who transcribes him has it Wigorniae for Wintoniae.
page 37 note [b] III. p. 314.
page 38 note [c] “An half-penny loaf, which he would make work twelve half-pence.” Hemingburgh. This comes to the same thing; but Higden and Otterburn make the king say, a half-penny loaf should be worth twelve-pence. One edition of Polychronicon has twenty-pence. Caxton, a MS. Chronicle in Lewis, and mine, have twenty shillings. The Eulogium has it, a lb. of bread as a lb. of silver. See Dr. Barcham in Speed.
page 38 note [d] He was conversus, a lay-brother. Hemingburgh, Otterburne, Higden, and Knighton. His name according to some was Simon. See Barcham and Fox.
page 38 note [e] So Fox: but Caxton, and the English MS. Chronicle, as also my MS. have Ale.
page 39 note [f] Annot. ad Rapin. See the story more at large in Lewis's Life of Caxton, p. 133. & seq. where the toad is said to have been pricked in various places to get out its venom.
page 39 note [g] Fox, Acts and Mon. I. p. 333.
page 39 note [h] John Fox writes it Swinstead, which is equally bad.
page 39 note [i] Near Lincoln, Fox and Lewis. Knyghton has it, more justly, near Boston; one would wonder at John Fox, who, being a native of Boston, must know the place well.
page 39 note [k] Hoveden, p. 812. And he had actually founded an house of this order. M. Par. p. 288.
page 39 note [l] M. Par. p. 287. Annal. Dunst. p. 77. Chron. Petrib. p. 96.
page 40 note [m] See also Hemingburgh, p. 560.
page 40 note [n] M. Paris, p. 287.
page 40 note [o] Brit. Zoology, III. p. 10. and Appendix, p. 321.
page 40 note [p] Ibidem [at Suineshead] ut dicitur, ex nimia voracitate, qua semper insaciabilis erat, venter ejus ingurgitatus usq; ad crapulam, ex ventris indigerie solutus est in dissinteriam. Postea vero, cum paululum sessassat [l. cessasset] fluxus, flebotomatus est apud villam in Lindeseia, quae dicitur Latford. Huc ergo cum venissent nuntii Inclusorum castri Dovere, ut intimassent causam adventûs sui, morbus ex dolore concepto recruduit. Praeterea maximus dolor eum angebat, quod capellam suam …. amiserat, &c. Egritudo autem ejus per dies paucos invalescens, apud castellum de Neuwerc intestatus decessit, &c.’ This particular, however, that he died without a will, is not true. See note [w] in p. 42.
page 41 note [p] See also Otterburne and Knyghton.
page 41 note [q] Lewis, p. 33. 134. Caxton, and my MS. chronicle; also Fox from the Fructus Temporum.
page 41 note [r] Notes on Rapin.
page 42 note [s] Ubi supra modum dissenteria vexatus, Chron. Burg. Perhaps we should read unde supra modum, &c. Joh. Rossus, p. 198. Knyghton, col. 24, 25. Hist. Croyl. Contin. p. 474. Rad. de Coggeshale, as before cited.
page 42 note [t] See Wolsey's case discussed in Gent. Mag. 1775. p. 25. Carte III. p. 118. Mr. Hearne is of opinion that Rosamond Clifford was not poisoned. Lel. Itin. II. in Append. and ad Gul. Neubrig. p. 739. & seq.
page 42 note [u] At Newark, M. Paris, p. 288. but Knyghton says at Croxton, col. 2425.
page 42 note [w] Testamentum R. Joh. in Thomas's Survey of Worcester Cath. p. 19 of Append.
page 43 note [x] And so M. Paris says of the king, nihil terrae, imo nec seipsum possidens, p. 288; and see M. Westminster, p. 276.
page 43 note [y] M. Westminster, l. c.
page 43 note [z] Idem, ibidem.
page 44 note [a] Perhaps it was Robert de Denton, for he was made abbat of Furnes from the abbey of Swineshead, A. 1217, Willis, Mitr. Abb. II. p. 106.
page 44 note [b] M. Paris, p. 854.
page 45 note [c] My MS. Engl. Chron. that in Lewis, and Caxton, say five, Fox three.
page 45 note [d] Dr. Barcham in Speed, p. 587.
page 45 note [e] See also John Fox.
page 46 note [f] M. Paris speaks of ejus infinita reprehensibilia vitia. See M. Westminster, p. 276. Hemingburgh, p. 560. Joh. Rossus, p. 198. And Dr. Barcham in Speed, p, 587.