This book offers the first scholarly edition of Pour ce que plusieurs, a French treatise on the legal debates that underpinned the Hundred Years War. It was written in 1464, perhaps by Guillaume Cousinot II, and survives in twenty manuscripts; it was also printed at least eleven times by 1558, most commonly under the title La Loy Salicque, première loy des françois. One of those books fell into the hands of an anonymous English customs official, perhaps from Ipswich, who composed an extremely detailed reply which he called A declaracion of the trew and dewe title of Henry VIII. This work did not enjoy the same success, surviving in just two autograph manuscripts, together with a seventeenth-century transcription of the presentation copy. As a result, this unique and important treatise has received no attention from historians.

Pour ce que plusieurs  1

A declaracion of the trew and dewe title of Henry VIII  31

For each of the texts, my goal is to offer a semi-diplomatic edition of one manuscript: that is to say, manuscript B for Pour ce que plusieurs and the autograph manuscript W for A declaracion of the trew and dewe title of Henry VIII. Limitations of space mean that it is not possible to record all of the variants from the numerous medieval manuscripts of Pour ce que plusieurs, though significant examples are identified in the footnotes. In the case of A declaracion of the trew and dewe title of Henry VIII, there are significant variations between the draft version (T) and the presentation copy (W), and I have recorded these in the footnotes and have also provided a transcription of the introduction and conclusion to the draft in Appendix I.

|1r| Pour ce que plusieurs a la relation d'autrui, sans avoir certaine congnoissance de la verité des matieres ou a l'appetit des parties ausquellez ilz sont plus affectionez, parlent des questions et debas qui ja par longz temps ont esté et ainçoires durent entre les roys et royaumes de France et d'Angleterre tant a cause des drois pretendus, et que chascune desdictez parties querele et maintient avoir a la couronne et totalité dudit royaume de France en aucunes terres et seignouries aussi particulieres dicellui; et pareillement au fait de la roupture des tre- |1v| ves qui fut l'an mil quatrecens quarante neuf, soubz umbre et confiance desquelles les Anglois se dient avoir perdu et leur avoir esté osté par le feu Roy Charles le VIIe les duchez de Normandie et de Guyenne avecquez autres terres et seignouries qu'ilz tenoyent et possidoient en diverses parties du royaume de France; et par ce que la verité desdictez matieres n'est pas a tous congneue, ne le fondement dicelles, ne les incidences qui sont entrevenues, maintes gens en ce deffault errent, et cuident les choses estre autres que a la verité elles ne sont. Pour oster la dicte erreur et affin que chascun clerement et sans aucune ambiguité ou doubte puisse congnoistre et estre deuement informé du droit que les parties en chascune desdictez matieres puet avoir et reclamer l'une a l'encontre de l'autre, et les solutions aussi et justifications dont elles se puent deffendre, l'aucteur de ce present traittié a volu cy dessoubz escripre et inferer tout ce qu'il a peu veoir, congnoistre et entendre veritablement des choses dessusdittez, soy fondant es anciennes cronicquez et histoires tant de France comme d'Angleterre, es lettres aussi auctentiquez et enseignemens vaillables fais esdittez matieres, subjoingnant aux choses dessusdittez ce qu'il treuve conformé en raison naturele et escripte, tant des drois civilez comme canons.

|6r| A declaracion of the trewe and dewe title of the right high excellent and most vertuous, my moost dredde soverayn lord Henry, by the grace of God king of Englond and of Ffraunce and lord of Irelond, to the corones of Ffraunce and of Navarre, and to the duchies of Normandie and of Guyan and Gascoyn, and to the counties and cuntries of Angeo, Mayne and of Torayn, Poytow, Ponthieu, Champayn and of the Provynce, with the superiorite and dominion of Bretayn by dewe succession of heritage. And answeryng to the false objections, surmises and imaginacions made and put in prynte by the Ffrenshmen against the said title grounded upon a surmitted lawe called Lawe Salique.

Ffor that I remembred that every man is bounde by the commaundement of God principally and by the counsaill of the prudent to eschiew slouthe & idelnesse, mother and norices of all vices, and owe to put him unto vertuous occupacion and businesse. Thenne I havying no great charge of occupacion but the charge of an office for to levye, gather and answer unto the right high, excellent and most vertuous, my most dredde soverayn lord Henry the VIIIth of that name king of Englond and of Ffraunce and lord of Irelond, the customes and subsidies of merchaundises of oon of his poortes of Englond and the businesse therof but at certain times and by reason of the same office sequestred from byeng & selling and the use of merchaundises and boound to attende in proper persone to the same to awaite the casueltie therof, so that many tymes I had litil to doo. Remembring that my said most drad soveraign lord had the name of king of Ffraunce and perceyved litil or nothing of the proufit therof nor yet of the duchees of Normandie and Acquitaine or Guyan or Gascoyn, the counties of Poytew, Angeo, Torayn and Mayne and also the countie of Ponthieu which as I have herd shuld belonge to his grace of right of enheritaunce by descent from his most noble pregenitoures. And knew not the direct cause of the lette therof why, but by common report that William de la Pole first duke of Suffolk, ayel to Edmond de la Pole now prisoner, havying the governaunce of the most part of the premisses under and for the most vertuous prince of famous memorie King Henry the VIth, shuld have bargained and sold and so delivered the same to the Frenssh king for certain mony which the said duke shuld have taken to his owne use, which comon report gave not perfite knowlege to me therof, nor is not but seldom to be beleved. And for that me thought a right necessarie thing to make serche to come to the perfite knowlege in that behalf.

The manuscript contains Pour ce que plusieurs (fos 1r–30r), together with Audite celi by Jean Juvénal des Ursins (fos 30v–51r) and L'instruction d'un jeune prince by Ghillebert de Lannoy (fos 51v–67v). For Pour ce que plusieurs, there is a heading, offering a four-line verse: ‘A Treshault prince dessus tous renommé / Tres excellent de haulteur et puissance / Loys Onziesme de ce nom denommé / Trescrestien et noble roy de France’. The incipit is ‘Pour ce que pluseurs a la relacion’, and the explicit is ‘feront au plaisir de Dieu, jusques a la fin. Amen’.

In 1465, Antoine de Castelnau, lord of Lau, was arrested following his involvement in the League of the Public Weal. Gaston IV de Foix-Béarn was the only great lord in the Midi to remain loyal to King Louis XI, and one of his rewards was Castelnau's Gascon fortress of Villandraut. Two chests full of treasure were taken from there to the castle of Nolibos at Mont-de-Marsan where, on 15 and 16 November 1467, a notarized inventory of their contents was drawn up by Bernard de La Chapelle, commissioner of Louis XI, along with Foix's representatives, Bernard de Béarn and Peyroton de Trescentz.