168 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
young Prince; though it seems strange that he should have heard of his prowess, and yet, as alluded to in Sir John Fortescue's letter, be ignorant of his name. The instructions sent by Margaret to the Earl of Ormond, and signed by herself, are preserved. They are to the same purport as those conveyed in Fortescue's letter, but are somewhat more full. The letter addressed by the Queen to the King of Portugal is unfortunately missing.
Prince Edward was born on Oct. 13, 1453, and was therefore, if the supposed date of this correspondence could be regarded as correctly stated, only eight years old when he subscribed his name (of which a facsimile is given), as he playfully wrote, " wt myn awn hand, that ye may se how gode a wrytare I ame." That unfortunate Prince has been, indeed, described as of singularly precocious talent; and at that early age might even have acquired the rare art of penmanship; but it is more probable that the real date of these letters is rather later than the year given in the endorsement above-mentioned, and may be assigned to the second occasion, when Margaret, after the failure of her expedition in Nov. 1462, returned to the Continent, accompanied by Fortescue, the Duke of Exeter, John Morton, subsequently Chancellor (Pat. 2 Hen. 7) and Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas, Bishop of St. Asaph, and numerous other persons of distinction of the Lancasterian party. They embarked with the Queen at Bamburgh, in April, 1463, and landed in Flanders, whence, by the aid of the Duke of Burgundy, who received the exiled Margaret at Lisle, she was enabled to proceed with her suite into Lorraine, where her father then was, who assigned to her a castle as a residence in that pressing emergency. From that place, possibly, during the subsequent period of their exile from England, the correspondence, now brought to light, had been addressed.
Letter from Margaret, Queen of Henry VI., to Charles VII, King of France, December 17, 1445. (Baluze MS. 9037, 7, Art. 37.)
A treshault et puissant prince, nostre treschier oncle de France, Marguerite, par la grace de Dieu royne de France et dangleterre, salut, auec toute affection et amour cordiale. Treshault et puissant prince, nostre treschier oncle, par maistre Guillaume Cousinot, maistre des requestes de vostre hostel, et Jehan Hanart escuier, vostre varlet trenchant, avons receu vos gracieuses lettres, du contenu esquelles, pour ce que nous tenons que auez fresche memoire ne vous en faisons a present long record, mais en tant que apperccuons la bonne amour et le vouloir entier que auez h monseigneur et a moy, le grant desir que auez de nous veoir et aussi la fructueusc disposicion et liberale inclination que cognoissons cstre en vous, au regard de la paix et bonne Concorde de entre vous deux, nous en louons nostre createur et vous en mercions de bon cuer, et si chierement que plus pouons. Car greigncur plaisir ne pourrions en ce niondc auoir que de veoir appoiiitement de paix final entre lui et vous, tant pour la prouchainete de lignage, en quoy attencz lun lautre, comme pour Ic relieuement et repos du peuplc Chrcstien, qui tant longuemcnt par guerre a estc perturbc. Et en ce au plaisir de nostre seigneur tcndrons de nostre part la main et nous y employrons cffectuelmcnt a nostre pouoir, telement que par raison vous et tons autrcs en deures estre coiitens. Et quant au fait do la delivrance que desircz auoir do la contc du Maine ct autrcs choscs contcnues en vos dictes lettres, nous entendons que mon dit seigneur en cscript doners vous bien a plain, ct neantmoins en ce ferons pour vostre plaisir au mielx que faire pouvrons, ainsi que tousiours auons fait comme de ce pouvrez estre acertenez
