12 J. F. Baldwin at the council is shown by his receipts at the exchequer/ and the king's favor by the grant of Gascon wine which he received as well as Dalyngrugg.^ More frequently than any other persons are these two found employed on royal commissions. Lewis de Clitiford, another knight of the king's chamber, for- merly a mainpernor of Lord Latimer, and patron of the Lollards, was only less active than the former in Richard's council from the thirteenth to the fifteenth year. For this service he received an annuity of one hundred marks. ^ The presence of a foreigner occurs in the case of ^Master Pere- grine de Fano, a doctor of laws from Aquitaine, who in the seven- teenth year came to England to attend the council and to serve as an envoy in treating of peace between the king of England and the king of France. For this he received a fee of forty pounds.' It was in the last two years, during what is called the king's career of absolutism, that government by courtiers in defiance of the nobles and Parliamentary party was carried to the fullest extent. It is only fair to observe that some of the so-called favorites were men of ability and faithfulness. Among the royalist councillors • of this time were the dukes of Aumale, Norfolk, and Exeter, and the earl of Wiltshire. Of the greater men John Gilbert, bishop of St. David's, was the only one receiving a salary. He had been in the council from the thirteenth year and was at one time treas- urer.^ In the twenty-first year at twenty shillings a day he served 164 days/ and in the twenty-second year, which was the last, 128 days.* Richard de Waldegrave was another king's knight, once speaker of the House of Commons, who served the council from the seventeenth year. Faithfuf to the last, he received one hundred marks each year." Lawrence Drew, a king's esquire, had been re- tained of the council in the seventeenth year with a life annuity of one hundred marks. ^^ In the eighteenth year he acted as a " re- porter ", being entrusted by the council with money to distribute in the expenses of the war in Ireland," and returning with mes- sages from the king to the council.'" In the twenty-first year he ' In the sixteenth year he is recorded as attending the council at London for 159 consecutive days (Issue Roll (Pells), 16 Ric. II., Mich., m. 18), and in the eighteenth year similarly for seven months (ibiV., 18 Ric. II., Easter, m. 22). '^Calendar of Patent Rolls. 15 Ric. II.. 37. ^ Ibid., fassim. 'Issue Roll (Pells), 14 Ric. II., Mich., m. 14; 15 Ric II., m. 23. ^Ibid., 17 Ric. II., Mich.. Dec. 3. ' Stiihhs, of. cil.. 11. 50S. 'Issue Roll (Pells), 21 Ric. II., Mich., m. 16. 8/6id., 22 Ric. II., Easter, m. 11. ^Calendar of Patent Rolls, 17 Ric II., 415 ; Issue Rolls, 17-22 Ric. II. ^"Calendar of Patent Rolls. 17 Ric. II., 391. "Issue Roll (Pells), 18 Ric. II.. Easter, m. 14- '- Nicolas, Proceedings, I. 57.
