England, the King's justices, and even, in one instance, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, deigned to accept gifts offered to secure their good offices. It may be observed that these gifts are certainly not mere fees of office, for they are generally not sums of money, but gloves, wine, fruit, fish, or other delicacies; and they are always entered as given to such and such a person "ut favorabilis esset," or "pro amicitia sua habenda." The Admiral accepted vis viiid as his douceur. The undersheriff of Berkshire on one occasion seems to have been very hard to buy. In the 6 and 7 Henry IV., in a matter concerning the Manor of Shawe, then the property of the College, he received first a pair of gloves, price viiid, "ut favorabilis esset;" a little after, vis viiid was paid him, "pro amicitia sua habenda;" again he received the same sum, "ut favorabilior esset;" then another pair of gloves and wine, which cost xiid, "pro amicitia sua;" and yet again vis viiid for the same object. The favour and friendship of this officer had to be purchased at the cost of a mark and a half in money, a large sum for those days. But the friendship and favour of the Archbishop of Canterbury was rated at a much higher value. I will quote the item, which is as follows:—
In quodam dono dat. Dño Archiepiscopo Cantuariensi pro bona adjuvatione sua habenda de exoneratione decimæ concessæ Dño Regi per clerum in convocatione celebrata London' dec' oct' die Nov. una cum xs dat' cuidam clerico die' Dñi Archiepiscopi pro sollicitatione sua habenda ad prædictum Dñm Archiep'm, cxs. (4 Henry V.)
This was Archbishop Chichele, himself a son of Wykeham, and an imitator of his munificent example. We can scarcely suppose that it was necessary to secure by a bribe the friendship and influence of one who had been himself a recipient of Wykeham's bounty, in a matter affecting the interests of one of his colleges. We must rather believe that it would have been thought discourteous to refuse, what was offered as a compliment. Nor, indeed, ought we to judge of these gifts in general, according to our modern notions of what is becoming to the character of public officers. It is well, indeed, that such practices have been done away; but it is probable that, when they were in vogue, they did not much interfere with the due course of justice. Gifts, no doubt, were offered by both sides in a suit, and were considered rather as matters of courtesy and compliment, than as likely to bias the minds of public officers; though, at the same time, it would probably have been very impolitic in either party to withhold them.
The gifts charged under the various items of this head are of a very miscellaneous character. There are frequent payments made to minstrels, dancers, and players, for entertaining (solaciantibus) the members of the college on some of the great festivals of the Church. Sometimes these persons are described as the minstrels, or players of the city of Winchester, and other places; sometimes they appear as attached to the suite of some great person visiting Winchester, for instance, 4 Henry V., occurs the following:—
In dato IIII ministrallis Dñi Humfredi ducis Gloucestrie ven' ad Collegium xiiiito die Feb., iiis iiiid.
The minstrels of the Lord Cardinal Beaufort, and of his sister, the Countess of Westmoreland, were hired in the same manner. The feast of the holy Innocents was usually enlivened in this way; on which occasion the boys of the school took part in the entertainment, under their Boy Bishop. As an instance of this, the following item occurs, in the time of Henry V.:—
In dato diversis hominibus do Ropley, in festo Sc'or' Innocentium tripidiantibus, et cantantibus cantilenas in Aula coram Episcopo Scolarium xxd.
