1921 PARLIAMENT OF LINCOLN OF 1316 57 remembered that at the very beginning the king had expressed a wish that business should be dispatched as quickly as possible, because ' the prelates, earls, and others had come thither from great distances, and their stay, if prolonged, would be both tedious and burdensome on account of the high prices of food '- 1 Receiving of petitions had been going on steadily from 28 January. The only matter likely to cause prolonged discussion was the grant and its conditions. Hilda Johnstone. Negotiations for the Ransom of David Bruce in 1349 The following document, which has not, I believe, been printed before, clearly relates to the dealings between Edward III, the Scottish government, David Bruce then a prisoner in England, and Edward Balliol titular king of Scotland, and is presumably consequent on the negotiation of February 1349. The other persons mentioned are less easy to identify. ' Rauf ' may possibly be Ralf de Nevill, though I have found no evidence that he was engaged in the business. W. de D. is doubtless William, after- wards earl of Douglas, who appears more prominently in 1350 as one of the Scottish plenipotentiaries. * Hugh ' may perhaps be his brother, if he was still alive in 1349, which is uncertain. The earl of R. is most likely William earl of Ross, the justiciar of Scotland. Had the document not been dated it might have been assigned to the following year, in which we find Ralf Neville appointed to treat with Edward Balliol. C. Johnson. Public Record Office, Miscellaneous (Chancery), Bundle 22, no. 13 (5). An xxiij Remembrances des choses a monstrer a Monsieur Rauf. Primerement homme lui doit mercier depar le Roi de la grande afieccion qil ad a lesploit de la busoigne etc. et lui monstrer coment le Roi pur la grant asseurance qil ad en lui envoit a lui especialment a ceste foitz et a nulli autre. Item coment grant empeschement est a les grosses busoignes le Roi par cause qe monsieur E. de B. ne voet accorder a bones voies de paiz tieles come sembloient resonables pur lune partie et pur lautre et coment le Roi se coroucera trop sil ne se veulle uncore accorder : et en cas qil se vousist assentir par quei les choses feussent mises a bone fin, le Roi tendreit sa guerre ceaundroitz demi chevi. Item de lui monstrer les novelles offices de D. de B. et de laccord fait parentre lui et monsieur W. de D. et coment le dit monsieur Hugh vorra assentir a les choses et vivre et morir en la peine parensi qe il peusse estre certifiez qe le counte de R. et les autres se veullent assentir. 1 Rot. Pari. i. 350.
