Text 76: From Thomas Usk´s Appeal, 1384 (i)

Original text:

I Thomas Vsk… knowleched thes wordes & wrote hem with myn owne honde… Also, that day that Sir Nichol Brembre was chose mair, a non after mete kom John Northampton to John Mores hows, & thides kom Richard Norbury & William Essex, & ther it was accorded that the mair, John Northampton, sholde sende after the persones that thilk tyme wer in the comun conseil of craftes, and after the wardeyns of craftes, so that thei sholde kome to the goldsmitches halle on the morwe after, & ther the mair sholde speke with hem, to loke & ordeigne howm thilk eleccion of Sir Nichol brembre might be letted; &, nad it be for drede of our lord the kyng, I wot wel eueri man sholde haue be in others top. And than sente he Richard Norbury, Robert Rysby, & me, Thomas Vsk, to the Neyte, to the duk of lancastre, to enforme hym in thys wyse: “Sir, to day, ther we wolden haue go to the eleccion of the mair in goddess peas & the kynges, ther kom jn an orrible companye of criers, no man not whiche, & ther, with oute any vsage but be strength, chosen Sir Nichol Brembre mair, a yein our maner of eleccion to forn thys vsed; wher fore we preye yow yf we might haue the kynges writ to go to a Newe Eleccion.”. And the duk seide: “Nay, certes, writ shul ye non haue, auise yow amonges yowr selue”. & her of I appele John Northampton, John More, Richard Norbury, & William Essex.

(Original text extracted from page 239-240 from Freeborn, Dennis. From Old English to Standard English. 3rd edition, New York, Palgrave MacMillan,2006)

Our Modern translation:

I, Thomas Usk… acknowledged these words and wrote them with my own hand…Also, that day that Sir Nichol Brembre was chosen mayor, John Northampton came soon after dinner to John Mores’s house, and there came Richard Norbury & William Essex, and there, it was agreed that the mayor, John Northampton, would send for the people that at that time were in the common council of trades, and for the wardens of trades, so that they would come to the Goldsmiths Hall on the following morning, and there, the mayor would speak to them, to consider and arrange how that election of Sir Nichol Brembre might be overturned; and had it not been for fear of our lord the king, I know well that everyone would have been attacking each other. And then he sent Richard Norbury, Robert Rysby and me, Thomas Usk, to the Neyte, to the Duke of Lancaster, to inform him in this way: “Sir, today, we wished to come to the election of the mayor in God’s and the King’s peace, but there came in a horrible crowd of hecklers, who no one knew, and there, without any other right but sheer force, chose Sir Nichol Brembre as mayor, contrary to the electoral procedures that we have used in the past; consequently, we ask you to issue for us a writ from the king to hold a new election”. And the Duke said: “No, indeed, you should have no writ, sort out the matter among yourself”. And of this, I accuse John Northampton, John More, Richard Norbury and William Essex.