14.

Writ Summoning Two Knights of the Shire.

Form sent to the magnates and sheriffs of England.

The king to the sheriff of Bedford and Buckingham, greeting. Since the earls and batons and other magnates of our kingdom have steadfastly promised us that they will be at London three weeks from Easter next, prepared with horses and arms and well equipped to proceed without delay to Portsmouth, for the purpose of crossing to us in Gascony to oppose the king of Castile, who is to make a hostile incursion into our land of Gascony with a strong force during the coming summer; and since we have commanded you to constrain to the same purpose all those of your bailiwick who hold from us in chief land worth twenty pounds a year, or those who hold from others who are under age and in our custody; we strictly command you that, besides all the aforesaid, you cause to come before our council at Westminster fifteen days after Easter next, four lawful and discreet knights from the said counties whom the said counties shall elect for this purpose, for all and singular of the said counties, that is, two from the one county and two from the other, so that, together with the knights of the other counties whom we have caused to be summoned for the same day, they may arrange what kind of aid they wish to furnish us in so great need. And you yourself are diligently to set forth to the knights and others of the said counties our necessity and our so urgent business, and you are effectively to induce them to furnish us an adequate aid at the present time; so that the aforesaid four knights can, at the time stated, answer definitely to our said council about the said aid for each of the said counties. Moreover, we straitly command you that all the previous debts in your bailiwick which ought to have been paid us at our exchequer before the present Easter, as well as those which are owing us at this Easter exchequer, you are to have at the exchequer fifteen days after said Easter; and you are to know that unless you have the said debts there at that time, we shall not only cause your body to be seized, but we shall have those debts levied from your lands and holdings to your no small damage. Witness Alienor Queen and Richard Earl of Cornwall, at Windsor, the eleventh day of February.