A contemporary narrative of the proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for sorcery in 1324, by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory / edited by Thomas Wright.

Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A contemporary narrative of the proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for sorcery in 1324, by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory / edited by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Englishmen. And here also we considre, howe that the seid pretensed mariage betwixt the above-named king Edward and Elizabeth Grey was made of grete presumption, without the knowyng and assent of the lords of this lond, and also by sorcerie and wichecrafte, committed by the said Elizabeth and her moder Jaquett duchesse of Bedford, as the common opinion of the people, and the publique voice and fame is thorough all this land; and hereafter, if and as the caus shall require, shall bee proved sufficiently in tyme and place convenient. And here also we consider, howe that the said pretensed marriage was made privatly and secretely, without edition of banns, in a private chamber, a prophane place, and not openly in the face of the church, aftre the lawe of Goddes churche, but contrarie thereunto, and the laudable custome of the church of Englonde. And howe, also, that at the tyme of contract of the same pretensed marriage, and bifore and longe tyme after, the said king Edward was and stode maryed and trouth-plight to oone dame Elianor Butteler, doughter of the old earl of Shrewesbury, with whome the same kyng Edward had made a precontracte of matrimonie, longe tyme bifore he made the said pretensed mariage with the said Elizabeth Grey, in manner and fourme abovesaid. Which premisses being true, as in veray trouth they been true, it appeareth and followeth evidently that the said king Edward duryng his lif, and the seid Elizabeth, lived together sinfully and dampnably in adultery, against the lawe of God and of his churche; and therefore noo marvaile that, the souverain lord and the head of this land being of such ungodly disposicion, and provokyng the ire and indignacion of oure Lord God, such haynous mischieffs and inconvenients, as is above remembred, were used and comitted in the reame amongs the subgects. Also it appeareth evidently and followeth that all thissue and children of the seid king Edward been bastards, and unable to inherite or to clayme any thing by inheritance, by the lawe and custome of Englond. A principal object of the present volume has been to collect together a few of the least known materials, illustrative of the early history of one branch of our popular superstitions. With this in view, besides the nu- merous documents given in the notes to the foregoing pages, the Editor has thought that it would not be unacceptable to give in a supplement to the preface a few other extracts from sources inedited or not very generally