nighted together by the Black Prince.
Their eagerness to fight on land or sea led, on one occasion, to an
unfortunate result. In 1378 the Duke of Lancaster was exasperating the
fleet under his orders by his 'slow Proceedings and unnecessary delays,'
and a part of it set out without him. 'Sir Philip and Sir Peter
Courtenay, two brothers who had the Command of some ships, espying some
vessels belonging to the enemy, inconsiderately assaulted them, being
the whole Spanish Fleet, and though they bravely fought, and defended
themselves, yet in the end were beaten, most of them who were good
gentlemen of Devonshire and Somersetshire being slain. Sir Peter with
some others were taken Prisoners, and Sir Philip was sore wounded but
escaped the hands of his enemies.'

Later on Sir Philip was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and must have
wrestled with enough turbulence and riot to satisfy anyone. His manner
of governing seems, at any rate, to have pleased the King, who, whilst
Sir Philip was still in office, showered honours upon him--'the Park of
Bovey Tracey ... Dartmoor Forest, and the Manour of Bradnich.' He was
made 'Steward of all the King's Manours and Stannaries in the county of
Cornwall,' and later on was appointed to other posts of importance.
Unluckily, Sir Philip's chief principle of action seems to have been
that might is right, and complaints being made to the King that he had
expelled two of his neighbours from parts of their lands, and imprisoned
the Abbot of Newenham, and two of his monks, 'with great force,' the
intrepid knight was sent to the Tower. However, after a little while,
'at the request of the Lords and Commons, he was restored to his place
and good name.'

William Courtenay, a brother to Sir Philip, was Bishop of London at the
critical time when Wyclif's doctrines were first stirring men's minds,
and after the murder of Archbishop Sudbury, Bishop Courtenay was
translated to Canterbury, and began to take very severe measures against
the heretics. A strange event marked a meeting of many dignitaries of
Church and State, who had gathered to censure Wyclif's teaching and find
means for its extermination. 'When they were just going to begin their
business a wonderful and terrible earthquake happened throughout all
England, whereupon differs of the suffragans being affrighted thought
fit to leave off their business, but the Archbishop encouraged them to
go on, and they proceeded to examine Articles of Wickliff,