had caused
the Lady Joan to wed beneath her dignity.

"Make no encroachments!" grimly quoth old Sir Simon, when he heard of
this; "verily, an' this present state of matters go on but a little
longer, the Mortimer can make no encroachments, for he shall have all
England to his own."

The Mortimer, that had yet the King's ear (though I think he chafed a
bit against the rein by now and then), avised him that the Lords sought
his crown, causing him to ride out against them as far as Bedford, and
that during the night. Peace was patched up some way, through the
mediating of Sir Simon de Mepham, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, my
Lord of Lancaster being fined eleven thousand pounds--though, by the
same token, he never paid it. [Note 9.] That same Michaelmas was the
King's uncle, the Lord Edmund de Woodstock, create Earl of Kent (marry,
I named him my Lord of Kent all through, seeing he should so best be
known, but he was not so create until now), and King Roger, that was
such, but was not so-called, had avancement to the dignity of Earl of
March. There was many a lout and courtesy and many a leg made, when as
my Lord's gracious person was in presence; and when as he went forth,
lo! brows were drawn together, and lips thrust forth, and words
whispered beneath the breath that were not all of praise.

Now, whether it be to fall into the Annals of Cicely or no, this must I
needs say--and Jack may flout me an' he will (but that he doth never)--
that I do hate, and contemn, and full utterly despise, this manner of
dealing. If I love a man, maybe I shall be bashful to tell him so: but
if I love him not, never will I make lout nor leg afore him for to win
of him some manner of advantage. I would speak a man civilly, whether I
loved him or no; that 'longeth to my gentlehood, not his: but to
blandish and losenge him [coax and flatter], and say `I love thee well'
and `Thou art fairest and wisest of all' twenty times in a day, when in
mine heart I wished him full far thence, and accounted of him as fond
and ussome [foolish and ugly]--that could I never demean me to do, an' I
lived to the years of Methuselah.

And another thing do I note--I trust Jack shall have patience with me--
that right in proportion as a man is good, so much doth an ill man hate
him. My Lord of Lancaster was wise man and brave, as he oft showed,
though he had his failings belike; and he did more than any other
against the Mortimer, until the time was fu