Handing this, his heirs were forced to pay a large fum of florins to what was called the king's coun-cil ; but the whole management was well known to reft with the uncles of the king and the commiffion-ers they had nominated* For, although the duke of Glocefter was the youngeft of the king's uncles, he was the moft aftive in bufinefs that concerned the country ; and the better part of the prelates, pobles and commons looked up to him. . When the compofition-money of the late fir Thomas Trivet, who was killed as you have heard, was paid, the • blame caft on fir William Elroham was much lightened. His former deeds in the Bor-delois, • Guienne and Picardy, where he had dif. played much valour in fupport of England, pleaded for him, having behaved like a gallant knight, fo that nothing could be laid to his charge but having taken money for Bourbourg and Gravelines. But he excufed himfelf by faying,—* My lords, when any one is placed as we were, in refpefl: to thefe two towns, it appears to me (from what I have heard fir John Chandos and fir Walter Manny, who had abundance of good fenfe and valour, fay), that when two or three means offer, the one moft pro-fitable to ourfelves, and that which can hurt our enemies the moft, ought ever to be adopted. Sir Thomas Trivet and myfelf, finding ourfelves fur-rounded, fo that fuccour could no way come to us, and that we fhouid not be able long to withftand their affaults (for they were fuch knights and fquires as few in England ever faw, ancTin fuch numbers, from the account of our herald, as to amount to • ' ' fixtèen 824