292 THE ANTIQUITIES 



English and a Norman ship, about some trifle, brought on 

 by degrees such serious consequences, that in 1295 a war 

 broke out between the two nations. The French king, 

 Philip the Hardy, gained some advantages in Gascony ; 

 and, not content with those, threatened England with an 

 invasion, and, by a sudden attempt, took and burnt Dover. 



Upon this emergency Edward sent a writ to Gurdon, 

 ordering him and four others to enlist three thousand 

 soldiers in the counties of Surrey, Dorset, and Wiltshire, 

 able-bodied men, "tam sagittare quam balistare potentes" : 

 and to see that they were marched, by the feast of AU 

 Saints, to Winchelsea, there to be embarked aboard the 

 king's transports. 



The occasion of this armament appears also from a 

 summons to the bishop of Winchester to parliament, part 

 of which I shall transcribe on account of the insolent 

 menace which is said therein to have been denounced 

 against the English language : — *' qualiter rex Franciae de 

 terra nostra Gascon nos fraudulenter et cautelose decepit, 

 eam nobis nequiter detinendo . . . vero predictis fraude 

 et nequitia non contentus, ad expurgationem regni nostri 

 classe maxima et bellatorum copiosa multitudine congregatis, 

 cum quibus regnum nostrum et regni ejusdem incolas 

 hostiliter jam invasurus, linguam Anglicam, si concepte 

 iniquitatis proposito detestabili potestas correspondeat, 

 quod Deus aver tat, omnino de terra delere proponit." 

 Dated 30th September, in the year of king Edward's 

 reign xxiii.^ 



The above are the last traces that I can discover of 

 Gurdon's appearing and acting in public. The first notice 

 that my evidences give of him is, that, in 1232, being the 

 1 6th of Henry III., he was the king's bailiff, with others, 

 for the town of Alton. Now, from 1232 to 1295 is a 

 space of sixty-three years ; a long period for one man to 

 be employed in active life ! Should any one doubt whether 

 aU these particulars can relate to one and the same person, 

 I should wish him to attend to the following reasons why 



^ Reg. Wynton, Stratford, but query Stratford; for Stratford was not 

 bishop of Winton till 1323, near thirty years afterwards. 



