he advises the king) be spradde and put abrode, both
juellis (and) vesselle of golde and silver, among youre true subgettis, and
inespecialle to the helpe and avauncement of youre conquest, and to the
relief of your indigent and nedie peple, and inespecialle to tho that have
lost theire londis, livelode, and goode in the werres, so that the saide
tresoure may be put forthe, and late it be set in money to the remedie and
socoure of this gret importunyte and necessite, and to the defens of youre
roiaume from your adversaries."

In another chapter (p. 81), having recommended the king, "after the blessed
counceile of Saint Louis," to cherish and favour the good cities and towns,
the author pursues the former argument of raising supplies, urgently
exhorting all classes to strain their utmost for that object. "Youre saide
citesins and burgeis and good comyns if they be tendred shalbe of power and
of good courage, and wille withe here bodies and goodes largelie depart to
be yoven for to resist the adversaries." Those who had not able bodies nor
usage in arms, were yet to come forth with a good courage, spiritual men as
well as temporal, and, as true Englishmen should do, "every man put forthe
of his goodes after that his power is."

With this strain the Epistle terminates, its last chapter (p. 83) being an
illustration of the same argument from the _Punica bella_ of Titus Livius,
consisting of {xvii} "A noble history of the largesse of Romaynys, how
amplye they departed ther godes yn a tym of urgent necessite, to make an
armee yn to the contree of Auffrique."

These final passages of the book, which so urgently recommend a voluntary
contribution in aid of the intended war, were certainly written in the year
1475, with which date the whole composition concludes: for it is recorded
by the historians of the day that it was on this occasion that king Edward
the Fourth, after he had already raised all the supplies he could obtain by
the ordinary methods of taxation, adopted the new device of a contribution
nominally voluntary and its amount optional, and therefore termed a
Benevolence,[22] but which eventually, when repeated, was regarded with
peculiar repugnance and discontent.

After this review of the contents of the Work, we will proceed to notice
the circumstances of the occasion for which it was professedly composed.

The English invasion of France in the year 1475 originated in the events of
1470 and 1471. The tempora