Petition sent to Philippa of Hainault by Jacques de Artevelde

Translation

To the very excellent princess. I have heard that many cloths and other goods, entrusted [sent by ship] to the sea, belonging to my dear friend Gille Hoeft, burgess [townsman] of Bruges, have been seized [taken by force] in your kingdom of England, namely sixteen fardels [bundles] in which are sixteen cloths sent from Ypres and twenty-five covers of half-cloths and two escairlates [scarlets, a type of fine cloth] and two cloths of Filford and thirty-four cloths of Louvain and of Mechelen and a part of the pieces of cloth. These goods and cloths were taken on the ship belonging to Baldwin Goliaes and Laurens Just, of which Arnoul Piic is master, and in the said ship are sixteen cloths from Ypres, and five blue cloths of Ypres and thirty-five sets of half-cloths and twelve cloths of Valenciennes, belonging to my dear friend Conraerd Coene, merchant, in sixteen fardels, entrusted to the sea. Most excellent and most dear princess, I implore [beg] Your Royal Majesty humbly and with my whole heart, if it pleases you to have the said goods delivered [returned] to Gille and Coeraerd… because they are my friends and good and true [honest] merchants of Bruges. And may it please you to do this by your generosity and grace …

Most excellent princess, may the saints keep you in their holy keeping and may you have a good and long life. 16 January [1343] Your most humble servant, Jacques de Artevelde, burgess of Ghent.