A Political Pamphleteer in Late Medieval England: Thomas Fovent, Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas Usk, and the Merciless Parliament of  Clementine Oliver In the autumn of , reacting to the increasing influence of certain courtiers on King Richard II, a coalition of magnates known as the Ap- pellants formally accused five of Richard’s favourites of treason. 1 Finding himself deprived of the support of much of his constituency, Richard ac- ceded to a parliamentary hearing against the accused, and on  February , parliament convened in the White Hall at Westminster to decide the fate of several of Richard II’s most prominent supporters. One remark- ably impassioned account of these treason trials captured the emotionally charged nature of the proceedings: There was a mass of people filling the hall even to the corners.... Geoffrey Martin, clerk of the crown, stood in the midst of the parliament and for two hours rapidly read out the aforesaid articles. The hearts of some were struck with sadness because of the terrible things contained in the said articles; and the faces of many were swollen with the tears on their cheeks. 2 I presented an earlier draft of this article at the California Medieval History Seminar at the Hunt- ington Library and would like to thank the participants for their comments. I owe a great debt to Steven Justice and Jason Glenn for providing a close reading of my work, particularly as their observations and suggestions were invaluable. 1 These magnates were the king’s uncle, Thomas Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester; Richard Arundel, Earl of Arundel and Surrey; Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick; Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham; and John of Gaunt’s son Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby. The five prin- cipal people accused by the Appellants were Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland; Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, chancellor of England –; Alexander Neville, Archbishop of York; Nicholas Brembre, mayor of London – and –; and Robert Tresilian, chief justice of the king’s bench. 2 ‘Una vero hominum congluuies inibi fuerat aule usque in angulos.... Galfridus vero Martyn, clericus corone, in medio parliamenti lapsu duarum horarum predictos articulos festi- nanter lectitando antestetit. Quorundam vero corda concussa sunt mesticia propter inhorribilia in dictis articulis contenta. Et plures vultus turgidos dederunt cum lacrimis in maxillis.’ Thomas Favent, Historia Mirabilis Parliamenti, ed. May McKisack, in Camden Miscellany,  (), . NML5 2/8/03 04:10 PM Page 167