“The moneth of September yolden was Strivelyn, Edward may remembre the travaille and the pyn. With many grete encumbre of in hard stoure, At Brustwick opon Humbre there he mad sojoure. Sir Jon of Warenne that ilk tyme gan deie, His body was redy then in grave for to leie, After the enterment the King tok his way, To the south,” &c.
“But according to the registry of the Priory of Lewes, the Earl died that day at Kennington, having, says Dugdale, been Earl of Surrey no less than fifty-four years; though, as he succeeded his father in 1240, it is evident he must have borne that title sixty-four years. He was buried in the midst of the pavement, in the quire of the Abbey of Lewes, before the high altar, and the following epitaph was engraved upon his tomb.
“=Vous qe passez on bouche close. Priez pur cely ke cy repose: En vie come vous estis jadis fu, Et vous tiel serretz come je su.=
=Sire Johan Count de Gareyn gyst ycy. Dieu de sa alme eit mercy: Ky pur sa alme priera, Trois mill jours de pardon avera.=”
“Of the subject of this article, but little that is favourable to his memory can be said; though his faults, or more properly his vices, were those of the age in which he lived. His treachery at the battle of Lewes has, to apply the beautiful expression of a distinguished statesman of the present day, ‘left indelible stains upon his character, which all the laurels of’ Dunbar ‘cannot cover, nor its blood wash away;’ whilst his subsequent conduct was invariably marked by a turbulent and intractable spirit. Not only was he frequently embroiled in disputes both with his compeers and his sovereign, but, with almost unparalleled hardihood, he dared, in a court of justice, to use personal violence towards a baron of the realm. That he should acquire renown in the field, and consequently become possessed of the King’s esteem, is perfectly consistent with that impetuous temper for which he is celebrated. Bravery is, however, but one redeeming trait in a picture, where all besides is dark and repulsive; and even the bold answer relative to his right to his lands, when properly considered, affords no room for praise; for the same resolute opposition to such an inquiry would, there is no doubt, be as readily evinced to defend any part of his property, if it had been acquired by the most flagrant injustice on his part, instead of on that of his ancestors.