1361-05-10, Westminster

To Robert de Thorp and his fellows justices of the Bench. Whereas great multitudes of the people are suddenly smitten by the plague now newly prevailing as well in the city of London as iD parts, and the plague is daily increasing, whereby prosecuting pleas and business in the king's court have for fear drawn to their own parts leaving such pleas and business of loss, wherefore, by assent of the nobles and others of the the king has appointed that all pleas pending in the Bench continued in the state they now are until the morrow of order to adjourn all pleas before them to be pleaded octave and quinzaine of Trinity until the aforesaid date, if the the same were returned before them, and to fix that parties prosecuting their business, directing singular the of the kingdom to keep all writs in their hands for return until date and then return them. By K. and C. like, mutatis mutandis, to Henry Grene and his fellows appointed for holding pleas before the king. the treasurer and the barons of the exchequer. Like order, mutandis, concerning pleas, processes, accounts and other pending before them in the exchequer.