12. John Osbeck. Mr Spedding has pointed out, as Sir Frederick Madden (whom he quotes) had done before, that Bacon has formed a wrong conception of the meaning of Speed's text on which his narrative is based. According to that King Edward was not the godfather of Perkin, but of a certain Jew, who at baptism took the name of Edward. Perkin was the son of John Osbeck as related in the text, but there is no evidence to shew that Osbeck was a Jew or was ever in London, but Perkin his son appears to have been clerk, or apprentice or servant to Edward the converted Jew who lived in London, and in this way he came to be acquainted with the court and doings of Edward IV. See Sir Fred. Madden's article in the Archæologia, Vol. XXVII. p. 163. In reference to the riation of the name Osbeck into Warbeck there is a

curious form of word in the provisions of the Irish Parliament of 1498, where it is ordered that William Barry, commonly called Lord Barry of Munster, and John Water of Cork, merchant, having of late received divers letters from Parkyn Wosebek, are to be attainted of high treason. This form may explain the transition from one orthography and pronunciation to the other. For the easy interchange of r and s, cf. ure use in the text, p. 181. 17.

21. Perkin. This termination kin is not only used as a diminutive in proper names, as Wilkin = little Will, Watkin = little Walter, but in common nouns as firkin a fourth part of a barrel, the word being a diminutive of four; so gherkin of which the first syllable is akin to gourd, a species of cucumber, and the diminutive ending is the same as in the previous examples.

P. 107, line 6. The while. Lat. quo temporis spatio, i. e. in the meanwhile. Cf. Shakespeare, Com. Err. V. I. 174: "My master preaches patience to him, and the while his man with scissors nicks him like a fool."

23. things that a very few could control such as only one here and there could venture to dispute. Lat. pauci admodum arguere possent.

P. 108, line 9. In the first edition there is no stop at time. But the Latin text clearly shews that there ought to be a period here. It runs thus A qua cæli plaga cometa iste se primo ostendere deberet et quo tempore. Constituit autem, &c.

30. The metaphor is continued from line 8 where Perkin was compared to a blazing star.

P. 109, line 2. afterwards, for an account of this confession see text p. 170, 1. 20.

4.

and bare him down, i. e. and asserted in spite of all that he could say. The phrase is carried a little farther in sense than is usual, but the idea is the same. It is usually employed to mean, to overturn, to overwhelm. Cf. Shaksp. M. of Ven. IV. I. 214, "Malice bears down truth." So that in the text it is implied that the Irishmen would hear nothing that he had to say, and silenced all his protestations.

15. Earl of Desmond. This nobleman was one of the Fitzgeralds, a kinsman of the Earl of Kildare. The present Earl of Desmond was Maurice Fitzgerald.

19. Stephen Frion. His grant for life of the office of Clerk of the

Signet and Secretary for the French tongue to the King, with a salary of £40 a year, is dated 3rd Oct. 1485.

23. he Charles VIII. The Latin leaves no doubt on the subject, but has bellum inter reges aperte pullulare cæpisset. War between the Kings had shewn signs of commencement.

P. 110, line 10. Lord Congresall. The Lord of Congressault. He was of a Scotch family of the name of Monipeny, see Pinkerton's Scotland, ii. 438.

II. though it be ill mocking with the French, i. e. though they arè not adepts at playing a part. Lat. licet apud Gallos ludos facere in proclivi non sit.

12. applied themselves to their King's bent, humoured their sovereign's inclination, fashioned their behaviour according to his wish, seeing that a political end was to be served thereby.

14. Sir George Nevile. A son of Lord Abergavenny. See Mem. for Hist. of Hen. VII. Vol. I. p. 432, where is a petition to the King from Sir George asking that power should be granted him to recover certain rents and duties due to him from tenants in Wales. He prays that this may be done by a letter under the King's Privy Seal. 26. laboured. This use of the word is not common. It means to be hard pressed, much urged; Lat. has interpellatus, i. e. importuned. P. III, line 3. even in that, i.e. even in the case of Lambert Simnell. 5. pose, to question. The noun poser is still used for the title of an examiner at some public schools, e. g. Eton.

17. matter. For matter used thus of a person; cf. Shakespeare Sonn. 87. 14, "In sleep a king, but waking no such matter."

20. wanting to himself. Nor did he fail to play his part well. 28. with oft telling a lie. Cf. for the sentiment, Shakesp. Temp.

I. 2. IOO.

"Like one

Who having unto Truth, by telling oft

Made such a sinner of his memory

To credit his own lie, he did believe

He was indeed the Duke."

P. 112, line 1.

halberdiers. The name is derived from the weapon with which they were armed, which was a kind of pole-axe. In Old German the word was spelt helmbarte; helm=pole and barte (connected with bart, beard) indicating the hanging form of the iron head.

3. Dutch. The Latin says Flandri Flemings.

12. upon. The Latin in this and the following lines has propter= on account of. This meaning of upon is not rare in Shakespeare. Cf. King John, II. I. 597. "Kings break faith upon commodity.'

31. footings up and down, i. e. footprints going backward and forward and so leaving only a confused impression.

P. 113, line 1. Sir William Stanley. The first grant to Sir William Stanley as King's Chamberlain dates 24th Jan. 1486.

2.

Lord Fitzwalter, i. e. Sir John Ratcliffe, who became Lord Fitzwalter by marrying the daughter and heiress of the last Lord of that

name of the house of Mandeville. He had been employed by Henry VII in connection with Sir Reginald Bray in exercising the office of chief justice of the forests beyond the Trent. He was beheaded for attempting to escape from prison in Calais.

Sir Simon Mountfort. Made steward for life of the Lordship of Castle Bromwich, 26 Dec. 1485.

Sir Thomas Thwaites. He had been made treasurer of Calais and the marches thereof, 4 March, 1486.

5. Sir Robert Clifford. He was the youngest son of Sir Thomas Clifford who was slain in the battle of St Albans. His first employment under Henry VII dates Mar. 15, 1486, as chamberlain of the town and port of Berwick upon Tweed. The text explains his after history. Among the Privy Purse expenses of Hen. VII (Excerpta Historica, p. 100) is found an entry of £500 paid by Sir Reginald Bray to Sir Robert Clifford as a bribe for his services in betraying Warbeck and his adherents (see text, p. 116).

6. William Barley. These two who negotiated the matter with Sir Robert are also highly paid. In the same place is a notice of the promise of pardon and high reward to Barley.

21.

came to have a correspondence. Began to have a party which favoured it in either country, and who established inter-communication.

P. 114, line 13. Brackenbury. The account here given is drawn from Sir Thos. More's life of Richard III, (p. 68, ed. 1557) where mention is also made of this examination of Tirrel and Dighton. It is also narrated that Tirrel accepted the work of murdering the princes because "the man had an high heart and sore longed upward, not rising yet so fast as he had hoped, being hindered and kept under by the means of Sir Richard Ratcliffe and Sir William Catesby which longing for no more parteners of the princes favour and namely [i.e. especially] not for him whose pride they wist would bere no pere, kept him by secrete driftes out of all secrete trust." In the progress of the story in More, Miles Forrest is described as "a fellow fleshed in murder beforetime, and his fate is noticed thus, "Miles Forest at Sainct Martens pecemele rotted away." Dighton is said to have been Tirrel's horsekeeper, "a big brode square strong knave" and it is added ❝he indede yet walketh on alive in good possibilitie to be hanged ere he dye. But Sir James Tirrel dyed at Tower Hill beheaded for treason."

P. 115, line 18. to advertise, i. e. to send him information, to keep him informed. They were not to publish abroad what they found, as the word now mostly signifies. The Lat. makes this clear by expressing the pronoun.

29. board. The Latin explains this by allicere to entice.

P. 116, line 13. had intelligence with, i.e. entered into secret correspondence with these men, as the Latin explains, in order that through their means he might gain information of the plans of his adversaries.

15. did use to have them cursed, i. e. although they were in his own employ, he had their names enrolled among those who were accursed as

B. H

18

1

the King's foes, that thus their actions abroad might be less suspected of being undertaken at his instigation.

29. might receive the more or the less, i. e. as the examinations and enquiries were not completed, some of the statements might receive additional confirmation, and others be weakened by further search. It would not therefore have been wise to put forth what had been learnt, in such a formal manner as a proclamation would have assumed. 30. print, i. e. penetrate, sink into men's minds.

32. Archduke Philip, i. e. Maximilian's son who had now become Archduke. His father had become emperor of Germany in 1493.

P. 117, line 1. Sir William Warham. Who was afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1503-32. Although his embassy on this occasion did not lead to success yet he retained the King's favour and was frequently employed. (See Hook, Lives of the Archbishops, New series, 1. 168.) He is mentioned as Master of the Rolls, p. 146.

21. thought to be in the King's own power, i. e. to be contrived by the King and so fashioned as to serve his own purposes, and therefore not to be accepted without question.

P. 119, line 16. a patrimonial dowry. This is the reading of the text of 1622, but the Latin has dotem matrimonialem, which is what the sense requires, as the possessions of the Lady Margaret of Burgundy were those which she held in virtue of her marriage and under the will of her late husband.

carried no part of sovereignty or command of forces, i. e. gave her no rights such as a sovereign possesses to command the forces of the country.

19. howsoever, &c. i.e. although the Archduke pretended only to connive at the sheltering of Perkin.

21. partly out of courage. The Lat. explains: partim animum explere cupiens, i. e. desiring to satisfy his own feelings. Cf. line 29, “being sensible in point of honour."

28. trade, i. e. between England and Flanders. The proclamation was directed to be published on 18th Sept. 1483.

31. The first he in this sentence is of course Henry and the he in the next line refers to the pretender Warbeck.

P. 120, line 7. done to his hand. By Henry's previous command to them to withdraw.

17. William Daubeney. Mentioned (Mat. for Hist. of Hen. VII. Vol. I. p. 214) as formerly keeper of the jewels to the "pretensed" King Richard, Duke of Glocester. This may account for his being found among the adherents of Warbeck.

The list of persons apprehended is considerably enlarged in the chronicles of Hall and Grafton who add to the names here given "certayn priests and religious men as Sir William Richeforde, doctor of divinitee and Sir Thomas Poynes bothe freers of Sainct Dominikes order, Doctor William Sutton, and Robert Layborne and Sir Richard Lessey.

23. he dealt with his keeper, i. e. he made proposals to the keeper to allow him to escape.

28.

William Worsley. This was the dean of St Paul's, he received his pardon on the 6th June, 1495.

31. was not touched. Mr Spedding notices from Tytler's Hist. of Scotland (IV. 374) a raid made into the North of England by the Scotch, of which the only mention is found in the record of Justiciary, Nov. 1493. Mr Tytler conjectures that this was a movement of the Scotch in concert with Flanders, Ireland and the Yorkists in England, but the Scotch were too hasty in crossing the border, for the treachery of Clifford had revealed the whole particulars to Henry, and the apprehension of the chief persons concerned (as stated above) taking place just when it did, broke the whole scheme, and rendered the cause of Perkin hopeless. But it is clear from the absence of all mention of this inroad in our histories that we are not yet in a position to judge of all the circumstances under which King Henry acted, and we can well see why he might be willing to wait before he arrested Sir William Stanley.

P. 121, line 11. according to the ceremony, i. e. with the usual rites and ceremonies. See for an account of them Beatson's Political Index,

Vol. III. pp. 408-415. There were twenty-four creations on this occasion, and the names are given in Beatson (III. 421). The date of the installation was Sunday, May 19, 1495, at which time prince Henry was little more than four years old.

13. Westminster. The MS. Chronicle (Cott. Vitel. A. xvi) says the king kept his Christmas at Greenwich. Stowe says, as Bacon, at

Westminster.

20. presently attached, i. e. immediately arrested.

26. assured of his life before. His pardon is dated 22nd Dec. 1494 (Cal. Pat. Rolls, 10 Hen. VII. p. 33).

P. 122, 13. sadly, steadily, without wavering or change. The adj. sad is from the verb set, and so means fixed, firm, steady. So Wycliffe's translation calls Peter a sad stone, and Chaucer, in the Man of Law's Tale, line 645, says,

"This messenger drank sadly ale and wine,"

by which he means persistently, going on steadily, without leaving off. Of course the transition of meaning to a look made fixed by sorrow is easy to follow, which is the most usual modern meaning of sad; though in some parts of England it is still applied to bread, the dough of which has not risen properly, and so the bread is very close, firm, and solid.

33. dangerous, i. e. a person to be dreaded, a quo periculum imminebat, from whom peril was to be apprehended.

P. 123, line 3. Holt. The inventory of the money found at Holt is preserved in the Rolls' House. Chapter-House Records, A. 3. 10. fol. 29 (Spedding).

7. old rent. The Latin explains by antiqui census, that is, according to estimates which had been made long before, and of which the worth was now greatly increased.

16. beheaded. He was arraigned Jan. 31st and executed on the 16th Feb. 1494—5. From some entries given in the Excerpta Historica (pp. 101, 102) it is seen that the funeral of Sir William Stanley was