Cant. 1506. Peterkin, who had now befieged the Loyal City of Excefter, which Thomas would neither yield to his fine ProLangton, miles, nor his Threats and VioA. B. of lence, but valiantly withftood him, till they were felieved by Edward Courtney Earl of Devonshire, and other good Subjects, who forced the Rebels away from before the City. Which Rebels now understanding what great Preparations were made against them, began many of them to drop away from their new King, and Perkin himself fecretly fled and took Sanctuary at Beaulieu in NewForeft; out of which Sanctuary, upon the King's Offer of Life unto him, and Oblivion of his Crimes, he gladly came forth, and put himfelf into the King's Hands, by whofe Order he was conveyed to London; where the King, by curious and often Examination of him, came to the full Knowledge of that his Heart defired. The chief Matter of which Confeffion the King caufed to be publifhed in Print. But the imaginary King Perkin endeavouring to make an Escape from fuch that had the Charge of him (after undergoing of fome publick Shame for that Attempt) was committed to the Tower; where he, by his Infinuations and Promifes, had corrupted his Keepers, to fet himself, and the Earl of Warwick, at large, (to which Defign of efcaping the poor Earl is faid to have confented.) Perkin for this Confpiracy had his Trial at Westminster, and was condemned; and being drawn to Tyburn, had the Sentence of Death executed upon him. At the Gallows Perkin did read his own Confeffion, therein owning himself to have been born in the Town of Tournay in Flanders, of fuch Parents, whom he named; and that being come into Ireland to fee the Country, he was there wrought upon to perfonate Richard lickly arraigned for minding to The Earl of Warwick was pubhave efcaped out of the Tower, and confequently to deprive King Henry of his Crown and Dignity, and to ufurp the Title and Sovereign Of fice; all which ftrained Charge the Earl by falfe Friends ('tis faid) was perfuaded to confefs: So loft his Head upon Tower-Hill, and was buried at Bifham, by his Ancestors. Thus died the laft Heir-Male of the Blood and Surname of Plantagenet. the Caftilians (who had fecretly It is faid, that in the Eyes of agreed with King Henry to match their Princess Catharine with Prince Arthur) there could be no Ground for Succeffion, whilft the Earl of Warwick lived. And the faid Lady Catharine, when the Divorce was afterward profecuted against her, is reported to have faid, That it was by her Husband King Henry VIII. the Hand of God, for that to clear the Way to the Marriage, that innscent Earl Warwick was put to unworthy Death. Earl of Suffolk, wilfully flew a A. D. 1506. Edmond de la Pele common Perfon in his Fury; for which King Henry caufed him to be arraigned; the Fact he was perfuaded to confefs, and had Pardon. But the Earl, as a Prince of the Blood (his Mother being Sifter to Edward the Fourth) held himfel difgraced, by having been feen at the King's Bench Bar a Prisoner: therefore in Difcontent fled to his Aunt, the Dutchess of Burgundy: but within a while after he returned into England, and the Year following (his Spirit not yet being laid) fled again, after he had firit_complotted to difturb the King's Peace Where Whereupon King Henry applied himfelf to his wonted Art for Learning the Secrets of his Enemies, employing Sir Robert Curfon to feign himself a Friend to Pole, thereby to get himself into his Bosom, for the finding out of his fecret Designs and Correfpondents. Many great Perfons for Pole's Caufe were committed to Prifon; fome were put to Death, as Sir James Tyrrel, and Sir John Wyndham, who loft their Heads on Tower Hill, and Three other Perfons, who were executed in other Places. And the more to difanimate de la Pole's Complices and Favourers, King Henry had procured from Pope Alexander the Sixth, an Excommunication and Curfe against Pole, Sir Robert Curfon, and Five other Perfons, by fpecial Name, and generally all others that fhould aid the Earl against the King. Sir Robert Carfon was named on purpose to make de la Pole fecure of him. Neither did the King leave here; for he fo prevailed with the Pope, as he decreed by Bull, That no Perfon fhould afterward have Privilege of Sanctuary, who had once taken the fame, and came forth again; and that if any Sanctuary Man fhould afterwards commit any Murder, Robbery, Sacri lege, Treafon, &c. he should by Layforce be drawn thence to fuffer due Punishment. And now Suffolk perceiving himself ftripp'd of all future Hope of endamaging the King, he put himself into the Grace and Protection of Philip King of Spain, with whom he remained in Banifhment, till King Philip was driven by Tempet into England; at which Time King Henry prevailed with him to deliver Pole into his Hands, upon Promife that he would fpare his Life. And accordingly at Philip's Return Home Pole was fent into England, and then committed to 1509. the Tower. King Henry thus fecured of this Hazard, bestowed his Age's Care in gathering of Money, Henry tho' by fome fuch Ways as feemed Dean and none of the justest. William Empfom and Dudley, two Lawyers, Warham, were his Inftruments for the bring- A. B. of ing in of Money to fill his Exche Cant. quer. Thefe called the richer Sort of Subjects into Queftion for the Breach of old Penal Laws, long before difcontinued and forgotten. The Course they took in the Execution of their Employment was for one of them to out-law Perfons privately, and then to feize their Eftates, forcing them to chargeable Compofitions with the King, and heavy Bribes to themselves. Another deteftable Practice of theirs was to bave falfe Jurors and Ringleaders of falfe Jurors, who would never give in any Verdict against their Patrons Empfom and Dudley, infomuch that if any flood out in Law, thefe Sons of Belial fquared the Destiny of their Causes: By thefe Means many honest and worthy Subjects were rigoroufly fined, imprifoned, or otherwife afflicted. But the King falling fick of a confuming Difeafe, by the Means of good Counfel, he inclined to grant to all Men general Pardons, certain only excepted; and ordained that all fuch Monies fhould be restored, as had been unjustly levied by his Officers. He died A. D. 1509, April 22. His Wife was Elizabeth, eldest Daughter of King Edward IV. who died 1503. His Iffue by her was Arthur, who died at Ludlow 1502, aged Fifteen Years, and was buried in the Cathedral Church of St. Mary's in Worcefter; Henry, who fucceeded him in the Throne; Henry Edmund Duke of Somerfet was born 1495, and died at Bishop-Hatfield 1499. Margaret L 2 was 1509. was born 1489, and at the Age of Fourteen was married to James the Fourth, King of Scotland, and after his Death unto Archibald Douglas Earl of Angus, to whom the bare Margaret, who married Matthew Steward Earl of Lenox, and had by him Henry Lord Darnly, who married Mary Queen of Sects, by whom he had King James the Sixth, Elizabeth died in her Childhood. Mary first married to old Lewis the Twelfth, King of France; and after his Death remarried to that famous Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk And Catharine, who died young. King Henry left at his Death 1,800,000 l. in ready Money. He founded the Hofpital of the Savoy, founded fix Religious Houses for Francifcan Friers, built the Palace of Richmond, where he died, and that Chapel of Weftminfter called by his Name, where he was buried. He exceedingly honour'd that Devout King Henry the 6th, whom he labour'd to have had canonized for a Saint; but Pope Julio held that Honour at too dear a Rate. His Mother-in-law, Queen to Edward the Fourth, he deprived of her Eftate, and confined to the Monaftery of Bermonfey in Southwark; one Caufe pretended for it, was, for that the had yielded up her Daughter into the Hand of the Ufurper Richard, contrary to her Faith given to them who were in the Plot for bringing in of Henry. This unfortunate Queen was fo wheedled into a Fool's Paradife by the Ufurper Richard's Inftruments; that forgetting the Murther of her Sons, the Dishonour of the King her Husband, the Baftardy of her Children, and her Scandal for Sorcery, also the faithful Pro. mife fhe made to Lady Margaret the Earl of Richmond's Mother, fhe deliver'd her five Daughters out of Sanctuary into the Ufurper's Hands A. D. 1498, a Cordwainer's Son was hanged at St. Thomas Waterings, for affuming the Name and Title of the Earl of Warwick, thereby to raise Disturbances. Wheat was fold at London in fome time of this King's Reign for Three Shillings a Buthel, and at another Time for Six-pence the Bufhel. |