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lightly regarded the matter, that he thought it was not muche to be past vpon, for that he came in with so fewe in nombre, and that the lorde Harbarte and Sir Ryce, whiche were rulers of all Wales, would eyther kyll him, or els take him and bryng him aliue. But afterward, when he remem- 5 bred him selfe that oftentymes a smal matter in batel, if it be not loked vnto betymes, would make at the laste a great sturre, he thought it best to remedy the matter betymes and commaunded Henry the earle of Northumberlande with other of the nobles of the realme (whom he thought had set 10 more by him then by their owne goodes) to rayse vp an army and to come to him with spede. Also he sent diuers messengers with letters to Robert Brakynbury, keper of the Towre of London, commandyng him to come vnto him in all hast, and to bryng with him, as felowes in battaile, 15 Thomas Burschere, Walter Hungreford and diuers other knightes, whom he dyd not a lytle suspecte.

In this tyme it was shewed that Henrye was come to Shrewesbury without any hurt. With the whiche tydynges, the kyng began to rage and make exclamacion against 20 them, that contrary to their faithes they had vtterly deceyued him, and then he beganne to mystrust all menne, and wyste not whom he might truste, so that he thought it best to sette fourth him selfe against his aduersaries. And furthwith he sent out spyes to knowe which way Henry dyd take. They 25 when they had done their diligence retourned backe againe and shewed him howe that Henry was come to Lichefelde. The whiche thyng after he knewe, because nowe there was a great nombre of souldiers come together, by and by his men set in aray, he commaunded them forwarde, and to go 3ɔ iiii and iiii together, and by that way whiche they kept they heard say, their enemies were commyng. The suspecte persons he put in the middes, he him selfe with those he

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trusted came behynd, with wynges of horsemen runnyng on euery side. And thus kepyng their order, aboute sonneset came vnto Leicestre.

When Henry in the meane season had remoued from Lichefeld vnto the next village called Tamworth, in the mydway he met with Walter Hungerford, Thomas Burschier and many other more, whiche had promised to ayde him afore. And for because they perceyued that they were suspected of kyng Rychard, and least they shoulde be 10 brought violently vnto him, beyng their enemy, they forsoke Robert Brakenbury their capitayne and in the night tyme stole priuely away and went to Henry. Unto whom there chaunced by the waye that was worthy to be marked, whiche was that Henry, although he was a man of 15 noble courage and also his company did dayly encrease, yet for al that he stode in great feare because he was vncertayne of Thomas Stanley whiche, as I telled you before, for the feare of puttyng his sonnes to death, inclyned as yet vnto no part, and that the matter was not 20 so slender of kyng Rycharde, as reporte was made to him of his frendes.

Wherfore, as all afrayde without a cause, he toke onely twenty men with him, and steyed in his journey as a man in dispayre and halfe musyng with him self what was best to 25 be done. And to aggrauate the matter, tidynges was brought him that kyng Rychard was commyng nere to mete him with a great and houge hoost of men. And whyle he thus lyngered for feare behynd, his hoost came afore to the toune of Tamworthe, and because it was then darke night, 30 he lost bothe his company and also his waye, then wandryng from place to place, at last came to a lytle village. iii. myle from his hoost, beyng ful of feare, and lest he should fal into the daunger of the scoutwatche he durst not aske a question

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of any man, and partly for the feare that was present, and partely for that was to come he lay there that night and toke this for a signe or a pronosticacion of some great plage that was to come, and the other part of his hoost was no lesse abashed seyng his absence for that tyme. When in the mornyng Henry came to them in the light of the day he excused the matter that he was not absent because he had lost his way, but rather of purpose, because he would common with his preuy frendes whiche would not be sene in the day. After that he went priuely to Aderstone where Thomas IO Standley and Willyam his brother dyd dwell. Here Henry, Thomas, and Willyam mette and toke other by the hand with louyng salutacions and were glad one of another. Then after they counceled together of their metyng with kyng Richard whom they perceiued not then to be farre from 15 them. That day when it drewe toward night, in the euenyng John Sauage, Brytanne Sanforde, Symon Digby with many other had forsaken kyng Rychard and came to Henry with a great power of menne, whiche power and strength sette Henry aloft againe. In the mean season kyng Rychard 20 whiche purposed to go throughe thicke and thinne in this matter came to Bosworth a lytle beyond Lecester where the place of battail should be (as a man would say the high justice of God, whiche could not be auoyded, hangyng ouer his head, had called him to a place where he should suffer 25 worthy punishement for his detestable offences) and there he set vp his tentes and rested that night. Afore he went to bed, he made an oration to his company with great vehemencye, perswadyng and exhortyng them manfully to fight. And afterward, as it was sayd, he had a terrible dreame in his slepe, semyng that he sawe horrible deuilles appeare vnto him and pullyng and halyng of him that he could take no rest, whiche vision fylled him full of feare and also of heuy

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care when he waked. For by and by after, beyng sore greued in his mynd, he dyd prognosticate of this dreame the euil lucke and heuye chaunce that after came to him, and he came not with so chereful a countenaunce vnto his com5 panye as he was wonte to do. Then, least they should thynke that he had this heauynesse for the feare of his enemies, he stode vp and rehersed vnto them al his dreame. But I thynke that this was not a dreame, but rather his conscience pricked with the sharpe styng of his mischeuous Io offences, whiche although they do not pricke alway, yet

moost commonly they wyll byte moost towarde the latter daye, representyng vnto vs not onely them selfe, but also the terrible punishement that is ordeyned for the same, as the sight of the deuill tearyng and halyng vs, so that therby (if 15 we haue grace) we may take an occasyon to be penitent, or els for lacke of the same dye in desperacion. Nowe to come to my purpose againe, the next day after, kyng Richard hauyng al thinges in a readynesse went furth with the armye out of his tentes, and began to sette his men in aray; fyrst 20 the forwarde set furth a merueilous length bothe of horsemen and also of footemen, a veray terrible companye to them that should see them afarre of; and in the formost part of al he ordered the bowmen as a strong fortresse for them that came after, and ouer this John the duke of 25 Northfolke was head captaine. After him folowed the kyng with a mighty sorte of men.

And in this while, Henry, beyng departed from the communicacion of his frendes, without any tariyng pytched his tentes nere his enemies and laye there all night and 30 commaunded his men to be in a redynesse. In the mornyng he sent also to Thomas Standley, beyng then in the middes betwixt bothe hostes, that he should come nere with his armye. He sent him worde againe that he should set his

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men in an ordre tyl he came; with the whiche answere, otherwise then he had thought or then the matter did require, he was not a little abashed and stode as it were in doubt. Yet for all that he taryed not, but with all spede set his men in an order, the forwarde was but slender, because his nombre was but fewe, the archers were set in the formost parte. Ouer them John the erle of Oxenford was heade capitain. In the right wyng he set Gilbert Talbot. In the left he put John Sauage. And he hymself with the helpe of Thomas Stanley folowed with one compaignie of horsemen 10 and a fewe footemen, for all his whole compaignie were scant fiue thousande besides bothe the Stanleis with their compaignie, of the whiche William Stanley had thre thousande. The kyng his armie was double to all this. And so when bothe armies were all in a redynesse and began for to 15 come within the sight of other, thei bragged furthe them selfes of bothe parties, lokyng onely for the signe and token of strik[i]ng together. Betwixt bothe hostes, there was a marresse whiche Henry left on his right hande purposely as a defence of his menne, he found the meanes also to haue 20 the brighte sunne on his backe, that it might dasill the yies of his enemies.

But the kyng, when he sawe Henry passe ouer the marresse, commaunded his men with all violence to set vpon theim. Thei by and by with a sodain clamor let arowes 25 flee at theim. On the other side thei paied them home manfully again with the same. But when thei came nere together thei laied on valeauntely with swerdes. Therle of Oxforde fearyng least in the meane tyme kyng Richardes multitude should haue compassed in his men, whiche were but a few, 30 he commaunded them by fiues thei should not moue forward past ten foote, the whiche commaundement knowen, thei knit them selfe together and seased not in fightyng:

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