had the doing, some were by their frendes secretly warned, that it might happelye tourne them to no good, to be to much attendaunt about the king without the protectours appointment; which remoued also diuers of the princes olde 5 seruantes from him, and set newe aboute him. Thus many thinges comming togither partly by chaunce, partly of purpose, caused at length, not comen people only that waue with the winde, but wise men also and some lordes yeke, to marke the mater and muse theron: so ferforth that the 10 lord Stanly, that was after Erle of Darbie, wisely mistrusted it, and saied vnto the lord Hasting, that he much misliked these two seuerall counsels. For while we (quod he) talke of one matter in the tone place, litle wote we wherof they talk in the tother place. My lord, (quod the lord Hastinges) 15 on my life neuer doute you. For while one man is there which is neuer thence, neuer can there be thinge ones minded that should sownde amisse toward me, but it should be in mine eares ere it were well oute of their mouthes. This ment he by Catesby, which was of his nere secret counsail, and whome he veri familiarly vsed, and in his most weighty matters put no man in so special trust, rekening hymself to no man so liefe, sith he well wist there was no man to him so much beholden as was thys Catesby, which was a man wel lerned in the lawes of 25 this lande, and by the special fauour of the lorde chamberlen in good aucthoritie and much rule bare in al the county of Leceter where the Lorde Chamberlens power chiefly laye, But surely great pity was it, that he had not had either more trouthe or lesse wytte. For his dissimulacion onelye 30 kepte all that mischyefe vppe. In whome if the lord Hastinges had not put so speciall trust, the lord Stanley and he had departed with diuerse other lordes, and broken all the daunce, for many il signes that hee sawe, which he nowe

20

Catesby.

const[r]ues all to the beste. So suerly thoughte he that there could be none harme toward him in that counsaile entended where Catesby was. And of trouth the protectour and the Duke of Buckingham made very good semblaunce vnto the Lord Hastinges, and kept him much in company. And 5 vndoubtedly the protectour loued him wel, and loth was to haue loste him, sauing for fere lest his life shoulde haue quailed their purpose. For which cause he moued Catesby to proue wyth some words cast out afarre of, whither he could thinke it possible to winne the lord Hasting into their 10 parte. But Catesby, whither he assayed him or assaied him not, reported vnto them, that he founde him so fast, and hard him speke so terrible woordes, that he durst no further breke. And of trouth the lord Chamberlen of very trust shewed vnto Catesbye the mistrust that other began to haue 15 in the mater. And therfore he, fering lest their mocions might with the lord Hastinges minishe his credence, wherunto onely al the matter lenid, procured the protectour hastely to ridde him. And much the rather, for that he trusted by his deth to obtaine much of the rule that the lorde Hast- 20 inges bare in his countrey; the only desire whereof, was the allectiue that induced him to be partener and one specyall contriuer of al this horrible treson.

Wherupon sone after, that is to wit, on the Friday day of Lordes assembled in the The counseil

many

in the Tower.

25

the Tower, and there sat in counsaile, deuising the honorable solempnite of the kinges coronacion, of which the time appointed then so nere approched, that the pageauntes and suttelties were in making day and night at Westminster, and much vitaile killed therfore, that after- 30 ward was cast away. These lordes so sytting togyther comoning of thys matter, the protectour came in among them, fyrst aboute ix. of the clock, saluting them curtesly,

2

and excusyng hymself that he had ben from them so long, saieng merely that he had bene a slepe that day. And after a little talking with them, he sayd vnto the Bishop of Elye: My lord you haue very good strawberies at your gardayne 5 in Holberne, I require you let vs haue a messe of them. Gladly my lord, quod he, woulde God I had some better thing as redy to your pleasure as that. And therwith in al the hast he sent hys seruant for a messe of strauberies. The protectour sette the lordes fast in comoning, and therupon I prayeng them to spare hym for a little while departed

thence. And sone, after one hower, betwene .x. and .xi. he returned into the chamber among them, al changed, with a wonderful soure angrye countenaunce, knitting the browes, frowning and froting and knawing on hys lippes, and so sat 15 him downe in hys place; al the lordes much dismaied and sore merueiling of this maner of sodain chaunge, and what thing should him aile. Then when he had sitten still a while, thus he began: What were they worthy to haue, that compasse and ymagine the distruccion of me, being so nere 20 of blood vnto the king and protectour of his riall person and his realme? At this question, al the lordes sat sore astonied, musyng much by whome thys question should be ment, of which euery man wyst himselfe clere. Then the lord chamberlen, as he that for the loue betwene them 25 thoughte he might be boldest with him, aunswered and sayd, that thei wer worthye to bee punished as heighnous traitors, whatsoeuer they were. And al the other affirmed the same. That is (quod he) yonder sorceres my brothers wife and other with her, meaning the quene. At these wordes many of the other Lordes were gretly abashed that fauoured her. But the lord Hastinges was in his minde better content, that it was moued by her, then by any other whom he loued better. Albeit hys harte somewhat grudged,

30

that he was not afóre made of counsell in this mater, as he was of the taking of her kynred, and of their putting to death, which were by his assent before deuised to bee byhedded at Pountfreit, this selfe same day, in which he was not ware that it was by other deuised, that himself 5 should the same day be behedded at London. Then said the protectour; ye shal al se in what wise that sorceres and that other witch of her counsel, Shoris wife, with their affynite, haue by their sorcery and witchcraft wasted my body. And therwith he plucked vp hys doublet sleue to 10 his elbow vpon his left arme, where he shewed a werish withered arme and small, as it was neuer other. And thereupon euery mannes mind sore misgaue them, well perceiuing that this matter was but a quarel. For wel thei wist, that the quene was to wise to go aboute any such 15 folye. And also if she would, yet wold she of all folke leste make Shoris wife of counsaile, whom of al women she most hated, as that concubine whom the king her husband had most loued. And also no man was there present, but wel knew that his harme was euer such since his birth. 20 Natheles the lorde Chamberlen aunswered and sayd: certainly my lorde if they haue so heinously done, thei be worthy heinouse punishement. What, quod the protectour, thou seruest me, I wene, with iffes and with andes, I tel the thei haue so done, and that I will make good on thy body, traitour. 25 And therwith as in a great anger, he clapped his fist vpon the borde a great rappe. At which token giuen, one cried treason without the c[h]ambre. Therewith a dore clapped, and in come there rushing men in harneys as many as the chambre might hold. And anon the protectour sayd to the 30 lorde Hastinges: I arest the, traitour. What, me, my Lorde? quod he. Yea the, traitour, quod the protectour. And another let flee at the Lorde Standley which shronke at the

The lord

Standley

wounded.

stroke and fel vnder the table, or els his hed had ben clefte to the tethe: for as shortely as he shranke, yet ranne the blood aboute hys eares. Then were they al quickly bestowed in diuerse chambres, 5 except the lorde Chamberlen, whom the protectour bade spede and shryue hym apace, for by saynt Poule (quod he) I wil not to dinner til I se thy hed of. It boted him not to aske why, but heuely he toke a priest at aduenture, and made a short shrift, for a longer would not be suffered, the 10 protectour made so much hast to dyner; which he might not go to til this wer done for sauing of his othe. So was he brought forth into the grene beside the chappel within the Tower, and his head laid down vpon a long log of timbre, and there striken of, and afterward his body with 15 the hed entred at Windsore beside the body of kinge Edward, whose both soules our Lord pardon.

A merueilouse case is it to here, either the warninges of that he shoulde haue voided, or the tokens of that he could not voide. For the self night next before his death, 20 the lord Standley sent a trustie secret messenger vnto him at midnight in al the hast, requiring hym to rise and ryde away with hym, for he was disposed vtterly no lenger to

25

30

The Lorde

Stanley's

dreame.

bide; he had so fereful a dreme, in which him thoughte that a bore with his tuskes so raced them both bi the heddes, that the blood ranne aboute both their shoulders. And forasmuch as the protector gaue the bore for his cognisaunce, this dreme made so fereful an impression in his hart, that he was throughly determined no lenger to tary, but had his horse redy, if the lord Hastinges wold go with him to ride so far yet the same night, that thei shold be out of danger ere dai. Ey, good lord, quod the lord Hastinges to this messenger, leneth mi lord thi master so much to such trifles, and hath such faith in