5 The yong kyng murthered. entangled them, keping down by force the fetherbed and pillowes hard vnto their mouthes, that within a while smored and stifled, theyr breath failing, thei gaue vp to God their innocent soules into the joyes of heauen, leauing to the tormentors their bodyes dead in the and hys brother bed. Whiche after that the wretches parceiued, first by the strugling with the paines of death, and after long lying styll, to be throughly dead; they laide their bodies naked out vppon the bed, and fetched sir James 10 to see them. Which vpon the sight of them, caused those murtherers to burye them at the stayre foote, metely depe in the grounde vnder a great heape of stones. Than rode sir James in great hast to king Richarde, and shewed him al the maner of the murther, who gaue hym gret thanks and, 15 as som say, there made him knight. But he allowed not, as I haue heard, the burying in so vile a corner, saying that he woulde haue them buried in a better place, because thei wer a kinges sonnes. Loe the honourable corage of a kynge! Wherupon thei say that a prieste of syr Robert 20 Brakenbury toke vp the bodyes again, and secretelye entered them in such place, as by the occasion of his deathe, whiche onely knew it, could neuer synce come to light. Very trouthe is it and well knowen, that at such time as syr James Tirell was in the Tower, for Treason committed agaynste the moste 25 famous prince king Henry the seuenth, bothe Dighton and he were examined, and confessed the murther in maner aboue writen, but whither the bodies were remoued thei could nothing tel. And thus as I haue learned of them that much knew and litle cause had to lye, wer these two 30 noble princes, these innocent tender children, borne of moste royall bloode, brought vp in great wealth, likely long to liue to reigne and rule in the realme, by traytorous tiranny taken, depryued of their estate, shortly shitte vp in prison, and priuily slaine and murthered, theyr bodies cast God wote where by the cruel ambicion of their vnnaturall vncle and his dispiteous tormentors. Which thinges on euery part wel pondered, God neuer gaue this world a more notable example, neither in what vnsuretie standeth 5 this worldly wel, or what mischief worketh the prowde enterprise of an hyghe heart, or finally what wretched end ensueth such dispiteous crueltie. For first to beginne with the ministers, Miles Forest at sainct Martens pecemele rotted away. Dighton in dede yet walketh on aliue in 10 good possibilitie to bee hanged ere he dye. But sir James Tirel dyed at Tower hill, beheaded for treason. King Richarde himselfe, as ye shal herafter here, slain in the fielde, hacked and hewed of his enemies handes, haryed on horsebacke dead, his here in despite torn and togged lyke 15 a cur dogge. And the mischief that he tooke, within lesse then thre yeares of the mischiefe that he dyd. And yet all the meane time spente in much pain and trouble outward, much feare anguish and sorow within. For I haue heard by credible report of such as wer secrete with his 20 chamberers, that after this abhominable deede done, he neuer hadde quiet in his minde, hee neuer thought himself sure. Where he went abrode, his eyen whirled about, his body priuily fenced, his hand euer inward on his dager, his countenance and maner like one alway ready to strike againe, he toke ill rest a nightes, lay long wakyng and musing, sore weried with care and watch, rather slumbred then slept, troubled wyth feareful dreames, sodainly sommetyme sterte vp, leape out of his bed and runne about the chamber, so 30 was his restles herte continually tossed and tumbled with the tedious impression and stormy remembrance of his abominable dede. Nowe hadde he outward no long time The out and troubles of 25 in rest. For hereupon sone after began the conspiracy, or rather good confederacion, betwene the Duke of Buckingham and many other gentlemen against him. Thoccasion wheruppon the king and the Duke fell out is of 5 diuers folke diuerse wyse pretended. This duke, as I haue for certain bene enformed, as soone as the duke of Gloucester vpon the death of kyng Edward came to York, and there had solemne funeral seruise for king Edward, sente thither in the most secret wise he could, one Persal 10 his trusty seruant, who came to John Warde, a chamberer of like secret trust with the Duke of Gloucester, desiring that in the most close and couert maner, he might be admitted to the presence and speche of his maister. And the duke of Gloucester, aduertised of hys desyre, caused 15 him in the dead of the night after al other folk auoyded, to be brought vnto him in his secret chamber, wher Persall after his masters recommendacion shewed him, that he had secretly sente hym to shew him, that in this new worlde he would take such part as he wold, and wait vpon 20 him with a . M. good felowes if neede wer. The messenger sent back with thanks, and some secret instruccion of the protectors mind, yet met him again with farther message from the duke his master, within few dayes after at Notingham; whither the protector from York, with many gen25 tlemen of the north countrey to the number of sixe .C. horses, was comen on his way to London ward. And after secrete meting and communicacion had, eftsoone departed. Wherupon at Northampton the duke met with the protector himself, wyth CCC. horses, and from thence still contynued 30 the partner of all his deuises, till that after his coronacion thei departed as it semed very great frendes at Gloucester. From whence as sone as the duke came home, he so lightli turned from him and so highly conspired against him, that a man would marueil wherof the chaunge grew. And surely the occasion of theyr variaunce is of diuers men diuersly reported. Some haue I heard say, that the duke a litle before the coronacion among other thinges, required of the protector the duke of Herfordes landes, to which 5 he pretended himself just inheritor. And forasmuch as the title which he claimed by inheritance, was somewhat enterlaced with the title to the crowne by the line of king Henry before depriued; the protector conceiued such indignacion, that he rejected the dukes request with many 10 spitefull and minatory wordes. Which so wounded his hert with hatred and mistrust, that he neuer after could endure to loke aright on king Richard, but euer feared his own life, so farfoorth that when the protectoure rode through London toward his coronacion, he fained himself 15 sick, because he wold not ride with hym. And the tother taking it in euil part, sent hym worde to ryse, and come ride or he wold make him be caried. Wherupon he rode on with euil wil, and that notwithstanding on the morow rose from the feast faining himself sicke, and kyng Richard 20 said it was done in hatred and dispite of him. And they say that euer after continually ech of them liued in suche hatred and distrust of other, that the duke verilye looked to haue bene murthered at Gloucester. From which nathles he in fair maner departed. But surely some right 25 secrete at the daies deny this; and many right wise men think it vnlikely (the depe dissimuling nature of those bothe men considered, and what nede in that grene world the protector had of the duke, and in what peril the duke stode if he fell once in suspicion of the tiraunt) that either 30 the protector wold geue the duke occasion of displeasure, or the duke the protector occasion of mistrust. And vtterly men think, that yf kyng Richard had any such oppinion 5 conceiued: he would neuer haue suffred him to escape his handes. Very trouth it is, the duke was an high minded man, and euyll could beare the glory of an other, so that I haue heard of som that said thei saw it, that the duke at such time as the crown was first set vpon the protectors hed, his eye could not abide the sight thereof, but wried hys hed an other way. But men say that he was of trouth not wel at ease, and that both to king Richard wel knowen, and not yl taken, nor ani demaund of the dukes vncourteisly 10 rejected, but he both with gret giftes and high behestes, in most louing and trusty maner departed at Gloucester. But sone after his coming home to Breknock, hauing ther in his custody, by the commaundement of king Richard, doctor Morton bishop of Ely, who as ye before herd was 15 taken in the counsel at the Tower, waxed with him familier. Whose wisedom abused his pride to his own deliueraunce and the dukes destruccion. The bishop was a man of gret natural wit, very wel lerned, and honorable in behaueor, lacking no wise waies to win fauor. He had bene fast 20 vpon the part of king Henry while that part was in wealth, and natheles left it not nor forsoke it in wo, but fled the realme with the quene and the prince, while king Edward had the king in prison, neuer came home but to the field. After which lost, and the parte vtterly subdued, the tother 25 for his faste faith and wisedom, not only was contente to receiue him, but also woed him to come and had him from thence forth bothe in secret trust and very speciall fauor. Whiche he nothing deceiued. For he being as ye haue heard after king Edwardes death, first taken by the tirant 30 for his trouth to the king, found the meane to set this duke in his top, joined gentlemen together in aid of king Henry, deuising first the maryage betwene him and king Edwardes doughter, by whiche his faith declared and good seruice |