whome the Quene specially grudged, for the great fauoure the kyng bare hym, and also for that shee thoughte hym secretelye familyer with the kynge in wanton coumpanye. Her kynred also bare hym sore, as well for that the kynge hadde made hym captayne of Calyce (whiche office the 5 Lorde Ryuers, brother to the Quene, claimed of the kinges former promyse) as for diuerse other greate giftes whiche hee receyued, that they loked for. When these lordes with diuerse other of bothe the parties were comme in presence, the kynge liftinge vppe himselfe and vndersette 10 with pillowes, as it is reported on this wyse sayd vnto them. My Lordes, my dere kinsmenne and alies,

The oracion of

his death bed.

in what plighte I lye you see, and I feele. By the kynge in whiche the lesse whyle I look to lyue with you, the more depelye am I moued to care in what case I 15 leaue you, for such as I leaue you, suche bee my children lyke to fynde you. Whiche if they shoulde (that Godde forbydde) fynde you at varyaunce, myght happe to fall themselfe at warre ere their discrecion woulde serue to sette you at peace. Ye se their youthe, of whiche I recken the onely suretie to 20 reste in youre concord. For it suffiseth not that al you loue them, yf eche of you hate other. If they wer menne, your faithfulnesse happelye woulde suffise. But childehood must bee maintained by mens authoritye, and slipper youth vnderpropped with elder counsayle, which neither they can 25 haue, but ye geue it, nor ye geue it, yf ye gree not. For wher eche laboureth to breake that the other maketh and, for hatred of ech of others parson, impugneth eche others counsayle, there must it nedes bee long ere anye good conclusion goe forwarde. And also while either partye 30 laboureth to bee chiefe, flattery shall haue more place then plaine and faithfull aduyse, of whyche muste needes ensue the euyll bringing vppe of the Prynce, whose mynd, in

tender youth infect, shal redily fal to mischief and riot, and drawe down with this noble realme to ruine, but if grace turn him to wisdom: which if God send, then thei that by euill menes before pleased him best, shal after 5 fall farthest out of fauour, so that euer at length euil driftes dreue to nought, and good plain wayes prosper. Great variaunce hath ther long bene betwene you, not alway for great causes. Some time a thing right wel intended our misconstruccion turneth vnto worse, or a smal displeasure 10 done vs, eyther our owne affeccion or euil tongues agreueth. But this wote I well ye neuer had so great cause of hatred, as ye haue of loue. That we be al men, that we be christen men, this shall I leaue for prechers to tel you (and yet I wote nere whither any preachers woordes 15 ought more to moue you, then his that is by and by gooyng to the place that thei all preache of). But this shal I desire you to remember, that the one parte of you is of my bloode, the other of myne alies, and eche of yow with other, eyther of kinred or affinitie, whiche spirytuall kynred 20 of affynyty, if the sacramentes of Christes Churche beare that weyghte with vs that woulde Godde thei did, shoulde no lesse moue vs to charitye, then the respecte of fleshlye consanguinitye. Oure Lorde forbydde that you loue together the worse, for the selfe cause that you ought to 25 loue the better. And yet that happeneth. And no where fynde wee so deadlye debate, as amonge them whyche by nature and lawe moste oughte to agree together. Suche a pestilente serpente is ambicion and desyre of vaineglorye and soueraintye, whiche amonge 30 states where he once entreth crepeth foorth so farre, tyll with deuision and variaunce hee turneth all to mischiefe. Firste longing to be nexte the best, afterwarde egall with the beste, and at laste chiefe and aboue the beste. Of which immode

Ambicion.

rate appetite of woorship, and thereby of debate and dissencion what losse, what sorowe, what trouble hathe within these fewe yeares growen in this realme, I praye Godde as well forgeate as wee well remember. Whiche thinges yf I coulde as well haue foresene, as I haue with my more payne 5 then pleasure proued, by Goddes blessed Ladie (that was euer his othe) I woulde neuer haue won the courtesye of mennes knees, with the losse of soo many heades. But sithen thynges passed cannot be gaine-called, muche oughte wee the more beware, by what occasion we haue 10 taken soo greate hurte afore, that we eftesoones fall not in that occasion agayne. Nowe be those griefes passed, and all is (Godde bee thanked) quiete, and likelie righte wel to prosper in wealthfull peace vnder youre coseyns my children, if Godde sende them life and you loue. 15 Of whyche twoo thinges the lesse losse wer they, by whome thoughe Godde dydde hys pleasure, yet shoulde the Realme alway finde kinges and paraduenture as good kinges. But yf you among youre selfe in a childes reygne fall at debate, many a good man shal perish and happely 20 he to, and ye to, ere thys land finde peace again. Wherfore in these last wordes that euer I looke to speake with you, I exhort you and require you all, for the loue that you haue euer borne to me, for the loue that I haue euer born to you, for the loue that our Lord 25 beareth to vs all, from this time forwarde, all grieues forgotten, eche of you loue other. Whiche I verelye truste you will, if ye any thing earthly regard, either Godde or your king, affinitie or kinred, this realme, your owne countrey, or your owne surety.

And therewithal the king no longer enduring to sitte vp, 30 laide him down on his right side, his face towarde them: and none was there present that coulde refraine from weping.

But the lordes recomforting him with as good wordes as they could, and answering for the time as thei thought to stand with his pleasure, there in his presence (as by their wordes appered) ech forgaue other, and joyned their hands 5 together, when (as it after appeared by their dedes) their herts wer far asonder. As sone as the king was departed, the noble prince his sonne drew toward London, which at the time of his decease, kept his houshold at Ludlow in Wales. Which countrey being far of from the law 10 and recourse to justice, was begon to be farre oute of good wyll and waxen wild, robbers and riuers walking at libertie vncorrected. And for this encheason the prince was in the life of his father sente thither, to the end that the authoritie of his presence should refraine euil dis15 posed parsons fro the boldnes of their formar outerages. To the gouernaunce and ordering of this yong prince at his sending thyther, was there appointed sir Antony Woduile

Lord Riuers.

Lord Riuers and brother vnto the Quene, a right honourable man, as valiaunte of hande as poli20 tike in counsayle. Adjoyned wer there vnto him other of the same partie, and in effect euery one as he was nerest of kin vnto the Quene, so was planted next about the prince. That drifte by the Quene not vnwisely deuised, whereby her bloode mighte of youth be rooted in the princes fauor, the 25 Duke of Gloucester turned vnto their destruccion, and vpon that grounde set the foundacion of all his vnhappy building. For whom soeuer he perceiued either at variance with them, or bearing himself their fauor, hee brake vnto them, some by mouth, som by writing and secret messengers, 30 that it neyther was reason nor in any wise to be suffered,

that the yong king, their master and kinsmanne, shoold bee in the handes and custodye of his mothers kinred, sequestred in maner from theyr compani and attendance,

of which eueri one ought him as faithful seruice as they, and manye of them far more honorable part of kin then his mothers side; whose blood (quod he) sauing the kinges pleasure, was ful vnmetely to be matched with his; whiche nowe to be as who say remoued from the kyng, and the 5 lesse noble to be left aboute him, is (quod he) neither honorable to hys magestie, nor vnto vs, and also to his grace no surety, to haue the mightiest of his frendes from him, and vnto vs no litle jeopardy, to suffer our wel proued euil willers to grow in ouer gret authoritie with the prince 10 in youth, namely which is lighte of beliefe and sone perswaded. Ye remember, I trow, king Edward himself, albeit he was a manne of age and of discrecion, yet was he in manye thynges ruled by the bende, more then stode either with his honour, or our profite, or with the commo- 15 ditie of any manne els, except onely the immoderate aduauncement of them selfe. Whiche whither they sorer thirsted after their own weale, or our woe, it wer hard I wene to gesse. And if some folkes frendship had not holden better place with the king, then any respect of 20 kinred, thei might peraduenture easily haue betrapped and brought to confusion somme of vs ere this. Why not as easily as they haue done some other alreadye, as neere of his royal bloode as we? But our Lord hath wrought his wil, and thanke be to his grace that peril is paste. Howe 25 be it as great is growing, yf wee suffer this yonge kyng in oure enemyes hande, whiche without his wyttyng, might abuse the name of his commaundement, to ani of our vndoing, which thyng God and good prouision forbyd. Of which good prouision none of vs hath any thing the lesse 30 nede, for the late made attonemente, in whyche the kinges pleasure hadde more place then the parties willes. Nor none of vs I beleue is so vnwyse, ouersone to truste a