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with God wot what. With which tidinges the quene in gret fright and heuines, bewailing her childes rain, her frendes mischance, and her own infortune, damning the time that euer shee diswaded the gatheryng of power aboute the kinge, gate her selfe in all the haste possible with her yonger sonne 5 and her doughters oute of the Palyce of WestThe Quene minster in whiche shee then laye, into the taketh SainSainctuarye, lodginge her selfe and her coumpanye there in the abbottes place.

tuary.

Nowe came there one, in likewise not longe after mydde- 10 nighte, fro the Lorde Chaumberlayn vnto the archbishoppe of Yorke then Chaunceller of Englande, to his place not farre from Westminster. And for that he shewed his seruauntes that hee hadde tidinges of soo greate importaunce, that his maister gaue him in charge not to forbeare his reste, 15 they letted not to wake hym, nor hee to admitte this messenger in to his bedde syde. Of whome hee hard that these Dukes were gone backe with the Kynges grace from Stonye Stratforde vnto Northampton. Notwithstanding, sir, quod hee, my Lorde sendeth youre Lordeshippe woorde 20 that there is no feare. For hee assureth you that all shall bee well. I assure him, quod the Archebishoppe, bee it as well as it will, it will neuer bee soo well as wee haue seene it. And thereuppon by and by after the messenger departed, hee caused in all the haste al his seruauntes to bee 23 called vppe, and so with his owne householde aboute hym, and euerie manne weaponed, hee tooke the greate Seale with him, and came yet beefore daye vnto the Queene. Aboute whome he found muche heauinesse, rumble, haste and businesse, carriage and conueyaunce of her stuffe into 30 Sainctuary, chestes, coffers, packes, fardelles, trusses, all on mennes backes, no manne vnoccupyed, somme lading, somme goynge, somme descharging, somme commynge for

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more, somme breakinge downe the walles to bring in the nexte waye, and somme yet drewe to them that holpe to carrye a wronge waye. The Quene her self satte alone alowe on the rishes all desolate and dismayde, whome the 5 Archebishoppe coumforted in the best manner hee coulde, shewinge her that hee trusted the matter was nothynge soo sore as shee tooke it for. And that he was putte in good hope and oute of feare by the message sente him from the Lorde Chamberlaine. Ah, woo worthe him, quod she, for Io hee is one of them that laboureth to destroye me and my bloode. Madame, quod he, be ye of good chere. For I assure you if thei crowne any other kinge then your sonne, whome they nowe haue with them, we shal on the morowe crowne his brother whome you haue here with you. here is the greate Seale, whiche in likewise as that noble prince your housebande deliuered it vnto me, so here I deliuer it vnto you, to the use and behoofe of youre sonne, and therewith hee betooke her the greate Seale, and departed home agayne, yet in the dauninge of the daye. By 20 which tyme hee might in his chaumber window see all the Temmes full of bootes of the Duke of Gloucesters seruantes, watchinge that no manne shoulde go to Sainctuary, nor none coulde passe vnserched. Then was there greate commocion and murmure as well in other places about, as specially in 25 the city, the people diuerselye diuininge vppon this dealinge. And somme Lordes, Knightes, and Gentlemenne either for fauoure of the Quene, or for feare of themselfe, assembled in sundry coumpanies, and went flockmele in harneis; and manye also, for that they reckened this demeanoure at30 tempted, not so specially againste the other Lordes, as agaynste the kinge hymselfe in the disturbaunce of hys coronacion. But then by and by the Lordes assembled together at Towarde which meting, the Arche

bishoppe of Yorke fearing that it wold be ascribed (as it was in dede) to his ouermuch lightnesse, that he so sodainly had yelded vp the great seale to the Quene, to whome the custodye thereof nothing partained, without especial commaundement of the kynge, secretely sent for the seale 5 againe, and brought it with him after the customable maner. And at this meting the lord Hasting, whose trouth towarde the king no manne doubted nor neded to doubte, perswaded the Lordes to belieue, that the Duke of Gloucester was sure and fastlye faithfull to hys prince, and that the 10 lorde Riuers and lord Richard with the other knightes wer, for maters attempted by them against the dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, putte vnder arreste for theire surety, not for the Kynges jeopardye; and that thei were also in sauegarde, and there no lenger shoulde remayn, then tyll 15 the matter wer, not by the dukes onelye, but also by all the other Lordes of the Kynges counsayle indifferentelye examyned, and by other discrecions ordered, and eyther judged or appeased. But one thynge hee aduised them beware, that they judged not the matter to farrefoorth, ere 20 they knewe the trueth, nor turnynge theire priuate grudges into the common hurte, yrritinge and prouoking menne vnto anger, and disturbynge the Kynges Coronacion, towarde whiche the Dukes were commynge vppe, that thei mighte paraduenture brynge the matter so farre oute of joynt, that 25 it shold neuer be brought in frame agayne. Whiche stryfe if it shoulde happe, as it were lykelye, to come to a fielde, though both parties were in all other thynges egall, yet shoulde the authoritie bee on that syde where the Kynge is hymselfe. With these parswasions of the Lorde Hastynges, 30 whereof parte hymselfe belieued, of parte he wist the contrarye, these commocions were sommewhat appeased. But specyally by that that the Dukes of Gloucester and Buck

ingham were so nere, and came so shortelye on with the kynge, in none other maner, with none other voyce or semblaunce, then to his coronacion, causynge the fame to bee blowen about, that these Lordes and knightes whiche 5 were taken hadde contryued the destruccyon of the Dukes of Gloucester and Buckingham, and of other the noble bloode of the realme, to the ende that them selfe woulde alone demeane and gouerne the king at their pleasure. And for the colourable proofe thereof, such of the Dukes 10 seruantes as rode with the cartes of theyr stuffe that were

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taken (amonge whiche stuffe no meruayle thoughe somme were harneys, whiche at the breakinge vp of that householde muste needes eyther bee broughte awaye or caste awaye) they shewed vnto the people al the waye as they wente, loe here bee the barelles of harneys that this traitours had priuelye conuayed in theyr carryage to destroye the noble lordes with all. This deuise all be it that it made the matter to wise men more vnlykely, well perceyuyng that the intendours of suche a purpose wolde rather haue hadde 20 theyr harneys on theyr backes, then taue bounde them vppe in barrelles, yet muche part of the common people were therewith verye well satisfyed, and said it wer almoise to hange them.

When the kynge approched nere to the citie, Edmonde 25 Sha goldesmithe then mayre, with Willyam White and John Mathewe sheriffis, and all the other aldermenne in scarlette, with fiue hundred horse of the citezens in violette, receiued hym reuerentlye at Harnesey, and rydynge from thence, accoumpanyed him into the citye, whiche hee entered the fowrth daye of Maye, the firste and London. laste yeare of hys raygne. But the Duke of Gloucester bare him in open sighte so reuerentelye to the Prince, with all semblaunce of lowlinesse, that from the

The kynges 30 commynge to

The protec

toure made.

The bishop

of Lincolne

made Lorde

Chauncellour.

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great obloquy in which hee was soo late before, hee was sodainelye fallen in soo greate truste, that at the counsayle next assembled, hee was made the onely manne chose and thoughte moste mete, to bee protectoure of the king and hys realme, so that (were it destenye or were it foly) the lamb was betaken to the wolfe to kepe. At whiche counsayle also the Archebishoppe of Yorke, Chauncelloure of Englande, whiche hadde deliuered vppe the greate seale to the Quene, was thereof greatlye reproued, and the Seale taken from hym and deliuered to 10 doctour Russell, bysshoppe of Lyncolne, a wyse manne and a good and of muche experyence, and one of the beste learned menne vndoubtedlye that Englande hadde in hys time. Diuers Lordes and knightes were appoynted vnto dyuerse rowmes. The Lorde 15 Chaumberlayne and somme other kepte styll theyr offices that they hadde beefore. Nowe all were it soo that the protectoure so soore thyrsted for the finyshynge of that hee hadde begonne, that thoughte euerye daye a yeare tyll it were atchyeued, yet durste hee no further attempte as longe 20 as he had but halfe hys praye in his hande; well wittinge that yf hee deposed the one brother, all the Realme woulde falle to the tother, yf hee either remayned in Sainctuarye, or shoulde happelye bee shortelye conuayde too hys farther libertye. Wherefore incontinentę at the nexte metynge 25 of the Lordes at the counsayle, hee preposed vnto them, that it was a haynous deede of the Quene, and procedinge of greate malyce towarde the Kynges counsayllers, that she should keepe in Saynctuarye the Kynges brother from hym, whose specyall pleasure and coumforte were to haue 30 his brother with hym. And that by her done to none other entente, but to brynge all the Lordes in obloquie and murmure of the people. As thoughe they were not

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