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Civil warre.

then hath twise the winning of Fraunce. In which inward warre among our self, hath ben so great effucion of the auncient noble blood of this realme, that scarcely the half remaineth, to the gret infebling of many a good town ransakid and 5 haue ben going to the field or

And peace long after not much

this noble land, beside spoiled, by them that cumming from thence. surer then war. So that no time was ther in which rich men for their mony, and gret men for their landes, or some other for some fere or some displesure were out of peryl. For 10 whome trusted he that mistrusted his own brother? Whom spared he that killed his own brother? or who could parfitely loue him, if hys owne brother could not? what maner of folke he most fauoured, we shall for hys honour spare to speke of, howbeit thys wote you wel al, that whoso was 15 beste, bare alway lest rule, and more sute was in his dayes vnto Shores wife, then to al the lordes in England, except vnto those that made her their proctoure; which simple woman was wel named and honest, tyll the kyng byreft her from her husband, a right honest substauncial yong 20 man among you. And all were it that with this and other importable dealing, the realme was in euery part annoyd: yet specially ye here the citezens of this noble citie, as well for that among you is most plenty of all such thinges as minister matter to such injuries, as for that you were 25 nereste at hande, sith that nere here about was comonly his most abyding. And yet bee ye the people whom he had as singuler cause wel and kyndly to entreate,

London the

chaumber.

as any part of his realme, not onely for that the kinges special prince by this noble citye, as his special chamber and the speciall wel renoumed citye of his realme, much honorable fame receiueth among all other nacions: but also for that ye, not without your great coste and sundry perils

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and jeopardies in all his warres, bare euer your specyall fauoure to his parte. Whiche youre kynde myndes borne to the house of York, sith he hath nothing worthely acquited, ther is of that house that now by Gods grace better shal, which thing 5 to shewe you is the whole some and effect of this our presente errande. It shall not, I wote well, nede that I rehearse you agayn that ye haue alreadye harde, of him that can better tell it, and of whom I am sure ye wil better beleue it. And reason is that it so be. I am not so proude to 10 looke therfore, that ye shoulde recken my wordes of as great authoritie as the preachers of the worde of God, namelye a manne so cunninge and so wise that no manne better woteth what he should say, and thereto so good and vertuous that he would not say the thyng whiche he wist he 15 shoulde not say, in the pulpet namely, into which none honest man commeth to lie, which honorable preacher ye wel remember substancially declared vnto you at Poules crosse on Sunday last passed, the righte and title that the most excellent prince Richard, duke of Gloucester, now pro20 tectour of this realme, hath vnto the crown and kingdom of the same. For as the worshipful man groundly made open vnto you, the children of king Edward the fourth wer neuer lawfully begotten, forasmuch as the king (liuing his very wife dame Elizabeth Lucy) was neuer lawfully married vnto the 25 Quene their mother, whose bloode, sauing that he set his volupteous pleasure before his honor, was full vnmetely to bee matched with his, and the mengling of whose bloodes together, hath bene the effusion of great parte of the noble bloode of this realme. Wherby it maye wel seme that 30 mariage not well made, of which ther is so much mischief growen. For lack of which lawfull accoupling, and also of other thinges, which the said worshipful doctor rather signified then fully explaned, and which thynges shal not be

spoken for me, as the thing wherin euery man forbereth to say that he knoweth, in auoidinge dyspleasure of my noble lord protector, bearinge as nature requireth a filial reuerence to the duches his mother; for these causes, I say, before remembred, that is to wit, for lack of other issue lawfully 5 comming of the late noble prince Richard duke of York, to whose roial bloode the crown of England and of Fraunce is by the high authoritie of parliament entailed, the right and title of the same is, by the just course of enheritance accordinge to the comon law of this lande, deuolute and 10 comen vnto the most excellent prince the lord protector as to the very lawfully begotten sonne of the fore remembred noble duke of Yorke. Which thing well considred, and the greate knightly prowes pondred, with manyfolde vertues which in his noble parson singularly abound, the nobles and 15 commons also of this realm, and specially of the north partes, not willing any bastard blood to haue the rule of the land, nor the abusions before in the same vsed any longer to continue, haue condiscended and fullye determined to make humble peticion vnto the most puisant prince, the 20 lord protector, that it maye like his grace, at our humble request, to take vpon him the guiding and gouernance of this realm, to the welth and encrease of the same, according to his very right and just title. Which thing I wote it wel he wil be loth to take vpon him, as he whose wisdom well 25 perceiueth the labor and study both of minde and of bodye that shal come therewith, to whom so euer so wel occupy the roume, as I dare say he wil if he take it. Which roume I warne you well is no childes office. And that the greate wise manne well perceiued, when hee sayde: Veh regno 30 Woe is that Realme, that hathe a chylde Wherefore soo muche the more cause haue we to thank God, that this noble parsonage which is so

cuius rex puer est.

to theyre Kynge.

ryghteousely intitled thereunto, is of so sadde age, and therto of so great wisedome joined with so great experience; whiche albeit he wil be lothe, as I haue said, to take it vpon him; yet shall he to oure peticion in that behalf the 5 more graciously encline if ye, the worsshipfull citezens of this the chiefe citie of this realme, joyne wyth vs the nobles in our said request. Which for your owne weale we doubte not but ye will, and natheles I hartelye praye you so to doe, wherby you shall doe gret profite to all this realme beside ro in chosing them so good a king, and vnto your selfe speciall commodite, to whome hys majesty shall euer after beare so muche the more tender fauour, in howe much he shall perceiue you the more prone and beueuolently minded toward his eleccion. Wherin, dere frendes, what mind you haue, 15 wee require you plainely to shew vs.

When the duke had saied, and looked that the people whome he hoped that the mayer had framed before, shoulde, after this proposicion made, haue cried, king Richarde, king Richard; all was husht and mute, and not one 20 word answered therunto. Wherewith the duke was meruailously abashed, and taking the maier nerer to him, with other that were about him priuey to that matter, saied vnto them softlye, What meaneth this, that this peple be so stil? Sir, quod the mayer, parcase they perceyue you 25 not well. That shal we mende (quod he) if that wyll helpe. And by and by somewhat louder, he rehersed them the same matter againe in other order and other wordes, so wel and ornately, and natheles so euidently and plaine, with voice gesture and countenance so cumly and so conuenient, that euery man much meruailed that herd him, and thought that they neuer had in their liues heard so euill a tale so well tolde. But were it for wonder or feare, or that eche looke[d] that other shoulde speake fyrste;

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not one woorde was there aunswered of all the people that stode before, but al was as styl as the midnight, not so much as rowning among them, by whych they myght seme to comen what was best to doe. When the mayer saw thys he wyth other pertiners of that counsayle, drew about the 5 duke and sayed that the people had not ben accustomed there to be spoken vnto but by the recorder, whiche is the mouth of the citie, and happely to him they Fitz William will aunswere. With that the recorder, called recorder. Fitz Wyllyam, a sadde man and an honest, whiche was 1O so new come into that office that he neuer had spoken to the peple before, and loth was with that matter to beginne, notwithstanding thereunto commaunded by the mayer, made rehersall to the comens of that the duke had twise rehersed them himselfe. But the recorder so tem- 15 pered his tale, that he shewed euery thing as the dukes wordes and no part his owne. But all thys nothing no chaunge made in the people which, alway after one, stode as they had ben men amased, wherupon the duke rowned vnto the mayer and sayd: Thys is a maruelouse obstinate 20 silence. And therewith he turned vnto the peple againe with these wordes: Dere frendes, we cume to moue you to that thing which peraduenture we not so greately neded, but that the lordes of thys realme and the comens of other parties might haue suffised, sauing that we such 25 loue bere you, and so much sette by you, that we woulde not gladly doe withoute you that thing in which to bee parteners is your weale and honour which, as it semeth, eyther you se not or way not. Wherfore we require you giue vs aunswer one or other, whither you be mynded as all the nobles of the realme be, to haue this noble prynce now protectour to be your kyng or not. At these wordes the people began to whisper among themselfe secretely, that the

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