CHAPTER VI

MR. GAIRDNER'S RICHARD III

Mr. Gairdner's view of the alleged crimes . . . . . . . . 281 Views stated in Mr. Gairdner's preface . . . . . . . . . . 282 Richard's character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Richard acquitted of several charges . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Tudor fables irreconcileable with Richard's character . . 285 Mr. Gairdner's latest view of the Tewkesbury charge . . . 286-287 On Edward IV.'s proceedings after Tewkesbury . . . . . . . 289-290 His view of the Henry VI. charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 His rejection of the evidence of the writer in Fleetwood . 292 Acquits Richard of responsibility for the death of Clarence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294-295 Position with regard to the title to the crown . . . . . . 296 Believes in the Duchess of York slander . . . . . . . . . 297 His reason for the belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Murder of the Princes. Story admitted to be full of inaccuracies and improbabilities . . . . . . . . . . 298 Richard could not have been a cool, calculating villain . 298 Must have been headstrong and reckless . . . . . . . . . . 298 Such a man might have committed the crime on a sudden impulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 The rising in Kent supposed to be the motive . . . . . . . 299 But the murders are stated to have been in August, the rising in October. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Thus Mr. Gairdner's theory fails . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Mr. Gairdner supplies proofs of the King's popularity . . 300 Richard was the victim of the perfidy of a few traitors . 300 Mr. Gairdner's testimony to Richard's good qualities . . . 300 Great value of Mr. Gairdner's work . . . . . . . . . . . . 300-301

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

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GENEALOGICAL TABLES

SEIZE QUARTIERS OF EDWARD IV. AND RICHARD III. . . . _to face page_ 6

SEIZE QUARTIERS OF ANNE NEVILL . . . . . . . . . . . " " 82

MAP

BATTLE OF BOSWORTH FIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . _to face page_ 328

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LIFE OF RICHARD III