Part 10
As for your son Walter, his labour and learning hath been and is in the Faculty of Art, and is well sped therein, and may be Bachelor at such time as shall like you, and then to go to law. I can think it to his preferring, but it is not good he know it until the time he shall change; and as I conceive there shall none have that Exhibition to the Faculty of Law. Therefore move the executors that at such time as he shall leave it, ye may put another in his place, such as shall like you to prefer. If he shall go to law, and be made Bachelor of Art before, and ye will have him home this year, then may he be Bachelor at Midsummer, and be with you in the vacation, and go to law at Michaelmas. What it shall like you to command me in this or any other, ye shall have mine service ready.
I pray you by the next messenger to send me your intent, that such as shall be necessary may be purveyed in season.
And Jesu preserve you.
Written at Oxford, the iv day of March.
Your scholar, +Edmund Alyard+.
RICHARD DUKE OF GLOUCESTER USURPS THE THRONE (1483).
=Source.=--Ingulph's _Chronicles_, pp. 485-90. (Bohn Edition.)
The body of the deceased King [Edward IV.] being accordingly interred with all honour in due ecclesiastical form, in the new collegiate Chapel of Windsor, which he had erected of the most elaborate workmanship from the foundations; all were most anxiously awaiting the day of the new King's coronation, which was to be the first Lord's day in the month of May, which fell this year on the fourth day of the said month. In the meantime the duke of Gloucester wrote the most soothing letters in order to console the queen, with promises that he would shortly arrive, and assurances of all duty, fealty, and due obedience to his King and lord Edward the Fifth, the eldest son of the deceased King, his brother, and of the queen. Accordingly, on his arrival at York with a becoming retinue, each person being arrayed in mourning, he performed a solemn funeral service for the King, the same being accompanied with plenteous tears. Constraining all the nobility of those parts to take the oath of fealty to the late King's son, he himself was the first of all to take the oath. On reaching Northampton, where the duke of Buckingham joined him, there came thither for the purpose of paying their respects to him, Antony, earl of Rivers, the King's uncle, and Richard Grey, a most noble knight, and uterine brother to the King, together with several others who had been sent by the King, his nephew, to submit the conduct of everything to the will and discretion of his uncle, the duke of Gloucester. On their first arrival, they were received with an especially cheerful and joyous countenance, and, sitting at supper at the duke's table, passed the whole time in very pleasant conversation. At last, Henry, duke of Buckingham, also arrived there, and, as it was now late, they all retired to their respective lodgings.
When the morning, and as it afterwards turned out, a most disastrous one, had come, having taken counsel during the night, all the Lords took their departure together, in order to present themselves before the new King at Stony Stratford, a town a few miles distant from Northampton; and now, lo and behold! when the two dukes had nearly arrived at the entrance of that town, they arrested the said earl of Rivers, and his nephew Richard, the King's brother, together with some others who had come with them, and commanded them to be led prisoners into the north of England. Immediately after, this circumstance being not yet known in the neighbouring town where the King was understood to be, they suddenly rushed into the place where the youthful King was staying, and in like manner made prisoners of certain others of his servants who were in attendance on his person. One of these was Thomas Vaughan, an aged knight and chamberlain of the prince before-named.
The duke of Gloucester, however, who was the ringleader in this outbreak, did not omit or refuse to pay every mark of respect to the King, his nephew, in the way of uncovering the head, bending the knee, or other posture of the body required in a subject. He asserted that his only care was for the protection of his own person, as he knew for certain that there were men in attendance upon the King who had conspired against both his own honour and his very existence. Thus saying, he caused proclamation to be made, that all the King's attendants should instantly withdraw from the town, and not approach any place to which the King might chance to come, under penalty of death. These events took place at Stony Stratford on Wednesday, on the last day of April, in the year above-mentioned, being the same in which his father died.
These reports having reached London on the following night, queen Elizabeth betook herself, with all her children, to the sanctuary at Westminster. In the morning you might have seen there the adherents of both parties, some sincerely, others treacherously, on account of the uncertainty of events, siding with the one party or the other. For some collected their forces at Westminster in the queen's name, others at London under the shadow of the lord Hastings, and took up their position there....
... On the Monday following, they came with a great multitude by water to Westminster, armed with swords and staves, and compelled the cardinal lord archbishop of Canterbury, with many others, to enter the sanctuary, in order to appeal to the good feelings of the queen and prompt her to allow her son Richard, duke of York, to come forth and proceed to the Tower, that he might comfort the King his brother. In words, assenting with many thanks to this proposal, she accordingly sent the boy, who was conducted by the lord cardinal to the King in the said Tower of London.
From this day, these dukes acted no longer in secret, but openly manifested their intentions. For, having summoned armed men, in fearful and unheard-of numbers, from the north, Wales, and all other parts then subject to them, the said Protector Richard assumed the government of the kingdom, with the title of King, on the twentieth day of the aforesaid month of June; and on the same day, at the great Hall at Westminster, obtruded himself into the marble chair. The colour for this act of usurpation, and his thus taking possession of the throne, was the following:--It was set forth, by way of prayer, in an address in a certain roll of parchment, that the sons of King Edward were bastards, on the ground that he had contracted a marriage with one Lady Eleanor Boteler, before his marriage to queen Elizabeth; added to which, the blood of his other brother, George, duke of Clarence, had been attainted; so that, at the present time, no certain and uncorrupted lineal blood could be found of Richard duke of York, except in the person of the said Richard, duke of Gloucester. For which reason, he was entreated, at the end of the said roll, on part of the lords and commons of the realm, to assume his lawful rights. However, it was at the time rumoured that this address had been got up in the north, whence such vast numbers were flocking to London; although, at the same time, there was not a person but what very well knew who was the sole mover at London of such seditious and disgraceful proceedings.
These multitudes of people, accordingly, making a descent from the north to the south, under the especial conduct and guidance of Sir Richard Ratcliffe; on their arrival at the town of Pomfret, by command of the said Richard Ratcliffe, and without any form of trial being observed, Antony, earl of Rivers, Richard Grey, his nephew, and Thomas Vaughan, an aged knight, were, in presence of these people, beheaded. This was the second innocent blood which was shed on the occasion of this sudden change.
After these events, the said Richard, duke of Gloucester, having summoned Thomas, the cardinal archbishop of Canterbury, for the purpose, was on the sixth day of the month of July following anointed and crowned King, at the conventual church of Saint Peter at Westminster, and, on the same day and place, his queen, Anne, received the Crown. From this day forward, as long as he lived, this man was styled King Richard, the third of that name from the Conquest.
THE MURDER OF THE PRINCES (1483).
=Source.=--_The History of King Richard the Third_, by Sir Thomas More, pp. 67 _et seq._ (London: 1557.)
[+Note.+--More's life of Richard III. was written about 1513. It has, however, almost the value of a contemporary authority, as much of the information was derived from Cardinal Morton.]
But in the mean time for this present matter I shall rehearse you the dolorous end of those babes, not after every way that I have heard, but after that way that I have so heard by such men and by such means, as methinks it were hard but it should be true. King Richard, after his coronation, taking his way to Gloucester to visit in his new honour the town of which he bore the name of his old, devised as he rode to fulfill that thing which he before had intended. And forasmuch as his mind gave him that, his nephews living, men would not reckon that he could have right to the realm, he thought therefore without delay to rid them, as though the killing of his kinsmen could amend his cause, and make him a kindly king. Whereupon he sent one John Green, whom he specially trusted, unto sir Robert Brackenbury, Constable of the Tower, with a letter and credence also, that the same sir Robert should in any wise put the two children to death. This John Green did his errand unto Brackenbury kneeling before our Lady in the Tower, who plainly answered that he would never put them to death, with which answer John Green returning recounted the same to King Richard at Warwick, yet in his way. Wherewith he took such displeasure and thought, that the same night he said unto a secret page of his: "Ah! whom shall a man trust? Those that I have brought up myself, those that I had thought would most surely serve me, even those fail me, and at my commandment will do nothing for me." "Sir," quoth the page, "there lieth one on your pallet without that I dare well say, to do your grace pleasure, the thing were right hard that he would refuse,"--meaning by this sir James Tyrrell, which was a man of right goodly personage, and for nature's gifts worthy to have served a much better prince, if he had well served God, and by grace obtained as much truth and goodwill as he had strength and wit. The man had a high heart, and sore longed upward, not rising yet so fast as he had hoped, being hindered and kept under by the means of sir Richard Ratcliff and sir William Catesby, which longing for no more partners of the prince's favour, and namely not for him whose pride they wist would bear no peer, kept him by secret drifts out of all secret trust. Which thing this page well had marked and known. Wherefore this occasion offered, of very special friendship he took his time to put him forward, and by such wise do him good that all the enemies he had, except the devil, could never have done him so much hurt. For upon this page's words King Richard rose ... and came out into the pallet chamber, on which he found in bed sir James and sir Thomas Tyrrell, of persons alike and brethren of blood, but nothing of kin in conditions. Then said the King merely unto them: "What, sirs! be ye in bed so soon?" And calling up sir James broke to him secretly his mind in this mischievous matter. In which he found him nothing strange. Wherefore on the morrow he sent him to Brackenbury with a letter, by which he was commanded to deliver sir James all the keys of the Tower for one night, to the end he might there accomplish the King's pleasure in such thing as he had given him commandment. After which letter delivered and the keys received, sir James appointed the night next ensuing to destroy them, devising before and preparing the means. The prince, as soon as the protector left that name and took himself as king, had it showed unto him that he should not reign, but his uncle should have the Crown. At which word the prince, sore abashed, began to sigh and said: "Alas! I would my uncle would let me have my life yet, though I lose my kingdom." Then he that told him the tale used him with good words, and put him in the best comfort he could. But forthwith was the prince and his brother both shut up, and all other removed from them, only one called Black Will or William Slaughter excepted, set to serve them and see them sure. After which time the prince never tied his points[46] nor ought heeded of himself, but with that young babe his brother, lingered in thought and heaviness until this traitorous death delivered them of that wretchedness. For sir James Tyrrell devised that they should be murdered in their beds. To the execution whereof he appointed Miles Forest, one of the four that kept them, a fellow fleshed in murder beforetime. To him he joined one John Dighton, his own horse keeper, a big, broad, square, strong knave. Then all the others being removed from them, this Miles Forest and John Dighton, about midnight (the innocent children lying in their beds) came into the chamber and suddenly lapped them up among the clothes, so bewrapped them and entangled them, keeping down by force the feather bed and pillows hard unto their mouths, that within a while, smothered and stifled, their breath failing, they gave up to God their innocent souls into the joys of heaven, leaving to the tormentors their bodies dead in the bed. Which, after the wretches perceived, first by the struggling with the pains of death, and after long lying still to be thoroughly dead, they laid their bodies naked out upon the bed, and fetched sir James to see them. Which upon the sight of them, caused those murderers to bury them at the stair foot, fairly deep in the ground under a heap of stones.
[46] Lace fastenings.
THE CHARACTER OF KING RICHARD III.
=Source.=--Harding's _Chronicle_, pp. 547, 548. (London: 1812.)
... He was but of a small stature having but a deformed body; the one shoulder was higher than the other; he had a short face and a cruel look which did betoken malice, guile and deceit. And while he did muse upon anything standing, he would bite his under lip continually, whereby a man might perceive his cruel nature, within his wretched body, strove and chafed alway within himself; also the dagger which he bore about him, he would always be chopping of it in and out. He had a sharp and pregnant wit, subtle, and to dissimulate and feign very fit. He had also a proud and cruel mind, which never went from him to the hour of his death, which he had rather suffer by the cruel sword, though all his company did forsake him, than by shameful flight he would favour his life, which after might fortune by sickness or other condign punishment shortly to perish.
AN ACT TO FREE THE SUBJECTS FROM BENEVOLENCES (1484).
=Source.=--_Statutes of the Realm_, 1 Richard III., c. ii.
The King remembering how the Commons of this his realm by new and unlawful inventions and inordinate covetise, against the laws of this realm, have been put to great thraldom and importable charges and exactions, and in especial by a new imposition named a benevolence, whereby divers years the subjects and Commons of this land against their wills and freedom have paid great sums of money to their almost utter destruction; For divers and many worshipfull men of this realm by occasion thereof were compelled by necessity to break up their household and to live in great penury and wretchedness, their debts unpaid and their children unpreferred, and such memorials as they had ordained to be done for the wealth of their souls were anentised and annulled to the great displeasure of God and to the destruction of this realm. Therefore the King will it be ordained, by the advice and assent of his lords spiritual and temporal and the Commons of this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that his subjects and the commonalty of this his realm from henceforth in no wise be charged by none such charge or imposition called benevolence, nor by any such like charge; And that such exactions called benevolence before this time taken, be taken for no example to make such or anylike charge of any his said subjects of this realm hereafter, but it be damned and annulled for ever.
HENRY TUDOR AND THE WELSH (1485).
=Sources.=--(_a_) Llanstephan MSS. 136, f. 80. (National Library of Wales.) (_b_) _Ceinion Llenyddiaeth Gymreig_, i., pp. 220, 221. (London, n.d.). (_c_) _Gwaith Lewis Glyn Cothi_, p. 477, lines 3-12. (Oxford: 1837.)
[+Note.+--The following extracts are translated from contemporary Welsh poems. The first two are selected as examples of the 'bruts' or vaticinatory poems, written and circulated to stir up the Welsh chieftains to support Henry. The third extract illustrates the excitement among his countrymen on the eve of Henry's landing.]
(_a_) The knell of the Saxon shall be our satisfaction; a prince shall we have of our own race.... Cadwaladr[47] will come to his own again with his eightfold gifts and his doughty deeds.... Woe to the black host beside the wave if misfortune should come to the strangers. Jasper[48] will breed for us a Dragon; of the fortunate blood of Brutus[49] is he. The Bull of Anglesey[50] is our joy; he is the hope of our race. A great grace was the birth of Jasper from the stock of Cadwaladr of the beautiful [spear] shaft.
[47] The last King of Britain. The Tudors claimed descent from Cadwaladr.
[48] Jasper Tudor, uncle of the Earl of Richmond.
[49] The mythical founder of the British race.
[50] Henry Tudor. The home of the Tudors was at Penmynydd, in Anglesey.
(_b_) We are waiting for him [Henry] to show, when he comes, the Red Rose in high pomp. The Thames will run with blood on that day, and there shall we be satisfied.... There is longing for Harry, there is hope for our race. His name comes down from the mountains as a two-edged sword; and his descent from the high places; and his sword wins the day. He will win, ere his life be done, the unbelieving to the Creed of the Cross.
+To Jasper Tudor.+
(_c_) In what seas are thy anchors, and where art thou thyself? When wilt thou come to land and how long must we tarry? On the feast of the Virgin[51] fair Gwynedd,[52] in her songs, watched the seas. In the month of May she awaited, expecting thy coming from afar. God! August has come,[53] and yet thou hast delayed ... Lord of Pembroke, awake thou!
[51] March 25.
[52] The Principality of North Wales.
[53] Henry and Jasper Tudor landed at Milford on August 7 or 8, 1485.
PROCLAMATION AGAINST THE TUDORS (+June 23, 1485+).
=Source.=--Ellis's _Original Letters_, Second Series, vol. i., pp. 162-166. (London: 1827.)
Forasmuch as the King our Sovereign Lord hath certain knowledge that Piers, Bishop of Exeter, Jasper Tudor son of Owen Tudor calling himself Earl of Pembroke, John late Earl of Oxford and Sir Edward Woodeville, with other divers his rebels and traitors, disabled and attainted by authority of the High Court of Parliament, of whom many be known for open murderers, adulterers and extortioners, contrary to the pleasure of God and against all truth, honour and nature, have forsaken their natural country, taking them first to be under the obedience of the Duke of Brittany, and to him promised certain things which by him and his Council were thought things too greatly unnatural and abominable for them to grant, observe keep and perform, and therefore the same utterly refused. The said traitors seeing that the said Duke and his council would not aid and succour them, nor follow their ways, privily departed out of his country into France, there taking themselves to be under the obedience of the King's ancient enemy Charles, calling himself King of France; and to abuse and blind the commons of this Realm, the said rebels and traitors have chosen to be their captain one Henry Tudor, son of Edmund Tudor, son of Owen Tudor, which of his ambitions and insatiable covetousness encroacheth and usurpeth upon him the name and title of royal estate of this Realm of England, whereunto he hath no manner [of] interest, right, title or colour, as every man well knoweth;... and if he should achieve this false intent and purpose, every man's life, livelihood and goods should be in his hands, liberty and disposition; whereby should ensue the disheriting and destruction of all the noble and worshipful blood of this realm for ever. And to the resistance and withstanding whereof, every true and natural Englishman born must lay to his hands for his own surety, and well. And to the intent that the said Henry Tudor might the rather achieve his said false intent and purpose by the aid ... of the King's said ancient enemy of France, [he] hath covenanted and bargained with him, and with all the Council of France, to give and release in perpetuity all the right, title and claim that the Kings of England have had and might have to the crown and realm of France, together with the duchies of Normandy, Anjou and Maine, Gascony and Guienne, the castles and towns of Calais, Guisnes, Hammes, with the marches appertaining to the same, and to dissever and exclude the arms of France out of the arms of England for ever.... And over this ... the said Henry Tudor and other the King's rebels and traitors aforesaid, have intended at their coming, if they can be of power, to do the most cruel murders, slaughters, robberies and disherisons that were ever seen in any Christian realm. For the which and other inestimable dangers to be eschewed ... the King our Sovereign Lord desireth, willeth and commandeth all and every of the natural and true subjects of this his realm, to call the premises into their minds, and like good and true Englishmen to endeavour themselves with all their powers for the defence of themselves, their wives, children, goods and hereditaments.... And our said Sovereign Lord, as a well-willed, diligent and courageous Prince, will put his royal person to all labour and pain necessary in this behalf ... and our Sovereign Lord willeth and commandeth all his said subjects to be ready in their most defensible array, to do his Highness service of war, when they by open proclamation or otherwise shall be commanded so to do for the resistance of the King's said rebels, traitors and enemies.
HENRY'S LANDING (+August, 1485+).
=Source.=--_A Short View of the Long Life of that ever wise, valiant and fortunate Commander, Rice ap Thomas, Knight._ (Cambrian Register, 1795.)
[+Note.+--The original manuscript, from which this account is taken, was written about the year 1605, and therefore cannot claim to have the value of a contemporary authority. But the continuator of the Croyland Chronicle, the only contemporary account, is extremely meagre in its details of Henry's journey through Wales; and this biography was based on contemporary materials, the traditions of the Welsh bards and similar matter. Moreover, in representing Rees as a confederate with Richmond before the landing, it agrees with the contemporary English ballad of the Lady Bessy.]
The Earl [of Richmond] having received Rice ap Thomas's answer, with other joyful and comfortable advertisements from Morgan of Kidwelly, he was so greatly encouraged therewith that no hopes of auxiliary forces from the French King or any other necessary provisions whatsoever, could make him any longer to disappoint his friends and confederates with an expectation of his coming, and therefore with all convenient speed furnishing himself with such men, money and munition as he could readily procure, he enshipped himself and weighed anchor from Harfleur, having but two thousand men in all, and they, God wot, poorly provided, and so in seven days, with a prosperous gale, he landed at Milford.