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A29737 A chronicle of the Kings of England, from the time of the Romans goverment [sic] unto the raigne of our soveraigne lord, King Charles containing all passages of state or church, with all other observations proper for a chronicle / faithfully collected out of authours ancient and moderne, & digested into a new method ; by Sr. R. Baker, Knight. Baker, Richard, Sir, 1568-1645. 1643 (1643) Wing B501; ESTC R4846 871,115 630

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to aide the Duke of Britaine but the King of France at that time dying the Duke of Britain grew to have peace with the new King whereupon the Earle of Buckingham came home againe without doing much but making of Knights and forraging the Country In this time the French and Spanish Gallies did much mischiefe on the Coast of England they burnt Rye H●sti●gs a●d Portsmouth and at last ent●ing the River of Thames they came up to Gravesend where they burnt most part of the Towne and taking many Prisoners and Booties returned into France At this time also there fell out an Accident of great disturbance to the Realme for the Commons rose in divers parts beginning at Dep●ford in Kent and the cause of their Rising grew as was thought through the rude behaviour of a Collector of the Poll-money who comming into the house of one Iohn Tyler and demanding Pollmony of his wife for a daughter of hers and she saying that her daughter was not of that age to pay the rude fellow said he would presently see whether that were so or no and thereupon forceably turned up her clo●thes whereat the mother making an outcry her husband being at work hard by and hearing the noyse came in with his lathing-staffe in his hand with which he gave the Collector such a blow on the head that his braines flew out and he presently dyed Upon this at the complaint of Tyler amongst his neighbours and withall a factious Clergie-man one Iohn ●●ll taking occasion hereat to rip up the ground of this Misgovernment and telling the people that this difference of mens Estates where some are Potentates and some are Bondmen was against Christian liberty taking for his Theame When Adam delv'd and Eve span who was then ● Gentleman he so incensed them that the Commons in divers parts drew together and whether beginning in Kent or otherwise in Essex they drew at last into their faction the Commons of S●ssex Hartfordshire Cambridgshire Suffolk Norfolk and other Shires and arresting all such as passed made them sweare to be true to K. Richard and to the Commons and never to receive any King that should be called Iohn which they did for the envy they bore to Iohn Duke of Lancaster Thus their number still increased that by that time they were come as farre as Black-heath they were esteemed to be a Hundred Thousand The first thing they did when they came to London was to send for one Richard Lyon a grave Citizen who had been Tylers Master and his head they struck off and carried it upon a pole in Triumph before them The next day they goe to the Savoy the Duke of La●casters house which they set on fire burning all his rich Furniture breaking in pieces all his Pla●e and Jewels and throwing them into the Thames saying They were men of justice and would not like Robbers enrich themselves with any mans goods and when one of their fellowes was espyed to thrust a faire silver piece into his bosome they tooke him and cast both him and the piece into the fire Two and thirty of them were got into the Dukes Wine-Cellar where they stayed drinking so long till the rafte●s of the house on fire fell upon them and so covered them that not able to get out they were heard cry seven dayes after and then perished From the Savoy they went to the Temple where they burnt the Lawyers lodgings with their bookes and writings and all they could lay hand on Also the House of St. Iohns by Smithfield they set on fire so that it burned for the space of seven dayes together After this they came to the Tower where the King was then lodged and though he had at that time sixe hundred armed men and as many Archers about him yet he durst not but suffer them to enter where they abused the Kings mother offering to kisse her in such rude manner that she fell into a swound and finding in the place Simon Thybold Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellour and Sr. Robert Hales also Lord Treasurer they led them to the Towerhill and there in most cruell manner struck off their head● as also of divers others Neither spared they sacred places for breaking into the Church of the Augustine Fryers they drew forth thirteene Flemmings and beheaded them in the open streets as also seventeen other out of other Churche● Yet after all these outrages the King proclaimed Pardon to all such as would lay down Armes and goe quietly home which the Essex-men did but the Kentish-men continued still with their Captaine Wat Tyl●r to whom when the King sent Sir Iohn Newton to understand what his meaning was Wat Tyler offended because he came on horse-back told him it became him to light from his horse in his presence a●d therewith drew out his dagger to strike him the King perceiving his Knight to be in danger bade him alight from his horse but when this would not pacifie him the Major of London William Walworth by the Kings appointment rode to him and arrested him and gave him such a blow on the head that he astonied him and then other of the Kings servants drew their swords and thrust him through in divers parts of his body so as he died there in the place When the Commons saw this they cryed out Our Captain is slain let us revenge it Here the King though very young not above fifteen yeeres of age yet had the courage to ride unto them telling them that now their Leader was dead he would be their Leader himselfe and if they would follow him into the fields they should have whatsoever they desired In the meane time the Lord Major Walworth had gone into the City and raised a Thousand armed men and meeting Sir Robert Knolls by chance got him to be their Leader who comming into the fields where the Rebels were so daunted them that throwing downe their weapons they cryed for mercy that it was a wonderfull thing to see how suddenly Fear overtook Presumption for scarce their words of Insolency were out of their mouths when they fell to words of most servile submission And as strange an alteration in those about the King to see how suddenly Boldnes surprized Feare for scarce they left trembling at the sight of the Rebels when suddenly upon sight of this Ayde their fingers itched to be setting ●pon them but that the King would not suffer it because some amongst them were there by compulsion and to set upon them thus mingled might as well be the death of the innocent as of the guilty But to pacifie them the more the King caused his Charter of Manumission to be sent unto them which yet stayed them not from committing outrages at S● Albans and cancelling the antient Charters of the Abbots and Monks there Besides the Sedition was more generall then that the appeasing it in one place could be finall for at the same time there were gathered together in Suffolk to the
Spain Sir Walter Rawleigh Captain of the Guard having defloured a Mayd of Honor whom afterward he married had lost the Queens favour and was held in Prison for certain moneths but afterward being set at liberty though banished the Court He undertook a Voyage to Guyana setting sayl from Plimmouth in February he arrived at Trinidada where he took St. Iosephs Town but found not a jot of money there From hence with Boats and a hundred souldiers he entred the vast River Orenoque ranging up in Guyana four hundred myles but getting little but his labour for his travell In like manner Amyas Preston and Sommers Pillaged sundry Towns of the King of Spains in the Western parts and three ships of the Earl of Cumberland set upon a huge Caraque which by casualty was fired when they were in fight and these were the enterprises of private persons but the Queen being informed that great store of wealth for the King of Spains use was conveyed to Port Rico in St. Iohns Island sent thither Hawkins Dr●k● and Baskervile with land Forces furnishing them with six ships out of her own Navy and twenty other men of War They set sayl from Plimmo●th the last of August and seven and twenty dayes after came upon the Coast of the great Canarie which being strongly Fortified they forbore to assault A moneth after they came to the Isle of St. Dominicke where five Spanish ships being sent forth to watch the English lighted upon one of the small English ships which was strayed from the Company and ●●●ting the Master and Marriners upon the Rack understood by them That the English Navy was bent to Port Rico whereupon they make all possible speed to give notice thereof that being fore-warned they might accordingly be armed And thereupon as soon as the English had cast Anchors 〈◊〉 the Road at Port Rico the Spaniards thundered against them from the shore si● Nicholas Clifford and Brute Browne were wounded as they sate at ●upper and two dayes after died Hawkins also and Drake partly of dis●●se and partly of grief for their ill successe died soon after At the end of eight months the Fleet came home having done the enemy little hurt fired onely some few Towns and ships but received infinite damage thems●lves lost two such Sea-men as the Kingdom I may say all Europe had ●ot their like left For the Spaniards having of late yeers received great ●●rms by the French and English had now provided for themselves with Fortifications which were not easie to be won At this time the Queen made known to the States in the Low-Countries the great charges she had been at in relieving them ten yeers together for which she requiteth some considerable recompence The States again alleadge the great charges they were at in Eighty Eight in repelling the Spaniards in her cause yet not to fall out about the matter they were content to allow some reasonable retribution but yet for the present nothing was concluded Likewise at this time the Hanse Towns in Germany make complaint to the Emperour and the Princes of the Empire That the Immunities from customes antiently granted them by the Kings of England began to be Antiquated and that a Monopoly of English Merchants was set up in Germany to which the Queen by Sir Christopher Perkins first shewing the cause of the first Grant and then the Reason of Queen Maries prohibiting it afterward makes them so satisfactory an answer that those very Hanse-Towns which complained brought into England at this time such store of Corne that it prevented a mutiny which thorough dearth of Corn was like to have hapned in London This yeer was famous for the death of many great Personages Philip Earl of Arundel condemned in the yeer 1589. The Queen had all this while spared but now death would spare him no longer having since that time been wholly given to contemplation and macerated himself in a strict course of Religion leaving one onely son Thomas by his wife Anne Dacres of Gillis●and He had two brothers Thomas Lord Howard whom Queen Elizabeth made Baron of Walden and King Iames afterward Earl of Suffolk and William Lord Howard of the North who yet liveth and one sister the Lady Margaret marryed to Robert Sackvile afterward Earl of D●rset and father of Edward Earl of Dorset now living a Lady so milde so vertuous and so devout in her Religion that if her brother macerated himself being in prison she certainly did no lesse being at liberty whom I the rather mention because I had the happinesse to know her living and the unhappinesse to be a Mourner at her Funerall There died this yeer also William Lord Vaulx a zealous Papist and Sir Thomas Hineage Vice-Chamberlain and Chancellor of the Dutchy of Lancaster whose onely daughter marryed to Sir Moyle Finch of Kent was no small advancer of that House There died also William Whitaker Master of S. Iohns Colledge in Cambridge and Divinity Professor As likewise Sir Roger Williams and Sir Thomas Morgan so as this yeer was honoured with the deaths of two great Lords one exquisite Courtier one great Schollar and two famous Souldiers In Ireland at this time Russell the Deputy doubting a storm of War from Tir-Oen sent into England requiring to have some experienced souldier sent to him with Forces who though he desired Baskervyle to be the man yet Sir Iohn Norris was sent with thirteen hundred old souldiers besides a further supply whom Tir-Oen hearing to be coming set presently upon the Fort of Blackwater and in the absence of Edward Cornwall the Governour took it But now being doubtfull of his case in a subdolous manner as he was a double dealing man he both offereth his help to the Earl of Kildare against the Deputies servants and at the same time maketh promise to the Earl of Ormond and Sir Henry Wallope of loyalty and obedience but notwithstanding he was forthwith proclaimed Traytor under the name of H●gh O Neal bastard son to Con O Neal. There was at this time with the Rebells in Ulster a thousand Horse and 6280 Foot and in Connaght two thousand three hundred all at Tir Oens command and the Forces of the English under Norris not much fewer with whom the Deputy himself joyned and marched together to Armagh which so terrified the Rebels that Tir Oen forsaking the Fort of Blackwater began to hide himself Whereupon the Deputy returned leaving Norris to follow the War with the Title of Generall of the Army But this satisfied not Norris and therefore out of emulation betwixt himself the Deputy he performed nothing worth the speaking of and seemed to favour Tir Oen as much as the Deputy hated him insomuch as he had private conference with him a thing not lawfull with proclaymed Traytors and upon his submission and Hostages given a Truce was granted both to him and Odonell till the first of Ian●ary When the Truce was expired Tir Oen exhibited certain Petitions protesting if they
but these last more by humility shewed to their Prince Leolyn then by force of A●mes But yet he must not have all the glory of his time some must be imparted to his sister Elflede who being marryed to Ethelred Earle of Mercia had by him a daughter but with so grievous pa●nes in her travaile that ever after she refused the nuptiall bed of her Husband saying it was a foolish pleasure that brought with it so excessive paines And thereupon after her husbands death made choyce to follow the warres assisting her brother both against the Welsh and against the Danes whom she brought to be at her disposing Dying she was buryed at Glocester in the Monastery of Saint Peter which her Husband and her selfe had built King Edw●rd himselfe after foure and twenty yeares Raigne deceased at Faringdon in Barkshire in the yeare 924. and was buryed in the new Monastery of Winchester which his Father began and himselfe wholly finished having had by his three Wives six Sonnes and nine Daughters of whom his eldest sonne Athelstan succeeded him in the kingdome whom his Grandfather King Alfred had with his owne hands Knighted● in an extraordinary manner putting upon him a purple Robe and girding him with a girdle wrought with Pearle His second sonne Elfred he so loved that he caused him to be Crowned King with himselfe which yet he enjoyed but a short time being taken away by death His third sonne Elsward presently upon his Fathers death dyed himselfe also His fourth son Edwyn was by his brother Athelstan out of jealousie of state put into a little Pinnace without either Tackle or Oares accompanyed onely with one Page with griefe whereof the young Prince leaped into the Sea and drowned himselfe His fifth and sixth sonnes Edmund and Edred came in succession to be Kings of England Of his Daughters the eldest Edytha was marryed to Sithricke the Danish King of Northumberland and he deceasing she entred into a Monastery which she began at Tamworth in Warwickshire and there dyed His second daughter Elflede tooke upon her the vow of Virginity in the Monastery of Ramsey in the County of South-hampton where she dyed and was interred His third daughter Eguina was first marryed to Charles the Simple King of France and after his decease to Herbert Ea●le of Vermandois His fourth daughter Ethelhild became a Nunne in the Monastery of Wilton which was sometime the head Towne giving name to the whole County of Wil●shire and anciently called Ellandon That we may see in those first times of Religion when there was lea●t knowledge there was most devotion His fifth daughter Edhold was marryed to Hugh surnamed the Great Earle of Paris and Constable of France And Edgith his sixth daughter to Otho the Emperour of the West ●urnamed the Great His seventh daughter Elgina was marryed to a Duke of Italy His ninth Edgina to Lewis Prince of Aquitaine in France After the death of King Edward his eldest sonne Athelstan succeeded and was Crowned at Kingstone upon Thames in the County of Surrey by Athelmu● Archbishop of Canterbury in the yeare 924. The beginning of whose Raigne was molested with the Treason of one Elfrid a Nobleman who being apprehended and sent to Rome to purge himselfe and there denying the Act upon his Oath fell suddenly downe and within three dayes dyed to the eternall ●errour of all perjured persons Presently upon this another dysaster befell King Athelstan for having caused his brother Edwyns death as before is shewed chiefly procured by his Cupbearers suggestions It hapned not long after that his Cup-bearer in his service at a Festivall stumbling with one foote and recovering himselfe with the other and saying merrily See how one brother helpes another His words put the King in remembrance of his Brother whose death he had caused and with remorse thereof not onely caused his Cup-bearer to be put to death but did also seven yeare● penance and built the two Monasteries of Middleton and Michelnesse in the County of Dorset in expiation of his offence This King ordained many good Lawes and those to binde as well the Clergy as the Laity amongst which one was the Attachment of Felons that stole a●ove twelve pence and were above twelve yeares old Of this King there is one Act related that may seeme ridiculous another that may seeme miraculous For what more ridiculous then that going to visit the Tombe of Saint Iohn of Beverley and having nothing else of worth to offer he offered his knife in devotion to the Saint Yet the mirac●lous is more apparent For going to encounter the Danes and praying to God for good successe he prayed withall that God would shew some signe of his rightfull cause and thereupon striking with his sword he strucke it an ell deepe into a hard stone which stood so cloven a long time after But whether this be true or no this certainly is true that he obtained many great victories against the Danes against the Scots against the Ir●sh and against the Welsh whose Princes he brought to be his Tributaries entring Covenant at Heref●rd to pay him yearely twenty pound weight of gold three hundred of silver and five and twenty hundred head of Cattell besides a certaine number of Hawkes and Hounds Lastly he joyned Northumberland to the rest of his Monarchy and enlarged his Dominions beyond any of his Predecessours which made all Neighbouring Princes to seeke his friendship and to gratify him with rare presents as Hugh King of France sent him the sword of Constantine the Great in the hilt whereof was one of the nayles that fastned Christ to his Crosse He sent him also the speare of Charles the Grea● reputed to be the same that pierced Christs side as also part of the Crosse whereon Christ suffered and a piece of the Thorny Crowne put upon his head Likewise Otho the Emperour who had marryed his sister sent him a vessell of pretious stones artificially made wherein were seene Landskips with Vines Corne and Men all of them seeming so artificially to move as if they were growing and alive Likewise the King of Norway sent him a goodly Ship with a gilt Ste●ne purple ●ayles and the decke garnished all with gold Of these accounted Holy Reliques King Athelstan gave part to the Abbey of Saint Swithin in Winchester and the rest to the Monastery of Mamesbury whereof Adelm was the Founder and his Tutelar Saint He new built the Monasteries of Wilton Michelnesse and Middleton Founded Saint Germans in Cornwall Saint Petrocus at Bodmyn and the Priory of Pilton new walled and beautifyed the City of Exceter and enriched either with Jewels or Lands every speciall Abbey of the Land But the chiefest of his workes for the service of God and good of his Subjects was the Translation of the Bible into the Saxon Tongue which was then the Mother tongue of the Land He Raigned fifteen● yeares Dyed at Glocest●r and was buryed at Mamesbery in the yeare 940. having never beene marryed
made benefit of the vacancie of Bishopricks and Abbeys so did King Henry K. Iohn took great Fines of many for crimes not proved but onely supposed so did King Henry King Iohn made benefit of a new Seale so did King Henry King Iohn extorted great summes from the Iewes so did King Henry And one way more he had to get money which perhaps his Father had not and that was by begging as he told the Abbot of Borough It was more Almes to give money to him then to the Begger that went from doore to doore Indeed Taxations in this Kings Raigne may be reckoned amongst his Annuall Revenues for scarce any yeare passed without a Parliament and seldome any Parliament without a Taxe or if any sometimes without it was then cause of the greater Taxation some other way as when he tooke of the Londoners for having aided the Barons twenty thousand Markes Of his Lawes and Ordinances IN this Kings Raigne were ratified and confirmed the two great Charters of Magna Char●a and Charta de Foresta also in his time were enacted the Statutes called of Merton of Oxford and of Marleborough Also stealing of cattell which before was but Pecuniary he made capitall and the first that suffered for the same was one of Dunstable who having stollen twelve Oxen from the Inhabitants of Colne and being pursued to Redburne was by a Bailiffe of Saint Albons according to the Kings Proclamation condemned and beheaded And it may seeme strange that in these times so much bloud should be shed in the field and none upon the scaffold for till the twenty sixth yeare of this King that one William Marisc the sonne of Geoffrey Marisc a Noble man of Ireland being condemned for Piracie and Treason was hanged beheaded and quartered there is no example of that kinde of punishment to be found in our Histories Particularly in this Kings Raigne was made that Statute by which the Ward and marriage of the heires of Barons within age is given to the King Also in this Kings Raigne the Pleas of the Crowne were pleaded in the Tower of London All Weares in the Thames are in this Kings time ordained to be pluck'd up and destroyed Also the Citizens of London are allowed by Charter to passe Toll-free through all England and to have free Warren about London also to have and use a common Seale Also it was ordained that no Sheriffe of London should continue in his office longer then one yeare which they did before for many In the five and twentieth yeare of this King were Aldermen first chosen within the City of London which then had the rule of the City and of the Wards of the same and were then yearely changed as now the Sheriffes are It was in this Kings time allowed to the City of London to present their Major to the Barons of the Exchequer to be sworne which before was to be presented to the King wheresoever he were In his time the clause No● obstante brought in first by the Pope was taken up by the King in his grants and writings Also in this Kings time William Bishop of Salisbury first caused that custome to be received for a Law whereby the Tenants of every Lordship are bound to owe their suite to the Lords Court of whom they hold their Tenements Affaires of the Church in his time AFfaires of the Church for matter of Doctrine were never more quiet then in this Kings Raigne for now all Heresies accounted of the time especially the Albigenses were in a manner suppressed by the Armes of the King of France not without the Vote of the King of England who forbore to make warre upon him in tendernesse to this service but for matter of manners they were never more turbulent for now Abbeys were fleeced Sanctuaries violated Clergy-men outraged Bishops themselves not spared and all for greedinesse of money or for revenge Ottobone the Popes Legat here in England lying at the Abbey of Oseney there happened a difference betweene his servants and the Schollers of Oxford in which contention a brother of his was slaine and the● Legat himselfe faine to fly into the Steeple for safegard of his life whereupon afterward being gotten from thence by the Kings safe conduct he thundred out curses against the Schollers and interdicted the University so as the Colledges grew desolate and the Students were dispersed abroad into other places for the space of halfe a yeare till the Monkes of Oseney and the Regent Masters of Oxford were faine to goe bare-foote and bare-head through London as farre as Durham house where the Legat lay and there upon their humble submission and great mens intercession they were absolved and the University restored to its former estate But of this Ottobone it may not be impertinent to relate a little further that going afterward out of England he came by degrees after the death of Innocent the fifth to be Pope of Rome himselfe by the name of Adrian the fifth and died within fifty dayes after his election Amongst affaires of the Church may be reckoned the Ulcers of any member of the Church such a one as in this Kings time brake out most loathsome for one procuring five wounds to be made in his body in resemblance to the five wounds in Christs body tooke upon him to be Christ and had gotten a Woman that tooke upon her to be the Virgin Mary who continuing obstinate in their madnesse were adjudged to be immured and shut up betweene two wals to the end no doubt the contagion of their filthinesse should spread no further In this Kings time a little novelty was first brought in by Pope Innocent the fourth who ordained that Cardinals should weare red Hats something perhaps for mystery and something for distictnion Workes of piety done by him or by others in his time THis King caused a chest of Gold to be made for laying up the Reliques of King Edward the Confessour in the Church of Westminster Hee builded a Church for converted Iewes in London also an Hospitall at Oxford for passengers and diseased persons also the new Coventuall Church and the Chappell of our Lady at Westminster whereof hee laid himselfe the first stone also the hou●e of Black-Friers in Canterbury In his time Ela Countesse of Salisbury founded the Abbey of Lacok in Wiltshire Richard Earle of Cornwall founded Hayles a Monastery of Cistersian Monkes neare to Winchcombe in Glocestershire Reginold de Moun Earle of Somerset and Lord of Dunster founded the Abbey of Newham in Devonshire Ranulph the third Earle of Chester and Lord of little Britaine builded the Castles of Chartley Bestone and the Abbey of Dela Cresse Sir Iohn Mansell the Kings Chaplaine founded a house of Regular Chanons neare to Rumney in Kent William de Albineto Earle of Arundell founded the Priory of Wimondham William Brunc a Citizen of London and Rosia his wife founded the Hospitall of our Lady without Bishopsgate in London And Isabel Countesse of Arundell founded the
King of France making a slight answer the Regent marcheth apace towards him and as fast the King of France marcheth away The Regent followed him but could not overtake him till he came neere Se●lys there both the Armies encamped and embattelled yet only some light skirmishes p●●●ed between them and a night or two after the French king fled with his Army to Br●y which the Duke thinking to be but a plot to draw him further off from Paris of whose fidelity he had no great assurance followed him no further but returned thither At which time the Regents brother the Cardinall having prepared forces to assist Pope Martin in Bohemia the Regent borrowed them of him for a present expedition and with them marched into Champaigne where he found the French king encamped upon the Mount Pihall whose number being twice as many as the Regents yet by no provocations could he be drawn to battell but secretly fled to Crispis whereupon the Regent also returned to Paris Whil●st these things are done in France In England upon St. Leonards day the 6. of November 1429 King Henry not yet eight yeers old was with great solemnity Crowned at Westminster at whose Coronation were made six and thirty Knights of the Bathe and after the solemnity a feast and if any man desire to know so much Cookery hee may read in Fabian all the dishes of meate that were served at that feast About this time in France a strange Impostor ariseth a maid called la Pucelle taking upon her to be sent from God for the good of France and to expell the English and some good indeed she did for by her subtle working the King was received into Champaigne and many Townes were rendred to him whil'st the Lord L●nguevile tooke by surprize the Castle of Aumarle and slew all the English that were in it But all these were but petty acquests to the king of France there is a knot of friendship between the Dukes of Bedford and Burgoigne which must be broken or he will never be able to compasse his designes He therefore labours by all meanes possible to disunite them wherein he so little prevailed that the Duke of Burg●ig●e acquaints the Regent with all the practises who thereupon with many thanks exhorteth him to continue fi●me of which he should never have cause to repent him And because Normandy was a principall part of the English strength in France he goeth thither and by many reasons perswades them as their Ancestors had alwayes been to be faithfull to the Crown of England In this time of the Regents absence from Paris the King of France drew all his forces thither using all meanes possible by Escalado Battery and burning the gates to enter the City but was so withstood by the vigilancy of the Citizens that he was glad to sound Retreat leaving his slaine and maimed souldiers behind him all but the Pucelle who being hurt in the legge and almost stifled with myre in the ditch was by a servant of the Duke of Alanson drawne up and conveyed after the King to Berry who by the way received the submission of the Inhabitants of L●ig●ye Some other services were performed on both sides by the Duke of Suffolk and Sir Thomas Kyriell for the English by the Bastard of Orleance and Sir Stephe● le Hye for the French but of no great importance till at last the Pucelle who a little before had caused an English Captaines head to be cut off because he would not humble himselfe to her upon his knee was by Sir Iohn of Lu●zemburgh taken and presented to the Duke of Burgoigne who sent her to the Regent and he to the Bishop of the Diocesse who judicially proceeding against her as a Sorceresse and deceiver of the King and his subjects she was after many delayes of promise to discover secret practises and lastly of her feigning to bee with childe publickly burnt at Roan And now the Regent finding how much the Crowning of the French king had furthered his designes he made account the like effect would follow the Crowning of King Henry in France whereupon he is sent for to come over and comming to Paris was by his Uncle the Bishop of Winchester and Cardinall of Eusebius not yet above nine yeares old with all usuall ceremonies Crowned King of France receiving the oaths of Homage and Fealty of all the French Nobility that were present and of all the Inhabitants of Paris and of the places adjacent Upon this Pope Eugenius laboured a Reconcilement between the two Kings but could effect nothing but onely a Truce for six yeeres which agreed upon King Henry re●urn● into England and landeth at Dover the eleventh of February But the six-yeares● Truce was scarce openly Proclaimed when the French had cunningly possessed themselves of divers Castles and places of strength justifying their actions affirming● That what was politickly obtained without blowes was no infringement of the Truce and afterwards they perfidiously conveyed two hundred men into the Castle of Roan with intent to have surprized it but being discovered they were all taken and either ransomed or put to execution Upon this the Regent whose wife the Sister of the Duke of Burgoig●e being lately dead and he maried againe to Iaquelin● the Earle of S. Pauls daughter with whom he went over into England returned againe to Paris to whom the Lord Talbot having now paid his ransome commeth bringing with him seven hundred tryed souldiers and with them the Regent takes the field where the French Army lay but the French slun● away in the dark as not daring to abide the hazard of a battell About this time the Duke of Bourbon taken at the battell of Agincourt after eighteen yeares imprisonment paying eighteen thousand pounds for his Ransome the same day he was enlarged dyed at London And now a very great effect was produced out of a very small cause There had been sparks of unkindnesse between the two great Dukes of Bedford and Burgoig●● which brake out into a flame upon this occasion A time and place was appointed where they should meet to compound some differences that were between them The place agreed upon was St. Omers a Town in Burgoigne When the time came they stood upon this nice point Which of them should first come to the place as thinking that he which did so should thereby acknowledge himselfe to be the meaner person The Duke of Bedford thought he had no reason to doe it seeing he was Regent of France and therefore superiour to any subject in the Kingdome And the Duke of Burgoigne thought he had no reason to doe it seeing it was to be done in his own Dominions where he was himselfe the Soveraigne Lord. Upon this nice point they parted without meeting and the unkindnesse grew afterward to so great hatred that the Duke of Burgoigne chose rather to be friends with him th●t had murthered his father than ever to have any more commerce with the Duke of Bedford Thus
a King and for a sacrifice than a Priest and he could not choose but dye a Martyr who all his life had beene a Confessor He had one immunity peculiar to himself that no man could ever be revenged of him seeing he never offered any man injury By being innocent as a Dove hee kept his Crown upon his head so long but if he had been wise as a Serpent he might have kept it on longer But all this is not sufficient if we expresse not in particular his severall virtues So modest that when in a Christmas a shew of women was presented before him with their breasts layd out he presently departed saying fie fie for shame forsooth you be to blame So pittifull that when he saw the quarter of a Traytor over Cripplegate he caused it to be taken down saying I will not have any Christian so cruelly handled for my sake So free from swearing that he never used other oath but forsooth and verily So patient that to one who strooke him when he was taken prisoner he onely sayd forsooth you wrong yourselfe more than me to strike the Lords annointed So devout that on principall Holy-dayes he used to weare sackcloth next his skinne Once for all let his Confe●●or be heard speak who in ten years confession never found that he had done or sayd any thing for which he might justly be injoyned Pennance For which causes King Henry the Seventh would have procured him to be Cannonized for a Saint but that he was prevented by death● or perhaps because the charge would have been too great the Canonization of a king being much more costly than of a private person Of men of Note in his time THere were men of valour in this Kings Reigne of extraordinary eminencie as first Iohn Duke of Bedford Regent of France whom when a French Lord upbraided that his sword was of lead he made him answer and made him feel that it was of steele Next him was Thomas Montacute Earle of Salisbury whose very name was a sufficient charme to daunt a whole French Army Then the next was Iohn Lord Talbot so great a terror to the French that when the women would still their children from crying they would use to say Talbot comes Then was Richard Nevill Earle of Warwicke so much greater than a king as that which makes is greater than that it makes and such a one was he Many other besides these not much inferior to these that we may truly say there never was a more heroicall King of England than Henry the Fifth nor ever a King of England that had more heroicall Subjects than Henry the Sixth And though Arms and Letters seem to be of different conditions yet they commonly grow up and flourish together as in this kings Reigne were Iohn Leland sirnamed the Elder who wrote divers Treatises for instruction of Gramarians William White a Priest of Kent professing the Doctrine of Wickliffe for which he suffered Martyrdome by fire Alexander Carpenter who wrote a booke called Destructorium vitiorum against the Prelates of that time Peter Basset Esquire of the Privy Chamber to king Henry the Fifth whose life he wrote Iohn Pole a Priest who wrote the life of St. Walhorayle an English woman Also Thom●s Walden alias Netter who wrote divers Treatises against the Wickliffifts Pe●er Clerke a Student in Oxford and a defender of Wickliffes doctrine for which he fled and was put to death beyond Sea Thomas Walsingham born in Norfolk a diligen● Historiographer Thomas Ringstead the younger an excellent Preacher who wrote divers Treatises Thomas Rudborn a Monke of Winchester and an Historiographer Peter P●yne an earnest professor of Wickliffes doctrine for which he fled into ●●be●●● Nicholas Vpton a Civilian who wrote of Heraldry of colours in Armory and of the duty of Chivalry Iohn Capgr●ve born in Kent an Augustine Frier who wrote many excellent Treatises particularly the Legend of English Saints Humphry Duke of Glocester Protector of the Realm well learned in Astrologie whereof he wrote a speciall Treatise inti●u●ed Tabula Directionum Iohn Whethamstead otherwise called Fr●mentariu● Abbot of St. Alb●ns who wrote divers Treatises and amongst others a booke of the Records of things happening whiles he was Abbot which book Holinshead had seen and in some passages of his time followed Roger O●l●y accused of Treason for practising with the Lady El●●nor Cobham by sorcery to make the king away and therof condemned and dyed for it he wrote one Treatise intituled Contra ●●lgi superstitiones and another De sua Innocentia Henry Walsingham a Carmelite Frier o● Norwich who wrote sundry Treatises in Divinity Lidgate● Monke of Bury who had travelled France and Italy to learne languages and wrote many workes in Poetry Thomas Beckington Bishop of Bath who wrote against the Law Salique of France Michael Trigurie born in Cornw●ll whom for his excellent learning king Henry the Fifth made Governor of the Universitie of Ca●n in Normandy after he had conquered it Reynold Peacocke Bishop of Chichester who wrote many Treatises touching Christian Religion Robert Fleming who wrote a D●ctionary in Greeke ●●d Latine and a worke in verse of sundry kindes Nicholas M●ntacute an Historiographer Iohn Stow a Monke of Norwich and Doctor of Divinity in Oxf●rd Nich●l●● Bu●geie born in a Town of Norfolke of that name who wrote an History called Ad●●●ti●nes Chronicorum Robert ●als●cke who wrote a booke De ●e Milit●ri Thomas D●●d● a Carmelite Frier of M●rleborough who wrote the life of Alphred king of the West-Saxons Robert B●le ●irnamed the Elder Recorder of London who gathered a Chronicle of the Customs Laws Foundations Changes Offices Orders and publique Assemblies of the Citie of London with other matters touching the perfect discription of the same Citie he wrote other workes also touching the state of the same Citie and the Acts of King Edward the third THE REIGNE OF KING EDWARD THE FOURTH EDWARD Earle of March born at Roane in Normandy sonne and heire of Richard Plantagenet Duke of Yorke slaine in the battell at Wakefield succ●eded his Father in the Right but exceeded him in the possession of the Crown of England and that by virtue of an act of Parliament lately made wherein the said Duke of York not only was declared heire apparent to the Crown and appointed Protector of the King and Kingdome but it was further enacted that if King Henry or any in his behalfe should attempt the disanulling of this Act that then the said Duke or his heire should have the present Possession which because his friends attempted to doe therefore justly doth Edward Earle of March his sonne by virtue of this act take possession of the Crown and is Proclaimed king of England by the name of Edward the fourth through the City of London on the fifth day of March in the yeer 1460. But before he could have leasure to be Crowned he was forced once againe to try his fortune in the field by battell For King Henry
into the Court which her Gentleman-usher Master Griffith hearing told her Madam you are called wel said she it makes no matter I will not tarry go your way and thus she departed and never after would appear in any Court but appealed from the Cardinals to the Pope himselfe The Queen being gone the King said I confesse she hath bin to me the most dutifull and loving wife that ever Prince had and if it were ●ot for this scruple of my conscience I would not leave her for any woman living and having now referred the judgement of the cause to these Commissioners I should be most glad they could finde the marriage between us to be in such sort lawfull that with obedience to the Law of God we might continue together for I take God to witnesse there is nothing I more desire This said the King rose and the Court was adjourned to another day for notwithstanding the Queens Appeal from which she would by no meanes be drawn the Cardinals continued their Session weekly heard all of both sides the Point that was chiefly stood on was whether Prince Arthur had ever had carnall knowledg of her or no the Kings Councell alleadged he had and proved it first by Prince Arthurs speech the nex● morning after his mariage that ●e had bin that night in the midst of Spain and then by the words of the last Dispensation Vel forsan Cognitam the Queens Advocates alleadged the contrary appealing to the Kings owne conscience whom the Queene charged that he knew her to be a Virgin when he married her though to say the truth i● were strange Prince Arthur and she having lyen five moneth together and hee no lesse then almost sixteene yeeres old But whilest Arguments were thus urged on both sides and no certainty could appeare the King sent the two Cardinals to the Queene lying then in Bridewell to perswade her she should submit her selfe to the Kings pleasure and not stand so peremptorily to her Appeale The Cardinals coming to her found her at work amongst her Maids with a skaine of white thred about her necke who having heard their message answered That in all other things she would willingly submit her selfe to the Kings will but in this which concerned her honesty and the legitimatenesse of her children she durst not but would relye upon the wisdom and pietie of both their Fathers who she knew would never have assented to the marriage if there had bin the least scruple of unlawfulnesse in it and othe● answer she would not give Upon their returne to the King when he perceived she could not be removed from her opinion he commanded the Court to goe on so that at last it came to judgement which every man expected should be the next day At which day the King came thither but in so secret manner that he might heare and not be seene where the Kings Councell at the Barre calling for Judgement Cardinall Campeius as being chiefe Commissioner stood up and said I finde the case very doubtfull and the party Defendant standing to her Appeale I will therefore give no Judgement till I have conferred with the Pope and therefore I adjour●e the Court for this time according to the order of the Court of Rome which heares no Causes judicially from the last of Iuly till the fourth of October at which protraction of time King Henry was not a little angry and the Duke of Suffolk being present in a great rage said it was never merry in England since we had Cardinals amongst us Soon after this the Cardinall tooke his leave of the King and returned to Rome he was indeed commanded so to doe by the Pope who would else most willingly have gratified King Hen●y that had bestowed upon him the Bishoprick of Salisbury Whilst these things were in acting Cardinall Woolsey had an inkling of the Kings affection to Anne Bullen daughter of the Viscount Rochford and that the Divorce once passed he ment to marry her which Match because for many reasons he misliked one perhaps because she was a Lutheran he sent privily to the Pope that by no means he should give sentence for the Divorce till he had framed the Kings minde another way for his desire was that the King should marry the Dutchesse of Alanson the French Kings sister This packing of Woolsey was not so closely carried but that it soone came to the Kings knowledge and the King finding him a rubbe in his way whom he expected to have expedited his proceeding began to thinke it necessary to remove him and to take him off from that greatnesse which had made him so presuming and indeed he made short worke with him for soone after he sent the Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke to him for the Seale which yet he would not deliver to them till they brought him a Warrant under the Kings owne hand When the Seale was brought to the King he delivered it to Sir Thomas Moore Speaker then of the Parliament the first Lay-man that bore that Office in any memory and in his roome was chosen Speaker Thomas Audley Attourney of the Dutchie Woolsey now removed from his Chauncellourship was in the Parliament then holden charged with points of treason but that charge was so cleerely taken off by his servant Thomas Cromwell who was then of the House that the Cardinall was acquitted to the great commendation of Cromwell both for abilities in himselfe and faithfulnesse to his Master After this the King being informed that all those things which the Cardinall had done by his power Legantine were within the case of Praemenire he caused his Attourney Christopher Hales to sue out a Praemunire against him and thereupon the two Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke were sent unto him to let him know the Kings pleasure was he should goe to Asher a House neere to Hampton-Court belonging to his Bishopricke of Winchester and there to reside whereupon the Cardinall having first delivered up all his Moveables to the Kings use the greatest store and richest that was ever knowne of any Subject went presently to Putney by water and from thence rode to Asher where he and his Family continued three or ●oure weekes without either Bed Sheetes Table-loathes or Dishes to eat their meat in or money wherewith to buy any but what he was forced to borrow of the Bishop of Carlile After this his matter for the Praemunire being called upon in the Kings Bench his two Atturnies confessed the Action and thereupon had Judgement to forfeit all his Lands and Goods and to be out of the Kings protection but the King of his clemency sent him a sufficient Protection and left him the Bishopricks of Yorke and Winchester with Plate and stuffe convenient for his dignity His Bishopricke of Duresme was given to Doctor Tunstall Bishop of London his Abbey of Saint Albans to the Prior of Norwich and the Bishopricke of London to Doctor Stokestey Embassadour then beyond the Seas In this meane while
please them both The Recorder set forth the complaint of the Lords against the Protectour in such sort that he made many inclinable to favour that side but one named George Stadlow better advised stept up and in a long Speech shewed what mischiefes had come to the City by opposing the King and therefore gave his opinion to suspend giving aide to the Lords at lest for a time His advice was harkened to and thereupon the Court resolved onely to arme a hundred Horsemen and foure hundred foot in defence of the City and to the letters returned submissive but dilatory answers After some other passages betweene the Protectour and the Lords Sir Edward Winkfield Captaine of the Guard was sent from the Lords to Windsor who so well perswaded the King of the Lords loyall affection towards him and of their moderate intention towards the Protectour that the King was contented to have him presently remvoed from him and suffered him within two dayes after to be carried to the Tower In whose absence seven Lords of the Councell and foure Knights were appointed by turnes to attend the Kings person and for affaires of State the government of them was referred to the whole body of the Councell soone after were sent to the Protectour in the Tower certain Lords of the Councell with Articles against him requiring his present Answer whether he would acknowledge them to be true or else stand upon his justifica●ion The chiefe Article was this That he tooke upon him the Office of Protectour with expresse condition that he should doe nothing in the Kings affaires but by assent of the late Kings Executours or the grea●est part of them and that contrary to this condition he had hindered Justice and subverted laws of his owne authority as well by letters as by other command and many other Articles but all much to this purpose The Protectour whether thinking to speed better by submission then by contesting or perhaps finding himselfe not altogether innocent for indeed in so great a place who can beare himselfe with such sincerity but he will commit errours with which he may be taxed subscribed an acknowledgement with his owne hand humbly submitting himselfe to the Kings mercy and desiring their Lordships favour ●owards him Upon this submission three moneths after he had bin imprisoned he was released entertained and feasted by the King and swor●e again to be a Privie Councellour but no more Protectour at which time betweene him and the Lords a shew at lest of perfect amity was made and to make it the more firme the Dukes daughter was afterward married to the Lord Lisle Sonne and heire to the Earle of Warwicke at which marriage the King himselfe was present and perhaps to honour their reconcilement and this marri●ge the Earle of Warwicke was made Lord Admirall of England Sir Iohn Russell Lord Privie Seale was created Earle of Bedford the Lord Saint-Iohn was created Earle of Wiltshire and soone after made Lord Treasurour Sir William Paget Controlour of the Kings House was made Lord Paget Sir Anthony VVinkfield Captaine of the Guard was made Controlour and Sir Thomas Darcye was made Captaine of the Guard But of the other side the Earle of Arundell the Earle of Southampton were put off from the Councell of whom the Earle of Southampton dyed shortly after at Lincolne-Place in Holborne and was buried in Saint Andrewes Church there About this time a Parliament was held at Westminster wherein one Act was made against spreading of Prophesies another against unlawfull Assemblies but for feare of new tumults the Parliament was untimely Dissolved and Gentlemen were commanded to retyre to their Count●ey-habitations and ●or the same cause also Trinity Terme did not hold About this time also Pope Paul the third dyed after whose death the Cardinals being divided about the election of a new Pope the Imperial part which was the greatest gave their voyces for Cardinall Poole which being told him ●e disabled himselfe and wished them to choose one that might be most for the glory of God and good of the Church upon ●his stop some that were no friends to Poole and perhaps looked for the place themselves if he were put off laid m●ny things to his charge amongst other that he was no● withou● suspition of Lutharisme as having bin very conversant with Immanuell Tremellius and Anthonius Flaminius great Lutherans and not altogether without blemish of incontinency there being a young Nunne that was thought to be his daughter But of these criminations Poole so cleered himselfe that he was afterward more importuned to take the place then he was before and thereupon one night the Cardinals came unto him being in bed and sent him word they came to adore him which is one special kind of electing the Pope but he being awaked out of his sleepe and acquainted with it made answer that this was not a worke of darkenesse and therefore required them to forbeare till the next day and then to doe as God should put in their mindes But the Italian Cardinals attributing this putting off to a kinde of stupidity and sloth in Poole looked no more after him but the next day chose Cardinall Montanus Pope who was afterward named Iulius the third And now the King of France upon many just considerations was growne desirous to have a Peace with England and thereupon sent one Guidol●i a Florentine in●o England to make some overture of his desire to the Lords of the Councell who addressing himselfe to the Earle of Warwicke whom he knew to be most prevalent so prevailed that it was concluded foure Embassadours should be sent from the King of England into Franee● and foure from the French King to treat with them The Commissioners for the English were Iohn Earl of Bedford William Lord Paget Sir William Peter and Sir Iohn Mason Secretaries of State For the French were Monsieur Rochpot Monsieur Chatillon Guyllart de Martyer and Rochetelle de Dassie much time was spent to agree about a place of meeting till at last the English to satisfie the French were contented it should be before Bulloigne where were many meetings and m●ny diff●rences about conditions but in conclusion a Peace was concluded upon certaine Articles the chiefe whereof was that Bulloigne and the places adjacent should be delivered up to the French within six weekes after the Peace Proclaimed and that the French should pay for the same two hundred thousand crownes within three dayes after delivery of the Towne and other two hu●dred thousand crowes upon the fifth day of August following hostages were on both sides given for performance and to those Articles the French King was sworne at Amyens and the King of England in London the Lord Clinton who had been Deputy of Bulloigne was made Lord Admirall of England Presently after this Agreement the Duke of Brunswicke sent to the King of England to offer his service in the Kings wars with ten thousand men and to intreat a marriage with the Lady
all which the Duke made colourable answers but most of them being proved by sufficient testimony he asked upon occasion Whether the subjects of another Prince who is confederate and in league with the Queen are to be accounted the Queens enemies● to which Catiline answered They were and that the Q. of England might wage War with any Duke of France yet hold firm Peace with the French King When it grew towards night the L. high Steward demanded of the Duke if he had any more to say for himself who answered I rely upon the equity of the Laws After this the Lords withdrawing a while and then returning the Lord Steward beginning at the lowermost asked them My Lord de la Ware Is Thomas Duke of Norfolk guilty of these crimes of High Treason for which he is called in question He rising up and laying his hand upon his breast answered guilty in like manner they answered all After this the Lord Steward with teares in his eyes pronounced sentence in forme as is used A few dayes after were Barnes and Mather executed who conspired with one Herle to make away certaine of the Councellors and to free the Duke but Herle revealed the businesse presently to whom Barnes when hee saw his Accuser brought forth smilingly said Herle thou wert but one houre before mee else I had beene in thy place for the accuser and thou in my roome to be hanged at the same time with them was hanged also Henry Rolfe for counterfeiting the Queens hand But though the Duke were now condemned yet the Queen was so tender of his case that it was foure Moneths after before he was executed at last on the second of June at eight of the clock in the morning he was brought to the Scaffold upon the Tower-Hill and there beheaded At this time and upon this occasion a Parliament was Assembled wherein amongst other Lawes it were Enacted that if any man shall go about to free any person imprisoned by the Queens expresse Commandement● for Treason or suspition of Treason and not yet Arraigned he shall lose all his goods for his life time and be imprisoned during the Queens pleasure if the said person have beene Arraigned the Rescuer shall forfeit his life if condemned he shall be guilty of Rebellion In the time of this Parliament the Queen created Walter Devereux Earl of Essex being before but Viscount Hereford because he was descended by his Great-grand-mothers from the Bourchiers and made the Lord Clinton who had large Revenues in Lincolnshire Earl of Lincoln Also she called forth Iohn Paulet of Basing the Marquesse of Winchester's son Henry Compton Henry Cheyney and Henry Morris for Barons by Summons Within ten dayes after the Dukes death William Lord De-la-ware Sir Ralph Sadler Thomas Wilson Doctor of the Laws and Thomas Brumley the Queens Solicitour were sent to the Queen of Scots to expostulate with her That shee had usurped the Title and Arms of the Kingdom of England and had not renounced the same according to the agreement of the Treaty at Edinburgh That shee had endeavoured the marriage of the Duke of Norfolke without acquainting the Queene and had used all forcible meanes to free him out of prison had raised the Rebellion in the North had relieved the Rebels both in Scotland and in the Low-Countries had implored Aids from the Pope the King of Spaine and others had conspired with certaine of the English to free her out of Prison and Declare her Queen of England Lastly that she had procured the Popes Bull against the Queen and suffered herself to be publikely named the Queen of England in Forreigne Countries All which accusations she either absolutely denyed or else fairly extenuated and though as she said she were a free Queen and not subject to any creature yet she was content and requested that she might make her personall answer at the next Parliament About this time the King of Spain by his Embassadour here complained to the Queen that the Rebels of the Netherlands were harboured and entertained in England contrary to the Articles of the League whereupon the Queen set forth a severe Proclamation That all the Dutch who could any wayes be suspected of Rebellion should presently depart the Realm which yet turned little to D'Alva's or the King of Spains benefit For hereupon Count Vander-Mark and other Dutch going out of England surprized the Brill first then Flushing and afterwards drew other Towns to Revolt and in a short time excluded the Duke D'Alva in a manner from the Sea And this errour to suffer the Protestant party to get possession of the Sea-towns hath been the cause they have been able to hold out even all this long time against the King of Spain And now many military men having little to do at home got them into the Netherlands some to Duke D'Alva but the far greater number to the Prince of Orenge The first of whom was Thomas Morgan who carryed three hundred English to Flushing then followed by his procurement nine Companies more under the conduct of Humphry Gilbert and afterward it became the Nursery of all our English Souldiers At this time Charls the French King setting his mind wholly at least seeming so upon the Low-Country War concluded a peace and entred into a league with Queen Elizabeth which was to remain firm not only during their two lives but between their successors also if the s●ccessor signifie to the surviver within a yeer that he accepteth it otherwise to be at liberty It was likewise agreed what aid by Sea or Land they should each of them afford to other upon occasion and for ratification of this League Edward Clinton Earl of Lincoln and Admirall of England was sent into France with whom went the Lord Dacres Rich Talbot Sands and others The French King likewise sent the Duke of Memorancy and Paul Foix i●to England with a great train that the Queen in the presence of them and the Embassador in Ordinary might sweare to the league which she did at Westminster the seaventeenth of May in the yeer 1572. The day after she made Memorancye Knight of the Garter Memorancye whilst he tarryed in England made intercession in his Kings name that what favour could be without danger might be shewed to the Queen of Scots and then made much a do again about the marriage with the Duke of Angiou but being hopelesse to make conclusion thereof by reason of the diversity of Religion he returned into France for now was great provision making ready for the mariage between Henry King of Navarre and the Lady Margeret the French Kings Sister to which solemnity with notable dissimulation the Queen of Navarre and the chief of all the Protestants were allured being born in hand that there should be a renovation of love and a perpetuall peace established The Earl of Leicester likewise and the Lord Burleigh were invited out of England and out of Germany the sons of the Prince Elector Palatine under
thereupon for not coming into England as he had determined The Count found the Queen at Canterbury where she gave him Royall intertainment and Matthew Parker Archbishop of Canterbury Royall intertainment to them both All this while since the death of the Earl of Marre there had been no Regent in Scotland but now by the procurement of Queen Elizabeth chiefly Iames Dowglas Earl of Morton is made Regent who when his Authority in a Parliamentary Assembly was established Enacted many profitable Laws for the defence of Religion against Papists and Hereticks in the name of the King But the pro●ection and keeping of the Kings Person hee confirmed to Alexander Areskin Earl of Marre to whom the custody of the Kings in their tender yeers by speciall priviledge belongeth though hee were himself in his Minority Upon these conditions That no Papists nor factious persons should be admitted to his presence An Earl should come with onely two servants attending him A Baron with onely one All other single and every one unarmed The French King in the mean time sent his Embassadour Mounsier Vyriar to corrupt the Earls of Atholl and H●ntley with large promises to oppose the Regent Queen ELISABETH as much laboured to defend him but though by the ministery of Killigrew shee had drawn Iames Hamilton Duke of Castle-Herald and George Gourdon Earl of Huntley and the most eminent of that Faction upon indifferent conditions to acknowledge the Regent yet VVilliam K●r●●ld Lord Gra●nge whom Murray when hee was Rege●t had made Gove●nour of Edingborough Castle The Lord Hum●s Lydington the Bishop of Dunkeld and others would by no meanes admit of the Regents Government but held that Castle and fortified it in the Queen of Scots name having Lydington for their Counsellor herein and trusting to the naturall strength of the place and to the Duke D' Alva's and the F●e●ch Kings promises to send them supplies both of men and money Now when these persons could by no meanes drawne to accept of conditions of peace and to deliver up the Castle to the Regent Queen Elizabeth who could in no case endure the French in Scotland suffered her self at length to be intreated by the Regent to send Forces Gunnes and Ammunition for assaulting of the Castle upon certain conditions whereof one was that ten Hostages should be sent into England to be security fo● returning the men and Munition unlesse by the common hazard of War they should chance to miscarry The conditions being argued on William Drury Marshall of the Garrison at Barwick with some ●reat Ordnance and Fifteen hundred Souldiers amongst whom were some noble Voluntiers George Carie Henry Carie Thomas Cecill He●ry Lee William Knolles Sutton Cotton Kelway VVilliam Killigrew and others entred into Scotland and besieged the Castle which after three and thirty dayes siege was delivered up to the Regent for the Kings use with all the persons that were in it amongst whom Kircald Lord Grange and Iames his brother Musman and Cook gold-smiths who had counterfeited Coyne in the Castle were hanged although to redeem Granges life a hundred of the Family of the Kircalds offered themselves to be in perpetuall servitude to the Regent besides an annuall Pension of three thousand Marks and twenty thousand pounds of Scottish money in present and to put in caution that from thence forth he should continue in duty homage to the King but it would not bee accepted Humes and the rest were spared through Queen Elizabeths mercifull intercession Lydington was sent to Leith where hee dyed and was suspected to bee poysoned A man of the greatest understanding in the Scottish Nation and of an excellent wit but very variable for which George Buchanan called him the Camelion And now from this time Scotland began to take breath after long Civill Warres and as well the Captaines of both parties as the Souldiers betook themselves into Swedeland France and the Low-Countries where they valorously behaved themselves and wonne great commendation As for Iohn Lesle Bishop of Rosse he was now set at liberty but commanded to depart presently out of England and being beyond the Sea he continued still to sollicite his Mistresse the Queen of Scots cause with the Emperour the Pope the French King and the German Princes of the Popish Religion who all led him on with faire promises but performed nothing For indeed he in whom he had greatest confidence which was the Duke D' Alva was at that time called away partly out of Jealousie of State as being thought to grow too great and partly out of opinion that by his cruelty he made the people to revolt and therefore in his place was sent Ludovicus Zuinga a man of great Nobility in Spain ●ut of a more Peaceable disposition then D' Alva ●ow this man did all good Offices to win Queen Elizabeth to him and minding his owne Affairs only would not intermeddle with the Scottish or English matters About this a frentick Opinion was held by one Peter Bourche● a Gent●eman of the Middle-Temple that it was lawfull to kill them that opposed the truth of the Gospell and so far was he possest with this opinion that he assaulted the famous Seaman Captain Hawkins and wounded him with a dagger taking him for Hutton who at that time was in great favour with the Queen and of her privy Counsell whom he had been informed to be a great Adversary to Innovations The Queen grew so angry hereat that she commanded Marshiall Law should be executed upon him presently till her Counsell advised her that Marshiall Law was not to be used but in the Field and in turbulent times but at home and in time of Peace there must be Legall proceedings Hereupon Bourchet was sent to the Tower where taking a brand out of the fire he strook it into the brains of one of his keepers named Hugh Longwroth and killed him for which fact he was condemned of murther had his right hand cutt off and nayled to the Gallows and then himselfe hanged After the violent death of this Varlet we may speake of the naturall death of two great persons First William Lord Howard of Effingham Son of that warlike Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Agnes Tilney This William was made a Baron by Queen Mary and Lord High Admirall of England and by Queen Elizabeth Lord Chamberlain till such time that being taken with age he yeelded up that place to the Earl of Sussex and was then made Keeper of the Privy Seal which is the fourth degree of honour in England His Son Charles succeeded him in the Dignity of his Barony who was after made Lord Chamberlain to the Queen and then Lord High Admirall of England A while after him dyed Reginold Grey Earl of Kent whom the Queen a yeer before of a private man had made Earl of Kent when as that Title from the death of Richard Grey Earl of Kent who had wasted his Patrimony and was elder brother to this mans
Monasteries and all the gold and silver of either Chalices or Shrines he tooke to his owne use Likewise he Sessed all Bishops and Abbots what number of souldiers they should finde to serve him in his warres also the strangers which he maintained in Pay he dipsersed into Religious houses and some also among the Nobility to bee maintained at their charge Many other taxations he made but last of all in the eighteenth yeare of his Raigne by the advise of Roger Earle of Hertford he caused the whole Realme to be described in a Censuall Roll whereof hee tooke a President from King Alfred so as there was not one Hyde of Land but both the yearely rent and the owner thereof was therein set downe How many Ploughlands what Pastures Fennes or Marishes what Woods Farmes and Tenements were in every Shire and what every one was worth Also how many Villaines every man had what Beasts what Cattell what F●es what other goods what rent or commodity his Possessions did yeeld This booke was called the Roll of Winton because it was kept in the City of Winchester By the English it was called Doomesday booke either by reason of the generality thereof or else corruptly instead of Domu● Dei booke for that it was laid in the Church of Winchester in a place called Domu● Dei. According to this Roll taxations were imposed sometimes two shillings and at this time six shillings upon every Hyde of Land a Hyde containing as some account it twenty Acres bu● as Master Lambert proveth a hundred Acres In all those Lands which he gave to any man hee reserved Dominion in chiefe to himselfe as also a yearely rent and likewise a Fine whensoever the Tenant did alien or dye These were bound to him by Oath of Fealty and Homage and if any died his heire being within age the King received the profits of his Lands and had the custody and disposing of the heires body untill his age of one and twenty yeares To be short his greedinesse of money was so great that he spared not his owne brother Odo but found accusations against him● to the end he might seise upon his Treasure which was infinite great and which he had gathered in hope to buy the Papacy Onely one kinde of profit he forbare to meddle with that is Vacancies of Abbeys and Bishopricks which he alwayes reserved for the Successours but then he tooke another course of farre greater profit for he compelled all men to make new Fines at his pleasure for confirmation of any Grant or Priviledges formerly granted by any Prince of the Realme by which devise he got into his possession the greatest part of all the riches of the Land as well of the Clergie as of the Laity And one particular may not be omitted that is reported of him which was this The Monkes of Ely to purchase their peace agreed to give him seven hundred Markes when comming to pay it there wanted a Groat in the weight for in those dayes greater summes were not payd by tale but by weight which the King understanding denied them all composition for Peace untill with much suite he was intreated to accept of a thousand Markes more Of his Lawes and Ordinances and Courts of Iustice erected by him ALthough at his Coronation he had taken an Oath to observe the Lawes of King Edward then in use yet afterwards perhaps counting his Coronation Oath but a matter of course he abrogated many and in their stead brought in the Lawes of Normandie commanding them to be written in French and also that all Causes should be Pleaded and all matters of Forme dispatched in French upon a pretense to dignifie the French tongue but with a purpose to intrappe men through ignorance of the language as indeed it did or perhaps to make the Normans language predominant in the Kingdome as he had made their persons which yet hee was so farre from effecting that there is not so much as any footsteps remaining of the Norman language in the English tongue Formes of Judgement and trials by Fire and Water called Ordeal formerly used were in short time after the Conquest disused and in the end utterly abrogated by the Pope as derived from Paganisme That of Combat continued longer but of no ordinary use and all actions both criminall and reall began now to be wholly adjudged by the Verdict of twelve men according to the custome of Normandie where the like Forme is used and called by the name of Enquest with the same cautions for the Jurours as it is here continued to this day though by the Lawes of Ethelred it appeares that the triall by twelve men was in use long before his time And where before the Bishop and the Alderman were the absolute Judges to determine all businesse in every Shire and the Bishop in many Cases shared in the benefit of the Mulcts with the King now hee confined the Clergie within the Privince of their owne Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction to deale onely in businesse concerning rule of soules according to the Canons and Lawes Episcopall And where the Causes of the Kingdome were before determined in every Shire and by a Law of King Edward all matters in question were upon speciall penalty decided in their Gemote or Conventicle held monethly in every Hundred Now he ordained that foure times in the yeare for certaine daies the same businesses should be determined in such place as he would appoint where he constituted Judges to attend for that purpose Also he Decreed there should be Sheriffes in every Shire and Justices of Peace for punishment of Malefactors Finally he ordained his Councell of State his Chancery his Exchequer Scaccarium corruptly called so of the word Statarium or rather of the Boord or Table where the Officers sate also his Courts of Justice which alwayes removed with his Court These places he furnished with Officers and assigned foure Termes in the yeare for determining controversies among the people The place of these Courts was Westminster where King William Rufus afterward built a stately Palace Now for his provisionary Revenues the Kings Tenants who held Lands of the Crowne payd him no money at all but onely Corne and other victuals and a just note of the quality and quantity of every mans ratement was taken through out all the Shires of the Kingdome and levyed ever certaine for maintenance of the Kings house Onely the Kentish men procured the continuance of their ancient Lawes by a trick for King William riding towards Dover at Sw●nscombe two miles from Gravesend the Kentish men met him but in the forme of a moving wood by reason of the great boughes they had cut and carried in their hands and compassing the King about they onely made suite for the continuan● of their Lawes which the King without any great scruple granted and glad he was so ridde of them A strange conceite in the Kentish men to hazard themselves more for the preserving a simple Custome then for
he resolved to set his whole state at stake and either to redeeme his disgrace or to forfeit his life So returning into Normandy he useth all his force in raising of Forces but King Henry suspecting his intentions and not using to give Insurrections time to ripen came upon him so suddenly with a mighty Army that he drew him to a battell before he was halfe ready to fight Yet desire of revenge so animated the Duke and the Duke his Souldiers that never battell was more fiercely fought and the Normans seemed at first to have the better till King Henry shewing himselfe in the Army put such courage into his Souldiers that they quickly made good the advantage they had in number and King Henry obtained a compleate victory both in slaughter of men of whom there wer● slaine above ten thousand and in taking of prisoners to the number of foure hundred amongst whom besides divers other Great ones as the Earle of Mortaigne William Crispine and William Ferreis was Duke Robert himselfe whom the King having first taken order for all things in his new State of Normandy brought over with him into England and committed him to the Castle of Cardyffe in Wales where he remained a prisoner till he dyed used for a time with reasonable liberty for Recreation till attempting to make an esc●pe it was thought fit to put out his eyes which though it encreased his misery yet it shortned not his life for he lived many yeares after in all from the time of his first imprisonment sixe and twenty And thus this great Duke who in his birth was the joy of Nature in his life was the scorne of Fortune and it is not unworthy the observing that the English wonne Normandy the very same day forty yeare the Normans had wonne England Such Revolutions of fortune there are in kingdomes and so unstable is the state of all worldly Greatnesse And now is King Henry as great as ever his Father was and as Greatnesse draws envy as much envyed as ever his Father was and as Envy makes Enemies as much opposed as ever his Father was for now Fulke Earle of Angio● and Baldwyne Earle of Flanders upon small occasions and Lewis the grosse King of France upon none but such as envy suggested seeking to place William Sonne to Duke Robert in his Right to Normandy assaulted the Kings Dominions perhaps to try whether Greatnesse had not made him unwieldy but King Henry to shew that Greatnesse had made him more Active went over into Normandy with a mighty Army and at Nice encountred the French King where a bloody Battell was fought with exceeding valour on both sides but at last King Henry repelled the French King and recovered Nice and after many other conflicts betweene them with variety of Fortune at l●st the King made peace with the Earle of Angiou confirmed by a marriage of the Earles Daughter with his Sonne William● and upon this also the two Kings grow to a peace in which William Son to King Henry being about seventeene yeares of age was invested into the Dutchy of Normandy doing homage for the same to the King of France From whence it was afterward a Custome that the King of Englands eldest Sonne as long as Normandy remained in their hands was made alwayes Duke of Normandy After this Charles Earle of Flanders being slaine at Bruxels by a conspiracy of his owne people and leaving no issue behind h●m Lewis King of France invested William Sonne to D●ke Robert in the Earledome of Flanders as descended from Ea●le Baldwyn whose Daughter Maude was wife to King William the first and Grandmother to this William so as William now having gotten this steppe of advanc●ment seekes to goe on and to recover Normandy and was thereof by assist●●ce of the King of France in a faire possibility when in a certaine light con●l●ct receiving a wound in his hand the thread of his faire possibility was upon a suddaine cut off and of that light wound he shortly after dyed King Henry now in perfect peace abroad was not without some little disquietings at home and marching thorow Powis-land in South Wales to represse some Insurrections of the Welsh he came to certaine Straights where his maine Army could not passe in which place the King was smitten with an Arrow full upon the breast whereat he swore by our Lords death his usuall Oath that it was no Welsh arme had shot that Arrow yet in this dist●esse for a thousand head of Cattell he had the passage left open and came safely off And these were his troubles of Armes both at home and abroad during all his Raigne His Taxations and wayes for raising of money TOwards the marriage of his Daughter Maude with the Emperour he obtained at his first Parliament at Salisbury three shillings upon every Hide of Land throughout the kingdome which was afterward drawne to a custome to receive ayde from the Subjects whensoever the King gave his eldest Daughter in marriage Besides this he had no more in all his Raigne but onely one supply for his Warres in France but he kept Bishoprickes and Abbeyes voyd in his hands and that of Canterbury five yeares together By an Act of Parliament or rather by a Synod of Bishops holden at London he was authorised to punish marriage and incontinency of Priests which the Bishops afterwards repented for he suffered Priests to have Wives for Fines or rather tooke Fines of them whether they had wives or no b●cause they might have them if they would Punishments which before his time were mutilation of Member he made Pecuniary And the Provisions of his house which were used to be paid in kind were in his time rated at certaine prizes and received in money By this Chapter and the next before it appeares there were in this Kings dayes but few troubles at home nor but few Taxations whereo● the one may be thought to be cause of the other the first perhaps of the second but certainely the second of the first Lawes first instituted in his t●me HE first instituted the forme of the High Court of Parliament for before his time onely certaine of the Nobility and Prelates of the Realme were called to consultation about the most important affaires of State but he caused the Commons also to be assembled by Knights and Burgesses of their owne appointment and made the Court to consist of three parts the Nobility the Clergy and the Common people representing the whole body of the Realme and appointed them to sit in severall Chambers the King the Bishops and Lords of the Realme in one Chamber and the Commons in another to conferre together by them●elves Other Orders of that Court he Ordained as they are in use at this day The first Councell of this sort was held at Salisbury on the 19. day of Aprill in the 16. yeare of his Raigne He forbad the wearing of long haire which at that time was frequent after the manner of the
the twentieth of September the Towne of Beverley with the Church of Saint Iohn there was burnt And in this Kings time the bones of King Arthur and his Wife Guynevour were found in the Vale of Avalon under an hollow Oake fifteene foote under ground the haire of the said Guynevour being then whole and of fresh colour but as soone as it was touched it fell to powder as Fabian relateth Of his Wife and Children HE married Eleanor Daughter and heire of William Duke of Guien late Wife of Lewis the seventh King of France but then divorced but for what cause divorced is diversly related some say King Lewis carryed her with him into the Holy Land where she carryed her selfe not very holily but led a licentious life and which is the worst kind of licentiousnesse in carnall familiarity with a Turke which King Lewis though knowing yet dissembled till comming home he then waived that cause as which he could not bring without disgrace to himselfe and made use of their nearenesse in blood as being Cousins in the fourth degree which was allowed by the Pope as a cause sufficient to divorce them though he had at that time two Daughters by her Being thus divorced Duke Henry marries her with whom it was never knowne but she led a modest and sober life a sufficient proofe that the former Report was but a slander By this Queene Eleanor he had five Sonnes William Henry Richard Geoffry and Iohn and three Daughters Maude marryed to Henry Duke of Saxony Eleanor marryed to Alphonso the Eighth of that name King of Castile and Iane or Ioane marryed to William King of Sicilie Of his Sonnes William dyed young Henry borne the second yeare of his Raigne was Crowned King with his Father in the eighteenth yeare and dyed the nine and twentyeth yeare and was buryed at Roan marryed to Margaret Daughter of Lewis King of France but left no issue Richard borne at Oxford in the fourth yeare of his Fathers Raigne and succeeded him in the kingdome Geoffrey borne the fifth yeare of his Fathers Raigne marryed Constance Daughter and Heire of Conan Earle of Little Britaine in the foureteenth yeare and in the two and thirtieth yeare dyed leaving by his Wife Constance two Daughters and a Posthumus Sonne named Arthur Iohn his youngest called Iohn without Land because he had no Land assigned him in his Fathers time borne the twelfth yeare of his Fathers Raigne and succeeded his Brother Richard in the kingdome And this may be reckoned a peculiar honour to this King that of his five Sonnes three of them lived to be Kings and of his three Daughters two of them to be Queenes Concubines he had many but two more famous then the rest and one of these two more famous then the other and this was Rosamond Daughter of Walter Lord Clifford whom he kept at Woodstocke in lodgings so cunningly contrived that no stranger could find the way in yet Queene Eleanor did being guided by a thread so much is the eye of jealousie quicker in finding out then the eye of care is in hiding What the Queen did to Rosamond when she came in to her is uncertaine but this is certaine that Rosamond lived but a short time after and lyes buryed at the Nunnery of Godst●w neare to Oxford By this Rosamond King Henry had two Sonnes William called Long-Sword who was Earle of Salisbury in right of his Wife Ela Daughter and Heire of William Earle of that Country and had by her much issue whose posterity continued a long time And a second Sonne named Geoffrey who was first Bishop of Lincolne and afterward Arch-bishop of Yorke and after five yeares banishment in his Brother King Iohns time dyed in the yeare 1213. The other famous Concubine of this King Henry was the Wife of Ralph Blewet a knight by whom he had a Sonne named Morgan who was Provost of Beverley and being to be elected Bishop of Durham went to Rome for a dispensation because being a Bastard he was else uncapable But the Pope refu●ing to grant it unlesse he would passe as the Sonne of Blewet he absolutely answered he would for no cause in the world deny his Father and chose rather to lose the Dignity of the Place then of his Blood as being the Sonne though but the base Sonne of a King Of his personage and conditions HE was somewhat red of face and broad breasted short of body and therewithall fat which made him use much Exercise and little Meate He was commonly called Henry Shortmantell because he was the first that brought the use of short Cloakes out of Anjou into England Concerning endowments of mind he was of a Spirit in the highest degree Generous which made him often say that all the World sufficed not to a Couragious heart He had the Reputation of a wise Prince all the Christian World over which made him often say that all the World sufficed not to a Couragious heart He had the Reputation of a wise Prince all the Christian World over which made Alphonsus King of Castile and Garsyas King of Navarre referre a difference that was betweene them to his Arbitrament who so judicious●y determined the Cause that he gave contentment to both Parties a harder matter then to cut Cloath even by a thread His Custome was to be alwayes in Action for which cause if he had no Reall Warres he would have Faigned and would transport Forces either into Normandy or Britaine and goe with them himselfe whereby he was alwayes prepared of an Army and made it a Schooling to his Souldiers and to himselfe an Exercise To his Children he was both indulgent and hard for out of indulgence he caused his Son Henry to be Crowned King in his owne time and out of hardnesse he caused his younger Sonnes to Rebell against him He was rather Superstitious then not Religious which he shewed more by his carriage toward Becket being dead then while he lived His Incontinency was not so much that he used other Women besides his Wife but that he used the affianced Wife of his owne Son And it was commonly thought he had a meaning to be divorced from his Wife Queene Eleanor and to take the said Adela to be his Wife Yet generally to speake of him he was an excellent Prince and if in some particulars he were defective it must be considered he was a Man Of his death and buriall HE was not well at ease before but when the King of France sent him a List of those that had conspired against him and that he found the first man in the Lyst to be his Son Iohn he then fell suddenly into a fit of Fainting which so encreased upon him that within foure dayes after he ended his life So strong a Corrosive is Griefe of mind when it meetes with a Body weakned before with sicknesse He dyed in Normandy in the yeare 1189. when he had lived threescore and one yeares Raigned neare five and thirty and was buryed
Langley which Richard had issue by the said Anne a sonne called Richard that was after Duke of York and father to king Edward the Fourth also a daughter named Isabel maried to the Lord Bourchier Also this yeere Henry of Bullingbrooke Earle of Darby maried the daughter and heire of Humfry Bohun Earle of Hereford in whose Right he was after made Duke of Hereford This yeere also K. Richard holding his Christmas at Eltham Leo king of Armenia came thither to him who in feare to have his kingdome conquered by the Turkes was come into Christendome to seeke for ayde but his chiefe Errand into England was to have procured a Peace between the two kings of England and Fran●e but their spleenes were so great against one another that it was not in the physick of hi● Power to cure them At this time the Duke of Lancaster taking with him his wife the Lady Const●nce and a daughter he had by her named Katherine and two other daughters which he had by his former wife failed into Spaine he was attended in his journy with the Lord Lucie the Lord Talbot the Lord Basset Willoughby Fitzwater Poy●ings Br●●ston and many other Lords and knights to the number of fifteen hundred men of Armes whereof a thousand at the least were knights and Esquires The king at his taking leave gave him a Crowne of Gold and commanded he should be called king of Spaine and the Queen likewise gave another Crown of Gold to the Dutche●●e He landed first at Brest and freed that Castle from the French from thence he sailed and arrived at the Groyne in Spaine where he remained a moneth and then went to Compostella where he stayed a while In which time his Constable Sir Iohn Holl●●d wonne divers Townes At Monson the king of Portingale and the Duke of L●●caster met where a mariage was concluded between the said king of Portingale and the Lady Philip daughter to the Duke● which mariage shortly after was consummated and the Lady sent into Portingale honorably accompanied The Duke continued at Co●postella all the winter At March the king of Portingale and he en●●ed the Confines of Castile where they tooke many Townes and passing over the River of Dure entred into the Country De Campo But the Spaniards not willing to come to a Battell but meaning to weary them out with delayes the English not used ●o such hot aire fell daily into many diseases which the Duke seeing accorded ●o a Truce There dyed in this action the Lord Fi●zwater Sir Burley●●night ●●night of the Garter the Lord Poynings and Sir Henry Percy Cosin-german to the E●●le of Northumberland also the Lord Talbot and in all twelve great Lords fourscore ●nights two hundred Esquires and of the meaner sort above five hundred When the Army was broken up the Duke of Lancaster and the Dutche●se his wife went into Portingale and after some stay there they sailed to Bayon in the Marches of Gascoigne where he rested a long time after In which meane while there were offers made for a Mariage to be had betweene the Duke of Berry Unkle to the Fr●●ch king and the Lady Ka●herine daughter to the Duke of Lancaster which the king of Spaine understanding he began to doubt least if that mariage went forward it might turne to his disadvantage and thereupon by earnest suit at length conc●uded a peace with the Duke of Lancaster on this wise That his eldest sonne He●ry should marry the the Lady Katherine the Duke of Lancasters daughter and be intituled Prince of Austurg●s and in consideration of this mariage and that all claimes should cease which the Duke in right of his wife might challenge or pretend● It was agreed that the said Duke should receive yeerely the summe of Ten thous●nd marks during the lives of him and his Dutchesse and to have in hand the summe of two hundred thousand Nobles At this time the French had a purpose to invade England with no lesse a hope then to make a Conquest and to that end they prepared a mighty Navy so as in the moneth of September there were numbred about Sluis Dam and Bla●kerk● 1●87 ships besides those which were rigged in Britaine by the Constable who had caused an inclosure of a Field to be made of Timber that when they were landed in E●gland they might therewith inclose their field and so lodge at more surety but it so fortuned that the Lord William Beauchampe Captaine of Callis tooke two of their ships whereof one was laden with a piece of the said Inclosure and after that ●nother ship laden with Guns Gunpowder and other Instruments of warre and after that againe two ships more laden with parcels of the said Inclosure which K. ●ichard caused to be reared and set up about Winchelsey Towne at last the foresaid Army came into Flanders and arrived at Sluis where after some stay they were so distressed for victuals that in the end of November they were glad to be gone and returne into France At this time in a Parliament Robert Veere Earle of Oxford and Marques of Dublin was created Duke of Ireland and Michael de la Poole a Merchants son had lately before been created E. of Suffolk and made Chancellor of England And now begins K. Richard to enter I may say upon the confines of his Destiny His gracing of undeserving men and disgracing of men deserving if they were not the causes they were at least the occasions of his owne disgracing and destruction in the end He was now come to be of full age to doe all himselfe which was indeed to be of full age to undoe himselfe for the faults of his younger yeeres might have the excuse to be but Errors but the faults of the age he was now at were peremp●ory against him and admitted no defence And to hasten the pace of his destiny the faster the ill Counsell which before was but whispered in his eare was now scarce forborne to be given him aloud It is told him that he is under tuition no longer and therefore not to be controll'd as in former times he had been That to be crost of his will by his subjects was to be their subject It is no Soveraignty if it be not absolute At the instigation of which Counsell the king in a Parliament now assembled fell to expostulate with his Lords asking them what yeeres they thought him to be 〈◊〉 who answering that he was somewhat more then one and twenty Well then sa●● he I am out of Wardship and therefore looke to injoy my kingdome as freely 〈◊〉 your selves at the like yeeres enjoy your Patrimonies But his flattering Favori●● should have remembred that though the king may not be controlled where he ca● command yet he may be opposed where he can but demand as now indeed he wa● for when he came to demand a Subsidy towards his warres he was answered That he needed no subsidie from his Subjects if he would but call in the debts which th●
take Ar●● against his lawfull Soveraigne and not be Treason If you say by El●ction of 〈◊〉 State you speake not reason for what power hath the State to El●ct while any 〈◊〉 living that hath right to succeed but such a Succ●s●or is not the Earle of Lancaster as descended from Edmund Crouchback the elder sonne of King Henry the Third though put by the Crowne for deformity of his body For who knowes not the falsenesse of this allegation seeing it is a thing notorious that this Edmund was neither the elder brother nor yet crooke-backr though called so for some other reason but a goodly personage and without any deformity And your selves cannot forget a thing so lately done who it was that in the fourth yeere of K●●g Richard was declared by Parliament to be Heire to the Crowne in case K. 〈◊〉 should dye without issue But why then is not that claime made because Sil●●● leges inter arma what disputing of Titles against the streame of Power B●● howsoever it is extreame injustice the King Richard should be condemned without being heard or once allowed to make his defence And now my Lords I have spoken thus at this time that you may consider of it before it be too late for as yet it is in your power to undoe that justly which you have unjustly done Much to this purpose was the Bishops speech but to as little purpose as if he had gone about to call back Yesterday The matter was too farre gone and scarce a person there present that had not a hope of either a private or a publick benefi● by that which was done Yet against this speech of the Bishop there was neither Protesting nor Excepting It passed in the House as but one mans opinion And as for the King it was neither fit he should use much severity against any Member of that Parliament which had so lately shewed so much indulgence towards him nor indeed safe to be too hot in his Punishment when he was yet scarce warme in his Government Yet for a warning to use their liberty of speech with more moderation hereafter the Bishop was arrested by the Marshall and committed to Prison in the Abby of S. Albans but afterward without further censure se● at liberty till upon a conspiracy of the Lords wherein he was a Party he was condemned to dye though through extremity of griefe he prevented execution But as for King Richard and Edmund Mortimer Earle of March enough was spoken by the Bishop in both their behalfes to undoe them both and indeed K. Richard was soone after made away the Earle secured himselfe by retiring farre off to his Lordship of Wigmore avoyding the danger of Contention by not entring the Lists of Aspiring But although the Divine Providence for causes hidden from humane knowledge gave way at this time to the advancement of the younger the House of Lancaster yet in the third Generation after the elder the House of Clarence recovered its Right in K. Edwa●● the Fourth that we may know it is but staying the leisure of Heaven for every one to have his Right either in Person or by Proxie But whether incited by this speech of the Bishop or otherwise out of the ran●●ur of envy is some and malice in others it was not long after before there grew in the mindes of many both Lords and other a malignant inclination towards King Henry and came first to be a Conspiracie in the house of the Abbot of Westminster This Abbot was a kinde of Booke-statesman but better read in the Politicks of Aristotle then of Solomon who remembring some words of King Henry which he had spoken long before when he was but Earle of Darby That Princes had too little and Religious men too much and fearing lest being now king he should reduce his words into act he thought it better to use preventing Physick before-hand then to sta●d to the hazard of a curing afterward and thereupon invited to his house the discontented Lords ●●s namely Iohn Holland Duke of Exceter Thomas Holland hi● brothers sonne Duke of Surry Edward Duke of A●merle Iohn Montacute Earle of S●lisbury Hugh Spenser Earle of Glocester Iohn Bishop of Carlile Sir Thomas Blunt and Ma●●lin one of King Richards Chappell who after dinner conferring together and communicationg their spleenes against King Henry one with another they resolved at last both to take away the Kings life and of the way how to doe it The device was this They would publish a solemne Justs to be●olden at Oxford at a day appointed and invite the King to honor it with his presence and there in the time of acting the Justs when all mens intentions should be otherwise busied they would have him be murthered This device was resolved on Oaths for secrecy were t●ken and Indentures sextipartite for performing conditions agreed upon between them sealed and delivered The Justs are proclaimed the King is invited and promiseth to come secrecie of all hands kept most firmly to the very day But though all other kept counsell yet Fortune would not but she discovered all For it fortuned that as the Duke of Aumerle was riding to the Lords at Oxford against the day appointed he tooke it in his way to goe visit his father the Duke of Yorke and having in his bosome the Indenture of Confederacy his father as they sate at dinner chanced to spy it and asked what it was to whom his sonne answering It was nothing that any way concerned him By S. George saith his father but I will see it and there withall snatching it from him read it and finding the Contents and reviling his sonne for being now the second time a Traitour before to King Richard and now to King Henry he commanded his horses to be instantly made ready and with all the speed he could make rode to Windsor where the King then lay but the younger yeeres of his sonne out-rid him and came to the Court before him where locking the Gates and taking the keyes from the Po●ter pretending some speciall reason he went up to the King and falling on his knees ●sked his Pardon The king demanding for what offence he then discovered the whole Plot which he had scarce done when his father came rapping at the Court-gates and comming to the king shewed him the Indenture of Confederacy which he h●d taken from his sonne This though i● amazed the king yet it informed him of the truth of the matter whereof he was before doubtfull and thereupon layes aside his journey to see the Justings of others in jest and takes care that he be not justled in earnest out of his Throne himselfe In the meane time the confederate Lords being ready at Oxford and hearing nothing of the Duke of Aumerle nor seeing any preparation for the kings comming were certainly perswaded that their Treason w●s discovered Whereupon falling into consideration of the case they were in they found there was no place left for them of Mercy
and ther●fore were to stand upon their Guard and provide the best they could for their safety To which purpose the first thing they did was to apparell Magdalen in Princely robes a man as like to king Richard in countenance and pesonage as one man lightly can be to another and to give forth that he was king Richard escaped out of Prison thereby to countenance their proceedings The next thing was to dispatch me●senger● to the king of France and require his assistance This done they set forward in Battell-array towards Windsor against king Henry but finding him gone to London before they came they then deliberate what course to take Some advised to set K. Richard at liberty before their counterfeit Richard should be discovered Others ●hought best to follow the king to London and set upon him unprovided and befo●e he had g●thered Forces In this division of Advises when they could not doe both they did neither but as men amazed ma●ched on though they knew not well wh●ther till they came to Colbrooke by which time the king had gathered an Army of twenty thousand and was marching towards them but they not thinking so well of their c●●se that they durst put it to the tryall of a battell or perhaps staying for ayde out of France withdrew themselves back to Sunnings neere to Reading where the young Queen lay● to whom their comming gave some flashes of comfort but quenched before they were throughly kindled and from thence they march to Cicester where the Duke of Surry and the Earle of Salisbury●o●ke ●o●ke up their lodging in one Inne the Duke of Exceter and the Earle of Glocester in anoth●● And now a strange Accident beyond the reach of all consultation gave a period to their Designe for who would thinke that a private company durst oppose those Lords having their Army so neere them yet the Bailiffe of the Towne upon intelligence no doubt that these Lords were up in Arme● against the King taking with him a company of Townsmen in the night assaulted the Inne where the Duke of Surry and the Earle of Salis●ury lay who thus assaulted made shift to defend themselve● till three a clock in the afternoone but then being in danger to be taken a Priest one of their company set divers houses in the Towne on fi●e thinking thereby to divert the Assailants from prosecuting the Lords to save their houses but this inflamed them the more and so hotly they pursued their as●ault that they wounded the Duke and the Earle to death who dying that night their heads were stricken off and sent up to London With them also were taken Sir Bennet Shelley Sir Barnard Brocas Sir Thomas Blunt and eight and twenty other Lords Knights and Gentlemen who were sent to Oxford where the King then lay and there were put to execution The Duke of Exceter in the other Inne hearing of this assault fled out of the backside towards the Campe intending to bring the whole Army to the rescue● but the souldiers having heard a clamour and seeing fire in the Towne supposing the King had been come with all his Forces out of a sodaine feare dispersed them selves and fled which the Duke seeing he also with Sir Iohn Shelley fled into Essex where wandring and lurking in secret places he was at last apprehended as he sate at supper in a friends house and led to Plashey and there shortly after beheaded the place where by his counsell and countenance the Duke of Glocester formerly had been apprehended that we may observe how the Divine Providence in revenging of injuries takes notice and makes use of the very circumstance of place where the injuries are ●one The Earle of Glocester fled towards Wales but was taken and beheaded at Bristow Magdalen the counterfeit king Richard was apprehended and brought to the Tower and afterward hanged and quartered with Mr. Fereby another of king Richards Chaplaines Divers other Lords and Knights and Gentlemen and a great number of meane persons were in other places put to death that so much Noble blood at one time and for one cause hath scarce been heard or read of The Abbot of Westminster in whose house the Plot was contrived hearing of these misfortunes as he was going between the Monastery and his Mansion fell suddenly into a Palsie and shortly after without speech ended his life About this time also a strange peece of Treason is reported to have been practised against the kings life that there was found in his bed-cloaths an Iron with three sharpe pikes standing upright that when the king should have layd him downe he might have thrust himselfe upon them But seeing there is no farther mention of inquiring after it it seemes to have been but an idle rumour not worth beleeving But now that the hot English blood was well allayed the Welch blood springs up as hot For now Owen Glendour an Esquire of Wales brought up at the Innes of Court in London partly out of a desire to revenge a wrong done him as he conceived in a suit for lands in controversie between the Lord Grey of Ruthin and him but chiefly out of an humour of aspiring endeavored to draw the Welchmen to a generall defection telling them That the English being at variance amongst themselves now was the time to shake off their yoake and to resume their owne antient Lawes and Customes To whose perswasions the Welchmen hearkening made him their king and Captaine and he having gotten a competent Army sets first upon his old Advers●ry ●ey●old Lord Grey of Ruthin and takes him Prisoner yet with promi●e of Releasement if he would marry his daughte● which offer though the Lord Grey at first not onely refused but scorned yet out of necessity at last he was contented to accept when notwithstanding his deceitfull father in Law trifled out the time of his enlargement till he dyed But the Welchmen growing confident upon this successe breake into the borders of Herefordshire making spoyle and prey of the Country as freely as if they had leave to doe it for indeed none opposed them but onely the Lord Ed●●nd Mortimer who had formerly withdrawne himselfe to his Castle at Wigmore an● he having assembled the Forces of the Country and joyning b●ttell with them was taken Prisoner and then fettered and cast into a deepe and vile Dungeon It was thought if Glendour had as well known how to use his victory as to get it he might at this time have put the English yoak into a great haz●rd to be shaken off but he having killed a thousand of the English thought he had done for that time and so giving over the pursuit retired The inhumanity of the Welsh women was here memorable who fell upon the dead carkasses of the English first stripping them and then cutting off their privie parts and noses whereof the o●e they thrust into their mouthes the other they pressed between their buttock● Many noble men specially his kinsmen the Percies sollicited King Henry
to deliver Mortimer but the King was deafe of that eare he could rather have wished both him and his two Sisters in heaven for then he should be free from conceal'd competitours These affronts were at this time suffered in the Welch because the King was now employed in a more dangerous service with the Scots for they taking advantage of the distraction in the kingdome as it was alwayes their custome to do had made an In-rode into the County of Northumberland and sudden●y one night set upon the Castle of Werke tooke and spoiled it and then returned In revenge wherof the English invaded and spoiled certain Islands of the Orkn●ys Then the Scots set forth a Fleet under the conduct of Sir Robert Logon but before he came to any action he was encountred and the greatest part of his Fleet taken But these were but such affronts as often happen between troublesome neighbours for all this while the Peace was still in being between the Nations but at last it brake out into an open warre upon this occasion Robert King of Scots had offered to match his Son David with a D●ughter of Geo●ge Earle of Dunbarre and had received money of him in part of her portion and afterward would neither suffer the March to proceed nor yet pay back the money but married his Son to a Daughter of Archibold Earle of D●●glasse Upon which indignity George of Dunbarre flyes into England to king Henry and with his ayd makes divers incursions into Sco●land Whereupon Rober● king of Scots sent to king Henry that if he would have the Truce between them to continue he should deliver to him George of Dunbarre King Henry answered that he had given him a safe conduct and could not now recall it with his Honor but as for continuing the Truce king Robert might do in that what he thought best● Upon this answer the king of Scots presently proclaimed warre against him But king Henry as ready in that matter as he stayed not for king Roberts invading of England but himselfe with a puissant Army invaded Scotland burning Castles and Cities and not sparing Churches and Religious Houses About the end of September he besieged the Castle of Maydens in Edenbourgh where Prince David and the Earle Dowglasse were At which time Robert Duke of Albanye who in the king of Scots sicknesse managed the businesse sent an Herald to king Henry protesting upon his honor that if he would stay but six dayes he would give him battell K. Henry rewarded the Herald and stayed but six times six dayes passed but neither Duke of Albany nor any other for him appeared And now winter came on Victualls grew scant and which was worst a mortality began in the Engl●sh Campe For which causes king Henry removed his Siege and retu●ned i●t● England As soone as he was gone sir Patrick Hebborne a Scottishman having a good opinion of his valour thought to do great matters and with a competent Army of the men of L●●gh-deane he invaded Northumberland making great spoile and loading his Soul●diers with prey and prisoners but in the Retreit marching loosely and licentiously was set upon by the Earle of Northumberland Vice-warden at a Towne called Neshye where Hebborne himselfe and all the floure of L●ugh-deane were flaine sir Iohn and William Cockburne sir William Busse Iohn and Thomas Hablington Esq●ires and a multitude of common Souldiers taken prisoners On the Engl●sh part few sl●in● and none of any ranke or quality In revenge whereof Archibold Dowglasse with an Army of twenty thousand entred Northumberland but at a place called Hom●ldon were encountred by the English under the leading of Henry Lord Percye sirnamed Ho●spu●●e and George Earle of March who put them to ●light and after the slau●hter of ten thousand of them tooke five hundred prisoners whereof the chieft were Mordack Earle of Fife sonne of the Generall who in the fight lost one of his eyes Thomas Earle of Murrey Robert Earle of A●gus the Earls of Atholl and Menli●●● and amongst the slaine were Sir Iohn Swinton Sir Adam Gourdon Sir Iohn Leviston Sir Alexander Ramsey and three and twenty other knights In this meane time Glendour of Wales had solicited the king of France for ayde who sent him twelve hundred men of quality but the windes were so contrary that they lost twelve of their ships and the rest returned home The English deriding this ill successe of the French so exasperated the French-king that presently after he sent twelve thousand who landed safely and joyned with the Welch but as soone as they heard of the English armies approach whether mistrusting their own strength or suspecting the Welch-mens faithfullnesse they ran to their ships and disgracefully went home King Henry's Ambassadors lately sent into Britaine to fetch the Lady Iane de Navarre Dutchesse of Britiane the relict of Iohn de Montford sirnamed the Conquerour● with whom the king by Procurators had contracted Matrimony in the beginning of February returned with her in safety The king met her at Winchester where the seventh of February the marriage was solemnized About this time some affronts were offered by the French Valerian Earle of S. Paul with seventeene hundred men landed in the Isle of Wight where hee burnt two Villages and some few Cottages but hearing the people of the Island to have assembled hee made haste to his ships and returned home Also Iohn Earle of Clermont the heire of Bourbon won from the English the Castles of S. Peter S. Mary and the New-Castle The Lord de la Brett won the Castle of Cal●●in places of great consequence to the English And now to make k. Henry sensible that a Crown can hardly ever sit easie upon the head if it be not set on right at first a new Conspiracy is hatching against him The Percies Earls of Northumberland and Worcester with Henry Hotspur began about thi● time to fall off from king Henry their reason was First because the king at their request refused to redeeme their kinsman Mortimer from Glendours slavery and then because he denied them the benefit of such prisoners as they had taken of the Scots at Homildon or N●shye whereupon they went of themselves and procured Mortimer's delivery and then entred into a League offensive and defensive with Glendour and by their Proxies in the house of the Arch-deacon of Bangor they agreed upon a Tripartite Indenture under their hands and seales to divide the kingdome into three parts whereby all England from Sever● and Trent South and Eastward was assigned for the portion of the Earle of March All Wales and the Lands beyond Sever● VVestward were assigned to Owen Glendour And all the remainder of land from Trent Northward to bee the portion of the Lord Percy In this as Glendour perswaded them they thought they should accomplish a Prophesie as though king Henry were the Mouldwarp cursed of Gods own mouth they three were the Lyon the Dragon and the Wolfe which should divide the Land
withall made the Bishop sweare that if the said Iohn and Gaunt should at any time either directly or indirectly attempt the Crown or that rightfully through want of issue it should devolve unto him that then he should discover this matter and make it known unto the King and Councell Afterward the Queen being dead and the Bishop finding Iohn of Gaunt as he thought too much aspiring he secretly told him this relation and this adjuration of his supposed mother advising him not to seeke higher than a private state for else he was bound by oath to make it known to all the World Thus far the Bishop did well but when he saw the Son of Iohn of Gaunt not only aspiring but possessed of the Crown why did he not then discover it and joyn at least with the Bishop of Ca●lile in opposing it Certainly we may know that either the whole relation was but a Fable or that Wickham was a Temporizer or that Iohn of Gaunt was a most patient man to suffer the affront of such an indignity with l●sse than the death of him that did it But howsoever it was it is certain the Duke bore a mortall grudge to the Bishop who had no way to withstand such an enemy but by making Alice Pierce his friend by whose means after two years he was restored to all his livings and afterward K. Edward being dead and Alice Pierce banished by the means of a greater friend than Alice Pierce his full ourse he obteined in the second year of k. Richard a generall pardon under the Great Seale of England and from that time forward enjoyed a quiet life and dyed in the fourth yeare of this King Henry the fourth being then of the age of above 80 years and lieth buried in the Church of St. Swithen● in VVinchester in a monument of his own making in his life time leaving for his heire Thomas Perrot the son of his sister Agnes married to VVilliam Perrot Another great example of the volubility of Fortune in Professors of learning was Roger VValden who dyed in the ninth yeare of this King he was at first a poor Scholler in Oxford and the first step of his rising was to be a Chaplain in the Colledge there of St. Maries from thence by degrees he got to be Dean of Yorke and after this a high step to be Treasurer of England and yet a higher after that up●n the banishment of Thomas Arundell to be Archbishop of Canterbury But bein● now at the top he came down again for in this kings time Thomas Arundell bei●g restored to the Archbishopricke VValden was not only put out of ●hat place 〈◊〉 was called to accompt for the Treasure●ship and though he shewed hi● quietus est yet all his Temporalties were seized and his person imprisoned till by the mediation of the now Archbishop Arundell he was made Treasurer of Calice and after promoted to be B●shop of London The next place after these is justly due to Geoffry Ch●ucer and Iohn Gower two famous Poets in this time and the Fathers of English Poets in all the times after Cha●cer dyed in the fourth yeare of this king and lyeth buried at VVestminster Gower in this kings ninth yeare and was buried in St. Mary Overys Church in Southwarke And now come others to be remembred who lived and died in this kings time Hugh Legate born in Hartfordshire a Monke of St. Albons who wrote Scholies upon Boetius de Consolatione Nicholas Gorham born also in Hartfordshire a Dominick Frier and the French kings Confessor though an Englishman VValte● Disse so called of a Town in Norfolke where he was borne Confessor to the Duke of Lancaster Lawrence Holbeck a Monke of Ramsey who wrote an Hebrew Dictionary Iohn Cotton Archbishop of Armagh Rich●rd Scroope brother to William Scroope Lord Treasurer of England made Archbishop of Yorke and writing an invective against King Henry lost his head William Thorpe an earnest follower of Iohn Wickliffe for which he was committed to Saltwood Castle where he dyed Stephen Patrington born in York●shire and Robert Mascall a Carmelite Frier of Ludlow both of them Confessors to king Henry the fifth Boston a Monke of the Abbey of Burie in Suffolke who wrote a Catalogue of all the Writers of the Church and other Treatises Iohn Purvey who was convented for teaching Doctrine con●rary to the Church of Rome and compelled to recant Thomas Rudburne Bishop of S. Davids who wrote a Chronicle Nicolas Riston who considering the strife between the then Anti-popes wrote a booke De tollendo schismate Robert Wansham a Monke in Dar●etshire who wrote a booke in verse Of the Originall and signification of Words Robert Wimbledon an excellent Preacher as app●ar●th by the Sermon he made upo● this Text Redde rationem Villicatio●is tuae THE REIGNE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH HENRY of Monmouth so called from the place in Wales where he was born eldest Son of King Henry the fourth succeeded his Father in the kingdom of England to whom the Lords of the Realm swore Homage and Allegiance before he was yet Crowned an honor never done before to any of his Predecessors and afterwards on the ninth of Aprill in the yeare 1412 he was Crowned at Westminster by Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury with all Ri●es and Solemnities in such case accustomed And as the Scripture speaks of Saul that assoone as Samuel had annointed him King he had a new heart given him and he became another man than he was before So was it with this king Henry for presently after his Coronation he called before him all his old Companions who had been fr●tres in malo with him strictly charging them not to pre●ume to come within ten miles of his Court untill such time as they had given good proofe of their amendment in manners and least any of them should pretend want of maintenance to be any cause of their taking ill courses he gave to every one of them a competent meanes whereby to subsist And knowing as he did the fashion of the Scots and Welch that in times of change they would commonly take adva●tage to make Inroades upon the Borders he therefore ca●sed Forts and Bulwarks in fit places to be erected and placed Garrisons in them for preventing or repelling any such incu●sions Immediately after this he called a Parliament where a Subsidie was granted without asking and in this Parl●ament the Commons began to harp upon their old string of taking away the Temporalties of the Clergie and the Bishops fearing how it might take in the kings ears thought it best to divert him by striking upon another string which they knew would be more pleasing to him which was to shew him the great right he had to the Crown of France And hereupon Chicheley Archbishop of C●nterbury in a long narration deduced the kings Right from Is●bel Daughter to Philip the fourth married to king Edward the second from whom it discended by direct line to his Majesty and no
approaching neer the Que●ns A●my he was certified by his sc●uts that the Enemie farre exceeded his power both in number and in all warlike preparation he not having in his Army above five thousand men and thereupon the Earle of Salisbury advised him to rety●e and to attend the comming of the Earle of March who was gone into Wales to raise the March men but the pride of his former victory made him deale to all Counsell of declining the battell and so hastened on by his destiny from S●nd●ll Castle he marched on to Wakefield greene where the Lord Clifford on the one side and the Earle of Wiltshire on the other were placed in ambuscado The Duke of Yorke supposing that the Duke of Somerset who led the battell had no more forces then what were with him undauntedly marcheth towards him but being entred within their danger the ambushes on both sides brake out upon him and slew him with three thousand of his men the rest fled the Earle of Salisbury is taken prisoner and harmlesse Rutland not above twelve yeers old who came thither but to see fashions is made a sacrifice for his Fathers transgression who kneeling upon his knees with tears begging life is unmercifully stabbed to the heart by the Lord Clifford in part of revenge as he swore of his Fathers death and the Queen most unwomanly in cold blood caused the Earle of Salisbury and as many as were taken prisoners to be beheaded at P●mfret Castle and to have their heads placed on poles about the walls of Yorke Thus dyed Richard Plantagenet Duke of Yorke who had taken to wife Cicely daughter of Ralph Nevyll the first Earle of Westmerland by whom he had issue eight sonnes and foure daughters his eldest sonne Henry dyed young his second son Edward was afterward king of England his third Edmund Earle of Rutland was slaine with his father● Iohn Thomas and William died young his seventh sonne George was after Duke of Clarence his youngest sonne Richard sirnamed Crouchb●ck w●s after king of England Anne his eldest daughter was married to Henry Holland Duke of Exeter his second daughter Elizabeth was married to Iohn de la P●ole Earle of Suffolk his third Margaret to Charles Duke of Burgoigne his fourth Vrsula dyed young This Duke being dead had his head crowned with a paper Crown together with many circumstances of disgracing him but this act of spight was fully afterwards recompensed upon their heads that did it The Earle of March hearing of his fathers death laboured now so much the more earnestly in that he laboured for himselfe and parting from Shrewsbury whose Inhabitants were most firme unto him he increased his army to the number of three and twenty thousand and presently took the field and having advertisment that Iasper Earle of Pembrooke with the Earle of Ormond and Wiltshire followed after him with a great power of Welsh and Irish he suddenly marcheth back againe and in a plaine neer Mortimers Crosse on Candlemas day in the morning gave them battell wherewith the slaughter of three thousand and eight hundred he put the Earles to flight Owen Tewther who had married Queen Catherine Mother to king Henry the sixth and divers Welsh Gentlemen were taken and at Hereford beheaded Before the battell it is said the Sunne appeared to the Earle of March like three sunnes and suddenly it joyned all together in one for which cause some imagine that he gave the sunne in its full brightnes for his badge or Cognisance The Queen in the mean time encouraged by the death of the Duke of Yorke with a power of Northern men marcheth towards London but when her souldiers were once South of Trent as if that river were the utmost limit of their good behaviour they fell to forrage the Country in most babarous manner Approaching S. Albans they were advertised that the Duke of Norfolke and the Earle of Warwick were ready to give them battell whereupon the Queens Vaward hasteth to passe through St. Alb●●s but being not suffered to passe they encountred with their Enemies in the field called Barnard heath who perceiving the maine battaile to stand still and not to move which was done by the treachery of Lovelace who with the kentish men had the leading of it they soone made the Southerne men to turne their backs and f●y upon whose flight the rest in doubt of each others well meaning shifted away and the Lords about the King perceiving the danger withdrew themselves Only the Lord B●nvile com●ing in a complementall manner to the King and saying it grieved him to leave his Majesty but that necessity for safeguard of his life enforced it● was importuned and Sir Tho●as Kyriell a knight of Kent likewise by the king to stay he passing his Royall word that their stay should bee no danger to them upon which promise they stayed but to their cost for the Queen hearing that the Commo●s had beheaded Baron Tho●pe at High-gate ●he in revenge thereof caused both their heads to be stricken off at S. Alb●●s so as there were slaughtered at this battaile the full number of three and twenty hundred but no man of name but onely Sir Iohn Grey who the same day was made knight with twelve other at the village of Colney And now the King was advised to send one Thom●s Hoe tha● had been a Barrister to the Victors to tell them that he would gladly come to them if with conveyance it might be done whereupon the Earle of Northumberland appointed divers Lords to attend him to the L. Cl●ffords Tent where the Queen and the young Prince met to their great joy but it was now observed as it were in the destiny of King He●ry that although he were a most Piousman yet no enterprise of warre did ever prosper where he was present that we may know the prosperity of the world to be no inseparable companion to men of Piety At the Queens request the king honored with knighthood thirty gentlemen who the day before had fought against the part where he was the Prince likewise was by him dubbed knight and then they went to the Abby where they were received with Anthems and withall an humble petition to be protected from the outrage of the loose souldiers● which was promised and Proclamation made to that purpose but to small purpose for the Northern men said It was their bargaine to have all the spoyle in every place after they had passed Trent and so they robbed and spoiled whatsoever they could come at The Lond●ners hearing of this disorder were resolved seeing there was no more assurance in the Kings promise to keep the Northern men out of their gates insomuch that when they were sent to to send over to the Campe certaine Cart-loads of Lenton provision which the Major accordingly provided the Commons rose about Cripplegate and by strong hand kept the Carts from going out of the City Hereupon the Major sends the Recorder to the Kings Counsell● and withall intreats
Deane of Pauls● to be Commissioners for ma●ing enquiry of the Offenders 〈◊〉 for assessing their Fines which they did with great severity to some with great mildnesse to others to all with equity 〈◊〉 was now the fourteenth yeer of the kings Reigne when one Sebastian ●●bato ● Ge●●●a's Sonne born ●t B●iston perswaded the king to man and victua●● a ship at Bristow ●o search for 〈◊〉 stand which he said he knew to be replenished with rich Commodities who setting forth with three other small sh●ps of London merchants returned home two yeer● after when he had made a large discovery westward and would have gone to 〈◊〉 if the Mariners had not forced him to return a likewise si● years before one Christop●er Columbus a Spanyard made the first discovery of America Perkin being in the Tower and carefully guarded yet found me ●s to escape and fled to the Priory of Sheen neer Richmond where discovering himselfe to the Pryor of that Monastery he begged of him for Gods sake to get the kings Pardon fo● his life which the Prior effected but then was Perkin brought to the Court at Westminster and was one day set fettered in a paire of Stocks before Westminster-hall and there stood a whole day the next day he was set upon a like Scaffold in Cheape-side and there standing the whole day also hethen read openly his confession wr●tten with his own hand wherein he declared his Parentage and the place of his Birth and all the passages of his Life and by what means he was drawn to make this attempt After this he was committed againe to the Tower and care taken he should be better looked to than he was before But all the care notwithstanding once againe Perkin attempted to escape and drawing into a Confederacy with him the young Earle of Warwicke by faire words and large promises so corrupted his keepers Stra●gwish Bl●wet Astwood and long Roger servants to Sir Iohn Digbie Lieutenant of the Tower that they intended to have slaine their Master and set Perki● and the Earle of Warwicke at liberty But this practice was soone discovered ●o that Perki● and Iohn a Water sometime Major of Corke in Ireland one of Perki●s chiefe founders were on the sixteenth day of November arraigned at Westminster and condemned and both of them on the two and twentieth day were drawn to Tyburne and there hanged where Perki● tooke it upon his death that the Confession he had formerly made was true soon after also Blewet and Astwood two of the Lieutenants men were in the same place executed On the one and twentieth day of the same month Edward Plantagemet Earle of Warwicke was arraigned at Westminster before the Earle of Oxford then High Steward of England not for consenting to breake Prison but for conspiring with Perkin to raise Sedition and destroy the king and upon his Confession had Judgement and on the eight and twentieth day of the same month in the yeer 1499. was brought to the Scaffold on the Tower-hill and there beheaded This Earle of Warwick was the eldest Sonne of the Duke of Clarence and was the last Heire male of the name of Plantagenet and had been kept in the Tower from his very In●ancy out of all company of Men and fight of Beasts so as he scarcely knew a Hen from a Goose nor one beast from another and therefore could never know how to practice his escape of himselfe but by Perki●s subtlety for which cause the king favoured him so farre that he was not buried in the Tower but at Bissam by his Ancestours And thus ended the designes of Perki● Warbeck which had troubled both the Kingdome and the King the space of seven or eight yeers a great part of the Kings Raigne But in the time of Perki●s being in the Tower another like practice was set on foot for an Augusti●e Frier called Patrick in the County of Suffolk having a Scholler named Ralph Wilford a Cordwayners Sonne he caused him to take upon him to be the Earle of Warwicke lately by great chance gotten out of the Tower and they going together into 〈◊〉 when the Frier perceived some light credit to be given to him he then stuck not to declare it openly in the Pulpit desiring all men to assist him But this practice was soone discovered and both the Mr. and the Scholler were apprehended attainted the Scholler Wilford was hanged on Shrovetuesd●y at S. Thomas Waterings and the Frier was condemned to perpetuall Prison for at that time so much reverence was attributed to holy Orders that a Priest though ●e had commited Treason against the king yet had h●s life spared And this pract●●e was some cause to exasperate the king against the Earle of Warwicke who though innocent in himselfe yet was nocent in pretenders and besides king Ferdinand of Spai●e with whom at this time there was a Treaty for marriage of his Daughter to Prince Arthur had written to the king in plaine terms that he saw no assurance of his Sonnes succession as long a● the Earle of Warwicke lived and thus all things unfortunately concurred to bring this innocent Prince to his end In the fifteenth yeer of his Reigne partly to avoide the danger of the Plague then raigning in England but chiefely to conferre with the Duke of Burgoigne about many important businesses the King and Queen sayled over to Callice where at an enterview between him and the Duke at Saint Peters Church without Callice the Duke offered to hold the kings sturrup at his alighting which the king by no meanes would permit but descending from horse-back they embraced wi●h great affection ●nd after Communication had between them the King and Queen in the end o● Iu●● returned into England In his seventeenth yeer ●wo great Marriages were solemnized the Lady 〈◊〉 of Spaine was sent by her Father king Ferdi●a●d with a puissant Army of S●●ps into E●gland where she arrived at Plimouth the second day of October and on the fourteenth of November after● was espo●sed openly to Prince Ar●hur both be●ng clad in white He of the age of ●●fteen yeers shee of eighteen at night they were laid together in one Bed where they lay as Man and Wife all that night when ●o●ning appeared the Prince as his servants about him reported called for drinke which before time he had not used to doe whereof one of his Chamb●rlaines ●sking 〈◊〉 the cause● he answered merrily saying I have been this night in the middest o● Spa●●● which is a hot Country and ●hat make● me so dry though some write tha●● grave Matron was laid in bed between them to hinder actuall Consummation●● T●e Ladies portion was two hundred thousand Duckets her joynture the 〈◊〉 part of the Principality of Wales Cornwall and Ch●ster At this Marriage was gr●●● solemnity and Royall Justings during which time there came into London 〈◊〉 Earle a Bishop and divers other noble personages sent from the king of Scots 〈…〉 conclusion of a Mariage before treated of
London where they were lodged at Marchantailors Hall The last of September the Embassadours went to the King at Greenwich where after long communication an Agreement was at last concluded under pretence of a marriage to be had betweene the Dolphin of France and the Lady Mary Daughter to the King of England that in name of her marriage money Tourney should be deliveted to the French King he paying to the King of England for the Castle he had made in that Citty six hundred Thousand C●ownes in twelve yeeres by fiftie Thousand Crownes yeerly and if the marriage should chance not to take effect then that Tourney should be againe restored to the King of England for performance of which article Hrstages shotld be delivered namely Monsi●ur de Memorancye Monsieur de Monpesac Monsieur de Moy and Monsieur Morett and moreover the French King should pay to the Cardinall of England a thousand markes yeerly in recompence of his Revenewes received before of his Bishoprick of Tourney All things thus concluded the Cardinall made to the Embassadours a solemne Banquet and after presented them with a stately Mummery The eighth of October the King feasted them at Greenwich and at night presented a stately Maske of Knights and Ladies with reare devises and great magnificence The next day Sir Thomas Exmew Major of London feasted them at Goldsmiths-Hall and then delivering their foure Hostages they tooke their leave At whose departure the King gave to the Admirall of France a Garnish of guilt vessell a paire of covered Basons gilt twelve great guilt Bowles fower paire of great guilt Pots a standing Cup of Gold garnished with great Pearles and to some other he gave Plate to some other cheins of Gold to some rich Apparell to the great comendation of his liberality Shortly after their departure the Earle of Worcester Lord Chamberlaine the Bishop of Ely the Lord of Saint Iohns Sir Nicholas Vaux Sir Iohn Pechy and Sir Thomas Bullen as Embassadours from the King of England accompanied with Knights Gentlemen and others to the number of above foure hundred passed over to Callice and from thence went to Paris where after Royall Entertainment by the King with di●erse Maskes and stately shewes they tooke their leaves and rode to Tourney to see the Citty delivered to the French men on the eighth of February to the great griefe of the English Garrison After the English Embassadours were returned King Henry to cheere up the foure French Hostages left heere for performance of covenants on the seaventh of May presented a solemne and stately Maske wherein himselfe the Duke of Suffolke and the French Queene were Actors and on the eight of March following was a solemne Just holden and with great magnificence performed In the eleventh yeere of King Henries Raigne died the Emperour Maximilian for whom the King caused a solemne obsequie to be kept in Paules Church After whose death the French King and the King of Spain endeavoured by sundry plots each of them to get the Empire but in conclusion Charles King of Castile afterwards called Charles the fifth was elected Emperour for joy whereof a solemne Masse was sung at Pauls the seaventh of Iuly at which were present the Cardinall Campeius the Cardinall of Yorke the Duke of Buckingham Norfolke and Suffolk with the Embassadours of Spaine France Venice and Scotland and this yeere the King kept Saint Georges feast at Winsor with great solemnity At this time diverse young Gentlemen that had been in France after the manner of that Country carried themselves so familiarly with the King that the Lords of his counsell thought it a disparagement to him and thereupon with his leave first obtained they banished them the Court and in their places brought in more staied aud graver men namely Sir Richard Winkefield Sir Richard Ierningham Sir Richard Weston and Sir VVilliam Kingston In the summer of this yeere the Queene lying at her Mannor of Havering in Essex desired the King to bring thither the foure Hostages of France to whom shee made a Royall Banpuet and in September following the King lying at his Mannor of Newhall in Essex otherwise called Beaulieu where he had newly built a stately Mansion invited the Queen and the French Hostages thither where after a sumptuous Banquet he presented them with an extraordinary Mask for the Maskers were the Duke of Suffolk the Earl of Essex the Marquesse Dorset the Lord Aburgaveny Sir Richard VVinkfield Sir Richard VVeston and Sir VVilliam Kingston the youngest of whom was fifty yeeres old at least that the Ladies might see what force they had to make age young againe At this time the French King was very desirous to see the King of England with whom he had entred into such a league of alliance and to that end made meanes to the Cardinall that there might be an Enterview betweene them at some convenient place to which the Cardinall no● so much to satisfie the French King as to shew his owne greatnesse in France e●sily condiscended and thereupon perswaded King Henry how necessary it was that such an Enterview should be and then were sent unto Guysnes under the rule of Sir Edward Belknap three thousand artificers who builded on the plaine before the Castle of Guysnes a most stately Pallace of timber curiously Garnished without and within whither both the Kings in Iune next following agreed ●o come and to answere all commers at the Tilt Tournies and Barriers whereof proclamation was made in the Court of England by Orleance King of Armes of France and in the Court of France by Clarentius King of Armes of England whilst these things were preparing on Candlemas Even as the King and Queene were come from Even-song at their Mannour of Greenwich suddainly there blew a Trumpet and then entred into the Queenes Chamber foure Gentlemen who brought with them a waggon in which sate a Lady richly apparelled which Lady acquainted the King that the foure Gentlemen there present were come for the love of their Ladies to answer all commers at the Tilts on a day by the King to be appointed which day was thereupon appointed on Shrovetuesday next ●nsuing where they all behaved themselves with great valour to the great delight of the King and Queene By this time King Henry was ready for his journey into France and so removing from his Mannour of Greenwich on Friday the five and twentieth of May he with his Queene arived at Canterbury where he ment to keepe his Whitsontide At which time the Emperour Charles returning ou● of Spaine arrived on the coast of Kent where by the vice Admirall of England Sir William Fitz-Williams he was conducted to land and there met aud received by the Lord Cardinall in great state After which the King himselfe rode to Dover to welcome him and on Whitsunday earely in the morning conducted him to Canterbury where they spent all the Whitsontide in great joy and solace The chiefe cause that moved the Emperour at this time
Lord Berners Lieutenant of the Towne On Munday he tooke ship at Callice and landed at Dover where the Cardinall with three hundred Lords Knights and Gentlemen received him and in great State brought him to the Castle where he was lodged On Wednesday being Ascention Even the King came to Dover and there with great joy and gladnesse the Emperour and he met On Friday in the afternoone they departed from Dover and came that night to Canterbury and from thence next day to Greenwich where the Queene received her Nephew with all the joy that might be Here to honour the Emperours presence Royall Justs and Turneys were appointed where the King the Earle of D●vonshire and ten Aydes kept the place against the Duke of Suffolke the Marquesse Dorset and other ten Aydes on their part On Friday the sixth of Iune the Emperour and the King with all their companies went to London where the City received them with Pageants and other as rare device● as at a Coronation and the Emperour was lodged at the Blackf●yers and all his Lords in the new Palaces of Bridewell On VVhitsunday the King and the Emperour rode to the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul where the Cardinall sung M●sse and had his Traverse and his Cupboord Before Masse two Barons gave him water and after the Gospel two Earles and at the last Lavatory two Dukes which pride the Spaniards much disdained After many Feastings in other places at last they rode to VVindsor where they stayed a whole weeke and there on Corpus Chris●i day the Emperour wore his Mantle of the Garte● and sate in his owne Stall On the same day both the Princes received the Sacrament and took their oathes to observe the League concluded betweene them On the morrow after they came to Winchester before whose comming thither there was come to Hampton the Earle of Surrey Admirall of England with all the Kings Navy and with him the Lord Fitz-Water the Barron Curson Sir Nicholas Carew Sir Richard Wink●●eld Sir Richard Ierning●am Francis Brian Sir William Barentine Sir Adrian Foskew Sir Edward Donne Sir Edward Chamberlaine Sir Richard Cornwall Sir Antony Poynes Sir Henry Shirborn and the Viceadmirall Sir William Fitz-Williams Sir Edmund Bray Sir Giles Capell Sir William Pirton Iohn Cornwallis Sir Iohn Walloppe Sir Edward Ichingham Sir VVilliam Sidney Anthony Browme Giles Hus●ey Thomas Moore Iohn Rus●el Edward Bray Henry Owen George Cobham Thomas Old●all Thomas Lovell Robert Ichingham Anthony Knevet Sir Iohn Tremaile Sir VVilliam Skevington Master of the Ordinance and Iohn Fabian Serjant at Armes by whom chiefly a diss●gne was moved though now noised onely that it was but to scowre the seas for the safe conducting of the Emperour For the Earle of Surrey having wafted the Emperour over to the co●st of Biskay upon his returne made to the coast of Brittaine and there landing seven thousand of his men marched to the Towne of Morleys and by assault took it having ●onne this Towne the E●rle called to him certaine Gentlemen and made them Knights as Sir Francis Brian Sir Anthony Browne Sir Richard Cornwall Sir Thomas Moore Sir Giles Hus●ey Sir Iohn Russell Sir Iohn Rainsford Sir George Cobham Si● Iohn Cornwallis Sir Edward Ridgley and some others and after the Earle had lien a while on the Coast of Brittaine he was commanded home by the Kings letters who thereupon brought back his whole fleet to a place ca●led the Cow under the Isle of Wight and then went on land leaving diverse of of his ships under the Governa●ce of the Vice-admirall Sir William Fitz-VVilliams In this meane time diverse exploits were atchieved between them of the Garrison in the marches of Callice and the French men of Bulloigne where the French commonly had the worst but being of no great moment may well be passed over without relating Likewise at the same time the Lord Rosse and the Lord Dacres of the North appointed to keepe the Borders against Scotland burnt the Towne of Kelsie and fourescore Vilages and overthrew eighteene Towers of stone withall their Bulwarkes King Henry intending now to goe seriously on with his warres in France levied an Army which under the conduct of the Earle of Surrey he sent over to C●llice whither the Earle being come he divided his Army into three battailes the first was led by Sir Robert Ratcliffe Lord Fitz-water the middle-ward by himselfe and his brother the Lord Edmund Howard the reare-ward by Sir VVilliam Sands and Sir Richard VVinkfield both of them Knights of the Ga●ter and Sir Edward Guildford was Captaine of the horsemen In this order the Earle entred the French ground the second of September and took his Journey ●owards Hedring By the way there came to him a great Power of ●●rgognias sent by the Lady Margaret according to the Articles of the League All the Townes Villages and Castles in the Countrey through which they passed they burnt and sacked as the Towne and Castle of Selloys the Towne of Brun●rigge Senekerke Botington and Manstier with divers others On the sixteenth of September they came before the Castle of Heding and laid siege unto it but the Castle being wel fortified the Earle having not battering Ordnance which by reason of the foule weather he could not bring with him after eleven dayes he raised his siege and passing from thence to Dorlens burnt the Towne and raced the Castle as also the Towne of Dortyer and then the yeer being farre spent came back to Callic● the sixteenth of October At this time the Duke of Albany being established Governour of Scotland raised an Army of fourscore thousand men with which he approached the b●●ders but made no Invasion as thinking perhaps that the onely report of his great Army would fright the English but yet this stayed not the Lord Marquesse Dorset Warden of the east and middle Marches to enter into Tividale and so forward ten miles into Gallaway burning all townes and Villages on every side as he passed All that night he tarried within the Scottish ground and the next day being good-Friday withdrew back into England with a head of four thousand cattell having burned Grimseley Mowhowse Donford Myles Ackforth Crowling and many other Townes and Villages In King Henries fourteenth yeer on the fifteenth of Aprill began a Parliament which was holden at the Blackfryers whither the King came and there sate downe in his Royall Seate at his feet on the right side sate the Cardinall of Yorke and the Archbishop of Canterbury and at the Raile behinde stood Doctor Tunstall Bishop of London who making an Oration told there the causes of calling this Parliament which were as he said for remedying of mischiefs by the common Law as Recoveries Forraigne Vouchers and corrupt Trialls● and for making new Lawes for the good of the Common-wealth whereof notwithstanding no one word was spoken all the time of the Parliament nor any other thing done but a Subsedie granted but howsoever being commanded to chuse their Speaker they
Sir Edward Baynton and others The last of October the Duke of Albonye sent two or three thousand men over the water to bes●edge the Castle of VVarke who by battery of their Ordnance won the ou●ermost Ward called the Barnekins and continuing their battery won the second Ward but then Sir William Lisle that was Captaine of the Castle issuing forth with those few he had left drove the Fr●nch-m●n from the place and slew of them to the number of three hundred a memorable service and for which the Earle of Surrey afterwards gave him great thankes The Earle would gladly have followed his enemies in●o their owne Borders but that his Commission was onely to defend England and not to invade Scotland Shortly after the Quee●e of Scots Mother to the King sent to her Brother the King of England for an abstinence from Warre till a further communication might be had which being gra●●ed the English Army brake up and the Earle of Surrey returned to the Court. And now for a while we must be co●●ent to heare of pet●y Occurrances because greater did not happen which if it make us like the Story the worse it may make us like the times the better seeing they are ever the best times that afford lest matter to be talked of but this time will las● but a while for shortly we shall come to hear Occurrances that have been matter of talk to this day whereof the like have never scarce been seen and will hardly be beleeved when they are heard a Marriage dissolved after twenty yeeres co●summation houses built in Piety under pretence of Piety demolished a King made a captive● a Pope held a prisoner● Queenes taken out of love put to death out of loathing and the Church it selfe so shaken that it hath stood in distraction ever since At this time the Emperou● Charles sent to the King of England two M●ses trapped in crimson Velvet richly embridered also eleven goodly Je●its trapped with russe● Velvet richly wrought foure Speares and two Javelins of strange timber and worke richly garnished and five brace of Greyho●nd● To the Queene he sent two Mules richly trapped and high Chai●es after the Spanish fashion which Presents were thankfully received both of the King and Queene At this time in the moneth of October the Cardinall sent out Commissions that every man being worth forty pounds should pay the whole Subsedie before granted out of hand which he called an Anticipation which fine new word he thought would make them pay their money the more willingly but they loved their money better then any words he could devise In this yeere the King sent the Lord Morley Sir VVilliam Hussey knight and Doctor Lee his Almoner to F●rdinand Archduke of Austria with the Order of the Garter which he received in the towne of Norimberg to his great contentment In this yeere through Bookes of Prognosticat●ons foreshewing much hurt to come by waters and ●●oods many persons withdrew themselves to high grounds for feare of drowning specially one Bolton Prior of Sain● Barthol●mewes in Smithfield builded him an House upon Harrow on the Hill and thither wen● and made provision for two moneths These great waters should have fallen in February but no such thi●● happeni●g the Astronomers excused themselves by saying that in the computa●ion they had miscounted in their number an hundred yeeres In this meane time many enterpri●es were attempted betweene the Englishmen of Callice and Guy●●es and the Frenchmen of Bulloigne and the Fro●●tiers of Picard●● and still Sir VVilliam Fitz Williams Captaine of Guysnes Sir Robert I●rningham Captaine of Newnham Bridge Sir Iohn Walloppe and Sir Iohn Gage were the men that did the French most hurt This yeere the first of September was Docter Thomas Hannibell Master of the Rolles receaved into London by Earles Bishops and diverse Lords and Gentlemen as Embassadours from Pope Clement who brought with him a Rose of gold for a present to the King● on the day of the Nativity of our Lad● after a solemne Masse sung by the Cardinall of Yorke the said present was delivered to the King which was a Tree forged of fine Gold and with branches leaves and flowers resembling Roses About the beginning of Winter the advent●rers called Kr●ekers being not above two hundred and of them five and twenty horsmen made an attempt to fetch some booty from a Village not farre from Mattrell wherof the Earle of D●mmartine having notice he set upon them with a far greater number and slew most of them and this was the end of the Kreekers as brave men as ever served any Prince In December this yeere there came to London diverse Embassadours out of Scotland about a peace to be had● and a mariage to be concluded between the King of Scots and the Lady Mary daughter to the King of England At this time the Lord Leonard Gray and the Lord Iohn Gr●y brothers to the Lord Marquesse Dorset Sir George Cobham sonne to the Lord Cobham VVillia● Carye Sir Iohn Dudley Thomas VVyat Francis Poynts Francis Sid●●y Sir Anthony Browne Sir Edward Seymor Oliver Manners Percivall Hart Sebasti●● Nudigat● and Thomas Calen Esquires of the Kings Household made a challenge of Arms against the Feast of Christmas which was proclaimed by Windsor the Herauld and performed at the time appointed very Nobly at Tilts T●rneys Barriars and the assault of a Castle erected for that purpose i● the Tilt-yard at Greenwich where the King held his Christmas that yeer with great State and magnificence About this time Iohn Iokyn Steward of the Household to the French Kings Mothe● came into England and was received in secret man●er into the House of one Doctor Larke a Prebrendary of Saint Stephens who oftentimes talked with the Cardinall about a Peace to be concluded between the two Kings of ●ngland and France of whose often meetings Monsieur de Brate the Emperours Embassadour grew very jealous The four and twentieth of Ianuary Monsie●r Brynion President of Roan came to London as Embassadour from the French King and was lodged with the said Iohn Iokyn which small things should not be related but that they were preparatives to great matters afterward On Sunday the fifth of March were received into London Monsieur de Beuer Lo●d of Campher Admirall of Flanders Monsieur Iohn de la Coose President of 〈◊〉 Master Iohn de la Gache as Embassadours from the Lady Margaret in the name of the Emperour who required three things First they demanded the Lady Mary the Kings only daughter to be presently delivered and she to be n●●ed Empresse and as Governesse take possession of all the Low-Countryes Secondly that all such summes of money as the King should give with her in ma●riage should be paid incontinently Thirdly that the King of England should passe the sea in person and make Warre in France the next Summer The ●●rst two demands were not agreed too for certaine causes and as to the third the King said he would take time
matter of making void the marriage between them was hotly pursued by the King yet abstaining onely from her bed he conversed with her still and they kept Court together in as loving manner as they had done before And now King Henry understanding that the Pope and the Emperour was to meet at Bologna he sent Embassadours thither the Earle of Wiltshire Doctor Stokesley Elect of London and Doctor Lee to declare both to the Pope and to the Emperour the opinions of divers learned men in the matter of his Marriage who all agreed that it was against the Law of God and thereupon requiring the Pope to doe him Justice and shewing to the Emperour that the King moved this matter for discharge of his Conscience onely and to no other end To which the Pope answered that when he came to Rome he would heare the matter disputed and doe the King right The Emperour answered that he would in no case be against the Law of God and if this marriage were Judged such by the Court of Rome he would rest contented with these Answers the Embassadours returned It was now the two and twentieth yeere of King Henries reigne when the Emperour gave to the Master of Saint Iohns of Hierusalem the Island of Maltas in supplying of the Island of Rodes which the Turke sometime before had won from that Order In this yeere the New Testament having beene Translated into English by Tindall Ioy and others was forbidden to be read and many for reading it were sharply punished by command of the Bishops and Sir Thomas Moore then Lord Chancellour but none was more violent in the matter then the Bishop of London who caused all the Bookes to be brought into Pauls Church-yard and there burned King Henry having heard by good information that when Campeius was sent Legat into England he had brought with him a Bull of Di●orce but was afterward upon change of the Popes mind commanded to burne it saw plainly by this that the Pope had no meaning of proceeding really in the matter but to keepe it a foot for his owne ends neither to displease the Empour by granting it nor King Henry by not granting it but promising expedition to keepe him in expectance yet using delayes to keepe him in dependance and therefore resolved now to take such a course that he should not need to care whether the Pope granted it or no and thereupon caused a Proclamation to be published that no person of what estate or condition soever should Purchase or attempt to purchase from the Court of Rome any thing prejudiciall to the Jurisdiction or Prerogative of this his Realme upon paine of imprisonment and other punishments at his Graces pleasure and shortly after an Act was made that Bishops should pay no more Annats or money for Buls to the Pope for as much as it was proved there had been paid for Bulls of Bishops since the fourth yeere of King Henry the seventh an hundred and threescore thousand pounds besides what had been paid for Pardons and other dispensations Another Act was then also made that no person should appeale for any cause out of this Realme to the Court of Rome but from the Commissary to the Bishop and from the Bishop to the Archbishop and from the Archbishop to the King and all Causes of the King to be tried in the upper House of the Convocation At this time the Cardinall lying still at Asher and his Adversaries doubting l●ast lying so neare the King he might one time or other get accesse to the Kings presence and come againe into favour they using meanes to have him sent further off and thereupon the King appointed him to goe to his Diocesse of Yorke and not to come Southward without speciall licence whereupon in Lent he made great preparation for his journey and having in his train to the number of an hundred and threescore persons by easie journeyes came to Peterborrow and there kept his Easter the weeke after he went to Stamford then to Newark and so to Southwell where he continued most part of all that summer and then rode to Seroby where he staid till Michaelmas and then came to Cawood Castle within seaven miles of Yorke where he kept a plentifull house for al commers and repaired the Castle being greatly in decay having above three hundred Artificers in daily wages At last he determined to be installed at Yorke the next Munday after Alhallan-day against which time great preparation was made and the Cardinall sent to the King to lend him the Miter and Pall which he used to wear at any great solemnity At which p●esumption the King marvailed not a little saying to those that were about him what a thing is this that pride should thus reigne in a man that is quite under foot but before the day of Instalment came he was arrested in this manner Sir Walter Walsh one of the Kings Privy-chamber was sent downe to the Earl● of Northumberland with whom he was joyned in Commission to arrest the Cardinall whereupon they goe together to Cawood where the Cardinall lay and being entred into the house it was told the Cardinall that the Earle of Northumberland was come and in the Hall then quoth the Cardinall I am sorry wee have dined for I doubt our Officers are not provided of any good cheere With that he went and brought the Earle up welcomming him in a complementall manner as if he had come but onely to visit him but being come into the Chamber the Earle with a soft voyce laying his hand upon the Cardinals arme said My Lord I arrest you of high treason the Cardinall somewhat astonied asked to see his Commission which the Earle denying to shew then saith the Cardinall I will not obey your arrest at that instant Master Walsh came in and kneeled downe to the Cardinall who asked him if he were joyned in Commission with the Earle who answered he was● well then said the Cardinall I trow you are one of the Kings Privie Chamber your name is Walsh I am content to yeeld to you but not to my Lord of Northumberland unlesse I see his Commission the meanest of the Kings Privie-chamber is sufficient to arrest the greatest Peere of the Realme by the Kings commandement without any Commission Then the Earle took the Cardinals keyes from him and put him in custody of his Gentlemen some few dayes after he was conveyed from Cawood to Pomfret and after to Sheffield Parke where he had kinde entertainment and staid with the Earle of Shrewsbury and his Lady eighteene dayes till at last sitting one day at dinner his colour was observed to change and being asked how he did not well saith he I have something suddenly at my stomacke as cold as a whetstone which I know is winde I desire to have something from the Apothecary to breake winde which was brought and the Earle seeing the say taken he tooke it and thereupon broke winde indeed but whether it were he
eight of Iune the Parliament began during the which the Lord Thomas Howard without the Kings assent had affianced the Lady Margaret Douglas daughter to the Queen of Scots and Niece to the King for which he was attainted of treason and an Act was made for like offenders hereafter and so he died in the Tower and shee long time remained there a prisoner yet afterward was set at liberty and maried Mathew Earle of Lenox who by him had Henry Father of Iames the first King of Great Brittaine In the time of this Parliament the Bishops and all the Clergy had a solemne Convocation at Pauls Church in London where after much disputation and debating of matters they published a book of Religion intituled Articles devised by the Kings Highnesse in which booke are specially mentioned but three Sacraments namely Baptisme Eucharist and Pennance also certaine Injunctions were set forth whereby many of the old Holi-dayes were abrogated specially those that fell in Harvest time The two and twentieth of Iuly Henry Duke of Richmond and Somerset base sonne of King Henry by Elizibeth Blunt died at Saint Iames and was buried at Thets●one in Norfolke The nine and twentieth of Iune the King held a great Justs and Triumph at VVestminster but a disastrous Sea-fight on the water where one Gates a Gentl●man was drowned in his harnesse and by the breaking of a Gunne two Mariners were sore mained in Iuly following Thomas Cromwell Secretary to the King and Master of the Rolles was made Lord Keeper of the Privy-seale and the ninteenth of Iuly the Lord Fitz-Warren was created Earl of Bath and the day after the said Cromwell was made Lord Cromwell and on the eighteenth of Iuly Vic●r Generall under the King over the Spiritualty who sate diverse times in the Convocation House amongst the Bishops as head over them and now was the state of Religion in England come to a strange passe because alwayes in passing and had no consistance for at first the authority of the Pope was excluded in some cases onely a while alter in all but yet his Doctrine was wholly retained Afterward his Doctrine came to be Impugned but in some few points onely a while after in many more that the fable of Proteu● might no longer be a fable when the Religion in England might be his true Morral● and indeed it could be no otherwise the distance between the two Religious being not possible to be passed Per saltum but must be done by degrees which degrees may be observed in the progresse of the story for where at first it was permitted onely to read the Bible in English now it came to be permitted to pray in English for now in September the Lord Cromwell set forth Injunctions to have the Lords prayer the Ave the Creed the ten Commandements and all Articles of the Christian-faith translated into English and to be taught by all Parsons and Curates to their Parishoners which Innovation so stirred up the people that in Lincol●shire they assembled to the number of twenty thousand against whom the King himselfe went in person who win●●ng by perswasions their chief leaders brought the rest upon pardon to submit themselves but when he had himselfe done the work of mercy he afterward sent the Duke of Suffolke with Sir Francis Brian and Sir Iohn Russell to doe the worke of Justice who caused Nicholas Melton and a Monke naming himselfe Captaine Cobler and thirteen others Ringleaders of the sedition to be apprehended and most of them to be executed But this Commotion was scarce appeased when presently there rose another in the North-parts where forty thousand were assembled giving themselves out for an holy Pilgrimage where on one side of their Ensignes they had Christ hanging on the crosse on the other side the Cuppe and Bread of the Sacrament as taking Armes onely for maintenance of the Faith of Christ and deliverance of the holy Church now oppressed but these were opposed by George Earle of Shrewsbury who having raised an Army without Commission though to resist the Rebels yet began to be much troubled whither in so doing he had not committed Treason and was never quiet till he had se●t to the King for pardon and commission to proceed at which time a rumour being raised amongst his souldiers that the Earle so well liked the Rebels cause that what shew soever he made yet when it should come to the triall he would not stick to joyne with them and take their parts to remove which Opinion out of their mind● he caused all his souldiers to come before him and made his Chaplaine give him an oath by which he swore in their hearing to be true to the Crowne and never to be assisting to any Rebels to his aide were sent the Duke of Norfolke with the Marquis of Excetur● the Earles of Huntington and Rutland who with a mighty Army approachi●g the Rebels beyond Doncaster in the way towards York attempted first to have pacified them without blood-shed but when no perswasions would serve it was resolved of both sides to come to a battell but see here the great goodnesse of God for the night before the day appointed for battel it happened that a litle Brook called Dun running betweene the two Armies upon a small raine grew to such a height that it was not passable by either foot or horse so as the Armies having time to consider and considering perhaps this miracle as sent of God they came to agreement and upon pardon disbanded and returned to their houses but in the mean time they had besieged the Castle of Scarborough where the resolute carriage of Sir Ralph Evens is memorable who held the Castle by onely his owne servants and Tennants and that when for twenty dayes together he had no other sustenance but bread and water but all Comotions were not yet appeased for at this very time there was another great Army assembled out of Cumberland Westmerland and the North-parts of Lancashire marching South-wards but by the diligence of the Earl of Darby to whom also the Earle of Sussex was sent they were suppressed and their chief Leader● as the Abbo●s of Wally Sauly and others apprehended and hanged but neither is there yet an end of comotions for now in February Nicholas Musgrave Thomas Til●y with o●hers to the number of twelve thousand began a Rebellion and be sieged Carlile but by the power of the City were first beaten back and then were encountred by the Duke of Norfolke who caused seventy foure of them by Martiall-law ●o be hanged on the walls of Carlile but neither was there yet an end of Comotions for now in Setrington Pickering L●igh and Scarborough began a new Rebellion by procurement of Francis Bigot who had r●ised a great power and meant to have taken Hull but by the industry of Sir Ralph Ellarker and the Major of the Towne threescore a● the Rebels were taken and hanged and the rest put to flight and glad to be quiet
mildnesse the neerenesse of the Husbands gave occasion to the Ladies often meeting where the Dutchesse would inwardly murmur why shee being the wife of the elder brother and the better man should give place to her who was the wife of the younger brother and the meaner man this envy of hers toward the Queen bred a malice in her towards the Admirall as thinking the mischiefe she did to the husband to be a part of revenge upon the wife and though the Queene shortly after died in Child-bed yet the mallice of the Dutchesse towards the Admirall lived still so hard a thing it is for malice once setled in a womans heart to be removed out of this malice she put divers surmises into her husband the Protectours head against his brother the Admirall as though he went about to procure his death to the end he might aspire to the place he held but certainly as misliking his government being a Protestant who was himselfe a Papist in this case causes of jealousie against the Admirall was obvious enough for it was knowne that in King Henries time he had aimed at the mariage of the Lady Elizabeth King Henries second daughter and now his wife the Queen Dowager being dead and not without suspition of poyson he fell upon that mariage a fresh which could not be thought to tend but to some very high aspiring end the Protectour a plain man and one that had not the cleerest insight into practises whether too importunately provoked by his wife or whither out of an honest mind not willing to patronize faults though in a brother gave way to accusatio●s brought against him so as in a Parliament then holden he was accused for attempting to get into his custody the person of the King and government of the Realm for endeavouring to marry the Lady Elizabeth the Kings sister for perswading the King in his tender yeers to take upon him the rule and ordering of himselfe upon which points though perhaps proved yet not sufficiently against him who was never called to his answere he was by Act of Parliament condemned and within few dayes after condemnation a warrant was sent under the hand of his brother the Protectour to cut off his head wherein as after it proved he did as much as if he had laid his own head downe upon the block for whilst these brothers lived and held together they were as a strong fortresse one to the other the Admirals courage supporting the Protectours authority and the Protectours authority maintaining the Admirals stoutnesse but the Admiral once gone the Protectours authority as wanting support began to totter and fell at last to utter ruine besides there was at this time amongst the Nobility a kind of faction Protestants who favoured the Protectour for his owne sake and other of Papall inclination who favoured him for his brothers sake but his brother being gone both sides forsooke him even his owne side as thinking they could expect little assistance from him who gave no more assistance to his own brothe● and perhaps more then all this the Earl of Warwick at this time was the most powerfull man both in Courage and Counsaile amongst all the Nobility and none so neere to match him as the Admirall while he lived but he being gone there was none left that either was able and durst or durst and was able to stand against him however it was not long after the Admirals death the Protectour was invaded with sundry accusations wherein ●h● Earl of Warwick made not alwaies the greatest show but yet had alwayes the greatest hand one thing the Protectour had done which though a private act yet gave a publick distaste To make him a Mansion house in the Strand the same which is now called Somerset-house he pulled downe a Church and two Bishops houses by the Strand Bridge in digging the foundation wherof the bones of many who had been there buried were cast out and carried into the fields and because the stones of those houses and the Church suffised not for his work the steeple a●d most part of the Church of Saint Iohns of Ierusalem neer Smithfield was mined and overthrowne with powder and the stones applied to this sparious building and more then this the Cloyster of Pauls on the North side of the Church in a place called Pardon Church-yard and the dance of Death very curiously wrought about the Cloyster a Chapel that stood in the midst of the Churchyard also the Charnal house that stood upon the South side of Pauls now a Carpenters yard with the Chappell timber and Monuments therin were beaten downe the bones of the dead caried into Finsbury-fields and the stones converted to this building This Act of the Protectours did something alienate the Peoples minds from him which the Earle of Warwick perceiving thought it now a fit time to be falling upon him and therupon drew eighteene of the Privy Counsaile to joyne with him who withdrawing themselves from the Court held secret consultations together and walked in the Citty with many Servants weaponed and in new Liveries whereof when the Lord Protectour heard he sent secretary Peter to them to know the causes of their Assembly requiring them to resort unto him peaceably that they might comune together as friends but in the meane time hee Armed five hundred men and removed the King by night from Hampton-court to Windsor on the other side the Lords at London having first taken possession of the Tower sent for the Majo● and Aldermen of the Citty to the Earle of Warwicks lodging at Ely-house in Holburn to whom the Lord Rich then Lord Chancelour made a long Oration wherin he shewed the ill government of the Lord Protector and the many mischifes that by it were come upon the Kingdome and therup●n requiring them to joyn with the Lords there assembled to remove him and presently that day a Proclamation was made in divers parts of the Citty to that purpose to which the Lords and Counsailors that subscribed their names were these the Lord Rich Chancelour the Lord Saint-Iohn Lord great Master the Marquesse of Northampton the Earle of Warwick Lord great Chamberlaine the Earle of Arundell Lord Chamberlaine the Earle of Shrewsbury the Earle of Southampton Sir Thomas Cheyney Treasurer of the Houshold Sir Iohn Gag● Constaple of the Tower Sir William Peter secretary Sir Edward North Knight Sir Edward Montague chiefe Justice of the Common-pleas Sir Iohn Baker Chancelour of the Exchequer Sir Ralph Sadler Sir Edward Wootton Sir Richard Southwell Knights and Doctor Wootton Deane of Canterbury In the afternoone of the same day the Lord Major assembled a Common Counsaile in the Guild-hall where two letters arrived almost in one instant from the King and the Lord Protectour for a thousand men to be Armed for defence of the Kings Person another from the Lords at London for two thousand men to aide them in defence of the Kings person also both pretending alike and therefore hard how to
in the time of King Edward had refused to signe a writing for disinheriting the Lady Mary and the Lady Elizabeth a fact worthy at least of a kinde remembrance from the Lady Mary now Queene yet now for that at a quarter Sessions in Kent he gave charge upon the statutes of King Henry the eight and King Edward the sixth in derogation of the Primacy of the Church of Rome he was first committed to the Kings Bench then to the Counter and lastly to the Fleet where he grew so troubled in minde that he attempted with a Pen-knife to kill himselfe and being afterward recovered of that hurt and brought to the Queenes presence who gave him very comfortable words yet could never come to be quiet in his minde but in the end drowned himselfe in a River not halfe a mile from his house the River being so shallow that he was faine to lye groveling before he could dispatch him●elfe of life And now another sprinkling of mercy came from the Queene for the Marquesse of Northampton and Sir Henry Gates lately before condemned to dye were now pardoned and set at liberty The Lady Iane also was allowed the liberty of the Tower not without hope of life and liberty altogether if her father the Duke of Suffolke had not the second time been cause of her destruction About this time also a Synod was assembled for consulting about matters of Religion and the point specially of the reall presence in the Sacrament The Prolocutour was Doctor VVeston and of the Protestant side were Iohn Almer and Richard Cheyney both Bishops afterward in Queene Elizabeths time also Iohn Philpo● afterward burnt Iames Haddon and others After long disputation where reasons were not so much weighed as voyces numbred the Papall side as having most voyces carried it and thereupon was that Religion againe restored and the Masse commanded in all Churches to be celebrated after the ancient manner It was now the yeer 1553. when Queene Mary was come to the age of seven and thirty yeers and therefore high time now to thinke of marriage at least if she meant to have issue of her body but a hard ma●ter it was to finde a husband in all points ●itting for her yet three at this time in common fame at least were taken into consideration one was the Lord Courtney M●rquesse of Exceter a goodly Gentleman and of Royall blood but there was exception against him because inclining as was thought to Lutheranisme another was Cardinal ●oole of a dignity not much inferiour to Kings and by his Mother descended from Kings but there was exception against him also because foure and fifty yeers old as old a Batchelour as Queen Mary was a maid and so the lesse hope of issue betweene them but the third if he might be had was without exception and this was Phillip Prince of Spaine the Emperour Charles his eldest sonne with whom being a Spaniard she was the fitter matched as being by the Mother a Spaniard her selfe And now very oppertunely came in the beginning of Ian. Embassadors into England about it amongst others the Cou●● of Egmond Admirall of the L●w Countryes and Iohn of Memorancy Lord of Curryers whose message was so kindely entertained that the marriage in short time was absolutely concluded though it seemed something strange to many that she should now be wife to the sonne who thirty yeers before should have been wife to the father But so it is Queenes are never old so long as they are within yeers of bearing children And indeede the match was concluded with conditions of farre more advantage to Quee●e Mary then they were to King Phillip as on the fourteenth of Ianuary Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancelour of England openly in the Presence Chamber at Westminster declared to all the Lords and Gentlemen there present for it was agreed that after the mar●iage King Phillip should have the Title of all the Queenes Dominions and be assumed into fellowship of the government but yet with reservation to the Queene of all Priviledges and Customes of the Kingdome and free disposition of all Offices and Honours as likewise the Queene should be assumed into the fellowship of all the Kings Dominions and surviving him should have a Joynture of two hundred thousand Pounds a yeer Then for the issue betweene them if she had a Sonne that he should inherit the Low Countryes and Burgundy and King Phillips sonne Charles which he had by a former wife should inherit all his Dominions in Italie and Spaine but if his sonne Charles should fail without issue then the sonne he should have by Queene Mary should inherit his Kingdomes of Italie and Spaine also And the like good provision was also made for daughters But notwithstanding these great ●dvantage● of the ma●ch yet such was the precipitant rashnesse of some that thinking themselves wiser then the Queene and the Councel they sought by all meanes to oppose the match giving out that it ●ended to bring England under the yoke of Spaine and to make the Countrey a slave to strangers This was the generall murmuring of people but the first that shewed himselfe in Armes was Sir Thomas Wyat of Kent who having communicated the matter with the Duke of Suffolke the Lady Ianes father with Peter Caroe a Knight of Devonshire and divers others intended onely to make secret provision but not to stirre till Prince Phillip should be come that so their cause of taking armes might have the better colour On the fifteenth of Ianuary Robert Dudley sonne to the Duke of Northumberland was arraigned at the Guildhall of high Treason who confessed the indictment and had judgement given by the Earle of Sussex to be drawen hanged bowelled and quartered But now in counsels communicated to many it is a hard matter to have counsell kept and Sir Peter Caroe finding that their plot was discovered fled privily into France where lurking for a time he was afterward taken at Bruxells and brought captive into England as likewise at the same time and place Sir Iohn Cheeke King Edwards Schoolmaster was taken who being drawne by terrours to embrace the Papall Religion with very griefe afterward of his errour pined away and dyed Sir Peter Caroe lived many yeers af●er and dyed in Ireland though it be falsely recorded they were both burnt for Religion in Iune of this yeer Wyatt hearing of Sir Peter Caroes flight and that all their purpose was discovered was driven before his time to enter into armes giving out for the cause that it was not to attempt any thing against the Queene but onely to remove ill Councellours and chiefly to repell Prince Phillip least by this mariage the Kingdome should come in subjection to the Spaniard With Wyatt were joyned Sir Henry Isley Sir George Harper Anthony and William Knevet and divers other Gentlemen of the County against him were the Lord Abuegaveny Sir Thomas Cheyney Lord Warden of the Ports Sir Sobert Southwell Sheriffe of Kent Sir
to the Queen of England his deer Sister and doth now willingly make profer of the same Walsingham now dealt with him farther not to lay to the Queens charge what broyls had lately fallen out in Scotland sheweth how beneficiall to him and to both kingdoms Amity had been hitherto and would be in time to come also so it were not neglected and that the same might the better be confirmed if the variance between the Nobility were layd asleep by a Law of oblivion Enacted in Parliament The Peers which now were removed from the Court called back again Religion looked into and a firm League concluded between both kingdoms The King made answer that he gladly embraced Amity with England and that he would constantly defend the Religion already established Afterward he lovingly dismissed Walsingham though he held him no good friend to him and his Mother and carefully looking to matters with undestanding even above his yeers proposed and profered reconciliation to those that had surprized him if within a limited time they asked Pardon which they were so far from doing that the entred into new consultations to surprize him again whereupon they are commanded within a set time to leave the kingdom of which number Marre Glames Paslet and some other betook themselves into Ireland Boyde Zester Weeme Lochlevin into the Low-Countries Dumfermilin into France the Earle of Angus is confined to his Earldome Gowry onely to his owne ruine stayeth behinde after the limited time hatching new devises About this time happened a difference and thereupon a Warre between the Emperors of Muscovia and the King of Sweden when Iohn King of Sweden doubting himself to be no fit Match for the Emperour sent a Roy●●l Ambassage to Queen Elizabeth requesting her to intercede for him to ●●e Emperour which she did without delay and by her Ambassadour drew the Muscovian to a Peace upon reasonable Conditions B●t the Muscovian●●ortly ●●ortly after dying and Theodorus his Successor granting free Traffique to ●●rchants of all Nations that would come thither the Queen importuned him to admit of none but English Merchants requiring him to confirm the Priviledges which his Father had granted them Whereto by way of Answer he demanded Free Trading for all the English saying It was not fit that a small Company should exercise a Monopoly and all other be ●estrayned But as for Customes he promised to take lesse by one half of that Company then of any other because they first opened the way thither The next Summer Albertus Alasco a Palatine of Poland of a comely personage and great learning came into England to see the Queen who was nobly entertained both by her and the Nobility as also by the Scholl●rs of Oxford with learned Orations and other Recreations but having ●●rryed here four Months and run i●to much debt he secretly withdrew himself and departed This man I saw my self afterward in Crakow very bare though it was reported of him That he had in a Dowry with a wife fif●y Castles of great value but what Myne can bear the charges of prodigality This yeer proved fatall to divers great men for there died this yeer ●●●st Thomas Ratcliffe the third E●rl of Sussex of this Family a man of grea● spirit and great faithfulnesse to his Countrey There died also Henry Wriothsley Earl of Southampton one exceedingly devoted to the Romish Religion and a great favourer of the Queen of Scots which cost him Queen Elizabeths displeasure and imprisonment besides There died also Sir Humphrey Gilbert who was cast away at Sea in his return from the North p●rt of America whither he lately sayled with five Ships having sold his Patrimony in hope to plant a Colony t●ere There died also Edmund Grindall Arch-●ishop of Canterbury being blinde through age a gra●e and pious P●elate who stood highly in the Queens favour for a long time till he lost 〈◊〉 last by favouring as was said the Puritans Conventicles but the ●●ue cause indeed was for disallowing the Marriage of Iuli● an Italian Physitian with another mans wife against the Earl of Leicester's pleasure Grind●ll dying Iohn Whiteguyft succeeded in the See of Canterbury being transla●ed thither from the See of Worcester At this time certain popish Books written against the Queen and Princes Excommunicate withdrew divers from their Allegiance and particularly so intoxicated one Somervile an English Gentleman that he went privately ●o the Court and breathing out nothing but blood and death against all Protestants set upon one or two by the way with his drawn Sword Being apprehended he stuck not to say That he would murder the Queen with his own hands Hereupon he and upon his intimation Arden●is ●is father in Law a man of an ancient House in Warwick-shire Ardens wife their daughter Somerviles wife and Hall a Priest were brought to the Bar and all condemned Somervile as principall the rest as accessaries Th●ee dayes after Somervile was found strangled in the prison Arden was ●●●cuted and quartered the women and the Priest were spared Many pi●ied the old Gentleman Arden as misled by the Priest and as it was gen●rally believed brought to his end through the envy of Leicester whom he used to call Whore-master Upstart and many such opprobrious ●●mes In the Netherlands the English Garrison at Alost in Flanders being neglected the Governour Pigot and the other Captains for want of pay upon Composition yeelded up the Town to the Spaniard and then fearing disgrace at home joyned themselves to the Prince of Parma at whose hands finding themselves slighted by degrees they stole all away and came all to unlucky ends In Ireland the famous Rebell Gyrald-Fitz Gyrald the eleventh Earl of Desmond of this Family having a long time in lurking places escaped the English was now by a common Souldier found out in a poor Cottage and slain His head was sent into England and set upon London-Bridge This end had this great Lord descended from Ma●rice the son of Gyrald of W●ndsore an English-man famous amongst those who first set upon Ireland in the yeer 1170. He possessed whole Countries together with the County Palatine of Kerry and had of his own Name and Race at least five hundred Gentlemen at his command All whom and his own life also he lost within the space of three yeers very few of his House being left alive And this disaster he fell into by proving Trayterous to his Prince at the instigation of certain Popish Priests Of whom the chief was one Nicholas Sanders an English-man who at the same time died miserably of Famine being starved to death when as being forsaken and running mad upon his ill successe he roamed up and down the Mountains and Groves finding nothing to sustain him In his Scrip were found certain Orations and Letters written to hearten the Rebells and promising large rewards from the Pope and King of Spain Upon the Rebells ill successe Iames Fitz Eustace Viscount Baltinglas fled into Spain where he pined away with grief He
board and carryed away a great deale of Gold but the Vessell and Ordnance was wreck to the Governour of Calice Drake and Fencz in the mean while perceiving the Spanish Fleet to gather togethea again before Graveling set upon them with great violence to whom str●ightwayes Fenton Southwell Beeston Crosse and Riman joyne themselves and soon after the Admirall himself Sir Thomas Howard and the Lord Sheffield the Galleon called Saint Matthew was sorely battered by Seymor and Winter driven toward Ostend and set upon again by the Zelanders and at last was taken by the Flushingers And now the Spanish Navy having want of many nec●ssaries and no hope of the Prince of Parma's coming they resolved to returne Northward for Spain in which passage they lost both many Ships and men the English Navy still following them close till they were faine to give them over for want of Powder Whilest these things passed at Sea the Queen ●n Person came to Tilbury to view the Army and Campe there where she shewed such undaunted Courage and Resolution that it wonderfully animated the spirits of them all And thus this Navy which was three whole Yeers in preparing in the space of a month was often beaten and at length put to flight many of their men being slain more then halfe of their Ships taken and sunk of the English not above a hundred at the most missing nor so much as a Ship but Cocks little Vessell and Sayling about all Brittaine by Scotland the Orkeneys and Ireland they returned into Spain with as much dishonour as they came out with boasting for indeed Mendoza in France by a Book in Print Triumphed before the Victory For the happy successe of this Action Queen Elizabeth appointed prayers and thanksgiving over all the Churches of England and she as it were in triumph came in Person attended with a great Troop of the Nobility into the City and went into the Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul where the Banners taken from the Enemy was placed in view and there in most humble manner gave thanks to Almighty God And ●hat which increased the publike joy was the newes which Sir Robert Sidney brought out of Scotland That the King had over-past all injuries was lovingly affected towards the English and desired to imbrace sincere and perfect amitie with the Queen For as for the King of Spain he wittily told the Embassadour that he expected no other courtesie from him but such as Polyphemus promised Ulisses that he should be the last whom he would devoure And now dyed the great Earl of Leicester the fourth day of September at his Mannor of Killingworth of a violent Feaver I may well say the great Earl considering the many great Honours he enjoyed which are extant in the Story yet one honour greater then any he had before he effected even then when he was ready to go out of the world and that was● To be Vice-gerent in the high Government of England and Ireland for which the Patent was already drawne and had been sealed but that Burleigh and Hatton shewed the Queen how dangerous a thing it might prove for so great Authority to reside in one Subject He was while he lived in so great favour with the Queen that some thought and himselfe not the least that she meant to marry him yet when he dyed his goods were sold at an Outcry to make payment of the debts he owed her About this time Philip Earl of Arundell who three yeers before had been cast in prison was now cited in Westminster Hall to the judgement of his Peers and Henry Earl of Derby was made High Steward of England for the time The matters layd to his charge were these That he had contracted friendship with Cardinall Allen Parsons the Jesuite and other Traytours exciting divers both abroad and at home to restore the Romish Religion promising his assistance thereunto and for that reason had a purpose to depart the Kingdom That he was privy to the Bull in which Pope Sixtus Quintus had deposed the Queen and given England to the Spaniard that being imprisoned in the Tower he caused Masse to be said for the prosperous successe of the Spanish Fleet and for that purpose had framed peculiar prayers for his own private use Being demanded whether he were guilty of these things turning himself to the Judges he asked them these questions First whether it were lawfull to heap up so many crimes together in one Bill of Indictment They answered that it was Then whether Arguments taken from presumptions were of force They answered that it was lawfull for him to interpose exceptions if he saw cause Then again if he might be Arraigned for those things which were Capitall by the Law made the thirteenth yeer of the Queen after that the time expressed in the Act was expired They promised they would proceed against him by no Law but the old Statute of Treason made in the Raigne of King Edward the Third But now again asked if he were guilty or not● He pleaded not guilty whereupon Puckening the Queens Sergeant at Law Popham Atturney Generall Shuttleworth Sergeant at Law and Egerton the Queens Sollicitour in their turnes urged and proved the crimes objected some whereof he denyed some he extenuated but in conclusion was by his Peers found guilty and condemned yet the Queen spared his life and was content with thus much done in terror to the Papists It was now the yeer 1589. And the two and thirtieth of Queen Eliza●eths Raign when to be in some sort revenged of the Spaniards for their invasion she gave leave to Sir Iohn Norris and Sir Francis Drake to under●ake an Expedition at their own private charges requiring nothing of her but a few Ships of War who took along with them Anthony the bastard laying clayme to the Kingdom of Portingall and of Souldidrs to the number of eleven thousand of Sea-men about fifteen hundred setting Sayle from Plimmouth the fifth day of Aprill they arrived at the Groyne in Ga●acia whereof with great valour they took first the Lower town and afterward the Higher and from thence sayling toward Portingall they met Robert Earl of Essex who without the Queens leave had put to Sea After two dayes they arrive at Penycha a Town of Portingall which they took and left the Castle to Don-Antonio and from thence they march by land towards Lisbon threescore miles off The Foot Companies led by Norris whom Drake promised to follow with the Fleet. Being come to the West Suburbs of Lisbon they found no body there but a few poor disarmed Portugalls who cryed out God save King Antonio The day following the Spaniards made a sayle out in which Skirmish Bret Caresley and Carre stout Commanders were slain yet did the Earl of Essex drive the Spaniards to the very gates of the Citie And now having tarryed here two dayes and seeing no signe of the Portingalls revolting which Don-Anthonio had assured them would be finding fresh supplies come
to the Crowne unlesse they were Roman Catholikes Contending further for the right of Isabella Infanta of Spaine as being descended from Constance Daughter of WILLIAM the Conquerour from Eleanor eldest Daughter to HENRY the Second Married to Alphonso the ninth King of Castile from Beatrix Daughter to King HENRY the Third Titles obsolete and which exceed the bounds of Heraldry to discusse This year the nineteenth of February was Henry Prince of Scotland born to whom the Queen was Godmother and sent Robert Earl of Sussex for her Deputy But now greater matters were in hand Plots were layd against the Queenes life some Spaniards thinking to make her away by Poison and not daring to trust any Englishman in such a businesse they treat to that purpose with Rodericke Lopes a JEV● and Phisitian to the Queen wi●h Stephen Ferreir● Emmanuel Loyfie and other Portugalls for divers of that Nation came into England at this time in relation to Anthonio● who being discovered by letters of theirs that were intercepted were Arraigned at Guildhall and by their own confessions convinced to have conspi●ed against the life of the Queen they were all condemned and Exe●●●ed at Tiburne LOPES professing that he loved the Queen as well as Jesus Christ which was cause of laughter to them● that knew him to be a JEVV The next day after them was condemned C●llen● an Irish Fencer sent hither by the English Fugitives to kill the Queen who was straightway executed though he were at that very time sick and ready to dye About this time Sir Iohn Norris having been in a hot conflict at sea against the Spaniard where Sir Martin Forbysher received his deaths wound was now called home with a purpose to send him into Ireland In which mean while Richard Hawkins Sonne of Sir Iohn Hawkins the famous sea Captain had been set forth a year since with three of the Queens ships and two hundred men in them whereof one of them at the Isle o● St. Anne was by chance fired another of them seperated by tempest returned into England himself in the third passed the Straights of Magellan being the sixth man in the Spanish accompt that had ever done it and being now come into the wide Southern sea he took five ships laden with Merchandize one whereof he took away the rest he suffered to redeeme themselves for two thousand Duckats But at last being set upon by Bertrandus a Castro who was sent out by the Vice-Roy of those parts with eight ships against him after three dayes battery he yeilded and though upon composition yet was neverthelesse sent into Spain and there for divers years kept prisoner But Iames Lancaster in another part of America had better successe for being set forth by some London Merchants whose goods the Spaniards had seized with three Ships and a long Boat Hee tooke nine and thirty Spanish Ships and at Fernanbucke in Brasile where the wealth of an East-Indian Caraque was lately unloden hee desperately venturing upon the Shoare Loaded Fifteene Ships with the wealth of the Indian Caraque Sugar Reed Redwood called Brasill and other Merchandize and then safely and victoriously returned home At ROME about this time dyed Cardinall ALLEN borne in Lancashire of an honest Family brought up in Oxford in Oriall Colledge In Queene Maries dayes he was Proctor of the University and after Canon of the Cathedrall Church at YORKE Upon the change of Religion in ENGLAND he left the Kingdome and was Divinity Professor at Doway in Flanders and made Canon of the Church at Cambray He procured a Seminary to be set up in Doway for the English another at Rheims and a third at Rome and through zeal of the Romish Religion forgot whose subject he was born At home at this time dyed Iohn Peers Archbishop of Yorke in whose place succeeded Matthew Hutton translated from the See of Durham There dyed also Ferdinand Stanley Earl of Derby being in the floure of his age miserably tormented and vomiting ●tuffe of a darke rusty colour being thought to have been poysoned or bewitched There was found in his chamber a little image of wax with hairs of the colour of his hairs thrust into the belly which some thought was done of purpose that men should not suspect him to be poisoned his vomit so stained the silver Andirons that it could never be gotten out and his body though put in searcloathes and wrapped in lead did so ●tinck and putrifie that for a long time none could endure to come neer where he was buried The Master of his Horse was much suspected who the same day the Earl tooke his bed took one of his best Horses and fled away About this time also dyed Gregory Fines Lord Dacres a man somewhat crazed the Son of Thomas Lord Dacres hanged in the Raign of King Henry the Eight And now Sir William Fitz Williams Lord Deputy of Ireland was called home and William Russell youngest Son of Francis Earl of Bedford was sent in his room to whom presently came the Earl of Tir-Oen and in humble manner craved pardon of his fault that he had not presented himself at the call of the late Lord Deputy Bagnall Marshall of the Irish Forces exhibited many Articles against him but he so pleaded for himself with promise of loyalty hereafter that he was dismissed But see the subdolousnesse of this man for he would never after be gotten to come again though the Deputy sent for him with many kinde messages It was now the year 1595 and the eight and thirtieth year of Queen Elizabeths Raign when Ed●ond Yorke and Richard Williams who were formerly apprehended came to their tryall and were executed at Tiburn for being bribed to kill the Queen At this time a constant rumor was blown abroad from all parts of Europe that the Spaniards were coming again against England with a farre greater Fleet than that in Eighty Eight and that it was already under sayl whereupon Souldiers were levyed and placed on the Sea-coast Two Navies were made ready one to expect them at home in the Channell the other to go for America under Hawkins and Drake but when all came to all it was but certain Spaniards who loosed from the sea-coast of France with four Gallies which betimes in the morning landing in Cornwall fired a Church standing alone in the fields and three Villages of Fishermen Neulyne Moushole and Pensaus and then presently retyred not taking or killing any one person And these were the first and last Spaniards that in hostile manner ●ver set foot upon English ground And now mischiefs growing daily in France a great number perswaded the King to conclude a Peace with Spain and the Queen her self began to mistrust him especially having lately received intelligence out of the Popes Conclave that he was received into the bosome of the Church of Rome with the Popes Benediction and that upon conditions prejudiciall to the Protestants And therefore at this time were divers undertakings of the English against
of the Queens Councell And this yeer were taken at Masse in their severall houses the Lord Morley's Lady and her children the Lady Guildford and the Lady Browne who being thereof indited and convicted suffered the penalty of the Law in that case provided Untill the twentieth yeer of Queen Elizabeths Raign the Papists in England were mercifully connived at while they solemnized their own Rites within their private houses though that also were against the Laws but when as that Thunder-bolt of excommunicating the Queen came abroad then was the Law enacted against those who brought into the Kindome any Agn●s Dei or hallowed Beads or reconciled any of the Queens subjects to the See of Rome yet for six whole yeers together after this Law was made it was not executed upon any Papist till Cuthbert Mayne a Priest and an obstinate maintainer of the Popes Authority against the Queen was executed at Launston in Cornwall and the Gentlemans goods that harboured him confiscate and himself adjudged to perpetuall Imprisonment In her three and twentieth yeer divers Priests and Jesuites came into England amongst whom Robert P●●sons and Edmund Campian English-men and Jesuites being now bound for England to promote the Catholike Cause at which time a Proclamation was set forth That whosoever had any children beyond the Sea should by a certain day call them home and that no person should receive or harbour any Seminary Priest or Jesuite At this time also there arose up in Holland a certain Sect naming themselves The Family of L●ve who perswaded their followers That those only who were adopted into that Family were elected and no other could be saved but were all reprobates and damned and that it was lawfull for them to deny upon oath whatsoever they pleased before any Magistrate or whomsoever that were not of their Family Many of their books were printed under these titles The Gospel of the Kingdom The Lords Sentences The Prophesie of the spirit of love The publication of Peace upon earth by the Author H. N. but who this Author was they would by no means reveal at last he was found to be Henry Nicholls of Leyden who blasphemously preached That he was partaker of the Divinity of God and God of his humane Nature all which books were by Proclamation commanded to be burnt In a Parliament holden the eight and twentieth yeer of her Raign some out of a desire of a Reformation began to pick quarrells at the Clergy desiring to passe Laws for the restraint of Bishops in their granting of Faculties conferring of holy Orders Eccles●asticall Censure and the Oath Ex officio They complayned likewise of the non-residency of Ministers and the like But the Queen who alwayes hated Innovation which for the most part changeth for the worse would give no ear unto them conceiving besides That these proceedings in Par●iament in Ecclesiasticall Affairs derogated from her Prerogative In her six and twentieth yeer the Queen gave a speciall charge to Whitgift Arch-bishop of Canterbury to settle an Uniformity in the Ecclesiasticall Discipline according to the Laws which through the connivence of Bishops and perversenesse of the Puritans lay now almost gasping Wh●reupon he provided three Articles to which every Minister should subscribe The first That the Queen had Supreme Authority over all persons born within her Dominions of what condition soever they were and that no other Prince or Prelate or Potentate hath or ought to have any Iurisdiction Civill or Ecclesiasticall within her Realms and Dominions The second That the Book of Common-Prayer and of the Ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons containeth nothing contrary to the Word of God but may lawfully be used and that they will use that and none other The third That the Articles agreed on in the Synod holden at London in the yeer 1562 and published by the Queens Authority they did allow of and believe them to be consonant to the Word of God It is incredible what reproaches the Arch-bishop incurred by setting forth these Articles both from factious Ministers and from some also of the Nobility yet by his patience and constancy he brought at last Peace to the Church making this his Motto Vincit qui patitur Neither did these at home onely disturb the Peace of the Church but others also from abroad as Robert Brown a young Student of Divinity in Cambridge from whom came the Sectaries called Brownists and Richard Harrison a petty School-Master These presuming to judge matters of Religion by their own private spirit by books set forth in Zealand and dispersed at this time over England condemned the Church of England for no Church and ensnared many in the nets of their new Schism Neither could they be restrayned though their books were prohibited by the Queens Authority and soundly confuted by sundry learned men and one or two of the Ring-leaders executed at S. Edmunds Berry In her one and thirtieth yeer these Puritans flames brake forth again Books are written by the names of Martin Mar-Prelate and A Demonstration of the Discipline by Penry a●d ●●dall against the Government of Bishops and nothing would please them but the Discipline of Geneva Many Abettors they had Knightly and Wigstone Knights besides Cartwright the father of them Snape King Pradlow Payn and others who though called in question fined and imprisoned could never be reclaimed In her six and thirtieth yeer the Queen caused the severity of the Laws to be executed upon Henry Barrow and his Sectaries for disturbing the Church and the publike Peace by scattering of their monstrous Opinions condemning the Church of England as no Christian Church and derogating from th● Queens Authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall WORKS of Piety in her time THis Queen converted Westminster Abbey into a Collegiate Church and there ordained a Dean twelve Prebendaries a Master Usher and forty Schollars Vicars Singing-men and twelve Alms-men In her third yeer the Merchant-Taylors founded a notable Grammar-School in the Parish of S. Lawrence Pountney in London Also this yeer William Harper Maior of of London founded a Free-School in the Town of Bedford where he was born In her seventh yeer on the seventh of Iune Sir Thomas Gresham laid the first stone of the Royall Exchange in Cornhill which in November the yeer after at his own charges was finished being the yeer 1567. In her tenth yeer the Citizens of London builded a new Conduit at Walbrook corner neer to Dowgate the water whereof is conveyed out of the Thames Also this yeer Sir Thomas Roe Maior of London caused to be enclosed within a wall of Brick one Acre of ground neer unto B●dlam without Bishops-Gat● to be a place of Buryall for the dead of such Parishes in London as lacked convenient ground within their Parishes He also builded a convenient room in Pauls Church-Yard on the South side of the Crosse to receive a certain number of Hearers at the Sermon time Sir William Peter having himself been born at Exceter in Devon-Shire he
King according to an ancient custome had ayde of His Subjects thorough England for making his eldest sonne Prince Henry Knight which yet was Levied with great moderation and the Prince to shew himselfe worthy of it performed His first Feates of Armes at Barriers with wonderfull skill and courage being not yet full sixteene yeares of Age. It was now the eight yeere of King Iames His Reigne being the yeare 1610 when Prince Henry being come to the age of seventeen yeares It was thought fit He should be Initiated into Royalty and thereupon the thirtieth of May this yeare He was Created Prince of Wales in most solemne manner which was this Garter King at Armes bore the Letters Patents the Earle of Sussex the Robes of Purple Velvet the Earle of Huntington the Traine the Earle of Cumberland the Sword the Earle of Rutland the Ring the Earle of Darby the Rod the Earle of Shrewsbury the Cape and Coronet the Earle of Nottingham and North-Hampton supported the Prince being in His Surcoate only and bare-headed and in this manner being conducted to the King attended on by the Knights of the Bathe five and twenty in number all great men and great mens sons The Earle of Salisbury principall Secretary read the Letters Pattents the Prince kneeling all the while before the King and at the words accustomed the King put on him the Robe the Sword the Cape and the Coronet the Rod and the Ring and then kissed him on the cheeke and so the solemnity ended After this it was thought fit he should keep his Court by himselfe and thereupon Sir Thomas Chaloner a learned Gentleman who had before been his Governour was now made his Lord Chamberlaine Sir Edw. Philips his Chancellor and all other officers assigned him belonging to a Princes Court wherein he shewed himselfe so early ripe for Majesty that he seemed to be a King while he was yet but Prince And all mens eyes began to fix upon him King Iames had long since shut up the Gates of Ianus and was in Peace with all Princes abroad his only care now was how to keep Peace at home and to this end the three first dayes of Iune in his own person he heard the differences between the Ecclesiasticall and the Temporall Iudges argued touching Protections out of the Kings●Bench and Common-Pleas to this end the eight ninth tenth of Iune he heard the manifold complaints of the abuses of the Victualers other Officers of his Navy Royall to this end the 4 of Iune 1610 he once again by Proclamation commanded all Roman Priests Seminaries and Iesuits as being the chiefe Incendiaries of troubles to depart this Kingdome by the 5 of Iuly next and not to returne upon pain of severity of the Law also all Recusants to returne home to their Dwellings and ●ot to ramaine in London ●o● to come within ten miles of the Court without speciall Licence a●●●r which Proclamation the O●th of Allegeance was presently ministred to all sorts of people and their names certified to the Lords of the Counsell that ref●●ed to take it and this Hee the rather did out of consideration of the bloudy fact committed lately by one Revill●ck upon the person of the renowned K. of France Henry the fourth whereas Queen Elizabeth in her 43 years had granted her Letters Pattents to continue for 15 years to the East India Merchants now upon their humble petition the King was pleased to enlarge their Pate●●s giving them a charter to continue for ever enabling them thereby to be a body Corporate and Politick which so encouraged the Merchants that they built a ship of twelve hundred ●un the greatest that was ever made in this Kingdome by Merchants which the King and Prince honored with going to Deptford to see it and then named it The Trades encrease and at this time gave to Sir Thomas Smith Governour of that Company a faire chaine of Gold with a Iewell wherein was his Picture But this great Ship having been in the Read Sea and returning to Banthem was there lost and most of her men cast away But then the King himselfe builded the goodliest Ship of War that was ever built in England being of the burthen of 1400 tun and carrying threescore and foure pieces of great Ordnance which he gave to his son Prince Henry who named it after his own dignity The Prince And now whereas a Parliament had been holden this year and was Prorogued to a certain day the King perhaps not finding it to comply with his designes or for some other cause known to himself on the last day of December under the gr●●t S●ale of England dissolved it Before this time one Sir Robert C●rre a Gentleman of Scotland or of the bord●●● being a hunting with the King chanced with a fall off his horse to breake his leg upon which mischance he was forced for some days to keep his bed in which time the King was sometimes pleased to come and visit him and then it was first perceived that the King had begun to cast an eye of favour upon him and indeed ●ro● that time forward as he was a very fine Gentleman and very wise many great favours were heaped upon him So as on Easter Munday in the yeare 1611 he was Created Viscount Rochester On the two and twentieth of Aprill 1612 was swo●ne a privy Counsellor On the fourth of November 1613 was Created Earle of So●erset and the tenth of Iuly following made Lord Chamberlaine B●● this Sun-shine of Fortune lasted not long yet not by any inconstancy in the King but by the Earles own undeserving which thus fell out The Right Honourable Robert Earle of Essex had before this time married the beautifull Lady Francis Howard daughter of Thomas Earle of Suffolk who upon ca●ses ●udicially heard were afterward Divorced and left free to marry any other Afte● which Divo●ce this great favorite the Earle of Somerset takes her for wife th● King g●acing their marriage with all demonstrations of love and favour and the Lords gracing it with a stately Masque that night and a few dayes after the Bride and Bridegroom accompanied with most of the Nobility of the Kingdome were ●easted at Merchant Taylors Hall by the Lord Major and Aldermen But see how soon this faire we●●her was overcast For it hapned that one Sir Th●mas ●●erb●ry a very ingenious Gentleman and the Earles speciall f●●●●d who had written a witty Tre●tise of a Wife and it seemes not thinking th● Lady in all points answerable to his description had been an earnest disswa●●● of the M●●●● and to ●●rengthen his di●●wasion layd perhaps some unjust 〈◊〉 up●● the Ladyes 〈◊〉 which so incensed them both against him that 〈…〉 could not give them sati●●●ction than to take away his life So 〈…〉 saying Improbe 〈…〉 r quid non mortalia pectora cogis 〈◊〉 this they finde pretences to have the said Sir Thomas committed to the ●●wer and there by their Instruments effect their revenge some