that fatal Rancounter beg'd leave to serve in the same Army and Sommerset went to Scotland upon some pretext of his own So that there remaining none but Bourchier whose wound kept him long from the publick Brandon found himself in a few days delivered from all his Enemies But in their absence they did him more mischief than they had done in person and whether it was an effect of their malice or of the sequel of things which being with difficulty concealed time brings to light at length men began to speak more openly than they had been accustomed to do of the Amours of the Princess and Brandon The King was so far from being offended herewith that he seemed rather to applaud it some who impertinently discourse of the carriage of Princes wherein there is not always so great ground of reasoning as is believed imagined that all that he did that way was a politick fetch to break the Grandees of his Kingdom of the designs they might have for his Sister others who are not always willing to infect the Court with false notions kept themselves to what they saw and more wisely believed that it was only out of a natural complaisance that he entertained for all sorts of gallantry But though all that was said of the Princess and Brandon redounded still to his Honour yet he reaped nothing from it but vexation and grief neither could his truly generous and noble soul relish that honour which he received at the cost of what he loved He was far more affected with the reproaches that the Princess Mary might have talkt of him though indeed she never made any of him On the contrary he having sometimes expressed himself to her concerning these things in a very sorrowful manner she had always the goodness to tell him that he should follow the example and not trouble himself with the discourse of people But 〈…〉 this obliging carriage served only to encrease his pain and as two hearts that are truly smitten are unwilling to be behind in duty to one another so he concerned himself the more in the glory of the Princess that she seemed to slight it for the love of him Insomuch that falling very pensive and melancholick notwithstanding the pains that she took to comfort him and having no other thoughts but to leave the Kingdom that he might remove the occasions of detraction he acquainted my Lord Hastings his Uncle to whom he told all his affairs with his design He being a fierce Old Soldier took him at first up sharply for the little Courage he made shew of afterward falling in discourse about the Earls of Surrey and Essex he told him that the race of Howards and Bourchiers was indeed ancient and raised to vast Estates and eminent Dignities by the merits of many predecessors but that yet they were not the only nobles who could brag of as great antiquity and the glory of as many heroical Actions nor that they had any such advantages as might give them ground to insult over the Brandons and Hastings and that therefore it behoved him not at all for the railery of some jealous Rivals to abandon the Prospects which both the King and Princess did countenance However all this made no great impression on the mind of Brandon He adhered to his resolution and had already taken his measures for withdrawing when at length the good Old man Hastings being unable to retain him by his reasons found himself obliged to discover to him what he had promised never to reveal The resolution was doubtless great and cost the Old man dear besides the weakness of old age he had more reason than any other to be dismayed which made him long complain of the violence that his Nephew put upon him before he began that dangerous discourse And that he might in some manner prepare him for it having brought out a manuscript of all Merlins Prophesies he made him read that which was the cause of the death of the Duke of Clarence conceived in these words When the White Rose shall the Red subdue G. Of that race shall change its Hue And the Red o're it shall bloom anew There shall remain of the White slock But one bud fallen on Hemlock Yet too much zeal doth oft annoy For an inn'cent maid shall it destroy When he had read the Prophesie the ancient Gentleman tracing matters as far back as was necessary explained to him the beginning of the prediction according as the event had made it evident In the first verse he let him see the Victory of Edward of York designed by the White Rose over HENRY the Sixt of Lancaster who carried the Red. In the second he discovered to him the deplorable mistake of that Victorious Prince who having caused his younger Brother George Duke of Clarence to be put to death in a pipe of Malmsey because the first letter of his name was a fatal G. gave his other Brother Richard Duke of Glocester of whom he had no suspicion by his last will opportunity of murthering his two Sons and in the third he shewed him th◠return of Prince Henry Earl of Richmont who in the blood of that Tyrant made the red Roses flourish again But having thus interpreted the three first verses which had given matter of much discourse in that time Hastings his countenance changed colour and being deeply affected with the importance of the secret that he was about to reveal concluding in a fret what with reason he had begun he told him that the world had indeed sufficiently understood by the event of things the beginning of the Prophesie of Merlin but that few understood the rest That though the flatterers of the late King had perswaded him that by the death of the only Son of Richard the Tyrant which happened by a fall the prediction was fulfilled and explicated because that he having fallen in a place where Hemlock grew an inconsiderate person who came running after thinking to wipe and stop the blood of his wound with that herb had hastened his death yet that he understood somewhat more than these flatterers knew and that the cruel death of the poor Earl of Warwick Son of the Duke of Clarence had not fulfilled the Prophesie either but that that unfortunate Prince having escaped from the superstitious scrupulosity of one of his Uncles and being confined to a Castle by the other was secretly married to a Daughter of Charles Hemlock Brother-in-law to himself who commanded in that place by whom he had a Son and that not to hold him long in suspense he was that Son At these words Brandon cried out as if he had been struck with Thunder and the Lord Hastings his Uncle in vain endeavoured to perswade him that though he had reason to be surprised at the relation yet he ought to believe it for he still maintained that it was but a tale devised to excite in him greater Courage At length Hastings by reason of the sensible danger
the Duke of Suffolk This bereft him of all comfort for the rest of his days and being unable to abide longer at Court as well because of that loss as of the disorders of his King which encreased with age he choose rather to command the Army against the Rebels in Yorkshire where he fully crowned his Glory He had five Children by the Queen whereof the two Males dyed both in one day of the distemper which is called the English Sweating-sickness and of his three Daughters who were all married to the greatest Lords of the Kingdom the eldest named Frances married to Henry Gray Son to the Marquess of Dorset his intimate friend was the cause of his death She falling sick in one of her Countrey-houses and he loving that dear Daughter the more because she perfectly resembled his deceased Queen used so great diligence to come to her that he thereby dyed Thus the Prophesie of Merlin may be seen fulfilled in his person supposing that he had been the Grand-child of the Duke of Clarence Since that how innocent soever that daughter was of his Death yet the too great zeal that he had for her was that which destroyed him At least to judg by the event the words of that Astrologer seem pretty just The only thing that can make me doubt of it is the little care that I see in him during his life to make known his secret Quality of a Prince of York What tyranny soever may oblige a Prince to conceal himself for a time yet if he have a great and generous soul as Suffolk had it is hard for him to continue always obscure and truely royal blood soon or late becomes conspicuous in Heroes Vnless it may be said of him that the possession of what he loved having fulfilled all his desires he feared either to disturb his own felicity by discovering himself or to wrong his Children who according to the custom of England would have certainly been put to death upon the least suspicion of the truth FINIS Some Books Printed and are to be Sold by W. Cademan at the Popes-head in the New-Exchange PHaramond or the History of France a fam'd Romance in 12 Parts the whole work never before in English written by the Author of Cassandra and Cleopatra Fol. Parthanissa that most fam'd Romance in 6 Parts written by the Right Honourable the Earl of Orrery in Fol. Books 4 to Protestant Religion is a sure Foundation and Principle of a true Christian written by Charles Earl of Derby Historical Relations of the first discovery of the Island of Madera A Warning to the Unruly in two Visitation-Sermons Preached before the Arch-Bishop of York by Seth Bushell D. D. The great Efficacy of the Clergy a Visitation-Sermon by Tho. Duncomb D. D. Mr. Barn's Sermon Preached before the King Mr. Pigol's Sermon Preached before the Judges at Lancaster Books 8 vo Philosophical Essays or the History of Petrificatio by Thomas Sherley Dr. in Physick The History of Scurvey-Grass being an exact and careful description of the Nature and Medicinal vertues of that Plant teaching how to prepare out of it plain and approved Remedies for the Scurvey and most other Diseases as well Galenical as Chymical which are to be had of Scurvey-grass-Ale confirmed by Reason Experience and Authority The Spanish History or a Relation of the Differences that happened in the Court of Spain between Don John of Austria and Cardinal Nitard with other Transactions of that Kingdom together with all the Letters that past between Persons of the highest Quality relating to those affairs PLAYS Rival a Comedy Island-Princes Comedy Flora's Vagaries Comedy Town-shifts a Comedy Citizen turn'd Gentleman Comedy Morning-Ramble Comedy Careless Lovers Comedy Reformation Comedy Mall or Modish Lovers Comedy Rehersal a Comedy Mock-Tempest a Comedy Dumb Lady a Comedy Dutch-Lovers a Comedy Setle against Dryden Herod and Mariamne Love and Revenge Conquest of China Constant Nimph. Pastor Fide Tom Essence a Comedy Wandring Lovers Catalius Conspiracy Tragedy Fatal Jealousie Mackbeth English-Princess Marcelia Spanish-Rogue Piso's Conspiracy Alcibiades Siege of Memphis Cambyâ—â—â— Empress of Morocco
BRANDON that payed his services to the Lady Latimer But people were not always so credulous they made a little too bold with that Lady's reputation and the mind of man commonly passes over things which are so easily discovered that it may pry into those that are studiously kept from its knowledg There were severals therefore that observing the obliging manner how the Princess treated BRANDON in publick and knowing besides somewhat of the secret visits which he never rendered to her in her appartment but in company of the KING believed that he made them alone The rumour of this began to spread by degrees and though being vexed thereat he made appear to the KING his Master the consequences thereof yet that voluptuous KING was too much wedded to his pleasures to renounce them and BRANDON himself began at length to taste such pleasures as he could not have found in any other course of life The Lady Latimer who was desperately in love with him essaying by all ways of compliance to merit his affection allowed him great liberty with the Princess Mary She let him see the lovely Princess oftner than once asleep in the secret of Night and fearing nothing of the KING who was then commonly taken up with her Daughter because all these things seemed only to be done in attending of him she left him many times alone in her Chamber or at most but accompanied by a Maid privy to her intrigues called Judith Kiffin which was thought worse than to have left them together upon their bare word However the matter be the pleasure of seeing Mary of England as he did made him at length speak but faintly of what the KING did in prejudice of her reputation and though he always dreaded the consequences of those frolicks yet by little and little he accustomed himself not to find fault with the occasions Matters being in this state and the QUEEN by degrees recovering her health and appearing more cheerful the Court full of Mistresses and Lovers found their entertainment in the various emergents that love every moment occasioned amongst them when Gray Bourchier and Sommerset impatient of losing more sighs resolved to trouble the felicity of BRANDON They had already for some days set spies to observe him or otherways lay in wait for him themselves upon notice given them that he went almost every night to the apartment of the Princess Their own eyes had seen him and they knew the by-ways he used to take though they had not discovered that he was with the KING or in the least suspected it so careful was that Prince to pass unknown They placed themselves therefore in Ambush at a back-door in the Palace by which BRANDON the fifth in company had just before entred and fearing no impediment in their design unless by the Rancounter of some Germans who had remained at London after the conclusion of the League whom they had already agreed among themselves to accuse of the disorders which themselves intended to commit though Gray was that night indisposed yet the other two being more fiery and unwilling to let slip this occasion they rallied together to the number of seven All things appeared to them at first in as fair a way as they desired No body molested them in the quarter where they had posted themselves and the Moon being over-clouded gave no more light but what was enough for them to distinguish themselves by the marks that they carried So that the KING returning from his visit hardly had he that kept the key opened the door when Bourchier presented a Pistol to the two Yeomen of the Guard that came out first Stand said he where is BRANDON Sommerset immediately in the same manner put the question to them But the two Guards so much the more daring that they had the KING for a witness of their Courage made them answer only with their Carabines and both of them firing at the same instant that Bourchier and Sommerset fired as there were but two reports heard so there were but two shot that did execution That of Sommerset passing under the hand of the Yeoman of the Guard that stood opposite to him was carried too high and Bourchiers only grazed upon the others Cassock But as one of the Carabines missed Sommerset who by good fortune kneeled on one knee so the other bruised the shoulder of Bourchier and both being loaded with several Bullets killed three of their men that stood behind them The KING in the mean time who feared nothing so much as to be discovered considering the boldness of the attempt and perceiving two of the contrary party who remained betake themselves to flight caused quickly the other door of the Palace by which he was to enter to be opened BRANDON having drawn but finding none to fight with came shortly after and the two Yeomen of Guard that knew the Kings intention as well as he having immediately disarmed Sommerset and Bourchier followed him This was the fortune of these Rivals who found all the difficulty imaginable to get home the one sorely wounded and the other soundly beaten and both in extreme despair The KING was no sooner where he desired to be but being furiously incensed against them he resolved and vowed their ruin yet Brandon interposing stopt this first ebullition of choler by representing to him that in punishing the guilty according to their merit he would discover the secret and to that prevalent reason adding considerations that concerned the Princess he at length perswaded him that they had received usage hard enough to make them capable of some favour Insomuch that the whole matter past for an unlucky skuffle that Bourchier and Sommerset had had with some drunken Germans At least the Earl of Essex was ordered to publish as much the day following and to make it the more credible strangers were forbidden to walk abroad in the night upon pain of death None but the Rivals of BRANDON whispered secretly what they knew but by the absolute Command which the KING had given to the Earl of Essex that he should impute the wound of his Son to those who were no ways concerned in it and by the fierce threats he made to that Earl for the suspicions that he endeavoured to insinuate against the Princess his Sister so high as that he replied in rage that knowing better than he what her carriage was it was only in respect of his age that he pardoned so insolent a Calumny In a word by the secret rumour that began to spread that the King himself was a Party they by little and little diving into his intrigue with Cecile Blunt found all their Fortunes good so that a private reason hindered him from taking publick revenge Gray went away with the Marquess of Dorset his Father who carried six thousand English to Fontarabie to assist the King of Spain in invading Guyenne according to an Article of the League Howard and Talbot though they were not no more than he at