common wealth All men are bound in duetie to defend their Countrie Herodotus in his Booke called Clio which is the first Booke of his Story The whole hody being out of quiet the members must needes fare the wurse The marke that these Traytours ayme at may be easily discerned The prosperity of the Prince is the safety of her Kingdome The eare of the Princes safetie concerneth the verie meanest Subiect much more the Magistrate to whome she hath giuen office of honour The safetie of her Maiestie a thing most pretious to all good Subiectes The Queens Maiesties gouernement ought with heedefull care to be considered The Queens Maiestie a Iuell of most high estimation to the Realme of England Res est solliciti plena timoris amor The Realme of England neuer so long tyme together more godly and quietly gouerned William Fitz Osbert got him a trayterous cōpany and rebelled against the King 1196. A Scholler of Oxford attempted to kyll the King 1239. Iohn Poydras a Tanners sonne of Excester claimed to be King 1316. Edward de Bruis for vniustly crow ning himselfe King of Ireland was beheaded 1317. They that betraied the Towne of Berwick were hanged for theyr labour 1317. Thomas Earle of Lancaster beheaded for rebelling against the King and many of his confederates executed 1321. Andrew Herkeley Earle of Carlile hanged and quartered 1322. The two Spencers very trouble some traytors to the Realme in the ende had theyr iust deserts 1326. Roger Mortimer and others executed for consenting to the murdering of the Kings Father 1330. The Mayor and Aldermen of London deposed because the Londoners sought to kyll the Kinges Sonne 1377. The Commons of Kent Essex rebelled against the King theyr Captaines being Iacke Strawe and Watte Tyler 1381. The King offereth the rebelles peace The King sent to Wat Tyler Note the pride of a traytour Wat Tyler arrested by the Mayor of London and afterward slaine The confession of Iacke Strawe One of the Rebelles cast into the fire by his fellowes Two and thirtie of the Rebelles mured vp in a Seller The Rebelles murder one an other Iohn Ball Priest the comforter of the Rebelles hanged 1382. The names of the Rebelles that would haue made themselues Kinges Iohn Wrawe one of the leaders of Rebels hanged 1383. The Noble men rebelled against King Henrie the fourth and priuilie conspired to murder him 1399. The people of the Towne fought against the Rebelles and tooke the cheefest of them and beheaded them King Henrie escapeth a great daunger 1401. A Priest a Prior and a Doctor of Diuinitie being a Gray Frier were all executed for treason 1403. The Earle of Worcester Sir Richard Vernon and the Baron of Kindertō beheaded for rebelling against the king 1404. The Archbishop of Yorke and the Earle Marshall beheaded for rebelling against the King 1406. A Welch Rebell executed 1412. A secrete conspiracie against the King according as it is set downe by I. Stowe King Henrie kept the Feeld by Saint Giles aboue Holbourne Many of the Rebelles hanged burnt in Fickets feeld and others executed soone after for the same offence 1414. Three Noble men whome the King best trusted and made great account of conspyred his death 1416. Iohn Bennet executed for scattering seditious Lybelles in London 1417. William Mandeuill Captaine of a lewde company of rebellious persons at Abingtō executed there and others of his company in diuers other places 1433. Richard Russell executed Conspiratours of the Kings death by Necromancy Roger Bolingbrook executed 1442. A Combate betweene a Maister and his seruaunt who appeached him of treason 1447. The Duke of Glocester arrested died soone after but fiue of his men were hanged and after pardoned 1448. Blew beard hanged for raising rebellion 1450. The Commons of Kent rebelled Iacke Cade being their Captaine 1451. Walter Walker beheaded for wordes against the King 1461. The Mayor of Canterbury and other executed for rebellion The Bastarde Faulconbridge lost his head 1472. Thomas Burdet beheaded for treason 1478. The Lord Marques Dorset and the Lord Hastings great enimies Note the care of a Prince for his Countrie The daunger where flattery is more esteemed then true and faithful dealing A speciall note for all traitours Ambition a pestilent and deadly Serpent whose infection where he commeth turneth all to mischeefe The remembraunce of misfortunes past ought to teach vs to be fearefull of the lyke A good note for this present tyme of peace The Lord Riuers put in warde The Duke of Glocester caused the Lord Riuers the Lord Grey and Sir Thomas Vaughan to be beheaded The young King and his Brother brought to the Tower The Protector crowned King by the name of King Richard the third King Richard sendeth to haue the two young Princes put to death in the Tower The young Prince informed that his Vnckle would be King and his aunswere to the same The Prince his Brother shut vp close prisoners Sir Iames appointed who should murder the Princes The young King and his Brother murdered King Richard thanketh Syr Iames for murdering the Princes Myles Forrest rotted in peeces to death Dighton in good forwardnes to be hanged Syr Iames Tyrrel beheaded for treason King Richard himselfe slaine in the feeld Certaine persons executed for making seditious slaunderous Lybelles against the King 1494. Peter Werbecke a Flemming named himselfe King Edwardes second Sonne for which diuers of his company were executed in sundry places 1497. A commotion against the King by the commons of Cornewall vnder the conduct of the Lord Audley and Michael Ioseph a Blacke Smith 1498. A Shoomakers sonne hanged for fayning him selfe to be the Earle of Warwicke 1499. Perkin Werbeck hanged 1500. Edward Duke of Buckingham cōdemned for treason beheaded 1522. Conspiracie at Couentrie to haue taken the Castell of Killingwoorth and to make warre against the King 1524. The holy Mayde of Kent other executed 1535. Certaine Charterhouse Monks and other executed for treason 1536. Charterhouse Monkes executed for treason Bishop Fisher Syr Thomas More beheaded 1536. The Earle of Kyldare and fiue of his Vnckles executed Rebellion in Yorkeshiere An other conspiracie Lincolneshier rebelles executed at Tiborne 1537 A commotion in Sommersetshiere and diuers of them executed 1538. Frier Forrest hanged burnt 1539. Abbots of Reading and Glastēburie executed 1540. The Lord Cromwell beheaded Six Priests three burnt and three hanged Seuen executed at Tyborne for treason 1541. A new rebellion in Yorkeshiere The Lord Leonard Grey beheaded A Welch minstrell hanged 1542. Germaine Gardner and other executed 1544. A commotion in Sommersetshiere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Commotion in Cornewall and Deuonshiere Certaine executed for ayding the Rebelles The Rebelles in Norfolke and Susfolke encamped themselues Robert Ket Captaine of the Rebelles taken and many of them slaine and executed Commotion in Yorkeshiere The Rebelles refusing the Kings Pardon were shortlie after executed at Yorke Captaines of the Deuonshiere rebelles executed Bell a Suffolke Rebell executed 1550. Rebelles of Kent
euerie sworde an Image of Copper hanging with many other Instrumentes beside he stoode on a high Scaffolde before Paules Crosse holding a sworde in his right hand and a Scepter in his left arrayed in a meruailous strange attire and after the Sermon was doone by Maister Lawe Bishoppe of Rochester he abiured all Articles belonging to the Arte of Necromancie or against the Faith Afterward these two were condemned of Treason Thomas South well died in the Tower of London but Roger Bolingbrooke was drawne from the Tower to Tiborne and there hanged and quartered Iohn Dauid seruaunt to William Catur an Armorer dwelling in Saint Dunstones Parishe in Fléetstréete appeached his Maister of Treason and a day being assigned for them to fight a Combate together in Smithféeld the Maister was there slaine by his saide seruaunt The Duke of Glocester being arrested by the Lord Beaumont high Cōstable the Duke of Buckingham the Duke of Sommerset other for speciall matters within few daies after he died with sorrow but two thirty of his principal seruauntes being sent to diuers prisons fiue of them were arraigned and condemned at London whose names were Sir Roger Chamberlain Knight Middleton Herbert and Arteyse Esquiers and Richard Nedham Gentleman all which fiue were drawne from the Tower of London to Tiborne and there hanged but they were let downe quicklie stript naked marked with a knife to be quartred and then a charter was shewed them for their liues but the Yeoman of the Crowne had their liuelode and the hangman had their cloathes Thomas Thany otherwise called Blew beard a Fuller was taken beside Canterburie for raysing a rebellion who afterward was hanged and quartered The Commons of Kent arose against the King hauing to their Captaine Iacke Cade who named himselfe Mortimer Couzin to the Duke of Yorke and of some he was called Iohn Amend all this Captaine and his company came to Blacke Heath and there kept the Féeld more then a moneth pilling and spoyling the Countrie round about At length the Kinges Proclamation going abroad against the Rebelles Iacke Cade was taken by a Gentleman of Kent named Alexander Eden in a Garden in Sussex there was he slaine at Hothféeld afterward brought in a Cart to London where he was quartered his head set on London Bridge and his quarters sent to diuers places in Kent eight men were executed at Canterburie for the same offence and in other Townes of Kent and Sussex was doone the lyke execution In the raygne of King Edward the fourth WAlter Walker a Grocer that dwelt in Chepe for certaine wordes that he spake touching King Edward was beheaded in Smithféeld on the twelfth day of March. Nicholas Faunt Mayor of Canterburie Spicing Quintin and other were hanged and headed at Canterburie for rebelling against King Edward the heads of Spicing and Quintin were set on Algate of London Thomas the Bastard Faulconbridge who tooke parte with the Rebelles in Kent against the King was taken at Southhampton and was beheaded at the Castell of Mildeham in Yorkeshiere his head was sent to London and there set on the Bridge Thomas Burdet an Esquier of Warwickeshiere sonne to Sir Nicholas Burdet for speaking of Treasonable wordes against the King was condemned of Treason drawne from the Tower of London to Tiborne and there beheaded In the raigne of King Edward the fift TO set downe the troublesome accidentes happening in this Kinges raigne would require a verie large discourse growe to greater quantitie then the scope that I haue intended beside for that troubles did still follow one in an others necke both in his life time as also after his death by reason he left two Sonnes who were so young in yéeres as they could not take the gouernment vpon them I will therefore referre you to the Chronicles which at large will certifie you of that which I am loth héere to rehearse yet it shall not be a misse to report vnto you howe the King lying on his death bedde desired to pacifie and set in good agréement those that had long time béene heauie enimies especiallie the Lord Marques Dorset the Quéens Sonne by her first Husband and William the Lorde Hastinges a Noble man then Lord Chamberlaine and for his Highnesse would gladlie sée all enmitie ceased before he died he called them into his Chamber when lyfting himselfe vp and being vp helde with pillowes he vttered to them a woorthy Oration which Oration for that it sheweth notable examples to vnsteadie and wilfull heads and deliuereth good councell to all ingenerall I haue béene so bolde to insert it héere to shew the Princelie aduise of so noble a King as also to giue some light of the troubles in those dayes The Oration of the King which he spake lying on his death bedde MY Lordes my déere Kinsemen alyes in what plight I lie you sée and I féele by which the lesse while I looke to liue with you the more déepelie am I mooued to care in what case I leaue you for such as I leaue you such be my children like to finde you Which if they should as God forbid finde you at variaunce might hap to fall themselues at warre ere their discretion would serue to set you at peace Ye sée their youth of which I recken the onelie suretie to rest in your concorde for it suffiseth not that all you loue them if eche of you hate other if they were men your faithfulnesse happilie would suffise but childehoodde must be maintained by mens aucthoritie and slipper youth vnder-propped with elder councell which neither they can haue but ye giue it nor ye giue it if ye grée not For where eche laboureth to breake that the other maketh and for hatred of eche others person impugneth eche others councell there must it néeds be long ere any good conclusion goe forward And also while either partie laboureth to be chéefe flatterie shall haue more place then plaine and faithfull aduise of which must néedes ensue the euill bringing vp of the Prince whose minde in tender youth infected shall readilie fal to mischéefe riot and draw downe with his noble Realme to ruine but if Grace turne him to wisedome which if God send then they that by euill meanes before pleased him best shall after fall furthest out of fauour so that euer at length euill driftes drawe to naught and good plaine waies prosper Great variaunce hath there long béene betwéene you not alway for great causes sometime a thing right well intended our misse construction turneth vnto wurse or a small displeasure doone vs either our own affectiō or euill tongues agréeueth but this I wot well ye neuer had so great cause of hatred as ye haue of loue That we be all men that we be Christian men this shall I leaue for Preachers to tell ye and yet I wot nere whether any Preachers wordes ought more to mooue ye then his that
God against Kinges and their Kingdomes Against God I call them treasons though our Lawe the iudge of ciuill treasons in England haue no such name because the nature of the offence so properlie receiueth that tytle and also the vsuall name of high treason in Iure gentium in the common lawe of Nations and in other languages dooth so plainelie expresse it High treasons are in their true nature offences against high Maiestie that is either to the destruction of the persons or deniall and defacement of the iust dignities and authorities of those that beare the name of Maiestie and to whome the highest duetie of obedience faith and alleageaunce extendeth And therfore is treason called Crimen lesae Maiestatis the crime of violating or abating Maiestie Greater Maiestie then the Maiestie of God cannot be therefore higher and verier treasons then against God cannot be His person cannot be destroyed or touched but his dignitie honour glorie and authoritie may be slaundered and blasphemed and his Subiects who are mortall men may be withdrawne from their due obedience and drawne into rebellion against him And this I say is high treason to God to violate or abate the Maiestie of God and this doo Papists For though God be King of the whole world and so is rightlie called the Lord by vniuersall name yea euen of deuilles yet is his Church his more proper and certaine kingdome whereby he is more restrainedlie and aplie called our King and our Father and so more fitlie called our head in respect of the body which is his Church and not the rest of the world In this Kingdome his highest dignitie is to be the onelie head therof which the Papistes take from him and deriue it to their Pope And though with gloses they excuse it that their Popes take it not from God but vse it vnder God as his Uicares yet must they be admonished that without sufficient deputation and warrant from the King him selfe which the Pope hath not the Subiect to thrust him selfe into the gouernance of the kingdome is high treason where he that being a straunger would séeke to conquere it were but an enimie And so is it rightlie to be saide that the Turke is to God an enimie and the Pope is to God a traitour and all his adherents are principall traitours for treason admitteth no accessaries But now let vs come to that part which toucheth men more néerelie then any loue of God Let vs now sée how they be traytours to Kinges and Kingdomes If we haue minde to sée that Papistes which holde all the Popes doctrine to be true are traytours in déede to Kings and Kingdomes it behooueth vs to call to minde what are the Popes doctrines dooinges and practises concerning the Crownes of Kinges and states of Kingdomes Popes haue challenged and Papistes that affirme the Popes to be frée from error their doctrine to be true and their authoritie to be lawfull doo also holde that it is their due which they challenge that is To haue authority of both Swords Spirituall and Temporall the one in exercise the other in power To haue the disposition of all the Crownes of Christian Princes To haue the iudgement of deciding to whome the right of any kingdome belongeth To haue power for disobedience to him or by his discretiō to transferre the Crownes of Kinges to whome he will To haue lawfull power to giue Kingdomes to prey spoyle and conquest to such as can inuade and possesse them To haue power to assoyle and discharge Christian subiectes from faith and alleageaunce to theyr lawful and naturall Soueraigne Lordes Kinges and Princes To haue power to giue leaue yea commaundement blessing reward forgiuenesse of sinnes and Heauen it selfe to Subiects to rebell against theyr Prince to depose the Prince disherite and destroy him That there is of common right and by the méere lawe of God reserued to the Pope a speciall subiection resorte appellation and obedience of one great part of all Princes Subiectes yea and of all Subiectes of all Princes in one great part of theyr causes Be not these heinous treasons And these cannot be denied to be the naturall and verie treasons of all Papists that is to say of all that depend vpon credite of the Pope that holde him for Gods Uicar for Peters successor for whome Christ prayed that his faith should not fayle that applie to him this title Ad quem perfidia non potest accedere to whome falsehood cannot reach that holde him for a constant Rocke an assured Preacher of trueth an Apostolicall man if he be not some other thing then a man to whome our beléefe is bounden with such other false tytles wherewith Popes themselues haue garnished themselues and theyr Parasites haue ouerloden them Consider the ordinarie practise of Popes and Papistes according to these doctrines and then you shall sée that from the most high treason which the Pope committed against his Soueraigne Lord the Emperour the renting and destructiō of the Empire all the victories and successes of the Saracens and Turkes against Christendome all the tearing away of most noble and large Kingdomes and prouinces from the body of Christianitie all the subduing and thralling of infinite Christian soules to Mahomet and the Deuill all the deposinges murderinges turmoylings ciuill warres debates betwéene Christian Princes shedding of Christian blood indignities and oppressions of Christian Kinges and Emperours conquestes rebellions and mischéefes for these fiue hundred yéeres and aboue are wholly and chéefely to be imputed to the treasons of Popes and Papistes All Grecia sometime most noble and learned yet lamentably rueth it All Affrica the mother of most constaunt Martyres féeleth it The Germane Emperours with most heinous reproches and fowle treading on theyr neckes may not forget it The Kinges of Fraunce and Spaine both at home in their natiue Kingdomes and abroad as well in Naples Sicilie Lombardie as in other territories of Italie and of the Empire haue sharply felt it The Lordes and States of Italie haue béene daylie and long shaken with it The Kinges of England haue béene poysoned whipped beaten with rods murdered deposed the Land giuen in conquest interdited made tributarie robbed pylled and scraped of theyr treasure brought into slauishe subiection depriued of honour and estimation euerie way most villainously abused To let passe the elder times and further Realmes let vs speake of deposing of olde Emperours erecting of newe setting the Sonne against the Father the Subiect against his Lord making them come bare footed themselues with theyr wiues and children long waighting with submission in colde frostes treading on theyr neckes spurning of their Crownes a thousand such abhominable prides of Popes and slaueries of Princes Let vs deale but with our selues and with our owne féeling knowledge and memorie The accursing of King Iohn the receyuing him vassaill the making his Realme subiect and feudatorie to the Pope the arming his Subiects against him
Unckle would let me haue my life yet though I loose my kingdome Then he that tolde him the tale vsed him with good wordes and put him in the best comfort he could But foorthwith was the Prince and his Brother both shut vp and all other remooued from them onelie one Blacke Will or Willam Slaughter excepted who was set to serue them and sée them sure After which time the Prince neuer tied his pointes nor did any thing of himself but with the young babe his Brother lingred in thought and heauines till this traiterous death deliuered them out of that wretched estate For Sir Iames Tirrell deuised that they should be murdered in their beds to the execution whereof he appointed Myles Forrest one of the foure that kept them a fellowe fleshed in murder before time and to him he ioyned Iohn Dighton his owne horse-kéeper a big broad square strong knaue Then all the other being remooued from them this Myles Forrest and Iohn Dighton about midnight the sielie Children lying in their beddes came into the Chamber and suddenlie lapped them vp amongst the cloathes and they had so bewrapped them and intangled them kéeping downe by force the fetherbed and pillowes harde vnto their mouthes that within a while smoothered and stifled their breath failing them they gaue vp to God their innocent soules into the ioies of Heauen leauing to the tormentors their bodies dead in the bedde Which after that the cruell wretches perceiued first by strugling with the paines of death and after long lying still to be throughlie dead they laide their bodies naked vpon the bedde and fetched Sir Iames to sée them who vpon the sight of them caused those murderers to burie them at the staire foote méetlie déepe in the ground vnder a great heape of stones Then rode Sir Iames in great haste to King Richard and shewed him all the manner of the murder who gaue him great thankes and as some say there made him Knight but he allowed not their burying in so vile a corner saying that he would haue them buried in a better place because they were a Kinges sonnes Upon this as it is reported a Priest belonging to Sir Robert Brakenburie tooke vp the bodies againe and secretlie enterred them in such a place as by the occasion of his death who onelie knew it could neuer since come to light Uerie troth it is and well knowne that at such time as Sir Iames Tirrell was in the Tower for treason committed against the most famous Prince King Henrie the seuenth both Dighton and he were examined and they confessed the murder in manner aboue written but whether the bodies were remooued they could nothing tell And thus were these two noble Princes these innocent tender children borne of a most royall blood brought vp in great wealth likelie long to liue reigne and rule in the Realme shortlie shut vp in prison and priuilie thus murdered their bodies cast God knowes where by the cruell ambition of their vnnaturall Unckle and his despightfull tormentors Which thinges on euerie part well pondered God neuer gaue this Realme a more notable example neither in what vncertainty standeth this worldlie weale or what mischéefe worketh the proude enterprises of an high heart or finallie what wretched end ensueth such vnnaturall crueltie For first to begin with the bloody actors of this murder Myles Forrest at saint Martins péece-meale rotted away Dighton yet walketh as are mine Authors wordes at that time in good possibilitie to be hanged ere he die Sir Iames Tirrell died at the Tower Hill being beheaded for treason King Richard himselfe was afterward slaine in the féeld hacked and hewed at his enimies handes harried on horsebacke dead his heaire in despight torne and tugged like a curre Dogge In his life time by credible report of such as were secrete with his Chamberlaine after this abhominable déede was doone he neuer was quiet in his minde he neuer thought himselfe sure where he went abroade he still priuilie looked about him his body was secretly fenced his hand euer vpon his Dagger his countenaunce and manners like one alwaies ready to strike againe sore wearied with care and watch he rather slumbred then slept troubled with fearful dreames suddenlie sometime he sterted vp leapt out of his bed and ran about the Chamber so was his restlesse heart continuallie tossed and tumbled with the tedious impression and stormie remembraunce of his abhominable déede A notable example doublesse to all such as take like enterprise in hand that cannot be contented to liue within compasse of duetie but their aspiring thoughts must stretch furder then either their habillitie will serue them or God suffer them The seate of a Prince is a place of great Maiesty and none but such as GOD hath appointed can containe themselues in that Royall roome then if they wilfullie couet that place for which both reason and duetie sayth they are farre vnfit such is the iustice of him by whome Kinges rule and Princes swaie their Soueraigntie as the pleasure they thought to haue in that high Office is a verie dagger to their hearts and such an eating woorme to their consciences as by this example before you maye plainlie perceiue Let Princes therefore be honoured and feared as they ought and let Subiectes liue in true and faithfull obedience to them because it is a chéefe and an especiall article of their duetie In the raigne of King Henrie the seuenth ON the two and twentith day of Februarie were arraigned in the Guild Hall of London foure persons to wit Thomas Bagnall Iohn Scot Iohn Heth and Iohn Kennington who were Sanctuarie men of Saint Martins le Graund in London and latelie before were taken out of the saide Sanctuarie for forging of seditious Billes to the slaunder of the King some of his Councel for which thrée of them were adiudged to die so on the fiue and twentie day of Februarie the saide thrée persons with a Flemming and a Yeoman of the Crowne were all fiue executed at Tiborne Pierce or Perkin Werbecke a Flemming borne by the councell of Margaret Dutches of Burgoigne named himselfe Richard of Yorke King Edwardes second Sonne he and his company arriued at Deale in Kent where when they perceiued they could haue no comfort of the Countrie in their rebellion they withdrewe themselues to their Ships againe But the Mayor of Sandwich encountred with them and tooke aliue of them one hundred thrée score and nine persons among the which were fiue Captaines Mountford Corbette Whitbelt Quintine and Gemine And on the twelfth of Iulie Iohn Peche Esquier and Sherife of Kent brought vnto London Bridge these hundred thrée score and nine personnes where the Sherifes of London receiued them and conueied them in Cartes and long ropes to the Tower of London and to Newgate Not long after a hundred and fiftie of them were hanged in Kent Essox Sussex and Norfolke the residue were executed