escape shee knew they were things that a verie few could controll And therfore she taught him onely to tell a smooth and likely Tale of those matters warning him not to vary from it It was agreed likewise betweene them what account he should giue of his Peregrination abroad intermixing many things which were true and such as they knew others could testifie for the credit of the rest but still making them to hang together with the Part hee was to play Shee taught him likewise how to auoid sundry captious and tempting questions which were like to bee asked of him But in this shee found him of himselfe so nimble and shifting as shee trusted much to his owne wit and readinesse and therefore laboured the lesse in it Lastly shee raysed his thoughts with some present rewards and further promises setting before him chiefly the glorie and fortune of a Crowne if things went well and a sure refuge to her Court if the worst should fall After such time as shee thought hee was perfect in his Lesson shee began to cast with herselfe from what coast this Blazing-starre should first appeare and at what time it must bee vpon the Horizon of Ireland for there had the like Meteor strong influence before The time of the Apparition to bee when the King should bee engaged into a Warre with France But well she knew that whatsoeuer should come from her would bee held suspected And therfore if hee should goe out of Flanders immediately into Ireland shee might bee thought to haue some hand in it And besides the time was not yet ripe for that the two Kings were then vpon tearmes of Peace Therefore shee wheel'd about and to put all suspicion a far off and loth to keepe him any longer by her for that shee knew Secrets are not long liued shee sent him vnknowne into Portugall with the Lady BRAMPTON an English Ladie that embarqued for Portugall at that time with some Priuado of her owne to haue an eye vpon him and there hee was to remaine and to expect her further directions In the meane time shee omitted not to prepare things for his better welcome and accepting not onely in the Kingdome of Ireland but in the Court of France Hee continued in Portugall about a yeare and by that time the King of England called his Parliament as hath beene said and declared open Warre against France Now did the Signe reigne and the Constellation was come vnder which PERKIN should appeare And therefore hee was straight sent vnto by the Duchesse to goe for Ireland according to the first designement In Ireland hee did arriue at the Towne of Corke When hee was thither come his owne Tale was when hee made his Confession afterwards That the Irish-men finding him in some good Clothes came flocking about him and bare him downe that he was the Duke of Clarence that had beene there before And after that hee was RICHARD the Thirds base sonne And lastly that he was RICHARD Duke of Yorke second sonne to EDWARD the Fourth But that hee for his part renounced all these things and offered to sweare vpon the holy Euangelists that hee was no such man till at last thy forced it vpon him and bade him feare nothing and so forth But the truth is that immediately vpon his comming into Ireland hee tooke vpon him the said Person of the Duke of York and drew vnto him Complices and Partakers by all the meanes hee could deuise Insomuch as hee wrote his Letters vnto the Earles of Desmond and Kildare to come in to his Aide and bee of his Partie the Originalls of which Letters are yet extant Somewhat before this time the Duchesse had also gayned vnto her a neare seruant of King HENRY's owne one STEPHEN FRION his Secretarie for the French Tongue an actiue man but turbulent and discontented This FRION had fled ouer to CHARLES the French King and put himselfe into his seruice at such time as hee began to bee in open enmitie with the King Now King CHARLES when he vnderstood of the Person and Attempts of PERKIN readie of himselfe to embrace all aduantages against the King of England instigated by FRION and formerly prepared by the Ladie MARGARET forthwith dispatched one LVCAS and this FRION in the nature of Ambassadors to PERKIN to aduertise him of the Kings good inclination to him and that hee was resolued to aide him to recouer his right against King HENRY an Vsurper of England and an Enemie of France and wished him to come ouer vnto him at Paris PERKIN thought himselfe in heauen now that hee was inuited by so great a King in so honourable a manner And imparting vnto his Friends in Ireland for their incouragement how Fortune called him and what great hopes hee had sayled presently into France When hee was come to the Court of France the King receiued him with great honour saluted and stiled him by the name of the Duke of Yorke lodged him and accommodated him in great State And the better to giue him the representation and the countenance of a Prince assigned him a Guard for his Person whereof the Lord CONGRESALL was Captaine The Courtiers likewise though it bee ill mocking with the French applyed themselues to their Kings Bent seeing there was reason of State for it At the same time there repaired vnto PERKIN diuers Englishmen of Qualitie Sir GEORGE NEVILE Sir IOHN TAYLOR and about one hundred more and amongst the rest this STEPHEN FRION of whom wee spake who followed his fortune both then and for a long time after and was indeed his principall Counsellor and Instrument in all his Proceedings But all this on the French Kings part was but a Tricke the better to bow King HENRY to Peace And therefore vpon the first Graine of Incense that was sacrificed vpon the Altar of Peace at Bulloigne PERKIN was smoked away Yet would not the French King deliuer him vp to King HENRY as hee was laboured to doe for his Honors sake but warned him away and dismissed him And PERKIN on his part was as readie to bee gone doubting hee might bee caught vp vnder hand Hee therefore tooke his way into Flanders vnto the Duchesse of Burgundie pretending that hauing beene variously tossed by Fortune hee directed his course thither as to a safe Harbour No wayes taking knowledge that he had euer beene there before but as if that had beene his first addresse The Duchesse on the other part made it as new and strange to see him pretending at the first that she was taught and made wise by the example of LAMBERT SIMNELL how shee did admit of any Counterfeit Stuffe though euen in that she said she was not fully satisfied Shee pretended at the first and that was euer in the presence of others to pose him and sift him thereby to trie whether hee were indeed the very Duke of Yorke or no. But seeming to receiue full satisfaction by his answers shee then fained her selfe to be transported with a
was come to be Master of his affaires But howsoeuer it stood for the point of obligation which the King might owe to the Duke of Britaine yet their Master was well assured it would not diuert King HENRY of England from doing that that was iust nor euer embarke him in so ill grounded a quarrell Therefore since this Warre which their Master was now to make was but to deliuer himselfe from imminent dangers their King hoped the King would shew the like affection to the conseruation of their Masters estate as their Master had when time was shewed to the Kings acquisition of his Kingdome At the least that according to the inclination which the King had euer professed of peace he would looke on and stand Neutrall for that their Master could not with reason presse him to vndertake part in the Warre being so newly setled and recouered from intestine seditions But touching the Mysterie of reannexing of the Duchy of Britaine to the Crowne of France either by Warre or by marriage with the Daughter of Britaine the Ambassadors bare aloofe from it as from a Rocke knowing that it made most against them And therefore by all meanes declined any mention thereof but contrariwise interlaced in their conference with the King the assured purpose of their Master to match with the Daughter of MAXIMILIAN And entertained the King also with some wandring Discourses of their Kings purpose to recouer by Armes his right to the Kingdome of Naples by an expedition in Person All to remoue the King from all iealousie of any Designe in these hither Parts vpon Britaine otherwise then for quenching of the fire which hee feared might bee kindled in his owne estate The King after aduice taken with his Coùncell made answer to the Ambassadors And first returned their Complement shewing hee was right glad of the French Kings reception of those Townes from MAXIMILIAN Then hee familiarly related some particular passages of his owne aduentures and victorie passed As to the businesse of Britaine the King answered in few words That the French King and the Duke of Britaine were the two persons to whom hee was most obliged of all men and that hee should thinke himselfe very vnhappie if things should goe so betweene them as he should not be able to acquite himselfe in gratitude towards them both and that there was no meanes for him as a Christian King and a Common friend to them to satisfie all obligations both to God and Man but to offer himselfe for a Mediator of an Accord and Peace betweene them by which course he doubted not but their Kings estate and honour both would be preserued with more Safetie and lesse Enuis then by a Warre and that hee would spare no cost or paines no if it were To goe on Pilgrimage for so good an effect And concluded that in this great Affaire which he tooke so much to heart hee would expresse himselfe more fully by an Ambassage which he would speedily dispatch vnto the French King for that purpose And in this sort the French Ambassadors were dismissed The King auoiding to vnderstand any thing touching the re-annexing of Britaine as the Ambassadors had auoided to mention it saue that hee gaue a little touch of it in the word Enuie And so it was that the King was neither so shallow nor so ill aduertised as not to perceiue the intention of the French for the inuesting himselfe of Britaine But first he was vtterly vnwilling howsoeuer hee gaue out to enter into Warre with France A Fame of a Warre he liked well but not an Atchieuement for the one hee thought would make him Richer and the other Poorer and hee was possessed with many secret feares touching his owne people which hee was therfore loth to arme and put weapons into their hands Yet notwithstanding as a prudent and couragious Prince he was not so auerse from a Warre but that he was resolued to choose it rather then to haue Britaine carried by France being so great and opulent a Duchy and situate so opportunely to annoy England either for Coast or Trade But the Kings hopes were that partly by negligence commonly imputed to the French especially in the Court of a young King and partly by the natiue power of Britaine it selfe which was not small but chiefely in respect of the great Partie that the Duke of Orleance had in the Kingdome of France and therby meanes to stirre vp Ciuill troubles to diuert the French-king from the enterprise of Britaine And lastly in regard of the power of MAXIMILIAN who was Corriuall to the French King in that Pursuit the Enterprize would eyther bow to a pace or breake in it selfe In all which the King measured and valued things amisse as afterwards appeared He sent therefore forth with to the French King CHRISTOPHER VRSWICKE his Chaplaine a person by him much trusted and imployed choosing him the rather because he was a Church-man as best sorting with an Ambassie of Pacification and giuing him also a Commission That if the French King consented to treat hee should thence repaire to the Duke of Britaine and ripen the Treatie on both parts VRSWICK made declaration to the French King much to the purpose of the Kings answer to the French Ambassadours here instilling also tenderly some ouerture of receiuing to grace the Duke of Orleance and some taste of Conditions of Accord But the French King on the other side proceeded not sincerely but with a great deale of art and dissimulation in this Treatie hauing for his end to gaine time and so put off the English-Succors vnder hope of Peace till he had got good footing in Britaine by force of Armes Wherefore he answered the Ambassadour That hee would put himselfe into the Kings hands and make him Arbiter of the Peace and willingly consented that the Ambassadour should straight wayes passe into Britaine to signifie this his consent and to know the Dukes minde likewise well fore-seeing that the Duke of Orleance by whom the Duke of Britaine was wholly led taking himselfe to be vpon termes irreconcileable with him would admit of no Treatie of Peace Whereby hee should in one both generally abroad veyle ouer his Ambition and winne the reputation of iust and moderate proceedings and should withall endeare himselfe in the Affections of the King of England as one that had committed all to his Will Nay and which was yet more fine make Faith in him That although he went on with the Warre yet it should be but with his Sword in his hand to bend the stiffenesse of the other party to accept of Peace and so the King should take no vmbrage of his arming and prosecution but the Treatie to be kept on foot to the very last instant till hee were Master of the Field Which grounds being by the French King wisely laid all things fell out as he expected For when the English Ambassadour came to the Court of Britaine the Duke was then scarcely perfect in his
of Honour in bearing the blessed person of a Pacificator Hee thought likewise to make vse of the Enuie that the French King met with by occasion of this Warre of Britaine in strengthening himselfe with new alliances as namely that of FERDINANDO of Spaine with whom he had euer a consent euen in nature and customes and likewise with MAXIMILIAN who was particularly interessed So that in substance hee promised himselfe Money Honour Friends and Peace in the end But those things were too fine to be fortunate and succeed in all parts for that great affaires are commonly too rough and stubborne to be wrought vpon by the finer edges or points of wit The King was likewise deceiued in his two main grounds For although he had reason to conceiue that the Councel of France wold be wary to put the King into a Warre against the Heire-apparant of France yet hee did not consider that CHARLES was not guided by any of the principall of the Bloud or Nobilitie but by meane Men who would make it their Master-peece of Credit and fauour to giue venturous Counsels which no great or wise Man durst or would And for MAXIMILIAN he was thought then a Greater-matter then he was his vnstable and necessitous Courses being not then knowne After Consultation with the Ambassadors who brought him no other newes then he expected before though he would not seeme to know it till then he presently summoned his Parliament and in open Parliament propounded the cause of Britaine to both Houses by his Chancellor MORTON Arch-Bishop of Canterburie who spake to this effect MY Lords and Masters The Kings Grace our Soueraigne Lord hath commanded me to declare vnto you the causes that haue moued him at this time to summon this his Parliament which I shall doe in few words crauing pardon of his Grace and you all if I performe it not as I would His Grace doth first of all let you know that he retaineth in thankefull memorie the loue and loyaltie shewed to him by you at your last Meeting in establishment of his royaltie freeing and discharging of his partakers and confiscation of his Traytors and Rebels more then which could not come from Subiects to their Soueraigne in one action This he taketh so well at your hands as he hath made it a Resolution to himselfe to communicate with so louing and well approued Subiects in all Affaires that are of publike nature at home or abroad Two therefore are the causes of your present assembling the one a forraigne Businesse the other matter of gouernment at home The French King as no doubt yee haue heard maketh at this present hot warre vpon the Duke of Britaine His Armie is now before Nantes and holdeth it straitly besieged being the principall Citie if not in Ceremonte and Preheminence yet in Strength and Wealth of that Duchie Yee may guesse at his Hopes by his attempting of the hardest part of the Warre first The cause of this Warre he knoweth best Hee alleageth the entertaining and succouring of the Duke of Orleance and some other French Lords whom the King taketh for his Enemies Others diuine of other Matters Both parts haue by their Ambassadours diuers times prayed the Kings Aids The French King Aides or Neutralitie the Britons Aides simply for so their case requireth The King as a Christian Prince and blessed Sonne of the Holy Church hath offered himselfe as a Mediator to treat a Peace betweene them The French King yeeldeth to treat but will not stay the prosecution of the Warre The Britons that desire Peace most hearken to it least not vpon confidence or stiffenesse but vpon distrust of true meaning seeing the Warre goes on So as the King after as much paines and care to effect a Peace as euer he tooke in any Businesse not being able to remoue the Prosecution on the one side nor the Distrust on the other caused by that Prosecution hath let fall the Treatie not repenting of it but desparing of it now as not likely to succeed Therefore by this Narratiue you now vnderstand the state of the Question whereupon the King prayeth your aduice which is no other but whether hee shall enter into an auxiliarie and defensiue Warre for the Britons against France 〈◊〉 the better to open your vnderstandings in this Affaire the King hath commanded mee to say somewhat to you from him of the Persons that doe interuene in this Businesse and somewhat of the Consequence thereof as it hath relation to this Kingdome and somewhat of the Example of it in generall making neuerthelesse no Conclusion or Judgement of any Point vntill his Grace hath receiued your faithfull and politique aduices First for the King our Soueraigne himselfe who is the principall Person you are to eye in this Businesse his Grace doth professe that he truly and constantly desireth to reigne in Peace But his Grace saith he will neither buy Peace with Dishonour nor take it vp at interest of Danger to ensue but shall thinke it a good Change if it please God to change the inward Troubles and Seditions wherewith he hath beene hitherto exercised into an honourable Forraigne Warre And for the other two Persons in this Action the French King and the Duke of Britaine his Grace doth declare vnto you that they be the Men vnto whom be is of all other Friends and Allies most bounden the one hauing held ouer him his hand of Protection from the Tyrant the Other hauing reacht forth vnto him his hand of helpe for the recouerie of his Kingdome So that his affection toward them in his naturall Person is vpon equall tearmes And whereas you may haue heard that his Grace was enforced to flie out of Britaine into France for doubts of being betrayed his Grace would not in any sort haue that reflect vpon the Duke of Britaine in defacement of his former benefits for that hee is throughly informed that it was but the practice of some corrupt Persons about him during the time of his sicknesse altogether without his consent or priuitie But howsoeuer these things doe interesse his Grace in his particular yet hee knoweth well that the higher Bond that tieth him to procure by all meanes the safetie and welfare of his louing Subiects doth dis-interesse him of these Obligations of Gratitude otherwise then thus that if his Grace be forced to make a Warre he doe it without passion or ambition For the consequence of this Action towards this Kingdome it is much as the French Kings intention is For if it be no more but to range his Subiects to reason who beare themselues stout vpon the strength of the Duke of Britaine it is nothing to vs. But if it be in the French Kings purpose or if it should not be in his purpose yet if it shall follow all one as if it were sought that the French King shall make a Prouince of Britaine and ioyne it to the Crowne of France then it is worthy the consideration how this may
although the French seemed to speake reason yet Arguments are euer with multitudes too weake for Suspitions Wherefore they did aduise the King roundly to embrace the Britons quarrell and to send them speedy aides and with much alacritie and forwardnesse granted to the King a great rate of Subsidie in contemplation of these aides But the King both to keepe a decencie towards the French King to whom he profest himselfe to be obliged and indeed desirous rather to shew Warre then to make it sent new solemne Ambassadors to intimate vnto him the Decree of his Estates and to iterate his motion that the French would desist from Hostilitie or if Warre must follow to desire him to take it in good part if at the motion of his people who were sensible of the cause of the Britons as their ancient Friends and Confederates hee did send them succours with protestation neuerthelesse that to saue all Treaties and Lawes of Friendship hee had limited his Force to proceed in aide of the Britons but in no wise to warre vpon the French otherwise then as they maintained the possession of Britaine But before this formall Ambassage arriued the Partie of the Duke had receiued a great blow and grew to manifest declination For neere the Towne of Saint Alban in Britaine a Battaile had beene giuen where the Britons were ouerthrowne and the Duke of Orleance and the Prince of Orange taken Prisoners there being slaine on the Britons part six thousand Men and amongst them the Lord WOODVILE and almost all his Souldiers valiantly fighting And of the French part one thousand two hundred with their Leader IAMES GALEOT a great Commander When the newes of this Battaile came ouer into England it was time for the King who now had no subrerfuge to continue further Treatie and saw before his Eyes that Britaine went so speedily for lost contrarie to his hopes knowing also that with his People and Forreiners both he sustained no small Enuie and disreputation for his former delayes to dispatch with all possible speed his succours into Britaine which hee did vnder the conduct of ROBERT Lord BROOKE to the number of eight thousand choise Men and well armed who hauing a faire wind in few houres landed in Britaine and ioyned themselues forthwith to those Briton-Forces that remained after the Defeat and marched straight on to find the Enemie and incamped fast by them The French wisely husbanding the possession of a Victorie and well acquainted with the courage of the English especially when they are fresh kept themselues within their Trenches being strongly lodged and resolued not to giue battaile But meane while to harrasse and wearie the English they did vpon all aduantages set vpon them with their Light-Horse wherein neuerthelesse they receiued commonly losse especially by meanes of the English-Archers But vpon these atchieuements FRANCIS Duke of Britaine deceased an accident that the King might easily haue foreseene and ought to haue reckoned vpon and prouided for but that the Point of Reputation when newes first came of the Battaile lost that somewhat must bee done did ouerbeare the Reason of Warre After the Dukes decease the principall persons of Britaine partly bought partly through faction put all things into confusion so as the English not finding Head or Bodie with whom to ioyne their Forces and being in iealousie of Friends as well as in danger of Enemies and the Winter begun returned home fiue moneths after their landing So the Battaile of Saint Alban the death of the Duke and the retire of the English succours were after some time the causes of the losse of that Duchie which action some accounted as a blemish of the Kings Iudgement but most but as the misfortune of his times But howsoeuer the temporarie Fruit of the Parliament in their aid and aduice giuen for Britaine tooke not nor prospered not yet the lasting Fruit of Parliament which is good and wholsome Lawes did prosper and doth yet continue to this day For according to the Lord Chancellours admonition there were that Parliament diuers excellent Lawes ordained concerning the Points which the King recommended First the authoritie of the Star-chamber which before subsisted by the ancient Common-Lawes of the Realme was confirmed in certaine Cases by Act of Parliament This Court is one of the sagest and noblest Institutions of this Kingdome For in the distribution of Courts of Ordinarie Iustice besides the High-Court of Parliament in which distribution the Kings-Bench holdeth the Pleas of the Crowne the Common-Place Pleas Ciuill the Exchequer Pleas concerning the Kings Reuenue and the Chancery the Pretorian power for mitigating the Rigour of Law in case of extremitie by the conscience of a good man there was neuerthelesse alwaies reserued a high and preheminent power to the Kings Counsell in Causes that might in example or consequence concerne the state of the Common-wealth which if they were Criminall the Counsell vsed to sit in the Chamber called the Star-Chamber if Ciuill in the White-Chamber or White-hall And as the Chancery had the Pretorian power for Equitie so the Star-chamber had the Censorian power for Offences vnder the degree of Capitall This Court of Star-chamber is compounded of good Elements for it consisteth of foure kindes of Persons Councellors Peeres Prelates and Chief-Iudges It discerneth also principally of foure kinds of Causes Forces Frauds Crimes various of Stellionate and the Inchoations or middle acts towards Crimes Capitall or hainous not actually committed or perpetrated But that which was principally aimed at by this Act was Force and the two chiefe Supports of Force Combination of multitudes and Maintenance or Headship of great Persons From the generall peace of the Countrie the Kings care went on to the peace of the Kings House and the securitie of his great Officers and Counsellors But this Law was somwhat of a strange composition and temper That if any of the Kings seruants vnder the degree of a Lord doe conspire the death of any of the Kings Counsell or Lord of the Realme it is made Capitall This Law was thought to bee procured by the Lord Chancellor who being a sterne and haughtie man and finding he had some mortall Enemies in Court prouided for his owne safetie drowning the enuie of it in a generall Law by communicating the priuiledge with all other Councellors and Peeres and yet not daring to extend it further then to the Kings seruants in Check-rowle lest it should haue beene too harsh to the Gentlemen and other Commons of the Kingdome who might haue thought their ancient Libertie and the clemencie of the Lawes of England inuaded If the will in any case of Felonie should be made the deed And yet the reason which the Act yeeldeth that is to say That hee that conspireth the death of Councellors may be thought indirectly and by a meane to conspire the death of the King himselfe is indifferent to all Subiects as well as to Seruants in Court But it seemeth this sufficed to serue the Lord
the Order of the Garter to ALPHONSO Duke of Calabria eldest sonne to FERDINANDO King of Naples An honour sought by that Prince to hold him vp in the eyes of the Italians Who expecting the Armes of CHARLES made great account of the Amitie of England for a Bridle to France It was receiued by ALPHONSO with all the Ceremonie and Pomp that could bee deuised as things vse to be carried that are intended for Opinion It was sent by VRSWICK vpon whom the King bestowed this Ambassage to helpe him after many drie Employments AT this time the King began againe to be haunted with Sprites by the Magicke and curious Arts of the Lady MARGARET Who raysed vp the Ghost of RICHARD Duke of Yorke second Sonne to King EDWARD the Fourth to walke and vex the King This was a finer Counterfeit Stone than LAMBERT SYMNELL better done and worne vpon greater hands being graced after with the wearing of a King of France and a King of Scotland not of a Duchesse of Burgundie onely And for SIMNELL there was not much in him more than that hee was a handsome Boy and did not shame his Robes But this Youth of whom wee are now to speake was such a Mercuriall as the like hath seldome beene knowne and could make his owne Part if at any time hee chanced to bee out Wherefore this being one of the strangest Examples of a Personation that euer was in Elder or Later Times it deserueth to bee discouered and related at the full Although the Kings manner of shewing things by Peeces and by Darke Lights hath so muffled it that it hath left it almost as a Mysterie to this day The Lady MARGARET whom the Kings Friends called IVNO because shee was to him as IVNO was to AENEAS stirring both Heauen and Hell to doe him mischiefe for a foundation of her particular Practices against him did continually by all meanes possible nourish maintaine and divulge the flying Opinion That RICHARD Duke of Yorke second Sonne to EDWARD the Fourth was not murthered in the Tower as was giuen out but saued aliue For that those who were imployed in that barbarous Fact hauing destroyed the elder Brother were stricken with remorse and compassion towards the younger and set him priuily at libertie to seeke his Fortune This Lure shee cast abroad thinking that this Fame and Beleefe together with the fresh Example of LAMBERT SIMNELL would draw at one time or other some Birds to strike vpon it Shee vsed likewise a further diligence not committing all to Chance For she had some secret Espials like to the Turks Commissioners for Children of Tribute to looke abroad for handsome and gracefull Youths to make PLANTAGENETS and Dukes of Yorke At the last she did light on one in whom all things met as one would wish to serue her turne for a Counterfeit of RICHARD Duke of York This was PERKIN WARBECK whose Aduentures wee shall now describe For first the yeares agreed well Secondly hee was a Youth of fine fauour and shape But more than that hee had such a craftie and bewitching fashion both to mooue Pitie and to induce Beleefe as was like a kind of Fascination and Inchantment to those that saw him or heard him Thirdly he had beene from his Child-hood such a Wanderer or as the King called him such a Land-loper as it was extreme hard to hunt out his Nest and Parents Neither againe could any man by companie or conuersing with him be able to say or detect well what hee was he did so flit from place to place Lastly there was a Circumstance which is mentioned by one that wrote in the same time that is very likely to haue made somewhat to the matter which is That King EDWARD the Fourth was his God-father Which as it is somewhat suspicious for a wanton Prince to become Gossip in so meane a House and might make a man thinke that hee might indeed haue in him some base Bloud of the House of YORKE so at the least though that were not it might giue the occasion to the Boy in being called King EDWARDS God-sonne or perhaps in sport King EDWARDS Sonne to entertaine such Thoughts into his Head For Tutor hee had none for ought that appeares as LAMBERT SIMNELL had vntill hee came vnto the Lady MARGARET who instructed him Thus therefore it came to passe There was a Townes-man of Tourney that had borne office in that Towne whose name was IOHN OSBECKE a Convert-Iew married to CATHERINE DE FARO whose businesse drew him to liue for a time with his wife at London in King EDWARD the fourths daies During which time hee had a sonne by her and being knowne in Court the King either out of a religious Noblenesse because hee was a Conuert or vpon some priuate acquaintance did him the Honour as to bee Godfather to his child and named him PETER But afterwards proouing a dainty and effeminate Youth hee was commonly called by the Diminutiue of his name PETER-KIN or PERKIN For as for the name of WARBECKE it was giuen him when they did but guesse at it before examinations had been taken But yet hee had been so much talked on by that name as it stucke by him after his true name of OSBECKE was knowne While hee was a young child his Parents returned with him to Tourney Then was hee placed in a house of a kinsman of his called IOHN STENBECK at Antwerpe and so roued vp and down betweene Antwerp and Tourney and other Townes of Flanders for a good time liuing much in English Companie and hauing the English Tongue perfect In which time beeing growne a comely Youth hee was brought by some of the espialls of the Lady MARGARET vnto her Presence Who viewing him well and seeing that hee had a Face and personage that would beare a noble fortune And finding him otherwise of a fine spirit and winning behauiour thought she had now found a curious Peece of Marble to carue out an Image of a Duke of Yorke Shee kept him by her a great while but with extreme secrecy The while shee instructed him by many Cabinet-Conferences First in Princely behauiour and gesture teaching him how hee should keepe State and yet with a modest sense of his misfortunes Then shee informed him of all the circumstances and particulars that concerned the Person of RICHARD Duke of Yorke which hee was to act Describing vnto him the Personages Lineaments and Features of the King and Queen his pretended Parents and of his Brother and Sisters and diuers others that were neerest him in his Childhood together with all passages some secret some common that were fit for a Childs memorie vntill the death of King EDWARD Then she added the particulars of the time from the Kings death vntill hee and his brother were committed to the Tower aswell during the time hee was abroad as while he was in Sanctuarie As for the times while hee was in the Tower and the manner of his Brothers death and his owne