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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A02454 The historie of Edvvard the Fourth, King of England. By Wm. Habington Esquire Habington, William, 1605-1654.; Elstracke, Renold, fl. 1590-1630, engraver. 1640 (1640) STC 12586; ESTC S120588 129,268 238

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grounded were inconsiderate words by which upon report that white Bucke was killd as the King was hunting in his Parke hee wisht the head and hornes and all in the Kings belly whereas indeed he wisht it onely in his belly who counsaild the King to kill it With this accusation were mingled many other of poisoning sorceries and inchantments Crimes which every judicious man easily perceiv'd were onely put in the scale like graines to make his rash language full weight which otherwise would have beene too light to deserve the sentence of death These proceedings Clarence resented as they were intended and expostulated with the King the injustice to his servant and injury to himselfe And according to the custome of expostulations his words were bold and disorderly and having receiv'd an apparent injury built too much on the right of his cause and provoked the King too far into indignation So that soone after hee was committed close prisoner to the Tower where by Act of Parliament attainted he was secretly put to death the manner as it is generally receiv'd was by thrusting his head into a But of Malmesey by which he was stifled In his attainder according to the forme are crimes enough to make his death have apparence of justice the execution of which the King seem'd rather constrain'd to then to have sought For there are reckon'd how the Duk of Clarence to bring the present government into hatred with the people and thereby the present state into trouble had not onely in his speeches frequently laid injustice to the Kings charge in attainting Thomas Burdet falsely convict of many notorious treasons but subornd many of his servants and divers others corrupted with money to divulge the like seditious discourses That he had spread abroad impious rumors that the King dealt by Necromancy and upon offence against such of his subjects whom by order of Law he could not destroy hee was accustomed to take away by poyson That he had not rested there but whereby to advance himselfe to the Kingdome and for ever to disable the King and his posteritie from the Crowne had contrary to truth nature and Religion Viper-like destroying her who gave him life publish● that the King was a bastard and no way capable to reigne That to make this his so monstrous ambition more successefull and already to begin his usurpation he had caus'd many of the Kings subjects to bee sworne upon the most blessed Sacrament to bee true to him and his heires without any acceptation of their alleigance After which so solemne oathes hee discovered to them his resolution to right himselfe and his followers who had both suffer'd by the Kings violent wresting away their estates And in particular to revenge himselfe upon the King who as hee most impiously and falsly suggested had by art Magicke order'd to consume him as a Candle consumeth in burning And what most exprest that treason of his designes that he had got out an exemplification under the great Seale of Henry the sixt late King wherein was shewed how by the Parliament it was enacted that if the said Henry and Edward his sonne should dye without issue male the kingdome should descend upon the Duke of Clarence and his heires Whereby clearely appeared his intention immediatly to possesse himselfe of the Crowne with destruction of King Edward and his children by pretention of a generall election of the Commonweale This was the summe of his attainder which wee may well beleeve had not so easily past but by the Kings publike declaring himselfe the secret working of the Duke of Glocester and the passionate urging of the Queenes kindred But this Attainder hath in it one thing most remarkeable that Clarence here falsly was accused by laying bastardie to the King to endeavour possession of the Crowne Which afterward was alledged indeed by Richard Duke of Glocester to the absolute disinherit of the Kings Sonnes Whereby Gods severe judgement manifests how unsafe it is in a Prince by false accusations to condemne an innocent or but to aggravate the fault of one lesse guilty to the end that crueltie may be reported an act of justice The death of this Prince sudden and extraordinary begot every where an extraordinary censure the unnaturall severity taking away all excuse even from their discourse who most fa vour'd the King At home it was generally condemn'd both in regard of the manner it being prodigious to be drowned without water upon dry ground and the quality of the person He being the first brother to a King in this Country that ever was attainted And what increased the murmure a faction appeard at Court triumphing in his ruine all the accusations were strangely wrested and no matter of fact scarce an intention proved against the state Whereupon this punishment was thought to have beene inflicted upon him for no new attempt His first taking part with Warwicke being his onely crime For which warre though somewhat against nature he had many examples in France Spaine and other parts of Christendome Whereas for the death of a younger Brother upon bare suspition the King could borrow no precedent neerer then the Turkish governement But Clarence imagined the prerogative of his birth a sufficient defence against danger and omitted to fortefie himselfe with faction which laid him open to every assault of envy And because hee had heretofore beene in opposition against the King the libertie in censuring any defect in government was interpreted a desire to be in armes agen Every word of distaste being held criminall in him for whom the King was alienated by his owne disposition open invectives of the Queenes kindred and secret traines of the Duke of Glocester who now began to looke high over all respects of nature and religion Hee was certainly ambitious beyond proportion which made him so attentive to any new counsailes and of an easie nature which renderd him apt by practise to be wrought to mischiefe He was a good Master but an uncertaine friend which delivers him to us to have beene according to the nature of weake men sooner perswaded by an obsequious flattery then a free advice We cannot judge him of any evill nature onely busie and inconstant thinking it a circumstance of greatnesse to be still in action Hee was too open brested for the Court where suspition lookes thorough a man and discovers his resolutions though in the darke and lockt up in se. crecie But what was his ruine hee was whether the house of Yorke or Lancaster prevailed still second to the Crowne So that his eye by looking too stedfastly on the beautie of it became unlawfully enamord And that being observd by the Kings jealousie hee sufferd as if hee actually had sinned While this mischiefe was secretly in contrivance against Clarence in the Court appeard no face but that of jollity and magnificence For at that time was Edward eldest son to the King during Christmas to mingle the solemnitie with libertie inaugurated Prince of Wales
the third King of England of necessity must have where women are admitted to inherit better claime to the Crowne than Henry the sixt though in the fourth descent from Edward the third by John of Gaunt being but his fourth sonne For however Casuists may dispute or civill Lawyers argue The being removed one degree further can no way prejudice succession Whereby the younger brother may come to bee prefer'd before the elder brothers sonne if by chance the elder dye during his Fathers life An injustice so against reason and custome that whosoever yet attempted it was reputed to violate the lawes of Nature From St. Johns fields the principall of the armie and Common Councell of the Cittie brought newes of this Election to Edward Earle of March remaining at Baynards Castle Who soone as he understood the intention of their addresse with such modestie as some Clergie man may have used at his consecration who by simonaicall practise hath obtaind a Bishoprick refused that a while which most ambitiously he covered But soone the animation of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Earle of Warwicke the Bishops of London and Exeter and divers others of eminence prevail'd and he at their request tooke on him the Royaltie That night he rested the next morning with as much ceremonie and state as the shortnesse and unquietnesse of the time could licence in solemne procession he went to Paules whence after Te Deum sung and oblation made hee rod to Westminster there seated in the most perspicuous place of the great Hall with the Scepter of St. Edward the Confessor in his hand himselfe made declaration of his double title to the Crowne First by descent as heire to the third sonne of Edward the third the Line of whose eldest sonne Edward the blacke Prince extinguisht in the deposition and par●icide of Richard the second procured by Henry of Bullingbrooke first King of the house of Lancaster Edward the thirds second sonne dying without issue Secondly by authority of Parlament which upon examination of the Duke of Yorkes title confer'd the possession of the Kingdome immediately on him or his heires when Henry the sixth should make forfeiture of it by death resignation or breach of that Accord sworne there so solemnely by them And that this accord was broken the slaughter of the Duke opprest with unequall numbers on King Henries partie at the battell of Wakefield did sadly manifest Neverthelesse he protested himselfe ready to forgoe the justice of his claime ratherthan to enter upon it without their free vote At which unanimously the Assembly cryed King Edward King Edward Ioyfull that their voyces might confirme him King who had daign'd them so humble a complement as to professe that he would not receive the title without their suffrage The formalitie of this second Election thus past he went in Procession to the Abbie whence after much solemnitie and homage of all the Nobility there present he returned by water to the Bishop of Londons Pallace and was immediately proclaimed King throughout the City by the name of Edward the Fourth The first fortnight of his Raigne was died I will not say stain'd with the blood of Walter Walker a Grocer who keeping shop at the signe of the Crowne in Cheapeside sayd he would make his sonne heire to the Crowne a bold jest broke in an evill time yet doe I not side with them in opinion who taxe the King of severity in this execution unlesse I could cleere this man from being particularly factious for the house of Lancaster or know that these words were uttered in innocent mirth without any scorne to King Edwards Title And however perhaps the extraordinary punishment of such saucie language was not then unnecessary to beget authority and make men cautious to dispute the descent of Princes when the question was so nice and arguments not improbable on either side But here in her very first curtesie Fortune raisd King Edward higher than the endeavours of a long ambition had done his Father For now was he consecrated King in the Imperiall City of this Realme adornd with every circumstance of Soveraigntie and all his enterpises hitherto so flattered with successe that he could promise nothing but prosperity to his hopes Yet was the ground whereon he built uncertaine and his state brought into comparison with his Competitor fraile and obnoxious to ruine For Henry had equall dignity with the advantage of a long Raigne an uninterrupted descent in Majestie for threescore yeares a soveraigntie acknowledg'd abroad by all Christian Princes and obeyd at home by all Engilshmen without dispute a title according to the Law Salique indubitable and which had beene confirmed at the first entry of his Grandfather Henry the fourth into the Kingdome not onely by resignation of Richard the second by generall acknowledgement of all the Nobilitie and by authority of Parliament but even by approbation nay particular negotiation of Edmond Duke of Yorke Edward Duke of Aumerle Richard Earle of Cambridge Grandfather Great Vncle and Great Grandfather to the late anointed King Edward the Fourth Onely a feeble judgement and a long evill fortune rendred Henry the sixt inferiour to counterpoise which Queene Margaret and the Lords of her side were daring and vigilant omitting on stratagem or endeavor that might adde to the honour or safety of their designes Whereupon slie continued still in the North and oblieging that people every day more to her devotion labourd to prepare such an armie as might upon the worst of fortune be able enough for defence And soone she found how much her owne and the authoritie of the great Lords of her side prevail'd having rais'd threescore thousand fighting men and they all resolv'd with expence of their blood to buy backe that Majestie which the house of Lancaster by evill fate had lost An armie if arm'd and order'd well able to oppose the mightiest enemie or undertake the boldest enterprise On sight of which the Queene entertain'd a confidence easily to scatter the Forces of the new Mushrome King who in a night seem'd to have sprung up to Majestie Especially when she understood how with unequall power hee marcht Northward A clime not unlikely to prove as distastrous to him as to his Father For King Edward soone as the voyce of the people had saluted him Prince resolv'd with hazard of his new gain'd Soveraigntie to extirpate his great opposer For while the side of Lancaster was supported with the devotion of so large a portion of the Kingdome as yet adhear'd to Henry he could be King but at the curtesie of his Faction and the body of the Land must of necessitie grow monstrous being charg'd with two heads each of which look'd divers wayes He therefore while his men had yet the memorie of their late good fortune fresh in their courage marcht toward the Queene and chose rather as worthier his spirit to provoke than expect an enemie Of his arrivall at Pomfret Castle when it was understood and that