Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

The vncertaine buriall of Edward and Richard, the sonnes of King Edward the fourth.

Edward, the eldest sonne of King Edward the fourth, by Queene Eli∣zabeth his wife, say our English Writers, was borne in the Sanctuary at Westminster,* 1.1 the fourth of Nouember, and yeare of grace, 1470. being the tenth of his fathers raigne, at that time expulsed the Realme by the power∣full Earle of Warwicke; but fortune being changed, and the father restored, the sonne in Iuly following, the sixe and twentieth day, 1471. was created Prince of Wales, and Earle of Chester; and afterwards vpon the eight of Iuly, in the 19 yeare of his said fathers raign, he was by Letters Patents, da∣ted at Esthamsted, further honoured with the Earledomes of Penbroke and March. He was proclaimed King, but neuer crowned, yet had not the am∣bitious hand of his Vncle beene defiled in his innocent bloud, hee might haue worne the Diadem many yeares, whereas he bare the title of King no longer then two moneths and eighteene daies.

Richard, surnamed of Shrewsbury, because he was there borne, the se∣cond sonne of Edward the fourth, by his wife Elizabeth, as aforesaid, was affianced in his infancie, to Anne the onely daughter and heire of Iohn Lord Mowbray Duke of Norfolke; hee was honoured by the titles of Duke of Norfolke, Earle Warren, Earle Marshall, and Nottingham; also Lord Ba∣ron of Mowbray, Segraue, and of Gower, as Milles will haue it;* 1.2 but inioy∣ing neither wife, title, or his owne life long, was with his brother, murthe∣red in the Tower of London, and in the prison of that Tower, which, vp∣on that most sinfull deed, is euer since called the bloudy Tower, their bo∣dies as yet vnknowne where to haue buriall. The storie of whose death, and supposed interment, extracted out of authenticall Authors, is thus deliue∣red by Iohn Speed.

* 1.3Prince Edward and his brother (saith hee) were both shut vp in the Tower, and all attendants remoued from them, onely one called Blacke-Will, or William Slaughter excepted, who was set to serue them, and to see them sure. After which time the Prince neuer tied his points, nor cared for himselfe, but with that yong Babe his brother, lingred with thought and heauinesse, till their traiterous deaths deliuered them out of that wretched∣nesse: for the execution whereof, Sir Iames Tirrill appointed Miles For∣rest, a fellow fleshed in murther before time: to whom he ioyned one Iohn Dighton his horse-keeper, a bigge, broad, square knaue.

About midnight (all others being remoued from them) this Miles For∣rest, and Iohn Dighton, came into the Chamber, and suddenly wrapped vp the sely children in the Bed-clothes where they lay, keeping, by force, the featherbed and pillowes hard vpon their mouthes, that they were therein smothered to death, and gaue vp to God their innocent soules, into the ioyes of heauen, leauing their bodies vnto the Tormentors, dead in the bed▪ which after these monstrous wretches perceiued, first by the strugling with the paines of death, and after long lying still to bee thorowly dispat∣ched, they laid their bodies naked out vpon the bed, and then fetched Sir Iames Tirrill their instigator, to see them, who caused these murtherers to

bury them at the staires foot, somewhat deepe in the ground, vnder a great heape of stones. Then ro••e Sir Iames in haste to the King, vnto whom he shewed the manner of their death, and place of buriall; which newes was so welcome to his wicked heart, as hee greatly reioyced, and with great thankes dubbed (as some hold) this his mercilesse Instrument, Knight. But the place of their buriall he liked not, saying, that vile corner should not containe the bodies of those Princes, his Nephewes, and commanded them a better place for buriall, because they were the Sons of a King. Where∣upon the Priest of the Tower tooke vp their bodies, and secretly interred them in such a place, which by the occasion of his death, could neuer since come to light.

The continuer of Iohn Harding tels vs from the report of others, that King Richard caused Sir Robert Brakenburies Priest to close their dead corpes in lead, and so to put them in a coffin full of holes, and hooked at the ends with two hookes of iron, and so to cast them into a place called the Blacke deepes at the Thames mouth, whereby they should neuer rise vp, or be any more seene.

To which effect I haue seene their Epitaph written by Thomas Stanley, Bishop of Man, Parson of Winwicke, and Wigan in Lancashire, who ••lou∣rished in the seuerall raignes of King Henry the eight, Edward the sixt, Queene Mary, and Queene Elizabeth▪ thus it runs in his Lancashire rimes.

In Londons Toure in one plase or anoder Interryd lay Kyng Edward and his Broder, Who by there wicked * 1.4 Eme were guyltles sleyne, And basely beryd, yet tooke vp ageyne And cast into the blacke deepes at Tems mouth. Now whether wreckt, or tost from North to South, Their reliques are, it recks not; ther soules rest In Heu'n amangst Gods children euer blest.

They weren murdered in Iuly, 1483. Edward being thirteene yeres old, and Richard about some two yeres yonger.

The iust iudgement of God seuerely reuenged the murther of these inno¦cent Princes vpon the malefactors. For first to begin with the Ministers; Miles Forrest at Saint Martins, peece-meale rotted away; Sir Iames Tirril•• died at Tower hill for treason committed against Henry the seuenth; Digh¦ton indeed (saith my Author,* 1.5 who liued in those times) walketh on aliue, in good possibility to be hanged ere he die, liuing at Calleis, no lesse distai∣ned and hated, then pointed at of all. King Richard himselfe was slaine in the field, hacked and hewed of his enemies hands, harried on a horse backe naked, being dead, his haire in despite torne and tugged like a curre dogge. And the mischiefe that he tooke, was within lesse then three yeares of the mischiefe that he did, and yet all the meane time spent in much paine and trouble outward, and much feare, anguish, and sorrow within. For I haue heard by credible report of his Chamberlaine,* 1.6 that after this abhominable deed done, he neuer was quiet in his minde: he neuer thought himselfe sure, for where he went abroad, his eyes euer whirled about, his body was pri∣uily

fenced, his hand was euer on his dagger, his countenance and manner was like one euer ready to strike againe; he tooke ill rest a nights, lay long waking and musing, sore wearied with care and watch, rather slumbred, then slept, troubled with fearefull dreames, sodainly some times start vp, leapt out of his bed, and ran about the chambers; so was his restlesse heart continually tossed and tumbled, with the tedious impression and stormy remembrance of his execrable murthers.

Persius makes an imprecation to Iupiter, that hee would punish Kings, committing such horride actions, with this horrour of conscience, thus.

* 1.7Great Father of the gods: when cruell lust, Touch'd with inflaming venome, moues th' vniust Corrupted disposition of fierce Kings, To act unworthy and vnkingly things: Punish them onely thus. Let them but see Faire vertue, and their lost felicitie. Then shall their bowels yearne, and they shall crie In secret, and waxe pale, and pine, and die.

But here enough of King Richard, vntill I come to Leicester, and there to the place of his buriall.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Videsis Speed. Hist. ca. 17. and Vincent Catal. Chest••r.
• * 1.2

  Mill. Catal. Yorke.
• * 1.3

  Speed Hist. •• ••••
• * 1.4

  Vncle.
• * 1.5

  The Continu∣er of Hardings Chronicle.
• * 1.6

  The guilty conscience of King Richard
• * 1.7

  Pers. Sat. 3. trans. by ••erten Holyday.