King Edward the 5.
THis king Edwarde left behinde hym by hys wife Elizabeth 2. sonnes, Edward, & Richard & 2. daughters, Elizabeth and Cicilie. Which 2. sonnes Edward & Richard, for somuche as they were vnder age and not ripe to gouern, a consultation was called among ye pieres, to debate whe∣ther ye foresayd yong prince & king, shold be vnder the go∣uernment of his mother, or els yt Rich. Duke of Glocester brother to K. Edward the 4. & vncle to the child, should be gouernor of the K. and protector of the realme, there hath bene and is an old adage, the wordes whereof rather then the true meaning, is wrasted out of Salomon: Vae regno cuius Rex est puer. &. 1. Wo to ye kingdom, the king whereof is a child. &c. But if I may finde leaue herein to thrust in a glose, I would this adde and say: Vae illi puero, qui fui regni Rex non est. 1. Wo to that childe, whiche is a king in a king∣dome vnruly and ambitious. There was the same season among other noble peeres of ye realm, the Duke of Buck∣ingham, a man of great authoritie, who had maryed King Edwards wifes sister. Because the duke being so neare al¦liaunt to the K. had bene vnkindely (as he thought) of the king entreated, hauing by him no anauncement nor anye great frendship shewed, according to his expectation, took part therfore wt Richard Duke of Glocester, both against the Queene & her children, to make the foresayd Duke, the chiefe gouernour and protector. The whiche thinge being broughe to passe, by the ayde, assistaunce, and workinge of the Duke of Buckingham, the Queene tooke sanctuarye with her yōger sonne: the elder brother, which was ye king remayned in the custody of the Duke of Glocester his vn∣cle. Who being now in a good towardnes to obtayne that which he lōg loked for, sought all the means, & soone com∣passed the matter, by false collour of dissembled words, by periurie, and labour of friendes, namely of the Duke of Buckingham, and the Cardinall Archbishop of Caunter∣burye, that the other brother also shoulde bee committed to his credite. Thus the ambitious protector and vnnatu∣rall vncle, hauing the possession of his two nephewes, and and innocent babes, thought himselfe almost vp the whele where he woulde clime••: Although he could not walke in such mistes and cloudes, but his deuised purposes began to be espyed: which caused him more couertly to goe about to remoue from him all suspicion and to blinde the peoples eyes. But before, he could accomplish hys execrable enter∣prise, some there were, whom he thought first must be ridd out of his way, as namely the Lorde Hastinges, and the Lord Stanley, who as they were sitting together in coun¦saile within the tower, the protectour (the matter beyng so appoynted before) sodaynly rushed in among them, and after a few words there commoned, he sodainly hasted out agayne: his minde belike, being full of mischiefe and furye was not quiet. Who within the space of an houre, retur∣ned agayn into ye chamber with a sterne countenance and a frowning look, and so there set him downe in hys place. When the Lordes were in great meruell and muse at the meaning hereof: then he out of a cankered hart, thus begā to bray, asking them what are they worthy to haue, which go about to imagine the destruction of him being so neare to ye kings bloud, and protectour of the Realme? At the which question, as the other Lords sate musing, the Lord Hastinges, because he had bene more familiare wyth him, thus aunswered, that they were worthy of punishement, whatsoeuer they were. Which when the other Lordes also had affirmed: that is (quoth the protectour) yonder sorce∣resse, my brothers wife, meaning the Queene and other with her, adding moreouer, and saying: that sorcere•••• & o∣ther of her counsayle, as Shores wife, with her affinitie, haue by their witchcraft, thus wasted my body: and there∣with shewed forth his left arme a wearish withered thing as it was neuer otherwise, as was well knowne.
This Shores wife had bene before a Concubine to K. Edward, & afterward was kept by the same Lorde Hast∣inges. Moreouer here is to be noted, that by the consent of the said Lord Hastinges, the cruell protectour had deuised about the same time, the kindred of the Queene, innocently to be headed at Pomfret, of mere despite and hatred. Wher¦fore, this punishment not vndeseruedly, by the iust hand of God, fell vpon the said Lord Hastinges.
It followeth then more in the storye, that when the L. Hastinges had heard these false accusations of the tyraunt which he knew to be vntrue: certaynly (my Lord) sayd he, if they haue so done, they be worthye of haynous punishe∣ment. Why quoth the protector, doest thou serue me with if and with and? I tel thee, they haue so done, and that I wil make good on thy body traytour: and therewith geuing a great rap on the boord (for a token or watchword) one cry¦ed treason without, and forthwith the chamber was full of harneysed men, The protector then approchyng to the L. Hastinges, arrested him as a traytour. An other let flye at the Lord Standley: who to auoyd the blowe shronke vn∣der ye table, or els his head had bene cleft a sonder: notwith¦standing he receaued such a wounde, that the bloud ranne about hys eares. There were in that counsaile ye same time the Archbishop of Yorke, and Doctour Morton Byshop of Ely (by whose procurement afterward king Henry the vii. was sent for into England, and he made archbishop af¦ter that of Canterbury) these with the Lord Standley di∣uersly were bestowed in diuers chambers. The Lorde Hastinges was commaunded to speede and shriue hym a pace, for before dinner the protector sware by S. Paule, yt he should dye: and so incontinently, without farther iudge¦ment, his head was striken of, by whose counsayle the Queenes kindred were at the same time and daye, behea∣ded at Pomfret.
After this tyrannous murder accomplished, the mischie∣nous protectour aspiring still to the crowne, to set his de∣uises forward, first through giftes and fayre promises, dyd subordinate Doctor Shaw a famous preacher then in Lō¦don, at Paules Crosse to insinuate to the people, that ney∣ther king Edward with his sonnes, nor the Duke of Cla∣rence were lawfully begotten, nor the very children of the Duke of York, but begotten vnlawfully by other persons in adultery on y• Duches their mother, and yt he alone was ye true and onely lawfull heyre of the Duke of York: More¦ouer to declare and to signifie to the audience, that K. Ed∣ward was neuer lawfully maried to the Queene, but hys wife before was dame Elizabeth Lucy, and so the 2. chil∣drē of king Edward to be base and bastardes, and therfore the title of ye crown most rightly to pertaine to ye Lord pro∣tector. That this false flatterer, and loud lying preacher, to serue ye protectors humour, shamed not most impudently to abuse that holy place, that reuerent auditorye, the sacred word of God, taking for hys theame: Adulterae plantationes nō dabūt radices altas &c which he most impiously did apply against the innocent children & right heyres of this realm. Whereupon such grudge and disdayne of the people wyth worldly wonder followed him, that for shame of the peo∣ple crying out of him, in few dayes after he pyned way.
When this sermon would take no effect with the peo∣ple the protector vnmercifully drowned in ambitiō, rested not thus, but wtin few dayes after, excited ye Duke of Buc∣kingham, first to breake the matter in couert talke, to the Mayor and certayne of the heades of the Cittie, picked out for the purpose: that done, to come to ye Guildhall, to moue the people by all flattering and lying perswasions to the same which shameles Shaw before had preached before at Paules Crosse. Whiche the Duke with all dilligence and helpes of eloquence, being a man both learned and well