MISCELLANY
36
THE P1TIFULL
LIFE
OF KYNG EDWARD
THE. V.
I: The York
Family; The Death of Edward IV; The Character of his brother Richard, Duke of
Gloucester
EDWARD HALL
Extracts from Edward Hall (1497–1547): The
Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke,
commonly known as Hall's Chronicle (1548). The events here described
took place in 1483, only 65 years earlier than Hall’s accounts. Readers familiar with Shakespeare’s Richard III will find this portion of
Hall’s Chronicle quite familiar.
The
Eternall God callynge to his merci the noble prince Kyng Edward ye. iiij. of
that name, Edward his eldest sonne
(prince of Wales) begunne his reygne the ninth daye of April, in the yere of oure lord a thousand
four hundred fourscore & thre, and in t!e xxjjj, yere of Lewes the
eleuenthe then Frenche kyng: Which younge prince reigned a small space &
litle season over this realme, either in pleasure or libertie. Fur his vncle
Richard duke of Gloucester, within thre monethes depriued hym not onely of his
croune and regalitee, but also vnnaturally bereft hym of his natural life: and
for the declaracion by what craftie engine he firste attempted his vngraciouse
purpose & by what false colourable and vntrue allegacions he set forth
openly his pretensed enterprise, and finally, by what shamefull, cruell and
detestable act he perfourmed the same: Ye must first consider of whom he and
his brother descended, their natures, condicions and inclinacions, and then you
shall easily perceiue, that there coulde not bee a more crueller tiraunt apoineted
to acheue a more abominable entreprise.
Their
father was Richard Plantagenet duke of York, whiche began not by warre, but by
lawe to challenge the crowne of Englande, puttyng his claime in the parliament.
Holden the thirty yere of kyng henry the sixt, were either for righte or for fauoure, his cause
was so set furthe and auaunccd, that the bloud of the saied kyng Henry the sixt
althoughe he had a goodly Sonne, was clerely abdicated and the crowne of ye
realme (by authorotie of parliament entayled to the duke of York and his heires
after the decease of the sayed kynge Henry the syxte). But the duke not
entendyng so long too tary, but mindyng vnder the pretexte of dimension growen
and arisen within the realme, and of couenauntes made in the parliament, not
kepte, but broken, to preuent the tyme and to take vpon hym the gouernaunce in
kynge Henries life was by to muche hardinesse slaine at the battull of
Wakefelde, leuyng behinde hym thre sonnes, Edwarde, George, and Richarde. All
these three as thei were greate estates of full dukes birth, greate and stately
of stomacke, gredy of promocions and impaciente parteners of rule and
autoritee.
This
Edwarde reuenged his fathers death and deposed kyng Henry the sixt, and
attained the crowne and scepter of the realme.
George
duke of Clarence was a goodly and well featured prince, in all thynges
fortunate, if either his ambicion had not set hym against his brother or
villany of his enemies had not set his brother againste hym: for were it by the
queene or nobles of her blud, whiche highly maligned the kynges kynred (as
women cominely, not of malice but of nature, hate such as their husbandes love)
or were it a proud appetite of the duke hymselfe, entendyng to be kyng, at the
leaste wise, heinous treason was laied to his charge, and finally were he in
fault or wer he faulteless, attainted was he by parliament and iudged to death,
and there vpon hastely drowned in a
butte of malmsey within the towr of London. Whose brother the iiij kynge
Eduarde (although he commaunded it) when he wiste it was doen piteously he
bewayled and so fully repented it.
Richard
duke of Gloucester the third sonne (of whiche I must moste entreate) was a man
of witte and courage egall with the other, but in beautee and liniamentes of
nature far vnder, for he was litle of stature, euill featured of humes, croke
backed, the left shulder muche higher than the righte, harde fauoured of
visage, such as in estates is called a warlike visage, and emonge commen
persones a crabbed face. He was malicious, wrothfull and enuious, and as it is
reported, his mother the duches had muche a dooe in her trauaill, that she
could not be deliuered of hym vncut, and that he came into the worlde the fete
forwarde, as menne bee borne outwarde, and as the fame ranne, not vntothed:
whether that menne of hatred reported aboue the truthe, or that nature chaunged
his course in his beginnynge, whiche in his life many thynges vnnaturally
committed, this I leue to God his iudgemente. He was none euill capitain in
warre. as to ye whyche, his disposicion was more enclined too, then to peace.
Sondry victories he had and some ouerthrowes, but neuer for defaute of his owne
persone, either for lacke of hardnesse or politique order. Free he was of his
dispences and somwhat aboue his power liberall, with large giftes he gatte hym
vnstedfaste frendship: for whiche cause he was fain to borowe, pill and extort
in other places, whiche gat hym stedfaste hatred. He was close and secrete, a
depe dissimuler, lowlye of countenaunce, arrogante of herte, outwardely
familier where he inwardely hated, not lettynge to kisse whom he thought to
kill, despiteous and cruell, not alwaie for eiuill will, but ofter for ambicion
and too serue his purpose, frende and fooe were all indifferent, where his auauntage
grewe, he spared no mannes deathe whose life withstode his purpose. He slewe in
the towre kynge Henry the sixte, saiynge now is there no heire male of kynge
Edwarde the thirde, but wee of the house
of Yorke: whiche murder was doen without kyng Edward his assente, which woulde
haue appointed that bocherly office too
some other, rather then to his owne brother. Some wise menne also wene, that
his drifte lacked not in helpynge furth his owne brother of Clarence to his
death, which thyng in all apparaunce he resisted, although he inwardly mynded
it. And the cause therof was, as men notyng his doynges and procedynges did
marke (because that he longe in kynge Edwarde his tyme thought to obtaine the
crowne in case that the kynge his brother, whose life he loked that eiuil diet
woulde sone shorten) shoulde happen to diseace, as he did in dede, his chyldren
beynge younge. And then if the duke of Clarence had liued, his pretenced
purpose had been far hyndered; For yf the duke of Clarence had kepte himselfe trewe
to his nephewe the younge king, or would haue taken vpon hym too bee kynge,
euery one of these castes had been a troumpe in the duke of Gloucester waye:
but when he was sure that his brother of Clarence was ded, then he knewe that
he might worke without that ieoperdy. But of these poinctes there is no
certentie, and whosoeuer diuineth or coniectureth, may as wel shote to fer as
to shorte, but this coniecture afterwarde toke place (as fewe dooe) as you
shall perceiue hereafter.
...
And so this noble prince [King Edward IV] deceased, as you haue hearde in that
tyme when his life was moste desired, and when his people moste desired to kepe
hym: Whiche loue of his people and their entiere affection towarde hym, had
been to hys noble chyldren (hauynge in theim selues also as many giftes of
nature, as many princely vertues, as much good towardenesse as their age coulde
receyue) a merueilous fortresse and a sure armoure, yf the diuision and
dissencion of their frendes had not vnarmed theim and left theim destitute, and
the execrable desire of soueraingtie prouoked hym to their destruccion, whiche
yf either kynde or kyndnesse had holden place muste nedes haue been their
chiefe defence. For Richard duke of Gloucester, by nature their vncle, by
office their protectoure, to their father greately beholden and too theim by
othe and allcgiaunce bounden. all the bandes broken and violated whiche bynde
man and man together, withoute any respecte of God or the worlde, vnnaturally
contriued too bereue theim, not onely of their dignitee and preheminence, but
also of their natural liues and worldely felicitee.
And
first to shewe you, that by coniecture he pretended this thyng in his brothers
life, ye shall vnderstande for a truth that the same nighte that kynge Edwarde
died, one called Mistelbrooke, longe ere the daye sprong, came to ye house of
one Pottier dwellyng in Red-crosse strete without Creple gate of London, &
when he was with hasty rappyng quickely let in, the saied Mistlebroke shewed
vnto Pottier that kyng Edward was that night deceased: by my truth quod
Pottier, then will my master the duke of Gloucester bee kyng and that I warrant
thee. What cause he had so too thynke, harde it is to saie, whether he beeyng his
seruaunte knewe any such thyng pretensed or otherwise had any ynkelyng therof
but of all likelihod he spake it not of naught.
But
now too returne to the trewe historie, wer it that the duke of Gloucester had
of old sore practised this conclusion, or was before tyme moued there vnto and
putte in hope by the tender age of the young princes his nephewes, as oportunitee
and likely of spede putteth a manne in courage of that he neuer intended, but
of one thynge he was certain, that if his entent were once perceiued, he should
haue made peace betwene bothe parties with his owne bloud: but all his entente
he kept secrete till he knewe his frendes, of the whiche Henry the duke of
Buckyngham was the firste that sente to him after his brothers death a trusty
seruaunte of his called Persiuall to the citee of Yorke, where the duke of
Gloucester kepte the kynge his brothers funeralles. This Persiuall came to Ihon
Warde a secrete chamberer to the duke of Gloucester, desirynge that he in close
and couerte maner mighte speake with the duke his master: where vpon in the
dead of the nighte, the duke sente for Persiuall (all other beyng auoyded)
whiche shewed to the duke of Gloucester, that the duke of Buckyngham his master
in this newe worlde woulde take suche parte as he woulde, and woulde farther
wayte vpon hym with a thousande good felowes yf nede were. The duke sente backe
the messenger with greate thankes and diuerse priuey instruccions by mouthe,
whiche Persiuall did somuche by his trauaill that he came to the duke of
Buckyngham his master into the marches of Wales, and eftsones with newe
instruccions met with the duke of Gloucester at Notyngham, whiche was come out
of the Northecountree with many knightes and gentlemen to the numbre of sixe
hundred horse and more, in his iourney towarde London. And after secrete
metynge and communicacion had betwene hym and the duke of Gloucester, he
returned with such spede that he brought the duke of Buckyngham his master to
mete with the duke of Gloucester not far from Northampton with thre hundred
horsses, and so they twoo came together to Northampton where thei first began
their vnhappy enterprice, and so the duke of Buckyngham contynued still with
the duke of Gloucester til he was crouned kyng, as ye shal plainly perceiue
herafter.
To
be continued
