MISCELLANY 37
THE P1TIFULL LIFE
OF KYNG EDWARD THE. V.
II: The Accession of Edward V
The Accession of Edward V; His Journey towards London protected by
uncles on his mother’s side of the family (Queen Elizabeth Wodville); Richard
intercepts them at Nottingham and arrests the king’s maternal uncles, taking
over control of the new King, Edward V, aged 13
The younge kynge at the deathe of
his father kepte houshoulde at Ludlowe, for his father had sente hym thether
for Iustice to be dooen in the Marches of Wales, to the ende that by the
autoritee of his presence, the wilde Welshemenne and eiuell disposed pcrsonnes
should refrain from their accustomed murthers and outrages. The gouernaunce of
this younge Prince was committed too lord Antony Wooduile erle Ryuers and lorde
Scales, brother to the quene, a wise, hardy and honourable personage, as
valiaunte of handes as pollitique of counsaill and with hym were associate
other of the same partie, and in effect euery one as he was nerer of kynne vnto
the quene, so was he planted nexte aboute the prince. That drift by the quene
semed to be diuised, whereby her bloudde mighte of righte in tender vouthe bee
so planted in the princes fauoure, that afterwarde it shoulde hardely bee
eradic ted out of the same.
The duke of Gloucester turned all this to
their distruction, and vpon that grounde set the foundacionof his vnhappy
buyldyng: For whom soeuer he perceiued too bee at variaunce with theim, or to
beare toward hym selfe any fauoure, he brake vnto theim, some by mouthe, some
by writynge and secrete messengers, that it was neither reason nor yet to be
suffered that the younge kynge their master and kynsman shoulde bee in the
handes and custody of his mothers kynrede, sequestered in maner from their
compaignic and attendaunce, of whiche euery one oughtc hym as faithefull
seruice as they, and many of theim of fane more hono- rable parte of kynne then
his mothers side, whose bloud quod the duke of Gloucester sauyng the kyng his
pleasure, was farre vnmete to bee matched with his, which now to bee remoued
from the kyng and the leaste noble to bee lefte aboute hym, is quod he neither
honourable to his maieslie nor too vs, and also too hym lesse suretie, to haue
tlie nobles and mightiest of his frendes from hym, & to vs all no litle
ieopardie to suffre, and specially our well proued euill willers too growe into
greate autoritee with the kynge in youthe, namely whiche is lighte of belefe
and soone perswaded. Ye remembre that kyng Edward hym self, albeit he was bothe
of age and discrecion, yet was he ruled in many tliynges by that bende, more
then stode either with his honour or our profite, or with the comoditee of anye
man els, excepte ouely the immoderate auauncemente of theim selues, which
whether they thirsted sore after their owne weale or no, it were harde I thynke
to gesse. And yf some folkes frendeshipe had not holden better place with the
kynge then any respecte of kynrede, they might, paraduenture, easely haue
trapped and broughte to confusion some of vs or this: and why not as easely as
thei haue dooen other or this as nere of the blud royal I, but our loide hath w
rough te his will, and thanked bee his grace that perell is paste: howebeit as
greate is growyng if we suffre this young kyng in his enemies handes, whiche,
without his wittyng might abuse the name of his commaundemente to any of our
vndoyng, whiche tliinges God and good prouision forbid, of whiche good
prouision none of vs hath any thynge tae lesse nede for the late attone- mete
made, in whiche ye kyng his pleasure had more place then the parties hertes or
willes, nor none of vs is so vnwise or somuch ouersene as to trust a newefrend
made of an old foo, or to thinke that any onely kindenesse so sodenly
contracted in an houre, continued scantly yet a fourtnight, should bee deper
set in our stomackes, then a longe accustomed malice many yeres rooted.
With these perswasions and
writinges, the duke of Gloucester sette afire theim whiche were casie to
kyndle, and in especial twain, Henry duke of Buckyngham, and Willyam lord
Hastynges, and lord Chamberlain, bothe menne of honoure and of greate power,
the one by longe succession from his aunceters, thother by his offices and the
kynge his fauoure. These two not bearynge eache to other so much loue, as
hatred both to ye quenes bloud, accorded together with the duke of Gloucester
that thei would remoue from the kyng all his mothers frendes, vnder the name of
their enemies.
Where vpon the duke of Gloucester
beynge aduertised that the lordes aboute the kynge entended to brynge hym to
London to his coronacion, accompaigned with suche a number of their frendes
that it shoulde be harde for hym to brynge his purpose to passe without the
assemblyng and gatheryng of people & in maner of open wane, wherof the ende
he wyst was doubtful!, and in the which the kyng beyng on the other syde, his
parte shoulde haue the name and face of rebellion.
He secretely therefore by diuerse
meanes caused the quene to be perswaded that it was neither nede & should
also be ieoperdeous for ye kyng to come vp so strong, for as now euery lord
loued other and none other thyng studied for, but the triumphe of his
coronacion & honoure of the kyng. And the lordes about the kyng, should
assemble in the kyngea names muche people, thei should geue ye lordes betwixt
whom & them ther had bene some tyme debate, an occasion to feare and
suspecte least they should gather this people, not for the kynges saue guard,
whom no man impugned, but for their destruction, hauyng more regarde to their
olde variaunce then to their new attonement, for the which cause they on the
other parte might assemble men also for their defence, whose powres she wyst
well farre stretched, and thus should all the realme fal in a roare, & of
the mischiefe that therof should ensue (whiche was likely to be not a litle) ye
moste harme was like to fal where she least woulde, & then all the world
would put her & her kynred in the blame, saiyng that they had vnwysely and
vntruely broken the amytie and peace whiche the kynge her husband had so
prudently made betwene her kynred and his, whiche amyte his kynne had alwaics
obserued.
The quene beyng thus perswaded,
sent worde to the kyng and to her brother, that there was no cause nor nede to
assemble any people, & also the duke of Gloucester and other lordes of his
bend, wrote vnto ye kyng so reuerently and to the quenes frendes there so
louyngly, that they nothinge yearthly mistrustyng, brought the young kynge
towarde London w ith a sober compaignie in great haste (but not in good spede)
til he came to Northampton, and from thence he remoued to Stony stratford. On
whiche day. the two dukes and their bende came to Northampton, fainyng that
Stony stratfod could not lodge them al, where thei foud the erle Riuers,
entendynge the nextamornynge to haue folowed the kynge, and to he with him
earely in the mornyng. So that night, the dukes made to the erle Ryuers frendly
chere, butassone as they were departed very familier with greate curtesie in
open sight & therle Ryuers lodged: the two dukes with a fewe of their priuy
frendes fel to councel, wherin they spent a great parte of the night, and in
the dawnynge of the daye they sent aboute priuely to their seruauntes in their
lodgynges to hast to horsebacke for their iordes were in maner redy to ryde,
whervpo all their seruauntes were ready
or [ere] the lorde Ryuers seruauntes were awake. Nowe had the dukes taken the
keyes of the ynne into their possession, so that none shoulde yssue out
withoute their consent. And ouer this in the high way towarde Stony stratforde,
they set certayne of their folkes that should cause and compell to retourne againe
all persons that were passyng from Northampton to Stony stratforde, saiyng that
the dukes them selfs would be the fyrst that should come to the kyng from
Northampton: thus they bare folkes in hand. But when the earlc Ryuers
vnderstode the gates closed and the wayes on euery syde beset, neither his
seruauntes, neither him selfe suffered to go out, perceyuinge so great a thynge
with-out his knowledge, not begon for noughte, comparynge this present doyng
with the laste nightes chere, in so fewe houres so greate a chaunge,
marueilously myslyked it. Howebeit; sythe he coulde not get awaye, he
determined not to kepe him selfe close, least he should seme to hyde him selfe
for some secret feare of his owne faute, wherof he saw no such cause in him
selfe, wherfore on the suretie of his owne conscience he determined to goo to
them and to inquire what this matter might meane: Whom assone as they sawe,
they beganne to quarel with him, affirmyng that he pretended to set distaunce
betwene the kyng and them to brynge them to confusion, whiche shoulde not lye
in hys powre, and when he beganne as he was an eloquente and well spoken manne
in goodlywyse to excuse hym selfe, they woulde not heare his aunswere but tokc
hym by force and put hym in ward. And then they mounted on horsbacke and came
in haste to Stony stratforde, where the kynge was goyng to horsebacke, because
he would leaue the lodgyng for them, for it was to straight for bothe the
compaignies. And when thei came to his presence, they alighted and their compaignie
aboute them, and on their knees saluted hym, and he them gentely receiued,
nothing yerthly knowyng ner mistrustyng as yet. The duke of Buckyngham said
aloude, on afore gentlemen, and yomen kepe your roumes, and therwith in ye
kynges presence they picked a quarel to the lord Richard Grey the quenes sonne,
and brother to the lord Marques & halfe brother to the king saiyng that he
and the Marques his brother and the lord Ryuers his vncle had compassed to rule
the kyng and the realme and set variaunce betwene thestates, & to subdue
and destroy the noble blonde of the realme. And towarde thacomplishemente of
the same, they sayde, the lord Marques had entred into the towre of London, and
thence had taken out treasure and sent men to the sea, which thynges these
dukes knewe well wer done for a good purpose and as very necessary, appointed
by the who!e counsaill at London, but somewhat they muste saye: vnto the whiche
woordes the kynge answered, what my brother Marques hath done I cannot save,
but in good faythe I dare well answere for mine vncle Riuers and my brother
here, that they be innocente of suche mattiers. Yee my lieage quod the duke of
Buckyngham, they haue kept the dealyng of these matters farre from the
knowledge of youre good grace. And furthwith they arrested the lord Rychard and
sir Thomas Vaugham & sir Richard Hawte knyghtes, in the kyngs presence,
& broughte the kyng and all back to Northampton, where they toke further
counsaill in their affaires. And there they sent from the kyng whom it pleased
them, & set aboute him such seruauntes as better pleased them then him. At
which dealyng he wepte and was rot content, but it booted not. And at dynner,
the duke of Glocester sent a dyshe from his owne table to the lord Ryuers,
praiyng him to bee of good chere and all shoulde be well, he thanked him &
prayed the messenger to beare it to his nephicwe the lorde Richard with like
wordes, whom he knewe tohaue nede of comfort, as one to whom such aduersite was
straunge, but he hym selfe had bene all his daies ennured thcrwith, and
therfore could beare it the better. But for al this message, the duke of
Gloucester sent ye lorde Ryuers, the lord Richard and sir Thomas Vaughain and
sir Richarde Ilawte into the Northparties into diuerse prisons, but at last, al
came to Pomfret [Pongffact] where they all foure were beheaded without
iudgement.
In this maner as you haue hard, the duke of
Gloucester toke on him the eouernaunce of the yonge kyng, whom with much
reuerence he conueied towardes London. These tidynges came hastely to the quene
before mydnighte, by a very sore reporte that the kynge her sonne was taken and
that her brother and her other Sonne and other her frendes were arrested, and
sent, no man wyste whether.
To be continued
