MISCELLANY 43
THE
P1TIFULL LIFE
OF
KYNG EDWARD THE. V.
IX: The Princes in the Tower
IX: The Princes in the Tower
This final scene takes place a few weeks later, after Richard III’s
Coronation, which is described in all its grandeur by Hall, who then presents a
stark contrast in his account of what happened next.
Nowe after this coronacion, there
fell mischifes thicke and thicke, and as the thynge eiuill gotten is neuer well
kept, so throughe all the tyme of his vsurped reigne, neuer ceased there cruell
murther, death and slaughter, till his awne destruccion ended it. But as he
finished with the best deathe and mooste rightewyse, that is to saie his awne,
so beganne he with the mooste piteous and wicked, I meane the lamentable
murther of his innocente nephewes, the younge kynge and his tendre brother,
whose death and finall fortune hath neuerthelcsse so far come in question that
some remained longe in doubte whether they were in his daies destroied or no.
Not for that that Parkin Warbek by many folkes malice, and mo folkes folly so
longe space abusyngc the worlde, was aswell with princes as with poore people
reputed and taken for the younger of these twoo: but for that also that all
thynges were so couertely demeaned, one thynge pretented and another mentc,
that there was nothynge so plaine and openly proued, but that yet for the
common custome of close and couerte dealynge, menne had it euer inwardly
suspecte, as many well counterfet iewelles make the true mistrusted. Hobeit,
concernynge that opinion, menne maie se the conueighaunce thereof in the lyfe
of the noble prince kynge Henrye the. vii. in the processe of Parkyn. But in
the meane ceason, for this prescnte matter I shall reherse to you the dolorous
ende of these two babes, not after euery waie that I haue harde, but after that
waie that I haue so hard by suche menne and suche menes as me thinketh it to be
hard but it shoulde be true.
Kyng Richard after his coronacion,
takyng his waie to Gloucester, to visite in his newe honour the towne, of which
he bare the name of old, deuised as he roade to fulfill that thyng which he
before had intended. And forasmuch as his mynd gaue him that his nephewes
liuynge, men woulde not recon that he coulde haue righte to the realme, he
thoughte therefore without delaie to rid them, as though the killynge of his
kynsmen mighte ende his cause, and make hym kyndely kyng. Where vpon he sent
Ihon Grene, whom he specially trusted, vnto sir Robert Brakebury constable of
the tower, with a letter and credence also, that the same sir Roberte in any
wyse should put the two children to death. This Ihon Grene dyd his errand to
Brakenbury, knelynge before oure lady in the Towre, who plainly answered that
he woulde neuer put them to deathe to dye therefore. With the which answere
Grene returned, recomptyng the same to kynge Richard at Warwyke yet on his
iourney, wherewith he toke suche displeasure and thoughte that the same night
he sayde to a secrete page of his: Ah, whom shall a man truste: they that I
haue brought vp my selfe, they that I went woulde haue moost surely serued me,
euen those fayle mc, and at my commaundemente wyll do nothynge for me. Syr quod
the page, there lieth one in the palet chambre with out that I dare wel say, to
do your grace pleasure the thing were right hard that he would refuse, meanyng
this by lames Tirel, whicn was a man of goodly personage, and for the giftes of
nature worthy to haue serued a muche better prince, yf he had well serued God,
and by grace obteyned to haue as muche trueth and good wyll, as he had strength
and wytt. The man had an high harte and sore longed vpwarde, not risyng yet so
fast as he had had hoped, beynge hindered and kepte vndcr by sir Richarde
Ratclifte and sir Willyam Catcsbye, which longyng for no more parteners of the
Princes fauour, namely not for him, whose pride thei knewe woulde beare no pere,
kept him by secrete driftcs out of al secrete trust: which thynge this page had
well marked and knowen: wherefore this occasion offered of very speciall
frendship spied his tyme to set him forwarde, and suche wyse to do him good,
that all the enemies that he had (except the deuil) could neuer haue done him
so much hurte and shame, for vpon the pages woordes, kyng Richard arose (for
this communicacion had he sittyng on a drafte [privy], a conuenicnt carpet for
suche a counsail) and came out into the palet chambre, where he dyd fynde in
bed the sayd lames Tyrell and sir Thomas Tyrell of persone like and brethren of
bloude, but nothyng of kyunc in condicions, Then sayd the kyng merely to them,
what syrs, be you in bed so sone: and called vp Iames Tyrell, & brake to
him secretely his mynd in this mischcuous matter, in the which he found him
nothing straunge. Wherfore on the morowe he sent him to Brakynbury with a
letter by the which he was commaunded to delyuer to the sayd Iames all the
keyes of the Towre for a night, to thende that he might there accomplishe the
kynges pleasure in suche thynges as he there had geuen him in commaundement.
After which lettre deliuered & the keyes rcceyued, Iames appoincted ye next
night ensuyng to destroye them, deuisyng before and preparing the meanes.
The prince as sone as the
Protectour toke vpon hym to be kynge, and left the name of protectourc, was
thereof aducrtised and shewed that he should not reigne, but his vncle should
haue the croune. At which word the prince sore abashed beganne to sighe and
sayd: Alas I would myne vncle would let me haue my life although I lese my
kyngedome. Then he that tolde hym the tale vscd him with good woordes and put
hym in the best conforte that he coulde, but furthewith lie and his brother were
bothe shut vp, and all other remoued from them, one called blacke Wyl, or
Willyam Slaughter onely except, which were set to serue them, and iiii. other
to see them sure. After whiche tyme, the prince neucr tyed his pointes, nor any
thyng roughte of hym selfe, but with that young babe his brother lyngercd in
thoughte and heuines, tyll this trayterous dedc deliuered them of that
wretchednes.
For Iames Tirrel deuised that they
shoulde be murthered in their beddes, and no bloud shed: to the execution wherof,
he appoincted Myles Forest one of the foure that before kepte them, a felowe
flcshe bred in murther before tyme: and to him he ioyned one Ihon Dighton his
awne horsckeper, a bygge broade square and strong knaue. Then al the other
beyng remoued from them, this Miles Forest and Ihon Dighton aboute mydnight,
the sely children liyng in their beddes, came into ye chaumbre and sodenli
lapped them vp amongest the clothes and so bewrapped them and entangled them,
kepyng doune by force the fetherbed and pillowes harde vnto their mouthes, that
within a while they smored [smothered] & styfled them, and their breathes
failyng, they gaue vp to God their innocent solles into the ioyes of heauen,
leauyng to the tourmentours their bodies dead in the bed, which after the wretches
perceyued, firste by the strugglyng, with the panges of death, and after long
liyng styl to be throughly dead, they layd the bodies out vpon the bed, and
fetched Iames Tirrell to see them, which when he sawc them perfightly dead, he
caused the murtherers to burye them at the stayre foote, metely deepe in the
grounde vnder a great heape of stones.
Then rode Iames Tirrel in great
hast to kyng Richard, and shewed him all the maner of the murther, who gaue him
great thankes, and as men saye, there made hym knighte, but he allowed not
their buriall in so vile a corner, saiyng, that he would haue them buried in a
better place because they were a kynges sonnes: Lo ye honorable courage of a
king, for he would recompence a detestable murther with a solempne obsequy.
Wherupon a priest of sir Robert Brakenburies toke them vp & buried them in
such a place secretely as by the occasion of his death (which was very shortely
after) which onely knewe it, the very trueth could neucr yet be very wel and
perfightly knowen. For some saye that kynge Richard caused the priest to take
them vp and close them in lead and to put them in a coffyne full of holes hoked
at the endes with. ii. hokes of yron, and so to cast them into a place called
the Blacke depes at the Themes mouth, so that they should neucr rise vp nor be
sene agayn. This was ye very trueth vnknowne by reason that ye sayd priest died
so shortly & disclosed it neuer to any person that would vtter it. And for
a trueth, when sir Iames Tirrell was in the Towre for treason committed to
kynge Henrye the seuenthe: bothe he and Dighton were examined together of this
poincte, and both they confessed the murther to be done in the same maner as
you haue hard, but whether the bodies were remoued, they bothe affirmed they neuer
knewe. And thus as I haue learned of them that muche knewe and litle cause had
to lye, where these two noble princes, these innocente tendre children, borne
of the mooste royall bloude and brought vp in greate wealthe, likely longc to
liue, to reigne and rule in the realme, by trayterous tirannye taken aud
depriued of their estate, shortely shut vp in prison and priuely slaine and
murthered by the cruel ambicion of their vnnaturall vncle and his dispiteous
tourmentours: whiche thynges on euery parte well pondered, God gaue this world
neuer a more notable example, either in what vnsurety standeth this worldes
weale, or what mischiefe worketh the proude enterprise of an highe harte, or
finally, what wretched ende ensueth suche dispiteous crueltie. For fyrste to
begynne with the ministers, Myles Forest, at sainct Martyns le graunde by pece
meale miserably rotted away, Ihon Dighton lyued at Caleys [Calais] long after,
no lesse disdayned and hated then poincted at, and there dyed in great misery:
But sir Iames Tyrrel was beheaded at the Towre hyll for treason: And kynge
Richarde him selfe was slaine in felde hacked and hewen of his enemies handcs,
haried on a horsbacke naked beynge dead, his heere in dispite torne and tugged
lyke a curre dogge. And the mischiefe that he toke with in lesse then thre
yeres, of the mischiefe that he dyd in thre monethes be not comparable, and yet
all the meane tyme spente in muche trouble and payne outwarde, and much feare,
dread and anguishe within. For I haue harde by credible reporte of suche as
were secrete with his chamberers that ater this abhominable deed done, he neuer
was quiet in his myndc, he neuer thought him selfe sure where he wente abroade,
his body priuely feinted, his eyen wherled aboute, his hande euer on his dagger,
his countenaunce and maner lyke alwaies to stricke againe, he toke euill reste
on nightes, laye long wakyng and musyng, forweried [exhausted] start with care
and watche, rather slombrcd then slept, troubled with fearefull dreames,
sodeinly somtyme stert vp, leapte out of his bed and loked about the chambre,
so was his rcstlesse harte continually tossed and tombled with the tedious
impression and stormy remembraunce of his abhominable murther and execrable
tyrannye.
KYNG Richard by this abominable
mischyef & scelerous act thinkyng hym self well releuyd bothe of feare and
thought, would not haue it kept counsaill but within a few daies caused it to
ronne in a common rumor that ye. ii. chyldren were sodanlie dead, and to this
entent as it is to be demyd [deemed] that now, none heyre male beynge a liue of
kynge Edwardes body lawfully begotten ye people would be content with the more
pacient hart, & quiet mynd, to obey him & suffer his rule and
gouernaunce: but when ye fame of this detestable facte was reueled, &
devulged through ye hole realme, ther fell generally, such a dolor & inward
sorow into the hartes of all the people, that all feare of his crueltie set a
syde, they in cuery towne, streate, and place openlie wept, and piteously
sobbyd. And when their sorowe was sumwhat mitigate, their inwarde grudge could
not refrayne but crye out in places publike, and also priuate furiously saieng,
what creature of all creatures ys so malicious and so obstinate an enemye
either to God, or to christian religion, or to humayne nature, whiche woulde
not haue abhorred, or at the lest absteyned from so miserable a number of so
execrable a tiranye. To murther a man is much odious, to kyll a woman, is in
manner vnnatural, but to slaie and destroye innocent babes, & young enfantes,
the whole world abhorreth, and the bloud from the earth crieth, for vengaunce
to all mightie God. If the common people cried out, I assure you the frendes of
the quene, and her children made no lesse exclamacion and complainte with loude
voyce lamentable crienge and sayenge, a las what will he do to other that thus
shamefully murdereth his awne bloud without cause or desert? whom wyll he saue
when he slaith the poore lambes committed to him in trust? now we se and behold
that the most cruel tyranny hath inuadyd the common wealth, now we se that in
him is neither hope of iustice nor trust of mercie but abundance of crueltie
and thrust of innocente bloude.
But when these newes wer first
brought to the infortunate mother of tl:e dead children yet being in sanctuary,
no doubte but it strake to her harte, like the sharpe darte of death: for when
she was first enformed of the murther of her. ii. sonnes, she was so sodainly
amasyd with the greatnes of ye crueltie that for feare she sounded [swooned]
and fell doune to the ground, and there lay in a great agonye like to a deade
corps. And after that she came to her memory and was reuyued agayne, she wept
and sobbyd and with pitefull scriches she replenished the hole mancion, her
breste she puncted, her fayre here she tare and pulled in peces & being
ouercome with sorowe & pensiuenes rather desyred death then life, calling
by name diuers times her swete babes, accomptyng her self more then madde that
she deluded by wyle [wily] and fraudulente promises delyuered her yonger sonne
out of the sanctuarie to his enemye to be put to death, thinkynge that next the
othe made to God broke, & the dewtie of al!egiauncc toward her childrc
violated, she of all creatures in that poyncte was most seduced and disceaued:
After longe lamentacion, when she sawe no hope of reuengynge otherwyse. she
knelyd downe and cried on God to take vengeaunce for the disceaytfull periurie,
as who saide she not liyng mistrusted but once he would remember it. What ys he
liuyng that if he remember and bcholde these, ii. noble enfantes without
deseruing, so shamefully murthered, that will not abhorre the fact, ye & be
moued & tormented with pitie and mercie.
To be
concluded
