proclaimed Mmediately after the death of the fourth Ed- A. C. 1483. ward, his fon was proclaimed king of England Edward V. by the name of Edward V. though that young king. prince, who was but just turned of twelve years of age, never received the crown, or exercifed any function of royalty; fo that the interval between the death of his father and the ufurpation of his uncle, was properly an interregnum, during which the duke of Gloucefter took his meafures for wrefting the crown from his nephew. Young Edward kept his court at Ludlow-Castle in Shropshire, under the direction of his uncle Anthony earl of Rivers, who had been appointed his governor. His uterine brother Sir Richard Gray enjoyed another great office about his perfon; Sir Thomas Vaughan was his chamberlain; and all the other pofts of his houfhold were filled with the queen's creatures. Notwithstanding the afcendancy fhe had acquired over the late king, fhe had never been able to prevail upon him to difmifs from his council fome old officers and fervants, who had adhered to him in all the viciffitudes of his fortune. These were well acquainted with her endeavours; and fuppofing their fafety confifted in their union, formed a party for their mutual defence and fupport, as well as to oppose the measures of Elizabeth and her family. At the head of this party, were Henry Stafford duke of Buckingham, William lord Haltings, and Thomas lord Stanley. The firft was defcended from a daughter of Thomas of Wodeftoke duke of Gloucefter, and fon of Edward III. and poffeffed the office of lord high conftable; the lord Haftings was chamberlain, and particularly beloved by Edward L 4 ; AC. 1483. ward IV. on account of his unfhaken attachment and fidelity; and the lord Stanley was the reprefentative of an antient family, and a nobleman of virtue and courage, devoted to the intereft of his mafter. Thefe three were confidered as the chiefs of the antient nobility, in contradiftinction to thofe who had been ennobled by the queen's influence and though their credit in the council was not equal to that of the Widevilles and Grays, they diftinguished themselves with great fpirit in the oppofition, and the king had been often obliged to interpofe in their difputes. The duke of Gloucefter would have been very much perplexed between thefe two parties, had he not poffeffed an uncommon fund of fagacity and diffimulation; for, in order to live upon good terms with the king, he was obliged to cultivate the good graces of his fifter-in law; and, in behaving refpectfully to her, he ran the rifque of disobliging the antient nobility, upon whofe affiftance he in a great measure depended for the accomplishment of his defigns: he therefore made his court in public to the queen: but, at the fame time, engaged in private connexions with the duke of Buckingham and his party. Edward, on his death-bed, had ftrongly recommended unanimity and coalition to the two factions: he had even propofed a reconciliation, to which they readily confented, and the ceremony was performed in his prefence. The queen engaged for the earl of Rivers, who was abfent, and her eldest fon the marquis of Dorfet embraced the duke of Buckingham and lord Haftings, with all the exterior marks of cordiality. The duke of Gloucefter being then at York on his majefty's affairs, could not obstruct this accommodation, which would have been very prejudicial to his intereft, had the parties been fincere in their profeffions. But, this was not the cafe. Aş of Glou his friends As foon as Edward's eyes were closed, they for- A. C. 14830 153 got their mutual proteftations; and each faction The duke exerted all its efforts to gain the advantage over the cefter conother, in fecuring the perfon of the young king, fults with in whofe name they might be able to govern, the at Norkingdom, The queen, upon the death of her huf- thampton band, dispatched a meffenger to her brother Rivers, with the tidings of that event, and a letter, in which the advised him to raise a body of troops in Wales, and conduct the new king to London, that he might be crowned immediately. On the other hand, the duke of Buckingham, and the lord Haftings made the duke of Gloucefter acquainted with his brother's death, and the queen's measures; and as the protectorship of the realm, of right belonged to him during the king's minority, they exhorted him to claim his privilege, offering to provide a body of a thousand men well armed, which should be ready to march at his command. Richard defired they would meet him at Northampton, where they accordingly affembled with a great number of their friends; and there, in a studied. harangue, he expatiated on the danger to which they would be expofed, fhould the queen continue at the head of the adminiftration. He obferved, that it was both his right, and his intereft, to manage the reins of governmet during the minority of his nephew, that every body knew the attachment he had conftantly preferved for his brother; that his tender affection for Edward's children would not fuffer him to abandon them to the difcretion of people, whofe fole view was to aggrandize themfelves at the expence of their fovereign; for which reason, he was refolved to use all his endeavours for the good of the nation, and the advantage of the young king, on whom he would beftow fuch education as would enable him to follow the fteps of his glorious ancestors: but, that as such a project could A. C. 1483, could not be executed without the affiftance of true-hearted Englifhmen, he had affembled them to confult about the meafures which ought to be taken at the present juncture; and declared that he would be wholly conducted by their advice. Having thus prepared the minds of the audience for the execution of his purpose, they entered into a serious confultation about the means for rendering themfelves mafters of the king's perfon; and agreed, Sir T.More. to act by ftratagem and deceit. They refolved to appear extremely zealous for the interest of their new fovereign, that the queen might have no pre- . tence for affembling or maintaining an army; that the duke of Gloucefter fhould perfuade her to difmifs the troops that were already levied; and, fhould his arguments fucceed, endeavour to fecure the king's perfon before his arrival in London. But, fhould the queen turn a deaf ear to his remonftrances, he determined to amufe her with negotiations, until he should be in a condition to oppofe her defigns in a more effectual manner. Writes a let lence to the queen. This plan being projected, Haftings returned to ter of condo- London, where he had acquired great popularity; and the duke of Gloucefter wrote a letter of condolence to the queen, in which, after the warmest profeflions of friendship, regard, and loyalty to her and his young fovereign, he exhorted her to ufe her beft endeavours to banish all jealous animofity that might still fubfift among the nobles; and to confirm the reconciliation which had been fo lately, and fo happily effected. He observed, that her levying troops for the defence of the king, at a time when the whole nation feemed to breathe one fpirit of loyalty and affection, might wake the jealoufy and fufpicion of thofe noblemen who had been reconciled to her family: that their fufpicion would naturally prompt them to take measures for their own prefervation: and that one misunderstand |