a. C. 1484. his favourite, and is faid to have offered very valuable rewards for the perfon of Henry; during whofe life he could enjoy no internal quiet. The duke by this time, was quite. fuperannuated, and his intellects greatly impaired; fo that in effect Landais acted as fovereign of Brittany; and to him Richard's chief attention was directed. The king of England is faid to have granted letters patent, reftoring to Francis II. duke of Bretagne, the earldom of Richmond and all its dependances: but with refpect to Landais, the nature of the gratification Argentré, which he expected is not fo perfectly known. Certain it is, Richard was very liberal in his promises, but the other infifted upon having fomething more fubstantial; and, before the treaty was finished, the earl of Richmond was informed of the negotiation by Morton bishop of Ely, who, having spies in the court of England, understood that the king often conferred in private with the bishop of Leon, ambaffador from the duke of Bretagne. Henry, alarmed at this intelligence, refolved to retire into France, and for that purpofe fecretly obtained a paffport from king Charles; but, as he naturally fuppofed that Landais had employed emiffaries to watch his motions, he found himself embarrassed about the means of accomplishing his efcape. The duke of Bretagne had just recovered of a lethargy, during which his minifter had negotiated with Richard; and the earl of Richmond fent all his English friends and followers to congratulate that prince, in his name, on the re-establishment of his health, juftly concluding that they would not fufpect him of any defign to retire while fuch a number of hoftages remained at the court of Brittany. The scheme fucceeded to his wifh: being left almost alone at Vannes, he found an opportunity to withdraw in disguise, accompanied by five perfons; he immediately quitted the high road, and rode across

the

the country through lanes and unfrequented paths, A. C. 1484
without halting, until he arrived at Angers the
capital of Anjou. Without fuch diligence he muft
have certainly been taken; for his escape from
Vannes was no fooner known, than those who were
employed to watch his conduct pursued him with
fuch speed, that they arrived upon the frontiers in
less than one hour after he had paffed the confines
of Brittany. The duke, understanding that he had
retired from apprehenfion of being betrayed by
Landais, was incensed against his favourite, and
allowed all the English in his dominions to join the
earl, to whom he sent his compliments and proffers
of fervice. From Angers Henry repaired to Lan-
geais, where he met with an hofpitable reception at
the court of Charles, though it was ftill diftracted
by different factions; and here he was joined by
the earl of Oxford, who had been imprisoned by
order of Edward IV. in the caftle of Hammes in
Picardy. Hearing in his confinement that the earl
of Richmond laid claim to the crown of England,
he had prevailed upon the governor of that fortrefs
to declare for Henry, and now they went together
to vifit him at the court of France. The earl of

Oxford was a confiderable acceffion to his party;
and several other noblemen in England fent him
fecret affurances that he might depend upon their
service whenever they fhould find a proper oppor-
tunity to declare against Richard; among these
was the lord Stanley, who had married the earl's
mother; and on that account was fo much fuf-
pected by the king that he could not obtain leave
to retire to his houfe in the country, until he had
left his fon at court as an hostage.

Richard

vances to

Richard was at fuch pains to learn the nature makes adof the plan which his enemies projected against him, that he at last discovered the most material circumftance, which was the union of the queen's friends

with

the

queen do wager,

A. C. 1484 with the partifans of the house of Lancaster, by means of Henry's marriage with Elizabeth. Roufed at this intelligence he refolved to prevent a match. which could not fail to fhake the foundation of his government; and he faw no method fo effectual as that of making Elizabeth his own confort. This would have appeared an impracticable expedient to any other perfon but Richard, as it was attended with three obftacles feemingly infurmountable, before fuch a marriage could take effect: there was a neceffity for removing his prefent wife; for obtaining the confent of the queen dowager, whofe brothers and fons he had butchered; and for prevailing upon the pope to grant a difpenfation for an incestuous marriage between an uncle and a niece. He began the execution of this ftrange project by fending several civil meffages to the queen dowager, importing that he wished for nothing fo much as to live in a good understanding with her, that he might have an opportunity to give her convincing proofs of his friendship. He owned fhe had met with cruel treatment, in order to attone for which he promised to affign a confiderable penfion for her fubfiftance; to bestow profitable employments on her two brothers, and to procure advantageous matches for her daughters. As he knew thefe advances would appear fufpicious to the queen, he inftructed his emiffaries to afcribe them to the dictates of his confcience, which was disturbed by the remembrance of the wrongs he had done her family. They declared that his intention was to raise the princess Elizabeth to the throne, as death had deprived him of his own fon; and that he would revoke the declaration he had made in favour of the earl of Lincoln. The other part of his promife, touching the fafety of the queen and her family, as well as the intended provifion, he confirmed by a folemn oath, taken at an affembly of the lords fpiritual and temporal.

These

leave the

These promises and profeffions made an impref 4. C. 1484 fion on the mind of the queen, who was heartily Who is per tired with being cooped up in a fanctuary, very ill fuaded to provided with the neceffaries of life; who loved fanctuary. her brothers with the warmest affection, and who reflected that she and her daughters had nothing to expect but mischief and deftruction, fhould fhe irritate the king by rejecting his offers. Swayed by thefe confiderations, fhe not only went to court with her five daughters, where they met with a moft gracious reception, but alfo wrote to her brother the marquis of Dorfet, to abandon the earl of Richmond, and return to England, where he might depend upon. Richard's generofity. The marquis, equally weak and ambitious, was fo agreeably flattered with this profpect of the king's favour, that he withdrew privately from Paris, with defign to return to England; but he was purfued and brought back by the adherents of Henry, who perfuaded him to ftay and fhare his fortune. Richard, having thus accomplished the most difficult part of his plan, began to contrive means for removing his wife, that he might be at liberty to espouse his niece Elizabeth: and whatever expedient he used, certain it is, fhe did not long furvive her fon the prince of Wales. If we may be- Death of lieve Buck, fhe died of grief at the lofs of that queen young prince; but all the other hiftorians alledge, that Richard killed her either with unkindness or poison; and thus fhe fuffered the punishment which fhe in fome measure deserved, for having thrown herself into the arms of the barbarian who had murdered her first husband the prince of Wales, fon of Henry VI. at Tewkesbury.

The king profeffed the deepest affliction at the death of his confort, who was interred with great pomp and magnificence; but, notwithstanding his grief, fhe was hardly in her tomb, when

Anne

he

Richard

addreffes to

Hall.

fhed.

A. C. 1484. he made proposals of marriage to his niece Elizabeth. She received his addreffes with horror, and makes his begged he would never more fpeak to her on that his niece fubject; but he did not doubt of being able to Elizabeth. vanquish her reluctance, though he laid afide his Holling- defign until a more favourable opportunity should occur, as he did not think it would be politic to force her inclinations. Mean while, understanding that the governor of Hammes had revolted, he ordered the commander of Calais to reduce that fortrefs to his obedience; and his order was fo expeditiously executed, that the earl of Oxford, who marched to its relief, could not reach the neighbourhood until after it had capitulated; the garrifon, however, joined the earl of Richmond. The king of England had equipped a squadron of ships to oppose the defcent of Henry; but, the truce with Brittany having been prolonged for seven years, and France expreffing very little inclination to affift his enemy, he thought the expence of a fleet altogether unneceffary, and ordered it to be laid up in the beginning of fummer.

of Rich

voyage to

England.

A C. 1485, The earl of Richmond, eager to feize this opporHenry earl tunity, follicited the French miniftry for fuccours mond pre- with fuch importunity, that they refolved to grant pares for his his requeft; not that they imagined his enterprize would be crowned with fuccefs, but they thought it was the intereft of France to foment the diffenfions of England. They therefore engaged to fupply him with two thousand men, and veffels for transporting them to England, and even furnished him with a fum of money; though they infifted upon his leaving hoftages in France, as a fecurity for refunding the charges of this expedition. The earl, who had no great confidence in the marquis of Dorfet, was glad of this occafion to leave him at Paris, while he himself repaired to Rouen, where the troops were ordered to affemble. There he

Comines.

4

received