received the disagreeable news of the queen's death, A, C. 1485.
and understood that Richard intended to marry his
niece Elizabeth, and beftow her fifter Cecilia on
one of his favourites. He forthwith called a coun-
cil of his friends, to deliberate on thefe unfavour-
able tidings; and they advised him to marry the
fifter of Sir Thomas Herbert, a very powerful
knight in Wales, whofe intereft would be a great
acquifition. Henry relished the advice, 'and dif-
patched a member to Herbert with his proposal;
but the paffes were fo guarded, that he could not
execute his commiffion; and this was a very lucky
disappointment for the earl of Richmond, who,
if the alliance had taken place, would in all proba-
bility have loft the intereft of Edward's family, and
their adherents, who engaged in his caufe merely
from the hope that he would unite the houfes of
York and Lancafter by his marriage with the prin
cefs Elizabeth. Henry, in a few days after his
arrival at Rouen, received letters from England,
inviting him to land in Wales, where he would
find the people ready to take arms in his favour,
together with a large fum of money which had been
collected for his fervice. He was likewife given
to understand, that the whole kingdom was dif-
contented at the conduct and character of Richard;
and that there could not be a more favourable junc-
ture for Henry's landing, as the tyrant had made
no preparations for oppofing his descent.

Milford in

Wales.

Encouraged by this information the earl haftened Lands at his departure; and embarking with his troops at Harfleur on the laft day of July, arrived on the fixth day of Auguft in Milford-haven in Wales. Next day he advanced to Haverford, where he was received amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants: from hence he dispatched an exprefs to his mother, with an account of his arrival, and intended march to London; then he fent intimation to his NUMB. XLV. friends

A. C. 1485. friends to join him upon his route, and fet out for Shrewsbury, where he purposed to pafs the Severne. Richard, being informed of his landing, ordered Sir Thomas Herbert to affemble the militia of Wales, and stop the earl's progress, until he fhould be in a condition to march against him. Herbert having been already gained over by Henry's friends, allowed him to pass unmolested. He was joined on his route by Sir Rees ap Thomas, the most powerful commoner in Wales, and a great number of gentlemen of that country; fo that his army daily increased, and in a few days he arrived at Shrewsbury, which he entered without oppofition. Mean while a body of five thousand men was raised by the lord Stanley and his brother Sir William, on pretence of ferving Richard; and they advanced to Litchfield, as if their defign was to oppofe the invader: but Sir William had a private interview with Henry, whom he affured of his brother's affiftance, as foon as he could declare himself with any safety to his fon, the lord Strange, who was detained as an hoftage by the tyrant.

Hollinghed.

He meets king Rich

worth,

Richard had by this time affembled his forces at ard at Bof- Nottingham. Hearing that the earl's defign was to march to London, he refolved to give him battle on his route; and with that view encamped between Leicester and Coventry. Henry, in the mean time advanced to Litchfield, from whence the lord Stanley retired at his approach, and took post at Atherstone; and the earl having taken his measures with the two brothers, continued his march to Leicester, where he proposed to venture a decifive engagement. In the neighbourhood of Tamworth he dropped behind his army, and in a fit of mufing loft his way; fo that he was obliged to lie all night at a village, without daring to ask the road, for fear of being fufpected, and falling into the hands of his enemies. Next morning he

made

1

195

made shift to rejoin his army at Tamworth, where A. C. 1485. finding his friends had been greatly alarmed at his abfence, he told them he had gone to confer with some particular noblemen, who did not chufe to appear as yet in his behalf. That fame day he privately visited the lord Stanley at Atherstone and on the morrow, being informed that Richard had marched from Leicester to give him battle, he refolved to spare him one half of the way. On the twenty-fecond day of August, the two armies came in fight of each other, at Bosworth, which is ren dered famous in history by the battle which terminated the dispute between the houfes of York and Lancaster. Richard's army confifted of twelve thousand men well accoutred. The command of the van he conferred on the duke of Norfolk; and he himself took poft in the center, with the crown upon his head, either as a mark of diftinction, or a challenge to his adverfary. The earl of Richmond drew up his troops, amounting to five thoufand men ill armed, in two lines; the command of the first he gave to the earl of Oxford, while he himself conducted the other. Lord Stanley, who quitted Atherstone, took poft in a piece of ground fronting the interval between the two armies; and his brother, at the head of two thousand men, stood facing him on the other fide. Richard, fufpecting Sir T. More Stanley's defign, ordered him to join his army, and receiving an equivocal answer, would have fon to death, had not he been diverted from his put his purpose by the remonstrances of his generals, who obferved that fuch a facrifice could be of no advantage to the royal caufe, but would infallibly provoke Stanley and his brother to join the foe; though perhaps their intention was to remain neuter, and declare for the victor. Richard was Buck perfuaded by this reprefentation: but he committed a fatal error in leaving the two brothers at liberty

to

A. C. 1485

Where he

obtains a

complete victory.

to act as they fhould think proper. His army be-
ing equal in number to that of Richmond and the
Stanleys, when joined together, he ought to have
pofted two bodies oppofite to the brothers, with
orders to attack them if they fhould attempt to join
the enemy, while he himself with the remainder
might have given battle to Henry.

The two leaders having harangued their foldiers,
the earl of Richmond made a motion to the left,
in order to avoid a morafs that divided the two
armies; and, by this prudent measure, not only fe-
cured his right flank, but gained another advan-
tage, in having the fun at his back, while it fhone
full in the face of the enemy. Richard, feeing
him approach, commanded the trumpets to found;
and the battle began with a general discharge of ar-
rows, after which the king's army advanced to close
combat. The lord Stanley, perceiving that the
duke of Norfolk extended his line to the left, in
order to furround the enemy, fuddenly joined the
earl of Richmond's right wing, in order to sustain
the attack; and Norfolk, feeing this junction,
made a halt to clofe his files, which had been too
much opened for the extention of the line. The
match being now pretty equal, the fight was re-
newed, though not with equal ardour on both
fides. The king's troops feemed to act with re-
luctance, and were, in all probability, difpirited by
the conduct of the two Stanleys, not knowing but
their example might be followed by others in the
heat of the engagement: on the other hand, the
earl of Oxford charged them with such impetuo-
fity, as contributed to damp their courage, and fill
their hearts with defpondence. Richard, in order
to animate them with his prefence and example,
advanced to the front of the battle: there perceiv-
ing his competitor, who had quitted the fecond
line for the fame purpose, he couched his lance,

and

and, clapping fpurs to his horfe, ran against him A. C. 1485. with fuch fury, that he killed his ftandard-bearer Sir William Brandon, father of Charles Brandon, afterwards duke of Suffolk, and unhorsed Sir John Cheney, an officer remarkable for his strength and prowels. Henry, though he did not feem very eager to engage fuch an antagonist, advanced to meet him, and kept him at his fword's point, until they were parted by the foldiers, who interpofed. While Richard made this furious effort against the perfon of his adversary, Sir William Stanley declared for Richmond, and attacking the royalifts in flank, drove their right wing upon the center, which was so disordered by the fhock, that it began to fly with the utmost precipitation; while the earl of Northumberland, who commanded a feparate body, stood motionlefs, and refused to act against the enemy. The king, feeing all his endeavours ineffectual to rally his troops, which were by this time in the utmoft confufion, and either fcorning to outlive the disgrace of an overthrow, or dreading the thought of falling alive into the hands of his enemy, rushed into the midst of the battle, where he fought with the most desperate courage, until he was overpowered by numbers, and fell dead in the midft of those whom he had flain. Tho' the battle lafted about two hours, including the Richard. time spent in the pursuit, there was not above one thousand of the royalists killed on the occafion, because the greater part fled betimes without fighting; and the earl did not lose above an hundred men, of whom Sir William Brandon was the most confiderable. On the fide of the vanquished, befides Richard himself, the duke of Norfolk * loft his life; the lord Ferrars of Chartley, Sir Richard

*The following diftich was fixed on the gate of the house in which the duke of Norfolk lodged at Leicester :

Jack of Norfolk be not too bold;
For Dicken thy mafter is bought and
fold.

O 3

Radcliff,

Death of