AC1486, coldness and indifference. He never let flip an opportunity to humble the partifans of that house, towards whom he ever acted rather as the chief of a party, than as an equitable fovereign. The folemnization of the king's nuptials was the more agreeable to the people, as it was immediately preceded by the tidings of a truce concluded for three years with Charles of France, who had formed a project against Brittany, and willingly liftened to the propofal of a truce, which would hinder the king of England from fupporting that dutchy. Henry, on the other hand, being ignorant of his defigns, thought the friendship of fuch a monarch would render him the more formidable to his do meftic enemies. Rymer, Rebellion raised by the lord Lovel and the two Straf fords, . After his marriage he made a progress into the northern counties, which had been in a particular manner attached to the perfon of Richard; and paffed his Eafter holidays at Lincoln, hoping that his prefence, and fome acts of favour, would entirely difpel any difcontent that might prevail in that country. While he refided in this city, he received intimation, that the lord Lovel, with Humphrey and Thomas Strafford, had privately withdrawn from the fanctuary at Colchefter, But, he payed very little regard to this intelligence, and proceeded to York, where he understood that Lovel was on his march towards that place, at the head of three or four thousand men; and, that the two Staffords had invefted the city of Worcester. Henry was the more alarmed at this information, as he found himself in the midft of the malcontents, with whom he fuppofed the rabels carried on a correfpondence. Nevertheless, he concealed his fears and fufpicion, and immediately iffued commiffions for levying troops in the neighbourhood of York, where his officers met with fuch fuccefs, that in a little time, they raised a body of three thoufand This 3 thousand men; the command of which was given A C1486. to the king's uncle the duke of Bedford. nobleman was fent against the rebels, with exprefs orders to avoid a battle, as the men were raw, undif ciplined, and, but indifferently affected to the caufe; but he was inftructed to approach them with a good countenance, and publish a pardon in the king's name, to all those who fhould lay down their arms .and fubmit. This expedient fucceeded to the king's wish. The pardon was no fooner proclaim- Hift. Croyed, than lord Lovel, in apprehenfion of being land. Cont. abandoned by his troops, retired alone into Lancashire, where he lay for fome time concealed in the house of his friend Sir Thomas Broughton; and then croffing the fea, repaired to the court of the dutchefs dowager of Burgundy. The two Straffords no fooner heard of this tranfaction than they raised the fiege of Worcester; and being forfaken by their followers, retired to the church of Colnham, where they took fanctuary. The court of King's-Bench declaring, that the privilege of this place did not extend to traitors, they were taken thence by force the elder brother Humphrey was executed at Tyburn, and the younger pardoned, in confideration of his youth, and of his having been feduced by the other. On the third day of July, a truce for three years was concluded with James king of Scotland; and, in the course of the fame month, John le Bouteiller lord of Maupertuis, ambaffador from Francis II. duke of Bretagne, prolonged, in his mafter's name, the truce between England and that country, until the death of one of the contracting princes; but, it was ftipulated, that the treaty of commerce between the two nations fhould continue to the death of the laft liver. On the twentieth day of Septem- Birth of ber, the queen was in the eighth month of her preg- prince. nancy, delivered of a fon, who was baptized by R 4 the Arthur. A.C. 1486 the name of Arthur, in memory of the famous British Arthur, from whence the king affected to derive his origin. The people hoped, that the birth of this prince would warm the king's indifference into a real affection for the mother: but, when they perceived it had no fuch effect; that he delayed her coronation; took all opportunities of depreffing the friends of the houfe of York, which was generally beloved throughout the whole kingdom; that his difpofition was fordid and illiberal; and, that his temper was fullen and reserved, they began to look upon him with deteftation, and even to think they had made a bad exchange for the tyrant Richard. His enemies took this opportunity to infinuate, that he intended to murder the earl of Warwick in the Tower; and the emiffaries of the house of York whispered about, that the duke of York had made his escape from the cruelty of his uncle, and was ftill alive on the continent. Lambert earl of Warwick, The univerfal joy expreffed by the English people fonates the at this report, encouraged Richard Simon, a prieft of Oxford, to devife a fcheme which was equally extravagant and enterprizing. He had a pupil called Lambert Simnel, the illegitimate fon of a joiner, a youth of uncommon vivacity and extraordinary perfonal accomplishments; and, him he refolved to pass upon the world as Richard duke of York, the fecond fon of the fourth Edward. While he was employed in preparing this actor for the ftage, it was rumored, that Edward Plantagenet earl of Warwick had escaped from the Tower; and Simon immediately changing his plan, determined that his pupil fhould perfonate this nobleman; a scheme much more extravagant than the other, if we confider, that the fon of Clarence had been, after his father's death, honourably maintained in the court of his uncle Edward, until he was ten years of age; and that therefore, his perfon was well known to a great great number of people. Notwithstanding this ob- A C. 1486. stacle, Simon continued to inftruct his pupil in his new part; and when he thought the impofture ripe, he conveyed him to Ireland, where he knew he fhould not run fuch a rifque of detection as in England. There he hoped the young man would be powerfully fupported, as that kingdom revered the memory of Clarence, who had been their governor; and as Henry had not yet fuperfeded the public officers who had been appointed by Richard, For, though the duke of Bedford had been declared viceroy of Ireland, he ftill continued in England: Thomas Fitzgerald earl of Kildare governed as his deputy, and his brother poffeffed the poft of chancellor in that kingdom. As they were both partifans of the houfe of York, in all probability, they had by their emiffaries privately concerted this fcheme with Simon, who was likewise supposed to have been encouraged by the queen dowager, whe deeply refented Henry's behaviour to her daughter, The king had been informed, that something was brewing in Ireland to the prejudice of his government, and ordered the earl of Kildare to appear. at his court in London: but, that nobleman had such interest in the council, that they wrote a letter to Henry, representing the earl's prefence as abfolutely neceffary in Ireland; and he was excufed in confequence of this remonftrance. Dublin. When Simnel arrived at Dublin, he forthwith Simnel is addreffed himself to the earl, in quality of earl of crowned in Warwick, recounting the manner in which he pretended to have efcaped from the Tower; and tho' the deputy-lieutenant and his brother did not openly efpouse his cause at his firft landing, their omitting to apprehend fuch a pretender, plainly indicates their connivance at the impofture. They waited to fee the effects of the deceit among the common people, who received Simnel with tranfports 4 A. C. 1486. fports of joy, as the fon of their beloved Clarence. Then the earl of Kildare, and his brother the chancellor, having conferred with their friends and confidents, waited upon Simnel at his lodgings; from whence he was conducted with great folemnity to the castle, where he was treated as a prince, and behaved with fuch dignity of deportment, as overcame the fufpicion of many people, who at first doubted the truth of his pretenfions. The popular stream was fo much in his favour, that in a few days he was proclaimed king of England, and lord of Ireland, under the name of Edward VI. and not a fword was drawn, nor one mouth opened in behalf of Henry. Such an event could not but be alarming to the king, who now faw himself attacked in his weakest part, namely, his title, and in a country wholly devoted to his adversaries, which he could not pretend to fubdue without a very confiderable expence befides, he apprehended, that the fire which had broke out in Ireland would foon communicate to the other kingdom, by means of fecret correspondence, the nature and manner of which he did not know. Perplexed by thefe confiderations, he convened his privy council, in order to deliberate upon the meafures to be taken in fuch The queen an emergency; and here, in all probability, he dowager is fignified his fufpicion of his mother-in-law the. queen dowager; for fhe was immediately confined Confifcated. in the monaftery of Bermondsey; and deprived of her whole estate, without any form of procefs. The whole nation exclaimed against this act of feverity, which he in vain endeavoured to palliate, by giving out that this punishment was inflicted upon her for having delivered her daughters into the hands of Richard: a pretence, which ferved only to inflame the refentment of the people, who thought it very ftrange, that the queen ~confined and her eftate fhould |