throne before he should be of age; and that the A. C. 147 Comines. brings over his intereft. The duke of Burgundy, being informed by his Edward fpies of this tranfaction, tranfmitted an account of Clarence it to Edward, who payed very little regard to the privately to intimation; believing that the earl of Warwick, who had been obliged to quit the kingdom for want of proper fupport, could never in his abfence excite the people of England to rebel in his favour. He was not at all alarmed by the preparations of France, because he thought England could not be conquered by any foreign nation, unless the people fhould affift in enflaving themselves; and reasoning upon very precarious principles, namely, the affection of his fubjects for his perfon and government, and Warwick's want of intereft, he took no manner of precautions in his own defence, but indulged himfelf in all the pleasures of effeminacy and voluptuousnefs. While he abandoned himself to thefe delights, his miniftry gratified their private refentment by committing acts of cruelty and oppreffion, which ruined the character of their mafter. John Clapham, one of Warwick's officers, with about twenty other gentlemen, being taken in a naval skirmish near Southampton, were condemned as traitors by the earl of Worcester, constable of England, and executed with such circumftances of barbarity as filled the fpectators with horror. All perfons of any confideration, fufpected of affection to the house of Lancaster, were profecuted, plundered, and forced into fanctuary or exile; a great number of these refugees retired to France, and gave an account of the temper of the nation to the earl of Warwick, whom they preffed to embark for his own country, NUMB. XLIII H where ! turn. A. C. 1470. where all forts of people ardently wifhed for his reWhat contributed more than any other confideration to Edward's fecurity, was the fuccefs of a private negotiation, into which he had entered with his brother Clarence. He won over to his intereft a female domeftic and favourite of the dutchefs ; and, after having tutored her for his purpose, granted her a passport, by virtue of which the croffed the fea unmolefted to her miftrefs. She took the first opportunity of executing her commiffion, representing to the duke, in the name of his brother Edward, that by efpoufing the party of Warwick he contributed to his own ruin; for, if the defigns of that nobleman fhould fucceed, he could not imagine that the house of Lancaster would place any confidence in a prince of the family of York; or even fuffer him to live, after they should have effected their purposes that, far from depending upon the oath of Margaret, he ought to confider it as a fnare laid for his deftruction; the earl of Warwick would be the first to crush him, not only to remove a rival in the administration, but also to deliver himself from the defigns of a prince, who might one day be in a condition to return the wrongs of his family: that his brother Edward having but one child, and that an infant, which death might remove, he was next heir to the crown; whereas, fhould the house of Lancaster be restored, he muft refign all hopes of attaining that dignity, as Henry's fon was healthy and vigorous, and would in all probability have a numerous iffue. Thefe arguments were reinforced by the confiderations of confanguinity, and warm profeffions and promifes from Edward in behalf of his brother Clarence, who being naturally easy, fickle, and irrefolute, was convinced by these infinuations; and defired the agent to let the king his brother know, that he would not fail to declare in his favour, whenever an opportunity fhould offer of Biondi. lands in England. doing him any confiderable piece of fervice. Edward A. C. 1470. was made acquainted with this declaration, which entirely banished every anxious reflexion; and he gave a loose to his pleasures, in full confidence that all Warwick's efforts would prove abortive, as he Habington. was no longer fupported by the intereft of Clarence. While Edward lived in this deceitful fecurity, the Warwick earl, having received a fmall fupply in money and End troops from Lewis, prepared for his voyage to England, under the convoy of fome French fhips of war, commanded by the Baftard of Bourbon. The duke of Burgundy however blocked up the mouth of the Seine, with a much more numerous fleet, in order to intercept Warwick, whom he affected to confider as a pirate; because, in his paffage from Calais to Honfleur, he had taken and fold fome Flemish veffels. Notwithstanding all the duke's precautions for preventing the earl's voyage, that nobleman repaired to Havre de Grace, and taking the opportunity of a storm that difperfed the Burgundian fquadron, embarked and landed safely at Dartmouth, in the month of September. Edward rejoiced at his defcent, in full perfuafion that his defign muft mifcarry, and his antagonist fall into his hands. In thefe fentiments he defired the duke of Burgundy would order his fleet to keep the sea, to intercept Warwick, in cafe he fhould attempt to make his escape; but he foon perceived the folly of his expectation. Warwick, immediately after his landing, was joined by fuch numbers of his countrymen, that in a few days he found himself at the head of fixty thousand fighting men, with whom he began his march against Edward, who had made a progrefs into the North, to quell an infurrection raifed in Yorkshire by the lord Fitzhugh, married to Alice, fifter of the earl of Warwick. His defign, in all probability, was to make a diversion in favour of his brother-in-law; and in this he fucceeded. H 2 A. C. 1470. ceeded. At the king's approach he retired to Scotland, and Edward repaired to York, where he first heard that Warwick had landed and proclaimed Henry VI. king of England; publishing at the fame time an order to all his fubjects, from fixteen to fixty, to take arms against Edward, and expel the ufurper. Edward is leave the The king immediately advanced as far as Not obliged to tingham, in his way to London; but, Warwick kingdom. being refolved to engage him before he fhould reach that capital, where he knew he was very popular, came in fight of him within three miles of Nottingham, and prepared for battle. Edward was fo weak as to depend upon the fidelity of the marquis of Montacute, though the brother of his adverfary, and a nobleman whom he had fo lately injured by depriving him of the great eftate and honour of Northumberland. He had raised fix thousand men, with whom he followed the king at some distance, as if his intention had been to reinforce his majefty; but, his real aim was to join his brother, and he had already concerted the affair with his officers. When he therefore understood that Warwick was fo near the royalifts, he quickened his march, in order to fall upon the rear of Edward, who had no intimation of his defign until he was within two leagues of his camp, and the air refounded with the cries of Long live King Henry. In this emergency he called a council of war, in which the lord Haftings gave it as his opinion, that great part of the army would revolt to the earl of Warwick; or that even, though they should do their duty, they would not be able to cope with the rebels, fince this defection of Montacute. He therefore advised his majesty to provide for his personal safety, by retreating to the fea-fide, where he might find an opportunity to escape into Holland. As there was no time to be loft, Edward, in compliance with this I advice, advice, fet out at midnight for Lynne, without mo- A. C, 1470. ney or baggage, attended by eight hundred light horfe finding in the harbour of that town two or three hips bound for Holland, he instantly embarked with his brother Gloucester, and a final retinue; and, after having narrowly escaped a fleet of Eafterlings, landed at Alkmar. In the morning after Edward's retreat, his army fubmitted to Warwick, who forthwith directed his march to London, which he entered in triumph on the fixth day of October, and removed Henry VI. from the Tower to the bishop's palace; while Edward's queen took refuge in the fanctuary of Weftminster, Stowe. where fhe was delivered of a fon named Edward. Fabian. afcends the In confequence of this furprifing revolution, which Henry rehad been effected in eleven days, without blood fhed, throne, all the judges, fheriffs, and coroners of the kingdom were changed: Lanftrother prior of St. John's was appointed treasurer; the chancellor's office was conferred on the archbishop of York; the earl of Warwick was created admiral of England; and the duke of Clarence conftituted lord-lieutenant of Ireland. On this occafion no life was taken but that of John Tiptot earl of Worcester, who feems to have been facrificed to the public hatred, as a corrupted minifter, and a monster of cruelty, for which he was fo remarkable, that he acquired the appellation of John the Butcher. Being taken on the top of an high tree in the foreft of Wavebrig, in Huntingdonshire, he was brought to London, tried in Westminster-Hall by John earl of Oxford, convicted of high treafon, condemned, and beheaded on Tower-Hill. Writs were iffued for fummoning a parliament, which met on the twentyfixth day of November. Edward was declared a traitor and ufurper, his eftate and effects were confifcated; all ftatutes made by his authority repealed, and the duke of Gloucester, and all his adherents, attainted. H 3 |