and interpreted, as though he had ment the crowne of the RealmeMarginaliaThe lawes of the Realme misconstred for the princes pleasure within lesse space thē iiij. houres he was apprehēded, iudged, drawne, and quartered in Chepeside

Marginalia[illegible text]THis king Edward lefte behinde him by hys wife Elizabeth ij. sonnes, Edward and Richard, and. ij. daughtrs, Elizabeth and Cicilie. Whiche. ij. sonnes Edward and Richard, for somuch as they were vnder age and not rype to gouerne, a consultation was called amonge the peeres to debate whether the forsayd yong prince and king, shoulde be vnder the gouernment of his mother or els that Richard Duke of Gloucester, brother to kyng Edward the fourth, and vncle to the chylde shoulde be gouernour of the kyng, and protectour of the Realme. there hath bene and is an old adage, the woordes whereof rather then the true meanyng, is wrasted out of Salomon: Væ regno cuius Rex est puer. &c.MarginaliaEccle. [illegible text] Woe to þ^t kingdome, þ^e king wherof is a child. &c. But if I may finde leaue herein to thrust in a glose, I would this adde & say:Marginalia[illegible text] Væ illi puero, qui sui regni Rex non est. 1. Wo to that childe, which is a king in a kingdome vnruly & ambitious.  

There was þ^e same season amōg other noble peeres of the Realme, the Duke of Buckyngham, a man of great authoritie, who had maryed king Edwardes wifes sister. Because this Duke beyng so neare alliaunt to the kyng, had bene vnkyndly (as he thought) of the kyng entreated, hauing by him no auauncement nor any great frēdship shewed, according to his expectatiō, tooke part therfore with Richard duke of Glocester, both against the Quene and her childrē,MarginaliaRichard duke of Gloucester made protectour. to make the foresayd Duke, the chief gouernour and protectour. The whiche thynge beyng brought to passe, by the ayde, assistaunce, and workyng of the duke of Buckyngham, the Queene tooke sanctuarie with her yonger sonne:MarginaliaThe young kyng committed to the duke of Gloucester. the elder brother, whiche was the kyng, remayned in the custodie of the Duke of Gloucester his vncle   . Who beyng now in a good towardnes to obtayne that, which he long looked for, sought all the meanes, and soone compassed the matter, by false colour of dissembled wordes, by periurie, and labour of frendes,MarginaliaThe duke of Buckingham a great doer for the protectour. namely of thee Duke of Buckyngham, and the Cardinall Archbyshop of Canterbury, that the other brother also should be committed to his credite.MarginaliaBoth king Edwardes children in the possessiō of the protectour. Thus the ambitious protectour and vnnaturall vncle, hauyng thee possession of his. ij. nephewes, and innocent babes, thought him selfe almost vp the Whele, where he would clyme: Although hee coulde not walke in such mystes and cloudes, but his deuised purposes began to be espied: which caused hym more couertlye to goe about to remoue from him all suspicion and to blynde the peoples eyes. But before, he coulde accomplishe hys execrable enterprise, some there were, whom he thought first must be ridde out of his way, as namely the Lord Hastynges, and the Lord Stanley. Who as they were sittyng together in counsaile within the tower, the protectour (the matter beyng so appointed before) sodeinly rushed in among them, and after a fewe wordes there commoned, he sodenly hasted out agayne: his minde belike, beyng full of mischief and furye, was not quiet. Who within the space of an houre, returned agayne into the chamber with a sterne contenaunce and a frownyng looke, and so there set hym downe in hys place. When the Lordes were in great meruell and muse at the meanyng hereof: then he out of a cankered hart thus began to bray, askyng them what are they worthy to haue, which go about to imagine the destruction of him beyng so nere to the kynges bloud, and protectour of the Realme?MarginaliaThe deuilishe protectour picketh quarelles. At the which question, as the other Lordes satte musing, the Lord Hastynges, because he had bene more familiar with hym, thus aunswered, that they were worthy of punishment, what soeuer they were.MarginaliaThe Queene & Shores wife, falsely accused of the protectour to bewitch his arme. Which when the other Lordes also had affirmed: that is (quoth the protectour) yonder sorceresse, my brothers wife, meanyng thee Queene, and other with her: addyng moreouer, and saying: that sorceresse & other of her counsaile, as Shores wife, with her affinitie, haue by their witchcraft, thus wasted my body: and therewith shewed forth his left arme a werysh wythered thyng, as it was neuer otherwise, as was well knowen.

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MarginaliaAdultery punished of God. This Shores wife had bene before a concubine to K. Edward, and afterward was kept by the same Lord Hastynges. Moreouer here is to be noted, that by the consent of the sayd Lord hastyngs, the cruell protectour had deuised about the same tyme, the kindred of the Queene, innocently to be headed at Pomfret, of mere despite and hatred.MarginaliaMurder iustly punished of God Wherfore, this punishement not vndeseruedly, by the iust hand of God, fell vpon the sayd Lord Hastyngs.  

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It foloweth then more in the story, that when the L. Hastyngs had heard these false accusatiōs of þ^e tyraūt, which he knewe to be vntrue: certainely (my Lorde) sayd he, if they haue so done, they be worthy of heynous punishemēt. Whye quoth the Protector, doest thou serue me with if and with and? I tell thee they haue so done and that will I make good on thy body traytour: and therewith geuyng a greate rappe on the borde (for a token or watchword) one cryed treason without and forthwith the chamber was full of harneysed men.MarginaliaL. Hastings arrested for a traytour The protectour then approchyng to the L Hastinges arrested him as a traitour. An other let flye at the Lord Standly: who to auoyde the blow shronke vnder the table, or els his head had bene cleft a sonder:MarginaliaL. Stanley wounded notwithstandyng he receaued such a wounde, that the bloud ranne about his eares. There were in that counsaile þ^e same tyme the Archbyshop of Yorke, andMarginaliaB. Morton. Doctour Morton Byshop of Eley (by whose procurement afterward kyng Henry the vij was sent for into England, and he made Archbyshop after that of Canterbury) these with the Lorde Stanley diuerslye were bestowed in diuers chambers.MarginaliaThe tyrannye of the protectour. The Lorde Hastynges  

was commaunded to spede and shryue hym a pace, for before dyner the protectour sware by S. Paule, that he should dye:MarginaliaThe Lord Hastinges beheaded. and so incontinently, wythout farther iudgement, his head was stricken of: by whose counsaile the Queenes kyndred were at the same time and day, beheaded at Pomfret.

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After this tyrannous murder accomplished, the mischieuous protectour aspiryng still to the crowne, to set his deuises forward, first through giftes and fayre promises, did subornate Doctour Shaw a famous preacher then in London, at Paules Crosse to insinuate to the people,MarginaliaThe beastly protectour accuseth hys owne mother. that neyther kyng Edward with hys sonnes, nor the Duke of Clarence were lawfully begotten, nor the very children of the Duke of Yorke, but begotten vnlawfully by other persons in adultery on the Duches their mother, and that he alone was the true and onely lawfull heyre of the Duke of Yorke:MarginaliaDoctour Shawes impudent sermon at Paules crosse. Moreouer to declare and to signifie to the audience, that king Edward was neuer lawfully maried to þ^e Quene, but his wife before was Dame Elizabeth Lucy: and so the two childrē of K. Edward to be base and bastards, and therfore the title of the crowne most rightly to pertayne to þ^e Lord Protectour. Thus this false flatterer, and loude lying preacher, to serue the protectours humour, shamed not most impudently to abuse that holy place, that reuerēt auditorie, the sacred word of God, takyng for his theame, Adulteræ plantationes non dabunt radices altas. &c.MarginaliaSap. 4. which he most impiously did apply against the innocent children and right heyres of this realm.MarginaliaExample for all flattering preachers to beware. Wherupon such grudge and disdayn of the people w^t worldly wonder followed hym, that for shame of the people crying out of hym, in few dayes after he pined away.

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MarginaliaThe duke of Buckinghā an other minister for the protectours furie. When this sermon would take no effect with the people the protectour vnmercifully drowned in ambition, rested not thus, but within two dayes after, excited the duke of Buckingham, first to breake the matter in couert talke, to the Mayor and certayne of the heads of the citie, pyked out for the purpose: that done, to come to the Guildhal., to mooue the people by all flatteryng and lying persuasions to þ^e same, which shameles Shaw had preached before at Paules Crosse.MarginaliaThe duke of Buckinghā speaketh for the protectour in the Guildhall. Which the Duke with all diligence and helpes of eloquence, beyng a man both learned and well spoken, endeuored to accomplish, makyng to the people a long and artificiall Oration, supposing no lesse, but that the people allured by hys crafty insinuations would cry, kyng Richard, kyng Richard. But there was no king Richard in their mouthes lesse in their hartes. Wherupon the Duke lokyng to the lord Mayor, and askyng what that silence ment, contrary to the promise of the one, and the expectation of the other: It was then aunswered of the Mayor, that the people peraduenture well vnderstood hym not: wherfore the duke reiterating his narration in other wordes, declared agayne that he had done before. Likewyse the third tyme he repeted hys Oration agayne and agayne.MarginaliaAn hard thing to make the toūge speake agaynst the hart. Then the commons which before stoode mute, beyng now in a mase, seyng this importunitie, began to mutter softly among themselues, but yet no king Richard could sound in their lips,MarginaliaA stolne consent in the Guildhall. saue onely that in the nether end of the Hall, certayne of the Dukes seruauntes with one Nashfield, and other belongyng to the Protectour, thrusting into the hall among the prease, began sodenly at mens backes to cry king Richard, king Richard, throwyng vp their cappes: wherat the Citizens turnyng backe their heades, maruelled not a litle, but sayd nothyng.

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The Duke and the Lord Mayor with that side, taking this for sufficient testimony, incontinent came blowyng for hast to the Protectour, then lying at Baynardes Castle.MarginaliaFye of hypocrisie. Where, the matter beyng made before, was so now contriued, that forsooth, humble petition was made in the name of the whole commons, and that with iij. sundry sutes, to the humble and simple protector, that he, although it was vtter-

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