As from the realme and crowne the king did pourge And me both from mine office frendes and wife From good report from honest death and life For Therle of Warwick through a cancard grudge Which to king Edward causeles he did beare Out of his realme by force did make him trudge And set king Henry agayne vpon his chaire And then all such as Edwardes louers were As traytours tane were greuously opprest But chiefly I because I loved him best And for my goodes and livinges wer not small The gapers for them bare the world in hand For ten yeres space that I was cause of all The exeenâ—ions done within the land For thys did such as did not vnderstand My enmies drift thinke all reportes wer true And so to hate me wurse than any Iewe. For seeldome shall a ruler lose his life Before false rumours openly be spred Wherby this proverbe is as true as rise That rulers rumours hunt about a head Frowne Fortune once all good report is fled For present shew doth make the mayny blind And such as see dare not disclose their mind Through this was I king Edwardes butcher named And bare the shame of all his cruell dedes I cleare me not I wurthely was blamed Though force was such I must obey him nedes With hyest rulers seldome wel it spedes For they ve ever nearest to the nip And fault who shall for all fele they the whip For whan I was by parliament attaynted King Edwardes evilles all wer counted mine No truth avaylde so lyes wer faste and paynted Which made the people at my life repine Crying Crucifige kill that butchers line That whan I should have gone to Blockaut feast I could not passe so sore they on me preast And had not bene the officers so strong I thinke they would have eaten me aliue Howbeit hardly haled from the throng I was in the Fleete fast shrowded by the shrive Thes one dayes life their malice did me give Which whan they knew for spite the next day after They kept them calme so suffeed I the slaughter Now tel me Baldwin what fault doest thou find In me that lustly should such death deserve None sure except desire of honour blind Which made me seke in offices to serve What minde so good that honors make not swerve So mayst thou see it only was my state That caused my death and brought me so in hate Warne therfore all men wisely to beware What offices they enterprise to beare The hyest alway most maligned are Of peoples grudge and princes hate in feare For princes faultes his faultors all men teare Which to auoyde let none such office take Save he that can for right his prince forsake THis Earles tragedy was not so soone finished but one of the cumpany had prouided for an other of a notable person lord Tiptoftes chiefe enemy concerning whom he sayd Lord god what trust is there in worldly chauÌ„ces what stay in any prosperity for see the Earle of Warwicke which caused the earle of Wurcester to be apprehended attaynted and put to death triumphing with his olde imprisoned and newe vnprisoned prince king Henry was by and by after and his brother with him flayne at Barnet field by kyng Edward whoÌ„ he had before time damaged divers wayes As first by his frendes at Banbury field where to revenge the death of his Cosin Harry Nevel Sir Iohn Conyers and Iohn Clappain his seruauntes slewe five thousand Welshemen and beheaded theyr captaynes the earle of Pen broke and syr Rychard Harbert his brother after they wer yelded prisoners of whom syr Rychard Harbert was â—he tallest gentleman both of his person and handes that ever I reade or heard of At which time also Robyn of Ridsdale a rebell of the earle of Warwyks raysing tooke the earle Rivers king Edwardes wifes father and his sonne Iohn at his manour of Grafion and caryed them to Northhampton there without cause or proces beheaded them Whych spites to requite king Edward caused the lord Stafford of Southwike one of Warwikes chyefe frendes to be taken at Brent march and headed at Budgewater This caused the Earle shortly after to raise his power to encounter the king which came agaynst him with an army beside Warwike at Wouluey wher he wan the field tooke the king prisoner and kept him a while at Yorkeshire in Middleham castel whence as sum say he released him agayne but other thinke he corrupted his kepers and so escaped Then through the lordes the matter was taken vp betwene them they brought to talk together but because they could not agree the earle raysed a new army wherof he made captayne the lord Welles sonne which broyle kinge Edward minding to appeace by pollicy fowly distayned his honor committing peruiry For he sent for the lord Welles his brother sir Thomas Dunocke vnder safeconduyte promising theÌ„ vpon his fayth to kepe theÌ„ harmles But after because the Lord Walles sonne would not dissolve his army beheded theÌ„ both and weÌ„t with his power downe into Lincolnshire there fought with sir Robert Welless slewe ten thousand of his souldiers yet ran they away so fast that the casting of of their clothes for the more spede caused it to be called loose-coate fyeld tooke sir Robert other and put them to deth in the same place This misfortune forced the earle of Warwike to saile into FrauÌ„ce wher he was wel entertained of y t king a while and at last with such poore helpe as he procured ther of duke Rayner other he came unto England againe increased such a power in Kyng Henries name y t as the lord Tiptoft sayd in his tragedy king Edwarde vnable to abide him was faine to flye over the washes in Lincolnshire to get a ship to saile out of his kingdome to â—is brother in lawe the duke of Burgoyne So was king HeÌ„ry restored again to the kingdome Al these despites troubles the Earle wâ—ought agaynst king Edward but Henry was so â—nfortunate that ere halfe a yeare was expâ—red king Edwarde came backe agayne and imprisoned him and gave the erle a sielde wherein 〈◊〉 sâ—w both him and his brother I have recounted thus much before hande for the better opeâ—ing of the story which if it should have bene spoken in his tragedâ— would rather have madâ— a volume thaâ— a Pamphlete For I enteâ—de onelye to say in the tragedy what I have 〈…〉 the Earle of Warwycke person 〈…〉 other noble mâ—n wham I have by the waye touched should not be forgotten And therfore imagine that you see this Earle lying with his brother in Paules church in his coat armure with such a face countenaunce as he beareth in portrayture ouer the dore in Poules at the going downe to Iesus Chappell fro the south ende of the quier stayres and saying as foloweth Hovv sir Richard Nevell Earle of VVarvvike and his brother Iohn Lord Marquise Mountacute through their to much boldnes vver slayne at Barnet field
wield and furnysh so weighty an enterpryse thinkyng euen so to shut my handes But he earnest and diligent in his affayres prâ—â—iued Aâ—hles â—o set vnder his shoulder for shortly after dyuers learned men whose many giftes nede fewe praises consented to take vpon theym parte of the trauayle And whan certayne of theym to the numbre of seuen were throughe a geneâ—all assâ—nt at aâ— apoynted time aâ—d place gathered together to deuyse therupon I resorted vnto them bering with me the booke of Bochas translated by Dan Lidgate for the better obseruacion of his order whiche although we lyked well yet woulde it not cuâ—nâ—â—ly serue seynge that both Bochas and Lidgate were dead neyther were there any alyue that meddled with lyke argâ—ment to whom the vnfortunat might make their moue To make therfore a state mete for the matter they al agreed that I shoulde vsurpe Bochas rowme and the wretched princes complayne vnto me and tooke vpon themselues euery man for his parte to be sundrye personages and in theyr behalfes to bewayle vnto me theyr greuous chaunces heuy destunes wofull misfortunes This doen we opened suche bookes of Cronicles as we had there present and maister Ferrers after he had founde where Bochas left whiche was about the ende of king Edwarde the thirdes raigne to begin the matter sayde thus I meruaile what Bochas meaneth to forget among his myserable princes such as wer of our nacion whose numbre is as great as their aduentures wunderful For to let passe all both Britons Danes and Saxons and to cum to the last Conquest what a sorte are they and sum euen in his owne tyme As for example king Rycharde the fyrste slayne with a quarlle in his chiefe prosperitie also king Iohn his brother as sum saye poysoned are not their histories rufull and of rare example But as it shoulde appeare he beynge an Italien mynded most the Roman and Italike story orels perhaps he wanted our countrey chronicles It were therfore a goodlye and a notable matter to searche dyscourse oure whole storye from the fyrst beginning of the inhabitynge of the yle But â—eâ—nge the printers mynde is to haue vs followe where Lidgate left we wyll leaue that great laboure to other that maye intende it and as blinde bayarde is alway boldest I wyll begin at the tyme of Rycharde the second a tyme as vnfortunate as the ruler therein And forasmuche frende Baldvvin as it shalbe your charge to note and pen orderly the whole proces I wyll so far as my memorie and iudgement serueth sumwhat further you in the truth of the story And therefore omytting the ruâ—â—le made by Iacke Strawe and his meyny and the mourder of many notable men which therby happened for Iacke as ye knowe was but a poore prince I will begin with a notable example whiche within a whyle after ensued And althoughe he be no great prince yet sythens he had a princelye offyce I wyll take vpon me the miserable person of syr Robert Tresilian chiefe Iustice of Englande and of other which suffred with him thereby to warne all of his authorytie and profession to take heed of wrong Iudgementes mysconstruyng of lawes or wrestyng the same to serue the princes tuâ—nes whiche ryghtfullye brought theym to a myserable ende whiche they may iustly lament in maner ensuyng The fall of Robert Tresilian chiefe Iustice of Englande and other his felovves for misconstruyng the lavves â–ª and expounding them to serue the Princes affections IN the rufull Register of mischief and mishap Baldwin we beseche thee w t our names to begin Whom vnfrendly Fortune did trayne vnto a trap When we thought our state most stable to haue bin So lightly leese they all which all do ween to wyn Learne by vs ye Lawyers and Iudges of the lande Uncorrupt and vpryght in doome alway to stande And print it for a president to remayne for euer Enroll and recorde it in tables made of brasse Engraue it in marble that may be razed neuer Where Iudges and Iusticers may see as in a glasse What fee is for falshode and what our wages was Who for our princes pleasure corrupt with meed and awe wittyngly and wretchedly did wrest the sence of lawe A chaunge more newe or straunge seldome hath he seen Then from the benche aboue to cum downe to the bar was neuer state so turned in no tyme as I weeâ— As they to becum clyeâ—tes that counsaylours erst were But such is Fortunes playe which featly can prefer The iudge that sate aboue full lowe beneth to stand At the bar a prisoner holdynge vp his hand Whiche in others cause coulde stoutly speake and plead Both in court and countrey careles of the tryall Stande mâ—â—t lyke mummers without aduyse or read Unable to vtter a true plea of denyall Whiche haue seen the daye when that for halfe a â—yall We coulde by very arte haue made the blacke seme white And matters of most wrong to haue appered most right Beholde me vnfortunate forman of this flocke Tresilian sumtime chief Iustice of this lande By discent a gentleman no staine was in my stocke Loketon Holt and Belknap with other of my bands Whiche the lawe and iustice had wholy in our hands Under the seconde Richarde a prince of great estate To whom frowarde fortune gaue a foule checkmate In the common lawes our skill was so profounde Our credite and aucthoritie suche and so estemed That what so we concluded was taken for a grounde Allowed was for lawe what so to vs best semed Lyle death landes goodes and all by vs was demed Whereby with easye paine so great gaine we did get That euery thing was fishe that came vnto our net At sessions and at syses we bare the stroke and swey In patentes and commissions of Quorum alway chiefeâ— So that to whether syde so euer we did wey Were it right or wrong it past without repriefe We let hang the true man somwhiles to saue a thiefe Of golde and of syluer our handes were neuer emptye Offices termes and fees tell to vs in great plentye But what thing maye suffyse vnto the gredye manâ— The more he hath in holde the more he doeth desyre Happy and twise happy is he that wisely can Content him selfe with that whiche reason doth requyre And moyleth for no more then for his needfull hyre But gredynes of mynde doth neuer kepe the syse Whiche though it haue enough yet doth it not suffyse For lyke as dropsye pacientes drinke and styll be dry Whose vâ—staunched thyrst no lyquor can allaye And drinke they neuer so muche yet styll for more they cry So couetous catchers toyle both nyght and day Gredy and euer nedy prollyng for theyr praye O endles thyrst of golde corrupter of all lawes What mischiefe is on molde whereof thou art not cause Thou modest vs forget the fayth of our profession When sergeantes we were sworne to serue the coÌ„mon lawe Whiche was that in no poynte we should make digression From approued
principles in sentens nor in sawe But we vnhappy wretches without all drede and awe Of the Iudge eternall for worldes vayne promocion More to man than God dyd beare our hole deuocion The lawes we interpreted and statutes of the lande Not trulye by the texte but nuly by a glose And wâ—rds that wer most plaine whan thei by vs wer sâ—andâ— We turned by construction lyke a welchmans hose Wherby many one both lyfe and lande dyd lose Yet this we made a mean to mount aloft on mules To serue kings in al pâ—intes men must sumwhile breke rules Thus clymyng and contendyng alway to the top From hye vnto hygher and than to be moste hye The hunny dewe of Fortune so fast on vs dyd drop That of kinge Richards counsayle we came to be full nye To crepe into whose fauour we were â—â—ll fyne and slye Alway to his proâ—iâ—e where any wurde myght sounde That way all were it wrong the sens we dyd expounnde So wurkyng lawe lyke ware the subiecte was not sure Of lyfe lande nor goods but at the princes wyll Whiche caused his kingdome the shorter tyme to dure For clayming power absolute both to saue and spyll The prince therby presumed his people for to pyll And set his lustes for lawe and will had reasons place No more but hang and drawe there was no better grace The king thus transcending the lymittes of his lawe Not raygning but raging by youthfull insolence Wyse and wurthy persons dyd fro the courte withdrawe There was no grace nâ— place for auncient prudence Presumcion and pryde with excesse of expence Possessed the palays and pillage the countrye Thus all went to wracke vnlyke of remedie The Baronye of Englande not bearyng this abuse Conspyring with the commons assembled by assent And seynge neyther reason nor â—reaty coulde induce The king in any thing his Rygor to relent Mawgree all his might they called a parlyament Francke and free for all men without checke to debate As well for weale publyke as for the princes stare In whiche parlyament muche thinges was proponed Concerning the regaly and ryghtes of the crowne By reason kynge Richarde whiche was to be moned Full lytell regardynge his honour and renowne By synister aduyse had tourned all vpsodowne For suerty of whose state them thought it dyd behooue His corrupt counsaylours from him to remooue Among whom Robert Uere called duke of Irelande with Myghell Delapole of Suffolke newe made erle Of Yorke also the Archebysshop dyspatcht wer out of hande with Brembre of London Mayor â–ª a full vncurteous churle Sum learned in the lawe in exyle they dyd hurle But I poore Tresilian because I was the chiefe was dampned to the gallowes most vyly as a chiefe Loe the fyne of falshode the stypende of corruption Fye on stynkyng lucre of all vnryght the lure Ye Iudges and ye Iusticers let my most iust punycion Teache you to shake of bribes and kepe your handes pure Ryches and promocion be vaine thynges and vnsure The fauour of a prince is an vntrusly staye But Iustyce hath a see that shall remayne alwaye what glory can be greater before god or man Then by the pathes of equitie in iudgement to procede So dâ—lâ—e and so trulye the lawes alwayes to skan That ryght may take his place without rewarde or mede Set aparte all flattery and vaine worldly drede Take god before your eyes 〈◊〉 iust iudge supreme Remembre well your reckeniâ—g at the daye extreme Abandon all affâ—ay be soothfast in your sawes Be consâ—anâ— and câ—reles of mortall mens dyspleasure With eyes shâ—â— hands close you should pronounce the lawes Esteme not worldly â—yre thynke ther is a treasure More worth then golde or stone a thousande rymes in valure Reposed for all suche as righteousnes ensue Whereof you cannot fayle the promys made is true If sum in latter dayes had called vnto mynde The fatall fall of vs for wrestyng of the ryght The statutes of this lande they should not haue defynde So wylfully and wyttingly agaynst the sentence quyte But though they skaped paine the falte was nothing lyght Let them that cum hereafter both that and this compare And waying well the ende they wyll I trust beware WHan maister Ferrers had finished this tragedye whiche semed not vnfyt for the persons touched in the same An other whiche in the mean tyme had stayed vpon syr Roger Mortimer whose miserable ende as it should appeare was sumwhat before the others sayd as foloweth Althoughe it be not greatly appertinent to our purpose yet in my iudgement I thynke it woulde do wel to obserue the times of men and as they be more aunciente â–ª so to place theym â–ª for I fynde that before these of whom maister Ferrers here hath spoken there were two Mortimers the one hanged in Edwarde the thirdes tyme out of oure date another slayne in Irelande in Richarde the secondes tyme a yere before the fall of these Iustices whose historye syth it is notable and the example fruitfull it were pitie to ouerpasse it And therfore by your lycence and agrement I will take vpon me the personage of the last who full of woundes miserably mangled with a pale countenaunce and grisly looke may make his mone to Baldvvin as foloweth Hovve the tvvo Rogers surnamed Mortimers for theyr sundry vices ended theyr lyues vnfortunatelye AMong the ryders of the rollyng wheels That lost theyr holdes Baldwin forget not me whose fatall threede false Fortune nedes would reele Ere it were twysted by the systers three All folke be frayle theyr blysses brittle bee For proofe whereof although none other mer Suffyse may I syr Roger Mortimer Not he that was in Edwardes dayes the thyrde Whom Fortune brought to boote and efte to bale With loue of whom the kyng so muche she sturde That none but he was heard in any tale And whyles she smooth blewe on this merye gale He was created earle of Marche alas Whence envy sprang whiche his destruction was For welth bredeth wrath in suche as welth do want And pryde with folly in suche as it possesse Among a thousande shall you fynde hym skant That can in welth his loftye harte represse Whiche in this Erle due proofe did playne expresse For where he sumwhat hauty was before His hygh degree hath made hym nowe muche more For nowe alone he ruleth as him lust Nâ— recketh for rede save of kyng Edwardes mother Whiche forced envy soulder out the rust That in mens hartes before dyd lye and smother The Piers the people as well the one as the other Agaynst 〈◊〉 so haynous a complaynt That for a traytour he was taken and attaynt Then all suche faultes as were forgot before The shower afresh and samwhat to them ad For cruell envy hath eloquence in store whan Fortune byds to warsse thinges meanely bad Fyue haynous crymes agaynst hym soone were had Fyrst that he causde the kyng to yelde the Skot To make a peace townes that were from him got And therewithall
same We thre tryumphed in king Richards time Til Fortune ought both him and vs a spite But chiefly me whom clere from any crime My king did banish from his favour quite And openly proclaymed trayterous knight Wherethrough false slaunder forced me to be That which before I did most deadly flee Let men beware how they true folke defame Or threaten on them the blame of vices nought For infamy bredeth wrath wreke foloweth shames Eke open slaunder oftentimes hath brought That to effect that erst was neuer thought To be misdemed men suffer in a sort But none can beare the griefe of misreport Because my king did shame me wrongfully I hated him and in dede became his foe And while he did at war in Ireland lye I did conspire to turne his weale to woe And through the duke of Yorke and other moe All royall power from him we quickely tooke And gaue the same to Henry Boleynbroke Neyther dyd we this alonely for this cause But to say truth force drave vs to the same For he dispising god and all good lawes Slew whom he would made sinne a very game And seing neither age nor counsayle could him tame We thought it wel done for the kingdomes sake To leaue his rule that did al rule forsake But whan sir Henry had attaynde his place He strayt becam in all poyntes wurse than he Destroyed the piers slewe kyng Rychards grace Agaynst his othe made to the lordes and me And seking quarelles how to disagre He shamelesly required me and my sonne To yeld him Scottes which we in field had wun My Nephew also Edmund Mortymer The very heyre apparaunt to the Crowne Whom Owen Glendour held as prisoner Uilely bound in dungeon depe cast downe He would not raunsum but did felly frowne Agaynst my brother and me that for him spake And him proclaymed traytour for our sake This sowle despite did cause vs to conspire To put him downe as we did Richard erst And that we might this matter set on fyre From Owens â—ayle our cosin we remerst And vnto Glendour all our griefes reherst Who made a bonde with Mortymer and me To pryue the king and part the realme in thre But whan king Henry heard of this devise Toward Owen Gleudour he sped him very quyck Mynding by force to stop our enterprise And as the deuell would then fell I sick Howbeit my brother sonne more politike Than prosperous with an oast fro ScotlaÌ„d brought Encountred him at Shrewsbury wher they fought The one was tane and kild the other slayne And shortly after was Owen put to flight By meanes wherof I forced was to fayne That I knew nothing of the former fight Fraude oft avayles more than doth sturdy might For by my fayning I brought him in belief I knew not that wherin my part was chief And while the king thus tooke me for his frend I sought all meanes my former wrong to wreake Which that I might bring to the sooner ende To the bishop of Yorke I did the matter breake And to Therle Marshall likewise did I speake Whose father was through Henries cause exyled The bishops brother with trayterous death defiled These strayt assented to do what they could So did lorde Hastinges and lord Fauconbridge Which altogether promised â—hey would Set all their power the kinges dayes to abridge But se the spite before the byrdes wer flidge The king had woord and seysoned on the nest Wherby alas my frendes wer al opprest The bluddy tyrant â—â—ought them all to ende Excepted me which into Scotland skapte To George of Dunbar therle of March my frend Who in my cause al that he could ey skrapte And when I had for greater succour gapte Both at the Frenchman and the Flemminges hand And could get none I toke such as I sand And with the helpe of George my very frend I did invade Northumberlande ful bold Whereas the folke drew to me stil vnend Bent to the death my party to vphold Through helpe of these ful many a fort and hold The which the king right manfully had manâ— I easely wunne and seysed in my hand Not so content for vengeaunce drave me on I entred Yorkeshire there to waste and spoyle But ere I had far in the countrey gon The shirif therof Rafe Rekesby did assoyle My troubled hoost of much part of our toyle For he assauting freshly tooke through power Me and lord Bardolph both at Bramham more And thence conueyed vs to the towne of Yorke Until he knew what was the kinges entent There loe Lord Bardolf kinder than the Storke Did lose his head which was to London sent With whom for frendshippe urine in like case went This was my hap my forâ—une or my fawte This life I led and thus I came to naught Wherfore good Baldwin wil the pyers take hede Of slaunder malyce and conspiracy Of couetise whence al the rest procede For couetise ioynt with contumacy Doth cause all mischief in mens hartes to brede Ad therfore this to Esperance my wurd Who causeth bludshed shall not skape the swurd BY that this was ended I had found out the storie of Richard earle of Cambridge and because it conteyned matter in it though not very notable yet for the better vnderstanding of the rest I thought it mete to touche it and therfore sayd as foloweth You haue sayd wel of the Percies and favourably For in dede as it should appere the chyefe cause of theyr conspiracie agaynst kyng Henry was for Edmund Mortimer theyr cosins sake whom the king very maliciously proclaymed to haue yelded hym selfe to Owen colourably whan as in deede he was takeÌ„ forcibly against his wil very cruelly ordered in prison And seing we are in haÌ„d with Mortimers matter I wyll take vppon me the person of Richard Plantagenet Earle of Cambridge who for his sake likewise died And therfore I let passe Edmund Holland erle of Kent whom Henry the fowerth made Admirall to skoure the Seas because the Buttons were abrode whiche Earle as many thynges happen in warre was slayne with an arrowe at the assaulte of Briake shortly after whose death thys king dyed and his sonne Henry the fyft of that name succeded in his place In the beginning of this Henry the fyfts rayne dyed this Rychard and with him Henry the lord Scrope others in whose behalfe this may be sayd Hovv Richard erle of Cambridge entending the kinges destruction vvas put to death at Southhampton HAst maketh wast hath commonly ben sayd And secrete mischiefe seeld hath lucky spede A murdering mind with proper pryze is wayd Al this is true I find it in my Crede And therfore Baldwin warne all states take hede How they conspire any other to betrappe Least mischiefe meant light in the miners lappe For I lord Richard heyre Planâ—agenet Was Erle of Cambridge and right fortunate If I had had the grace my wit to set To have content me with mine owne estate But o false honours broders of