Selected quad for the lemma: water_n
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A35251
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The unfortunate court-favourites of England exemplified in some remarks upon the lives, actions, and fatal fall of divers great men, who have been favourites to several English kings and queens ... / by R.B.
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R. B., 1632?-1725?
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1695
(1695)
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Wing C7351; ESTC R21199
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132,309
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194
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kindness and affection for me I will freely unbosom my Thoughts to you After I observed the dissimulation and falshood of King Richard and especially when I heard of the Barbarous Murther of the two Young Princes to which God is my witness I never condescended I so much abhorr'd his presence and company that I left the Court upon a pretended excuse he not in the least perceiving my discontent and so returned to Brecknock to you In my return whether by Inspiration or Melancholy I was possest with many Imaginations and Contrivances how to deprive this Unnatural and Bloody Butcher of his Royal Seat and Dignity First I fancied that if I had a mind to take the Crown now was the time the Tyrant being so generally abhorred and detested of all Men and believing that I had the nearest right to the Succession In this imagination I continued two days at Tewksbury and was ruminating whether I was best to take upon me the Crown as Conqueror but I presently thought that then certainly both the Nobility and Commons would use their utmost Efforts against me But at length I happened on something that I did not doubt would have brought forth fair Flowers yet proved at length nothing but Weeds For I was thinking that Edmund Duke of Somerset my Grandfather was with Henry VI. within two or three degrees of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster and my Mother being Eldest Daughter to Duke Edmund I supposed my self to be next Heir to King Henry VI. of the House of Lancaster This Title was well pleasing to those whom I made of my Council but much more to my aspiring mind but while I was perplext whether it were best instantly to publish this my Right or wait some better opportunity observe what happened As I rid from Worcester to Bridgnorth I met the Lady Margaret Countess of Richmond now Wife to the Lord Stanley and Daughter and Sole Heir to John Duke of Somerset my Grandfather's Elder Brother whom I had as utterly forgot as if I had never known her so that she and her Son Henry Earl of Richmond have a Right before me By this I perceived my mistake and resolved to relinquish all Ambitious Thoughts and to endeavour the Establishment of the Earl of Richmond Right Heir of the House of Lancaster and that he should Marry the Lady Elizabeth Eldest Daughter to King Edward so that the two Roses might be hereby united And now said the Duke I have told you my whole Heart The Bishop was very glad that they had both hit upon the same design and extolling his well laid contrivance replied Since by your Graces incomparable prudence this Noble Conjunction is intended it will be necessary to consider who are fittest to be acquainted with it By my troth quoth the Duke we will begin with the Countess of Richmond the Earl's Mother who will inform us whether he be under Confinement or at Liberty in Brittain And thus was the Foundation of a League laid by these two Great Men which fully Revenged the Death of the two Innocent Princes And it was prosecuted with all Expedition one Reynold Bray being imployed by the Bishop to his Lady the Countess of Richmond Doctor Lewis the Dutchesses Physician was sent to Queen Elizabeth and two other Persons were ordered privately to wait upon the Earl of Richmond then in France and acquaint him with the Design and procure his consent to the intended Marriage Who coming to the Earl and giving him information of the Plot He thereupon discovers it to the Duke of Brittain who though by Hutton King Rich. Ambassador he had by many great offers been solicited to detain the Earl in Prison yet he readily promised and really offered him his utmost assistance Several Knights and Gentlemen were also brought into the Confederacy in England Bishop Morton though against the Earl's consent retires in disguise into the Isle of Ely where having prepared his Friends to espouse the Earl's Interest he went from thence to Brittain to him and continued there till the Earl when King sent for him home and made him Archbishop of Canterbury But though all was managed with the utmost Privacy and under Oaths of Secresie yet King Richard had made a discovery thereof but pretending Ignorance he sends for the Duke of Buckingham to come to him Which the Duke endeavouring to avoid by pretended excuses He at last peremptorily commands him to appear upon his Allegiance upon which the Duke returned this resolute Answer ' That ne owed no Allegiance to such a perjured inhumane Butcher of his own Flesh and Blood And so from that time preparations of War are made on each side The Duke had Assembled a good number of Welshman and the Marquess of Dorset having got out of Sanctuary was labouring to raise Forces in Yorkshire The two Courtneys were doing the same in Devonshire and Cornwall and the Lords Guilford and Rame in Kent King Richard sets forward with his Forces The Duke of Buckingham Marches to incounter him intending at Glocester to have past the Severn and joined the two Courtneys but the great Rains had so swelled the River that overflowing its Banks there was no Fording over This Inundation was so great that Men were drowned in their Beds Houses overturned Children carried about the Fields Swiming in Cradles and Beasts were drowned on Hills which rage of Water continued Ten days and is to this time in the Countreys adjacent called The Great Water or the Duke of Buckingham's Water The Welshmen were so affrighted with this accident that judging it an ill Omen they all secretly deserted him so that the Duke being alone without either Page or Footman retired to the House of one Humfrey Banister near Shrewsbury who having been advanced by him and his Father he thought himself safe under his roof But Banister upon King Richard's Proclamation of a reward of 1000. Pound to him that should discover the Duke Treacherously and perfidiously discovered him to John Mitton High Sheriff of Shropshire who took him in a Thread-bare Black Cloak walking in an Orchard behind the House and carried him to Shrewsbury where King Richard quartered and there without Arraignment or Legal Proceeding he was in the Market place Beheaded in 1484. Whether Banister received the proclaimed reward from King Richard's hand is uncertain but it is certain he received a reward of a Villain from the hand of Divine Justice for himself was after hanged for Manshughter his Eldest Daughter was Ravished by one of his Plowmen or as some say struck with a loathsome Leprosie his Eldest Son in a desperate Lunacy Murdered himself and his Younger Son was drowned in a small puddle of Water This was the fatal end of the Great Duke of Buckingham who went too far for a good Man in being accessary to the depriving the Innocent Princes of their Birth-right and declaring them Bastards But it seems he went not far enough for so bad a Man as King Richard because he would not
their hands at this ridiculous sight crying Behold the Cardinal 's Rich Treasure The Muliteers were much ashamed at this discovery however quietly gathering up these hungry relicks they peaceably marched on Cardinal Campeius was conducted through the City to St. Pauls where having bestowed his blessing upon the People he was then brought to Cardinal Woolsey's Palace where he lodged having his Golden Crosses Pillars Guilt Axe and Mace carried before him And now as Cardinal Woolsey had the Power so he maintained the Port and Grandeur of a Prince of which we have this account He had in his Hall three long Tables to which belonged three several Officers a Steward who was always a Priest a Treasurer a Knight and a Comptroller an Esq He had also in the Hall a Confessor a Doctor three Marshalls three Ushers two Almoners and two Grooms In the Hall Kitchin two Clarks a Comptroller a Surveyor over the Dresser a Clerk of the Spicery two Cooks twelve Labourers and Children In the Kitchin a Master Cook Clothed in Velvet or Sattin with a Gold Chain two Under Cooks six Labourers four Scullery-men two Yeomen of the Pastry and two Past-layers under him In the Larder a Yeoman and a Groom In the Buttery two Yeomen and two Grooms In the Eury as many In the Cellar three Yeomen three Pages In the Chandery two Yeomen In the Wayfary two Yeomen In the Wardrobe of the Beds the Master and twenty Persons besides In the Landrey a Yeoman a Groom and thirteen Pages two Yeomen Purveyors and a Groom Purveyor In the Bake-house two Yeomen two Grooms In the Woodyard a Yeoman and a Groom In the Barn a Yeoman Two Yeomen and two Grooms Porters at the Gate A Yeoman of his Bing A Master of his Horse A Clerk and Yeomen of the Stables A Farrier and Yeoman of the Stirrup A Malter and sixteen Grooms every one keeping four Geldings His Chappel was furnished with a vast number of costly Ornaments and Rich Jewels Forty four Copes gloriously imbroidered with Gold and Silver Silver Candlesticks and other necessary Utensils In which were the following Officers a Dean a Sub-Dean a Repeater of the Quire a Gospellor an Epistoler of the Singing Priests a Master of the Children In the Vestry a Yeoman and two Grooms beside other Retainers that appeared at principal Feasts He had likewise two Cross-bearers and two Pillar-bearers in the Great Chamber and in his Privy-Chamber the Chief Chamberlain Vice Chamberlain Gentleman Usher twelve Waiters six Gentlemen Waiters Also nine or ten Lords who had two or three Men to wait on them and the Earl of Darby five Then he had Gentlemen Cup-bearers Carvers and forty Sewers of the Great and Privy Chamber six Yeomen Ushers eight Grooms twelve Doctors and Chaplains daily Guests besides his own a Clerk of his Closet two Secretaries two Clerks of his Signet four Councellours Learned in the Law As he was Lord Chancellour of England he had a Riding Clerk a Clerk of the Crown of the Hamper of the Check four Footmen with gallant Liveries a Herald at Arms a Serjeant at Arms a Phisician an Apothecary four Minstrels a Keeper of his Tents when upon a Journey and an Armourer Also in his House a Surveyor of York a Clark of the Green Cloth All these attended daily At Dinner he had every day eight Tables furnisht for his Chamberlains and Gentlemen Officers half of whom were young Lords who had two or three Persons to wait on them and all the rest had one These were all his inrolled Servants besides Retainers and other Persons that came about business who daily Dined in his Hall which according to the List amounted to eight hundred Persons So that he was as bountiful an House-keeper as any in that Age and much superior to any since When he went to Westminster Hall to hear Causes as Lord Chancellor his Magnificence was as conspicuous as in other Offices He was clothed in red like a Cardinal his upper Garment all of Scarlet or else fine Crimson Taffety or Crimson Satrin in Grain A black Tippet of Sables about his Neck and an Orange in his hand the Meat taken out and filled with Confections to prevent the ill scents from the Crouds of People Being mounted his two Cross bearers and his two Pillar bearers all in fine Scarlet upon tall Horses rid before him then one with the Purse and Great Seal of England Another with his Cardinals Cap then a train of Gentlemen with every one a Pole-ax next the Cardinal himself attended on each side by four Footmen In the same State he used to go every Sunday to the Court at Greenwich in a very rich Barge and furnisht with Yeomen all round where when he arrived he was attended by the Lord Treasurer Comptroller and other principal Officers of the King's House who conveyed him in State into the King's Chamber In this grandeur he continued for fourteen or fifteen years managing all affairs of State to whom all foreign Ambassadors made their application and all Addresses and Petitions were offered And to secure this Soveraign Power which he had gained over the King's affections he contrived all kind of pleasures and divertisements suitable to his juvenile temper as Masking Dancing Banquetting Young Ladies and variety of other Pastimes I saw the King saith my Author come one time suddenly to the Cardinals Palace at Westminster now White-Hall which he had newly built with a dozen Masquers attired like Shepherds in cloth of Gold and Silver imbroidered with six Flambeux And others in Vizors clothed all in Sattin The King came thither privately by Water and arriving at the Stairs several great Guns were discharged which much surprized the Noblemen Gentlemen and Ladys a great number of whom the Cardinal at that time was treating at a sumptuous Supper he himself sitting at the upper end of the Table under a Cloth of State a Gentleman and Lady being placed together through all the Tables The Cardinal at the great noise as if ignorant of the matter desired the Lord Chamberlain to inquire the meaning thereof Who looking out of the Window into the Thames returned again and told him that he believed there were some Noblemen and Strangers coming to the Landing â—tairs My Lord said the Cardinal I intreat you who can speak French to go and receive them and conduct them to our Banquet desiring them to sit down and be merry with us The Lord Chamberlain went into the Hall And with twenty Torches and a great number of Drums and Trumpets brought them into the Dining Room who by two together went up to the Cardinal's Chair and saluted him To whom the Lord Chamberlain said My Lord Cardinal these Gentlemen being Strangers and not speaking English desire me to inform your Grace that they hearing of your Triumphant and Magnificent Banquet this Night and of such a number of handsome Ladies as were assembled thereto they presumed upon your Graces goodness to intrude into your Palace to take a