XXV.

CHAP. sent over to that country, with an intention of quelling

the partisans of the house of York, and of reducing the

natives to subjection. 1495.

He was not supported by forces sufficient for that enterprise : The Irish, by flying into their woods morasses and mountains, for some time eluded his efforts : But Poynings summoned a parliament at Dublin, where he was more successful. He passed that memorable statute, which still bears his name, and which establishes the authority of the English government in Ireland. By this statute all the former laws of England were made to be of force in Ireland ; and no bill can be introduced into the Irish parliament, unless it previously receive the sanction of the council of England. This latter clause seems calculated for ensuring the dominion of the English: but was really granted at the desire of the Irish commons, who intended by that means to secure themselves from the tyranny of their lords, particularly of such lieutenants or deputies as were of Irish birth.

While Henry's authority was thus established throughout his dominions, and general tranquillity prevailed, the whole continent was thrown into combustion by the French invasion of Italy, and by the rapid success which attended Charles in that rash and ill concerted enterprise. The Italians, who had entirely lost the use of arms, and who, in the midst of continual wars, had become every day more unwarlike, were astonished to meet an enemy, that made the field of battle not a pompous tournament, but a scene of blood, and sought, at the hazard of their own lives, the death of their enemy. Their effeminate troops were dispersed every where on the approach of the French army: Their best fortified cities opened their gates : Kingdoms and states were in an instant overturned: And through the whole length of Italy, which the French pene. trated without resistance, they seemed rather to be taking quarters in their own country than making conquests over an enemy. The maxims which the Italians during that age followed in negotiations, were as ill calculated to support their states as the habits to which they were addicted in war: A treacherous, deceitful, and inconsistent system

of politics prevailed; and even those small remains of CHAP.

XXV. fidelity and honour, which were preserved in the councils of the other European princes, were ridiculed in

1495. Italy as proofs of ignorance and rusticity. Ludovico duke of Milan, who invited the French to invade Naples, had never desired or expected their success; and was the first that felt' terror from the prosperous issue of those projects which he himself had concerted. By his intrigues a league was formed among several potentates to oppose the progress of Charles's conquests, and secure their own inden

, pendency. This league was composed of Ludovico him. self, the pope, Maximilian king of the Romans, Ferdinand of Spain, and the republic of Venice. Henry too entered into the confederacy; but was not put to any expense or trouble, in consequence of his engagements. The king of France, terrified by so powerful a combination, retired from Naples with the greater part of his army, and returned to France. The forces which he left in his new conquest were, partly by the revolt of the inhabitants, partly by the invasion of the Spaniards, soon after subdued ; and the whole kingdom of Naples suddenly returned to its allegiance under Ferdinand, son to Alphonso, who had been suddenly expelled by the irruption of the French. Ferdinand died soon after; and left his uncle Frederic in full possession of the throne.

CHAP. XXVI.

Perkin retires to Scotland Insurrection in the West

Battle of Blackheath-Truce with Scotland Perkit taken prisoner-Perkin executed. The earl of Warwic executed Marriage of prince Arthur with Catharine of Arragon-His death Marriage of the princess Margaret with the king of Scotland Oppressions of the people parliament-Arrival of the king of CastileIntrigues of the Earl of Suffolk-Sickness of the king His death and character. His laws.

CHAY.

AFTER Perkin was repulsed from the coast of XYVI.

Kent, he retired into Flanders; but as he found it impos1495.

sible to procure subsistence for himself and his followers while he remained in tranquillity, he soon after made an attempt upon Ireland, which had always appeared forward to join every invader of Henry's authority. But Poynings had now put the affairs of that island into so good a posture, that Perkin met with little success; and being tired of the savage life which he was obliged to lead while skulking among the wild Irish, he bent his course towards Scotland, and presented himself to James IV. who then governed that kingdom. He had been previously recommended to this prince by the king of France, who was disgusted at Henry for entering into the general league against him; and this recommendation was even seconded by Maximilian, who, though one of the confederates, was

also displeased with the king on account of his prohibiting Perkin re- in England all commerce with the Low Countries. The Scotland. countenance given to Perkin by these princes procured

;

XXVI.

1

seem to have gained him credit and authority. James, CHAP. whom years had not yet taught distrust or caution, was seduced to believe the story of Perkin's birth and adven

1495. tures; and he carried his confidence so far as to give him in marriage the lady Catharine Gordon, daughter of the earl of Huntley, and related to himself; a young lady too; eminent for virtue as well as beauty.

There subsisted at that time a great jealousy between 1496. the courts of England and Scotland ; and James was pro, bably the more forward on that account to adopt any fiction which he thought might reduce his enemy to distress or difficulty. He suddenly resolved to make an inroad into England, attended by some of the borderers; and he car, ried Perkin along with him, in hopes that the appearance of the pretended prince might raise an insurrection in the northern counties. Perkin himself dispersed a manifesto, in which he set forth his own story, and craved the assistance of all his subjects in expelling the usurper, whose tyranny and maladministration, whose depression of the nobility by the elevation of mean persons, whose oppression of the people by multiplied impositions and vexations, had justly, he said, rendered him odious to all men. But Perkin's pretensions, attended with repeated disappoint, ments, were now become stale in the eyes even of the populace; and the hostile dispositions which subsisted between the kingdoms rendered a prince, supported by the Scots, but an unwelcome present to the English nation, The rayages also committed by the borderers, ac, customed to license and disorder, struck a terror into all men; and made the people prepare rather for repelling the invaders than for joining them. Perkin, that he might support his pretensions to royal birth, feigned great compassion for the misery of his plundered subjects ; and publicly remonstrated with his ally against the depredations exercised by the Scottish army : But James told him, that he doubted his concern was employed only in behalf of an enemy, and that he was anxious to preserve what never should belong to him. That prince now began to perceive that his attempt would be fruitless; and hear

CHAP. ing of an army which was on its march to attack him, he
VVVI.

thought proper to retreat into his own country.

- The king discovered little anxiety to procure either 1496.

reparation or vengeance for this insult committed on him
by the Scottish nation : His chief concern was to draw.
advantage from it, by the pretence which it might afford
him to levy impositions on his own subjects. He sum-
moned a parliament, to whom he made bitter complaints
against the irruption of the Scots, the absurd imposture
countenanced by that nation, the cruel devastations com-
mitted in the northern counties, and the multiplied insults
thus offered both to the king and the kingdom of Eng-
land. The parliament made the expected return to this
discourse, by granting a subsidy to the amount of 120,000
pounds, together with two fifteenths. After making this

grant, they were dismissed.
1497. The vote of parliament for imposing the tax was

without much difficulty procured by the authority of
Henry; but he found it not so easy to levy the money
upon his subjects. The people, who were acquainted
with the immense treasures which he had amassed, could
ill brook the new impositions raised on every slight occa-
sion; and it is probable that the flaw, which was univer-

sally known to be in his title, made his reign the more Insurrec. subject to insurrections and rebellions. When the subtion in the

sidy began to be levied in Cornwal, the inhabitants,
numerous and poor, robust and courageous, murmured
against a tax occasioned by a sudden inroad of the Scots,
from which they esteemed themselves entirely secure, and
which had usually been repelled by the force of the north-
ern counties. The ill humour was farther excited by one
Michael Joseph, a farrier of Bodmin, a notable prating
fellow, who, by thrusting himself forward on every occa-
sion, and being loudest in every complaint against the
government, had acquired an authority among those rude
people. Thomas Flammoc, too, a lawyer, who had be-
come the oracle of the neighbourhood, encouraged the
sedition, by informing them that the tax, though imposed
by parliament, was entirely illegal; that the northern
nobility were bound by their tenures, to defend the nation
against the Scots; and that if these new impositions were