CHAPTER XI. Dispersion of Dorset's Followers-Execution of Sir Thomas St. Leger -Richmond appears upon the Coast-his Retreat to Bretagne— Proceedings of the Lancastrians-Henry Tudor's Oath-The Nobles swear Allegiance to Richmond-Negociations with the Duke of Bretagne-Subservience of Richard's Parliament-The Commons attainted-Richard's Severity-Courtesy shewn to the Countess of Richmond-Libellous Rhyme-Pomp of Richard's Court-Degradation of Elizabeth Wydeville-and of her Daughters-they accept Richard's offered Protection-The King's Oath-Elizabeth's Advice to her Son Misconstruction of Richard's best Actions—his Designs upon Richmond's Person-Honourable Conduct of the Duke of Bretagne-Treachery of Landois-Richard's Councils are betrayedNarrow Escape of Richmond-Obtains Protection from Charles VIII.-Conduct of Foreign Princes towards Richard-Henry Tudor's destitute Condition-his sanguine Hopes-he is joined by the Earl of Oxford-and other Knights-Richard's Preparations-The Nobles renew their Oaths of Allegiance-Death of the Prince of Wales -Anecdotes concerning him-Grief of the King and QueenChoice of the Heir Presumptive-Imprisonment of Warwick—Elevation of the Earl of Lincoln-The Duke of Albany's Visit to England--Invasion of Scotland-Albany is defeated—his Death— Treaty with Scotland-Richard's Proclamation-Weakness of Henry Tudor's Claims-his Letter to his English Friends-Confirmation of the Death of the young Princes-Favours enjoyed by the Princess Elizabeth at Court-Reports of the old Writers— Richard's Exultation-Illness of the Queen-Letter attributed to the Princess Elizabeth-Death of Queen Anne-Remonstrances of Richard's Friends-Apparent Decline of Richmond's HopesRichard's Suspicion of the Stanleys-Motives of their Conduct-the King endeavours to gain Dorset over-is prevented by the Vigilance of the Lancastrians-Richmond applies to his Welch Friends-Exhausted State of Richard's Finances-Offensive Means of raising Money. XI. Nov. 1483. THE open revolt of the western counties under CHAP. the Marquis of Dorset drew Richard into Devonshire. On the approach of his army, the insurgents despairing of effectual resistance betook themselves to flight, numbers rushed into sanctuary, and those who were sufficiently fortunate to gain the coast, flung themselves on board ship and made sail to Bretagne. Sir Thomas St. Leger fell into the conqueror's hands at Exeter; he had married Richard's sister, the wife of Thomas Holand, the last duke of that family, and neither the ties of consanguinity, the prayers of supplicating relatives, nor the more tempting offers of large sums of money could alter the fierce implacability which doomed him to instant death.* Others of the conspirators were executed at Guildford, and some of the servants of the king's household becoming obnoxious to suspicion shared the same fate.† Richard hoped to annihilate the spirit of rebellion by these terrible examples; aware how widely disaffection to his government had spread, he enforced the sentence of the law upon convicted traitors with merciless rigour. Environed by treason, the sickening hearts of men revolting from him by thousands, a milder administration would in all probability have failed to attach a nation shocked and exasperated by the atrocity of the usurper's crimes, but the sanguinary executions which marked his bloodstained XI. CHAP. reign, stamped his character with an indelible brand, and despite of all the laboured apologies of erudite sceptics, the epithet of tyrant will cling to Richard's name so long as the existence of England, as a kingdom, shall be remembered upon earth. The inclemency of the weather, which had been so fatal to Buckingham's expedition, frustrated also the attempt of Richmond; his small fleet was dispersed by a violent storm, and the tempest tossed vessel in which he had embarked, divided from the rest of the convoy, was driven on the Dorsetshire coast. The adventurer as he drew near to Poole could see that the shore was occupied by armed men, and too wary to rush unadvisedly upon danger he sent a boat on shore to make inquiries concerning the nature of those preparations before he would venture to land. These troops stationed on a suspected point by Richard's vigilance, declared that they belonged to the Duke of Buckingham, and had been dispatched by him to receive his friends from Bretagne, and with this assurance invited the earl to land; but still distrustful, an assertion unaccompanied by farther proof of their sincerity could not impose upon the circumspect nobleman, he resolved to await the arrival of his fleet and sailed on to Plymouth, where the news of Buckingham's defeat and death being conveyed to him he hastened to return to his former place of refuge before the activity of his enemies had barred the passage across the sea.* All the fugitives met at Vannes, and mutually rejoicing in each other's safety, were not de* Croyland. XI. terred from meditating a future attempt by the failure CHAP. of their most sanguine hopes. They assembled frequently in council to deliberate upon the means of accomplishing the dethronément of Richard in the union of the rival roses : and the preliminaries arranged, Henry Tudor on Christmas Day took a solemn oath, on the altar of the principal church, to marry the Princess Elizabeth upon the conquest of the kingdom, and received in return the homage of the exiled noblemen and their followers, amounting in all to five hundred persons, who acknowledged him as their king by a voluntary act of allegiance, as unexpected as it must have been gratifying to the banished heir of a decaying line.* The confederates depended almost entirely upon the Duke of Bretagne for the equipment of their armament; they were ill provided with money, having exhausted nearly every resource in their late efforts, and Richmond pledging himself to repay the loan when he was established in England, prevailed upon the duke to promise a considerable supply of gold from his treasury. Encouraged by this favourable hope, the earl commenced his preparations, repairing the damage which his vessels had sustained in the recent storms, and fitting them out with arms, ammunition, and other warlike stores necessary for the success of the intended invasion. Richard summoned a parliament on his return to the capital, and obtained from this obsequious assembly a full confirmation of his title to the throne, and an entire acquiescence in every, measure which his policy or his revenge dictated against the hostile • Grafton. Nov. 1483. CHAP. faction. The petition which Buckingham had preXI. sented to the king, when protector, at Baynard's castle, received the sanction both of Lords and Commons; they entailed the crown on the Prince of Wales, and passed a sweeping bill of attainder almost unprecedented in its severity, the wide range embracing an immense multitude of persons, who though implicated in the late revolt might from the clemency extended by former sovereigns to the followers of rebellious nobles, have hoped for an entire remission of punishment, or escape by the payment of a fine. This arbitrary act fell heavily upon the middling classes; in addition to the Duke of Buckingham, and the Marquis of Dorset, three earls, of whom Richmond was one, and three prelates, were the only sufferers amid the higher ranks of the nobility, the nearly interminable catalogue being filled with the names of knights and gentlemen, forcibly driven from their estates, and thrown defenceless on the world by the rigid despot's persecuting enmity;* measures which, however in some degree justified by the act of rebellion, tended to increase the general indignation against a king who, acquiring the throne by a series of enormous crimes, had forgotten how to pardon the offences of less fortunate aggressors. Richard enriched the crown revenues with a part of the forfeited estates, and divided the remainder amongst his northern partisans, who took possession of their new acquisitions, and settled on the soil by the king's command, a measure which Richard's jealousy had suggested, with a view to counteract *Parliament Rolls. |