ENRY's firft care upon coming to the throne

was to marry the princefs Elizabeth, daugh- A. D. ter of Edward the Fourth; and thus he blended 1485. the interefts of the houfes of York and Lancafter, fo that ever after they were incapable of diftinction.

A great part of the miferies of his predeceffors proceeded from their poverty, which was moftly occafioned by riot and diffipation. Henry faw that money alone could turn the fcale of power in his favour, and therefore hoarded up all the confifcations of his enemies with the utmoft frugality.

Immediately after his marriage with Elizabeth, he iffued a general pardon to all fuch as chofe to accept it; but people were become fo turbulent and factious, by a long courfe of civil war, that no governor could rule them, nor any king pleafe; fo that one rebellion feemed extinguifhed only to give rife to another.

There lived in Oxford one Richard Simon, a priest, who poffeffing fome fubtilty and more rafhnefs, trained up Lambert Simnel, a baker's fon, to counterfeit the perfon of the earl of Warwick, the fon of the duke of Cla

rence,

rence, who was fmothered in a butt of malmfey. But as the impoftor was not calculated to bear a clofe inspection, it was thought proper to fhew him firft at a diftance; and Ireland was judged the fitteft theatre for him to fupport his affumed character.

In this manner king Simnel, being joined by lord Lovel, and one or two lords more of the difcontented party, refolved to pafs over into England; and accordingly landed in Lancashire, from whence he marched to York, expecting the country would rife and join him as he marched along. But in this he was deceived; the people, averfe to join a body of German and Irish troops, by whom he was fupported, and kept in awe by the king's reputation, remained in tranquillity, or gave all their affiftance to the royal caufe. The earl of Lincoln, therefore, a difaffected lord, to whom the command of the rebel army was given, finding no hopes but in fpeedy victory, was determined to bring the conteft to a fhort iffue. The oppofite armies met at Stoke, in the county of Nottingham, and fought a battle, which was more bloody, and more obftinately difputed, than could have been expected from the inequality of their forces. But victory at length declared in favour of the king, and it proved decifive. Lord Lincoln perished in the field of battle; lord Lovel was never more heard of, and it is fuppofed he shared the fame fate. Simnel, with his tutor Simon, were taken prifoners; and four thousand of the, common men fell in the battle. Simon, being a prieft, could not be tried by the civil power, and was only committed to clofe confinement. Simnel was too contemptible to excite the king's fear or refentment; he was pardoned, and made a fcullion in the king's kitchen, whence he was afterwards advanced to the rank of falconer, in which mean employment he died.

A fresh infurrection began in Yorkshire; the people refifting the commiffioners who were appointed to levy the taxes, the earl of Northumberland attempted to enforce the king's command; but the populace, being by this taught to believe that he was the adviser of their oppreffions, flew to arms, attacked his houfe, and put him to death. The mutineers did not ftop there; but,

by

by the advice of one John Achamber, a feditious fellow of mean birth, they chofe Sir John Egremont for their leader, and prepared themfelves for a vigorous refiftance. The king, upon hearing of this rafh proceeding, immediately levied a force which he put under the earl of Surry; and this nobleman encountering the rebels, diffipated the tumult, and took their leader, Archamber, prifoner. Archamber was shortly after executed; but Sir John Egremont fled to the court of the duchess of Burgundy, the ufual retreat of all who were obnoxious to government in England.

Ŏne would have imagined, that, from the ill fuc

cefs of Simnel's impolture, few would be willing A.D. to embark in another of a fimilar kind; however, 1492. the old duchefs of Burgundy, rather irritated than difcouraged by the failure of her paft enterprises, was determined to disturb that government which he could not fubvert. She first procured a report to be spread, that the young duke of York, faid to have been murdered in the Tower, was ftill living; and finding the rumour greedily received, the foon produced a young man who affumed his name and character. The perfon pitched upon to fuftain this part was one Ofbeck, or Warbeck, the fon of a converted Jew, who had been over in England during the reign of Edward IV. where he had this fon named Peter, but corrupted, after the Flemish manner, into Peterkin, or Perkin. The duchefs of Burgundy found this youth entirely fuited to her purpofes; and her leffons, inftructing him to perfonate the duke of York, were eafily learned and ftrongly retained by a youth of very quick apprehenfion. In fhort, his graceful air, his courtly addrefs, his eafy manner, and elegant converfation, were capable of impofing upon all but fuch as were confcious of the impofture.

The English, ever ready to revolt, gave credit to all thefe abfurdities; while the young man's prudence, converfation, and deportment, ferved to confirm what their difaffection and credulity had begun.

Among thofe who fecretly abetted the caufe of Perkin, were lord Fitzwalter, Sir Simon Mountford, Sir Thomas Thwaits, and Sir Robert Clifford. But the person of

the

the greatest weight, and the most dangerous oppofition, was Sir William Stanley, the lord chamberlain, and brother to the famous lord Stanley, who had contributed to place Henry on the throne. This perfonage, either moved by a blind credulity, or more probably by a reft. lefs ambition, entered into a regular confpiracy against the king; and a correfpondence was fettled between the malecontents in England and thofe in Flanders.

While the plot was thus carrying on in all quarters, Henry was not inattentive to the defigns of his enemies. He fpared neither labour nor expence to detect the falfehood of the pretender to his crown; and was equally affiduous in finding out who were his fecret abettors. For this purpose he difperfed his fpies through all Flanders, and brought over, by large bribes, fome of those whom he knew to be in the enemy's intereft. Among thefe Sir Robert Clifford was the most remarkable, both for his confequence, and the confidence with which he was trufted. From this perfon Henry learnt the whole of Perkin's birth and adventures, together with the names of all those who had fecretly combined to assist him. The king was pleafed with the difcovery; but the more truft he gave to his fpies, the higher refentment did he feign against them.

At first he was ftruck with indignation at the ingratitude of many of thofe about him; but concealing his refentment for a proper opportunity, he, almoft at the fame inftant, arrested Fitzwalter, Mountford, and Thwaits, together with William Danbery, Robert Ratcliff, Tho mas Creffenor, and Thomas Aftwood. All these were arrainged, convicted, and condemned for high treason. Mountford, Ratcliff, and Danbery were immediately executed; the reft received a pardon.

The young adventurer, finding his hopes fruftrated in England, went next to try his fortune in Scotland. In that country his luck feemed greater than in England. James the Fourth, the king of that country, receiving him with great cordiality; he was feduced to believe the ftory of his birth and adventures; and he carried his confidence fo far, as to give him in marriage lady Catherine Gordon, daughter to the earl of Huntley, and a near

kinfman

kinfman of his own; a young lady eminent for virtue as well as beauty. But not content with these instances of favour, he was refolved to attempt fetting him on the throne of England. It was naturally expected, that, upon Perkin's first appearance in that kingdom, all the friends of the houfe of York would rife in his favour. Upon this ground, therefore, the king of Scotland en tered England with a numerous army, and proclaimed the young adventurer wherever he went. But Perkin's pretenfions, attended by repeated difappointments, were now become ftale even in the eyes of the populace; fo that, contrary to expectation, none were found to fecond his pretenfions.

In this manner the reftlefs Perkin being dismisfed Scotland, and meeting with a very cold recep- A. D. tion from the Flemings, who now delired to be at 1497. peace with the English, refolved to continue his

fcheme of oppofition, and took refuge among the wilds and faftneffes of Ireland. Impatient of an inactive life, he held a confultation with his followers, Herne, Skelton, and Aftley, three broken tradesmen; and by their advice he refolved to try the affections of the Cornish men, and he no fooner made his appearance among them at Bodmin in Cornwall, than the populace, to the number of three thousand, flocked to his ftandard. Elated with this appearance of fuccefs, he took on him, for the first time, the title of Richard the Fourth, king of England; and not to fuffer the fpirits of his adherents to languish, he led them to the gates of Exeter. Finding the inhabitants obftinate in refufing to admit him, and being unprovided with artillery to force an entrance, he broke up the fiege of Exeter, and retired to Taunton. His followers by this time amounted to feven thousand men, and appeared ready to defend his caufe; but his heart failed him, upon being informed that the king was coming down to oppose him; and instead of bringing his men into the field, he privately deferted them, and took fanctuary in the monaftery of Beaulieu, in the New Forest. His wretched adherents, left to the king's mercy, found him ftill willing to pardon; and, except a few of the ringleaders, none were treated with capital feverity. At

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