the dukes of Excester and Summerset, not onelie denied to come, but also assembled a great armie; intending to take the king by fine force out of the lords hands. Act I. sc. ii.-When York heard that a Lancastrian army was gathering in the North, he [Hol. iii. 659/1/52. Halle, 250.] assigned the duke of Norffolke, and erle of Warwike, his trustie freends, to be about the king,1 while he, with the earles of Salisburie and Rutland, and a conuenient number, departed out of London the second daie of December,2 northward; and appointed the earle of March his eldest sonne to follow him with all his power. The duke came to his castell of [York at Sandall beside Wakefield on Christmasse eeuen, & there began Castle.] to make muster of his tenants and freends. The scene opens at Sandal Castle. Richard argues (11. 22-27) that Henry, being an usurper, could not lawfully impose an oath upon York. York is convinced and resolves to "be King or dye." Holinshed-in a passage derived from Whethamstede (491)—says that many deemed York's miserable end Sandal set aside oath.] of Gods [Hol. iii. 659/2/58.] a due punishment for breaking his oth of [The Pope allegiance vnto his souereigne lord king Henrie: but others held York's him discharged thereof, bicause he obteined a dispensation from 4 purchase the pope, by such suggestion as his procurators made vnto him; curse with whereby the same oth was adiudged void, as that which was blessing. receiued vnaduisedlie, to the preiudice of himselfe, and disheriting of all his posteritie. York then takes steps to warn his friends of his intended revolt (11. 40-42): You, Edward, shall vnto my Lord Cobham, With whom the Kentishmen will willingly rise: Edward Brooke, Lord Cobham, was one of York's "speciall freends " (see p. 283 above). When-about three weeks before the battle of Northampton-a Yorkist army, commanded by the Earls of March, Salisbury, and Warwick, was passing 1 "Warwicke, Cobham, and the rest," were left by York, "Protectors of the King."-3 Hen. VI., I. ii. 56, 57. 2 Halle, 250. December 9.-Greg., 210. 66 Chron. Rich. II.—Hen. VI., 107. 3 Halle, 250. December 21.-Wyrc., 484. a lytelle before Crystynmas." They landed at Sandwich on June 26, 1460.-Ellis, III. i. 91 compared with 85-88. The battle of Northampton was fought on July 10, 1460. ye popes Whethamsted 1460 Abr. Flem. [The Kentishmen were Yorkists.] Abr. Fl. ex The men of Kent sent to Calis for the earles. [Margaret's army came before Sandal, and offered battle to York.] [Hol. iii. 653/2/71. Halle, 243.] through Kent, there came to them the lord Cobham, Iohn Gilford, William Pech, Robert Horne, and manie other gentlemen; ... The Yorkist leaders were encouraged to land in Kent, because [Hol. iii. 653/2/43.] the people of that countrie and other parts were altogither bent in their fauor; and no lesse addicted to doo them seruice both with bodie and goods, than the Irishmen 1 seemed to be at their receiuing of the said duke of Yorke, and his yoonger sonne Edmund earle of Rutland; whom they so highlie honoured, that they offered to liue and die in their quarrell. . . ... But it is to be read in a late writer, that the commons of Kent sent priuilie messengers to Calis to the foresaid erles; beseeching them in all hast possible to come to their succour. Wherevpon the said earles sent ouer into Kent the lord Fauconbridge, to know if their deeds would accord with their words: 2 so that anon the people of Kent, and the other shires adioining, resorted to the said lord Fauconbridge in great number. yer A messenger enters hastily and addresses York (11. 49-52): Intend here to besiege you in your Castle : She is hard by with twentie thousand men ; Lord. Hearing of York's arrival at Sandal Castle, Margaret [Hol. iii. 659/1/61. Halle, 250.] determined to cope with him his succour were come. Now she, hauing in hir companie the prince hir sonne, the dukes of Excester and Summerset, the earle of Deuonshire, the lord Clifford, the lord Ros, and in effect all the lords of the north parts, with eighteene thousand men, or (as some write) two and twentie thousand, marched from Yorke to Wakefield, and bad base to the duke, euen before his castell gates. York now welcomes his uncles,-Sir John and Sir Hugh Mortimer, -and adds (1. 64): 1 See p. 282, n. 1 above. "Irishmen . . . quarrell." Not in Halle, or in Hol. ed. I. 2 words] Stow. woods] Hol. 3 Queen Margaret was not present at the battle of Wakefield. After the battle she came from Scotland to York.-Wyrc., 485. The Armie of the Queene meane to besiege vs. Iohn. Shee shall not neede; wee'le meete her in the field. I doubt not, Vnckle, of our Victorie. Fiue men to twentie! though the oddes be great, Many a Battaile haue I wonne in France, When as the Enemie hath beene tenne to one : 72 76 Why should I not now haue the like successe? hauyng with hym not fully fiue thousande persones, determined [York determeet his though Sir Davy Halle mined to enemies in the field, to defend the castle.] never avoided a (I York had battle with the French, for and would not shut his and gates "for Act I. sc. iii.-Rutland and his Tutor enter, fleeing from Clifford. They are overtaken and separated, the Tutor crying out (11. 8, 9), as he is dragged off by soldiers, Ah, Clifford, murther not this innocent Child, Rutland pleads for mercy, but Clifford is obdurate (1. 47): Thy Father slew my Father; therefore, dye! Halle relates (251) that, while the battle of Wakefield dread of a scolding woman."] young was in fighting, a prieste called sir Robbert Aspall, chappelain and [Aspall, schole master to the yong erle of Rutland, (.ii. sonne to the aboue Rutland's 1 Richard thus encourages his father to accept Margaret's challenge (3 Hen. VI., I. ii, 68): "A Woman's generall; what should we feare?" schoolmaster, [secretly conveyed the Earl from the followed and thein.] [Rutland implored mercy, named duke of Yorke, sca[r]ce of the age of .xii. yeres,1 a faire gentleman and a maydenlike person,) perceiuyng that f[1]ight was more sauegard than tariyng bothe for hym and his master, secretly conueyd therle out of the felde, by the lord Cliffordes bande, battle-field.] toward the towne; but, or he coulde entre into a house, he was by [Clifford the sayd lord Clifford espied, folowed, and taken, and, by reson of overtook his apparell, demaunded what he was. The yong gentelman, dismayed, had not a word to speake, but kneled on his knees, imploryng mercy and desiryng grace, both with holding vp his handes and making dolorous countinance, for his speache was gone for feare. "Saue him," sayde his Chappelein, "for he is a princes sonne, and "peraduenture you good hereafter." With that word, the may do lord Clifford marked him and sayde: "by Gods blode! thy father "slew myne, and so will I do the and all thy kyn!" and, with that woord, stacke the erle to the hart with his dagger, and bad his Chappeleyn bere the erles mother & brother worde what he had done and sayde. In this acte the lord Clyfford was accompted a tyraunt and no gentelman, for the propertie of the Lyon 2 (which is a furious and an vnreasonable beaste) is to be cruell to them that withstande hym, and gentle to such as prostrate or humiliate them selfes before hym. Yet this cruel Clifforde, & deadly bloudsupper, [was] not content with this homicyde or chyldkyllyng,3 [and his entreaties were supported by Aspall.] [Clifford said to Rutland: "Thy father slew mine, and so will do thee and all thy kin."] I [Clifford a child-killer.] Act I. sc. iv.-York enters and tells his defeat (11. 1-4): The Lancastrian victory of Wakefield was won on December 30, 1460.4 Though York 1 Edmund Earl of Rutland, York's third son, was born in May, 1443, and was therefore more than seventeen years of age at this date.-Wyrc., 462. After the battle he fled, but was overtaken and slain by Clifford on the bridge at Wakefield.-Wyrc., 485. Rutland was one the beste dysposyd lorde in thys londe."-Greg., 210. 2 Rutland compares Clifford to "the pent-vp Lyon . . . insulting o're his Prey."-3 Hen. VI., I. iii. 12, &c. 3 In 3 Hen. VI., II. ii. 112, Richard calls Clifford "that cruell Child-killer." (After "chyld-kyllyng," Clifford's unworthy treatment of York's dead body is related. See next page.) 4 Rot. Parl., v. 466/2. Wyrc. (485) gives December 29, and Chron. Rich. II.-Hen. VI. (107), December 31, as the date of the battle. Yorke slaine. [Hol. iii. 659/2/10. Halle, 250.] fought manfullie, yet was he The duke of within half an houre slaine and dead, and his whole armie discomfited with him died of his trustie freends, his two bastard vncles, sir Iohn and sir Hugh Mortimer, sir Dauie Hall, sir Hugh Hastings, sir Thomas Neuill, William and Thomas Aparre, both brethren; and two thousand and eight hundred others, whereof Onelie sequen manie were yoong gentlemen, and heires of great parentage in the south parts: whose kin reuenged their deaths within foure moneths next,1 as after shall appeare. Being unable to escape, York becomes Queen Margaret's prisoner, and is subjected by her to indignities. Addressing Clifford and Northumberland, she says (11. 67; 94, 95): Come, make him stand vpon this Mole-hill here, A Crowne for Yorke! and, Lords, bow lowe to him! Of this matter Holinshed gave two versions, both of which I quote. The former is an abridgment of Halle (251); the latter-whence we learn that York "was taken aliue, and in derision caused to stand vpon a molehill"-is, in part, a translation from Whethamstede (489). According to Halle, Clifford, not satisfied with Rutland's murder, hundred southerne sted. men saith Whetham [York's head crowned struck off, with paper, and pre sented to Margaret.] [Hol. iii. 659/2/37. Halle, 251.] came to the place where the dead corpse of the duke of Yorke laie, caused his head to be striken off, and set on it a crowne of paper,2 fixed it on a pole, and presented it to the queene, not lieng farre from the field, in great despite, at which great reioising was shewed: but they laughed then that shortlie after lamented, and were glad then of other mens deaths that knew not their owne to be so neere at hand. Some write that the duke was taken aliue, and in derision Whethamcaused to stand vpon a molehill; on whose head they put a garland [The Lanin steed of a crowne, which they had fashioned and made of sedges or bulrushes; and, hauing so crowned him with that garland, they kneeled downe afore him (as the Iewes did vnto Christ) in scorne, saieng to him: "Haile king without rule! haile king without before him 1 At the battle of Towton. 2 Richard afterwards reproached Margaret for crowning his father's "Warlike Brows with Paper."-Rich. III., I. iii. 175. The Qq. and F. have no stage direction against 3 Hen. VI., I. iv. 95. Wyrc. (485) says that the dead bodies of York and his friends were decapitated, and their heads were placed in different parts of the city of York. The Duke's head was crowned with paper (carta), in contempt. All this was done at the lords' instance. sted. castrians made York a molehill; bulrushes, stand upon and, crowning him with they knelt and derided him.] |