1 ment, other write that he was smouldered 1 betweene two featherbeds; and some haue affirmed that he died of verie greefe, for that he might not come openlie to his answer. Subsequently an attempt to enter the Upper House is made by the Commons who had remained "within." Salisbury keeps them back, and becomes their spokesman (ll. 243-253): Dread Lord, the Commons send you word by me, 244 248 They say, in him they feare your Highnesse death; (Free from a stubborne opposite intent, 252 The excerpts I quote seem tame beside such a message as this; enforced by a threat from the impatient Commons that they "will all breake in." There are no materials for judging whether Suffolk was innocent or guilty of the crimes laid to his charge, but hatred and mistrust of him were widely spread. In 1449-50 people commos exclame Suffolke. against y duke of [Hol. iii. 631/1/16. Halle, 217.] began to make exclamation The against the duke of Suffolke, charging him to be the onelie cause of the deliuerie of Aniou and Maine, the cheefe procuror of the duke of Glocester's death, the verie occasion of the losse of Normandie, the swallower vp of the kings treasure,2 the remoouer of good and vertuous councellours from about the prince, and the aduancer of vicious persons, and of such as by their dooings shewed themselues apparant aduersaries to the common-wealth. The queene hereat, doubting not onelie the duke's destruction, but also hir owne confusion, caused the parlement, before begun at the Blackfriers,3 to be adiourned to Leicester; thinking there, by force and rigor of law, to suppresse and subdue all the malice and 1 The Contention (35) has the following stage-direction before Suffolk's first speech (2 Hen. VI., III. ii. 6): "Then the Curtaines being drawne, Duke Humphrey is discouered in his bed, and two men lying on his brest and smothering him in his bed. And then enter the Duke of Suffolke to them." 2 In 2 Hen. VI., IV. i. 73, 74, the "Lieutenant" thus addresses Suffolk: "Now will I dam vp this thy yawning mouth, For swallowing the Treasure of the Realme: 3 Parliament met at Westminster on November 6, 1449, and was adjourned to meet at Black Friars on the following day.-Rot. Parl., v. 171/1. The parlemēt adorned andro Westminster. frō London to Leicester, thence to Edw. Hall. [Suffolk [The Commons desired the punishment of those who yielded Anjou and Mainc.] euill will conceiued against the duke & hir. At which place few of the nobilitie would appeare: wherefore it was againe adiourned to Westminster, where was a full appearance. In the which session the commons of the nether house put vp to the king and the lords manie articles of treason, misprision, and euill demeanor, against the duke of Suffolke: . . . I have cited above (p. 264) one of the " Articles proponed by the commons against the Duke of Suffolke." The most important of these articles accuse him of treasonable dealings with the French, but in none of them is Gloucester even mentioned.1 Under the year 1447 Fabyan relates (619) that the Grudge and Murmour of ye people ceasid nat agayne the Marquys of Suffolke, for the deth of the good Duke of Glouceter, of whose murdre he was specially susspected. Henry directs Salisbury to tell the Commons that, if they had not urged this matter, Yet did I purpose as they doe entreat; and, addressing Suffolk, says (11. 295-297): If after three dayes space thou here bee'st found, On any ground that I am Ruler of, The World shall not be Ransome for thy Life. According to Halle (219), Holinshed's authority, [Hol. iii. 632/1/23.] the parlement was adiourned to Leicester,2 whither came the king and queene in great estate, and with them the duke of Suffolke, as cheefe councellour. The commons of the lower house, not forgetting their old grudge, besought the king, that such persons, as assented to the release of Aniou, and deliuer ... ance of Maine, might be dulie punished. . . . When the king perceiued that there was no remedie to appease the peoples furie 1 But in 1451 the Commons assembled at Westminster, after praying Henry to attaint Suffolk (then dead) for the treasons of which the Duke had been accused by the Commons in 1450, ended their petition thus: "Youre grete Wysdome, rightwisnesse, and high discretion considering, that the seid William de la Pole hath nought only don and commytted the forseid Treasons and mischevous dedes, but was the cause and laborer of the arrest, emprisonyng, and fynall destruction of the most noble vaillant true Prince, youre right Obeissant Uncle the Duke of Gloucestre, whom God pardon,' -Rot. Parl., v. 226. 2 The Parliament which met first at Westminster on November 6, 1449 (Rot. Parl., v. 171/1) was adjourned to Leicester for April 29, 1450 (Rot. Parl., v. 172/11). But Suffolk was banished on March 17, 1450 (see next note). banished by by anie colourable waies, shortlie to pacifie so long an hatred, he first sequestred the lord Saie, (being treasuror of England,) and other the dukes adherents, from their offices and roomes; and after banished the duke of Suffolke, as the abhorred tode and common [Suffolk noiance of the whole realme, for tearme of fiue yeares: 1 meaning by this exile to appease the malice of the people for the time, and after (when the matter should be forgotten) to reuoke him home againe. Act III. sc. iii.-Cardinal Beaufort was "at point of death" in the last scene (III. ii. 369). He is now visited by Henry, Salisbury, and Warwick. The dying man does not know his sovereign, and exclaims (11. 2-4): If thou beest death, Ile giue thee Englands Treasure, So thou wilt let me liue, and feele no paine! I quote Halle's summing up (210, 211) of Cardinal Beaufort's life, which contains a death-bed speech whence these lines were derived. On April 11, 1447,2 Henry for five years.] was called "the rich and Henry Beaufford, byshop of Wynchester, and called the ryche [Beaufort Cardynall, departed out of this worlde, and was buried at Wyn- canal." chester. This manne was sonne to Ihon of Gaunte duke of Lancaster; discended on an honorable lignage, but borne in His lineage Baste; more noble of bloud then notable in learnyng; haut in character.] stomacke, and hygh in countenaunce; ryche aboue measure of all men, & to fewe liberal; disdaynfull to his kynne and dreadfull to his louers; preferrynge money before frendshippe; many thinges begynning and nothing perfourmyng. His couetise insaciable, and hope of long lyfe, made hym bothe to forget God, his Prynce, and hymself, in his latter daies. For doctor Ihon Baker, his pryuie counsailer and hys chapellayn, wrote that he, lyeng on his death bed, said these wordes: "Why should I dye, hauing so muche "ryches [that], if the whole Realme would saue my lyfe, I am able "either by pollicie to get it, or by ryches to bye it? "not death be hyered, nor will money do nothyng? [Dr. Baker's Beaufort's report of last words. ["Will not Death be Fye! wyll hired, nor will money 1 On March 17, 1450, Suffolk was banished for a term of five years, beginning on May 1 next ensuing.-Rot. Parl., v. 182/2, 183/1. Chron. Rich. II.-Hen. VI., 63. Wyrc., 464. On April 15, 1447, permission to elect Beaufort's successor in the See of Winchester was granted. Rymer, xi. 162, 163. Halle (210) wrongly placed Beaufort's death in 1448. 3 couetise] covetous Halle. do nothing? When Gloucester died, I thought myself the equal of kings."] 'nephew of Bedford died, I thought my selfe halfe vp the whele; "but when I sawe myne other nephew of Gloucester disceased, "then I thought my selfe able to be equale with kinges, and so 'thought to encrease my treasure in hoope to haue worne a tryple "Croune. But I se nowe the worlde fayleth me, and so I am deceyued: praiyng you all to pray for me." Of the gettyng of thys mannes goodes, both by power legatine1 or spiritual bryberie, I wil not speake: but the kepynge of them for his ambicious purpose, aspyryng to ascend to the papisticall sea, was bothe great riches which losse to his naturall Prynce, and natyue countrey; for his hidden riches might haue wel holpen the kyng, and his secrete treasure might haue releued the commonaltie, when money was scante, and importunate charges were dayly imminent. [Hoping to obtain the Рарасу, Beaufort hoarded would have relieved the wants of the common wealth.] Act IV. sc. i.-" Alarum. Fight at Sea. Ordnance goes off." Suffolk enters as a prisoner, and is beheaded ere the scene closes. The historic date of the latter event was May 2, 1450.2 Henry had resolved, when Suffolk's term of banishment expired, "to reuoke him home againe" (p. 269 above). Hol. iii. 632/1/45. Halle, 219.] But Gods iustice would not that so vngratious a person should so escape; for, when he shipped in Suffolke, intending to transport himselfe ouer into France, he was incountered with a ship of warre, apperteining to the duke of Excester, constable of the Tower of London, called the Nicholas of the Tower. The capteine of that barke with small fight entered 1 legatine] legantye Halle. 2 Wyrc., 469. On April 30, 1450, Suffolk was intercepted and obliged to transfer himself to the Nicholas of the Tower. There he remained until May 2, when "he was drawyn ought of the grete shippe yn to the bote," and beheaded "by oon of the lewdeste of the shippe."-Paston, i. 124, 125. 3 Suffolk's ransom is assigned by the Lieutenant to one Walter Whitmore (Water Whickmore, Contention, 43). The Duke starts when he hears this name, and says (11. 33-35) : "Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death. And told me that by Water I should dye" : . . . death of the duke of Suffolke. into the dukes ship, and, perceiuing his person present, brought The wretched him to Douer road, and there, on the one side of a cock bote, caused his head to be striken off, and left his bodie with the head lieng there on the sands. Which corps, being there found by a chapleine of his, was conueied to Wingfield college in Suffolke, and there buried. Act IV. sc. ii.-The dramatic version of the Kentishmen's rising in 1450 contains some gleanings from Holinshed's account of the villeins' revolt in 1381. A proposal to kill all the lawyers (11. 83, 84) was not, so far as we know, made at the former date, but in 1381, when the rebels had gained strength, they iustices & iurors blockham [Hol. iii. 430/1/65.] began to shew proofe of those things which Lawiers, they had before conceiued in their minds, beheading all such men brought to of law, iustices, and iurors, as they might catch, and laie hands feast the vpon, without respect of pitie, or remorse of conscience: alledging that the land could neuer enioy hir natiue and true libertie, till all those sorts of people were dispatched out of the waie. Wat Tyler demanded from Richard II. rebels. would have abolished. [Hol. iii. 432/1/56.] a commission to put to death all lawiers, The rebels escheaters, and other which by any office had any thing to doo all la with the law; for his meaning was that, hauing made all those awaie that vnderstood the lawes, all things should then be ordered according to the will and disposition of the common people. Some of Cade's men bring forward "the Clarke of Chattam," 1 who has been taken "setting of boyes Copies" (1. 95). Cade sentences him to be hung "with his Pen and Inke-horne 2 about his necke." Holinshed says that in 1381 the rebels obliged committed to the Tower on January 28, 1450 (Rot. Parl., v. 177/1); before which time he had asked "of on that was an astronomer, what sholde falle of him, and how he sholde ende his lif; and whanne the said astronomer hadde labourid therfore in his said craft, he ansuerde to the duke and said that he sholde die a shameful deth, and counselid him alwey to be war of the tour; wherfor be instaunce of lordis that were his frendis, he was sone delyuerid out of the said tour of Londoun."-Chron. Rich. II.-Hen. VI., 69. 1 Chattam] Q1. Chartam F1. Chartham is 23 miles S.W. of Canterbury. -Bartholomew. A "parishe Clearke" of "Chetham" figures in a legend of our Lady of Chatham, told in Lambarde's Perambulation of Kent (repr. 1826, p. 324). 2 Pen and Inke-horne] F1. penny-inckhorne Q1. Cp. "penner and inkehorne" in excerpt from Hol. In 1381 the rebels, "if they found any to haue pen and inke, they pulled off his hoode, and all with one voice of crying, 'Hale him out, and cut off his head.'"-Stow, 453. |