320 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. ner and circumstances of it, especially in the be ginnings. Therefore we shall make our judgment upon the things themselves, as they give light one to another, and as we can dig truth out of the mine. The king was green in his estate; and, contrary to his own opinion and desert both, was not without much hatred throughout the realm. The root of all was the discountenancing of the house of Y ork, which the general body of the realm still affected. This did alienate the hearts of the subjects from him daily more and more, especially when they saw, that after his marriage, and after a son born, the king did nevertheless not so much as proceed to the coronation of the queen, not vouchsafing her the honour of a matri monial crown; for the coronation of her was not till almost two years after, when danger had taught him what to do. But much more when it was spread abroad, whether by error, or the cun ning of malcontents, that the king had a purpose to put to death Edward Plantagenet closely in the Tower : whose case was so nearly paralleled with that of Edward the Fourth s children, in respect of the blood, like age, and the very place of the Tower, as it did refresh and reflect upon the king a most odious resemblance, as if he would be an other King Richard. And all this time it was still whispered everywhere, that at least one of the children of Edward the Fourth was living: which bruit was cunningly fomented by such as desired innovation. Neither was the king s na ture and customs greatly fit to disperse these mists, but contrariwise, he had a fashion rather to create doubts than assurance. Thus was fuel prepared for the spark : the spark, that after wards kindled such a fire and combustion, was at first contemptible. There was a subtile priest called Richard Si mon,* that lived in Oxford, and had to his pupil a baker s son, named Lambert Simnell, of the age of some fifteen years, a comely youth, and well favoured, not without some extraordinary dignity and grace of aspect. It came into this priest s fancy, hearing what men talked, and in hope to raise himself to some great bishoprick, to cause this lad to counterfeit and personate the second son of Edward the Fourth, supposed to be murdered ; and afterward, for he changed his intention in the manage, the Lord Edward Plan tagenet, then prisoner in the Tower, and accord ingly to frame him and instruct him in the part he was to p.lay. This is that which, as was touched before, seemeth scarcely credible; not that a false person should be assumed to gain a Kingdom, for it hath been seen in ancient and late limes: nor that it should come into the mind of
- The priest s name was William Simonds; and the youth
was the son of , an organ-maker, in Oxford, as the (iriest declared before the whole convocation of the clerny, at Lambeth, Feb. 17, I486. Vide Reg. Morton f. 31. MS. BanJor.il i. Nntf Iroin a fanner but not the original edition. such an abjoct fellow to enterprise so great a mat- tar ; for high conceits do sometimes come stream ing into the minds and imaginations of base per sons, especially when they are drunk with new* and talk of the people. But, here is that which hath no appearance: that this priest, being utterly unacquainted with the true person, according to whose pattern he should shape his counterfeit, should think it possible for him to instruct his player, either in gesture and fashions, or in re counting past matters of his life and education ; or in fit answers to questions, or the like, any ways to come near the resemblance of him whom he was to represent. For this lad was not to per sonate one that had been long before taken out of his cradle, or conveyed away in his infancy, known to few; but a youth, that till the age almost of ten years had been brought up in a court where infinite eyes had been upon him. For King Edward, touched with remorse of his brother the Duke of Clarence s death, would not, indeed, restore his son, of whom we speak, to be Duke of Clarence, but yet created him Earl of Warwick, reviving his honour on the mother s side ; and used him honourably during his time, though Richard the Third afterwards confined him. So that it cannot be, but that some great person that knew particularly and familiarly Edward Planta genet, had a hand in the business, from whom the priest might take his aim. That which is most probable, out of the precedent and subse quent acts is, that it was the queen-dowager from whom this action had the principal source and motion. For certain it is, she was a busy nego tiating woman, and in her withdrawing-chamber had the fortunate conspiracy for the king against King Richard the Third been hatched ; which the king knew, and remembered perhaps but too well and was at this time extremely discontent with the king, thinking her daughter, as the king han dled the matter, not advanced but depressed : and none could hold the book so well to prompt and instruct this stage-play as she could. Neverthe less it was not her meaning, nor no more was it the meaning of any of the better and sager sort that favoured this enterprise, and knew the secret, that this disguised idol should possess the crown; but at his peril to make way to the overthrow of the king; and that done they had their several hopes and ways. That which doth chiefly fortify this conjecture is, that as soon as the matter brake forth in any strength, it was one of the king s first acts to cloister the queen-dowager in the nunnery of Bermondsey, and to take away all her lands and estate ; and this by a close council, without any regal proceeding, upon far-fi tched pretences that she had delivered her two daughters out of sanctuary to King Richard, contrary to promise. Which proceeding being even at that time taxed for rigorous and undue, both in matter arid man ner, makes it very probable there was some greater
