HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII.
counsel; to make others beware how they did the like in time to come. And said, for his part he did not see how they could do the duty of true I Englishmen, and good liege-men, except they did I deliver the king from such wicked ones, that would destroy both him and the country. Their aim was at Archbishop Morton and Sir Reginald Bray, who were the king s screens in this enVy. After that these two, Flammock and the bla^k- smith, had by joint and several prating". foun(* tokens of consent in the multitude, they offered themselves to lead them, until they sboii .ci hear of better men to be their leaders vh ch tiiey said would be ere long: telling them fi"tber that they would be but their servants, v^d first in every danger ; but doubted not b-U to make both the west-end and the east-end o f England to meet in so good a quarrel ; and *lnt ill, rightly understood, was but for the king s service. The people upon these sedhiou . irst g^tions, did arm, most of them with bows ?ml arrows, and hills, and such other weapons o e nide and country people, and f orthwih urd^.r the command of their leaders, vh .ch in such cases is ever at pleasure, marched ^ut of Cornwall through Devonshire unto Taun- f op in Somersetshire, without any slaughter, vio- tpn".e, or spoil of the country. At Taunton they filled in fury an officious and eager commissioner ior the subsidy, whom they called the Provost of Perin. Thence they marched to Wells, where Jhe Lord Audley, with whom their leaders had Defore some secret intelligence, a nobleman of an ancient family, but unquiet and popular, and as piring to ruin, came in to them, and was by them with great gladness and cries of joy accepted as their general; they being now proud that they were led by a nobleman. The Lord Audley led them on from Wells to Salisbury, and from Salis bury to Winchester. Thence the foolish people, who, in effect, lead their leaders, had a mind to be led into Kent, fancying that the people there would join with them ; contrary to all reason or judgment, considering the Kentish men had showed great loyalty and affection to the king so lately before. But the rude people had heard Flammock say, that Kent was never conquered, and that they were the freest people of England. And upon these vain noises, they looked for great matters at their hands, in a cause which they con ceited to be for the liberty of the subject. But when they were come into Kent, the country was so well settled, and both by the king s late kind usage towards them, and by the credit and power of the Earl of Kent, the Lord Abergavenny, and the Lord Cobham, as neither gentleman nor yeo man came in to their aid, which did much damp and dismay many of the simpler sort; insomuch as divers of them did secretly fly from the army, and went home : but the sturdier sort, and those that were most engaged, stood by it, and rather waxed proud, than failed in hopes and courage. VOL. I. 46 For as it did somewhat appal thrm, that the peo ple came not in to them, so it did no less encou rage them, that the king s forces had not set upon them having marched from the west unto the east of England. Wherefore they kopi on their wav, and encamped upon Black heath, between Greenwich and Eltham, threatening either to bid battle to the king, for now the seas went higher than to Morton and Bray, or to take London within his view ; imagining with themselves, there to find no less fear than wealth. But to return to the king. When first he, heaid of this commotion of the Cornish men, occasioned by the subsidy, he was much troubled therewith ; not for itself, but in regard of the concurrence of other dangers that did hang over him at that time. For he doubted lest a war from Scotland, a re bellion from Cornwall, and the practices and conspiracies of Perkin and his partakers, would come upon him at once: knowing well, that it was a dangerous triplicity to a monarchy, to have the arms of a foreigner, the discontents of sub jects, and the title of a pretender to meet. Nevertheless the occasion took him in some part well provided. For as soon as the parliament had broken up, the king had presently raised a puissant army to war upon Scotland. And King James of Scotland likewise, on his part, had made great preparations, either for defence, or for new assailing of England. But as for the king s forces, they were not only in preparation, but in readiness presently to set forth, under the conduct of D Aubigny, the lord chamberlain. But as soon as the king understood of the rebellion of Cornwall, he stayed those forces, retaining them for his own service and safety. But therewithal he despatched the Earl of Surrey into the north, for the defence and strength of those parts, in case the Scots should stir. But for the course he held towards the rebels, it was utterly differing from his former custom and prac tice: which was ever full of forwardness and celerity to make head against them, or to set upon them as soon as ever they were in action. This he was wont to do. But now, besides that he was attempered by years, and less in love with dan gers, by the continued fruition of a crown; it was a time when the various appearance to his thoughts of perils of several natures, and from divers parts, did make him judge it his best and surest way, to keep his strength together in the seat and centre of his kingdom : according to the ancient Indian emblem, in such a swelling season, to hold the hand upon the middle of the bladder, that no side might rise. Besides, there was no necessity put upon him to alter his counsel. For neither did the rebels spoil the country, in which case it had been dishonour to abandon his people neither on the other side did their forces gather or increase, which might hasten him to preoipitaio and assail them before they grew too strong 2H
