phants of a court, or the improvers of luxurious refinement. Henry fhewed himself very different from his predeceffors in these refpects, as he gave away very few rewards to the courtiers about his perfon; and none except the needy fhared his benefactions. He releafed all prifoners for debt in his dominions, whofe debts did not amount to forty fhillings, and paid their creditors from the royal coffers. Thus his economy rendered him not only useful to the poor, but enabled him to be juft to his own creditors, either abroad or at home. Thofe fums which he borrowed from the city of London, or any of his fubjects, he repaid at the appointed day with the utmoft punctuality; and in proportion as he was esteemed in his own dominions, he became refpectable abroad.

With regard to the king's fervants, he was himfelf the only acting minifter; and as for the reft, he did not choose his under-agents from among the nobility, as had been moft ufual; but pitched upon John Morton, and Richard Fox, two clergymen, perfons of industry, vigilance and capacity, to whom he chiefly confided his affairs and fecret councils. They had shared with him in all his former dangers and diftreffes; and he now took care that they should participate in his good fortune; the one being foon after created bifhop of Ely, the other bishop of Exeter. He perhaps fuppofed, that as clergymen were naturally more dependent on him than the nobility, fo they would be more fubmiffive to his commands, and more active in their fervices.

Immediately after his marriage with Elizabeth, he iffued a general pardon to all fuch as chose to accept it; but thofe lords who had been the favourites of the laft reign, and long accustomed to turbulence, refufed his proffered tenderness, and few to arms. Lord Lovel, together with Humphrey

I 4

and

and Thomas Stafford, placed themselves at the head of this infurrection; but Henry fent the duke of Bedford to oppose them, with orders to try what might be done by offering a pardon, before he made any attempts to reduce them. The duke punctually obeyed his inftructions; and a general promife of pardon was made to the rebels, which had a greater effect on the leaders than on their followers. Lovel, who had undertaken an enterprize that exceeded his courage and capacity, was fo terrified with the fears of defertion among his troops, that he fuddenly withdrew himself; and, after lurking fome time in Lancashire, made his escape into Flanders, where he was protected by the dutchess of Burgundy. The Staffords took fan&tuary in the church of Colnham, a village near Abingdon; but it appearing that this church had not the privilege of giving protection, they were taken thence; the eldest Stafford was executed at Tyburn; the younger, pleading that he was mifled by his brother, obtained his pardon. The rebel army, now without a leader, fubmitted to the mercy of the king, and were permitted to difperfe without farther punifhment.

But the 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 extinguished only to give rife to another. The king, in the beginning of his reign, had given orders that the fon of the duke of Clarence, whom we have already mentioned as being drowned in a wine-butt, fhould be taken from the prifon where he had been confined by Richard, and brought to the Tower. This unfortunate youth, who was ftiled the earl of War-wick, was, by long confinement, fo unacquainted with the world, that as we are told, he could not

tell

;

tell the difference between a duck and an hen. However, the unhappy youth, harmlefs as he was, was made an inftrument to deceive the people. There lived in Oxford one Richard Simon, a priest, who poffeffing fome fubtlety, and more rafhnefs, trained up one Lambert Simnel a baker's fon, to counterfeit the perfon of the earl of Warwick and he was previously inftructed by his tutor to talk upon many facts and occurrences, as happening to him in the court of Edward. But as the impolture was not calculated to bear a close inspection, it was thought proper to fhew him firft at a distance; and Ireland was judged the fitteft theatre for him to fupport his aflumed character. The plot unfolded to their wishes; Simnel was received with the utmoft joy, and proclaimed king of Ireland; he was conducted by the magiftrates and the populace of Dublin with great pomp to the Caftle, where he was treated conformably to his fuppofed birth and diftinction.

Henry could not help feeling more uneafinefs at this barefaced impofture than it seemed to deferve; but the penetrating monarch faw that his mother-in-law was at the bottom of it; and he dreaded the fierce inquietude of her temper. He was refolved, therefore, to take the advice of his council upon this occafion; and they, after due deliberation, determined upon confining the old queen to a monaftery; but, to wipe off the impu tation of treason from one fo nearly allied to the crown, it was given out that the was thus punished for having formerly delivered up the princefs her daughter to Richard. The people as ufual, murmured at the feverity of her treatment; but the king, unmindful of their idle clamours, per fifted in his resolution; and the remained in confinement till her death, which did not happen till feveral years after. The next measure was to

fhew Warwick to the people. In confequence of this, he was taken from the Tower, and led through the principal ftreets of London, after which he was conducted in folemn proceffion to St. Paul's, where great numbers were affembled to fee him. Still, however, they proceeded in Dublin to honour their pretended monarch; and he was crowned with great folemnity, in prefence of the earl of Kildare, the chancellor, and the other officers of fate. Such impofitions upon the people were very frequent, at that time, in feveral parts of Europe. Lorrain, Naples, and Portugal, had their impoftors, who continued to deceive for a long time without detection. In fact, the inhabitants of every country, were fo much confined within their own limits, and knew fo little of what was paffing in the reft of the world, that any diftant story might be propagated, how improbable foever. In this manner, king Simnel, being now joined by lord Lovel, and one or two lords more of the discontented party, refolved to pass 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 a speedy 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

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 was fuppofed he fhared the fame fate. Simnel, with his tutor Simon, was taken prifoner; and four thousand of the common men fell in 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 fears or refentiment; 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.

Things being thus quietly fettled at home, Henry began to turn his thoughts towards his continental connexions, and to establish fome degree of understanding between him and the neighbouring states around him. He was too wife a prince, not to perceive the fatality of conquefts upon the continent, which could at beft produce no other reputation than the empty one of military glory. Yet, while he internally defpifed fuch pernicious triumphs, he was obliged, in order to gain popularity, to countenance them. He, therefore, frequently boafted that he was determined to ravish the kingdom of France from the ufurpers, who had long poffeffed it; and that he would lay the whole country in blood. But these were the diftant threats of a crafty politician; there was nothing more diftant from his heart. As far as negotiations went, he did all in his power; to keep the interefts of that kingdom fo nearly balanced, as to prevent any from growing too powerful; but as for fuccours of men and money, he too well knew the value of both to lavish them, as his predeceffors had done, upon fuch fruitless projects. About