a reftlefs ambition, entered into a regular confpiracy against the king; and a correfpondence was fettled between the malecontents in England and thofe in Flanders.

While the plot was thus carrying on in all quarters, Henry was not inattentive to the defigns of his enemies. He fpared neither labour nor expence to detect the falfehood of the pretender to his crown; and was equally affiduous in finding out who were his fecret abettors. For this purpose he difperfed his fpies through all Flanders, and brought over, by large bribes, fome of those whom he knew to be in the enemies interefts. Among thefe, Sir Robert Clifford was the most remarkable, both for his confequence, and the confidence with which he was trufted. From this person Henry learned the whole of Perkin's birth and adventures, together with the names of all those who had fecretly combined to affift him. The king was pleased with the difcovery; but the more truft he gave to his fpies, higher refentment did he feign against them.

At first he was ftruck with indignation at the ingratitude of many of those about him; but concealing his resentment for a proper opportunity, he almoft at the fame inftant, arrefted Fitzwater, Mountfort, and Thwaits, together with William Danbery, Robert Ratcliff, Thomas Creffenor, and Thomas Aftwood. All these were arraigned, convicted, and condemned for high treason. Mountfort, Ratcliff, and Danbery, were immediately executed; the reft received pardon. But the principal delinquent yet remained to be punished, whose station, as lord chamberlain, and whofe connexions with many of the principal men in the kingdom, feemed to exempt him from cenfure. To effect this, Clifford was directed to come over private

ly

ly to England, and to accufe Stanley in per fon, which he did to the feeming aftonishment of all prefent. Henry affected to receive the intelligence as falfe and incredible; but Clifford perfifting in his accufation, Stanley was committed to cuftody, and foon after examined before the council. Finding his guilt but too clearly proved, he did not attempt to conceal it, fuppofing that an open confeffion might ferve as an atonement, or trufting to his former fervices for pardon and fecurity. In this he was mistaken; after a delay of fix weeks, during which time the king affected to deliberate upon his conduct, he was brought to trial, when he was condemned, and fhortly after beheaded. Through the whole of this reign, the king feemed to make a distinction in the crimes of those who confpired against him: whenever a confpirator took up arms against him, from a confcientious adherence to principle, and a love of the houfe of York, he generally found pardon; but when a love of change, or an impatience of fubordination infpired the attempt, the offender was fure to be treated with the utmoft rigour of the law.

While the adherents of Perkin were thus difappointed in England, he himself attempted landing in Kent; the gentlemen of which country gathered in a body to oppofe him. Their aim was to allure him on fhore by proffers of affiftance, and then feize his perfon; but the wary youth, obferving that they had more order and regularity in their movements than could be fuppofed in new levied forces, refused to commit himself into their hands; wherefore they fet upon his attendants, who had come afhore, of whom they took an hundred and fifty prifoners. These were tried and condemned, and all of them executed by or

der

der of the king, who was refolved to use no lenitý to men of fuch defperate fortunes.

The young adventurer finding his hopes fruftrated in his attempt, went next to try his fortune in Scotland. In that country his luck seemed greater than in England. James the fourth, the king of that country, received him with great cordiality; he was feduced to believe the ftory of his birth and adventures; and he carried his confidence fo far, as to give him in marriage lady Catharine Gordon, daughter to the earl of Huntley, and a near kinfwoman of his own; a young lady eminent for virtue as well as beauty. But not content with these instances of favour, he was refolved to attempt fetting him on the throne of England. It was naturally expected, that upon Perkin's first appearance in that kingdom, all the friends of the house of York would rife in his favour. Upon this ground, therefore, the king of Scotland entered England with a numerous army, and proclaimed the young adventurer wherever he went. But Perkin's pretenfions, attended by repeated difappointments, were now become ftale, even in the eyes of the populace; fo that, contrary to expectation, none were found to fecond his pretenfions, Being difappointed in this, he once more returned to Edinburgh, where he continued to refide, till, upon the conclufion of a treaty of peace between the two kingdoms, he was once more obliged to leave Scotland, and to feek for a new protector.

In the mean time, Henry found little uneafinefs at Perkin's irruption, as he was fenfible it would ferve him as a pretext to a demand for further fupplies from parliament, with which he knew they would readily comply. The vote was in fact eafily enough" obtained; but he found it not so easily to levy the money. The inhabitants of Cornwall

Cornwall were the firft to refufe contributing fupplies for the fafety of the northern parts of the kingdom, which were so very remote from them. Their difcontents were further inflamed by one Michael Jofeph, a farrier of Bodmin, who had long been the spokefman of the multitude. Το

him was joined one Thomas Flammock, a lawyer; and under the conduct of these two, the infurgents paffed through the county of Devon, and reached that of Somerfet, where they were joined by lord Audley, a nobleman of an ancient family, popular in his deportment, but vain, ambitious, and reftlefs in his temper. Thus headed, and breathing deftruction to the king's commiffioners by the way, they proceeded through feveral counties. At length, without receiving countenance or reinforcement on their march, they pitched their camp near Eltham, not far from London. Henry, whofe courage and intrepidity were never to be moved, had fome time before levied an army to oppofe the Scotch; and this he ordered fouthward to reprefs the Cornish infurrection. On other occafions it was ufual with him to haften to a decifion; and it was a faying with him that he only defired to fee his rebels; but as the prefent infurgents behaved in an inoffenfive manner, he protracted his attack for fome time, till at length it was begun by lord Daubeny, who, after fome refiftance, broke, and put them to flight. Lord Audley, Flammock, and Jofeph, their leaders, were taken and executed; but the reft, to the number of fixteen thousand, were difmiffed without further punishment.

In the mean time, the reftlefs Perkin being difmiffed Scotland, and meeting with a A. D. very cold reception from the Flemings, who now defired to be at peace with

1497.

the

the English, refolved to continue his scheme of oppofition; and once more took refuge among the wilds and faftneffes of Ireland. Impatient, however, of an active life, he held a confultation with his followers, Herne, Skelton, and Astley, three broken tradefmen; and by their advice he refolved to try the affections of the Cornifh men, whose discontents the king's late lenity had only contributed to inflame. These were a tumultuous multitude, too ignorant for gratitude; and upon their return afcribed the royal clemency to fear, inducing their countrymen to believe that the whole kingdom was ready to rife to vindicate their quarrel. It was in confequence of these fuggeftions that they determined to fend for Perkin to put himself at their head; and he no fooner made his appearance among them at Bodmin in Cornwall, than the populace, to the number of three. thousand men, flocked to his ftandard. Elated with appearance of fuccefs, he took on him, for the first time, the title of Richard the fourth, king of England; and not to fuffer the fpirits of his adherents to languifh, he led them to the gates of Exeter. Finding the inhabitants obftinate in refufing to admit him, and being unprovided with artillery to force an entrance, he refolved to continue before it, until poffeffed of a fufficient force to make a farther progrefs into the kingdom. In the mean time, Henry being informed of his landing and his defigns, expreffed great joy upon the occafion, declaring that he should now have the pleasure of an interview with a perfon whom he long wifhed to fee. All the courtiers fenfible of Perkin's defperate fituation, and the general fufpicion there was of their own fidelity, prepared themselves to affift the king with great alacrity. The lords Daubeny and Broke, the earl of Devon