159 of satisfying the minds of his people in that particular. His marriage was celebrated at London, and that with greater appearance of universal joy than either his first entry or his coronation. Henry remarked with much displeasure this general favour borne to the house of York. The suspicions which arose from it not only disturbed his tranquility during his whole reign, but bred disgust towards his consort herself, and poisoned all his domestic enjoyments. Though virtuous, amiable, and obsequious to the last degree, she never met with a proper return of affection, or even of complaisance, from her husband; and the malignant ideas of faction still in his sullen mind, prevailed over all the sentiments of conjugal endearment. The king now resolved to make a progress into the north, where the friends of the house of York, and even the partisans of Richard, were numerous, in hopes of curing by his presence and conversation the prejudices of the malcontents. When he arrived at Nottingham, he heard that viscount Lovel, with sir Humphrey Stafford, and Thomas, his brother, had secretly withdrawn themselves from their sanctuary at Colchester; but this news appeared not to him of such importance as to stop his journey; and he proceeded forward to York. He there heard that the Staffords had levied an army, and were marching to besiege the city of Worcester; and that Lovel, at the head of three or four thousand men, was approaching to attack him in York. Henry was not dismayed with this intelligence. His active courage, full of resources, immediately prompted him to find the proper remedy. Though surrounded with enemies in these disaffected counties, he assembled a small body of troops in whom he could confide; and having joined to them all his own attendants, he put them under the command of the duke of Bedford, who published a general promise of pardon to the rebels. This had a greater effect on their leader than on his followers. Lovel, who had undertaken an enterprise that exceeded his courage and capacity, was so terrified with the fear of desertion among his troops, that he suddenly withdrew himself, and after lurking some time in Lancashire, he made his escape into Flanders, where he was protected by the duchess of Burgundy. His army submitted to the king's clemency; and the other rebels, hearing of this success, raised the siege of Worcester, and dispersed them selves. The Staffords took sanctuary in the church of Colnham, near Abingdon; but being taken thence, the elder was executed at Tyburn, and the younger obtained a pardon. Henry's joy for this success was followed, some time after, by the birth of a prince, to whom he gave the name of Arthur, in memory of the famous British king of that name, from whom it was pretended the family of Tudor derived its descent. But his government had become in general unpopular; and the source of public discontent arose chiefly from his prejudices against the house of York. There lived in Oxford one Richard Simon, a priest of a subtle and enterprising genius. This man had entertained the design of disturbing Henry's governA. D. ment, by raising a pretender to his crown; and for 1486 that purpose he cast his eyes on Lambert Simnel, a youth of fifteen years of age, the son of a baker, who was endowed with understanding above his years, and address above his condition. Him, Simon instructed to personate the earl of Warwick, son of the duke of Clarence, who had been confined in the tower since the commencement of this reign; and the queen dowager, finding herself fallen into absolute insignificance, and her daughter treated with severity, was suspected of countenancing the imposture. In Ireland the scene of it first was opened. No sooner did Simnel present himself to Kildare, the deputy, and claim his protection as the unfortunate Warwick, than that credulous nobleman acknowledged him; the people of Dublin tendered their allegiance to him, as to the true Plantagenet; and the whole island followed the example of the capital. Henry, perplexed by the news of this revolt, first seized the queen dowager, whom he confined in the nunnery of Bermondsey, where she ended her life in poverty and solitude. He next exposed Warwick through the streets of London; but though this measure had its effect in England, the people of Ireland retorted on the king the reproach of having shown a counterfeit personage. Henry had soon reason to apprehend that the design against him was not laid on slight foundations. John, earl of Lincoln, son of the duke of Suffolk, and of Elizabeth, eldest sister of Edward IV., was engaged to take part in the conspiracy; and having established a secret correspondence in Lancashire, he retired to Flanders, where Lovel had arrived a little before him; and he lived in the court of his aunt, the duchess of Burgundy. That princess, the widow of Charles the Bold, after consulting with Lincoln and Lovel, hired a body of two thousand veteran Germans, under the command of Martin Swart, a brave and experienced officer; and sent them over, together with these two noblemen, to join Simnel in Ireland. The countenance given by persons of such high rank, and the accession of this military force, much raised the courage of the Irish, and made them entertain the resolution of invading England, as well from the hopes of plunder as of revenge. Being informed that Simnel was landed at Foudrey, in Lancashire, Henry drew together his forces, and advanced towards the enemy as far as Coventry. The rebels had entertained hopes that the disaffected counties in the north would rise in their favour; but the people in general, averse to join Irish and German invaders, convinced of Lambert's imposture, and kept in awe by the king's reputation for success and conduct, either remained in tranquility, or gave assistance to the royal army. The hostile armies met at Stoke, in the county of Nottingham, and fought a battle, which was bloody and obstinately disputed. The king's victory was purchased with loss, but was entirely decisive. Lincoln, Broughton, and Swart, perished in the field of battle, with four thousand of their followers; and as Lovel was never more 1489 heard of, he was believed to have undergone the same fate.* Simnel, with his tutor Simon, was taken A. D. * Doctor Mavor, in his HISTORY OF ENGLAND, gives the following probable account of the death of this distinguished nobleman, on the authority of the late Mr. Thomas Warton, who received his information, as well as could be recollected, from Dr. Dennison, a witness of what is related :-"The walls of this nobleman's once magnificent seat at Minster Lovel, Oxfordshire, of which some ruins still remain, being pulled down for the sake of the materials, early in the last century, a secret chamber was discovered with a trap-door, and in it a skeleton of a person in complete armour was found. From hence it was supposed, and on probable grounds, that this was the body of lord Lovel, who, after escaping from the battle of Stoke, took refuge in this place, and from some cause, not now to be accounted for, was left to perish in his concealment." |