English history, unfortunately, furnishes several examples of royal
claimants, whose pretensions have but too frequently caused great
effusion of blood. One of the earliest of these cases occurred soon
after the mysterious disappearance of Richard the Second from
Pontefract Castle. How the king died, and by what means, is an
unfathomable secret; but there is little reason for doubting that he
was murdered by the adherents of Henry the Fourth. Many favoured the
idea, however, that he had escaped from the hands of his jailers and
had reached a place of safety. "It is most strange," remarks the old
chronicler, Speed, "that King Richard was not suffered to be dead after
he had so long a time been buried."
For some years rumours of the king being still alive and in Scotland
were industriously circulated all over the country, and believed in by
many; so that in 1404, when Warde, a Court jester, who much resembled
the deceased monarch, was induced by a gentleman named Serle, or Serlo,
to personate him, numbers, including some titled personages, were
deceived into deeming that Richard was still alive.
The late king's privy seal was counterfeited, and letters despatched to
many of his old adherents to assure them of his being alive, and of his
intention to shortly show himself in England again. These "forged
impositions" produced the desired effect upon many, including the old
Countess of Oxford, who either credited or pretended to credit the
intelligence, and distributed a number of gold and silver harts, such
as Richard was accustomed to give his followers, to be worn as
cognizances.
Henry soon heard of these proceedings, and Serle's messenger being
arrested, gave up the names of the parties with whom he communicated.
Several monks were arrested; the old Countess was imprisoned; and her
private secretary, who had repeatedly affirmed that he had spoken with
King Richard, was barbarously executed. Serle was soon afterwards
betrayed into Henry's hands, and is declared to have confessed
everything connected with the conspiracy. He was drawn on a sledge
through all the principal towns from Pontefract to London, and executed
at the latter place as a traitor. The alleged originator of the scheme
and his abettors having been thus disposed of, the whole affair would
appear to have been speedily forgotten.