Then on the tuesdaie following this sermon, there came to the Guildhall
in London the duke of Buckingham, accompanied with diuerse lords and
knights mo than happilie knew the message that they brought. And there
in the east end of the hall, where the maior kéepeth the Hustings, the
maior and all the aldermen being assembled about him, all the commons
of the citie gathered before them. After silence commanded vpon great
paine in the protectors name: the duke stood vp, and (as he was neither
vnlearned, and of nature maruellouslie well spoken) he said vnto the
people with a cleare and lowd voice in this maner of wise.
The duke of Buckingham's oration to the assemblie of the maior,
aldermen, and commoners.
[Sidenote: A notable persuasion.]
Friends, for the zeale and heartie fauour that we beare you, we be
comen to breake vnto you of a maner right great and weightie, and no
lesse weightie than pleasing to God, and profitable to all the realme:
nor to no part of the realme more profitable, than to you the citizens
of this noble citie. For whie, that thing that we wote well ye haue
long time lacked, and sore longed for, that yée would haue giuen great
good for, that yée would haue gone farre to fetch; that thing we be
come hither to bring you without your labour, paine, cost, aduenture or
ieopardie. What thing is that? Certes the suertie of your owne bodies,
the quiet of your wiues and your daughters, the safegard of your goods:
of all which things in times past ye stood euermore in doubt. For
who was there of you all, that would reckon himselfe lord of his own
goods among so manie grens & traps as was set therefore, among so much
pilling and polling, among so manie taxes and tallages, of which there
was neuer end, & oftentimes no néed? Or if anie were, it rather grew of
riot, and vnreasonable wast, that anie necessarie or honourable charge.
[Sidenote: Burdet.]
So that there was dailie pilled fro good men and honest, great
substance of goods, to be lashed out among vnthrifts; so far forth,
that fifteenes sufficed not, nor anie vsual names of knowne taxes: but
vnder an easie name of beneuolence and good will, the commissioners so
much of euerie man tooke as no man could with his good will haue giuen.
As though that name of beneuolence had signified, that euerie man
should paie, not what himselfe of his owne good will list to grant, but
what the king of his good will list to take. Which neuer asked little,
but euerie thing was hawsed aboue the measure, amercements turned into
fines, fines into ransoms, small trespasses into misprison, misprison
into treason. Whereof (I thinke) no man looketh that we should remember
you of examples by name, as though Burdet were forgotten, that was for
a word spoken in hast cruellie beheaded, by the misconstruing of the
laws of this realme, for the princes pleasure.
[Sidenote: Markam.]
[Sidenote: Cooke.]
With no lesse honour to Markam then chéefe iustice, that left [the
benefit & dignitie] of his office, rather than he would assent to the
dishonestie of those, that either for feare or flatterie gaue that
iudgment. What Cooke, your owne worshipful neighbour, alderman and
maior of this noble citie, who is of you so either negligent that he
knoweth not, or so forgetful that he remembreth not, or so hard hearted
that he pittieth not that worshipful mans losse? What speake we of
losse? His vtter spoile and vndeserued destruction, onelie for that
it hapned those to fauour him whome the prince fauoured not. We néed
not (I suppose) to rehearse of these anie mo by name, sith there be (I
doubt not) manie héere present, that either in themselues or in their
nigh friends haue knowne, as well their goods as their persons greatlie
indangered, either by feigned quarrels, or small matters aggreeued with
heinous names. And also there was no crime so great, of which there
could lacke a pretext.
[Sidenote: Open warre not so ill as ciuill.]
For sith the king, preuenting the time of this inheritance, atteined
the crowne by battell: it sufficed in a rich man for a pretext of
treason, to haue béene of kinred or aliance, néere familiaritie, or
legier acquaintance with any of those that were at anie time the kings
enimies, which was at one time and other more than halfe the relme.
Thus were neither your goods in suertie, and yet they brought your
bodies in ieopardie, beside the common aduenture of open warre, which
albeit that it is euer the will and occasion of much mischéefe, yet is
it neuer so mischeeuous, as where any people fall at distance among
themselues; nor in none earthlie nation so deadlie and so pestilent,
as when it happeneth among vs; and among vs neuer so long continued
dissention, nor so manie batels in that season, nor so cruell and so
deadlie fought, as was in that kings daies that dead is, God forgiue it
his soule.
[Sidenote: Ciuill warre the occasion of manie great inconueniencies.]
In whose time, and by whose occasion, what about the getting of the
garland, kéeping it, leesing and winning againe, it hath cost more
English bloud, than hath twise the winning of France. In which inward
war among our selues, hath béene so great effusion of the ancient noble
bloud of this realme, that scarselie the halfe remaineth, to the great
infeebling of this noble land, beside manie a good towne ransacked and
spoiled by them, that haue béene going to the field or comming from
thence. And peace long after not much surer than war. So that no time
was therein, which rich men for their monie, and great men for their
lands, or some other for some feare, or some displeasure were not out
of perill. For whom trusted he that mistrusted his owne brother? Whome
spared he that killed his owne brother? Or who could perfectlie loue
him, if his owne brother could not?
[Sidenote: Shores wife more sued vnto than all the lords in England.]
What maner of folke he most fauoured we shall for his honour spare to
speake of. Howbeit this wote you well all, that who so was best, bare
alwaie least rule; & more sute was in his daies to Shores wife a vile
and an abbominable strumpet, than to all the lords in England: except
vnto those that made hir their proctor. Which simple woman was well
named & honest, till the king for his wanton lust and sinfull affection
bereft hir from hir husband, a right honest substantiall yoong man
among you. And in that point, which in good faith I am sorie to speake
of, sauing that it is in vaine to kéepe in counsell that thing that all
men know, the kings greedie appetite was insatiable, and euerie where
ouer all the realme intollerable.
[Sidenote: He directeth his spéech to the communaltie of the citie.]
For no woman was there anie where, yoong or old, rich or poore, whome
he set his eie vpon, in whome he anie thing liked, either person
or fauour, spéech, pase, or countenance, but without anie feare of
God, or respect of his honour, murmur or grudge of the world, he
would importunelie pursue his appetite, and haue hir, to the great
destruction of manie a good woman, and great dolor to their husbands,
and their other fréends; which being honest people of themselues, so
much regard the cleannesse of their house, the chastitie of their
wiues, and their children, that them were leauer to leese all that they
had beside, than to haue such a villanie doone them. And all were it
that with this and other importable dealing, the realme was in euerie
part annoied: yet speciallie yée héere the citizens of this noble
citie, as well for that amongest you is most plentie of all such things
as minister matter to such iniuries as for that at you were néerest at
hand, sith that néere héere abouts was commonlie his most abiding.
[Sidenote: London the kings especiall chamber.]
And yet be yée the people, whome he had as singular cause well and
kindlie to intreat, as anie part of his realme; not onelie for that the
prince (by this noble citie, as his speciall chamber, & the speciall
well renowmed citie of this realme) much honourable fame receiueth
among all other nations: but also for that yée (not without your great
cost, & sundrie perils & ieopardies in all his warres) bare euen your
speciall fauor to his part. Which your kind minds borne to the house
of Yorke, sith he hath nothing worthilie acquited, there is of that
house that now by Gods grace better shall: which thing to shew you is
the whole summe and effect of this our present errand. It shall not (I
wot well) néed that I rehearse you againe, that yée haue alreadie heard
of him that can better tell it, and of whome I am sure yée will better
beléeue it. And reason is that it so be.
[Sidenote: Doct. Shaw commended by the duke of Buckingh[=a].]
[Sidenote: A slanderous lie confirmed.]
I am not so proud, to looke therefore that yée should reckon my words
of as great authoritie as the preachers of the word of God, namelie a
man so cunning and so wise, that no man better woteth what he should
saie, and thereto so good and vertuous, that he would saie the thing
which he wist he should not saie, in the pulpit namelie, into the
which no honest man commeth to lie. Which honorable preacher, yée
well remember, substantiallie declared vnto you at Paules crosse, on
sundaie last passed, the right & title that the most excellent prince
Richard duke of Glocester, now protector of this realme, hath vnto the
crowne and kingdome of the same. For as the worshipfull man groundlie
made open vnto you, the children of king Edward the fourth were neuer
lawfullie begotten, forsomuch as the king (leaning his verie wife dame
Elizabeth Lucie) was neuer lawfullie maried vnto the quéene their
mother, whose bloud, sauing that he set his voluptuous, pleasure before
his honor, was full vnméetelie to be matched with his; and the mingling
of whose blouds togither, hath béene the effusion of a great part of
the noble bloud of this realme.
[Sidenote: The title of K. Richard to the crowne.]
Whereby it may well séeme the mariage not well made, of which there is
so much mischéefe growne. For lacke of which lawfull coupling, & also
of other things which the said worshipfull doctor rather signified
than fullie explaned, & which things shall not be spoken for me, as the
thing wherein euerie man forbereth to say that he knoweth in auoiding
displeasure of my noble lord protector, bearing (as nature requireth) a
filiall reuerence to the duchesse his mother. For these causes (I say)
before remembred that is to wit, for lacke of other issue lawfullie of
the late noble prince Richard duke of Yorke, to whose roiall bloud the
crowne of England and of France is by the high authoritie of parlement
intailed, the right and title of the same is by the iust course of
inheritance (according to the c[=o]mon lawes of the land) deuolued &
commen vnto the most excellent prince the lord protector, as to the
verie lawfullie begotten sonne of the foreremembred noble duke of Yorke.
[Sidenote: The dignitie and office of a king full of care & studie.]
Which thing well considered, and the great knightlie prowesse pondered,
with manifold vertues, which in his noble person singularlie abound;
the nobles and commons also of this realme, and speciallie in the north
part, not willing anie bastard bloud to haue the rule of the land, nor
the abusions before in the same vsed anie longer to continue, haue
condescended and fullie determined, to make humble petition to the
most puissant prince the lord protector, that it maie like his grace
(at our humble request) to take vpon him the guiding and gouernance of
this realme, to the wealth and increase of the same, according to his
verie right and iust title. Which thing I wote it well, he will be loth
to take vpon him, as he whose wisdome well perceiueth the labor and
studie both of mind and bodie, that come therewith, to whomsoeuer so
will occupie the roome, as I dare say hée will, if he take it. Which
roome I warne you well is no childs office. And that the great wise man
well perceiued, when hée said: Væ regno cuius rex puer est: Wo is that
realme that hath a child to their king.
Wherefore so much the more cause haue we to thanke God, that this
noble personage, which is so rightlie intituled therevnto, is of so
sad age, & thereto so great wisdome ioined with so great experience,
which albeit hée will bée loth (as I haue said) to take it vpon him,
yet shall he to our petition in that behalfe more gratiouslie incline,
if ye the worshipfull citizens of this the chéefe citie of this realme,
ioine with vs the nobles in our said request. Which for your owne
weale (we doubt not) but ye will: and nathelesse I heartilie pray
you so to doo, whereby you shall doo great profit to all this realme
beside, in choosing them so good a king, and vnto your selues speciall
commoditie, to whom his maiestie shall euer after beare so much the
more tender fauor, in how much he shall perceiue you the more prone and
beneuolentlie minded toward his election. Wherein déere friends what
mind you haue, wee require you plainlie to shew vs.
* * * * *
When the duke had said, and looked that the people, whome he hoped that
the maior had framed before should after this proposition made, haue
cried; King Richard, king Richard: all was husht and mute, and not one
word answered therevnto. Wherewith the duke was maruellouslie abashed,
and taking the maior neerer to him, with other that were about him
priuie to that matter, said vnto them softlie, What meaneth this, that
the people be so still? Sir (quoth the maior) percase they perceiue
you not well. That shall we mend (quoth he) if that will helpe. And by
& by somewhat lowder he rehearsed to them the same matter againe in
other order, and other words, so well and ornatlie, and nathelesse so
euidentlie and plaine, with voice, gesture and countenance so comelie,
and so conuenient, that euerie man much maruelled that heard him, and
thought that they neuer had in their liues heard so euill a tale so
well told [insomuch that he séemed as cunning an orator, as he, of
whome the poet spake to his high praise & c[=o]mendation, saieng: