Chapter XXIV - England Under Edward the Fifth

by Charles Dickens

　　The late King's eldest son, the Prince of Wales, called Edwardafter him, was only thirteen years of age at his father's death.He was at Ludlow Castle with his uncle, the Earl of Rivers. Theprince's brother, the Duke of York, only eleven years of age, wasin London with his mother. The boldest, most crafty, and mostdreaded nobleman in England at that time was their uncle Richard,Duke of Gloucester, and everybody wondered how the two poor boyswould fare with such an uncle for a friend or a foe.

　　The Queen, their mother, being exceedingly uneasy about this, wasanxious that instructions should be sent to Lord Rivers to raise anarmy to escort the young King safely to London. But, LordHastings, who was of the Court party opposed to the Woodvilles, andwho disliked the thought of giving them that power, argued againstthe proposal, and obliged the Queen to be satisfied with an escortof two thousand horse. The Duke of Gloucester did nothing, atfirst, to justify suspicion. He came from Scotland (where he wascommanding an army) to York, and was there the first to swearallegiance to his nephew. He then wrote a condoling letter to theQueen-Mother, and set off to be present at the coronation inLondon.

　　Now, the young King, journeying towards London too, with LordRivers and Lord Gray, came to Stony Stratford, as his uncle came toNorthampton, about ten miles distant; and when those two lordsheard that the Duke of Gloucester was so near, they proposed to theyoung King that they should go back and greet him in his name. Theboy being very willing that they should do so, they rode off andwere received with great friendliness, and asked by the Duke ofGloucester to stay and dine with him. In the evening, while theywere merry together, up came the Duke of Buckingham with threehundred horsemen; and next morning the two lords and the two dukes,and the three hundred horsemen, rode away together to rejoin theKing. Just as they were entering Stony Stratford, the Duke ofGloucester, checking his horse, turned suddenly on the two lords,charged them with alienating from him the affections of his sweetnephew, and caused them to be arrested by the three hundredhorsemen and taken back. Then, he and the Duke of Buckingham wentstraight to the King (whom they had now in their power), to whomthey made a show of kneeling down, and offering great love andsubmission; and then they ordered his attendants to disperse, andtook him, alone with them, to Northampton.

　　A few days afterwards they conducted him to London, and lodged himin the Bishop's Palace. But, he did not remain there long; for,the Duke of Buckingham with a tender face made a speech expressinghow anxious he was for the Royal boy's safety, and how much saferhe would be in the Tower until his coronation, than he could beanywhere else. So, to the Tower he was taken, very carefully, andthe Duke of Gloucester was named Protector of the State.

　　Although Gloucester had proceeded thus far with a very smoothcountenance - and although he was a clever man, fair of speech, andnot ill-looking, in spite of one of his shoulders being somethinghigher than the other - and although he had come into the Cityriding bare-headed at the King's side, and looking very fond of him- he had made the King's mother more uneasy yet; and when the Royalboy was taken to the Tower, she became so alarmed that she tooksanctuary in Westminster with her five daughters.

　　Nor did she do this without reason, for, the Duke of Gloucester,finding that the lords who were opposed to the Woodville familywere faithful to the young King nevertheless, quickly resolved tostrike a blow for himself. Accordingly, while those lords met incouncil at the Tower, he and those who were in his interest met inseparate council at his own residence, Crosby Palace, inBishopsgate Street. Being at last quite prepared, he one dayappeared unexpectedly at the council in the Tower, and appeared tobe very jocular and merry. He was particularly gay with the Bishopof Ely: praising the strawberries that grew in his garden onHolborn Hill, and asking him to have some gathered that he mighteat them at dinner. The Bishop, quite proud of the honour, sentone of his men to fetch some; and the Duke, still very jocular andgay, went out; and the council all said what a very agreeable dukehe was! In a little time, however, he came back quite altered -not at all jocular - frowning and fierce - and suddenly said, -

　　'What do those persons deserve who have compassed my destruction; Ibeing the King's lawful, as well as natural, protector?'

　　To this strange question, Lord Hastings replied, that they deserveddeath, whosoever they were.

　　'Then,' said the Duke, 'I tell you that they are that sorceress mybrother's wife;' meaning the Queen: 'and that other sorceress,Jane Shore. Who, by witchcraft, have withered my body, and causedmy arm to shrink as I now show you.'

　　He then pulled up his sleeve and showed them his arm, which wasshrunken, it is true, but which had been so, as they all very wellknew, from the hour of his birth.

　　Jane Shore, being then the lover of Lord Hastings, as she hadformerly been of the late King, that lord knew that he himself wasattacked. So, he said, in some confusion, 'Certainly, my Lord, ifthey have done this, they be worthy of punishment.'

　　'If?' said the Duke of Gloucester; 'do you talk to me of ifs? Itell you that they have so done, and I will make it good upon thybody, thou traitor!'

　　With that, he struck the table a great blow with his fist. Thiswas a signal to some of his people outside to cry 'Treason!' Theyimmediately did so, and there was a rush into the chamber of somany armed men that it was filled in a moment.

　　'First,' said the Duke of Gloucester to Lord Hastings, 'I arrestthee, traitor! And let him,' he added to the armed men who tookhim, 'have a priest at once, for by St. Paul I will not dine untilI have seen his head of!'

　　Lord Hastings was hurried to the green by the Tower chapel, andthere beheaded on a log of wood that happened to be lying on theground. Then, the Duke dined with a good appetite, and afterdinner summoning the principal citizens to attend him, told themthat Lord Hastings and the rest had designed to murder both himselfand the Duke if Buckingham, who stood by his side, if he had notprovidentially discovered their design. He requested them to be soobliging as to inform their fellow-citizens of the truth of what hesaid, and issued a proclamation (prepared and neatly copied outbeforehand) to the same effect.

　　On the same day that the Duke did these things in the Tower, SirRichard Ratcliffe, the boldest and most undaunted of his men, wentdown to Pontefract; arrested Lord Rivers, Lord Gray, and two othergentlemen; and publicly executed them on the scaffold, without anytrial, for having intended the Duke's death. Three days afterwardsthe Duke, not to lose time, went down the river to Westminster inhis barge, attended by divers bishops, lords, and soldiers, anddemanded that the Queen should deliver her second son, the Duke ofYork, into his safe keeping. The Queen, being obliged to comply,resigned the child after she had wept over him; and Richard ofGloucester placed him with his brother in the Tower. Then, heseized Jane Shore, and, because she had been the lover of the lateKing, confiscated her property, and got her sentenced to do publicpenance in the streets by walking in a scanty dress, with barefeet, and carrying a lighted candle, to St. Paul's Cathedral,through the most crowded part of the City.

　　Having now all things ready for his own advancement, he caused afriar to preach a sermon at the cross which stood in front of St.Paul's Cathedral, in which he dwelt upon the profligate manners ofthe late King, and upon the late shame of Jane Shore, and hintedthat the princes were not his children. 'Whereas, good people,'said the friar, whose name was Shaw, 'my Lord the Protector, thenoble Duke of Gloucester, that sweet prince, the pattern of all thenoblest virtues, is the perfect image and express likeness of hisfather.' There had been a little plot between the Duke and thefriar, that the Duke should appear in the crowd at this moment,when it was expected that the people would cry 'Long live KingRichard!' But, either through the friar saying the words too soon,or through the Duke's coming too late, the Duke and the words didnot come together, and the people only laughed, and the friarsneaked off ashamed.

　　The Duke of Buckingham was a better hand at such business than thefriar, so he went to the Guildhall the next day, and addressed thecitizens in the Lord Protector's behalf. A few dirty men, who hadbeen hired and stationed there for the purpose, crying when he haddone, 'God save King Richard!' he made them a great bow, andthanked them with all his heart. Next day, to make an end of it,he went with the mayor and some lords and citizens to BayardCastle, by the river, where Richard then was, and read an address,humbly entreating him to accept the Crown of England. Richard, wholooked down upon them out of a window and pretended to be in greatuneasiness and alarm, assured them there was nothing he desiredless, and that his deep affection for his nephews forbade him tothink of it. To this the Duke of Buckingham replied, withpretended warmth, that the free people of England would neversubmit to his nephew's rule, and that if Richard, who was thelawful heir, refused the Crown, why then they must find some oneelse to wear it. The Duke of Gloucester returned, that since heused that strong language, it became his painful duty to think nomore of himself, and to accept the Crown.

　　Upon that, the people cheered and dispersed; and the Duke ofGloucester and the Duke of Buckingham passed a pleasant evening,talking over the play they had just acted with so much success, andevery word of which they had prepared together.