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SIR THOMAS MORE.

1480-1535.

THE DEATH OF HASTINGS.

WHEREUPON sone after, that is to wit, on the Friday theday of many Lordes assembled in the Tower, and there sat in counsaile, deuising the honorable solempnite of the kinges coronacion, of which the time appointed then so nere approched, that the pageauntes and suttelties were in making day and night at Westminster, and much vitaile killed therfore, that afterward was cast away. These lordes so sytting togyther comoning of thys matter, the protectour came in among them, fyrst aboute ix. of the clock, saluting them curtesly, and excusyng hymself that he had ben from them so long, saieng merely that he had bene a slepe that day. And after a little talking with them, he sayd vnto the Bishop of Elye: My lord you haue very good strawberies at your gardayne in Holberne, I require you let vs haue a messe of them. Gladly my lord, quod he, woulde God I had some better thing as redy to your pleasure as that. And therwith in al the hast he sent hys seruant for a messe of strauberies. The protectour sette the lordes fast in comoning, and thereupon prayeng them to spare hym for a little while departed thence. And sone, after one hower, betwene .x. and .xi. he returned into the chamber among them, al changed, with a wonderful soure angrye countenaunce, knitting the browes, frowning and froting and knawing on hys lippes, and so sat him downe in hys place; al the lordes much dismaied and sore merueiling of this maner of sodain chaunge, and what thing should him aile. Then when he had sitten still a while, thus he began: What were they worthy to haue, that compasse and ymagine the distruccion of me, being so nere of blood vnto the king and protectour of his riall person and his realme? At this question, al the lordes sat sore astonied, musyng much by whome thys question should be ment, of

which euery man wyst himselfe clere. Then the lord chamberlen, as he that for the loue betwene them thoughte he might be boldest with him, aunswered and sayd, that thei wer worthye to bee punished as heighnous traitors, whatsoeuer they were. And al the other affirmed the same. That is (quod he) yonder sorceres my brothers wife and other with her, meaning the quene. At these wordes many of the other Lordes were gretly abashed that fauoured her. But the lord Hastinges was in his minde better content, that it was moued by her, then by any other whom he loued better. Albeit hys harte somewhat grudged, that he was not afore made of counsell in this matter, as he was of the taking of her kynred, and of their putting to death, which were by his assent before deuised to bee byhedded at Pountfreit, this selfe same day, in which he was not ware that it was by other deuised, that himself should the same day be behedded at London. Then said the protectour; ye shal al se in what wise that sorceres and that other witch of her counsel, Shoris wife, with their affynite, haue by their sorcery and witchcraft wasted my body. And therwith he plucked vp hys doublet sleue to his elbow vpon his left arme, where he shewed a werish withered arme and small, as it was neuer other. And thereupon euery mannes mind sore misgaue them, well persceiuing that this matter was but a quarel. For wel thei wist, that the quene was to wise to go aboute any such folye. And also if she would, yet wold she of all folke leste make Shoris wife of counsaile, whom of al women she most hated, as that concubine whom the king her husband had most loued. And also no man was there present, but wel knew that his harme was euer such since his birth. Natheles the lorde Chamberlen aunswered and sayd: certainly my lorde if they haue so heinously done, thei be worthy heinous punishment. What, quod the protectour, thou seruest me, I wene, with iffes and with andes, I tel the thei haue so done, and that I will make good on thy body, traitour. And therwith as in a great anger, he clapped his fist vpon the borde a great rappe. At which token giuen, one cried treason without the c[h]ambre. Therewith a dore clapped, and in come there rushing men in harneys as many as the chambre might hold. And anon the protectour sayd to the lorde Hastinges: I arest the, traitour. What, me, my Lorde? quod he. Yea the, traitour, quod the protectour. And another let flee at the Lorde Standley which shronke at the stroke and fel vnder the table, or els his hed had ben clefte to the tethe: for as shortely as he shranke, yet ranne the blood aboute hys eares. Then were they al quickly bestowed

in diuerse chambres except the lorde Chamberlen, whom the protectour bade spede and shryue hym apace, for by saynt Poule (quod he) I wil not to dinner til I se thy hed of. It boted him not to aske why, but heuely he toke a priest at aduenture, and made a short shrift, for a longer would not be suffered, the protectour made so much hast to dyner; which he might not go to til this wer done for sauing of his othe. So was he brought forth into the grene beside the chappel within the Tower, and his head laid vpon a long log of timbre, and there stricken of, and afterward his body with the hed entred at Windsore beside the body of kinge Edward, whose both soules our Lord pardon.

A merueilouse case is it to here, either the warninges of that he shoulde haue voided, or the tokens of that he could not voide. For the self night next before his death, the lord Standley sent a trustie secret messenger vnto him at midnight in al the hast, requiring him to rise and ryde away with hym, for he was disposed vtterly no lenger to bide; he had so fereful a dreme, in which him thoughte that a bore with his tuskes so raced them both bi the heddes, that the blood ranne aboute both their shoulders. And forasmuch as the protector gaue the bore for his cognisaunce, this dreme made so fereful an impression in his hart, that he was throughly determined no lenger to tary, but had his horse redy, if the lord Hastinges wold go with him to ride as far yet the same night, that thei shold be out of danger ere dai. Ey, good lord, quod the lord Hastinges to his messenger, leneth mi lord thi master to such trifles, and hath such faith in dremes, which either his own fere fantasieth or do rise in the nightes rest by reason of his daye thoughtes? Tel him it is plaine witchcraft to beleue in suche dremes; which if they wer tokens of thinges to come, why thinketh he not that we might be as likely to make them true by our going if we were caught and brought back (as frendes fayle fleers), for then had the bore a cause likely to race vs with his tuskes, as folke that fled for some falshed, wherfore either is there no peryl; nor none there is in dede; or if any be, it is rather in going then biding. And if we should, nedes cost, fall in perill one way or other; yet had I leuer that men should se it wer by other mens falshed, then thinke it were either our owne faulte or faint hart. And therfore go to thy master, man, and commende me to him, and pray him be mery and haue no fere: for I ensure hym I am as sure of the man that he woteth of, as I am of my own hand. God sende grace, sir, quod the messenger, and went his way.

Certain is it also, that in the riding toward the Tower, the same morning in which he was behedded, his hors twise or thrice stumbled with him almost to the falling; which thing albeit eche man wote wel daily happeneth to them to whom no such mischaunce is toward, yet hath it ben, of an olde rite and custome, obserued as a token often times notably foregoing some great misfortune. Now this that foloweth was no warning, but an enemious scorne. The same morning ere he were vp, came a knight unto him, as it were of curtesy to accompany hym to the counsaile, but of trouth sent by the protector to hast him thitherward, wyth whom he was of secret confederacy in that purpose, a meane man at that time, and now of gret auctorite. This knight when it happed the lord Chamberlen by the way to stay his horse, and comen a while with a priest whome he met in the Tower strete, brake his tale and said merely to him: What, my lord, I pray you come on, whereto talke you so long with that priest, you haue no need of a pri[e]st yet; and therewith he laughed vpon him, as though he would say, ye shal haue sone. But so litle wist that tother what he ment, and so little mistrusted, that he was neuer merier nor neuer so full of good hope in his life; which self thing is often sene a signe of chaunge. But I shall rather let anye thinge passe me, then the vain sureti of mans mind so nere his deth. Vpon the very Tower wharfe, so nere the place where his hed was of so sone after, there met he with one Hastinges, a perseuant of his own name. And of their meting in that place, he was put in remembrance of an other time, in which it had happened them before to mete in like maner togither in the same place. At which other tyme the lord Chamberlen had been accused vnto king Edward, by the lord Riuers the quenes brother, in such wise that he was for the while (but it lasted not long) farre fallen into the kinges indignacion, and stode in great fere of himselfe. And for asmuch as he nowe met this perseuant in the same place, that jupardy so wel passed, it gaue him great pleasure to talke with him thereof with whom he had before talked thereof in the same place while he was therein. And therefore he said: Ah Hastinges, art thou remembred when I met thee here ones with an heuy hart? Yea, my lord, (quod he) that remembre I wel: and thanked be God they gate no good, nor ye none harme thereby. Thou wouldest say so, quod he, if thou knewest as much as I know, which few know els as yet and moe shall shortly. That ment he by the lordes of the quenes kindred that were taken before, and should that day be behedded at Pounfreit: which he wel

wyst, but nothing ware that the axe hang ouer his own hed. In faith, man, quod he, I was neuer so sory, nor neuer stode in so great dread in my life, as I did when thou and I met here. And lo, how the world is turned, now stand mine enemies in the daunger (as thou maist hap to here more hereafter) and I neuer in my life so mery nor neuer in so great suerty. O good God, the blindnes of our mortall nature, when he most feared, he was in good suerty when he rekened him self surest, he lost his life, and that within two houres after. Thus ended this honorable man, a good knight and a gentle, of gret aucthorite with his prince, of liuing somewhat dessolate, plaine and open to his enemy, and secret to his frend: eth to begile, as he that of good hart and corage forestudied no perilles. A louing man and passing wel beloued. Very faithful, and trusty ynough, trusting to much.

The Historie of Kyng Rycharde the Thirde.

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