CHAP. XXIV. Character of Lord Chancellor Russell. His origin and rise. His con usurpation picion, appears to have been unstained by the crimes of his patron; and he is celebrated by most of the chroniclers of that period for uncommon learning, piety, and wisdom. He was probably selected by Richard as a man who, from his mild disposition, would not be dangerous to him, and whose character might bring some credit to his cause. I do not find any distinct account of this John Russell's parentage. He was most likely of the Bedford family, who, having held a respectable but not brilliant position in the West of England since the Conquest, were now rising into eminence. He was born in the parish of St. Peter, in the suburbs of the city of Winchester, in the beginning of the reign of Henry VI.† Having studied some years at the school recently established by William of Wickham in the place of his birth, he was removed to the University of Oxford. Here he made particular proficiency in the canon law, and took the degree of Doctor in this faculty. In 1449 he was elected a fellow of New College, and residing there he still increased his academical reputation. He was made a prebendary of Salisbury, and Archdeacon of Berkshire, when he removed to Court, and was much noticed by Edward IV. In 1476 he was consecrated Bishop of Rochester, and in 1480 he was translated to the see of Lincoln. He was a man of very bland manners, and as he rose in the world, made himself still very acceptable to those above him, and popular with all ranks. He was left by Edward IV. one of his executors, and his appointment as Chancellor to the infant Sovereign was generally approved of. We are not informed how the new Chancellor employed duct on the himself in the short interval during which the government was allowed to be carried on in the name of Edward V.; but as he is not mentioned in connection with the scenes of open violence which ensued, and no serious charge of treachery of Richard III. John Russell, a lineal ancestor of the present Duke, was Speaker of the House of Commons in the second parliament of Hen. VI., which met in 1432. Wiffen, in his "History of the House of Russell," does not mention the Chancellor, perhaps from a shyness to acknowledge him on account of his connec tion with Richard III., and the suspicion under which he unjustly laboured of having betrayed two sovereigns to whom he had sworn allegiance. Ibid. 413, 414. † Wood, Hist. et Ant. Oxon. 413. was urged against him when the Lancastrians triumphed, we are bound to believe that the usurpation was planned and effected without his privity, though, like most others in the kingdom, he was not unwilling to recognise the usurper. We must remember that the revolution proceeded on the ground that Richard was the right heir; that the two young Princes, though set aside, still survived when he gave in his adhesion; — and that there is great reason to think that Edward actually walked at the coronation of his cruel uncle.* CHAP. XXIV. 1483. Chancellor Two days after the ridiculous farce acted at Guildhall, June 28. under the management of Buckingham, which Shakspeare Russell rehas made so familiar to us, John Russell had the Great Seal appointed again delivered to him, as Chancellor to Richard III., and by Richard he swore allegiance to the new King. The ceremony took III. place at Baynard's Castle, in Thames Street, the residence of the Duchess of York, where the usurper first kept his Court. The record tells us, "that the Chancellor having there received the Great Seal from the King, carried it to his inn called the Old Temple, in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, and that on the 20th of June following he sat here, assisted by Morton the Master of the Rolls, and three Masters in Chancery."† We have no further account of the exercise of his judicial functions. Richard was soon obliged to take the field that he might put down the insurrection of the Duke of Buckingham. The Chancellor was then confined to his bed in London by a severe fit of sickness. When Richard reached Lincoln at the head of his army, he sent to the Chancellor the following letter, the original of which is still preserved in the Tower: 66 "By the King, A.D. 1483. Right Reverend Fadre in God, and right trusty and wellbeloved, We grete you well, and in our hertiest wyse thank you the Chanfor the manyfold Presentes that your servantes in your behalve cellor. have presented unto us at this oure being here: which we assure So far Horace Walpole, I think, succeeds, although he fails egregiously in making Richard both handsome and virtuous. † Rot. Cl. 1 Ric. 3. n. 100. CHAP. A.D. 1483. Postscript. A.D. 1484. A parlia ment. you we toke and accepted with good herte: and so we have cause. And whereas we, by Goddes grace, intend briefly to avaunce us towards our rebel and traitor, the Duc of Buckingham, to resist and withstand his malicious purpose, as lately by oure other letters We certifyed you oure mynde more at large: For which cause it behoveth us to have our Grete Sele here, We being enfourmed that for such infirmities and diseases as ye susteyne ne may in your person to your ease conveniently come unto us with the same: Wherefore we wil, and natheless charge you that forthwith upon the sight of thies, ye saufly do the same oure Grete Sele to be sent unto us; and such of the office of our Chauncery as by your wisedome shall be thought necessary, receiving these oure letters for youre sufficient discharge in that behalve. Geven undre oure signet at oure cite of Lincolne the xii day of Octobre." The letter, so far, is in the handwriting of a secretary. Then follows this most curious postscript in the handwriting of Richard himself: "We wolde most gladly ye came your selff, yf that you may, and yf ye may not, we pray you not to fayle, but to accomplyshe in al dillygence our sayde commaundemente, to send ourc Seale incontinent upon the syght hereof as we truste you with such as ye truste and the officers parteyning to attende with hyt; praying you to ascerteyn us of your News ther. Here, loved be God, is al wel and trewly determyned, and for to resiste the malyse of him that had best cause to be trew, the Duc of Bokyngam, the most untrew creature lyvynge. Whom, with God's grace, we shall not be long til that we wyll be in that parties and subdew his malys. Wee assure you there was never falsre traitor purvayde for, as this Berrerr Gloucestre shall shew you."* The Great Seal was accordingly sent to the King, who retained it in his own custody till the 26th of November, when having returned in triumph to London, he restored it to Lord Chancellor Russell.† There had as yet been no parliament since the death of Edward IV., but one was now summoned by writs under the Great Seal. The two Houses met in January, 1484, and the King being seated on the throne, the Lord Chancellor addressed them, and as soon as a Speaker was chosen, proposed a bill, whereby it was "declared, pronounced, decreed, con * See Kennet, i. 532. n. Rot. Cl. 1 Ric. 3. n. 101. CHAP. XXIV. firmed, and established, that our Lord Richard III. is the true and undoubted King of this realm, as well by right of consanguinity and heritage, as by lawful election and coro- A.D. 1484. nation." laws now enacted. The issue of Edward IV. being bastardised, and the Earl Excellent of Richmond and all the Lancastrian leaders attainted, the parliament, at the suggestion of the government, set to work in good earnest to reform the law and to improve the institutions of the country. This policy, prompted by the King's consciousness of his bad title to the crown and his desire to obtain popularity, was warmly promoted by the Chancellor. From the destruction and obliteration of records which followed upon the change of dynasty, we have very imperfect details of the proceedings of this parliament; but looking to the result of its deliberations as exhibited in the Statute Book, we have no difficulty in pronouncing it the most meritorious national council for protecting the liberty of the subject and putting down abuses in the administration of justice, which had sat since the time of Edward I. "Benevo I will fondly believe, though I can produce no direct evidence to prove the fact, that to "JOHN RUSSELL" the nation was indebted for the Act entitled-"The Subjects of Act against this Realm not to be charged with Benevolence," the object lences." of which was to put down the practice introduced in some late reigns of levying taxes under the name of "Benevolence," without the authority of parliament. The language employed would not be unworthy of that great statesman bearing the same name, who in our own time framed and introduced Bills "to abolish the Test Act," and "to reform the Representation of the People in Parliament:" "Remembering how the Commons, by new and unlawful innovations against the laws of this realm, have been put to great thraldom and exactions, and in especial by a new imposition called Benevolence, be it ordained that the Commonalty of this realm from henceforth in no wise be charged therewith, and that such exactions aforetime taken shall be for no example to make the like hereafter, but shall be damned and annulled for ever."* *Stat. 1 Ric. 3. c. 2. CHAP. XXIV. regulates treaty with Scotland, When the session of parliament was over, the Chancellor was employed to negotiate a peace with Scotland. At NotChancellor tingham he met commissioners from the Scottish King, and it was agreed, that to consolidate the amity between the two countries, Anne de la Pole, the niece of King Richard and Sept. 1484. sister of the Earl of Lincoln, declared to be heir presumptive to the crown, should be married to the eldest son of James III. The parties were then infants, and this marriage did not take place; but afterwards another English Princess, eldest daughter of Henry VII., did become the bride of James IV., and was the means of uniting the whole island under one sovereign.* The Chancellor was next employed in a negotiation of a more difficult and delicate nature. Jane Shore, celebrated Hall gives a detailed account of this negotiation: "At which tyme came thether for the Kynge of England, John, Byshop of Lincoln, Chauncellor of England," &c.— Chro. p. 398. We have a still more curious statement respecting it in Lesly's History of Scotland, lately published by the Banatyne Club :-"Ther wes no peace kepit on the bourdouris of Scotland and Ingland; but divers incursionis and raides wer made on ather syde, with greyt spoiles and prayes of guidis brocht furth of Ingland all the nixt winter, sua that thair wes greit appeirance of weir to ensue betwix thame. Innocentius Octavus, than Pope, hering thairof, send ane legat callit James Bischop of Imola, to baith the Kinges for ane treaty of peace to be maid amangis thame; at quhilk tyme Kinge Richard, considering his awin unquiet state within his realme, be civil sedicione attempted aganis him be his nobles, thoucht it wes the neirast way to appease the same be contracting of peace with the King of Scotland his nierast nychtbour; and thairfoir be persuatione of the same legat, Commissionaris were appointit, wha met at Nuttinghame, the sevint of September: Quha were for Scotland Coline Erle of Argyle, Lord Campbell and Lorne, the Lord Chancellar of Scotland, &c. : For Ingland wer appointit Johne Bishop of Lincolne, Chancellar of Ingland, &c. Thir Commissioneris did sex tymis meit, and efter lang debaitting, demanding, and denying, in the end of September thay fully concludit, and maid a determinacione, le the quhilkis there was ane perfytte amitye and inviolable peace contractit betwix the realmes of Scotland and Ingland for thre yeiris, to begine at the sone rysinge, the 29 day of September, 1484, and to indure to the sone setting the 29 September, 1487," &c. - Les. Hist. p. 52. — In Rymer we find the warrant addressed to Lord Chancellor Russell for a safe conduct under Great Seal to the Scottish ambassadors : - "Memorandum quod vicesimo nono Die Novembris anno Regni Regis Ricardi Tertii primo, ista Billa liberata fuit Domino Cancellario Angliæ apud Westmonasterium exequenda : "R. R. "Rex universis et singulis Admirallis salutem. Sciatis," &c. The safe conduct was to be under condition that the ambassadors should attempt nothing to the prejudice of the King of England, and contained a declaration “quod ipse sic attemptans pro eo juxta ejus demerita puniatur."-Rym. F. xii. 207. The full powers to the Scottish ambassadors are also given, and show that the head of my clan was then Chancellor of Scotland: "Confisi ad plenum de fidelitate prudentia, legalitate, scientia, et probitate nobilis et potentis Domini Colini Comitis de Ergile, Domini Campbell et Lorne, Cancellarii nostri," &c.- Rym. F. xxii. 234. 1 |