Upon paffing thefe Laws Lord Bacon remarks, that the King, From the very Beginning was not forgetful of Points of Profit to his Coffers, and that he had been more happy at the latter End, if his early • Providence (which kept from all Neceffity of exacting upon his People) would likewise have attempered his Nature.'

At first setting out the King did not difcover his natural Difpofition; for, as this was the firft Parliament held in his Reign, he did not think proper to demand any Supplies, propofing thereby to ingratiate himself with the People; and, as Henry had in every refpect obtained the End he defired from the Meeting of the Parliament, there being no farther Bufinefs before them, they broke up.

After the King had difmiffed his Parliament, and filled his Coffers out of the Estates of the Attainted, he issued a Proclamation, offering Pardon to all Perfons that had been concerned in any Plot against him, before he came to the Crown; which had fo good an Effect, that many came in, and took the Oaths of Allegiance; but others chose to remain in Sanctuary, till the Character of the new King was more known.

Henry having thus exercised his Regal Office as well by Acts of Severity as Mercy, the next Step he took was to confer Honours upon fome of his Companions in Exile; the Lord Chandos he created Earl of Bath; Sir Giles Dawbeney he raised to the Dignity of a Peer; he fhewed the like Favour to Sir Robert Willoughby, by creating him Lord Brooke; Edward Stafford he reitored to the Dignity of Duke of Buckingham, forfeited by his Father's Attainder, a Piece of Juftice the King could not well refuse, since that Lord's Father loft his Life, Title and Eftate in aiding Henry against Richard. A fad Fate attended this noble Family; Lord Stafford's Great-grandfather, Humphry Duke of Buckingham, was killed at the Battle of St. Alban's; his Grandfather, Humphry Duke of Buckingham, at Northampton; his Father

was beheaded *; and all this they fuffered thro' their affifting the House of Lancaster against that of York.

His Majefty kept his Christmas at his pleasant Palace in Sheine (now called Richmond.) Sir John Denham has these beautiful Lines in his Cooper's Hill, when he fpeaks of the River that glides by it.

My Eye, defcending from the Hill, furveys
Where Thames among the wanton Valleys ftrays;
Thames, the most lov'd of all the Ocean's Sons,
By his old Sire, to his Embraces runs ;
Hafting to pay his Tribute to the Sea,

Like mortal Life to meet Eternity.

Though with thofe Streams be no Refemblance bold,
Whofe Foam is Amber, and their Gravel Gold;
His genuine, and lefs guilty Wealth t'explore,
Search not his Bottom, but furvey his Shore;
O'er which he kindly spreads his fpacious Wing,
And batches Plenty for th'enfuing Spring.
Finds Wealth where 'tis, beftows it where it wants,
Cities in Defarts, Woods in Cities plants :
So that to us no Thing, no Place is ftrange,
While his fair Eafom is the World's Exchange.
O could I flow like thee, and make thy Stream
My great Example, as it is my Theme!
Tho' deep, yet clear, tho' gentle, yet not dull,
Strong without Rage, without o'er-flowing full.

The Marquefs of Dorfet was one, among other Noblemen, that retired into France, to avoid falling a Sacrifice to Richard's Refentment, or at leaft being a Spec

Many Hiftorians relate, that the Duke of Buckingham's Servant, Banifter, never received the pecuniary Reward for bafely betraying his Mafter; and what is very remarkable, this perfidious Mifcreant did not go unpunished by the Hand of Divine Ven. geance, himself afterwards was

tator

hanged for Murder, his eldest Son run mad, and died in a Hogfty; his fecond Son was deformed; his third Son drowned in a fmall Puddle of Water; and his eldest Daughter was debauched by one of his Carters, and ftruck with a Leprofy, of which the died.

tator of his tyrannical Proceedings. This Nobleman was at the French Court, when the Earl of Richmond was folliciting their Affistance, and voluntarily of fered to remain there as one of the Earl's Pledges; the Offer being accepted, Henry obtained Part of the Aid he requested; and, as foon as he was placed on the Throne, he fent Oliver King, Archdeacon of Ox ford, as his Envoy into France, with Money to pay King Charles for what he had expended on his Account; whereupon the Marquefs had Leave to return home.

He had not been long in England, before Henry grew jealous of him, owing to fome Expreffions he unguardedly let drop in France, relating to Henry's Title to the Crown: But, being informed of his Majesty's Difpleasure, he fet out for St. Edmondsbury, (where the King then was) with a Design to attend his Majesty, and justify himself Ori the Road he was arrested by the Earl of Oxford, and conveyed to the Tower, even without being heard, where he remained fome Time; by which the Marquefs exchanged an eafy Confinement in France, tờ that of a rigorous one in England.

Some little Time before the King had raised Money out of the Estates of his Enemies, he fent to the City of London to borrow 6000 Marks: This Request at first met with great Difficulties, because the Citizens were fearful, and all he could obtain was but 2000, which he afterwards punctually paid. This gave him fo much Credit in the City, that they always readily lent the King Money whenever he desired it.

About the End of this Year he called to his Council his good Friend John Morton, Bishop of Ely, and Richard Fox, who was afterwards Wolfey's great Patron. Fox the King made Keeper of his Privy Seal, then Bishop of Exeter, and at last he translated him to Winchester. Thefe two Prelates the King employed in his molt important Commiffions, Embaffies, and Nego

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Negotiations: And he chofe to employ Ecclefiafticks, because they received no Money out of his Pocket, he having always Preferments in the Church to reward them for the Labour and Pains they took in his Service.

1486.

Henry being now fixed on the Throne, and having fettled feveral important Affairs, he bethought himfelf of his Promife in refpect to making the Princess Elizabeth his Spouse; the 12th of January he fent for her to London, and on the 18th he was married to her in publick, whereby the two Houses of York and Lancaster became united.

Tho' this Marriage was fo acceptable to the People, that they made very extraordinary Rejoicings on the Occafion, it was by no means pleafing to the King: For it was perfectly against the Grain, that he confummated it at all, and would have dropped her if he could, or durft have done it: But the folemn Promise he had made, and the Fondness of the People of England for this Conjunction, did not permit him to take fuch an imprudent Step; because every body was convinced, that the Reason of his being called over was to unite the Titles of the two Houses, making but little Account of his Right, abftracted from that of Elizabeth's. Befides, he had a mortal Averfion to the whole Family of York, without excepting even the Queen his Confort, whom he confidered only as his Rival, and mortified her in many Inftances.

First, he did not marry her till near three Months after his Coronation, tho' he delayed it fo long for no other Reason, than that it should not be thought he stepped into the Throne by Right of his Wife, or at least by Virtue of the Rights of the two Houfes blended together by this Union. Next, he did not confent to her Coronation till two Years after their Marriage, and probably never would, if the Uneafiness, which fuch harsh Treatment of

her

her created among the People, had not made him apprehenfive of the greateft Inconveniences: For, though they were properly the Friends of the House of York, who had placed him on the Throne, yet, when he had formed a Refolution to reign by his own Right folely, he was fenfible how much they were against it; therefore, from that Time, could never repose any Confidence in them. It was this Partiality for the Partizans of the Houfe of Lancaster, that brought all those Troubles upon him, to which he was exposed during almost his whole Reign: Whereas, if the King could have kept an Equilibrium between both Houses, and have humoured the Intentions of thofe who called him to the Crown, in all Probability his Reign would have been more quiet.

However, as they were a-kin to each other from the third to the fourth Degree of Confanguinity, he thought it needful to have a Difpenfation; which the Bishop of Imola, then the Pope's Nuncio in England and Scotland, with the Power of Legate a Latere, granted him, by Virtue of an Authority vefted in him for that Purpofe. But afterwards Henry, fearing there might be fome Flaw found in it, because it was not natural to think a King and a Queen fhould be comprized in the Power given to a Legate, defired and obtained another Difpenfation from the Pope himfelf; but, because this made no Mention of the former, and was dated likewife after the Confummation of the Marriage, he procured a third, which fully confirmed that he had firft from the Nuncio.

This Difpenfation being at laft obtained in the Manner he defired, he took care to get the Act, for fecuring the Crown to himself and his Heirs, confirmed by a Bull from the Pope; to accomplish which he produced no lefs than four Titles to his Holiness, without giving the Preference to any

one.

These were, firft, his Defcent from John of

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Gaunt,