ingly they were both drawn to Tyburn, and there hanged on the 23d of November.

Thus fell this famous Impoftor, after he had been acknowledged lawful King of England in Ireland, France, Flanders, England and Scotland, and had perplexed King Henry by Intervals for the Space of fix Years, one of the longest Plays of that kind that ever was known, and might perhaps have had a different Event, if he had not oppofed a King wealthy, wife, valiant, and fortunate.

Henry, having got rid of Perkin, began now feriously to confider the different Troubles he had met with, as well from Pretenders as the real Heirs of the Houfe of York; and, as he had got one of that Family in his Power, he was refolved to take him off too, thereby to free himself at once, as he thought, from all further Uneafinefs. Therefore, November the 26th, he caused the Earl to be brought to his Trial, before

the

Difpleasure. Bring forward the Malefactors! Friend, you must to this Geere:- No Remedy;-Open the Hole, and in with his Legs, juft in the middle Hole; there, that Hole; keep off, or I'll commit you all! Shall not a Man in Authority be obeyed? So, fo, there; 'tis as it fhould be: Put on the Padlock, and give me the Key; Off! I fay; keep off!

Urfew. Yet, Warbeck, clear thy Confcience; thou haft tafted King Henry's Mercy liberally; the Law

Has forfeited thy Life, an equal Jury

Have doom'd thee to the Gallows twice; moft wickedly,

Most desperately haft thou escaped the Tower;

Inveigling to thy Party, with thy Witchcraft,

Young Edward, Earl of Warwick, Son of Clarence,
Whole Head muft pay the Price of that Attempt.
Poor Gentleman!-unhappy in his Fate!-
And ruin'd by thy Cunning! So a Mungrel
May pluck the true Stag down; yet, yet confefs
Thy Parentage; for yet the King has Mercy.

Lamb. You would be Dick the Fourth, very likely!
Your Pedigree is publifh'd, you are known
For Ofbeck's Son of Turney, a loofe Runnagate,
A Landloper; your Father was a Jew,
Turn'd Chriftian meerly to repair his Miseries.
Where's now your Kingship?

I

the House of Lords, for High Treason, (the Earl of Oxford exercifing by Commiffion the Office of High Steward) for confpiring the King's Death jointly with Perkin; the unhappy Youth, having confeffed, that he gave his Confent to the Project, laid by Perkin and Digby's Servants, to escape, was found guilty, and on the 28th was beheaded on Tower Hill.

This Prince was the laft Male Heir of the House of York, being Son to George Duke of Clarence, Brother to Edward the IVth; which there is Reason to think was the only Cause of his being cut off, Henry chufing rather to facrifice his own Reputation, than be disappointed in fecuring the Crown both to himfelf and his Heirs.

To leffen, in fome measure, People's Horror at his Cruelty, the King caufed to be published, That Ferdinand had pofitively declared, he would never 'confent to marry his Daughter Catherine to Prince U 2 • Arthur,

I would be Earl of Warwick, toil'd and ruffled
Against my Mafter, leap'd to catch the Moon,
Vaunted my Name, Plantagenet, as you do ;
An Earl, forfooth! When as, in truth, I was,
As you are, a meer Rafcal: Yet his Majesty
(A Prince compos'd of Sweetness, Heaven protect him!)
Forgave me all my Villanies, repriev'd

The Sentence of a fhameful End, admitted

My Surety of Obedience to his Service;

And I am now his Falkoner, live plenteously,

Eat from the King's Purfe, and enjoy the Sweetness
Of Liberty, and Favour, fleep fecurely;

And is not this now better than to buffet

The Hangman's Clutches? or to brave the Cordage
Of a tough Halter, which will break your Neck?
So then the Gallant totters; prythee (Perkin)
Let my Example lead thee, be no longer

A Counterfeit, confefs, and hope for Pardon !

Warb. For Pardon! Hold my Heart-ftrings, whilft Contempt

Of Injuries in Scorn may bid Defiance

To this bafe Man's foul Language! Thou poor Vermin !

How dar'ft thou creep fo near me? thou an Earl!

Why, thou enjoyeft as much of Happiness,

As all the Swing of flight Ambition flew at.

Arthur, fo long as the Earl of Warwick was alive.' Strange fort of Apology this! as if a Marriage with the Princefs of Spain was fo neceffary for England, that it must be purchased with Blood; but if it was not requifite for the State, it was very beneficial for the King, who was to receive 200,000 Crowns of Gold for Catherine's Dowry, which alone would have induced him to facrifice the Earl of Warwick; and on the like Motive he beheaded the Lord Chamberlain ; but many were of Opinion, that what Henry published, concerning King Ferdinand, was only a Pretence, fince Arthur's Marriage with Catherine by Proxy was folemnized the 19th of May this very Year, before the Earl of Warwick's Death. On Henry the VIIIth's divorcing Catherine, fhe faid, That she had not offended, but it was a Judgment of God; for that her former Marriage was made in Blood.

A Dunghill was thy Cradle. So a Puddle,
By Virtue of the Sun-beams, breathes a Vapour
To infect the purer Air, which drops again
Into the muddy Womb from whence it first exhal'd.
Bread, and a flavish Eafe, with fome Affurance
From the bafe Beadle's Whip, crown'd all thy Hopes,
But (Sirrah!) ran there in thy Veins, one Drop
Of such a Royal Blood as flows in mine;
Thou would't not change Condition, to be fecond
In England's State without the Crown itself!
Courle Creatures are incapable of Excellence.
But let the World, as all to whom I am
This Day a Spectacle, to Time deliver,
And by Tradition fix Posterity

Without another Chronicle than Truth,
How conftantly my Refolution fuffer'd
A Martyrdom of Majefty!

Lamb. He's paft

Recovery, a Bedlam cannot cure him!

Urfw. Away, inform the King of his Behaviour.

Warbeck

Lamb. Perkin, beware the Rope, the Hangman's coming.

SCENE changes.

Enter Oxford, Dawbeney, Huntley; Sheriff and Officers, Sketon,

Aftley, Heron, and Mayor.

Oxf. Look'ee, behold your Followers appointed

To wait on thee in Death.

Warb.

Warbeck being justly executed, and the Earl of Warwick butchered, the King next ordered Blewit and Aftwood, two of the Lieutenant of the Tower's Servants, to be profecuted as Traitors, for aiding and abetting Perkin and the Earl in their Escape; for which Offence they were convicted, and executed at Tyburn.

Warb. Why, Peers of England!

We'll lead them on courageoufly. I read

A Triumph over Tyranny upon

Their feveral Foreheads. Faint not in the Moment
Of Victory! Our Ends, and Warwick's Head,
Innocent Warwick's Head (for we are Prologue
But to his Tragedy) conclude the Wonder
Of Henry's Fears; and then the glorious Race
Of fourteen Kings, PLANTAGINETS, determines
In this laft fue Male, Heaven be obey'd.
Impoverish Time of its Amazement, (Friends)
And we will prove as truffy in our Payments,
As prodigal to Nature in our Debts.

Death! Pifh, 'tis but a Sound, a Name of Air;
From Bed to Bed, be maffacred alive
By fome Phyficians, for a Month, or two,
In hope of Freedom from a Fever's Torments,
Might ftagger Manhood; here the Pain is past,
E're fenfibly 'tis felt. Be Men of Spirit!
Spurn Coward Paffion! fo illuftrious Mention

However,

Shall blaze our Names, and stile us KINGS O'ER DEATH.
Dar. Away-Impoftor beyond Prefident!
No Chronicle records his Fellow.

Hunt. I have

[Ex. all Officers and Prisoners.

Not Thoughts left, 'tis fufficient in fuch Cafes

Juft Laws ought to proceed.

Enter King Henry, Durham.

K. Henry. We are refolv'd:

Your Bufinefs (noble Lords) fhall find Success,

Such as your King importunes.

Hunt. You are gracious.

K. Henry. Perkin, we are inform'd, is arm'd to die; In that we'll honour him; our Lords fhall follow

To fee the Execution; and from hence

We gather this fit Ufe, that publick States,
As our particular Bodies, tafte moft Good
In Health, when purged of corrupted Blood.

[Exeunt omnes:

However, the Death of these different Persons paffed not without fevere Reflections upon the King; first, that he suffered Perkin to escape, that he might have a Pretence to get rid of him; fecond, that he was kept in the Tower as a Bait to enfnare the Earl of Warwick, that he might at one Stroke, under the Shew of Juftice, destroy both his Enemy and Compe

titor.

Notwithstanding the King had swept so many off, more Work was cut out for him; for, while Perkin and the Earl of Warwick were in the Tower, another Pretender was fet on Foot by an Auftin Friar, who had a Scholar named Ralph Wilford, a Shoemaker's Son, who the Friar caufed to perfonate the Earl, as lately by good Fortune efcaped out of the Tower: They went together into Kent, where, tho' the Friar found he had but little Credit, he had the Confidence to declare Ralph the true Earl of Warwick openly in the Pulpit, and defired all good Subjects to affift him; but this Cheat was foon difcovered, the Friar and Ralph were apprehended, and foon after tried and convicted. Poor Ralph was hanged on Shrove Tuesday, at St. Thomas a Waterings, near Southwark, in Surry; and the Friar was condemned to perpetual Imprisonment; for at that time fo much Refpect was paid to Holy Orders, that the Life of a Prieft, tho' he had committed High Treafon, was spared.

Some have offered, in Excufe for his Majefty's fevere Proceedings against the Earl of Warwick, that thefe repeated Counterfeits fo exafperated the King against him, tho' innocent in himself, that it put him upon finding out a Pretence to bring the Earl to his unhappy End. But neither one Pretence nor the other could ever allay the Cenfures that juftly remained on Henry, for putting that unhappy Prince to Death fo undeservedly.

The