Five days after Perkin's execution, the unfortunate earl of Warwick, being condemned by his peers, was beheaded on Tower-hill (28th November, 1499). Such was the end of the last prince of the male line of the Plantagenets, who had reigned in England 331 years, from the accession of Henry II. ann. 1154, to that of Henry VII. ann. 1485.

Ann. 1501, 1502.

The deplorable end of Warwick and the fate of Perkin, filled the whole kingdom with such an aversion to the government of Henry, that he endeavoured to alleviate the odium of this guilt by sharing it with his ally Ferdinand of Arragon, who, he said, had scrupled to give his daughter Catherine in marriage to Arthur Prince of Wales, while any male of the house of York remained. That marriage, which had been negociated during seven years, was at last completed. The young prince, a few months after, sickened and died. Henry, as desirous to continue his alliance with Spain, as unwilling to restore the two hundred thousand ducats, which were the dowry of the princess, obliged his second son Henry, whom he created prince of Wales, to be contracted with her by means of the Pope's dispensation. This marriage was afterwards attended with the most important consequences. In the mean time the peace with Scotland was consolidated by a marriage between king James and the princess Margaret, Henry's eldest daughter.

Ann. 1503, 1504, 1505.

The queen, who was deservedly a favourite of the nation, died in child-bed (11th February); and the infant did not long survive her.

Henry's continued successes over domestic ene

1

mies, having reduced the people to the most complete submission, he gave full scope to his avarice, which being increased by age and encouraged by absolute authority, broke all restraints of shame or justice. His two ministers, Empsom and Dudley, both lawyers, were perfectly qualified to second his rapacious inclinations, by perverting the forms of justice to the oppression of the innocent. Indictments issued by them filled the prisons with persons which were never brought to trial, and could not recover their liberty, unless by paying heavy fines and ransoms, which were called mitigations and compositions. By degrees the very appearance of law was neglected; men were summoned before the two ministers at their private houses, in a pretended court of commission, where, in a summary manner, without trial or jury, arbitrary decrees were issued, juries themselves were summoned, were fined, imprisoned, and punished, if they gave sentences against the inclinations of the ministers. In vain the people would have applied for protection to the liament, who was frequently summoned during this reign. That assembly was so overawed, that at this very time, when Henry's iniquities and extortions arose to the highest pitch, Dudley, the principal minister of them, was chosen speaker of the house of commons; and, though the king was known to be immensely opulent, and had no pretence of wars or expensive enterprizes of any kind, they granted him the subsidy he demanded. His avarice was so insatiable, that next year he renewed that arbitrary and oppressive tax, which he was pleased to call benevolence.

par

The influence of the nobility had been already much weakened by the power granted to them to sell their estates, which, before this time, were unalienable. Another act to the same purpose was passed in this reign, to prevent the nobles giving liveries to many hundreds of their dependants, who

were thus retained to serve their lord, and kept like the soldiers of a standing army, to be ready at the command of their leader. By this act none but menial servants were permitted to wear a livery under severe penalties, and this law was enforced with the utmost vigour. The king one day paying a visit to John de Vere, earl of Oxford, one of his most zealous and faithful friends, was entertained by him several days, in a splendid and sumptuous manner, at his castle of Henningham. When he was ready to depart, he saw ranged in two lines the earl's friends, servants, and retinue, dressed in very rich liveries, apparently to do him honour. "These handsome gentlemen and yeomen," said Henry, addressing the earl," are undoubtedly your menial servants?" To which the earl, not perceiving the drift of the question, replied, that they were only men whom he kept in pay to do him honour upon such occasions. At this the king started a little, and said, "By my faith, my lord, I thank you for your good cheer; but I must not suffer to have my laws broken before my face; my attorney must talk with you." The earl was accordingly prosecuted, and forced to compound for no less than fifteen thousand marks.

By these means Henry collected a greater mass of money than ever was in the possession of any of his predecessors; it amounted, it is said, to no less than one million eight hundred thousand in cash, besides plate and jewels.

Ann. 1506.

Edmund de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, nephew to Edward IV., and brother to the late earl of Lincoln, had some years before this period killed a man, and had been obliged to apply to the king for a remission of the crime. Henry had granted it on condition that he should appear in court and plead his pardon. Suffolk, more offended at the affront than

grateful for the favour, had fled into Flanders, and taken shelter with his aunt the duchess of Burgundy; but being promised forgiveness by the king, he had returned to England. Actuated, however, by the restlessness of his temper, he had eloped again into Flanders. The king, conscious of the general discontent which prevailed against his administration, suspected that this incident might be connected with some conspiracy, and he employed his usual artifices to discover it. He directed Sir Robert Curson, governor of the castle of Hamm, to desert his charge on a supposed cause of discontent, and to insinuate himself into the confidence of Suffolk, by making him a tender of his services. Many persons of rank were committed to prison, upon informa-. tion secretly conveyed by that means; but Henry's severity fell principally upon Sir James Windham and Sir James Tyrrel, who were brought to their. trial, condemned and executed. The traitor, Curson, having completed all the services expected from him, suddenly deserted the earl, and came over to England, where the king received him with unusual marks of favour. Suffolk, alarmed as well as disgusted at this instance of perfidy, fled secretly into France, then to Germany, and afterwards returned into the Low Countries, where he was at first protected by Philip, archduke of Austria, though he was then in close alliance with the king.

The archduke being embarked for Spain with his consort and court, on the 10th of January 1506, his fleet was dispersed in a violent storm, and his own ship got with great difficulty into the port of Wey-. mouth. Philip, convinced that it would be impossible for him to avoid the king's visit, immediately set out for Windsor, where he was received with every possible demonstration of respect and friendship. But Henry, having now Philip in his possession, did not neglect the opportunity of complaining:

4

of the reception which Suffolk had met with in his dominions, and insisted on having him sent over to England. Philip found himself under a necessity of complying with his demand; but he first exacted Henry's promise, that Suffolk's life should be spared, and then invited over that nobleman to England, insinuating that the king would grant him a pardon; but as soon as he arrived he was committed to the tower. Philip having fully satisfied Henry on all his demands, and particularly by signing a commercial treaty between England and Castile, very advantageous to this country, was at last allowed to depart after a stay of three months, and safely landed in Spain, where he was put in possession of the throne of Castile.

Henry survived these transactions only two years, during which nothing memorable occurred, except his affiancing his second daughter Mary to the young archduke Charles, son of Philip of Castile. He entertained also some ideas of marriage for himself, first with the queen dowager of Naples, afterwards with the duchess dowager of Savoy, sister of Philip. But the decline of his health put an end to all such thoughts, and awoke in his conscience the most bitter remorses for all his iniquities, extortions, and severities. The terrors under which he laboured prompted him to endeavour to make atonement for his crimes, by distributing alms, by founding religious houses, and by the sacrifice of part of his illgotten treasure. The nearer approaches of death impressing new terrors upon his mind, he ordered by a general clause in his will, that restitution should be made to all those whom he had injured. He directed his executors to cause two thousand masses to be said for his soul within a month after his disease, at the rate of sixpence a piece. At last, after a reign of twenty-three years and eight months, and in the fifty-second year of his age, he died on the 22d of