The words of king Edward vttered by him on his death-bed.
Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol. Ccxlviij. Ccxlix.
My welbeloued and no lesse betrusted fréends, councellors, and alies, if we mortall men would dailie and hourlie with our selues reuolue, and intentiuelie in our hearts ingraue, or in our minds seriouslie ponder, the fraile and fading imbecillitie of our humane nature, and the vnstablenesse of the same: we should apparantlie perceiue, that we being called reasonable creatures, and in that predicament compared and ioined with angels, be more worthie to be named and déemed persons vnreasonable, and rather to be associate in that name with brute beasts called vnreasonable (of whose life and death no creature speaketh) rather than in that point to be resembled to the angelicall societie and reasonable companie.
For while health in vs florisheth, or prosperitie aboundeth, or the glosing world laugheth, which is he, so reasonable of vs all, that can saie (if he will not er from the truth) that he once in a wéeke remembreth his fatall end, or the prescribed terme of his induring; or once prouided by labour, studie, or otherwise, to set a stedfast and sure order for the securitie, profit, and continuance either of his possessions & dominions, or of his sequele and posteritie which after him shall naturallie succéed. Such is the blindnesse of our fraile and weake nature, euer giuen to carnall concupiscence and worldlie delectations, dailie darkened and seduced with that lithargious and deceiuable serpent called hope of long life, that all we put in obliuion our duetie present, and lesse remember the politike purueiance for things to come: for blindlie we walke in this fraile life, till we fall groueling, with our eies suddenlie vpon death.
The vanities of this world be to vs so agreeable, that when we begin to liue, we estéeme our life a whole world; which once ouerpassed, it sheweth no better but dust driuen awaie with a puffe of wind. I speake this to you of my selfe, and for your selues to you; sore lamenting and inwardlie bewailing, that I did not performe & finallie consummate such politike deuises, & good and godlie ordinances, in my long life and peaceable prosperitie, which then I fullie determined to haue begun, set forward, and completlie to haue finished. Which now for the extreame paines and tortures of my angrie maladie, and for the small terme of my naturall life, I can neither perform, neither yet liue to sée either to take effect, or to sort to anie good conclusion.
For God I call to record, my heart was fullie set, and my mind deliberative determined, so to haue adorned this realme with wholesome lawes, statutes and ordinances; so to haue trained and brought vp mine infants and children in vertue, learning, actiuitie, and policie, that, what with their roiall puissance, & your fréendlie assistance, the proudest prince of Europe durst not once attempt to mooue anie hostilitie, against them, you, or this realme. But oh Lord, all things that I of long time haue in my mind reuolued and imagined, that stealing théefe death goeth about to subuert, and in the moment of an houre cléerelie to ouertred. Wherefore (as men saie) I now being driuen to the verie hard wall, haue perfect confidence and sure hope in the approued fidelitie, and constant integritie, which I haue euer experimented and knowne to be rooted and planted in the hearts of your louing bodies, towards me and mine.
So that I may saie and auouch, that neuer prince bearing scepter and crowne ouer realmes and regions, hath found or prooued more faithfull councellors, nor truer subiects, than I haue doone of you; nor neuer potentate nor gouernour put more affiance and trust in his vassals and seruants, than I, since the adeption of the crowne, firmelie haue fixed in your circumspect wisedoms and sober discretions. And now of very force compelled, lieng in a doutfull hope, betwéene liuing and dieng, betweene remembrance and obliuion, I doo require you, and instantlie mooue you, that as I haue found you faithfull, obedient, and to all my requests and desires (while I was here in health conuersant with you) diligent and intentiue: so after my death, my hope is with a sure anchor grounded, & mine inward conceipt vndoubtedlie resolued, that the especiall confidence and inward fidelitie, which so loag hath continued betwéene vs, bieing together liuing, shall not wholie by my death be extinct and vanished like smoke.
For what auaileth fréendship in life, when trust deceiueth after death? What profiteth amitie in apparent presence, when confidence is fraudulentlie beguiled in absence? What loue groweth by coniunction of matrimonie, if the ofspring after doo not agree and accord? Or what profiteth princes to aduance and promote their subiects, if after their death, the bountifulnesse by them shewed, be of the receiuers of the same and their sequele neither regarded nor yet remembred? The parents make the marriage for an indissoluble amitie. Princes promote sometime for fauour, sometime for desert, & sometime for pleasure: yet (if you will consider) the verie scope, to the which all gifts of promotions doo finallie tend, is to haue loue, fauour, faithfull counsell, and diligent seruice, of such as be by them promoted and exalted, not onelie in their owne liues, being but bréefe and transitorie: but also that they and their progenie, calling to remembrance the fauor, estimation, and aduancement, which they of so liberall and munificent a prince had receiued and obteined, should with speare and shield, toong and wit, hand and pen, continuallie studie to defend, councell and preferre, not onelie him during his life, but also to serue, assist, and mainteine his sequele and lineall succession, as the verie images and carnall portratures of his stirpe, line, and stemme, naturallie descended.
In this case am I, whome you know, not without vnspeakable trouble & most dangerous war to haue obteined the scepter and diademe of this realme and empire. During which reigne, I haue had either litle peace, or small tranquillitie: and now when I thought my selfe sure of a quiet life, and worldlie rest, death hath blowne his terrible trumpet, calling and summoning me (as I trust) to perpetuall tranqaillitie and eternall quietnesse. Therefore now, for the perfect and vnmoueable confidence that I haue euer had in you, and for the vnfeined loue that you haue euer shewed vnto me, I commend and deliuer into your gouernance, both this noble realme, and my naturall children, and your kinsmen. My children by your diligent ouersight and politike prouision to be taught, informed, and instructed, not onelie in the sciences liberall, vertues morall, and good literature: but also to be practised in trickes of martiall actiuitie, and diligent exercise of prudent policie. For I haue heard clarkes saie, although I am vnlettered, that fortunate is that realme where philosophers reigne, or where kings be philosophers and louers of wisedome.
In this tender age, you may writh and turne them into euerie forme and fashion. If you bring them vp in vertue, you shall haue vertuous princes. If you set them to learning, your gouernours shall be men of knowledge. If you teach them actiuitie, you shall haue valiant capteins. If they practise policie, you shall haue both politike and prudent rulers. On the other side, if by your negligence they fall to vice (as youth is to all euill prone and readie) not onelie their honor, but also your honestie shall be spotted and appalled. If they be sluggards and giuen to slouth, the publike wealth of this realme must shortlie decaie. If they be vnlearned, they may by flatterie soone be blinded, and by adulation often deceiued. If they lacke actiuitie, euerie creature (be he neuer so base of birth) shall foile and ouerthrow them like dum beasts and beastlie dastards. Therefore I desire you, and in Gods name adiure you, rather to studie to make them rich in godlie knowledge, and vertuous qualities; than to take paine to glorifie them with abundance of worldlie treasure, and mundane superfluitie.
And certeinlie, when they come to ripenesse of age, and shall peraduenture consider, that by your omission and negligent education, they haue not such graces, nor are indued with such notable qualities as they might haue béene, if you had performed the trust to you by me committed: they shall not onelie deplore and lament their vngarnished estate, and naked condition; but also it may fortune, that they shall conceiue inwardlie against you such a negligent vntruth, that the sequele thereof may rather turne to displeasure than thanks, and sooner to an ingratitude than to a reward. My kingdome also I leaue in your gouernance, during the minoritie of my children, charging you (on your honors oths and fidelitie made and sworne to me) so indifferentlie to order and gouerne the subjects of the same, both with iustice and mercie, that the wils of malefactors haue not too large a scope, nor the harts of the good people by too much extremitie be neither sorowfulle daunted, nor vnkindlie kept vnder. Oh I am so sléepie, that I must make an end. And now before you all I commend my soule to almightie God my sauiour and redéemer, my bodie to the wormes of the earth, my kingdome to the prince my sonne: and to you my louing fréends my heart, my trust, and my whole confidence. [And euen with that he fell on sléepe.]
Hauing thus spoken, and set things in good staie, as might be supposed, he shortlie after departed this life at Westminster the ninth of Aprill, in the yeare 1483, after he had reigned two and twentie yeares, one moneth, and eight daies. His bodie was with funerall pompe conueied to Windsore, and there buried. He left behind him issue by the quéene his wife two sonnes, Edward and Richard, with fiue daughters; Elizabeth that was after quéene married to Henrie the seauenth; Cicilie married to the vicount Welles; Briget a nunne professed in Sion or Dertford, as sir Thomas More saith; Anne married to the lord Thomas Howard, after earle of Surrie, and duke of Norffolke; Katherine wedded to the lord William Courtenie sonne to the earle of Deuonshire. Beside these he left behind him likewise a base sonne named Arthur, that was after vicount Lisle. For the description of his person & qualities I will referre you to that which sir Thomas More hath written of him in that historie, which he wrote and left vnfinished of his sonne Edward the fift and of his brother king Richard the third: which we shall (God willing) hereafter make you partaker of, as we find the same recorded among his other workes, word for word; when first we haue (according to our begun order) rehersed such writers of our nation as liued in his daies.
As first, Nicholas Kenton borne in Suffolke a Carmelit frier in Gippeswich, prouinciall of his order through England; Henrie Parker a Carmelit frier of Doncaster, preached against the pride of prelats, and for such doctrine as he set foorth, was imprisoned with his fellow Thomas Holden, and a certeine blacke frier also for the like cause; Parker was forced to recant thrée speciall articles, as Bale noteth out of Leland; Iohn Harding an esquier borne in the north parts, wrote a chronicle in English verse, and among other speciall points therein touched, he gathered all the submissions and homages had and made by the Scotish kings, euen from the daies of king Athelstan [whereby it euidentlie may appeare, how the Scotish kingdome euen in manner from the first establishing thereof here in Britaine, hath beene apperteining vnto the kings of England, and holden of them as their chéefe, & superior lords.]
William Iue a doctor of diuinitie and prebendarie of saint Paules in London; Thomas Wilton a diuine, and deane of the said church of Paules in London; Iulian Bemes, a gentlewoman indued with excellent gifts both of bodie and mind, wrote certeine treatises of hawking and hunting, delighting greatlie hir selfe in those exercises and pastimes; she wrote also a booke of the lawes of armes, and knowledge apperteining to heralds; Iohn Stamberie borne in the west parts of this realme, a Carmelit frier, and confessor to king Henrie the sixt, he was also maister of Eaton colledge, and after was made bishop of Bangor, and remooued from thence to the sée of Hereford; Iohn Slueleie an Augustine frier, prouinciall of his order; Iohn Fortescue a iudge and chancellor of England, wrote diuerse treatises concerning the law and politike gouernement.
Rochus a Chaterhouse moonke borne in London, of honest parents, and studied in the vniuersitie of Paris, he wrote diuerse epigrams; Iohn Phreas borne also in London was fellow of Balioll colledge in Oxenford, and after went into Italie, where he heard Guarinus that excellent philosopher read in Ferrara, he prooued an excellent physician and a skilfull lawier, there was not in Italie (whilest he remained there) that passed him in eloquence & knowledge of both the toongs, Gréeke and Latine; Walter Hunt a Carmelit frier, a great diuine, and for his excellencie in learning sent from the whole bodie of this realme, vnto the generall councell holden first at Ferrara, and after at Florence by pope Eugenius the fourth, where he disputed among other with the Gréekes, in defense of the order and ceremonies of the Latine church; Thomas Wighenhall a moonke of the order called Premoristratensis in the abbeie of Durham in Norffolke.
Iohn Gunthorpe went into Italie, where he heard that eloquent learned man Guarinus read in Ferrara, after his comming home into England he was deane of Welles, and kéeper of the priuie scale; Iohn Hambois an excellent musician, and for his notable cunning therein made doctor of musicke; William Caxton wrote a chronicle called Fructus temporum, and an appendix ynto Treuisa, beside diuerse other bookes and translations; Iohn Miluerton a Carmelit frier of Bristow, and prouinciall of his order through England, Ireland, and Scotland, at length (bicause he defended such of his order as preached against endowments of the church with temporall possessions) he was brought into trouble, committed to prison in castell S. Angelo in Rome, where he continued thrée yeares, and at length was deliuered through certeine of the cardinals that were appointed his iudges; Dauid Morgan a Welsh man, treasurer of the church of Landaffe, wrote of the antiquities of Wales, & a description of the countrie.
Iohn Tiptoft, a noble man borne, a great traueller, excellentlie learned, and wrote diuerse treatises, and finallie lost his head in the yeare 1471, in time of the ciuill warre betwixt the houses of Yorke and Lancaster; Iohn Shirwood bishop of Durham; Thomas Kent an excellent philosopher; Robert Huggon borne in Norffolke in a towne called Hardingham, wrote certeine veine prophesies; Iohn Maxfield a learned physician; William Gréene a Carmelit frier; Thomas Norton borne in Bristow an alcumist; Iohn Meare a moonke of Norwich; Richard Porland borne in Norffolke a Franciscane frier, and a doctor of diuinitie; Thomas Milling a moonke of Westminster, a doctor of diuinitie and preferred to the bishoprike of Hereford; Scogan a learned gentleman and student for a time in Oxford, of a plesant wit, and bent to meirie deuises, in respect whereof he was called into the court, where giuing himselfe to his naturall inclination of mirth & pleasant pastime, he plaied manie sporting parts, although not in such vnciuill maner as hath beene of him reported:
Thus farre the prosperous reigne of Edward the fourth, sonne and heire to Richard duke of Yorke.
Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation normalized.
Anachronistic, non-standard, and inconsistent spellings retained as printed.
While the Greek accentuation is clearly defective, it has been retained as found.