But now touching the king, whilest he was thus abroad, and no man wist where he was become, proclamations were made in the quéenes armie dailie, in the which he was summoned to returne, and to take the rule of the relme into his hands, if he would be conformable to the minds of his true liege men; but when he appeared not, the lords of the land assembled in councell at Hereford, whither the quéene was come from Bristow, and there was the lord Edward prince of Wales and duke of Aquitaine made warden of England, by common decrée, vnto whome all men, as to the lord warden of the realme, made fealtie, in receiuing an oth of allegiance to be faithfull and loiall to him. After this, they made the bishop of Norwich lord chancellor, and the bishop of Winchester lord treasuror.
The quéene remained about a moneths space at Hereford, and in the meane while sent the lord Henrie erle of Leicester, and the lord William la Zouch, and one Rice ap Howell, that was latelie deliuered out of the tower where he was prisoner, into Wales, to sée if they might find means to apprehend the king by helpe of their acquaintance in those parts, all thrée of them hauing lands thereabouts, where it was knowne the king for the more part kept. They vsed such diligence in that charge, that finallie with large gifts bestowed on the Welshmen, they came to vnderstand where the king was, and so on the day of saint Edmund the archbishop, being the sixtéenth of Nouember, they tooke him in the monasterie of Neith, néere to the castell of Laturssan, togither with Hugh Spenser the sonne called earle of Glocester, the lord chancellour Robert de Baldocke, and Simon de Reading the kings marshall, not caring for other the kings seruants, whome they suffered to escape.
The king is brought to Killingworth.
Hugh Spenser the yonger executed.
The king was deliuered to the earle of Leicester, who conueied him by Monmouth and Leadburie, to Killingworth castle, where he remained the whole winter. The earle of Glocester, the lord chancellor, and Simon de Reading, were brought to Hereford, and there presented to the quéene, where on the foure & twentith of Nouember, the said earle was drawne and hanged on a paire of gallowes of fiftie foot in height. Then was his head striken off, his bowels taken out of his bodie and burnt, and his bodie diuided in quarters. His head was sent to London, and set vpon the bridge with other, & his quarters were sent to foure seuerall parts of the realme, and there pight vpon poles, to be séene of the people. He was drawne in his owne cote armour, about the which there were letters embrodered plaine to be read, conteining a parcell of the 52 psalme, as followeth.
- 1 QVID gloriaris in malitia potens?
- 2 Iniquitatem tota die, iniustitiam cogitauit lingua tua, sicut nouacula acuta fecistidolum,
- 3 Dilexisti malitiam super bonitatem, iniustitiam magis quàm loqui iustitiam,
- 4 Dilexisti omnia verba demersionis lingua dolosa,
- 5 Propterea Deus destruat te in finem, euellat te & emigrare te faciat de tabernaculo tuo, & radicem tuam de terra viuentium,
- 6 Videbunt iusti & timebunt, & super eum ridebunt, & dicent,
- 7 Ecce homo qui non posuit Deum adiutorem suum, sed sperauit in multitudine diuitiarum suarum, & præualuit in vanitate sua.
- 1 WHY boastest thou that thou canst do mischiefe?
- 2 Thy toong imagineth wickednesse, & with lies thou cuttest like a sharpe rasor,
- 3 Thou hast loued vngratiousnesse more than goodnesse, and to talke of lies more than righteousnesse,
- 4 Thou hast loued to speake all words that may doo hurt ô thou false toong,
- 5 Therefore shall God destroie thée for euer, he shall take thée, and plucke thée out of my dwelling, and roote thée out of the land of the liuing,
- 6 The righteous also shall sée this, and feare, and shall laugh him to scorne,
- 7 Lo this is the man that tooke not God for his strength, but trusted vnto the multitude of his riches, & strengthned himselfe in his wickednesse.
Simon de Reading executed.
Caxton.