A parlement at saint Edmundesburie.
The duke of Glocester suddenlie murthered.
But to auoid danger of tumult that might be raised, if a prince so well beloued of the people should be openlie executed; his enimies determined to worke their feats in his destruction, yer he should haue anie warning. For effecting whereof, a parlement was summoned to be kept at Berrie, whither resorted all the péeres of the realme, and amongst them the duke of Glocester; which on the second daie of the session was by the lord Beaumont, then high constable of England, accompanied with the duke of Buckingham, and others arrested, apprehended, and put in ward, and all his seruants sequestred from him, and thirtie two of the chéefe of his retinue were sent to diuerse prisons, to the great admiration of the people. The duke the night after he was thus committed to prison, being the foure and twentith of Februarie, was found dead in his bed, and his bodie shewed to the lords and commons, as though he had died a palsie, or of an imposteme.
Edw. Hall.
A pardon at a pinch.
But all indifferent persons (as saith Hall) might well vnderstand that he died of some violent death. Some iudged him to be strangled, some affirme that an hot spit was put in at his fundament, other write that he was smouldered betwéene two featherbeds, and some haue affirmed that he died of verie gréefe, for that he might not come openlie to his answer. His dead corpse was conueied to saint Albons, and there buried. After his death, none of his seruants suffered: although fiue of them, to wit, sir Roger Chamberline knight, Middleton, Herbert, Arteise esquiers, and Richard Nedham gentleman, were arreigned, condemned, and drawen to Tiborne, where they were hanged, let downe quicke, and stripped to haue béene bowelled and quartered: but the marques of Suffolke comming at that instant brought their pardons, shewed the same openlie, and so their liues were saued.
Dukes of Glocester vnfortunate.
Some thinke that the name and title of Glocester hath béene vnluckie to diuerse, which for their honours haue béene erected by creation of princes to that stile and dignitie, as Hugh Spenser, Thomas of Woodstoke, sonne to king Edward the third, and this duke Humfreie: which thrée persons by miserable death finished their daies; and after them king Richard the third also, duke of Glocester in ciuill warre slaine. So that this name duke of Glocester is taken for an vnhappie stile, as the prouerbe speaketh of Seians horsse, whose rider was euer vnhorssed, & whose possessor was euer brought to miserie. But suerlie, by the pitifull death of this noble duke and politike gouernour, the publike wealth of the realme came to great decaie, as by sequele here may more at large appeare.
W. P.
[Oft times it hapneth that a man in quenching of smoke, burneth his fingers in the fire:] so the quéene in casting how to kéepe hir husband in honor, and hir selfe in authoritie, in making awaie of this noble man, brought that to passe, which she had most cause to haue feared, which was the deposing of hir husband, & the decaie of the house of Lancaster, which of likelihood had not chanced if this duke had liued: for then durst not the duke of Yorke haue attempted to set foorth his title to the crowne, as he afterwards did, to the great trouble of the realme, and destruction of king Henrie, and of manie other noble men beside. This is the opinion of men, but Gods iudgements are vnsearchable, against whose decrée and ordinance preuaileth no humane counsell.