But the earle, whether vtterlie despairing of his owne safetie, if he should agrée to anie peace; or else happilie for that he thought it stood with his honour to stand vnto such promises and couenants as he had made with the French king, and with the quéene Margaret, and hir sonne prince Edward (to whome he was bound by oth not to shrinke or swarue from the same) he refused all maner of such conditions as were offered. Insomuch that when the duke had sent to him, both to excuse himselfe of the act which he had doone, and also to require him to take some good waie with king Edward, now while he might, the earle (after he had patientlie heard the dukes message) he séemed greatlie to abhorre his vnfaithfull dealing, in turning thus from his confederats and alies contrarie to his oth and fidelitie.
The earle of Warwiks answer to the duke of Clarence message.
To the messengers (as some write) he gaue none other answer but this, that he had rather be like himselfe, than like a false and periured duke; and that he was fullie determined neuer to leaue warre, till he had either lost his owne life, or vtterlie subdued his enimies. At it was thought, the earle of Oxenfords persuasion wanted not, to make him the more stiflie to hold out; and rather to trie the vttermost hazard of warre, than to agrée to acknowledge king Edward for his lawfull souereigne lord and king. Whervpon no appointment nor anie agréement at all could be brought to passe; and so all that treatie, which the duke of Clarence had procured, brake off & tooke none effect. There came to the earle of Warwike, whilest he laie thus at Couentrie (besides the earle of Oxenford) the duke of Excester, and the lord marquesse Montacute, by whose comming that side was greatlie strengthened, and the number much increased.
K. Edward passeth London.
The king, vpon consideration hereof and perceiuing he could not get the earle to come foorth of Couentrie, departed from Warwike, and eftsoones shewing himselfe with his people before the citie of Couentrie, desired the earle and his power to come foorth into the fields, that they might end their quarrell by battell: which the earle and the other lords with him vtterlie refused as then to doo. This was the fift of Aprill being fridaie. The king herevpon was resolued to march towards London, where his principall aduersarie king Henrie remained, vsing his kinglie authoritie by diuerse such of the nobilitie as were about him, whereby king Edward was barred and disappointed of manie aids and assistants, which he was sure to haue, if he could once breake that force of the roiall authoritie, that was still thus exercised against him in king Henries name.
Wherefore (by the aduise of his brethren and others of his councell) accordinglie as it had beene ordeined before this his last setting foorth from Warwike, he kept on his waie towards London, comming to Dantrie on the saturdaie at night: & on the morow being Palmesundaie, he heard seruice in the church there, & after rode to Northhampton, where he was ioifullie receiued. From thense he tooke the next way towards London, leauing continuallie behind him (as he passed foorth) a competent band of speares and archers, to beat backe such of the earle of Warwiks people, as peraduenture he might send abroad to trouble him and his armie by the waie. Which prouidence and foresight it not vnnecessarie to vse; for that he knew well enough, that the heart of an enimie, frieng in the fire of hatefull hostilitie, will pretermit no opportunitie either of time or place to laie in wait for his destruction, against whom he beareth an inward grudge, with a desire of vengeance to the death.
In this meane while, that things passed in maner (as before ye haue hard) Edmund duke of Summerset, & his brother Iohn marquesse Dorset, Thomas Courtneie earle of Deuonshire, and others being at London, had knowledge by aduertisements out of France, that quéene Margaret with hir sonne prince Edward, the countesse of Warwike, the prior of S. Iohns, the lord Wenlocke, and diuerse others their adherents and partakers, with all that they might make, were readie at the sea side, purposing with all spéed to saile ouer into England, and to arriue in the west countrie. Wherevpon they departed foorth of London, and with all hast possible drew westward, there to raise what forces they could, to ioine with those their fréends, immediatlie after they should once come on land, and so to assist them against king Edward and his partakers.
True it is, that the quéene with hir sonne, and the other persons before mentioned, tooke their ships, the foure and twentith daie of March, continuing on the seas before they could land (thorough tempests and contrarie winds) by the space of twentie daies, that is, till the thirtéenth of Aprill: on which daie, or rather on the fourtéenth, they landed at Weimouth, as after shall appeare. But now touching king Edwards procéeding forward on his iournie toward London, ye haue to vnderstand, that vpon the tuesdaie the ninth of Aprill he came to saint Albons, from whense he sent comfortable aduertisements to the queene his wife remaining within the sanctuarie at Westminster, and to others his faithfull fréends in and about London, to vnderstand by couert meanes how to deale to obteine the fauour of the citizens, so as he might be of them receiued.
The archbishop of Yorke.
The earle of Warwike, vnderstanding all his dooings and purposes, wrote to the Londoners, willing & charging them in anie wise to keepe king Edward out of their citie, and in no condition to permit him to enter: and withall he sent to his brother the archbishop of Yorke, willing him by all meanes possible to persuade the Londoners not to receiue him; but to defend the citie against him for the space of two or thrée daies at the least: promising not to faile but to come after him, and to be readie to assaile him on the backe, not doubting but wholie to distresse his power and to bring him to vtter confusion. The archbishop herevpon, on the ninth of Aprill, called vnto him at Paules, all such lords, knights, and gentlemen, with others that were partakers on that side, to the number in all of six or seauen thousand men in armour.