King Edward hauing got this victorie, refreshing himselfe and his people a while at Barnet, returned the same daie vnto London, like a triumphant conqueror, leading with him king Henrie as a captiue prisoner: & so making a solemne entrie at the church of saint Paule, offred his standard. The dead bodies of the earle and marques were brought to London in a coffin, & before they were buried, by the space of thrée daies laie open visaged in the cathedrall church of S. Paule, to the intent that all men might easilie perceiue, that they vnfeinedlie were dead. The common brute ran, that the king was not so ioious of the erles death, as sorowfull for the losse of the marques, whom he full well knew (and no lesse was euident to other) to be his faithfull friend and well-willer; for whose onelie sake, he caused both their bodies to be buried with their ancestors in the priorie of Bissam.
Quéene Margaret landeth with a power out of France.
On the tuesdaie in Easter wéeke came knowledge to king Edward, that quéene Margaret the wife of king Henrie, with hir sonne prince Edward was landed vpon Easter day at Weimouth in Dorsetshire, accompanied with Iohn Longstrother prior of saint Iohns, commonlie called lord treasuror of England, who went ouer into France to fetch them; also the lord Wenlocke, a man made onelie by king Edward, beside diuerse other knights and esquiers, of whome part had béene long foorth of the realme, and part newlie gone ouer thither to them, in companie of the lord treasuror. They tooke their ships at Hunflue, the foure and twentith of March (as before you haue heard) but through contrarie winds and tempests, they were driuen backe, and constreined to abide for conuenient wind.
The countesse of Warwike taketh sanctuarie.
Now, although it came sometimes about fit for their purpose, yet it continued not long in that end; so as if therevpon they tooke the sea at anie time, they were forced to returne backe againe to land yer they could passe halfe the way ouer. And thus being diuerse times vnder saile, in hope to passe the seas hither into England, they were still driuen backe againe, till the thirtéenth of Aprill being Easter éeuen; on which day the wind comming fauorablie about, they tooke the seas, and sailed forward towards this land. The countesse of Warwike, hauing a ship of aduantage, arriued before the other at Portesmouth, and from thence she went to Southampton, meaning to haue gone to Weimouth, where she vnderstood that the quéene was landed: but here had shee knowledge of the losse of Barnet field, and that hir husband was there slaine. Wherevpon she went no further towards the quéene, but secretlie got hir ouer the water into the new forest, and tooke sanctuarie within the abbeie of Beaulieu.
The duke of Summerset, and the earle of Deuonshire cōfort quéene Margaret.
Quéene Margaret, and hir sonne prince Edward, with the other that landed at Weimouth, went from thence to an abbeie néere by called Ceerne. Thither came vnto them Edmund duke of Summerset, and Thomas Courtneie earle of Deuonshire, with others, and welcommed them into England, comforting the quéene in the best maner they could, and willed hir not to despaire of good successe; for albeit they had lost one field (whereof the queene had knowledge the same day being mondaie in easter wéeke, the fiftéenth of Aprill, and was therefore right sorrowfull) yet they doubted not but to assemble such a puissance (and that verie shortlie) foorth of diuerse parts of the realme, as being faithfull, and wholie bent to spend their liues, and shed the best bloud in their bodies for hir sake, & hir sonnes, it should be hard for king Edward to resist them with all the power he had or could make.
Edw. Hall.
The feare which quéene Margaret had for hir sonne.
The presence of these noble men greatlie comforted hir, and relieued hir of the sorrowes that in maner ouerwhelmed hir pensiue heart: for she doubted sore the end of all these procéedings, the which they concluded to follow vpon the aduancement of hir and hirs. Speciallie it misgaue hir, that some euill should chance to hir sonne prince Edward for shee greatlie weied not of hir owne perill (as she hir selfe confessed) and therefore she would gladlie haue had them either to haue deferred the battell till a more conuenient time: or else that hir sonne might haue béene conueied ouer into France againe, there to haue remained in safetie, till the chance of the next battell were tried: but they being of a contrarie mind, and namelie the duke of Summerset, she at length consented vnto that which they were resolued vpon.