THE HISTORIE OF
KING EDWARD THE FIFT,
AND
KING RICHARD THE THIRD vnfinished,
Written by Maister Thomas More then one of the vnder shiriffes of London, about the yeare of our Lord 1513, according to a copie of his owne hand, printed among his other Works.
1483.
King Edward the fourth of that name, after that he had liued fiftie & thrée yeeres, seuen moneths, and six daies, and thereof reigned two and twentie yeares, one moneth, & eight daies, died at Westminster the ninth dale of Aprill, the yeare of our redemption, a thousand foure hundred fourescore and thrée; leauing much faire issue, that is to wit, Edward the prince, a thirtéene yeares of age, Richard duke of Yorke two yeares yoonger; Elizabeth, whose fortune and grace was after to be quéene, wife vnto king Henrie the seuenth, and mother vnto the eight; Cicilie, not so fortunate as faire; Briget, which representing the vertue of hir, whose name she bare, professed and obserued a religious life in Dertford, an house of close nunnes; Anne, that was after honorablie married vnto Thomas, then lord Howard, and after earle of Surrie; and Katharine, which long time tossed in either fortune, sometime in wealth, oft in aduersitie, at the last, if this be the last (for[1] yet she liueth) is by the benignitie of hir nephue king Henrie the eight, in verie prosperous estate, and worthie hir birth and vertue.
[1] She liued at such time as this storie was penned.
The loue of the people.
This noble prince deceassed at his palace of Westminster, and with great funerall honor and heauinesse of his people from thence conueied, was interred at Windsor. A king of such gouernance & behauior, in time of peace (for in warre each part must néeds be others enimie) that there was neuer anie prince of this land, atteining the crowne by battell, so heartilie beloued with the substance of the people: nor hée himselfe so speciallie in anie part of his life, as at the time of his death. Which fauour and affection, yet after his deceasse, by the crueltie, mischiefe, and trouble of the tempestuous world that followed, highlie toward him more increased. At such time as he died, the displeasure of those that bare him grudge for king Henrie's sake the sixt, whome he deposed, was well asswaged, & in effect quenched, in that manie of them were dead in more than twentie yeres of his reigne, a great part of a long life: and manie of them in the meane season growne into his fauour, of which he was neuer strange.
Description of Edward the fourth.