Sir William Stanleie beheaded.
Wherefore desiring to be created earle of Chester, and therof denied, he began to disdeine the king. And one thing incouraged him much, which was the riches and treasure of king Richard, which he onlie possessed at the battell of Bosworth; by reason of which riches and great power of men, he set naught by the king his souereigne lord and maister. The king hauing thus an hole in his coat, doubted first what he should doo with him; for loth he was to lose the fauour of his brother the earle of Derbie: and againe to pardon him, he feared least it should be an euill example to other, that should go about to attempt the like offense. And so at length, seueritie got the vpper hand, & mercie was put backe, in so much that he was arreigned at Westminster and adiudged to die, and (according to that iudgement) was brought to the Tower hill the sixtéenth daie of Februarie, and there had his head striken off.
Abr. Flem.
Sée pag. 446.
[This was the end of sir William Stanleie the chiefest helper of king Henrie to the crowne at Bosworth field against king Richard the third, and who set the same crowne first vpon the kings head, when it was found in the field trampled vnder féet. He was a man (while he liued) of great power in his countrie, and also of great wealth: in somuch as the common fame ran, that there was in his castell of Holt found in readie coine, plate, and iewels, to the value of fortie thousand markes or more, and his land and fées extended to thrée thousand pounds by yeare. Neuerthelesse all helped not; neither his good seruice in Bosworth field, neither his forwardnesse (euen with the hazard of life) to prefer K. Henrie to the crowne, neither his faithfulnesse in cleauing to him at all brunts, neither the bond of aliance betwixt them, neither the power that he was able to make, neither the riches which he was worth, neither intercession of fréends, which he wanted not; none of these, nor all these could procure the redemption of his lost life:
O fluxum decus hominum, ô variabile tempus.
Iohn Stow. pag. 969.
The king and quéene dine at sergeants feast kept at Elie palace.
A wonder to be noted in a corpse that laie long in the ground.
Rich. Grafton.