For the wich, and other inestymable daungers to be escheuved, and to th’entent that the Kynggs seid rebelles, traitours, and enemys[84.2] may be utterly put from there seid malicious and fals purpose[84.3] and sone discomforted,[84.4] if they enforce to land,[84.5] the Kyng our soveraign Lord[84.6] willith, chargeth, and comaundith all and everyche of the naturall and true subgetts of this his Reame to call the premyssez to there mynds, and like gode and true Englishmen to endover themselfs with all there powers for the defence of them, there wifs, chylderyn, and godes, and heriditaments ayenst the seid malicious purposes and conspiracions which the seid auncient enemes[84.7] have made with the Kynggs seid rebelles and traitours[84.8] for the fynall distruccion of this lande as is aforesaid. And our said soveraign Lord, as a wele willed, diligent, and coragious Prynce, wel put his moost roiall persone to all labour and payne necessary in this behalve for the resistence and subduyng of his seid enemys, rebells, and traitours[84.9] to the moost comforte, wele, and suerte of all[84.10] his true and feithfull liege men and subgetts.
And over this, our seid soveraign Lord willith and comaundith all his seid subgetts to be redy in there most defensible arraye to do his Highnes servyce of werre, when thy be opyn proclamacion, or otherwise shall be comaunded so to do, for the resistence of the Kynggs seid rebelles, traitours, and enemyes. Et hoc sub periculo, &c.—T. me ipso apud Westmonasterium, xxiij. die Junij, Anno regni nostri secundo.
[81.1] [From Fenn, ii. 318.] The MS., as Fenn tells us, was endorsed in an ancient hand, ‘Kent Cherfys [Sheriffs].—Copia literæ Regis R. III. persuadentis subditos suos ad resistendum Henr’ Tydder, postea Regem Angliæ ac declarantis a quo idem Henricus descendebat.’ Another but imperfect copy of this proclamation will be found in the Harleian MS., No. 433, f. 220 b. A similar proclamation had been issued on the 7th December 1484, of which a copy will also be found in the same Harleian volume at folio 273 b. Sir Henry Ellis has also printed in his Original Letters (2 Ser. i. 162) a copy of this proclamation as set forth in the original warrant for issuing it, which the King addressed to the Bishop of Lincoln as Chancellor. The MS. followed by Ellis was a transcript from one of the records formerly in the Tower. I have compared these different texts throughout with that printed by Fenn, and noted all variations that are of any consequence. The two Harleian texts I have called A. and B., the former being that of the proclamation issued on the 7th December preceding. The text printed by Ellis I have called E.
[81.2] Peter Courtney, Bishop of Exeter, after the miscarriage of the Duke of Buckingham’s conspiracy, fled into Bretagne to the Earl of Richmond, who, after he became Henry VII., promoted this Prelate to the See of Winchester in 1486, in which he died in 1492.—F.
[81.3] Jasper Tudor of Hatfield, half-brother to Henry VI. He was created Duke of Bedford in 1485.
[81.4] John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who had escaped from the Castle of Hammes.—F.
[81.5] Sir Edward Wodevile, brother to the Queen of Edward IV.—F. The names given in text A. are ‘Piers, Bisshop of Excestre, Thomas Grey, late Marques Dorset, Jasper, late Erle of Pembroche, John, late Erle of Oxenford, and Sir Edward Widevile.’
[81.6] Francis II., the last Duke of Bretagne, was overthrown by Charles VIII., King of France, and died in 1488.—F.
[82.1] ‘The said traytours.’ They. A.
[82.2] that. A. B. E.