George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV., first sided with his father-in-law, the Earl of Warwick, then joined his brother in 1471. With justice, therefore, Shakespeare called him 'false, fleeting, perjured Clarence.' He was accused of treason and found dead in the Tower in 1478.
[35. AMUSEMENTS.]
Tournament: a sham fight at which knights, mostly on horseback, used to show their skill.
Twelfth Day: twelve days after Christmas, formerly an occasion of great festivities, which have now nearly died out.
Morris-dance: a Moorish dance to an accompaniment of bells and tambourines.
cresset: a kind of lantern formed of an open brazier filled with combustible materials.
demilance: a kind of horse-soldier armed with a short lance.
mummeries: entertainments performed by men in masks.
Curfew: the bell rung at eight o'clock at night as a sign to put out all lights. Ancient towns having much wood were liable to serious fires.