Now, all this time, the deposed King Henry was concealed by a Welsh
knight, who kept him close in his castle. But, next year, the Lancaster
party recovering their spirits, raised a large body of men, and called
him out of his retirement, to put him at their head. They were joined
by some powerful noblemen who had sworn fidelity to the new King, but
who were ready, as usual, to break their oaths, whenever they thought
there was anything to be got by it. One of the worst things in the
history of the war of the Red and White Roses, is the ease with which
these noblemen, who should have set an example of honour to the people,
left either side as they took slight offence, or were disappointed in
their greedy expectations, and joined the other. Well! Warwick’s
brother soon beat the Lancastrians, and the false noblemen, being
taken, were beheaded without a moment’s loss of time. The deposed King
had a narrow escape; three of his servants were taken, and one of them
bore his cap of estate, which was set with pearls and embroidered with
two golden crowns. However, the head to which the cap belonged, got
safely into Lancashire, and lay pretty quietly there (the people in the
secret being very true) for more than a year. At length, an old monk
gave such intelligence as led to Henry’s being taken while he was
sitting at dinner in a place called Waddington Hall. He was immediately
sent to London, and met at Islington by the Earl of Warwick, by whose
directions he was put upon a horse, with his legs tied under it, and
paraded three times round the pillory. Then, he was carried off to the
Tower, where they treated him well enough.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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