Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur OrtonAnonymous
History
Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur Orton
Anonymous
Impostors and imposture -- Biography
After some search, the duchess found a stripling whom she thought had
all the qualities requisite to personate the unfortunate prince. This
youth is described as being "of visage beautiful, of countenance
majestical, of wit subtile and crafty; in education pregnant, in
languages skilful; a lad, in short, of a fine shape, bewitching
behaviour, and very audacious." The name of this admirable prodigy was
Peterkin, or Perkin Warbeck, and he was the son of John Warbeck, a
renegade Jew of Tournay. Some writers, and among others Lord Bacon,
suggest that he had certain grounds for his pretensions to royal
descent, and hint that King Edward, in the course of his amorous
adventures, had been intimate with Catherine de Faro, Warbeck's wife;
and Bacon says "it was pretty extraordinary, or at least very
suspicious, that so wanton a prince should become gossip in so mean a
house." But be this as it may, the lad was both handsome and crafty,
and was well suited for the part which he was destined to play.
Some years after his birth, the elder Warbeck returned to Tournay,
carrying the child with him; but Perkin did not long remain in the
paternal domicile, but by different accidents was carried from place
to place, until his birth and fortunes became difficult to trace by
the most diligent inquiry. No better tool could have been found for
the ambitious Duchess of Burgundy; and when he was brought to her
palace, she at once set herself to instruct him thoroughly with
respect to the person whom he was to represent. She so often described
to him the features, figures, and peculiarities of his deceased--or
presumedly deceased--parents, Edward IV. and his queen, and informed
him so minutely of all circumstances relating to the family history,
that in a short time he was able to talk as familiarly of the court of
his pretended father as the real Duke of York could have done. She
took especial care to warn him against certain leading questions which
might be put to him, and to render him perfect in his narration of the
occurrences which took place while he was in sanctuary with the queen,
and particularly to be consistent in repeating the story of his escape
from his executioners. After he had learnt his lesson thoroughly, he
was despatched under the care of Lady Brampton to Portugal, there to
wait till the fitting time arrived for his presentation to the English
people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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