About this time, a learned esquire, or rather a clearke of the vniuersitie of Oxenford, bearing some malice toward the king, fained himselfe mad, and espieng thereby the secret places of his house at Woodstoke where he then laie, vpon a night by a window he got into the kings bedchamber, and comming to the beds side, threw off the couerings, and with a dagger strake diuerse times into a pillow, supposing that the king had béene there, but as GOD would, that night the king laie in another chamber with the quéene. In the meane time, one of the quéenes chambermaids named Margaret Biset, hauing espied the traitor, made an outcrie, so that the K. seruants which came to vnderstand what the matter meant, presentlie apprehended the said clearke, who being conueied to Couentrie, was there arreigned, and by lawfull proofe had of his malicious intent, was condemned, and executed as a traitor. At his death he confessed, that he was sent from [3] William de Marisch the sonne of Geffrie de Marisch to murther the king by such manner of means, not caring what had become of himselfe so he might haue dispatched his purpose. [3] Sée his end in pag. 393. ¶ These practises of treason In summo gradu, which cannot be committed without irrecouerable detriment to the whole estate (speciallie where succession is vncerteine) are of an old brewing, though they be neuer so newlie broched. And truelie if the curssed miscreant which vndertaketh an enterprise of this qualitie, had the grace to consider how manie murthers he commiteth by implication in giuing the roiall person of the prince a deadlie wound; I doubt not, if he were a man and not a ranke diuell, he would be weaned from that outragious villanie. For, in wounding and killing the prince, he is guiltie of homicide, of parricide, of christicide, nay of deicide. And therefore a thousand woes light on his hart that shall stretch out his hand, naie that shall once conceiue in thought a murther so heinous, as both God and nature dooth abhorre; speciallie if it be commensed against a christian prince, and such a one as to whome true and vndefiled religion is no lesse pretious and déere than life itselfe. Princes therefore had néed to sée to the safegard of their persons, sithens the safetie of many millians dependeth therevpon. For certeine it is, that the state of a poore priuat man is lesse perillous by manie degrées than the state of a potentat, which is ment by this true allegorie following. [Sidenote: _Seneca in Octa. & Hippol._] Quatiunt altas sæpè procellæ, Aut euertit fortuna domos; Minùs in paruis fortuna furit, [Sidenote: An. Reg. 23. 1239.] [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] [Sidenote: Variance betwixt the king and the earle of Penbroke.] [Sidenote: Simon earle of Leicester fled ouer into France.]