England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Epistolary fiction; Essays
I cannot say much for this Monarch’s sense. Nor would I if I could, for
he was a Lancastrian. I suppose you know all about the Wars between him
and the Duke of York who was of the right side; if you do not, you had
better read some other History, for I shall not be very diffuse in
this, meaning by it only to vent my spleen _against_, and shew my
Hatred _to_ all those people whose parties or principles do not suit
with mine, and not to give information. This King married Margaret of
Anjou, a Woman whose distresses and misfortunes were so great as almost
to make me who hate her, pity her. It was in this reign that Joan of
Arc lived and made such a _row_ among the English. They should not have
burnt her—but they did. There were several Battles between the Yorkists
and Lancastrians, in which the former (as they ought) usually
conquered. At length they were entirely overcome; The King was
murdered—The Queen was sent home—and Edward the 4th ascended the
Throne.
EDWARD the 4th
This Monarch was famous only for his Beauty and his Courage, of which
the Picture we have here given of him, and his undaunted Behaviour in
marrying one Woman while he was engaged to another, are sufficient
proofs. His Wife was Elizabeth Woodville, a Widow who, poor Woman! was
afterwards confined in a Convent by that Monster of Iniquity and
Avarice Henry the 7th. One of Edward’s Mistresses was Jane Shore, who
has had a play written about her, but it is a tragedy and therefore not
worth reading. Having performed all these noble actions, his Majesty
died, and was succeeded by his son.
EDWARD the 5th
This unfortunate Prince lived so little a while that nobody had him to
draw his picture. He was murdered by his Uncle’s Contrivance, whose
name was Richard the 3rd.
RICHARD the 3rd
The Character of this Prince has been in general very severely treated
by Historians, but as he was a _York_, I am rather inclined to suppose
him a very respectable Man. It has indeed been confidently asserted
that he killed his two Nephews and his Wife, but it has also been
declared that he did _not_ kill his two Nephews, which I am inclined to
beleive true; and if this is the case, it may also be affirmed that he
did not kill his Wife, for if Perkin Warbeck was really the Duke of
York, why might not Lambert Simnel be the Widow of Richard. Whether
innocent or guilty, he did not reign long in peace, for Henry Tudor E.
of Richmond as great a villain as ever lived, made a great fuss about
getting the Crown and having killed the King at the battle of Bosworth,
he succeeded to it.
HENRY the 7th
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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