Page:The Works of Francis Bacon (1884) Volume 1.djvu/476

 348 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. there he was to remain, and to expect her further directions. In the mean time she omitted not to prepare things for his better welcome and accept ing, not only in the kingdom of Ireland, but in the court of France. He continued in Portugal about a year; and by that time the King of Eng land called his parliament, as hath been said, and had declared open war against France. Now did the sign reign, and the constellation was come, under which Perkin should appear. And there fore he was straight sent unto by the duchess to go for Ireland, according to the first designment. In Ireland he did arrive at the town of Cork. When he was thither come, his own tale was, when he m-ule confession afterwards, that the Irishmen, finding him in some good clothes, came flocking about him, and bare him down that he was the Duke of Clarence that had been there before. And after, that he was Richard the Third s base son. And lastly, that he was Richard Duke of York, second son to Edward the Fourth. But that he for his part renounced all these things, and offered to swear upon the holy evangelists that he was no such man; till at last they forced it upon him, and bade him fear nothing, and so forth. But the truth is, that immediately upon his coming into Ireland, he took upon him the said person of the Duke of York, and drew unto him complices and partakers by all the means he could devise. Insomuch as he wrote his letters unto the Earls of Desmond and Kildare, to come in to his aid, and be of his party; the originals of which letters are yet extant. Somewhat before this time, the duchess had also gained under her a near servant of King Henry s own, one Stephen Frion, his secretary for the French tongue : an active man, but turbulent and discontented. This Frion had fled over to Charles the French king, and put himself into his service, at such time as he began to be in open enmity with the king. Now King Charles, when he under stood of the persons and attempts of Perkin, ready of himself to embrace all advantages against the King of England, instigated by Frion, and for merly prepared by the Lady Margaret, forthwith despatched one Lucas and this Frion, in the na ture of ambassador to Perkin, to advertise him of the king s good inclination to him, and that he was resolved to aid him to recover his right against King Henry, a usurper of England, and an enemy of France; and wished him to come over unto him at Paris. Perkin thought himself in heaven, now that he was invited by so great a king in so honourable a manner. And imparting unto his friends in Ireland, for their encouragement, how fortune called him, and what great hopes he had, tailed presently into France. When he was come to the court of France, the king received him with great homage; saluted, and styled him by the name of the Duke of York; lodged him in great fate. And the better to give him the represen tation and the countenance of a prince, assigned him a guard for his person, whereof the Lord Con- gresall was captain. The courtiers likewise, though it be ill mocking with the French, applied them selves to their king s bent, seeing there was rea son of state for it. At the same time there repair ed unto Perkin divers Englishmen of quality; Sir George Neville, Sir John Taylor, and about one hundred more; and amongst the rest, this Stephen Frion, of whom we spake, who fol lowed his fortune both then and for a long time after, and was indeed his principal counsellor and instrument in all his proceedings. But all this on the French king s part was but a trick, the better to bow King Henry to peace. And there fore upon the first grain of incense that was sacri ficed upon the altar of peace at Boloign, Perkin was smoked away. Yet would not the French king deliver him up to King Henry, as he was laboured to do, for his honour s sake, but warned him away and dismissed him. And Perkin, on his part, was as ready to be gone, doubting he might be caught up underhand. He therefore took his way into Flanders, unto the Duchess of Burgundy; pretending that having been variously tossed by fortune, he directed his course thither as to a safe harbour: noways taking knowledge that he had ever been there before, but as if that had been his first address. The duchess, on the other part, made it as new and strange to see him; pretending, at the first, that she was taught and made wise by the example of Lambert Simnel, how she did admit of any counterfeit stuff; though even in that, she said she was not fully satisfied. She pretended at the first, and that was ever in the presence of others, to pose him and sift him, thereby to try whether he were indeed the very Duke of York or no. But seeming to receive full satisfaction by his answer, she then feigned herself to be transported with a kind of astonish ment, mixt of joy and wonder, at his miraculous deliverance; receiving him as if he were risen from death to life: and inferring, that God, who had in such wonderful manner preserved him from death, did likewise reserve him for some great and prosperous fortune. As for his dismission out of France, they interpreted it not as if he were detected or neglected for a counterfeit deceiver; but contrariwise, that it did show manifestly unto the world, that he was some great matter : for that it was his abandoning that, in effect, made the peace; being no more but the sacrificing of a poor distressed prince unto the utility and ambition of two mighty monarchs. Neither was Perkin, for his part, wanting to himself, either in gracious and princely behaviour, or in ready and apposite an swers, or in contenting and caressing those that did apply themselves unto him, or in pretty scorn and disdain to those that seemed to doubt of him; bul in all things did notably acquit himself : insomuch as it wns o-pnerally believed, as well amongst great