he captive being led
through the principal streets for the edification of the populace,
before being taken to the Tower. The king had little reason to fear him.
The pretended prince, who had run away from his army, was not likely to
obtain new adherents. Scorn and contempt were the only manifestations of
popular opinion.

So little, indeed, did Henry dread this aspirant to the throne, that he
was quickly released from the Tower and brought to Westminster, where he
was treated as a gentleman, being examined from time to time regarding
his imposture. Such parts of his confession as the king saw fit to
divulge were printed and spread through the country, but were of a
nature not likely to settle the difficulty. "Men missing of that they
looked for, looked about for they knew not what, and were more in doubt
than before, but the king chose rather not to satisfy, than to kindle
coals."

Perkin soon brought the king's complaisance to an end. His mercurial
disposition counselled flight, and, deceiving his guards, he slipped
from the palace and fled to the sea-shore. Here he found all avenues of
escape closed, and so diligent was the pursuit that he quickly turned
back, and again took sanctuary in Bethlehem priory, near Richmond. The
prior came to the king and offered to deliver him up, asking for his
life only. His escapade had roused anger in the court.

"Take the rogue and hang him forthwith," was the hot advice of the
king's council.

"The silly boy is not worth a rope," answered the king. "Take the knave
and set him in the stocks. Let the people see what sort of a prince this
is."

Life being promised, the prior brought forth his charge, and a few days
after Perkin was set in the stocks for a whole day, in the palace-court
at Westminster. The next day he was served in the same manner at
Cheapside, in both places being forced to read a paper which purported
to be a true and full confession of his imposture. From Cheapside he was
taken to the Tower, having exhausted the mercy of the king.

In the Tower he was placed in the company of the Earl of Warwick, the
last of the acknowledged Plantagenets, who had been in this gloomy
prison for fourteen years. It is suspected that the king had a dark
purpose in this. To the one he had promised life; the other he had no
satisfactory reason to remove; possibly he fancied that the uneasy
temper of Perkin would give him an excuse for the execution of both.

If such was his scheme