t the last he was taken in the
North country, and by law was judged to be drawn
through every city and good burgh town in England,
and was afterwards hanged at Tyburn and quartered."
It is also certain that many members of the
monastic orders were executed for spreading similar
reports. See Nichols' Leicester, vol. i. p. 368.]

LETTER OF THE EARL OF CAMBRIDGE, SUING FOR MERCY.

My most dreadful and sovereign liege Lord, I, Richard York, your
humble subject and very liege man, beseech you of grace of all
manner offenses which I have done or assented to in any kind, by
stirring of other folk egging me thereto, wherein I wot well I
han ill offended to your Highness; beseeching you at the
reverence of God, that you like to take me into the hands of your
merciful and piteous grace, thinking ye well of your great
goodness. My liege Lord, my full trust is that ye will have
consideration, though that my person be of no value, your high
goodness, where God hath set you in so high estate to every liege
man that to you longeth plenteously to give grace, that you like
to accept this mine simple request for the love of Our Lady and
the blissful Holy Ghost, to whom I pray that they might your
heart induce to all pity and grace for their high goodness.

Henry having taken every precaution for the preservation of his people
at home, as well against foreign designs as against disturbers of the
peace within the realm, left Porchester Castle on the 7th of (p. 142)
August, with the intention of superintending in person the embarkation
of his troops. This seems to have occupied him to the 10th, when he
went on board the "Royal Trinity," and immediately gave signal for the
ships to join him from the different stations in which they were
awaiting his command. The fleet consisted of about thirteen hundred
vessels of very different sizes, varying from twenty to three hundred
tons' burden. Probably, reckoning servants, attendants of every kind,
as well as fighting men, this fleet transported to the shores of
France not less than thirty thousand persons. Of these there were only
about two thousand five hundred men-at-arms, four thousand
horse-archers, four thousand foot-archers, and one thousand gunners,
miners, masons, smiths, with others. The whole am