itself, upon the matter found to be disloyal to the king; and withal struck upon a string which always sounded harsh in that king's ears, as preferring the title of York to that of Lancaster.

Sir William was hereupon arraigned, brought to the bar, and tried; and, whether trusting to the greatness of his service, the king's favour, his own innocency, or the lightness of his crime, his pleading was very slender, denying little of what he was charged with, and thereby, as it were, confessing guilty, was adjudged to die.

Accordingly, on the sixteenth day of February, 1495, he was brought to Tower Hill, in London, and there beheaded; and all his estate, real and personal, which was very great, was confiscated to the king. There are not. wanting some who think this was as strong a motive to his death as any thing he ever said or did, avarice being, on many occasions, too visible in this king's administration, and to have had a large share in the prosecution of the aforesaid gentleman. For there were found in his castle of Holt, in the county of Flint, in Wales, forty thousand marks of money, besides plate, jewels, household-goods, and stock of cattle of great value; also a yearly income of old rents on land of £3000 per annum. By Joyce his wife, daughter of Edward Lord Powis, he had issue one son, named William, of whom more hereafter; also one daughter, named Jane, who married Sir John Warburton, of Arles, in the county of Chester, one of the knights of the body to King Henry VII.

This was that great Sir William Stanley who, of his own power and interest, raised and brought three thousand horse and foot to the rescue of that prince, when his life, honour, and hopes of a throne were all in visible danger, gave him victory, and crowned him king in the field.

How could it then enter into his head or heart to put him to death, who had done for him all that mortality could possibly do! saved his life, vanquished his enemies, and

given him a crown! and all his crime founded upon a doubtful and unguarded expression, reported by a treacherous friend; a rebel, and a traitor to his king, by his own confession; and to save his own life; and therefore should have been the less regarded, where the duty, loyalty, and most worthy actions of so deserving a subject were in competition with it.

From this unhappy event, mankind may learn how cautious they ought to be in opening their mind too freely, even to the most intimate friend, where the discovery may either touch or concern their life, reputation, liberty, interest, or peace of mind, when he shall think fit to disclose and aggravate their most innocent words and meanings, by a malicious and invidious construction.

But it may be said it was not the Earl of Richmond that did this, but the king of England. And I think it is a maxim, that the king in many cases is not at liberty to show mercy as a private person may. But be that as it will, beheaded he was, and from the pinnacle of honour on a sudden brought to the block. Shocking thought! that nothing less than loss of life could atone for words without actions, or even evil meaning, without a forced construction. On this occasion I may observe with a learned poet, that our God and soldier are alike adored, just at the brink of danger; and the danger over, they are often both alike requited; our God is forgotten, and our soldier slighted. Loss of favour, exile from court, and all public employments, might have been borne with; but death gave a short period to all his glory and most renowned performances for the public good, and the service of his king and country.

Death is the same to a coward as to the valiant man, but with this remarkable difference, in point of honour and everlasting fame,the brave and gallant man falls in vindication of his prince, religion, laws, liberties, and country; the scoundrel abandons all in fear of losing a life that he neither deserves nor can save.

However, in deference to royal authority, give me leave to observe what has been offered in mitigation of his majesty's proceedings in this extraordinary and critical case, wherein it is said he underwent many struggles and conflicts of mind, forbearing six weeks after the accusation, before Sir William was brought to trial.

But it is probable other substantial reasons might be assigned for his majesty's concern and uneasiness in this point, to wit, as knowing the very great power of his bro ther the Earl of Derby, who had married his mother, and had been eminently serviceable to him; and who, on this melancholy occasion, had retired to his country seat; and that the grief and affliction that noble person must naturally lie under, for the untimely loss of so worthy and near a relation, (and seemingly on so slight an occasion) might produce a resentment prejudicial to his own safety and peaceable possession.

The king's future conduct seems to confirm the above reasons; for his majesty appearing desirous to justify himself to the world, and especially to this great lord, upon what ground, and for what reasons, he had taken off so valuable and eminent a person as Sir William Stanley, and to keep well with the said earl, resolved the ensuing summer to pay him and his mother a visit, at their seat of Latham, in Lancashire. Of which, Lord Derby being apprized, made suitable preparation for the reception and better accommodation of his majesty and his retinue, by enlarging his house at Knowsley by the stone building, and repairing and beautifying the other part, and also that of Latham.

And considering that there was no certain or constant passage over the river Mersey to old Warrington, but by Latchford or Orford, and those very precarious, as well as dangerous, his lordship determined to build a bridge over that river, that his majesty might pursue his progress without stop or hazard. To effect which, he purchased a