18 



Thomas, 'Dwke of Gloucester, sixth son of King Edward III., 

 and widow of Edmund, Earl of Stafford, slain at the battle 

 of Shrewsbury, in 1403. 



The alliances of the mighty Nevilles, so far as they are 

 material to the proper elucidation of the contents of this 

 paper, Avill be found in the portion of the accompanyuig 

 pedigree. 



At the period when the Duke of York aspired to, and 

 was cautiously taking his measures to obtain the crown, 

 liis principal confidential friends, through whose assist- 

 ance and power he hoped to secure the prize which he 

 coveted, were the Earl of Salisbury, the Earl of Warwick 

 and John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, between whom and 

 the Duke of York there was a family connection, from 

 the Duke of Norfolk's having married Anne Bourchier, 

 sister of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Ewe, afterwards 

 Viscount Boiu'chier, and afterwards Earl of Essex, and 

 the latter having married Isabel, sister of the Duke of 

 York, as before mentioned. 



The Earl of Warwick had given repeated proofs of his 

 valour, was warlike and talented in military matters, and 

 was beloved by the soldiers. 



He, like other powerful noblemen of England, in 

 the feudal ages, could command the services, in war, of 

 large bodies of retainers and vassals, and, as will be soon 

 noticed, Warwick's power in that respect, caused him to 

 be a most valuable ally, to any one whose cause he 

 espoused, and a most formidable foe, to whoever he con- 

 sidered to be his adversary. He w^as liberal, generous, 

 frank, and numificent ; which qualities rendered him ex- 

 ceedingly popular. 



With respect to his extraordinary hospitality, we have 

 the authority of one of the most authentic of our old 

 historical writers, that at the Earl of Warwick's house, in 

 London, six oxen were usually eaten at a breakfast ; and 



