HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 119 



&quot; the crown takes away all defects and stops in 

 :t blood : and that from the time the king did assume 

 &quot; the crown the fountain was cleared, and all at- 

 &quot; tainders and corruption of blood discharged.&quot; 

 But nevertheless, for honour s sake, it was ordained 

 by parliament, that all records, wherein there was 

 any memory or mention* of the king s attainder, 

 should be defaced, cancelled, and taken off the file. 



But on the part of the king s enemies there were 

 by parliament attainted, the late Duke of Gloucester, 

 calling himself Richard the Third ; the Duke of Nor 

 folk, the Earl of Surrey, Viscount Lovel, the Lord 

 Ferrers, the Lord Zouch, Richard Ratcliffe, William 

 Catesby, and many others of degree and quality. In 

 which bills of attainders, nevertheless, there were 

 contained many just and temperate clauses, savings, 

 and provisoes, well shewing and fore-tokening the 

 wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king s spirit of 

 government. And for the pardon of the rest that 

 had stood against the king, the king, upon a second 

 advice, thought it not fit it should pass by parlia 

 ment, the better, being matter of grace, to impro- 

 priate the thanks to himself, using only the opportu 

 nity of a parliament time, the better to disperse it into 

 the veins of the kingdom. Therefore during the par 

 liament he published his royal proclamation, offer 

 ing pardon and grace of restitution to all such as had 

 taken arms, or been participant of any attempts 

 against him, so as they submitted themselves to his 

 mercy by a day, and took the oath of allegiance 

 and fidelity to him. Whereupon many came out of 



