130 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



and votes of the people ; and it pieced better, and 

 followed more close and handsomely, upon the bruit 

 of Plantagenet s escape. But yet doubting that 

 there would be too near looking, and too much per 

 spective into his disguise, if he should shew it here 

 in England ; he thought good, after the manner of 

 scenes in stage plays and masks, to shew it afar off; 

 and therefore sailed with his scholar into Ireland, 

 where the affection to the house of York was most in 

 height. The king had been a little improvident in 

 the matters of Ireland, and had not removed officers 

 and counsellors, and put in their places, or at least 

 intermingled, persons of whom he stood assured, as 

 he should have done, since he knew the strong bent 

 of that country towards the house of York ; and that 

 it was a ticklish and unsettled state, more easy to 

 receive distempers and mutations than England was. 

 But trusting to the reputation of his victories and 

 successes in. England, he thought he should have 

 time enough to extend his cares afterwards to that 

 second kingdom. 



Wherefore through this neglect, upon the coming 

 of Simon with his pretended Plantagenet into Ire 

 land, all things were prepared for revolt and sedition, 

 almost as if they had been set and plotted beforehand. 

 Simon s first address was to the Lord Thomas Fitz- 

 Gerard, Earl of Kildare, and deputy of Ireland; 

 before whose eyes he did cast such a mist, by his 

 own insinuation, and by the carriage of his youth, 

 that expressed a natural princely behaviour, as joined 

 perhaps with some inward vapours of ambition and 



