HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 135 



streets of London, to be seen of the people. And 

 having passed the view of the streets, was conducted 

 to Paul s Church in solemn procession, where great 

 store of people were assembled. And it was pro 

 vided also in good fashion, that divers of the nobility, 

 and others of quality, especially of those that the 

 king most suspected, and knew the person of Plan- 

 tagenet best, had communication with the young 

 gentleman by the way, and entertained him with 

 speech and discourse ; which did in effect mar the 

 pageant in Ireland with the subjects here, at least 

 with so many, as out of error, and not out of malice, 

 might be misled. Nevertheless in Ireland, where it 

 was too late to go back, it wrought little or no effect. 

 But contrariwise, they turned the imposture upon 

 the king ; and gave out, that the king, to defeat the 

 true inheritor, and to mock the world, and blind the 

 eyes of simple men, had tricked up a boy in the 

 likeness of Edward Plantagenet, and shewed him 

 to the people ; not sparing to profane the ceremony 

 of a procession, the more to countenance the fable. 



The general pardon likewise near the same time 

 came forth ; and the king therewithal omitted no di 

 ligence, in- giving strait order for the keeping of the 

 ports, that fugitives, malecontents, or suspected per 

 sons, might not pass over into Ireland and Flanders. 

 Meanwhile the rebels in Ireland had sent privy 

 messengers both into England and into Flanders, 

 who in both places had wrought effects of no small 

 importance. For in England they won to their 

 party John, Earl of Lincoln, son of John de la Pole, 



