210 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII* 



conceit that the king would not inwardly dislike 

 that, which he would not openly avow, sailed 

 directly over into the Isle of Wight, whereof he was 

 governor, and levied a fair troop of four hundred 

 men, and with them passed over into Britain, and 

 joined himself with the duke s forces. The news 

 whereof, when it came to the French court, put 

 divers young bloods into such a fury, as the English 

 ambassadors were not without peril to be outraged. 

 But the French king, both to preserve the privilege 

 of ambassadors, and being conscious to himself, that 

 in the business of peace he himself was the greater 

 dissembler of the two, forbad all injuries of fact or 

 word against their persons or followers. And pre 

 sently came an agent from the king, to purge him 

 self touching the Lord Woodvile s going over ; using 

 for a principal argument, to demonstrate that it was 

 without his privity, for that the troops were so small, 

 as neither had the face of a succour by authority, 

 nor could much advance the Britain affairs. TO 

 which message although the French king gave no 

 full credit, yet he made fair weather with the king, 

 and seemed satisfied. Soon after the English am 

 bassadors returned, having two of them been like 

 wise with the Duke of Britain, and found things in 

 no other terms than they were before. Upon their 

 return, they informed the king of the state of the af 

 fairs, and how far the French king was from any true 

 meaning of peace; and therefore he was now to 

 advise of some other course ; neither was the king 

 himself led all this while with credulity merely, as 



