HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 277 



versing with him, be able to say or detect well what 

 he was, he did so flit from place to place. Lastly, 

 there was a circumstance, which is mentioned by 

 one that wrote in the same time, that is very likely 

 to have made somewhat to the matter : which is, 

 that King Edward the Fourth was his godfather. 

 Which, as it is somewhat suspicious for a wanton 

 prince to become gossip in so mean a house, and 

 might make a man think, that he might indeed have 

 in him some base blood of the house of York ; so at 

 the least, though that were not, it might give the 

 occasion to the boy, in being called King Edward s 

 godson, or perhaps in sport King Edward s son, to 

 entertain such thoughts into his head. For tutor he 

 had none, for ought that appears, as Lambert 

 Simnel had, until he came unto the Lady Margaret, 

 who instructed him. 



Thus therefore it came to pass: there was a 

 townsman of Tournay, that had borne office in that 

 town, whose name was John Osbeck, a convert Jew, 

 married to Catherine de Faro, whose business drew 

 him to live for a time with his wife at London in 

 King Edward the Fourth s days. During which 

 time he had a son by her, and being known in 

 court, the king either out of a religious nobleness, 

 because he was a convert, or upon some private 

 acquaintance, did him the honour to be godfather to 

 his child, and named him Peter. But afterwards, 

 proving a dainty and effeminate youth, he was com 

 monly called by the diminutive of his name, Peter- 

 kin, or Perkin. For as for the name of Warbeck, it 



