HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 281 



there before. And after, that he was Richard the 

 Third s base son. And lastly, that he was Richard, 

 Duke of York, second son to Edward the Fourth. 

 But that he, for his part, renounced all these things, 

 and offered to swear upon the holy Evangelists, that 

 he was no such man ; till at last they forced it upon 

 him, and bade him fear nothing, and so forth. But 

 the truth is, that immediately upon his coming into 

 Ireland, he took upon him the said person of the 

 Duke of York, and drew unto him complices and 

 partakers by all the means he could devise. Inso 

 much as he wrote his letters unto the Earls of Des 

 mond and Kildare, to come in to his aid, and be of 

 his party; the originals of which letters are yet 

 extant. 



Somewhat before this time, the duchess had also 

 gained under her a near servant of King Henry s 

 own, one Stephen Frion, his secretary for the French 

 tongue : an active man, but turbulent and discon 

 tented. This Frion had fled over to Charles the 

 French king, and put himself into his service, at such 

 time as he began to be in open enmity with the king. 

 Now King Charles, when he understood of the person 

 and attempts of Perkin, ready of himself to embrace 

 all advantages against the King of England, insti 

 gated by Frion, and formerly prepared by the Lady 

 Margaret, forthwith dispatched one Lucas and this 

 Frion, in the nature of ambassadors to Perkin, to 

 advertise him of the king s good inclination to him, 

 and that he was resolved to aid him to recover his 

 right against King Henry, an usurper of England, 



