HISTORY OF KING 1IF.NRY VII. 297 



without hesitation or varying, and with those civil 

 protestations that were fit, stand to that that he had 

 said, offering to justify it upon his soul and life ; he 

 caused him to be removed. And after he had not 

 a little bemoaned himself unto his council there pre 

 sent, gave order that Sir William Stanley should be 

 restrained in his own chamber where he lay before, 

 in the square tower : and the next day he was 

 examined by the lords. Upon his examination he 

 denied little of that wherewith he was charged, nor 

 endeavoured much to excuse or extenuate his fault : 

 so that, not very wisely, thinking to make his offence 

 less by confession, he made it enough for condemna 

 tion. It was conceived, that he trusted much to his 

 former merits, and the interest that his brother had 

 in the king. But those helps were over-weighed by 

 divers things that made against him, and were pre 

 dominant in the king s nature and mind. First, an 

 over-merit : for convenient merit, unto which reward 

 may easily reach, doth best with kings. Next the 

 sense of his power ; for the king thought, that he 

 that could set him up, was the more dangerous to pull 

 him down. Thirdly, the glimmering of a confisca 

 tion ; for he was the richest subject for value in the 

 kingdom ; there being found in his castle of Holt 

 forty thousand marks in ready money and plate, 

 besides jewels, household-stuff, stocks upon his 

 grounds, and other personal estate, exceeding great. 

 And for his revenue in land and fee, it was three 

 thousand pounds a year of old rent, a great matter 

 in those times. Lastly, the nature of the time ; for 



