HISTORY OF KIiNG HENRY VII. 309 



Henry, King of England, Ferdinando and Isabella, 

 King and Queen of Spain, for so they are constantly 

 placed in the original treaty throughout, Augustino 

 Barbadico, Duke of Venice, and Ludovico Sfortia, 

 Duke of Milan, for the common defence of their 

 estates : wherein though Ferdinando of Naples was 

 not named as principal, yet, no doubt, the kingdom 

 of Naples was tacitly included as a fee of the church. 



There died also this year, Cecile, Duchess of 

 York, mother to King Edward the Fourth, at her 

 castle of Berkhamstead, being of extreme years, and 

 who had lived to see three princes of her body 

 crowned, and four murdered. She was buried at 

 Foderingham, by her husband. 



This year also the king called his parliament, 

 where many laws were made of a more private 

 and vulgar nature, than ought to detain the reader 

 of an history. And it may be justly suspected by 

 the proceedings following, that as the king did excel 

 in good commonwealth laws, so nevertheless he had, 

 in secret, a design to make use of them, as well for 

 collecting of treasure as for correcting of manners ; 

 and so meaning thereby to harrow his people, did 

 accumulate them the rather. 



The principal law that was made this parliament, 

 was a law of a strange nature; rather just than legal; 

 and more magnanimous than provident. This law 

 did ordain, That no person that did assist in arms, 

 or otherwise, the king for the time being, should 

 after be impeached therefore, or attainted, either by 

 the course of the law, or by act of parliament. But 

 if any such act of attainder did happen to be made, 



