362 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



him at once : but this is not probable. For that the 

 same instruments who observed him in his flight, 

 might have kept him from getting into sanctuary. 



But it was ordained, that this winding-ivy of a 

 Plantagenet should kill the true tree itself. For 

 Perkin, after he had been a while in the Tower, 

 began to insinuate himself into the favour and kind 

 ness of his keepers, servants to the lieutenant of the 

 Tower, Sir John Digby, being four in number ; 

 Strangeways, Blewet, Astwood, and Long Roger. 

 These varlets, with mountains of promises, he sought 

 to corrupt, to obtain his escape ; but knowing well, 

 that his own fortunes were made so contemptible, 

 as he could feed no man s hopes, and by hopes he 

 must work, for rewards he had none, he had con 

 trived with himself a vast and tragical plot ; which 

 was, to draw into his company Edward Plantagenet, 

 Earl of Warwick, then prisoner in the Tower ; 

 whom the weary life of a long imprisonment, and 

 the often and renewing fears of being put to death, 

 had softened to take any impression of counsel for 

 his liberty. This young prince he thought the 

 servants would look upon, though not upon himself: 

 and therefore, after that by some message by one 

 or two of them, he had tasted of the earl s consent ; 

 it was agreed that these four should murder their 

 master the lieutenant, secretly, in the night, and 

 make their best of such money and portable goods 

 of his, as they should find ready at hand, and get 

 the keys of the Tower, and presently let forth 

 Perkin and the earl. But this conspiracy was re- 



