HISTORY OF KINO HENRY VII. 365 



and besides, the imprisonment not being for treason, 

 the escape by law could not be treason, but for 

 conspiring with Perkin to raise sedition, and to de 

 stroy the king : and the earl confessing the indict 

 ment, had judgement, and was shortly after beheaded 

 on Tower-hill. 



This was also the end, not only of this noble and 

 commiserable person Edward, the Earl of Warwick, 

 eldest son to the Duke of Clarence ; but likewise of 

 the line male of the Plantagenets, which had flou 

 rished in great royalty and renown, from the time of 

 the famous King of England, King Henry the 

 Second. Howbeit it was a race often dipped in 

 their own blood. It hath remained since only trans 

 planted into other names, as well of the imperial 

 line, as of other noble houses. But it was neither 

 guilt of crime, nor reason of state, that could quench 

 the envy that was upon the king for this execution : 

 so that he thought good to export it out of the land, 

 and to lay it upon his new ally, Ferdinando, King 

 of Spain. For these two kings understanding one 

 another at half a word, so it was that there were 

 letters shewed out of Spain, whereby in the passages 

 concerning the treaty of the marriage, Ferdinando 

 had written to the king in plain terms, that he saw 

 no assurance of his succession as long as the Earl of 

 Warwick lived, and that he was loth to send his 

 daughter to troubles and dangers. But hereby, as 

 the king did in some part remove the envy from 

 himself; so he did not observe, that he did withal 

 bring a kind of malediction and infausting upon the 



