26 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book I. 



^ Richard of Bordeaux, son and heir of the Black Prince, 

 ascended the throne, on the death of his grandfather, Edward 

 III., June 21, 1377. The chief events of RiCHARD II.'s stormy- 

 reign — the expedition to Bretagne, the ensuing poll-tax, the 

 insurrection under Wat Tyler, the dawn of the Reformation 

 under Wycliffe, the translation of the Bible, the expedition 

 to Ireland, Bolingbroke's usurpation, Richard's return to 

 England, his deposition and imprisonment in Rhuddlan 

 Castle, the proceedings in Parliament, the loyalty of the 

 Man of Newmarket, and the accession of Bolingbroke — are 

 too prominent events in the history of England to require 

 any further allusion at our hands. None of our historians 

 refer to Richard as a Turfite ; many of them are contradictory 

 as to the cause of his death. Shakespeare, as a rule, is not 

 safe to follow on strictly historical subjects ; but as the 

 Immortal Bard of Avon gave the best tip on record for the 

 Derby of 1884,* we are induced to give the poet's version of 

 the last scenes of the earthly career of Richard II. After 

 Bolingbroke assumed the purple and occupied the throne, by 

 the title of Henry IV., he did not deem himself secure as 

 long as his deposed cousin lived. Deciding to have Richard 

 murdered, Bolingbroke employed Sir Pierce Exton to do the 

 deed. He proceeds to Pomfret, where Richard is confined 

 a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle. Here we find the 

 dethroned monarch in abject misery, almost longing for death, 

 when a visitor arrives : a poor groom, formerly employed in 

 the royal stable, who, travelling towards York, with much 

 ado, got leave to look upon his sometime royal master's face. 

 He mentions the joyous scenes in the streets as Bolingbroke 

 went to be crowned at Westminster, mounted on roan Bar- 

 bary, the horse that Richard often bestrode, the horse that 

 he (the groom) used to so carefully dress. The incident 

 revives old memories and pleasing incidents in the poor cap- 

 tive's breast, and thus the dialogue proceeds — 



aggregate to 108,395 marks 12s. \d., which, according to a calculation 

 made by Peter le Neve in 1709, would have been equal, at that date, in 

 modern currency, to ^4,335,833 lis. %d. 



* See King Richard II., Act II., Scene i, last line. 



