138 EAKLY HISTORY OF THE MOUNT EDGCUMBE FAMILY. 



the battle of Stoke, agaiust the adherents of Lambert Simnel. 

 Early in 1488 he was sent on an embassy to King James III of 

 Scotland, and succeeded in making a truce for seven years. 

 Soon after, in the same year, he was despatched with five 

 hundred men to Ireland, where Lambert Simnel' s insurrection 

 had originated, to carry the King's pardon, and administer the 

 oath of allegiance to the nobility, gentry, and commonalty of 

 the realm. 



The diary of this expedition, from a MS. in the Cottonian 

 collection, is very quaint and amusing, describing how from 

 day to day the Irish nobles attempted to put him off with 

 excuses for not taking the oath ; how at last they proposed 

 taking it in the afternoon, " to which Sir Eichard would not 

 consent, but would have them sworn in the forenoon, and that 

 a chaplain of his own should consecrate the host as they should 

 be sworn upon ; " how, even then, he could not get them for 

 ever so long to sign their certificates and recognisances, and had 

 to use "fearful and terrible words;" and how, at last, it all 

 ended in much good cheer ; and Sir Eichard, having visited 

 Waterford, Dublin, Drogheda, and other places, had a 

 detestable voyage back, poor man, which took him eight days, 

 as the wind was always right contrarious, and it " blew right 

 sore," and " was right troublesome weather." 



I have referred to this expedition, because there are several 

 articles hanging up in the hall which I can only account for 

 by supposing that they were brought back from Ireland by 

 Sir Eichard on this occasion, and in particular two brass 

 trumpets, which I know to be Irish and very ancient. 



"We have no record of the time when any of the arms were 

 first hung up in the hall. No doubt some importations from 

 foreign parts may have been brought home and added to the 

 colli-ction by naval friends or members of the family ; but I can 

 think of no occasion but that to which I have referred when it 

 is likely that the Wo curious brass trumpets can have been 

 brought ; and it is interesting to think that, in all probability, 

 they were hanging up as curiosities and antiquities in some part 

 of the house before the hall in which they are now placed was 

 even built. 



In September of this same year, Francis II, Duke of 

 Britanny, who had befriended Henry VII during his exile, died 



