ENGLAND. 625 
his uncle, the earl of Pembroke, placed himfelf in the 
main body. Lord Stanley, in the mean time, polled him¬ 
felf on one flank, between the two armies, while his bro¬ 
ther took his llation on the other, which was oppofite. 
Richard feeing him thus in a fltuation equally convenient 
for joining either army, fent him orders to unite himfelf 
to the main body, which the other refilling, he gave in- 
llant orders for beheading lord Stanley’s fon, whom he 
flill kept as an hoffage. He was perfuaded, however, to 
poftpone the execution till after the fight; and attending 
to the more important tranfadlions of the moment, he di¬ 
rected the trumpets to found for the charge. The two 
armies approaching each other, the battle began with a 
(bower of arrows, and foon the adverfe fronts were feen 
clofing. This was the critical moment for which lord 
Stanley had been waiting, who now joined the earl of 
Richmond,'and thus turned the fortune of the day. This 
meafure, fo unexpected to the men, though not to their 
leaders, had a proportioned etf'eCt on both armies; it in- 
fpired invincible courage into Henry’s foldiers, and threw 
Richard’s into confufion. The enraged tyrant, perceiv¬ 
ing the danger of his fituation, fpurred his horfe into the 
thickeft of the fight, while Richmond quitted his ftation 
in the rear, to encourage his troops by his prefence in the 
front. Richard perceiving him, was defirous of ending 
all by one blow ; and with irrefiflible fury prelfed through 
the ranks to attack him. He flew fir William Brandon, 
the earl’s ftandard bearer, who attempted to flop his ca¬ 
reer. Sir John Cheyne having taken Brandon’s place, 
was inftantly thrown to the ground. Richmond in the 
mean time, came forward to oppofe him ; but they were 
feparated by the interpofing crowd. Richard, thus dif- 
appointed, and perceiving his army every where yielding 
or flying, ruflied with impetuofity into the midft of the 
enemy, and there met a better death than his crimes and 
cruelties deferved. After the battle, which was fought 
on Monday Atiguft 2.3, 1485, his body was found ftripped, 
among a heap of llain, covered with wounds, and the 
eyes frightfully flaring; an evident proof that he died in 
extreme agony. The corpfe was thrown acrofs a horfe, 
and carried to Leicefter. It lay there two days expofed 
to public view, and was then buried without ftate or 
ceremony, in the church of the Grey friars. Richard’s 
crown being found by one of Henry’s foldiers on the field 
of battle, it was immediately placed upon the head of the 
conqueror ; while the whole army cried out, “ Long live 
king Henry !” 
Thus ended the bloody reign of Richard; and, by his 
death, the race of the Plantagenet kings, who had been in 
pofleffion of the crown during the fpace of three hundred 
and thirty years, became extinft. Thus ended alfo the 
contefts between the houfes of York and Lancafler, by 
which moft of the ancient families of the kingdom were 
extinguifhed, and more than ah hundred thoufand men 
prematurely loft their lives, either by the fword or the 
executioner. 
Richard III. was the moft abandoned tyrant, that ever 
waded through daughter to a throne. He feents to have 
been an utter ftranger to the tender emotions of the human 
heart, and entirely deftitute of every focial feeling. His 
ruling paffion was ambition ; for the gratification of which 
he trampled upon every law, both human and divine; 
but this thirft of dominion was unattended with the leaft 
yvork of generofity, or any defire of rendering himfelf 
agreeable to his fellow-creatures : it was the ambition of 
a favage, not of a prince ; for he was a folitary king, alto¬ 
gether detached from the reft of mankind, and incapable 
of that amelioration of the heart, which refults from pri¬ 
vate friendfhip and philanthropy. He was dark, filent, 
and referved, and fo much mailer of diflimulation, that it 
was impoflible to dive into his real fentiments, when he 
either wifhed to take an advantage, or conceal hisdefign. 
If he had been a prince unftained with blood, he would 
have been the only one of his houfe, who lived to a ma¬ 
ture age, exempt from that defilement j his enemies al» 
Von. VI. No. 378. 
low, however, that his judgment was found and penetra¬ 
ting, and his courage undaunted. To heighten the com¬ 
mon deteftation of this prince, writers have defcribed him 
as a crooked, hump-backed, withered, monfter, who re¬ 
mained two years in his mother’s womb, and, at laft, was 
born with teeth, and hair reaching down to his ftioulders, 
to intimate how careful Providence was, when it formed 
a tyrant, to give timely warningof what was to be expect¬ 
ed ! “Yet thefe portents,” favs Mr. Walpole, “ were 
far from prognofticating a tyrant; becaufe other tyrants 
have been born without thefe prognoftics. The truth 
appears to be, that Richard, who was not the moft elegant¬ 
ly formed, had the right fhoulder higher than the left; 
a defeft eafily fwelled by the magnifying glafs of party, 
the diftance of time, and the amplification of tradition, 
into the utmoft deformity. Philip de Comines, his cotem¬ 
porary, mentions the beauty of Edward IV. but fays 
nothing of the deformity of his brother Richard ; and 
the countefs de Defmonde, who had danced with Rich¬ 
ard, declares he w-as the handlbmeft man in the room ex¬ 
cept his brother Edward; and John Rous the antiquary 
of Warwickfhire, who faw Richard at Warwick, defcrib- 
ing his perfon, mentions no other defedl than the inequa¬ 
lity of his fhoulders, and the harlhnefs of his features. 
Indeed the vigour and activity with which he exerted 
himfelf in battle, are an evident proof of his being pofleflT- 
ed of that bodily ftrength which can never be enjoyed by 
perfons much deformed. 
Richard was thirty-two years of age when he died ; and 
had reigned two years and two months. His death termi¬ 
nated the conteft between what was called the two roj'es, 
which had not only depopulated the country, but had 
introduced a favage ferocity of manners, and prefented a 
wide fcene of inhumanity, flaughter, and defolation, 
throughout the kingdom. 
From the ACCESSION of the HOUSE of TU¬ 
DOR, to the UNION with SCOTLAND under 
JAMES I. 
Henry VII. afcended the throne of England A. D. * 485 ; 
under whofe mild and aufpicious reign human wildont, 
as if roufed from a lethargy of thirteen hundred years, 
began to exert her utmoft efforts to fubdue the natural 
ferocity of the nation, and to introduce the arts of peace, 
and a more enlightened jurifprudence. His title came 
through Catharine, queen of Henry V. by a fecond mar¬ 
riage with Owen Tudor, a Welfh prince, by whom flie 
had Edmund Tudor earl of Richmond, who married 
Margaret, only daughter of John Beaufort duke of So- 
merfet, grandfon of John of Gaunt duke of Lancafler ; 
the ilfue of which marriage was Henry earl of Richmond, 
who now afcended the throne. Henry’s firft care, af¬ 
ter his acceffion, was to marry the princefs Elizabeth, 
daughter of Edward IV. and thus he united the inte- 
refts of. the two houfes of York and Lancafler, fo that 
ever after they were infeparable. Neverthelefs, being 
apprehenfive that the people might fuppofe he claimed 
the crown in right of this union, he deferred the queen’s 
coronation till two years after, by which he made the 
priority of his own claim inconteftable. His reign alfo hap¬ 
pily commenced with an obedience to the forms of law, 
of which England had hitherto feen but few examples. 
An a<St had been palled in the preceding reign for the at¬ 
tainder of his friends and followers, which continued flill 
in force ; and the names of many members of that houfe, 
by which it was to be repealed, were exprefsly men¬ 
tioned in the attainder. To fuffer thefe to join in repeal¬ 
ing that ftatute, would be admitting them as judges ia 
their own caufe ; but to this Henry prudently objected, 
obliging them to leave the houfe, till an a£t was palled 
for reverfing their attainder. 
Before this reign, it had been ufual, when any per-- 
fon was attainted and executed, for the king to give 
away his eftates to any of the court favourites that hap. 
pened to be moft in confidence. Henry wifely perceived 
1 U that 
