THE BLOODY PARLIAMENT, IN THE REIGN OF AN Unhappy Prince:  
LONDON, Printed in the Year of much Bloodshed. 1643.   

The unhappy Prince.  

THis present occasion, serving so opportunely sir, I thought it a labour well worthy the Observation to lay down a true Narration of that memorable Parliament begun in the tenth year of Richard the Second, both for the great wonders that it wrought in the subvetsion of the Malignants who were near unto the King, and had distilled much pernicious Counsel into His sacred cares: As also that every good and careful reader might learn thereby to avoid diversities of miseries, and the fear and danger of a cruel death. I will therefore give a true and short Narration of that which hath lain hid a long time in the shadow of forgetfulness, concerning men of great and eminent Authority in this Kingdom, who hath been led away in the deceitful path of Covetousness, and have come to an untimely and ignominious end; being famous examples to deter all men in authority, or whom favour shall raise near unto the King, from practising those or the like courses.  
When Richard the Second of that name about the prime of his youth, swayed the Imperial Sceptre of our Realm, there flourished in his Court certain Peers, viz. Alexander Nevil, Archbishop of York, A man more favour●● by fortune then by the honour of his Decent. Robert Vere Duke of Ireland, Michael de la pool, Earl of Suffolk, and then Lord Chancellor, Robert Trissilian, Lord chief Justice of England, and Nicholas Brambre, a man though low in parentage, yet sometime Lord Major of London. These men being raised by the special favour of the King, and advanced to the degree of privy Councelors where the men who had the only rule of the Commonwealth, which they for a little while governed under the King with great care and diligence meriting thereby deserved commendations, but this not long did continue for overcome either with ambition, or with Covetousness 〈◊〉 with the pleasures of the Court; they despised the Au●●●●ity of their too easy King, and neglecting the commodity of the Realm in a short time, the Revenues of 〈◊〉 Crown began to waste, the Treasure was exhausted, 〈◊〉 Commons murmered at the multiplicity of Levyes & ●●●●●ies and new ways of taxations, the Peers repine 〈◊〉 themselves disgraced, and in one word the whole kingdom endured an universal misery. The Nobility se●●●● the miserable estate wherein themselves and the King●●● was involved, urged the King to Summon a Parliament, which was done shortly after; in which, amongst ●●●●y other Acts Michael de la pool was dismissed of his ●●●●cellorshipe, and being accused of many crimes of Justice as bribery, extortion, and the like, he was com●●●ed to Windsor-Castle, and all his lands confiscated to ●●●●ing. Neither did the Parliament here give over but ●●●ided for the whole state by a mutual consent betwixt ●●● Majesty and the prelate's, the Barous and the Com●●●●, and with an unanimous consent, they chose a com●●●● of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal to depress 〈◊〉 will dissensions, and to appease the grudge of the ●●●ple. Of the Spiritualty was chosen the Archbishop of ●●●erbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Ely. ●●●●ishop of Winche●●er etc. Of the Layalty were elect●●●● by the Duke of York, the Earl of Arundel, the Lord ●●●●ham, the Lord Scroop etc. these as men eminent in 〈◊〉 were chosen by general suffrage and (the Parliament being then to be dissolved) were sworn to carry himselves as dutiful and obedient subjects in all their ac●●●●. Soon after the aforenamed Chancellor, Michael 〈◊〉 pool buzzed in the King's ears (being, moved with ●●●placable fury against the Parliament) that the statutes 〈◊〉 enacted, were prejudicial to the Crown, and much ●●●●ogarory to his Princely Prerogative, insomuch that he should not have the power in his own hands to preserve ●●●●vant or to bestow a largesse etc. By these and other the like impious instigatious, with which ihe Devil did ●●●●i●tually supply them, they practised to annihelate these 〈◊〉 of the Parliament, or whatsoever might seem by the liberty of the Subject to reflect on the royal Prerogative of the Prince: And first by their serpentine tongues, and a nabitious Projects, they so bewitched the noble instination of the King, that they induced him to believe that all the ill they did was a general good, and so wrought you him, that he began to distaste and abhor the passed Acts of his Parliaments as treacherous plots & wicked devices. Next they studied to engross the riches of the Kingdom into their own Coffers, and to the same and deal so cunningly, yet pleasingly with the King, that to some he gave ransoms of royal captives, taken in the late warts in France; to some towns, to some cities, to some Lands, to others money amounting to the sum of a hundred thousand marks to the great impoverishment both of King and Kingdom. Thirdly contrary to their allegiance they vilisied the Dignity of the King, they caused him to swore that with all his power during his life, he should maintain and defend them, from all their enemiss whither Foreign or demestick. Fourthly, where it was enacted that the King should sit with his Parliament at Westminster to consult of the public affairs, through the preswation of the aforesaid Conspirators he was drawn into the most remote parts of all his Realm, to the great disparagement of his great Counsel, and the general dissatisfaction of the Kingdom. And when any of his great Counsel came to make relation of the state of the Realm unto his Majesty, they could not be granted access, unless they related the business in the presence of the conspirators, who was always ready to upbraid them, if they uttered any thing that displeased them, and though they seemed to advance it, they did as much as in them lay, to hinder the King from excercising his Royal Prorogative. But though there were so many Plots, Conspiracies, and Treasons against our State, our ever merciful God inspired into the hearts of the Duke of Gloucester, the Earls of Arundel and Warwick, the spirit of valour and magnanimity, and every man accordin gto his ability Levied a power for the preservation of the King and kingdom, all which forces being united, amounted to the number of ●0000. And though the Conspirators by virtue of a certain Spiratuall Commission, Proclaimed throughout the ●●●y of London. That no man upon the pain of the loss ●● his goods, should sell any victual or ammunition to the ●●●●y of the Earl of Arundall, they could not debar 〈◊〉 from it. wherefore they counselled the King to ab●●● himself from Parliament, and not consuls of the as●●● of the Kingdom, unless an Oath were taken that ●●●y (the said Conspirators) should have no accusation ur●ed against them, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout London that none under pain of confiscation 〈◊〉 all their goods, should speak any upbraiding speeches … ing the King or the conspirators, which was athing ●●pos●able to hinder. In the mean time the three noble 〈◊〉 the Duke of Gloucester, the Earls of Arundall and ●●●●icke having mustered their troops, sent an accusati●● in wrighting to the King against the said conspirators ●●●●ch B. of York, the Duke of Jreland, the Earl of ●●ffolke, Robert Trissilian and Nicholas Brambre, wherein ●●y accused them of high Treason for Proclaiming through ●●●all the shires where the King Iournied, that all Barons Knights and Esquiers, with the greatest of the commonalty able to bare arms should speedily repair to the King ●●or his defence against the power of the Commission. As ●●so that contrary to the said Acts they caused the Duke of ●●●land to be created chief Justice of Chester hereby sel●●ing justice as they listed and for giving pardons under the ●●●●d Seal to Felon's murderers and such like: as also they ●●●ght. Ireland to look bacl on her pristine estate of ha●●ing a King; for they plotted to have the Duke created K. 〈◊〉 Ireland: and for to have the confirmation of this design ●●●y alured the King to send his letters to the Pope.  
When these things come to the King's cares he sent unto 〈◊〉 requiring to know what their demands were: Answer was returned, they desired that the Traitors who ●●●ily committed insufferable crimes and filled his cares with false reports to avoid the effusion of more blood; 〈◊〉 receive that reward their crimes deserved and that ●●●●y might have free liberty of going and coming to his … his the King gave consent unto and sitting in his ●hrone at the great hall is westminster the Poor appelants with humbler everence bowed three times low before his Majesty on their knes and again asked the aforesaid conspirators guilty of high-treason whereupon nor long after the Duke of Ireland withdrew himself and marching unto Chesshire Lancashire and wales raised a power of 6000. men in the King's name to overthrow and confound the appellants and marching towards London when he found the army of the appellants was marching down the mountains near whitney like a Hive of Bees such aviolent and cold palsy cowed them that they slung down their arms and yielded themselves to the mercy of the appellants the Duke of Ireland himself putting spures to his horse took the River where he hardly escaped drowning the conspirators hearing of this stricken with sear under the coveat of the night did i'll by water to the Tower and seduced the King to go alog with them.  
Nor long after, there was conference in the cower, betwixt the King and the said appellants, at the end of which the King did swear to adhere to their counsels, so far as the rule of Law and Reason and Equity did require. and because the Harvest was now ripe, presently divers of the Officers of the King's household were excluded, as john Benechamp Peter Bourt●ey Knights and many others end of the clergy john Blake Deane of the chapel john Lincoln chancellor of the exchequer John Clifford clerk of the chapel were kept under Arrest: and thus this hideous brood of monsters so often shaken was quite overthrown.  
On the second of February the King came to his Parliament, and after him appeared the five noblemen appellants who leading one another hand in hand with Submissive gestures they reverenced the King, and by the Mouth of Robert Pleasington their Speaker they thus declared. That the Duke of Gloucester and themselves came to purge themselves of the Treasons laid to their charge, by their conspirators to whom the Lord Chancellor by the Command of the King answered, that the King conceived honourably of them all especially of his cousin the Duke of Gloucester who being of affiniy to him in a collateral line could never (he said) he induced to attempt any reason against his Majesty. On this, atfer thankfully given to the King, the appellants requested the ●●●ing that sentence of condemnation might be given a●●●● the conspirators, but the King being moved in con●●●● and in charity perceiving that in every work they 〈◊〉 remember the end desired that the process might 〈◊〉 but the Peers again importuned him that no busi●●● might be debated until this treason were adjudged: 〈◊〉 which the King at longth graciously granted his assent 〈◊〉 when nothing could be produced by the conspirators 〈◊〉 justify themselves. they were adjudged this heavy ●●●●●e. That the Arch Bishope of York, the Duke of 〈◊〉, the Earl of Suffolk Tressilum and Brambre should ●●●●wne from the Tower to Tyburn, and there to be ●●●●ged upon a Gibber until they were dead, and all their 〈◊〉 and goods to be confiscated that none of their Po●●●ity might by them be any way enriched. After this ●●●●y more of their accomplices were taken and indicted ●●●high Treason, whose names here follow underwritten.  

The Names of such as were charged and condemned of high ●reason an the afore memed Memorable Parliament.  
alexander Nevil Arch Bishop of York, Robert de Vere ●●●ke of Ireland who being banished into Franse was kill 〈◊〉 with a wild Boar. Michael de la Poole Earl of Suffolk ●●●high Chancellor. Robert Tressilian L. chief Justice of 〈◊〉 King's bench. Sir Nicholas Brambre sometimes Lord ●●jor of London made a privy Counsellor. john Blake Ser●●●● at Armies. Thomas Vske an intelligencer of Tressili●●● All these (except the Duke of Ireland) were hanged 〈◊〉 drawn at the Elms now called Tyburn.  
●●●re Belknap, John Holt, Roger Falthorpe, William Bur●●●● john Locton, john Cary were Judges and although ●●●●mnded, yet their lives were saved at the intercession 〈◊〉 the Lords Spiritual and Temporal; and were afterwards banished into Ireland. Sir Simon B●●●●eigh, who 〈◊〉 condemned and beheaded. Sir john Branchamp Stew●●●● of the Household to the King. Sir james Beversous.  
There was also condemned and detected of the aforesaid treason. The Bishop of Chichester, the King's confessor S●● Thomas Trinit Knight, Sir William Ellingham Knight, Sir Nicholas Neyworth, john Slake, john Lincoln, which last, were three of the Clergy. Behold these men who feared not God not regarded men, but having the Laws in their own hands wrested them now this way and now that way, as pleased best their appetites: wresting them at their pleasures for their own Commodities, were at the last brought down to the depth of misery, from whence they were never able to free themselves.    

Richard, Son of the valiant and victorious Edward the black Prince was borne at Bordeaux and grandchild to King Edward the third being eleven years old, began his Reign the twenty one day of June, in the year of out Lord 1377. and was Crowned King at Westminster the 16 day of july, in bounty, beauty, and liberality, he far surpassed all his Progenitors, but was over much given to ease and quietness, little regarding the seats of Arms And being young, was ruled most by young Council regarding little the Council of the sage men of the Realm, which thing turned this Land to great trouble, and themselves to extreme misery; For being first disgraced by his Cousin Henry of Bullingbroke, Duke of Herford, Son of john of Gaunt, D. of Lancaster; he was at length by the general consent of Parliament deposed from his crown and Kingdom, the 29. of September 1639. and committed to prison and and afterwards wickedly murdered for being sent to pomfret castle to be safely kept and Princely mainetained, he was shortly after by King Henry's direction and command (who feared lest his estate might be shoken while King Richard lived) wickedly assaulted in his lodging Sir Pereu of Exton and 8. other amed men from one of them which with a Princely courage he wrested abrome bill and therewith slew 4 of them, fought with all the r●st until coming by his own chair (in which the base cowardly Knight stood for his own safety) he was by him strooke with a Pole-axe in the hinder part of his head that presently he fell down and died, when he had Reigned 〈◊〉. ye●r● 17. weeks and 2. days.   
FINIS.