* * * * *

Again doth Richard triumph. The ship sails quickly through the water,
brushing aside the difficulties that would impede its progress.
Gloucester steps o'er the rail and takes possession of the cargo.

Thus, after the disgraceful scene in the Cathedral of St. Paul, when
Doctor Shaw preached his now notorious sermon on the bastardy of young
Edward and his brother, and after the Lord Mayor and the Duke of
Buckingham had wrung from a small gathering of London's citizens an
unwilling consent to the crown being placed upon the head of Richard,
instead of on our gentle, rightful, boyish King, Richard was crowned
with great pomp and ceremony, and ruled England as the rightful heir by
birth, whilst his young nephew lay within the Tower, uncrowned, a stain
attempting to hang upon his name, and treated as a malefactor, who
should have worn the diadem of England.

Richard's court was now removed to Crosby Place, where the boar
bedecked himself and his surroundings with all the gaudy finery, of
which he was so fond.

Then whisperings began to circulate, to the effect that both of the
little Princes (for the people all believed that little York was also
there) had been murdered in the Tower. This tale, which soon became
general court gossip, was never contradicted by the friends of our new
King Richard, and therefore it soon came to be believed about the
court, from whence the people had it, and believed. Some said that
Tyrrell, with an order from the usurping King, went to the Tower and
took full charge thereof for but one night. That with him went three
others which, whilst the young Princes slept, smothered them to death.
This was the version most generally believed, and, to my mind, it
indeed seemeth a likely tale, in so far, of course, as it refers to
young Edward; for well did my friend and I know that little York was
far from London at that time; though where he was we knew not. We
dreaded telling to the Queen this news, and therefore waited for some
time before we again visited the Sanctuary. When at length we did go,
we were saved from again inflicting torture on this poor woman. Lord
Stanley, who had been released from his imprisonment but a few days
previous and now had been appointed to the office of Steward at the
Palace, had been there before us and told the Queen the whole sad story
of how her son had, in the night, been murdered whilst he slept.

This time the Queen was not r