brother in the Tower. He
was now in a temper which would stop at no atrocity. He put up a Dr.
Shaw to preach a sermon against Edward's claim to the throne. In those
days if a man and woman made a contract of marriage neither of the
contracting parties could marry another, though no actual marriage had
taken place. Shaw declared that Edward IV. had promised marriage to
one of his mistresses before he met Elizabeth Woodville, and that
therefore, his marriage with Elizabeth being invalid, all his children
by her were illegitimate, and Gloucester was the true heir to the
throne. Further, Shaw declared that Gloucester was the only legitimate
son of the Duke of York, both Edward IV. and Clarence being the sons
of their mother by some other man. That Richard should have authorised
so base an attack upon his mother's honour shows the depth of infamy
to which he had now sunk. At first it seemed as if he had lowered
himself to no purpose. The hearers of the sermon, instead of shouting,
"God save King Richard!" held their peace. At a meeting in the City
the Duke of Buckingham told the same story as had been told by Shaw,
and there the servants of the two dukes shouted for 'King Richard,'
and their voice was taken as the voice of the City. On June 25
Parliament declared Gloucester to be the lawful heir, and on July 6 he
was crowned as Richard III. The Woodvilles were not popular, and the
bloodshed with which Richard had maintained himself against them was
readily condoned.

[Illustration: Richard III.: from an original painting belonging to
the Society of Antiquaries.]

17. =Buckingham's Rebellion. 1483.=--Richard's enemies were chiefly to
be found amongst the nobility. No nobleman could feel his life secure
if he crossed Richard's path. The first to revolt was Buckingham, who
had played the part of a king-maker, and who was disappointed because
Richard did not reward him by conceding his claim to estates so vast
that if he possessed them he would have been master of England.
Buckingham, who was descended from Edward III. through his youngest
son, the Duke of Gloucester, at first thought of challenging a right
to the throne for himself, but afterwards determined to support the
claim of the Earl of Richmond, the Tudor heir of the House of
Lancaster (see p. 334). He was skilfully led from one step to another
by John Morton, Bishop of Ely, one of the ablest statesmen of the
day. Richmond was to sail from Brittany, where he was in e