fore, if he should go out of Flanders immediately
into Ireland, she might be thought to have some hand in it. And besides
the time was not yet ripe, for that the two kings were then upon terms of
peace. Therefore she wheeled about; and to put all suspicion afar off,
and loath to keep him any longer by her, for that she knew secrets
are not long-lived, she sent him unknown into Portugal, with the Lady
Brampton, an English lady, that embarked for Portugal at that time, with
some _privado_ of her own, to have an eye upon him, and there he was to
remain, and to expect her further directions.

In the mean time she omitted not to prepare things for his better welcome
and accepting, not only in the kingdom of Ireland, but in the court of
France. He continued in Portugal about a year, and by that time the King
of England called his parliament and declared open war against France.
Now did the sign reign, and the constellation was come, under which
Perkin should appear. And therefore he was straight sent unto by the
Duchess to go for Ireland, according to the first designment. In Ireland
he did arrive, at the town of Cork. When he was thither come, his own
tale was, when he made his confession afterward, that the Irishmen,
finding him in some good clothes, came flocking about him, and bare him
down that he was the Duke of Clarence that had been there before. And
after, that he was the base son of Richard III. And lastly, that he was
Richard, Duke of York, second son to Edward IV. But that he, for his
part, renounced all these things, and offered to swear upon the holy
evangelists that he was no such man; till at last they forced it upon
him, and bade him fear nothing, and so forth. But the truth is that
immediately upon his coming into Ireland he took upon him the said person
of the Duke of York, and drew unto him complices and partakers by all the
means he could devise. Insomuch as he wrote his letters unto the Earls
of Desmond and Kildare to come in to his aid, and be of his party; the
originals of which letters are yet extant.

Somewhat before this time, the Duchess had also gained unto her a near
servant of King Henry's own, one Stephen Frion, his secretary for the
French tongue; an active man, but turbulent and discontented. This Frion
had fled over to Charles, the French King, and put himself into his
service, at such time as he began to be in open enmity with the King. Now
King Charles, when he understood of the person and