success of her past enterprises, was determined at least to disturb that
government which she found it so difficult to subvert. By means of
her emissaries, she propagated a report that her nephew, Richard
Plantagenet, duke of York, had escaped from the Tower when his elder
brother was murdered, and that he still lay somewhere concealed: and
finding this rumor, however improbable, to be greedily received by the
people, she had been looking out for some young man proper to personate
that unfortunate prince.

There was one Osbec, or Warbec, a renegade Jew of Tournay, who had been
carried by some business to London in the reign of Edward IV., and had
there a son born to him. Having had opportunities of being known to
the king, and obtaining his favor, he prevailed with that prince, whose
manners were very affable, to stand godfather to his son, to whom
he gave the name of Peter, corrupted, after the Flemish manner, into
Peterkin, or Perkin. It was by some believed that Edward, among his
amorous adventures, had a secret commerce with Warbec's wife; and people
thence accounted for that resemblance which was afterwards remarked
between young Perkin and that monarch.[*]

* Bacon, p. 606.

Some years after the birth of this child, Warbec returned to Tournay;
where Perkin, his son, did not long remain, but by different accidents,
was carried from place to place, and his birth and fortunes became
thereby unknown, and difficult to be traced by the most diligent
inquiry. The variety of his adventures had happily favored the natural
versatility and sagacity of his genius; and he seemed to be a youth
perfectly fitted to act any part, or assume any character. In this light
he had been represented to the duchess of Burgundy, who, struck with the
concurrence of so many circumstances suited to her purpose, desired to
be made acquainted with the man, on whom she already began to ground
her hopes of success. She found him to exceed her most sanguine
expectations; so comely did he appear in his person, so graceful in his
air, so courtly in his address, so full of docility and good sense in
his behavior and conversation. The lessons necessary to be taught him,
in order to his personating the duke of York, were soon learned by a
youth of such quick apprehension; but as the season seemed not then
favorable for their enterprise, Margaret, in order the better to conceal
him, sent him, under the care of Lady Brampton into Portugal, where