chard found disguised as a servant in
the City of London, and whom he married; arbitrators appointed by the
King, then divided the property between the brothers. This led to ill-
will and mistrust between them. Clarence's wife dying, and he wishing to
make another marriage, which was obnoxious to the King, his ruin was
hurried by that means, too. At first, the Court struck at his retainers
and dependents, and accused some of them of magic and witchcraft, and
similar nonsense. Successful against this small game, it then mounted to
the Duke himself, who was impeached by his brother the King, in person,
on a variety of such charges. He was found guilty, and sentenced to be
publicly executed. He never was publicly executed, but he met his death
somehow, in the Tower, and, no doubt, through some agency of the King or
his brother Gloucester, or both. It was supposed at the time that he was
told to choose the manner of his death, and that he chose to be drowned
in a butt of Malmsey wine. I hope the story may be true, for it would
have been a becoming death for such a miserable creature.

The King survived him some five years. He died in the forty-second year
of his life, and the twenty-third of his reign. He had a very good
capacity and some good points, but he was selfish, careless, sensual, and
cruel. He was a favourite with the people for his showy manners; and the
people were a good example to him in the constancy of their attachment.
He was penitent on his death-bed for his 'benevolences,' and other
extortions, and ordered restitution to be made to the people who had
suffered from them. He also called about his bed the enriched members of
the Woodville family, and the proud lords whose honours were of older
date, and endeavoured to reconcile them, for the sake of the peaceful
succession of his son and the tranquillity of England.

CHAPTER XXIV--ENGLAND UNDER EDWARD THE FIFTH

The late King's eldest son, the Prince of Wales, called EDWARD after him,
was only thirteen years of age at his father's death. He was at Ludlow
Castle with his uncle, the Earl of Rivers. The prince's brother, the
Duke of York, only eleven years of age, was in London with his mother.
The boldest, most crafty, and most dreaded nobleman in England at that
time was their uncle RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester, and everybody wondered
how the two poor boys would fare with such an uncle for a friend or a
foe.

The Queen, their mother, b