These two the King caused to be committed to the Tower. and examined touching the manner of the death of the two innocent princes.  They agreed both in a tale, as the King gave out, to this effect:  That King Richard, having directed his warrant for the putting of them to death to Brackenbury, the lieutenant of the Tower, was by him refused.  Whereupon the King directed his warrant to Sir James Tyrell, to receive the key of the Tower from the lieutenant, for the space of a night, for the King’s special service.  That Sir James Tyrell accordingly repaired to the Tower by night, attended by his two servants aforenamed, whom he had chosen for that purpose.  That himself stood at the stair-foot, and sent these two villains to execute the murder.  That they smothered them in their beds, and, that done, called up their master to see their naked dead bodies, which they had laid forth.  That they were buried under the stairs, and some stones cast upon them.  That when the report was made to King Richard that his will was done, he gave Sir James Tyrell great thanks, but took exception to the place of their burial, being too base for them that were king’s children.  Whereupon another night, by the King’s warrant renewed, their bodies were removed by the priest of the Tower, and buried by him in some place which, by means of the priest’s death soon after, could not be known.

Thus much was then delivered abroad to be the effect of those examinations; but the King, nevertheless, made no use of them in any of his declarations, whereby, as it seems, those examinations left the business somewhat perplexed.  And, as for Sir James Tyrell, he was soon after beheaded in the Tower-yard for other matters of treason.  But John Dighton, who, it seemeth, spake best for the King, was forthwith set at liberty, and was the principal means of divulging this tradition.  Therefore, this kind of proof being left so naked, the King used the more diligence in the latter for the tracing of Perkin.  To this purpose he sent abroad into several parts, and especially into Flanders, divers secret and nimble scouts and spies, some feigning themselves to fly over unto Perkin and to adhere to him, and some, under other pretence, to learn, search, and discover all the circumstances and particulars of Perkin’s parents, birth, person, travels up and down, and in brief to have a journal, as it were, of his life and doings.  Others he employed, in a more special nature and trust, to be his pioneers in the main counter-mine.

The King of Scotland—­James IV—­having espoused the cause of Warbeck, and attended him upon an invasion of England, though he would not formally retract his judgment of Perkin, wherein he had engaged himself so far, yet in his private opinion, upon often speech with the Englishmen, and diverse other advertisements, began to suspect him for a counterfeit.  Wherefore in a noble fashion he called him unto him, and recounted the benefits and favors that he had done him in making