To Edward the Fourth succeeded Richard the Third, the greatest master in mischief of all that fore-went him:  who although, for the necessity of his tragedy, he had more parts to play, and more to perform in his own person, than all the rest; yet he so well fitted every affection that played with him, as if each of them had but acted his own interest.  For he wrought so cunningly upon the affections of Hastings and Buckingham, enemies to the Queen and to all her kindred, as he easily allured them to condescend, that Rivers and Grey, the King’s maternal uncle and half brother, should (for the first) be severed from him:  secondly, he wrought their consent to have them imprisoned:  and lastly (for the avoiding of future inconvenience) to have their heads severed from their bodies.  And having now brought those his chief instruments to exercise that common precept which the Devil hath written on every post, namely, to depress those whom they had grieved, and destroy those whom they had depressed; he urged that argument so far and so forcibly, as nothing but the death of the young King himself, and of his brother, could fashion the conclusion.  For he caused it to be hammered into Buckingham’s head, that, whensoever the King or his brother should have able years to exercise their power, they would take a most severe revenge of that cureless wrong, offered to their uncle and brother, Rivers and Grey.

But this was not his manner of reasoning with Hastings, whose fidelity to his master’s sons was without suspect:  and yet the Devil, who never dissuades by impossibility, taught him to try him.  And so he did.  But when he found by Catesby, who sounded him, that he was not fordable; he first resolved to kill him sitting in council:  wherein having failed with his sword, he set the hangman upon him, with a weapon of more weight.  And because nothing else could move his appetite, he caused his head to be stricken off, before he ate his dinner.  A greater judgment of God than this upon Hastings, I have never observed in any story.  For the selfsame day that the Earl Rivers, Grey, and others, were (without trial of law, of offence given) by Hastings’ advice executed at Pomfret:  I say Hastings himself in the same day, and (as I take it) in the same hour, in the same lawless manner had his head stricken off in the Tower of London.  But Buckingham lived a while longer; and with an eloquent oration persuaded the Londoners to elect Richard for their king.  And having received the Earldom of Hereford for reward, besides the high hope of marrying his daughter to the King’s only son; after many grievous vexations of mind, and unfortunate attempts, being in the end betrayed and delivered up by his trustiest servant; he had his head severed from his body at Salisbury, without the trouble of any of his Peers.  And what success had Richard himself after all these mischiefs and murders, policies, and counter-policies to Christian religion:  and after such time as with a most merciless hand he had pressed out the breath of his nephews and natural lords; other than the prosperity of so short a life, as it took end, ere himself could well look over and discern it?  The great outcry of innocent blood, obtained at God’s hands the effusion of his; who became a spectacle of shame and dishonor, both to his friends and enemies.