The news of the intended invasion came early to the ears of King Henry, who promptly prepared to resist it.  Having always felt or affected great devotion, after mustering his army, he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of our Lady of Walsingham, famous for miracles, and there offered up prayers for success and for the overthrow of his enemies.  Being informed that Simnel and his gathering had landed at Foudrey, in Lancashire, the king advanced to Coventry to meet them.  The rebels had anticipated that the disaffected provinces of the north would rise and join them, but in this they were disappointed; for the cautious northerners were not only convinced of Simnel’s imposture, but were afraid of the king’s strength, and were averse to league themselves with a horde of Irishmen and Germans.  The Earl of Lincoln, therefore, who commanded the invading force, finding no hopes but in victory, determined to bring the matter to a speedy decision.  The hostile armies met at Stoke, in Nottinghamshire, and after a hardly-contested day, the victory remained with the king.  Lincoln, Broughton, and Schwartz perished on the field of battle, with four thousand of their followers.  As Lord Lovel was never more heard of, it was supposed that he shared the same fate.  Lambert Simnel, with his tutor the monk Simon, were taken prisoners.  The latter, as an ecclesiastic, escaped the doom he merited, and, not being tried at law, was only committed to close custody for the rest of his life.  As for Simnel, when he was questioned, he revealed his real parentage; and being deemed too contemptible to be an object either of apprehension or resentment, Henry pardoned him, and made him first a scullion in the royal kitchen, and afterwards promoted him to the lofty position of a falconer.

PERKIN WARBECK—­THE SHAM DUKE OF YORK.

Although Lambert Simnel’s enterprise had miscarried, Margaret, dowager-duchess of Burgundy, did not despair of seeing the crown of England wrested from the House of Lancaster, and determined at least to disturb King Henry’s government if she could not subvert it.  To this end she sedulously spread abroad a report that Richard, duke of York, the second son of Edward IV., had escaped the cruelty of his uncle Richard III., and had been set at liberty by the assassins who had been sent to despatch him.  This rumour, although improbable, was eagerly received by the people, and they were consequently prepared to welcome the new pretender whenever he made his appearance.

After some search, the duchess found a stripling whom she thought had all the qualities requisite to personate the unfortunate prince.  This youth is described as being “of visage beautiful, of countenance majestical, of wit subtile and crafty; in education pregnant, in languages skilful; a lad, in short, of a fine shape, bewitching behaviour, and very audacious.”  The name of this admirable prodigy was Peterkin, or