A SONG of the life and death of king Richard III., who, after many murthers by him committed upon the princes and nobles of this land, was slain at the battle of Bosworth, in Leicestershire, by Henry VII. king of England. In England once there reigned a king, Who for to gain himself a crown, Gave sure his soul to hell: Third Richard was this tyrant's name, 5 The worst of all the three; That wrought such deeds of deadly dole, That worser could not be. For his desires were still (by blood) To be made England's king, Four bloody fields the tyrant fought, As his best liking was; 10 15 20 The Doleful Death of Queen Jane, WIFE TO KING HENRY VIII., AND THE MANNER OF PRINCE EDWARD'S BEING CUT OUT OF HER WOMB. ONE would think it almost impossible that | luit fallut fendre le Costé par lequel on tira there should be the least doubt amongst wri- son fruit le douzieme Jour d' Octobre a Winters, in any point so modern as the fact on desore-Elle mourut douze jours aprés et which this ballad is founded, and yet if we fut enterré au Chateau de Windsore." search our historians, we shall hardly find any of them agreeing in the story of queen Jane. We shall not therefore pretend to advance anything concerning the manner of her death, but shall quote the opinions of some of our writers, that every one may be at liberty to judge for themselves. Anne of Bullen, Henry VIIIth's second queen, being beheaded in the tower for adultery, king Henry was married the very next day to lady Jane; who, on the 12th of October (according to the opinion of a vast majority), was delivered of a son at Hamptoncourt. But notwithstanding this, Sir John Hayward asserts, that prince Edward was not born until the 17th; and adds, "All reports do constantly run, that he was not by natural passage delivered into the world, but that his mother's belly was opened for his birth; and that she died of the incision the fourth day following." Echard, in his history of England, is of a very different opinion; where talking of prince Edward's birth, he tells us, "That the joy of it was much allayed by the departure of the admirable queen, who, contrary to the opinion of many writers, died twelve days after the birth of this prince, having been well delivered, and without any incision, as others have maliciously reported." Lord Herbert of Cherbury, in his history of Henry VIII., asserts, "That the queen died two days after her delivery." And indeed he has the authorities of Hollingshead and Stow to support the assertion. Du Chesne, a native of France, who in his history of England has undertaken to clear up this point, does but perplex us the more: talking of these times, he goes on thus: "La royne Jeanne estoit alors enceinte & preste a enfanter, mais quand ce vint au terme de l'accouchement elle eut tant de tourment & de peine, qu'il WHEN as king Henry rul'd this land, dead. His former queen being wrapt in lead, 5 10 15 The queen in travail, pained sore Then being something eas'd in mind, 25 25 29 |