Compare 1577 edition: 1 But as he thus continued in prison, closelie kept, so that none of his fréends might haue accesse vnto him, as in such cases it often happeneth, when men be in miserie, some will euer pitie their state,The earle of Kent conspi|reth to deliuer his brother. there were diuerse of the nobilitie (of whome the earle of Kent was chéefe) began to deuise means by secret confe|rence had togither, how they might restore him to libertie, discommending greatlie both quéene Isa|bell, and such other as were appointed gouernours to the yoong king, for his fathers streict imprisonment. The queene and other the gouernours vnderstanding this conspiracie of the earle of Kent, and of his bro|ther, durst not yet in that new and greene world go about to punish it, but rather thought good to take a|waie from them the occasion of accomplishing their purpose. And herevpon the queene and the bishop of Hereford wrote sharpe letters vnto his keepers, blaming them greatlie, for that they dealt so gentlie with him, and kept him no streictlier, but suffered him to haue such libertie, that he aduertised some of his freends abroad how and in what manner he was vsed, and withall the bishop of Hereford vnder a so|phisticall forme of words signified to them by his let|ters, that they should dispatch him out of the waie, the tenor whereof wrapped in obscuritie ran thus:

Edwardum occidere nolite timere bonum est:

To kill Edward will not to feare it is good.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Which riddle or doubtfull kind of spéech, as it might be taken in two contrarie senses, onelie by placing the point in orthographie called Cõma, they construed in the worse sense, putting the Comma after Timere, and so presuming of this commandement as they tooke it from the bishop, they lodged the miserable pri|soner in a chamber ouer a foule filthie dungeon, full of dead carrion, trusting so to make an end of him, with the abhominable stinch thereof: but he bearing it out stronglie, as a man of a tough nature, continu|ed still in life, so as it séemed he was verie like to es|cape that danger, as he had by purging either vp or downe auoided the force of such poison as had béene ministred to him sundrie times before, of purpose so to rid him.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Wherevpon when they sawe that such practises would not serue their turne, they came suddenlie one night into the chamber where he laie in bed fast a|sléepe, and with heauie featherbeds or a table (as some write) being cast vpon him, Tho. Wals. they kept him down and withall put into his fundament an horne, and through the same they thrust vp into his bodie an hot spit, Thom. de la More. or (as other haue) through the pipe of a trumpet a plumbers instrument of iron made verie hot, the which passing vp into his intrailes,K. Edward the second murthered. and being rolled to and fro, burnt the same, but so as no appearance of any wound or hurt outwardlie might be once percei|ued. His crie did mooue manie within the castell and towne of Berkley to compassion, plainelie hearing him vtter a wailefull noise, as the tormentors were about to murther him, so that diuerse being awake|ned therewith (as they themselues confessed) praied heartilie to God to receiue his soule, when they vn|derstood by his crie what the matter ment.