Compare 1577 edition: 1 And to begin, I declare, that when king Edward was deceassed, to whome I thought my selfe little or nothing beholden (although we two had maried two sisters) bicause he neither promoted,The duke complaineth of want of preferment in king Ed|wards daies. nor preferred me, as I thought I was worthie, and had deserued; neither fauoured nor regarded me, according to my degrée and birth (for suerlie I had by him little au|thoritie, and lesse rule, and in effect nothing at all: which caused me lesse to fauour his children, bicause I found small humanitie, or none in their parent) I then began to studie, and with ripe deliberation to ponder and consider, how and in what manner this realme should be ruled and gouerned. And first I re|membred an old prouerbe worthie of memorie, that often rueth the realme where children rule, and wo|men gouerne.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This old adage so sanke and settled in my head, that I thought it a great errour, and extreame mis|chiefe EEBO page image 739 to the whole realme, either to suffer the yoong king to rule, or the quéene his mother to be a gouer|nesse ouer him, considering that hir brethren, and hir first children (although they were not extract of high and noble linage) tooke more vpon them, and more ex|alted themselues, by reason of the quéene, than did the kings brethren, or anie duke in his realme: which in conclusion turned to their confusion. Then I being persuaded with my selfe in this point, thought it ne|cessarie both for the publike and profitable wealth of this realme, and also for mine owne commoditie and emolnment, to take part with the duke of Glo|cester; whom (I assure you) I thought to be as cleane without dissimulation, as tractable without iniurie, as mercifull without crueltie; as now I know him perfectlie to be a dissembler without veritie, a tyrant without pitie, yea & worse than the tyrant Phalaris, destitute of all truth and clemencie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 And so by my meanes, at the first councell hol|den at London, when he was most suspected of that thing that after happened (as you my lord know well inough) he was made protector and defendor both of the king and of the realme, which authoritie once gotten, & the two children partlie by An vnhappie policie tend|ing to slaugh|ter & bloushed. policie brought vnder his gouernance, he being mooued with that gnawing and couetous serpent desire to reigne, neuer ceassed priuilie to exhort and require, yea and sometimes with minatorie tearmes to persuade me and other lords, as well spirituall as temporall, that he might take vpon him the crowne, till the prince came to the age of foure and twentie yeares, and were able to gouerne the realme, as a ripe and sufficient king.