Historic%20Yorkshire

BLACK-FACED CLIFFORD. 55
fixed it on a pole, and presentedit to the Queen,not lying
far from the field, in great despite and much derision,
saying, " Madam,your war is done; here is your King's
ransom," at whichpresent there was much joy and great
rejoicing. But many laughed then that sore lamented
after, as the Queen
herself and her son. Many were
glad then of other men's deaths, not knowing that their
own werenear at hand,as the Lord Clifford and others."
The paper crown of the Duke of York bore the words,
" This is he whowould have been King of England," and
his head, togetherwith thatof the Earl of Salisbury, were
sent by Margaret to be set on poles over the gates of
York,with the message, " Leave roomfor the head of my
Lordof Warwick, for he shall soon bear them company."
There are, however,several accounts givenof the death
of the Duke of York, which, however, all agree in one
point, and that is the derision to whichhe was subjected,
either before he was dead, or, when it mattered little —
whenhe had ceased to live. In Holinshed's account of
these events we read: — "
Some write that the Duke was
taken alive,and in derisioncaused to stand upon a molehill,
on whosehead theyput a garland insteadof acrown,
which they had fashioned and made of segges or bulrushes,
and having so crowned him with that garland
they kneeleddown before him,as the Jews did to Christ,
in scorn, saying to him, " Hail, King withoutrule;hail,
King without heritage; hail, Duke and Prince without
people or possessions." And at length, having thus
scorned him with theseand divers other the like despiteful
words, they stroke off his head, which, as ye have heard,
they presentedto the Queen."
These incidents may be taken as illustrative of the
character of Black-faced Clifford, and others might be
noticed,which,if not as diabolical, are sufficient tojustify
the opprobrium with which his memory is surrounded. It
was through his instrumentality also that the Earl of
Warwick's father, the Earl of Salisbury, who was taken
prisonerin the same battle, was executed at Pontefract.