He made inquiry as to his origin. The boy proved to be the son
of a baker of Oxford, his true name Lambert Simnel. He had been tutored
to play the prince by an ambitious priest named Simons. This priest was
shut up in prison, and died there. As for his pupil, the king
contemptuously sent him into his kitchen, and condemned him to the
servile office of turnspit. Afterwards, as young Simnel showed some
intelligence and loyalty, he was made one of the king's falconers. And
so ended the story of this sham Plantagenet.
[Illustration: BATTLE IN THE WAR OF THE ROSES.]
Hardly had this ambitious boy been set to the humble work of turning a
spit in the king's kitchen, when a new claimant of the crown
appeared,--a far more dangerous one. It is his story to which that of
Lambert Simnel serves as an amusing prelude.
On one fine day in the year 1492--Columbus being then on his way to the
discovery of America--there landed at Cork, in a vessel hailing from
Portugal, a young man very handsome in face, and very winning in
manners, who lost no time in presenting himself to some of the leading
Irish and telling them that he was Richard, Duke of York, the second son
of Edward IV. This story some of his hearers were not ready to believe.
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