ANTONY WIDVILLE, 2 THOUGH Caxton knew "none like to the erle of Worcestre," and though the author last quoted thinks that all learning in the nobility perished with Tiptoft, yet there flourished at the same period a noble gentleman, by no means inferior to him in learning and politeness, in birth his equal, by alliance his superior, greater in feats of arms, and in pilgrimages more abundant. This was 3 Antony Widville, earl Rivers, lord Scales and Newsells, lord of the Isle of Wight, "defenseur and directeur of the causes apostolique for our holy fader the pope in this royame of Englond, and uncle and governour to my lorde prince of Wales+." He was son of sir Richard Widville by Jaqueline of Luxemburgh, duchess dowager of Bedford, and brother of the fair lady Gray, who • Fuller. [Or, according to Herbert's citation from Caxton, “the noble and puissant lord Antone, erle of Ryuyers, lord of Scales and of the isle of Wyght, defendour and directour of the siege apostolique, for our holy fader the pope, in this royame of Englond, and governour of my lord prynce of Wales." Typogr. Antiq. vol. i. p. 15.] • Caxton in Ames's Catal. p. 14. captivated that monarch of pleasure, Edward the fourth. When about seventeen years of age, he was taken by force from Sandwich, with his father, and carried to Calais by some of the opposite faction. The credit of his sister, the countenance and example of his prince, the boisterousness of the times, nothing softened, nothing roughened the mind of this amiable lord, who was as gallant as his luxurious brotherin-law, without his weaknesses; as brave as the heroes of either Rose, without their savageness; studious in the intervals of business, and devout after the manner of those whimsical times, when men challenged others whom they never saw, and went barefoot to visit shrines in countries of which they had scarce a map. short, lord Antony was, as sir Thomas More In [Baldwin has thus made sir Anthony give an account of his family connexions, in most prosaic metrification: My father, hight sir Richard Wodvile, he Espousde the duches of Bedford, and by her says, "Vir, haud facile discernas, manuve aut consilio promptior." "He distinguished himself both as a warrior and a statesman. The Lancastrians making an insurrection in Northumberland, he attended the king into those parts, and was a chief commander at the siege of Alnwick-castle; soon after which he was elected into the order of the garter. In the tenth of the same reign, he defeated the dukes of Clarence and Warwick in a skirmish near Southampton, and prevented their seizing a great ship called the Trinity, belonging to the latter. He attended the king intó Holland on the change of the scene, returned with him, and had a great share in his victories, and was constituted governor of Calais, and captain-general of all the king's forces by sea and land. He had before been sent embassador to negotiate a marriage between the king's sister and the duke of Burgundy; and in the same character concluded a treaty between king Edward and the duke of Bretagne. On prince Edward being created prince of Wales, he was appointed his governor, and had a grant of the office of chief butler of England; and was even on the point of attaining the high • Vide Dugdale's Baronage, vol. ii. p. 231. |