Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-12-23
The Princes in Mc .Torrer.

The Princes ia the 'ToCer.
jus three hundred and ninety years
ago, Two noble boys were travelling in
stale from Ludlow Castle 10 London. An
escort OF two thousand horsemen rode
with them, aud although The boys had
/ Just lost their father King Edward ".
aud were dressed in sober black, have
uo DOUBT that hundreds Of happy chill.
dtcn who Saw them pass. looked with
7 delight at the grand Cayalcade, and
thought it fine thing TO be 4 prince
/ Their motUgr called the boys Edward and
Richard; but Edward being the eldest, -
Jhou.h only thirteen years OF age,--was
II,, RoyaI IlishucsS. the Prince ct Wales,
.nuu, h.ir 10 The English throne AMI
Richard. hI, brother. boy Of eleven,
NJ, Anown as The Duke ol York.
lc,, many - boy and girl look, Il almost
with cu. y that day upon the two royal
chi drcn. and wondered how it felt to be
,lc suu o! King and lord of a nation.
But Tie mea aud women who looked
ou lhcuSht OF something very different.
lucy -i.uok their heads and whispered
their mi,gi,in.s to each other.
/, wa- dreadful, they said; such brave,
beautiful, noble lads, too; and their
t0her hardly cold in his srave-poor,
dear thInss. But then they would Le in
the power oil their uncle Richard, Duke
ol Giouccster, The wickedcst, cruelesl
and most powerful nobleman in all Eng
Land. Bui lor these boys. in Al their
pride OF youth, my lord OF Gloucester
might be King OF England.
Al, who could say what might happen :.
English history tells Us what happened; /;
how The wicked Duke ol Gloucester pre-
tended at liisI all loyalty and kindness /;
hpV he wrO,e letter OF coincidence to
the queen mother, and set of from Scot
land, whetc he was commanding an
army. to bc present. hc said, nj his dear
ucpucw's coronation; AID how, with fair
words aud trcachcry, lie first placed the
Prince in The Tower OF London, where
"he would be safer than anywhere else,
until the grand ceremony should take
place. how he afterwards took the little
Duke Of York from his sobbing mother
and put him. too, IN the drcary Tower;
and how -.
But YOU see them in the picture. They
are together; that is some comloll.
Their chamber is srandly furnished, but
1t is in prison Not the Prince OF Wales,
nor the Duke OF York, now, but two
heart sick, terrified boys, who every mo-
mcnl dread they hardly know what II
they only could feel their mothers arm
about them once again They have
prayed and prayed, and they have cried
till they can cry no more, and, with
breaking hearts. they have straightened
themselves proudly with the thought that
they are the sons of king, when sudde =
~ they hear lootstep outside.
To this day, visitors ut the Tower ale
shown the very spot ut the foot OF the
gloomy stone stairs where the bodies of
the murdered Princes were buried
DcarUchc. Freuchman. painted the
large picture from which our engraving
is made lie had the story OF the princes
in his heart; and though he may or may
no, have loved England, he certainly
loved these TWO English boys; else how
could he have SD painted them. that
stout men feel like sobbing when tn y
look at the wonderful picture ? 1t hangs.
to day, in the gallery Ci the Luxen.
bourg, in Paris; and every day. child.
rcn stand before it, feeling not at all as
the children did who saw the princes
ride 10y in state. nearly four hundred
Years ago.
have not told you all about Edward
and Richard, after all. Those of you
who know what happened will hardly
wish TO hear the sad story again, and
lhnsc who do not, may read it whenever
they will; ior il stands recorded on earth
aud in heaven.
And the history OF Richard, Duke oil
Gloucester, also stands recorded.
lIele is the end OF il:
There had been II terrible battle, at the