Note 371 — How the Lord Mowbrey, promoted by King Richard the second, to the state of a Duke,[315] was by him banished the realme, the yeare of Christ, 1398, and after died miserably in exile.

T. Ch. This signature first added in the edition of 1571, and has been uniformly believed to mean Thomas Churchyard. However, it may be more confidently assigned to Master Chaloner, i. e. Sir Thomas Chaloner.—In the British Museum there is a fragment of the original edition of the Mirror for Magistrates, as printed in folio, during the reign of Queen Mary, and suppressed, as already noticed, by the Lord Chancellor. The fragment consists of two leaves, and which, unfortunately, are duplicates, commencing with the interlocutory matter before the legend of Owen Glendower, and ends with the eighteenth stanza of the same legend. It begins “Whan Master Chaloner had ended thys so eloquent a tragedy,” and therefore appears conclusive that the above was written by Thomas Chaloner, and that the legend of Richard the Second, by Ferrers, which now follows, was first written for the edition of 1559.

When the legend of Jane Shore was added in 1563, Baldwin says: “This was so well lyked, that all together exhorted me instantly to procure Maister Churchyarde to vndertake and to penne as manye moe of the remaynder as myght by any meanes be attaynted at his handes:” which compliment proves that the author was a new candidate, and upon the signatures being first added in 1571, we find his name affixed to “Shore’s Wife,” in full, Tho. Churchyarde, to distinguish it from the above abbreviation for Thomas Chaloner.