ABSTRACT
Edward usually spent the Christmas season either at Westminster Palace or at Windsor or one of the other royal manors near London, but during the winter of 1474–1475 he was pursuing his quest for money and had little time to spare for festivities. The Italian gentleman whose account of Edward’s method of collecting benevolences has already been quoted wrote that the king had everything in order for his expedition and was constantly engaged in inspecting his artillery, which had been assembled at St. Katharine’s. Good reason did Edward have to meditate on the dangers he was about to face, as he was setting out for France with the almost certain knowledge that his chief ally was going to fail him. The king of France realized, said his messenger, that the king of England had been put to heavy expense.
