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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at|http: //books .google .com/I LIVES or TBI QUEENS OF ENGLAND. A NEW EDITION. THREE VOLUlfES IN ONE. o^^^^^^^#M»^^^^^*<^^^ »^»% VOLUMES FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD. tf I I I . t# icri LIVES Of TBI QUEENS OF ENGLAND, moK THE NORMAN CONQUEST; ifnn ANECDOTES OF THEIR COURTS, NOW FIRST PUBLISHED FROM OPFlClAli RECORDS AND OTHER AUTHENTIC DOCaMENTS, PRIVATE AS WELL AS PUBLIC. KE*V EDITION, WITH CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. BY AGNES STRICKLAND. oU tWMUW cf antiqaity kid up rolb, I openeiL Bbaomort. VOL. I. PHILADELPHIA: BLANCHARD AND LEA t9 BEk HOST EXCELLENT MAJESTT, (!>nr Sooereigu £abn (Qncen iMctoria, Ihi: LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND ASE BY GRAClOUl PERMlSSIO.f INSCRIBED, W.IU FErlTNOS OF TROFOVSV RESPECT AND IX>YAL AFFEL-TUa, ET KCR MAJESTY 8 FAITIIFrL SUBJECT AHO DEVOTED SERTA!«T AGN't.S STKICXLAND (3 CONTENTS OF THB FIRST VOLUME. m0*0>t*0***f»0^*^**f*f»**f»f^ Peepacb Pagb vii PSBFACB TO THB SbCOND EdITION Zl Pbepacb to THB Thied Edition xii Introduction xiii Matilda op Flanders, Qaeen of William the Conqaeror .... 17 Chapter II 40 Chapter Ul 67 Matilda op Scotland, Queen of Henry 1 79 Chapter U 97 Adelicia op Loutainb, Second Queen of Henry 1 119 Matilda op Boulogne, Queen of Stephen 142 Elbanora of Aquitaine, Queen of Henry IL 166 Chapter U 188 !• (5) BTJtStmO 41tUJDV flAlt PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. All annoancement of this work, the first volume of which is now submitted to the public, appeared in the Literary Gazette of August 26, 1837, and other leading periodicals of the day, under its original title of "* Historical Memoirs of the Q,ueens of England.'* I had jnre- nousiy had the honour of communicating to her majesty, queen Victoria, that for some years I had been engaged in preparing for publication, the personal history of those royal ladies, from many of whom her own illustrious descent is derived ; and I was fovoured with a most gracious permission fi'om her majesty, to dedicate the work to herself A long and dangerous illness delayed the publication of the first series. Meantime, the title I had chosen was appropriated by another writer, and, under that very title, memoirs have been published of iome of the queens whose biographies, in regular and unbroken succession, are comprised in the present series of the *' Lives of the Q,ueens of England.'* Biography, however, especially when historically treated, is a widely extended field, to which all labourers are freely welcomed, in this intelligent age of inquiry. Such opposite views, indeed, are taken of the same events and characters, by persons of difierently constituted minds, that the cause of truth is sure to be benefited, when the re- search of several writers is directed to tlie same subjects. ** Facts, not opinions," should be the motto of every candid histo- rian ; and it is a sacred duty to assert nothing lightly, or without good evklence, of those who can no longer answer for themselves. I have borne in mind the charge which pre&ces the juryman's oath,~it runfi as folk)ws: — "You shall truly and justly try this cause; you shall present no one from malice ; you shall excuse no one from favour,** |'.«1U FRBF&CB. I Feeling myself thus charged, by each anil every one of ue bwled queens of England, wliosi' actions, from the crudie to Iht tomb, 1 was about to liiy betbre the public, 1 considered the responsibility of the taak. rather than the necessity of expediting the publication of the work. The number of auihoritiea required, some of wht'-h could not be obtained in England, and the deep research among iii-" Nortoui, Provencal, French, and monastic Latin chroniclers, that was indispen- •ably necessary, made it impossible to hurry out a work which I hoped to render permanently useful, As it has been one ofuiy principal objects to render the Uves of our Queens a work of general interest to every class of readers, I have modernized the orthography of extracts from ancient authors, and endeavoured as much as possible to avoid prolix and minute details, on matters more suited to the researches of the antiquary than to volumes which, I would fain hope, may find a place in domestic libra- ries, as well as public literary institutions. The Introduction contains brief notices of our ancient British and Saxon queens. Their records are, indeed, too scanty to admit of any other arrangement. Yet a work professing to be ihe history of tlie female royalty of our country, would have been incomplete without some mention of those princesses. The plan of chronological arrangement adopted in this work pre- ■enied, at £rsl sight. ^ reat difficulties in writing the lives of querns who survived their royal husbands, and were involved, as queen^dow- egers, with the annals of succeeding queen -con so ris. Sometimes there have been two dowager-queens of England contemporaries, or two dowager-queens and a queen-consort, as In the reign of John, when Beanora, the widow of Henry 11., Berengaria. ihe widow of Richard L. and Isabella, ihe consort of John, were all in existence at the same period. In these Instances, and others where it has been necessary to avoid Ihe evil of a twice-told late, or confusion of dates, the sequel of the queen-dowager's memoirs has been related among the chronological events of the era to which it belonged. The biographies of Ihe queens of England commence, in their natural order, with Ihe life of Matilda, the consort of William rhe Conqueror, the first of our Anglo-Norman queens, and the mother of the suc- ceeding line of kings, whose dynasty, in the person of our present sovereign lady, queen Victoria, occupies the throne of England. Inde. pendenlly of her Important position among the queens of England, the Incidents of the life ofMalilda are peculiarly interesting, and it nlForda me much pleasure to make her better known to the English reader, since Ihe rich materials of which her memoir is composed are chiefly OeriredAvat untranslated Norman and Latin chronicles. i PRBFACB. IX The history of the empress Matilda is incorporated with tliose of the contemporary queens of England, with whose annals the events of her life are inseparably connected. As the uniting link of the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman dynas- ties, as the mother of the royal line of Plantagenet kings, the empress Matilda is a character of great importance in the annals of England ; hut she has never been included by any historian, either ancient or modem, in the catalogue of English sovereigns. Even on her great seal she claimed no other title than that of «* Domina of England ;** and as she was neither a crowned nor anointed sovereign, and, though queen de jure, she fiiiled to establish her rights by force, and volunta- rily ceded them to her son Henry II., a separate memoir of this prin- cess could not with propriety appear among those of the queens of England. The life of Berengaria, the crusading queen of Richard CoBur de Lion, is for the first time presented to the public, in the second volume of this work. The memoir of Isabella of Vaiois, the virgin widow of Richard IL, with whose eventful history some authors are little acquainted, is included in these biographies. The memoir of Margaret of Anjou contains a portion of her life which is at present unknown to English historians — the details of her childhood and early youth. These are derived from the most authentic sources, and comprise many new particulars, both of her personal and public life as queen of England, and the mournful epoch of her widow- hood. The life of Katharine Parr will, I venture to hope, form an attractive portion of the fifth volume of the Lives of the Queens of England ;-^ my ancestral connexion with that queen affording me peculiar facilities as her biographer. The personal histories of the Anglo-Norman and several of the Plantagenet queens are involved in such great obscurity, that it has cost years of patient research, among English and foreign chronicles, ancient records, antiquarian literature, and collateral sources of infor- mation of various kinds, to trace out the events of their lives, from the cradle to the grave. The most difficult part of the undertaking is now achieved ; for the concluding volumes of the lives and times of the queens of England belong to eras abounding in authentic materials for rojral biography. State papers, autograph letters, and other im- portant documents, which the antiquarian taste of the present age has drawn forth, firom repositories, where they have slumbered among tlie dust of centuries, to afford their silent, but incontrovertible evidence, an matti^rs connected both with the public and private V\\sXot^ o* I royalty, enable those writers who, unbiassed by ihe learMi of pvrtj ■pirit. deal in facts ratlier tlian opinions, in unruvel Ihe tangled web ol" felsehfjod, and tn set forth the truth in alt sincerity, In conclusion, I have to acknowledge my obligations to iits Efrace Ihe duke of Norfolk, and to Mr. Howard of Uorby, the descendsnis of queen Adelicio, for some important parliculars connected with the nfe of that princess, for which I was indebted to Ihe ■• Memorials ol the Hownrd Pamily." To Mr. Howard, indeed, my ttmnka ore pecu- liarly due, as well as lo his sccomplished son, Philip H. Howard, Esq. M.P. forCarhale, I am likewise deeply indebted to my learned friends, fitr Thomas Phillips of Middlehiti, Sir Harris Nicolas, and Sir Culhbert Sharp, for their inestimable Idndness in regard to MSS. and books of reference. The courteous attention I have receiveii from Sir William Woods, garler king-at-arms, and the valuable assistance afforded by G. F. Dells. Esq. Lancaster Herald, end C. O. Young, Esq. York Herald, aim also my grateful remembrance. My acknowledgments must likewise be otfered to the Earl of Strad- oroke. Lord Mimnera, D. E. Darey, Esq., and oilier learned and noble lOdividuBla in my nulive county, who have facilitated my arduous undertaking, by placing tlieir extensive and valualile libraries at my ■tlsposal : nor can I omit to express my sincere npprtci.ition of the courteous attention and assistance I have received during roy re- searches, from Mr. Calea and Mr. Grabham, librarians al the British Museum, and ottier gentlemen connected with that national treasury of learning. My warmest thanks are due to my accompIislieJ friend, Mademoi- selle FaDtaJnr. of .\iniilly, for her unwearied kindness in supplying me ^iwlth foreipi chronicles, and in transcribing French dorimients from Biblioth(-<|iie du Roi," not always accessible In England ; also to |4he Rev. J. Hunter, of the augmentation Record Oflicr ; to J. Bropc, iBsq., the Ireaaurer of liie Camden Society, and the learned editor of Ijtume of its publications; to J. O. Haliiwell, Esq., to whose reseai'ch ind literary labours that Society is so much indebted; and last, not least, to that dear sister who is my fellow-labourer and faithful assistant In the Lives of the Queens of England, tliough she lias forbidden her name to be united on the title-page with that of AGNES STRICKLAND. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. ^»«>^^»<»^^^i^^^ Thb demand (or the three yolumes of the ** Lives of the dueens of Bnglaad,** already before the public, has been so unexpectedly rapid, that a very large edition has been exhausted, and a reprint of the commencing portion of the work is required, before the concluding volumes could be brought through the press. This unusual, but most gratifying circumstance, has afforded an opportunity for corrections and additions, which, it is hoped, will ren* der the publication more worthy of the flattering reception with which it has been honoured, both by the critical press and the public, to whom my grateful acknowledgments are due. I likewise avail myself of this circumstance to express my warmest thanks to that great historian. Dr. Lingard, for the valuable assistance he has rendered me In the present edition. (x«) PREFACE THE THIRD EDITION. In Introducing a third edition of these volumes of the " Lives of th Queens of England," it may be proper to state, that they have agai undergone a complete and very careful revision, and that variou INTRODUCTION. ^^^^m^^0^*0*f*^mt»^0»^t0*0^^^t0 ^ Thb dueen of England,** says that learned commentator on the laws and constitution of this country, Blackstone, *Ms either queen- regnant, queen-consort, or queen-dowager/' The first of these is a female sovereign reigning in her own right, and exercising all the functions of regal authority in her own person, — as in the case of her present majesty, queen Victoria, who ascended the throne, both by rightful inheritance, the consent of the people, and also in full accord- ance with the ancient British custom, noticed by Tacitus in these remarkable words : — ** Solent fosminarum ducta bellare, et sexum in imperils non discemere.'* * No other princess has, however, been enthroned in this land, under such auspicious circumstances as our present sovereign lady. Mary L was not recognised without bloodshed. £lizabeth*s title was disputed. Mary II. was only a sovereign in name, and as much dependent on the wul of her royal husband as a queen-consort The archbishop of Canterbury forfeited the primacy of England, for de- clining to assist at her coronation, or to take the oaths. The same scruples of conscience withhdd the nonjuring bishops and clergy, and many of the nobility and gentry, of England, from performing their homage either to her or to queen Anne. Not one of those four queens, therefore, was crowned with the unanimous consent of her people. But the rapturous acclamations that drowned the pealing of the bells and the thunders of the artillery, at the recocrnition of our beloved liege lady, queen Victoria, in West- minster Abbey, can never be forgotten, by those who then heard the voices of a united nation uplifted in assent I was present, and felt the massy walls of the Abbey thrill, from base to tower, with the mighty sound, as the burst of loyal enthusiasm within that august sanctuary was echoed by the thronging multitude without, hailmg her queen by universal suffrage. The queen-recrnant, in addition to the cares of government, has to preside over all the arrangements connected with female loyalty, which, in the reign of a married king, devolve on the queen-consort ; she has, therefore, more to occupy her time and attention than a kmg. *Life€.^ i^icola. I in hei ^ Tt)« l] INTBODL'CTION. for whom the laws of England expressly provide, that he is not to to troubled with his wife's affairs, like un ordinary husband. Tliere have been but Ihree unmarried kings of Enfilnnd, Willlona Rufus, Edward V., and Edward VI. Tlie twu latter were removed at very lender age ; but the Red King was a determined bachelor, and ' court, unrestrained by llie presence and beneBciai influence ol' a _ wn, was the locus of profaneness and all evil-doing. The Queens of England, commencing the series with Matilda, the of Williaui the Conqueror, ari? forty in number, including her pre- !ni majesty queen Victoria, tlie sovereign ol these reulms, and Ade- Ide, our revered queen-dowager. Of tliese. file are queen-regnsnta, or sovereigns, and Ihirly-five queen-con«orts. Our present series begins, not acoording to rank, but chronological order, with the queen-con soria, of whom there were twenty-six. before a female monarch, ascending the throne, combined in her own person the high office of queen and sovereign of England. The lives of ilie queen-regnants will appear in due course, ourgreat ~'~}e<.-t being to present, in a regular and connected chajn, the history lemale royalty, to trace the progress of civilization, learning, aod _ iineinent in thi« country, and to sliow bow greutly these were affected Ifey qtieenly inSuence in all ages. The wives of the kings of England, ttiough wisely excluded by the constitution of the realm from any share in the government, have IVe>- quently exercised considerable nuthority in atiajrs of state, and some bsve tjn-n regents of the kingdom; every one has been more or less a '~* trader of historical importance, aa will be shown m their respective e^raphiea. 'he earliest British queen named in history Is CarlUmandua. who, lUgh a married woinun, appears lo have been the snvereign of th« iganies, reigning in her own right. This was about the year 50. Iluadicpa, or Btidva, the wurrinr queen of Ilie Iceni, succeeded her :eased lord, king I'rasuliigus, in the regal office, Speed gives us a •ious print of one of her coins, in his ciironicte. The desLTiption of dreu and appearance, on the morning of the battle, that ended so istrously for the royal amazon and her country, quoted from a _ nan histohnn, is remarkably picturesque : — "After she had dismounted from her chariot, in which she had l>eea ivifig fi^m rank to rank to encourage her troops, attended by her lughtera and her numerous army, she proceeded to a throne of irshy turts, apparelled after the fashion of the Romans, in a loose iwn of changeable colours, under which she wore a kirtle very ' kly plaited, the tresaes of her yellow hair hanging lo the skirts of drew. About her neck she wore a chain of gold, and bore 3 light " tn her hand, being of person tall, and of a comely, cheerful, and ■t countenance; and so a while she stood, pausing to survey htv , and being regarded with reverential silence, she addressed Uk an Impassioned and eloquent speech on the wrongs of her o try." The overthrow and death of iliis heroic princess took place ia t year 60 ^ . There is every reason to suppose tiiat the majestic code of "llied the comnmn law of EngJ'ind. usunlly attributed to Alfred, f him derived from the laws first established by a British qi Uaritn," says iloHnshed,' -surnaroed Prolia, or tlie Just, was ' Hohiisbsd'i DeMription of England, vo\. i., p.^^S, *to. •d. INTRODUCTION. XV widow of Gutiline, king of the Britons, and was ]efl protectress of the realm during the minority of her son. Perceiving much in the con- duct of her subjects which needed reformation, she devised sundry wholesome laws which the Britons, after her death, named the Mar- tian statutes. Alfred caused the laws of this excellently learned prin- cess, whom all commended for her knowledge of the Greek tongue, to be established in the realm." These laws, embracing trial by jury and the just descent of property, were afterwards collat^ and still larther improved by Edward the Confessor, and were as pertinaciously de- manded from the successors of William the Conqueror, by the Anglo- iNormans, as by their Anglo-Saxon subjects. Rowcna, the wily Saxon princess, who, in an evil hour for the un- happy people of the land, became the consort of Vortigern in the year 450, is the next queen whose name occurs in our early annals. Guiniver, the golden-haired queen of Arthur, and her faithless suc- cessor and namesake, have been so mixed up with the tales of the romance poets and troubadours, that it would be difficult to trace a single fact connected with either. Among the queens of the Saxon Heptarchy, we hail the nursine mothers of the Christian faith in this island, who firmly established the good work begun by the British lady Claudia and the empress Helena. The first and most illustrious of these queens was Bertha, the daughter of Cherebert, king of Paris, who had the glory of converting her pagan husband, Ethelbert, the king of Kent, to'that faith of which she was so bright an ornament, and of planting the first Christian church at Canterbury. Her daughter, Ethelburga, was in like man- ner the means of inducing her valiant lord, Edwin, king of Northum- bria, to embrace the Christian faith. Eanfled, the daughter of this illustrious pair, afterwards the consort of Oswy, king of Mercia, was the first individual who received the sacrament of baptism in North- umbrian In the eighth century, the consorts of the Saxon kings were ex- cluded, by a solemn law, from sharing in the honours of royalty, on account of the crimes of the queen Edburga, who had poisoned her husband, Brihtric, king of Wessex; and eveh when Egbert consoli- dated the kingdoms of the Heptarchy into an empire, of which he be- came the Bretwalda, or sovereign, his queen Redburga was not per- mitted to participate in his coronation. Osburga, the first wife of Ethelwulph, and the mother of the great Alfred, was also debarred from this distinction; but when, on her death, or, as some historians say, her divorce, Ethelwulph espoused the t)eautiful and accomplished Judith, the sister of the emperor of the Franks, he violated this law, by placing her beside him on the King's Bench, and allowing her a chair of state, and all the other distinctions to which her high birth entitled her. This afforded a pretence to his ungallant subjects, for a general re- volt, headed by his eldest son Ethel bald, by whom he was deprived of half his dominions. Yet Ethelbald, on his father's death, was so cap- tivated by the charms of the fair cause of his parricidal rebellion, that he outraged all Christian decency, by marrying her. The t>eautiful and unfortunate Elgiva, the consort of Edwy, has afforded a favourite th#»me for poetry and romance ; but the partisans of her great enemy. Uunstan, have so mystifie.l h^r history, tl\tvl VI wouJd be no easy matter to give an authentic accouul o1[ ht^v Wle. INTBOOt:CTtOIf. K. Elfrlda. the fair and false queen of Edgar, has acquired an InfatnouB Jeeietirity, for ber rcuiorselesa liardncss of he&it. She did not possess ■Hie Ittleiild necessary to the accomplishmenl of her design, of EcizJn^ Kihe reins of government, nJler she had assassinated her unfottunale ■ptep-son St Corle Custlo: lur in this she was entirely circumvented by Ttte pohlicnl genius of Duiislan, the master spirit of (he age. Emma of Normandy, the beautiful queen of Ethel red, and after- V'VBrds or Canute, piaya a conspicuous part in the Saxon Annals. (There is a Latin treatise, written in her praise by a contemporary his- torian, entitled, " Kncomium £mnifE ;" but, notwithstanding the Sorid tommenduiiuus there bestowed upun her, the cliaracter of this queen Fnust be considereil a doubtful one. The manner in which she sacri- ficed the interests of her children b^ her first husband, Ethelred, to those by her second unnatural marriage with the Danish conqueror, is httle to her credit, and was certainly never forgiven by her son, Edward the Confessor ) (hough that monarch, alter he had witnessed the triumphant manner In wliich she cleared herself of the charges bfoueht against her by her foes, by passing through the ordeal of vslkmg barefoot, unscattied, over the nine red-ho( plouglisharea in Winches(er Cathedral, threw himself at her feet in a transport of filial penitence. Implored her pardon with tears, and submitted to the dis- I eipiine ul the high altar, as a penance for having exposed her to such I • test of her innocence.' Eiiilha, the consort of Edward the Confessor, was not only an JUninble, but a learned lady. Tlie Saxon historian, Ingulphus, him- Vrfelf a scholar at Westminster Monastery, close by Editha's palace, iffinns that the queen used frequently to intercept him and his school- Ulows in her walks, and asli (hem questions on (heir progress in rLntin. or, in (he words of his translator, " moot points of grammar ' with Iliem, in which she oftentimes posed them." Sometimes slie gave them a piece of silver or two out of her own purse, and sent them to the palace buttery, to breaktkst She was skilful in the works of the ntedle, und with her own hands she embroidered the garments of her Toyal husband. Edward the Confessor. Bdilha is perhaps the most IftiterestinK of all our Saxon queens, and it was not without regret '- ' we telt precluded, by the nature of the plan we have adopted, including her life in the present series of the Lives of the Queens f England. I Mi I net's Wincheatar. MATILDA OF FLANDERS, QUEEN or WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. CHAPTER I. Tlt1« of qnaen — ^Regina — ^Matilda first so called — Her descent from AlfVed— P^ettts'-^EducatioD— Learoing — Beauty — Character— Skill in embroidery- Sought in marriage by William of Normandy— His passionate love — ^Unsuc- cessful oourtship-^Brihtric Meaw, the English eniroy*— Matilda's love for him — Perseverance of William of Normandy-— Furious conduct of William to Matilda — ^Their marriage— Rich apparel — William's early life — ^William and Matilda excommunicated— Dispensation — Matilda's taste for architecture-*- Matilda's sister married to Tostig — ^Birth of Matilda's eldest son — ^Harold's Tisit — ^Betrothed to Matilda's daughter — William's invasion of England — ^Le^ ter to Matilda's brother— ^Matilda appointed Regent of Normandy— Her son Robert — Happy arrival of Matilda in the Mora — Ship presented by her— William sails in it to England — Matilda's delineations — Battle of Hastings- News of victory brought to Matilda — Our Lady of Good Tidings. Matilda, the wife of Wflliam the Conqueror, was the first consort of a king of England who was called rtgina} This was an innovation in the ancient customs of the land, for the Saxons simply styled the wife of the king ^ the lady his companion,''* and to them it was dis- pleasing to hear the Normans speak of Matilda as la reine, as if she were a female sovereign, reigning in her own right :^ so distinct in those days was the meaning attached in this country to the lofty title of reUie^ or reginOf from that of queen, which, though at present the highest female title of honour used in England, then only signified companion. ■ ■< I ■ ^— — ^-^^i^— ^^^-^-^— ^— ^»— ^^ ' Thierxy*s Anglo>Normans. In the Boomsday-book, Matilda, the wife of tha Conqneror, is called Matilda Regina. * Hlafdige m ewene is the Saxon phrase. Hlafdige, or lady, means the giver of bread. Cwene, or Quen, was anciently used as a term of equality, indisorimi* nately applied to both sexes. In the old Norman chronicles and poems, instead of the Duke of Normandy and his peers, the phrase used is the Duke of Nor- mandy and his Quens. ** The vrord quen^ signifying companion," says Rapin, vol. i. p. 148, ** was common both to men and women." So lata as the tfamaaath century, a collection of poems written by Charles of Aigou and his courtiers, is quoted as the songs of the Qnens of Aqjoo. Also in a chant of the twelfth cen- tury, enumerating the war-cries of the French proviaoes, we find *■ And the quem of Thlbaut 'Champagne and passavmnt' cry!** The people of the Innri mnrmnred among ihnmselves at Aw rniprfr f vedeiiieil usuniption of e>]umi greotnesa; and the home manufactures of his native country rough his juclidnus encouragement, became a source of wenlth anil usperily lo Flanders. His lamily coimeiion with the king of France, a utitrinn and ally, and his intimate relationship to most of ijie royal juses in Europe, rendered his alliance very desirable lo several of the pkigninj princen, his ueighbonrs, who became suitors for llie baud of '» bnauttful daughter. "" I must accomplished of these was the young duke William of Homiamly, who was not only desirous of this union in a poUtical pma ■ Noimaa Anliirign, he was. notwithstanding the operation of the Salic law, considered hy many to possess a belter right to the dukedom than the son of duke niehard by Arlolta, the skinner's daughter of Falaise. The pariiculRra of William^ birth are too well known lo reqoire Tecapitulalion ; but it ia proper to notice thai there are historians who maintain that Ariotta %as the wife of dake Robert, though not of rank or breeding fit to he acknowledged as his dnchess.' This we are disposed to regard as a mere naradox, since William, who would have been only too happy to avail nimaeir of llie plea of even a contract or promise of marriage between his parents, in order to strengthen his defective liile by a pretence of lagfitimacy, never made any ^uch assertion. On the contrary, not only before hia victorious sword had purchased for him a more honourable ntname, but even afterwards, he submitted to the use of the one derived from his mother's shame, and in the charter of the lands which he be- llowed on his son-in-law. Alan, duke of Bretagne, in Yorkshire, he nil^ ■cribcd himself ^William sumamed Baslardus."* It IS a genera] opinion that Arioita was manied to Herlewin of Conte- »ille dtiririg the lifetime of duke Robert, and that this circumsianee pre- vented any possibility of William aiiempiing to assert that he wa* the lagitimate oflspring tk his royal aire.' * The aullior of llie Roman de Rao. ' The noblpt or Nonnsn'ly, minding iti^ir rluke of sueceAUon, penoaileil bin IS tiiarry Maulila, or Miiiul, daughter of Baldwin V., of Fland™, — Sandfbol. ■ Vfjlliun of Malmibniy. Ingulpbus. 'LeUnd. * After ibe icoeuion of Henry ihe Second lo the Ihronp, ■ Saion pnligrva ww ' bnniuualjr invented Ibr Arlc^H, whidi is loo grest a euruMily to t>e oaiitied. L^Samni ' " ..... ....... ■nil Ifontjile," fsyt ibe Saxon ganralopst, " bad iwo tons, Edwin ond name doci not appear in tumarf baeaaN ' i ATI LDA OP FLA 4 lAfV-onling to all historians, William was, rrom ihe very momenl of hia ~'ii r«^rci(e of the danger of hia mother, he was pemiiited to lie unheeded e floor of his chamber, where he first saw tiie light,' gnve occasion lijtothe oracular gossips in attendance on Arlotia to predict "that the child uld become a mighty man, ready to acquire everything within his ich, Bnd that which he acquired he would with a strong hand stead- maintain against all challengers." It does not appear that duke Hobert bestowed much notice on the 5 during the early stages of infancy ; indeed, the contrary may be J from the testimony of the historian,' who Hays, " When William year old, he was introduced into the presence of his father; and Ata (hike Robert saw what o goodly and tkir child he was. and how lely he resembled the royal line of Normandy, he embiaced him, and inwlcdged him to be iiis son, and caused him to receive princely ure ID his own palace. When William was live years old, a batta- I of boys, of his own age, was placed under his command, with in b« practised the military exercise, according to the custom of e days. Over these infant followers William assumed the authority ■ Borereign in miniature; and if dissensions arose among them, they lays referred to his decision, and hia judgments are said to have been taikable for their acuteness and equity."* Thus early in life did the Hiiy Norman learn to enact the character of a leader and legislator. Itore had, indeed, eminently lilted him for the lofty station which be a aftarwudi destined to fill ; and his powerful talents were strength- ened and improved by an education such as few princes in that rude, un- lettered age were so fortunate an to receive. At the age of eight yeari he was able to read and explain Caisar's Comraenlariea.' Tlie heauiy and early promise of this boy caused him to be regarded with peculiar interest by the Normans ; but as a child of fliegitimate birth, William possessed no legal claim to the succession. His title was ■imply founded on the appointment of the duke, his father. This prince, having no other issue, had centered all the doting affection of i fulher'fl bar twd e V ' I am an Englishwoman,' , 'And of die royal btooil.' Tlie duke, on Ibia answer, ueat«d her with jui, took the ildnner into liia tervicv, and liad ODO of his daughten brought D tlM palaiu). She wa* Arloue or CkarSaUi, the roolliec of Ihe Couqueioi. — ioa _■ SI ?ith ^ O frndal leun for takiiig poiaesaiiin. "• Life pf the Conr\ueToi. Hlooording id William of JMntm;>bury. the ;ultuni wna grpoL Thrau|{baul life William of MHlmsboty, Ibid. ^ which the CoiiqDeRb- •ence. Thea he carried his son lo Paris, and delivered him into the huid* of the king of France, his tuuraiiL, or paramount lord : and hir- ing received his promisee of protecting and rherishing the boy with a loving care, he made William perform the same homage to that monarch M if he WCTE already the reigning duke of Normandy; by which be •ecured his sovereign's recognition of the title of his little vassal-peer to the ducal crown- After lhe«>e arrengrmenis, duke liobert departed on that expedition from which be never again returned lo his own domi- At the court of his sovereign, Henry 1. of France, the uncle of his future spouse, Maidda of Flanders. WdJiam completed his education, and learned the science of diplomacy, secure from all the factions and intrigues with which Normandy was convulsed. The slates, true to the fully they had «wom to the son of their deceased lord, sent ambassadors to 'It «l ppiil, miiii il cmiiein, — Wttce. 'Cbroiiielo of Nnrimmily. Malmtbaij. *Ie wu wL»iwr«l bf tome itiai duke Robert onHcnmik this pilgrimaga to Je- tnailcin a* an (-i|iiiitorT ponance for llie ilealti ot liis elder bnitliec nni) MV» tdEn, ilnko Rii haid 111., wbiah be wiu luspMirJ of having liBiipned; wliUa mhiCM boliwKl be vrm* impelled (kma molirei of piety aJone lo pty liis row* al Ihe L»l7 p«r«, aumnliiii; lu a new bul prevailing npiiit of niiwlirerteJ ilov-itiM^ whioh ntanllVstciI iTtrlf among the princes aiu) tioblM of that af- of lupciicmcn and romance. Witetliat duke Robert ever reachnt the place of liii iltrMiiiabda, tl OManaiD. Tbe Inst anlhcntic tiilinp reB|>ecliiig liim thnt resctlieH hi* oaphal WW* brougbi by Pirou, a reiumed piltcriin from the Holy I^nd. wto rcponad Aal be tonl bis lord, tha dulie of Nomiand]', on his way lo Ihn Holjr City, borae I llio (binildets uf four Mout SnJacens, being Iben loo ill la prnowd ley on foot. When Ihe rojfal pilgrim recogniied his vi eloiniMl, wllh gKBt animaiion, " Tell my valiBiil pwra llisE fou hs ign ntrrinl inwatdi hearan on the baclu of llrnds." — Willum of Midm Whether thit oBGooneous Bansioa t •uBletentlj intelligible to ibem to Inve the efleut niking'll«i» into •hnrtniing hi> joume)' ihilher, we know not Some chronicle*, indanl, a»en ibai he died at Nicea. lu ffiilirnia, on lii^ lenim; l>ul there ia a (liange I hit faie, and il >|ipeBr9 Ilist tha Norman noble* long •tp«rle return — »n cxptvlation thai »n« probably man Bivo of duke ftoban. MATILDA OP FLANDBRl. 23 Paris, to claim their young duke.* The king of France resigned him to the deputies, but soon after invaded his dominions. William, howevei, was possessed of energies equal to any difficulties in which he might be placed, and he had some &ithful and powerful friends among the coun- sellors of his late fiuher. Raoul de Gace and Roger de Beaumont stoudy maintained the cause of their young duke, both in the court and in the camp. They were his tutors in the art of war, and through their assist- ance and advice he was enabled to defeat tlie king of France, and to maintain the dignity of a sovereign and military chief, at a period of life when princes are generally occupied in childish amusements, or the pleasures of the chase.' One by one, almost every Norman noble who could boast any portion of the blood of RoUo, the founder of the ducal line of Normandy, was incited by king Henry of France to stir up an insurrection, as a rival claimant of the crown. On one occasion, William would in all proba- bility have fallen a victim to the plot which his cousin Guy of Burgundy had laid to surprise him, when he was on a hunting excursion, and was to pass the night without any of his military retinue, at the castle of Valc^es ; but from this peril he was preserved by the fidelity of his fool, who, happening to overhear the conspirators arranging their plan, travelled all night at full speed to give the duke notice of his danger; and finding means to make an entrance into the casde at four o'clock in the morning, he struck violently with the handle of his whip at the chamber-door of his sleeping sovereign, and shouted, ^Levez, levez, Seigneur .'^^ till he succeeded in rousing him. So close at hand, how- ever, were Guy of Burgundy and his confederates, that it was only by mounting his swiftest steed, half-dressed, and riding with fiery speed for many hours, that William could efiect his escape from his pursuers ; and even then he must have fallen into their hands, if he had not encountered a gendeman on the road, with whom he changed horses, his own being thoroughly spent Guy of Burgundy was afterwards taken prisoner by the young duke ; but having been on affectionate terms with him in his childhood, he generously forgave him all the trouble he had occasioned him, and his many attempts against his life.' The king of France was preparing to attack William with redoubled fury^ at the period when, by his fortunate marriage with Matilda, he strengthened his defective title to the throne of Normandy, by uniting himself with a legitimate descendant of the royal line, and at the same- time acquired a powerful ally, in the person of his father-in-law, the eail of Flanders. The death of Henry averted the dark storm that lowered over Normandy ; and the young Philip of France, his son and successor, having been left during his minority under the guardianship of his aunt's husband, Baldwin of Flanders, Matilda's fother, William found himself entirely relieved from all present fears of hostility on the part of France.* Scarcely, however, was he preparing himself to enjoy the happiness of 'Chronicle of Normandy. • Ibid. Malmsbury. Wace. 'Chronicle of Normandy. MezeraL Wace. *Sl Marthe. Wace. aroee, which had b«eD little W HATILDAOPFLA vcdiled life, when > caase of annoyance aDticipaied.' Mau^r. Uio arehbtBhop pf Ronen, an illegitimate uncle of the yonnf duke, who had taken great pains to prevent hia maniage with Matilda air FtaiiHcra, finding all the obstacles which he had mised ai^nsi it vren unavailing, proceeded to pronounce sentence of excornmunicaiinn a^nst the nctrly-wedded pnir, under the plea of its being a marringe witliin th< forbidden degrees of ronsangiiinily/ and therefore unlawful in the nghl cf man. and abominable to God. William indignantly appealed to the pope against this «enienre, who, on the parties submitting to the usual tines, nuitified the arehbishop'a I ecclesiastical censures, and granted the dispensation for the marriage, on I eoniiiiion of the young duke and duchess each building and endowing in I ^bey at Caen, an fallier-iit-kw, front ivtioiu lliey received friendly and hospitable en- lenaintnent. and were treated by the duke and duchess of Nornisndy with all the macka of friendship that might reasonably be expected, in ' I of the family connexion to which we have alluded.' ilhs after tier marriu^, Matilda ^ve binh to a sun, whom Williaiti named Knberi, after his TuiIrt, tliinking that the name of a e, whose memory whs dear to Normandy, would ensure the popu- of his heir.* The happineit* of the royal pair was greatly increased by liiis event. In tact, nothing could exceed tlie terms of afTeciion and eonHilrnce in which they livuil. They were at that period reckonetl the liandsomest anil most tenderly unileil couple in Europe- The line na- .lural talents of both had been improved, by a degree of mental culliva- lion ver>- unusual in lliat age; and there was a similarity in their lastea id piirettits, which rendered their compaoionehip delightful to each r in private hours, and gave to all their public acta thai graceful uiia- ity, which could not foil of producing the happiest eSecia oa tlie linda of their subjects. The binh of Robert was followed in quick succession fay that of Rieli&rd. VV ill tarn-It ufus, Cecilia, Agatha, Constance, Adela, Adelaide, and Gundred. During several years of peace and national prosperity, Ma- lilila and her husband employed ihemsdves in superintending the educ»- lion of their lovely and numerous family ; sevci^ of whom, according i«o the report of contemporary clirouicles, were childreu of great pro- nise.* very remarkable event occurs in the records of Matilda's coart, the arrival of Harold in the year 10G5. Harold, having undertaken lyage to Normandy in an open fishing-boat, woe driven by stress of thor into the river 3Iaye, in the territories of the earl of Poulh' vhom, with the intention of extorting a large ransom, he « ioiiDured in the dungeons of Beaurain. 'he duke of Normandy, however, demanded the illuBirioua a the enrl of Honthieu, understanding thai Harold's brother was b !o ilie duchess of Normandy's sister, thought it most prudent to his prey lo the family connexion by whom it was claimed. Harold was treated with apparent friendship by William and itiaiiltlib even olicred to bestow one of tlieir daughters upon liiin i —a young lady whose age did not exceed seven years ; and U il permitted himself to be aflianced, iliough without any iotei keeping hii plight, "'illiam llien confiiled lo his reluctant guest the tale of his by EMw&rd the Confessor, far his successor, and proceeded to cxtorl him a solemn oath, to render him all the assistance in his power, in lerance i^ his designs on the crown of England.* Harold, on his return to England, came to an open rupture with liia 'ouihi^^ udent to i. Maiilth. JTtiSjta *-n adB^^ 'W*.! •Msliiisbury. Wnce, * Wace. Malnubutr. TUeii|l MATILDA OF FLAHDBRS. 37 brother Toetig. Probably he had, during his late visit to Normandy, discovered how entirely the latter was in the interest of his Flemish wife^s connexions. Tostig then fled, with his wife and children, to the court of his iather-in-Iaw, the earl of Flanders, and devoted himself entirely to the cause of William of Normandy. At this perilous crisis, when so dark a storm was slowly but surely gathering over England, a woful deterioration had taken place in the national character of the people, especially among the higher classes, who had given wny to every species of luxury and licentiousness. Wil- liam of Malmsbury draws the following quaint picture of their manners and proceedings at this period. ^Englishmen," says he, ^^had then transformed themselves into the strange manners of the French, not only in their speech and behaviour, but in their deeds and characters. Their fiuhioQ in dress was to go fantastically appointed, with garments short- ened to the knee. Their heads shorn, and their beards shaven all but the upper lip, on which they wore long moustaches. Their arms they load^ with massive bracelets of gold, carrying withal pictm^d marks upon their skins, pounced in with divers colours ;" by which it is evi- dent that the Anglo-Saxons had adopted the barbarous practice of tat« tooing their persons, like the rude aborigines of the island eleven centu- ries previous. ^ They were," continues our author, ^ accustomed to eat to repletion, and to drink to excess ; while the clergy wholly addicted themselves to light and trivial literature, and could scarcely read their own breviaries." In a word, they had, according to the witness of their own chronicles, arrived at that pass of sensuality and folly which is eenerally supposed to provoke a national visitation, in the shape of pesti- lence or the sword. ^ The Normans of that period," says Malmsbury, ^ were proudly ap- parelled, delicate in their food, but not gluttonous ; a race inured to war, which diey could scarcely live without ; fierce in rushing upon the foe, and, when unequal in force, ready to use stratagem or bribery to gain their ends. They live in large houses with economy. They wish to rival their superiors. They envy their equals, and plunder their inferiors, but not unfrequently intermarry with their vassals." Such were the general characteristics of the men whom William had rendered veterans in the art of war, and, both by precept and example, stimulated to habits of frugality, temperance, an^ self-control. A mighty sovereign and a mighty people,' possessing within themselves the ele- ments of every requisite that might ensure the success of an undertaking which, by every other nation in Europe, must have been considered as little short of madness. When the intelligence of king Edward^s death, coupled with the news of Harold's assumption of the regal dignity, reached the court of Nor- mandy, William was struck speechless with indignation and surprise, and is said to have unconsciously tied and untied the rich cordon that fast- ened his cloak, several times, in the first tumults of his agitation and anger.' He then gave vent to his wrath, in fierce animadversions on > W. Malrasbur/. * Wace. I I I MATILDA or rLAKDEBS. Ilkrold's broken fiuih, in cousing himsoir to be crowned king "f Eng- land, in defiance of Ihe eolemn oath he had swoni to him, lo support lui cl&ima. Willtain alao complained of tlie aSront that bad been offered to hti daughter by the faithlesB Saxon, who, resanlleBs of his conliafl io the litilo Norman princess, just before king Edward's death, strengthened bis interest with the English nobles, by mnrrying Algiiha, sister to the pow- erful FDrls Morcar and Edwin, and widow lo GritTith. prince of Wales. This circumstance is mentioned with great bitterness in all William's pruclamationa and reproachful raesEages lo Harold, and appears lo ha»B been considered by him to the full as great a villany as the assuiuption of the crown <^ Einglsnd. Some of the historians who wrote neat that period say, thai the lady Adeliza, the affianced bride of Harold, was dead ■I that time; but if so, William could bare had no preteit for upbniid- ine him with the insult be had oflered to his &mily, by entermg itilo mother matrimonial alliance.' When William first made known to hifi Norman peers hLi positive in> tentioa of asserting, by force of arms, his claims to the crown of Eng- land, on the pica of Eidward the Confessor's verbal adoption of himself as successor to that realm, there were stormy debates among them oD tlie subject. They were then assembled in the hall of Lillebon, where they remained long in council, but chieQy employed in complaining to one another of tlie warlike temper of their lord. There were, however, creat diDerences of o|Huion among them, and they separated tjiemsel»e« mio several distinct groups, because many diose to speak at once, and no one cimld obtain the attention of the whole assembly, but harangued as many hearers aa could be prevailed on to linen to him. The ma- jority were opposed to the idea of ilie expedition to England, and s»iil they had already been grievously taxed to support the duke's foreign wars, and observed, lliat ^ ibey were not only poor, but in debt ;" wlule others were no less veliement in advocating their sovereign's projecL, and *pake " of the propriety of contributing ships and men, and crossing the *n willi him." &>me said, " they would," others, " that titey would not;" and at last the contention among them became so fierce, that Fits- Osbom. of Breteul, sumamed the Proud Spirit, stood forth and baiuigued the malcontent portion of the assembly in these words : — . " Why should you go on wrangling with your natural lord, who Mtkt to gain honour ? You owe him service for your fiefs, and you ou^l M Tender it with all readiness. Instead of waiting for him to entreat yOQ. you ought to haxten to him. and offer your assistance, that he may Hot iiereafler complain that his design has failed through your delays." " Sir,'' replied they, "■ we fear the sea, and we are not bound to tent beyond it; but do you speak to the duke for us. for we do nut seem to knnw our own minds, and we think you will decide heller for us tlwa we, cnn Ao fbr ourselves."' Pia-Osbom, thas empowered to act as iheir deputy, went to the dnk* I Wace'i Clitoaxlei of llie Dnlcei of FtorniaiiiJr. * Wairo. MATILDA OF FLANDBRf. 29 at their head, and in their names made him the moat unconditional prof- fers of their assistance and co-operation. ^ Behold," said Fitz-Osbom, ^ the loving loyalty of your lieges, my lord, and their zeal for your senice. They will pass with you over sea, and double their accustomed senriee. He who is bound to furnish twenty knights, will bring forty ; he who should serve you with thirty will now serve yon with sixty ; and he who owes one hundred, will cheerfoUy pay two hundred.' For myvelf, I will, in good love to my sovereign, in his need, contribute sixty well-appointed ships chaiged with fighting men." Here the dissentient barons interrupted him with a clamour of disapprobation, exclaiming, ^ That he might give as much as he {leased himself, but they had never empowered him to promise such unheard-of aids for them ;" and they would submit to no such exactions from their sovereign, since if they once performed double ser- vice, it would henceforth be demanded of them as a right ^ In short," continues the lively chronicler,' ^ they raised such an uproar, that no one could hear another speak — no one could either listen to reason, or render it for himself. Then the duke, being greatly peq>lexed with the noise, withdrew, and sending for the barons one by one, exerted all his powers of persuasion, to induce them to accede to his wishes, promising ^ to reward them richly with Saxon spoils for the assistance he now required at their hands ; and if they felt disposed to make good Fitz-Osbom^s ofler of double service at that time, he should receive it as a proof of their loyal afiection, and never think of demand- ing it as a right on any foture occasion.' " The nobles, on this conciliatory address, were pacified ; and feeling that it was a much easier thing to maintain their opposition to their sovereign's wishes in the councS than in the presence-chamber, began to assume a difierent tone, and even to express their willingness to oblige him as far as it lay in their power.' William next invited his neighbours, the Bretons, the Angevins, and men of Boulogne, to join his l»nners, bribing them with promises of good pay, and a share in the spoils of merrie England. He even pro- posed to take the king of France into the alliance, o&ring, if he would assist him with the quota of money, men, and ships, which he required, to own him for the guzeram^ or paramount lord of England, as well as Normandy, and to render him a liegeman's homage for that island, as well as for his continental dominions. Philip treated the idea of Wil- liam's annexing England to Normandy, as an extravagant chimera,^ and asked him, ^ who would take care of his duchy while he was running aAer a kingdom ?" To this sarcastic query, William replied, ^ That is a care that shall not need to trouble our neighbours ; by the gnce of God we are blessed with a prudent wife and loving subjects, who will keep our border securely during our absence."' William entreated the young count Baldwin of Flanders, the brother of his duchess, to accompany him as a friendly ally; but the wily Fleming, with whom the fiunily connexion seems to have had but little ^ Wace'9 Chronicle of Normandy. *Ibid. 'Ibid. Ubid. *\XaOu 8* UATILDA OF FLA5DERS. ■wfli^ht, replied by asking Willumi : ^ What share of England he intendKl to beslow on him by w«y of recompense ?" ' The duke, surprised nl this demand, told his brother-in-law, "Thu - he could not satisfy him on that point till he had consuliol with bn ■ bamns on ths suhjecl ;" but instead of naming the matter to them, be tanl( a pi«co of fair parchment, and having folded it in the form €>f * liciter, W Mtpencribed it to count Biddwin of Flanders, and sealed ii wUh the diical seal, and wrote the following distich on the label lh« ■arrooDded the scroll — which 19 to say, '' Brother-in-law. I give you such a share of England as you shall liiid within thia letter*' ilc sent the letter to the youne count by a shrewd- willed page, who was much in his confidence. When Baldwin had read this prnmiiiog endorsement, he broke the se.i1, lull of expecuttion. but (iniling the parchment blank, he showed it to the bearer; and asked what was the duke*B meauing. " Xought is written here," replied the messenger, " and nought sh»h thou receive, therefore look for nothing. The honour that the duke seeks will be fur die advantage of your sister and her children, and lh«it ffrcatncss will be the advancement of yonrself. and the benefit will ba iflt by your country ; but if you refuse your aid, then, with the bleuipg of Gud, iny lord will conquer England without your help,"' Bui tliough William ventured, by means of this sarcastic device, to leprove the selfish feelings manifested by his broiher-in-law, he was liin to subscribe to the only terms on whirh the aid of Aluiilda's ftthn ' , could be obtained, which was by securing to him and his succeason I periK-tual pension of 300 marks of silver annually, in the event of hit lucceediiig in esiablishiiig himself as king of England.* Accordiiw to ' "the Flemish historians, this pension waa actually paid during the life of ' Baldwin V. and liis sou Baldwin VI., but aAerwards discontinued. Ilii 1 that Matilda's family connexions rendered the most iinporunt a William in the conquest of England, and her couDtiymcn ' were nmong his bravest auxiliaiies.* The earl of Flanders was, in bet. the lir»t person to commence hostilities against Harold, by fumishiof ,tiie traitor Tostig with ships, and a military force, (o make a descent a» England. Tostig executed his mission more like a pirate-brigand than an ace»- dfled leader. The brave earls Morcar and Edwin drove him into Scot- land, whence he passed into Norway, where he succeeded in persiMiUiig France, vol. iu. p. 91 I DaMwin &rl of FlanJers (iirnuhed Toiug wlih aiiiy ships. " " ' — < Saxan Aiiuati. * Tiadilion makes the binoiu Robin Howl a dsKiendanl of Matilda' ' (iilbnrt 4e Gint, who utenilcd \be Conqaetor lo EnglanJ. Hitl. of S KTILDA OF PtAXDESB. king Harikgcr In invndc Fngland at one point, simuluineoiisly with W^ lum nf Nunnnndy'a nttnrk in niinilier qunrier of the islund.' The minds of the people of Cngland in geiieral were, at this moment- mis cri«i^ labouriiie uiuler a painrul depression, occasioned by the *(ipatnuic« of the splendid ihree-iailed comrt, which became visible In (bcir horixon at the commencement of the memorable year lOfift, a few day* before ihc dtath of king Etiwaril. The unsettled smte of ihp suc- niMion, and the siiperstitious spirit of tlie age, inclined all classes of prrwws to regnrtl, with ominous feelings of dismay, any phenomtnicm which eoutd be. eonMriied iiilo a porleiU of evil : moreover the aalrolo- gns who had furvtold the approach of this comet had thought proper to tnnnunce their piediction in an oracular I^iin distich, of which ihe fol- lowing rude couplet is a literal transluiion: — 1 ^BkJtbont liiu lioic," says Alalmsbury, "a comet or aiar, denoting m ^fff "Ti hintn|; for foiiriren daya, with three lonj^ rays strcHmiiii; lownrda \'m Hiuih. Sarh a alar as b wont to be seen when a kingdom is about 'f riiange i!« ruler. I liai-e seen men who saw ii — men who were of "ill ase at the time of ita appearance, and who lived many years al\er- T)ie descriptions which 1 have just quoted, from the pen of the Noi^ MB port and the monastic clironicler, fall far shorl of the inarvellou»r Dm of Matilda'n drimeation of this comet, in the Bayeux tapestry, «1itn th«t royal nctxlle has represented it of dimensions that might w«l bre jitflificd lite alann of the terror-stricken group of Saaon prmceS|. |rints> sail ladies, who appear to be rualiing out ol their pi^y dweU* mgi, and puinting to ii with unequivocal signs of horror ; for, indepen* Mtlf of the fact that it looks near enough to singe all their noses, it ^'•aii inevitably have whisked the world and all its sister planets out ' their orbits, if it had lieen of a hundredih part proportionable to the ''■^niiude there porirayeil-' Some allowance, however, ought to be riuJc for the pjuggemtion of feminine reminiscences, of an object which >r can »carcely suppose to have been transferred to the embroidered Saxon Anaali. 'Hendetson. *MBlni9butr. I I I MATILDA OF FLANDERS. chroniclfl dT the conquest o( England, lill after ihe triumphant teniiii»- don of Willmm of Xonuanily'a enterprise affonJed ills queen-duchess «o jnngiulicoui a subJM^i. for iho employmeDt of the skill sad ingeuuiij of beneir and the ladie* of tier court, in reconliug his ftchievemenis on CanTass by dint of needlework. But, on the eve of ihii adventuroui expfilition, we may oHlurally conclude, that Matilda's time aud thought* were more importantly occupied than in the labours of the loom, or the Ikbticaiion of wonted pictures; when, in addition to all her feara uid .anxieties in parting with her lord, we doubt not but she had, ttt least, na nucli trouble in reconciling tlie Norman ladies to tlie absence of ib«ir .huabandij and lovers,' as ibe duke bad to jirevoil on these his valiant gaeiu to accompany him on an expedition so full of peril to all putin concerned in it. rreviously to his departure to join his ships and forcea assembled U the port of St. Vatleri, William solemnly invested Matilda with Ow regency of Normandy, and entreated, " that he and his companions in •rras might have the benefit of her prayers, and the prayerv of her ladies, for the succpes of their expediiion." He appointed for hercomv- «il some of the wisest and most experienced men among the prelatM and elder nobles of Normandy.' The most celebrated of tliese, for courage, ability, and wisdom, was Ro^r de Beaumont, and bv him Wil- liam recommended the duchess to be advised in all matters ^ domestic policy. He also associated with the duchess, in the regency, ihrir eldest Bon, Robert, and this youth, who had just completed hie tliirteenih year, was nominally the military chief of Normandy during the abaetue of his sire. The invasion of England was by no means a popnlar measure wilh any class of William's auhjerts; end during the time that his armameni remained wind-boimd at St. Valleri, the common soldier? began to mnr- mtir in their tents. ^ The man must he mad," they said, " to persist in going to auiijugnte a foreign country, since Ood, who withhetd the wind, upposed him \ that his lather, who was sumamed Robert le D'labb-, purposed something of the kind, and was in like manner frustrated! and tliai It was the fate of that lamily to aspire to things beyond ihem, d to find God llieir adversary .'" When the duke beard of these disheartening reports, he calicij a council of his chiefs, at which it was agreed that the body of St. Valleri ihonld be brought forth, to receive the offerings and tows of those who ahould feel (ii8|>osed to implore his intercession for a favourable wind.* Thus artfully did he, instead of interposing the authority of a 9Vt- *eign, and a military leader, to punish the language of sedition and mutiny among his troops, oppose superstition to superstition, to amtiae tlie ihort-«ighi»d insirmuenis of hts ambition. The bones of the pawai aaint of the port were accordingly brought forth, wilh great eolcmmty, an*) exposnl in their shrine, on the green turf, beneath the canopy m heavFiii for the double purpose of receiving the pmyers of the pious at ' ■Waw. WilllaiDor Prttou. Wace. MBlmiboiy. MATILDA OF FLAHDSKf. 33 the contributions of the charitable.' The Nonnan chroniclers affirm th&t the shrine was half-buried in the heaps of gold, silver, and precious things which were showered upon it by the crowds of votaries who came to pay their respects to the saint Thus were the malcontent Nor- Bians amused till the wind changed. In the meantime William was agreeably surprised by the arrival of his duchess at the port, in a splendid vessel of war, called the Mora,' which •he had caused to be built unknown to him, and adorned in the most royal style of magnificence, for his acceptance. The effigy of their youngest son (William), formed of gilded bronze, some writers say of ipld, was placed at the prow of this vessel, with his hce turned towards England, holding a trumpet to his lips with one hand, and bearing in iie other a bow, with the arrow aimed at England.' It seemed as if the vind had only delayed in order to enable Matilda to offer this gratifying nd auspicious gift to her departing lord ; for scarcely had the acclama- tions with which it was greeted by the admiring host died away, when the long-desired breeze sprang up, ^ and a joyful clamour,'^ says Malms- bury, ^ then arising, summoned every one to the ships.'' The duke himself, first launching from the continent into the deep, led the wny in the Mora, which, by day, was distinguished by a blood-red flag,^ and, as soon as it was dark, carried a light at the mast-head, as a beacon to nide the other ships. The first night the royal leader so far outsailed his followers, that when morning dawned, the Mora was in the mid-seas alone, without a single sail of her convoy in sight, though these were a thousand in number. Somewhat disturbed at this circumstance, William ordered the master of the Mora to go to tlie topmast and look out, and bring him word what he had seen. The reply was, ** Nothing but sea and sky." " Go up again," said the duke, ^ and look out." The man cried out, ^ That he saw four q^ks in the distance, like the sails of ships." ^ Look once again," cried William ; then the master exclaimed, ^ I see a forest of tall masts and a press of sails bearing gallantly towards U8."» Rough weather occurred during the voyage, but it is remarkable that, out of so numerous a fleet, only two vessels were lost In one of these was a noted astrologer, who had taken upon himself to predict that the expedition would be entirely successful, for that Harold would resign England to the duke without a battle. William neither believed in omens nor encouraged fortune-telling, and when he heard the catastrophe of the unfortunate soothsayer, who had thought proper to join himself to the armament, shrewdly observed, ^ Little could he have known of the fiite of others who could not foresee his own."' On the 28th of September, 1066, the Norman fleet made the port of Pevensey, on the coast of Sussex. Wace's Chronicle of the Norman Conquest affords a graphic picture >Mmimsbiirj. Wace. *Wace. *Ibid. * Tbierrj^t Anglo-Normaiis. * Ibid. ' Wace. Henderaoo. Tlieknighlai F of the dUerabsrkation of ibe ilukc and his I ferdiera landed Gnu' After the soldiers, came tlie cnrpunlcre, amiorers, and mofions, % L Iheir tools in tlieir liuids, and planes, snws, axes, aitd odier iiuplei: ~ r alung (o tlieir sides. Lasi of all nime llie duke, wlio. stumbling a I lM{>eiI to sliure, lueasureil liis nuijeslic lieighl upon the beach. ForihwitJi all raised a cry of JiBlress. "An evil sign is I Mclaimf^ the super«liuou» Noruiana ; but the duke, who, in reci I liiiuM'lf, had filled his iionds with sand, cried nut in a loud and c I Voice, ■' See, sri^^ncurii .' by the sptendimr of God I have st^ised England with my two hands.* Witliout challenge no prize can be made, and that which 1 have grasped I will, by your good help, mainUiin." On this, one of his followers mi forward, and enatching a h^kndful of thaich from the roof of a hul, brought il lo the duke,' exclainitng mer- rily, " Sire, conie forward and receive «iiin. I give yon seisin, in token I (bai this realm is yours." I "I accept il," replied the duke, "and may Ood be with uaT" I They then sal down, and diued logeihtr on the beach ; after * ' they sought for a spot on which to rear a wooilen fort, which they^l brought in disjointed pieces, iu theic ships, from Normandy. Matilda hofi, in a curious section of the Bayeux tapestry, shotn the manner in which the inieiy followers of her loin carried the,^ . joJjQled ^me-work of tliis timber fortress to the shore. Th« sol^ L usisied tito car|>enter« and other crartsmeo in iliis arduous underti I ind the duke encouraged and stimulated tbem, in this union of latq 1 1p euftli good purpose, thai before even-ftill they hod finished llieir ■ ing. fortified il, and supped merrily ilierein. Here the duke tarried ] I days. William had, through the agency of >latilda'» brother I'Totttg. arranged measures with Ilarloger, king of Norway, that 1 rlll&cks upon England should be simultaneous; but the contrary v ITlii^ had detained his Seels so long ai St- Valleri, had speeded the >..._. I «f his northern ally, so thai Harfager and Tostig entered the Tyne wiili I ihrec hundred ships, and commenced tlieir work of rapine and devasta- liiion in the north of En^lmul, iliat ihe foremn-i i- - - - '' - tpaD]' M) touch l)ie land r>r promlfS. wni ilip anc«lnr of (he S' irgb CasllB, in Wesimoialsnd, wlio tlvriVB iheit name and m i. », TlieT •tiow the fvtiinl in tlie ancient banquetin. lowet of Sisergh Ca»I|p, wiib wliich it is sMened by t: ■Ip, DadUion, llist llie rcdoutited chief Rt a tinicb the land b1 Pcv^'ii.t^'i'. 'I'ha wyoh nppeara furmisl for a giant's gia^p, ii not. however, wc Imagfiav t dau iban die dar> of Edwanl 111., and ereatly rHembJeg ihe «wa«4 I t Mase twIniiKiuE 10 lliat mnniiroli, wliinli in shown in W«Uiiin*lai AUi*/. Il | • more pnibublv ihni II pennined la Mr Ttaomat Siiickjand, wliu mtivmlerj tin ^Btntiaiu Edward in bil French cmnpaigDa, ilian U llie Nornian fouiidoi of biS tbaich fruin lliF Matthew of Wen>nin>vi, This ceremony ii ■ — le copyliold esoiics, Formetljf a turf fnm a : puicliMcr a legal lillr of puiwMion, MATILDA OF FLANDERS. 35 fion a full fortnight before the arrival of the Norman armament Harold was thus at liberty to direct his whole strength against his fraternal foe and Harfager; and the intelligence of his decisive victory at Stanford Bridge, where both Tostig and Harfager were defeated and slain, reached^ William four days after his landing at Pevensey,' while he lay entrenched ' in his wooden citadel, waiting for a communication from his confede- rates, before he ventured to advance farther up the country. On receiv- ing this un&vourable news, William manifested no consternation or sur- prise, but, turning to his nobles, said, ^^ You see the astrologer^s prediction was false. We cannot win the land without a battle ; and here I vow that if it shall please God to give me the victory, that on whatever spot it shall befall I will there build a church to be consecrated to the blessed Trinity, and to St Martin, where perpetual prayers shall be offered for the sins of Edward the Confessor, for my own sins, the sins of Matilda my spouse, and the sins of such as have attended me in this expedition, but more particularly for the sins of such as may fall in the battle.'' ' This vow greatly reassured his followers, and appears to have been considered by the valiant Normans as a very comfortable arrangement Hard work, however, it must have prepared for the priests, who had to sing and pray away the sins of all the parties specified, if we take into consideration who and what manner of people they were. Harold, meantime, was far beyond the Humber, and in high spirits at the signal victory he had obtained at Stanford Bridge, supposing at the same time that the duke of Normandy had delayed his threatened inva- sion till the spring,' as the &ther of Matilda had deceitfully informed him. But the intelligence of the arrival of these unwelcome guests was too soon conveyed to him, by a knight from the neighbourhood of Pe- vensey, who had heard the outcry of the peasants on the coast of Sus- sex, when they saw the great fleet arrive, and being aware of the project of the Norman duke, had posted himself behind a hill, where, unseen himself, he had watched the disembarkation of this mighty host, and their proceedings on the shore, till they had built up and entrenched their wooden fortress; which, being done with such inconceivable rapidity, appeared to him like the work of enchantment Sorely trou- bled at what he had seen, the knight girded on his sword, and taking lance in hand, mounted his fleetest steed, and tarried not by the way, either for rest or refreshment, till he had found Harold, to whom he communicated his alarming tidings, in these words : ^^ The Normans have come — they have landed at Hastings, and built up a fort which they have enclosed with a foss and palienides ; and they will rend the land from thee and thine, unless thou defend it well." * In the forlorn hope of ridding himself of his formidable invader, Harold offered to purchase the departure of the Norman duke, telling him ^ that if silver or gold were his object, he, who had enriched him- self with the spoils of the defeated king of Norway, would give him enough to satisfy both himself and his followers." ' Scucon AdimUs, Malmsbury. Simon Dunelm. Henry Huntingdon. Waoa. •Wac« '.^pdld. ^NV«tt^ y^ * MATILDA OF FLANDERS. ^^| Thanks for Harolirs feir words," replied Wniiam, "but I did nol bring 90 many teas inio ihis countn,- to chan^ ihem for his rtietlin*.' Hy purpose in coming is to claim ihis realm, which is mine, according to ihe gifi of king Edward, which was confirmed by Harold's oath." "Hay, but you ask loo much of ns, sire." returned the messenger, by whom t)ie pacific offer had been made ; '■ my lord is not so pressed that he should resign his kingdom at your desire. Ifarold will ^ve yott nothing but what you can take from him, unless in a friendly way, as ■ rondilion for your departure, which he is willing to purchase with iaise ctore of atlver and gold and line garments ; but if you accept not lila olfet, know that he is ready to give you balUe on Saturday nest, if yon be in the field on that day." * The duke accepted this challenge , and on ihe Friday evening pre- ceding that fatal day for the Saxon cause, Harold plained his ganfuuon on the very spot where Battle Abbey now stands. The Nornnns and English being equally apprehensive of attack during the season of daikness, kept watch and wanl timi night, but employed their vigils in a very difleient manner. The English, according to the report of contemporary chroniclere, kepi up their spirits with a riotous carouse, crying IVassatl and Dnnk htalf dancing, laughiiig, and gambling all night. The Normans, on ihe contrary, being in a devout frame of mind, made confessions of their sins, and employed the precious moments in recommending thcmselvM to the care of God. The day on which the battle was to lake placa being Saturday withal, they, by the advice of their spiritual directors, Tow^ed that if the victory were awarded to them, they \rould never inaro eat flesh on that day of the week : an obligation which, till very recently, was observed by the Catholics in England. " Odo, (he warrior bishop of Buyeux, William's half-brother by the BioAer's side, and Goisfred, bishop of Coutauces, received coufessioiWt 'ItUtowed benedictions, and imposed penances not a few." * Tlie battle joined on the 14ih of October, Harold's birth-day, on a •jwt about seven miles from Hastings, called Ueathfield, where tlie town of Battle now stands. When WUliam was arming for the encounter, in his haste and agitation he unwittingly put on his hauberk the hind part before." He quickly changed it : but, perceiving, from the looks of consternation among tlu bystanders, that his mistake had been observed, and construed into as omen of ill, he smilingly observed, " I hare seen many a man who, if such a thing had happened to him, would not have entered the bftttl^ field ; but 1 never believed in omens, nor have I ever pat my bith b (brtune>-tellers nor divinations of any kind, for my trust is in God. Id not ihis mischance discouisge you, for if this change import aught, it ■ ' Wace. A pl>y on words meeiuns (nnnu and thiihngt ; /», ine«iiitiB K ibi' U ■• well M ifae ooin ulled a. crown. ■BfalnuboiT. Matihow of ■WpBiminsier. Wao», "^bh heallh" and '•Drink be WlM. irilliam o( Vt&K MATILDA OF FLAlfDBRS. 37 that the power of my dukedom shall he turned into a kingdom— -yea) a king shall I be, who have hitherto been but a duke.'' * Then the duke called for the good steed which had been presented to him as a token of friendship by the king of Spain. Matilda has done justice to this noble charger, in her Bayeux tapestry. It is represented as caparisoned for the battle, and led by Gualtier Gi^brt, the duke's squire. There is in the same group the figure of a knight armed cap-d-pi^, in the close-fitting ring armour, and nasal conical helmet, worn by the Norman chivalry of that era, with a gonfanon attached to his lance, something afler the &shion of the streamer which forms part of the paraphernalia of the modem lancer, with this difierence only, that the gonfanon of the ancient knight was adorned with his device or armorial baring, and served the purpose of a banner or general ral- lying point for his followers. The knightly figure in the Bayeux tapestry, which I have just de- scribed, is generally believed to have been designed for the veritable effigies of the redoubtable conqueror of this realm, or at any rate as correct a resemblance of liim as his loving spouse Matilda could produce in cross-stitch. He is delineated in the act of extending his hand to greet his favourite steed. " The duke," says Wace, " took the reins, put foot in stirrup, and mounted ; and the good horse pawed, pranced, reared himself up, and curveted." The viscount of Toazay, who stood by, thus expressed to those around him his admiration of the duke's fine appearance and noble horsemanship : ' ^ Never," said he, ^ have I seen a man so fairly armed,, nor one who rode so gallantly, and became his hauberk so well, or bore his lance so gracefully. There is no other such knight under heaven ! A fair count he is, and a fair king he will be. Let him fight, and he will overcome : and shame be to him who shall fail him." ' The Normans were drawn up in three bodies. Montgomery and Fitz- Oshom led the first, Geoffrey Martel led the second, and the duke him- self headed the third, which was composed of the flower of Normandy, and kept in reserve till the proper moment for its most eflective advance should be ascertained by its skilful and puissant leader. Taillefer, the warrior minstrel of Normandy, rode gallantly at the head of the chivalry of his native land, singing the war-song of Rollo.* William had that day three horses killed under him, without losing a drop of his own blo(>d ; finding, however, that Harold had succeeded in rallying a strong body of men around him on one of the heights, with the evident intention of keeping possession of that vantage ground, till the approaching night should favour the Saxon's retreat, he made his last desperate charge upon the people of the land. In this attack it was supposed that Harold was slain by a random arrow, which was shot through the left eye into his brain. * Wace. • Ibid. • Ibid. Chronicle of the Dukes of Normand/. * MalmsbuTj. Matthew of Westminster. Henry Huntingdon. Speed. Rapin. Chronicle de Bello Will. Gemeticensis. VOL, 1. — 4 The »Ifl(rri(«ia duke pitched liie tent that niglil in the lielJ of the desilt which, in inemoiy of the dreadful slaughter that had dyeil the «»nh to erinison, was ever after called by him the vale of Sangurlae.' This fiercely coiilestei! baliie com William the lives of six thousand of his bravenl followers ; but Malmsbury, and other arrredited htstorikiu of thai lime, rale the loss of the Saxons at threescore tlionsand men.' When the duchesB-regcnl of Normnndy. Maiihla, receired the joyful tidings of the victory which her lord liad obiuinod nt Hasliiiga, she wu 'engaged in her devotions, in the chapel of the Benedictine priory nf Kotre Dame, in the fields near the suburbs of St. Sevre ; >iid after re- turning her thanksgivings to the God of battles, for llie success of hei ronson's arms, she ordered that the priory should henceforth he dJIcd, in memory of that circumslance, ^olrf Damt ds Bonws .\buvellc* And by that name it is distinguished lo this day.' The coronation of the mighty forefaiher of our present line of save> Teigns UTok place at WeBiminsler, on Monday the K5lh of Dt-ceniber. being Christmas-day. or, as it was colled by oiir Saxon ancestors, Mtd- •winter-dny. Splendid preparations were made in the sister cities of 'London and Westminster, for the celebration of the twofold fesiivgj, of the nativity of our Lord and the inauguration of the new sovereign. On fte afternoon of Christmas ere, William of Nommndy entered Uie city on hoTBeback, and was greeted by the acclatnaitons of the Londonen. Hb took Dp his lodgings that nighi at the palace iu Blackfriars, when Bridewell now stands. Early in the morning he went by water to Lundou-bndge, wiierc he landed ami proceeded In a house near London- ■tone, where, af^r reposing a while, he set forth with a stately CAvalcaiie 'gallanlty rauniitcd, and rode to Westminster, amidst the shouts of 8 'prodigious multitude, who were reconciled, by Uie excitement of titt pageant, to the idea of receiving for their sovereign a man whom natun had 80 admirably qualified lo set oflT the trappings of royidty.' - ■ Saxon Annals. Sp«ed. OnleriiMia ayt it wbb i:al1ud n Iohb hvlore Ihii *Tb* fallowing day wa* devoied by llie Norman conqueroti to Itji? iniotinent of ihvir iliwil 1 and Wiltiam bbtb laiie and lioeoca to tlie Eoii-n : ~- Croim llie liliD chanubte otllce to ilia rciiiBiin Rih was insJ» fbr ihe iKxty of Hatoli], bnl r (trippeil md gashed tliv viotims of the fliiht, so thai ii was diiKriii^ A«IW*ra lbs ronrtiU remaini of tb« Imtcr and llie serf. Giths. r'i< BaroliI, bad been lirrwtf unable to ideDlify th» boily of her bi^l'ivpH ''■n ; bni ibara wa* ons wbosa food eye ao chaoge iu ilie objoel of hn mffixtioa mold ^awive i this was a. Salon liuly of great beauiy, EJiUi, suiDanied &wans-Ral>i m tlie Swan-nmked ; she bad Girmoi ly been on ihose icims widi HaioliT whigh ilui tmdered hec only loo Ifaniiliar With bis )H!riiniial chnmcliiTistiiM. itnd by b« 'thir DOipse of liet folM lover was reoognised. Giihn. il is said, ofTprni to pw 'khaae il of William, at the piiceof iis Weight in gold; but he yieidnd ii witlioM ■ taoKHn to the afflicled moiher, either througb a grnaroii* impulse of cumpW- •■oil, or with * vi(>w of flonoiliating ihe kindred of Ihe deccoied. He nlso taab- ietcd a Nwiuan wUiei, wtio boasled of baviiig gaslied Uie leg of ihaineni — Death in prrson — WilMan BnbhBinsleBd — Triumphant lelom to NormanJ]' — Matilda awaiti — Triumphal Ndiduui ptogreMiu — R«tij1u in England — ^William Matilda icgoni — Einbarlu for England in a Bloim — Witliaoj isndi fa tilda— She airivea in England with hrr children — Het cDmnalion ai tct — Champion nl her Coronaiian — Biilh of her son Henr; — Bojrpu —Her dwarf atiut Torold— Her daughter beirothni to Earl Eitwiu- brobni — Queen Matilda's leiuin lo Nonnaiul)- — Regent tliore iIm ibint Bet paSBionalD toTo Ibr her eldest ion — Death n( her father — Dbsci hci brother* — III eUeuts of her ■Iwcuce — English miseries — Scparait tnenu of William nnd Matilda — King of France anacki Malilds — Uei BDvemmeni — Diaoonteni of Konnan lodiei — Somdaloui report* — Wi" ■appoaed conjugal infldelity — Malilda'i cruelly to hor rival — Duke of ~ bivaile* Hormandjr — Marriage trilli Matilda's second daugttm — Cieelj iMofeucd — DUsensioui in llie tofa! family — Matilda's gianialitjr •on Robeit — Uet sacMid son, Prime Richairl — His death — New ForeM. " Oi'K mistresa Madlda," m)** Williain of Poitoti,' ihe chaplain a Conqueror, "had alreadv BMumei] the name of queen, though ahs not yet crowned. She had governed Normandy during Ihe absem] her lonl with ^real prudence and sklU." So fimily, indeed. IukI anihorily been sustained, that, though ihe whole flower and streiigt Npnnandy had followed the fortunes of Uieir warlike duke to ihe aX of £n)(land, nut, one o! liie neighbouring princes had ventured to ■he duchess- regent. Il is true lliat her klnrman, the emperor Henry, had engaged, j of any aggression on the part of France or Brelagne, lo defend H«* ■Muuly with the whole strength of Germany ; and she alao had a po»- vfu) neighbour and protector in ihe curl of F'Landen, her JaLher; but peal credit was ccrutiuly due to her own political conduct, in kccpiif ue duchy free, boili from esu^nial cnihroilnicnt* aud internal sum, M •uch s momentous period. Her goTernmenl was very popular, n» vrtU M prosperous iu Nomundy,' where, surrounded by the most Ivajnod tneii of ihe age, she advanced, iu no slight degree, ilie progress of caiilH xstion ami retineiiient. The encourageinenl aflbrdcd by lurr to ana ami 'This elfganl auUior. wlio is alsii called Pii^tavicnsis, was atcbdmi'iia uf IjsiMU H» ChnuuJe of Uie ConqueM of England i> wrillen in verf Uuwiiic langiMH Ktemljr teKinbliug in style an hemic |K>em. It abounds With oulogiums on U( rofal pauon, but is ailnmelr valiialile on aixHimil of tlio petHiinl luslii>]t whld it eontaina, li i* wmotiinet ealied the Domestic Chronicle of Wtlliom oT Ifo —'^ *Oidefico* Viialit. William of PaUM, ■ ▲TILDA OF TLANDBR8. 41 letters, has won for this princess golden reports in the chronicle lore of that age. Well aware was Matilda of the importance which it is to princes, to enlist in their serrice the pens of those who possess the power of de- fending or undermining thrones, and whose influence continues to bias the minds of men aAer the lapse of ages. ^ This princess,'' says Ordericus Vitalis, ^ who derived her descent from the kings of France and emperors of Germany, was even more distinguished for the purity of her mind and manners than for her illus- trious lineage. As a queen she was munificent, and liberal of her gif^. She united beauty with gentle breeding and all the graces of Christian holiness. While the victorious arms of her illustrious spouse subdued an things before him, she was indefatigable in alleviating distress in every shape, and redoubled her alms. In a word, she exceeded all com- mendations, and won the love of all hearts." Soch is the character which one of the most eloquent and circum- stuitial historians of the eleventh century has given of Matilda. Tet Ordericus Vitalis, as a contemporary witness, could scarcely have been ignonot of the dark stain which the first exercise of her newly acquired power in England has led upon her memory. The Chronicle of Tewkesbury,^ which states that Brihtric Meaw, the lord of the honour of Gloucester, when he resided at her father's court as ambassador from Edward the Confessor,' had refused to marry Ma- tflda, adds, that in the first year of the reign of William the Conqueror, Matilda obtained from her lord the grant of all Brihtric's lands and honours, and that she then caused the unfortunate Saxon to be seized at his manor of Hanelye, and conveyed to Winchester, where he died ir. prison and was privately buried.' Thus, then, does it appear that Matilda, after having filled for fourteen years a most exalted station, and enjoying the greatest happiness as a wife and mother, had secretly brooded over the bitter memory of the slight that had been ofkred to her in early youth, for the purpose of inflicting the deadliest vengeance in return, on the man who had rejected the love she had once condescended to ofier. This circumstance is briefly related, not in a general, but a topogra- phical history, without -comment, and it is in no slight degree confirmed by the recoitls of the Domesday-book, where it appears that Avening, 'Chron. Tewkesbury Bib. Cottonian MSS. Cleopatra, c. 111. Mouasticoa, vol. iiu p- ^9. Lelamrs Coll., vol. i., p. 78. i • The Author of the continuation of Brut, born in the same age, and written ia the reign of Henry L, son of this queen, thus allmles to this circumstance : — *^Lii quele jadis quant fu pucelle, Ama un conte d'Angleterre, Brihtric Mau, le oi noraer, Apres le roi ki fu riche ber, A lui la pncell envoeia mcssager. Pur sa amour a lui procurer : Mait Brihtric Maude refusa.'' * Chionicle of Tewkesbury. Thierry's Anglo-Normans. 4* Who when she was maiden Loved a count of England, Brihtric Mau he was named, Except tlie king was no richer man. To him the virgin sent a messenger His love for her to obtain : But Brihtric Maude refused. H&TltHA OF rLAXDERf. Tew1(e*liury, Fairford., Thnrnhury. ^Vliircn burst, and rarinns other pc»- Besainris In Gloiic«slershire. lielong;iiig lo Brihtrir, ttie sun of AlffBr, wen pwited Ml Matilda by ihe Comjueror, and. after ber deaih. rcverliti)^ lo the crown, were by Willuun again btntuw ed on their iecond son, Willkn Rnfna.' Alaiilda, moreover, deprived Glouceainr of its charter and civic tibei^ ties, merely becauw il was the ciiy of ibe nnfcirtunnte Brihiric — perhspn, for sbowing annie sign of rescntnient fur his fate. We feur tbal the first of our Normal) queens must, on this evidencn. •land conxiettd of ihe crime of wrong and robberj", if not of mlmdntr inunler; and if tl liad been posMible to make a posl-mortem exaininalkNi ; on the body of ilie nnfonnnaie son tif Algar, sufficient reason nuglil have btwn seen, perhaps, for the piinw nainre of his interment AH this wrong wn« done hy agency ; for, If dates be correct, Matilda hx) not yet eniored Englani!. A few (bys afler his cnronalton, Williiun, fecting some rea!ners, withdrew to his old (jiiartera at BnrkhnmalwA where he kept liis court, and suecenled in diaving round him many ti the moct inlluential of the Saxon princes and thanes, lo whom, in letim lor their osihs of allegiance, he resiorcd their estates and honoun^ His next step, for the nintual saii«faciion of his Nonnan followen •nd Saxon subjects, was to lay the foundation of the chtrrch and ahbey ef St. Mnitin, now called Daiile Abbey, ivhere perpetual prayers wen directed in t>e aliened up. for tlie repuse of the souls of all who had fallen in lliai sanguinary coiillict The iiigh aliar of this magnificent monument of the Nonnao tictnnr was wt up on the very spot w bore Harold's body was found, or, aecocii- ing lo others,' whcip be first pitched bis gonfanon. Tranqnillity wm now restored in England, or things werci fast pro- l^reeaing to that most desired consnmrnaiion. William having betn now 't monib* separated from hi> wife and family, his desire to rtnbnec Ihem once mure, and to display to his Norman subjects his newljr Kquired grandeur, induced him lo revisit his native cuuntr}-, at a tine when it woulil liave been far more conducive to his interests to have f mnAined in England, Previoirs to his depnrtum, he placed strong Nor- aian garrisons in all his awt\e* ; be appointed his half-brother. Odo, 'bishop of Bayeux,* with his faithful kinsman and friend, William Fio- L Osbarn, r^cnla of England ; and carrinl with him to Motninndy all ibe pleading men among the Anglu-SaxonB, Among these were Edgar Alhd- ■JDg, Morcar, Edwin, and Wallheor.' These lords, who cenaiidy hail ni Pwisb to become the companions of his voyage, were not over-pleased W Bi the idea of swelling the pride of the Normans, by forming a part of r William's triumphant pageant. ' " Inft™ •rripta* lerru ("nnil Bnlitiu! el poM Begina Maliida."- BOfc, ami. il, p, I"n. Hlmory i>f GlnuceWe;. ■ Milinilnirr. Wniinni of Poiiou. ■ TliF ton of hi> mattier Arlona, bf Heilewin or ContcTillv. • WiUam of Fduu. Malaibwiy. S-Duiwlm. Wabuvhso. X-tfOSau^K J illmra wu detrrminfid to spend llie Easier festival in Norma ndjit ^^M hia qtieen; anil reckless of tlie seeds of diaifleclion and disgMt ^^ h he was iiowirig in ilie husnins of tiis new subjecis, he re-cm Iwrkwl ^H -_ M>Jt Munu to the month of March, 1U67. uicl with the most splendid ' I 4m tfae Mem, to the month of March, 1067, uicl with the most splendid emnp*iiy ihai ever sailed from England, he crossed ihe seas, and landed un hi« natiTC shore, a little below the abbey of Fescamp. ^laiilila was already there, with her children,' in readinesi to receive ■nd wplrome her illustrious lord, who was greeted with the most ejithll- ■uatir niptare by all ola- ilucbem.* Meanwhile, EiigUiiU, in addition to all the recent horrora of "4rmid rapine, wna suHeriug at one and the same time the evils atienil- aai on a system of aliscriteeism, and the oppressive weight of a foreign irokt:. The spirit of freedom was crushed, but not extinguished, among llw|itopIa of tlie land; and ihe absence of the Conqueror was rcgunln.,' ■■ ■ bvoarablo opportunity for expelling tlie unwelcome locusts '*h»j^^B bd fuitetied upon ihe Und, and were devouring its fatness ; and a sev*A^^H ftot was in ngiiation, fur a simultaneous rising throughout Englantl, filV-^H dw porpoM nf a general massacre of the Normans/ Bat though the ^| Mror w WiUiain's aL'iual presence was wiilidrawn for a season, he kept V ■ strict espionage on iho proceedingH of the English. The first MMnr of what was going on among them, roused him from the career mD7 SM, he sailed from Dieppe on the Olh of December.^ On the 3lb lie arrived al Winchelsea. ami proceeded inimediaiely to London, to Iw emuiemation of the luaj contents, who thought they were sure of Um for Ihe winter season. % kept diriitmss in London, ami though he used very prompt and MATILDA OF FLA I mergetic mMsures fur crushing ihf L reception lo such of the English prelates and nobles as veiiiured lo atiend I iiis summons. After the Huppresaion of ihe revolt caused by the imposition of D«ne> gelt, Williitni, perceiving the disadvantages attendant on a queenle^s court, and feeling withal the greatest desire to enjoy the aocieiy of his heuulifitl consorii despatched a noble company into NomiAndy, to conduct Matilda and her children, to England.' She joyfully obeyed the welcome man- date of her lord, and crossed the aea, with a stately cortege of nobiM, Itoights, and Indies.' Anions; l^c learned clerks hy whom she was ■!• tendiMl was the celebrated Gui, bishop of Amiens, who had distinguished himself by an heroic poem on llie defeat and fall of Harold. Matilda arrived in England soon after Easter, in the month of April, 1068. and proceeding im mediately lo Winchester, was received witfi great joy by her lord; and prepnmtions were instantly commenced fot her coronation, which was appoititeil to take place in tliat city on Whit- Sundsy.* The great festivals of the church appear in the middle agn lo hnve been considered by the English as peculiarly auspicious days for llie solemnization of coronations and marriages, if we may judge l>y the frequency of their occurrence at Uiose seasons. Sunday was generally chosen for n cnronationtlay. William, who had been exceedingly anxious to share his newly acquired honours with Matilda, chose to be re-crowned at the same tims, |fl render the pAgeant of her consecration more imposing; and farther to conciliate the atfections of his English subjects, he repeated for the secuod time the oath by which he engaged to govern with justice and modm- lion, and to preserve inviolate that great piLlladiuni of English liberty, thi right of trial by jury.* This coronation was far more splendid than that which had preceded it in Westminster Abbey, at William's first inauguration, where the ■!>• cence of the queen and her ladies deprived the ceremony of much of ia brilliancy, and the alarming conflagration hy which it was intemipwd must have greatly abridged the pomp and festivities that had been anii- cipntcd on that occasion. Here everything went off auspiciously. Ii was in the smiling season of the year, when the days were long and bright, without having attained to the oppressiveness of summer lieaL The company, according to the report of contemporary historians, wM exceedingly numerous and noble ; and the Conqueror, who a|ipt«is to have li««n in a wonderfully gracious mood on that day, was very sprii^d* snd facetious on the occasion, and conferred favours on all whosolicilM. The graceful and majestic person of queen Matilda, and the number mi beauty of her line children, channed the populace, and every one pmtm was delighted with the order and regularity with which lliis sttractin pageant was conducted.' The nobles of Normandy attended their dachees to die church ; bat ' Oideiicus Vitalii. ■ Ibid. *FlotPnc(i of WmcMier. S. Dunelm. M. Weetminiur. * jL JJHoaliii. tiaioa CluDniclo. 'Hendema. -^h MATILDA OF FLANDSmS* 45 titer the cn>wn was placed on her head by Aldred, archbishop of York, she was served by her new subjects, the English. The first occasion on which the office of champion was instituted, is said to have been at this splendid coronation at Winchester, where Wil- tiam caused his consort to be associated with himself, in all the honours m them, by heirship, descended to the Dymocks of ScriTtf^ljibye.— See Dugdale. The armorial bearings of the Marmions, from the performance of this great feudal service, were, sable, an arming sword, the ^ini in chief argents— Glories of Regality. MATILDA OP FL\M)EBS. F n^nyin^ every hsppinea* ■» a wifp, a mniher. and a queen, secntpd \n be plnceil at the very autnmil of earthly prosperity. Whnlher tl be by utciilent, or owing to a close aitenlion lo ihr rmliii- Iie Mw before him, il is certain that the antique limner who drevi Matii* da's portraili has reprexented the organ ol' construe liveneM in her lind* Ki very decldcclly developed. U is singular, loo, thai of (his propensity, tier laates and pursuiia aflbrded remarkable instances, in the noble ecele- ■ia«ticnl bnitdings of which she was ihe foundress ; and In her iiii^eiiioiH Kod trurioiis example of indnsiry. in the Bajeux lapeslry, wherein *h* has wrought the epic of her husband's exploits, from Harold's first lwid> ing in Normandy lo his Hill at Hastings. !i is, in fact, n most important historical document, in which the evenU and costume of that momentous period have been fbiihrully presrtvnl te us, by the indefatigable fingers of the lirst of our Norman queens, and certainly deserves a parlieuliir description. This curious monument of antiquity is still preserved in ihe catbedtd of BayeUK, where it is distinguished by ihe name of -^ the duke of Nor- niandy's toilette ,-" which simply means the duke's ^real eloili. It is a piece of canvas, about nineteen inches in breadih, but upwanh of sixty-seven yards in length, on which, as we have said, is cmhroidemi the liislory of the Conquest of England hy William of Nunnimdy, com- piencing with ihe visit of Harold to the Norman court, and ending with his deaili at the baule of Hastings, 1 060, The leading transactions of these eventful yeare, the dealh of Elilwari the Confessor, and the coronation of Harold, in the chamber of tlie ruyil dead, are represenied in the clearest and most regular order, in this pieM of needlework, which contains many hundred dgures of uien. horaes, birdii, beasts, trees, houses, castle?, and churches, all executed in their proper colours, with names and inscriptions over ihcm, to elucidate thf ■ton-.' I'hia pictorial chronicle of lier mighty consort's achievements n|^Maa 'TUa Bafcux taj>e»iTy lisi Intel]' brrn mur^ti liie fulypcl of mntrovprsjr udooi nme Imriinl iiulivulunl>, who tuo ilomrmined to Hcpriro MoiiMii iiC l.-'r i^iil^- I Ikiaiuy fiUDF, as liic pciwn Bvni wlicim Uiis yjifcimsu ofreniBle eL." notu.!. MonUkuaiui, Tliierry. Plmiirhe, DiHtatcortaoisuiliuriii», maybequDied in support of tlie hi--i' . I mi it vat the work ol' Malilda aad Iier lailiei. The brief liiij< - t are iinnftned in tli««e Bingrnpliiea, will nol admil of our cnieriDC >i. W or tbMs who dirpute the flKi, thooiih we have esnnillf einriiiri>- I I jmh Dcunvaled wiih pDlirjr and aaioua?, we vponire u tbiak aur Inunad frlswk | iicbiKiUigiiU and antiqiMriei, would do well in direct ihrir i mice maaouline objMits uf inquiry, and lMVpiliFqiiEfti.->:i ' bpntrjr, (wiib aJl oibot matter* allipil lo uudle-craft,) to ihe ' Mies to whoH piVTioRe ii peuubarly balou^i. Ii is manet of i<' < ttirr ono out of Ihs majif gaiitlomeii who b»e diipated UatiUii .- work. If called upoa to axevule * copy of either of ihe figures on >. inow how 10 put ill ilw fliei itjuh. The whole of the Beyeui Upi'nir roElntrrl, and ttoknifcd like the onglnnl. by ihe Sociely at Aritii|uaTios, whs, (liry liad done nottiins «)>b to merii the appiubabou of the hisiaricBl world, r i>*» i/itawitJ il Hw this atane. •rha,ir I i MATILDA OF PLANDBB8. 4T to have been, in part at least, designed for Matilda by Tnrold, a dwarf inist, who, moved by a natural desire of claiming his share in the cele- brity which he foresaw would attach to the work, has cunningly intro- duced his own effigies and name, tHus authenticating the Norman tradi- tion, that he was the person who illuminated the canvas with the proper outlines and colours.' It is probable that the wife of the Conqueror, and her Norman ladies, were materially assisted in this stupendous work of feminine skill and patience, by some of the hapless daughters of the land, who, like the Grecian captives described by Homer, were employed in recording the story of their own reverses, and the triumphs of their haughty foes. About this period William laid the foundation of that mighty fortress and royal residence, the Tower of London, which was erected by a priestly architect and engineer, Gundulph, bishop of Rochester. He also built the castle of Hurstmonceaux, on tlie spot which had, in the first insttince, been occupied by tlie wooden fort which he had brought over from Normandy, and, for the better security of his government, built and strongly garrisoned many other strong fortresses, forming a regular chain of military stations, from one end of England to the other.' These pro- ceedings were regarded with jealous displeasure, by such of the Anglo- Saxon nobles as had hitherto maintained a sort of passive amity with . their Norman sovereign, and they began gradually to desert his court. Among the first to withdraw from the royal circle were the mighty Saxon brethren, Edwin and Morcar. They were the darlings of the people, and secretly favoured by the clergy. A third part of England was under their authority, and the reigning prince of Wales was their nephew. William had in the first instance endeavoured, by the most insidious caresses^ to conciliate Edwin, who was the youngest of the two, and remarkable for the beauty of his person, and his noble and engas^ing qualities. The Conqueror had actually promised to give him one of his daughters in marriage.' When, however, the young nobleman demanded his bride, he met with a denial, at which he was so much exasperated, that he retired with his brother into the north, where they organized a plan with the kings of Scotland and Denmark, and the princes of Wales, for separate but simultaneous attacks upon William, in which the disaf- ferfecl Saxons were to join. The prompt and energetic measures of the Conqueror defeated their projects before they could be brought to matu- rity ; the brother earls were compelled to sue for pardon, and obtained a deceitful amnesty. ' I1:icrry'8 History of the Anglo-Normans. Tlie figures were, in foot, always preparefl fot tapestry work by some skilful artist, who designed and traced them ont in tlie same colours tlint were to be used in silk or woollen by the cmbroi* d4"ress ; and we are told in the life of St Dunstan, ** that a certain religious lady, beinir moved with a desire of embroidering a sacerdotal vestment, earnestly en- trcat'.*d tlic future chancellor of England, who was tlien a young man in an ob« icuTv the baitle presi ; if gunnliin angel mayiAt be, Wbo woui me on hot breast. To bim the tnie-heaiteiJ ma)' the prove, OGo(l, lolbee I pny: Ai ihii talinnan wu found where earl Edwin Tell, tati beiud of^ ci the laily lie loved, wlio had, in all ptol»biliiy, bcrn ' 1 ORU Iphua. Malrn,btiir> Brom pUm . ■ InKuIphiu. HalkcL Eadmer. Saion Annali. •iatui^nr. UalieL PalyJote Teitpl. Milli. Bcsdy. But it fDrgeifnl of her vowi, (May Heaven avert ihe iLodkUI*) Sim lell ihii love.chann orhet*pauM Wliich never coald be bou^^ IT of her own free wit This talis man away Mny Edwin'i life no [onger Ui^ To rue thai fatal day." Ul!) i IT, Bt least, where he « I poueisioD of MATILDA OF FLAV (Into the hands of very conscientious Norman pleatlera, they wei Bccd lo ihe superior interesi of iheir opponents, nnd, for aught ihsi d w\\ to the cootrery, liie advocates wliom ihey hod paiil migh^ ■ rmployed their eloquence on the contrary side, or, at the least, ' brtnying nil the weaker points of their clients' causes. It yna the earaest desire of our Norman sovereigns lo silence th( Suton tongue for ever, by substituting in its place the Normal) dialed vbtch was a mistare of French and Danish.' It was, however, fount. , to be a more easy thing to subjugaie the land, than to suppress the natu-', ml language of the people, k change was all that could be eflecled, am) (hat change was on amnlgBmaiion between the two languages, tha % i mians grxiiially acquiring as many of the Saxon words and idioma :li(? Anglo-Saxons were compelled lo use of theirs. Letin was used . ilie Irumed as a general medium of communication, and thus became, 111 A (light degree, mingled with the parlance of the more refined portion I'l nieteEy. From these mingled elements our own copious and expressivs IsDgiugc was in process of time formed. (>nr of the Conqueror's moat diffieuit undertakings was the reduction, ' f the Ifle of Ely. which had been fortified with the most consummate ilitary skill, by llio Saxon patriot, Herewanl, who was accounted one !' ihe bravest champions and most accomplished leaders. Tlif unsettled slate of England had the efleci of dividing William , ,,- I. .loved queen, and forced them for a considerable lime to — he in England, and she in Normandy. meantime, who appears to have possessed no inconsiderabla, . ilie art of government, had conducted the regency of Nop- iniJy, ihiring oil tlie troubles in which her lord was involved, with .-^1 nnideneeand address. She had been placed in a position of pecu- ir difficulty, in consequence of the revolt of the provinre of Maine, -r.it the combined hostilities of the king of France and the duke of Bre- iL'Tip, nho had taken advantage of the manner in which William wwi, 'i-apied with the Scotch invasion and the Sason revolt, to attack hb^ iiiincnui] dominions; and Matilda was compelled to apply to her' '■•vja lord for succour. William immediately despatched the son of ' iz-0«botn to assbt his fair regent in her military arrangemenia for iho ' VThito ibe Provenful languagfl waa yec in iu iiiAiiiGr in Iha Souih of Franae, ' Ranwice WhIIooq, or Lalin. corrupted by Gurniau, u'hs lbs dialtrui ipukeii 1^ Konli of Franee, and, wilh a further iniiiuiB of None, becnme Iho polite . A lartieal laJigunge of the ducal court of Narmandy. It woa called the langitt u, ii£uc of Dili, from its alBrmative. Tlie appellBtioo of WbIIooii was ;!;•*( from Ihs word Waalchland, the name by which Iho Gecmaiu to this dsy nup iHily. William the Conqupror waa to murJi attached to tta« Rnmiiiica am, ttiai be encouraged in litcmuie amoa;; liu lubjcnia, snJ Ibrceil il un -i !acl>*li by means of rigorous snictmcnis, in place of tlie aaciDQI Saion, J b elowlf rnemblcd lh« Norse of liii awu auceeloto. It was IVoin Nat< I Madf that Iho flni poeu in the French language tprang. A djgcn of the Inuri •kM William irapoted on hii Eiigli«li subjocu, is iho most ancient work eiisi- kvklbcBonianMi Walloon. Then Ihe Book of Biut, a rabuloiis hiiiory of tliu *" as; asxt Woee't Romuioe da Ron, oi Hiitory nf Hollo: Ibe word ramann imt namtive, and not a Action. i I I MATILDA OF PLAKDERS. ^ defence of Normandy, and eipedilcJ a prate ivith tite king o[ Scotland, tlial he might the sooner cothb lo her aid iii person, with his veteran The Nonnan ladies were at that period extremely mBlcanteiil at the long-protracted abBence of their lords.' The wife of Hugh GranimesDil, the govemor of Winchester, had causeJ tliem great uneasiness, by the reports which she had circulateil of ihe infidelities of their husbands. These representations had induced the indignant dames to send peremp- tory inestages, for the immediate retiini of their lords. In some instances liie warlike Nonnans had yielded obedience to ttieso conjugal laandates, and rMurned home, greatly to the prejudice of William's ai&irti in Eng- land. This was the aim of ihri lady of Grantmesnil, who had for some reason conceived a particular ill-will against her sovereign; and, tiol contented with doing everything in her power to incite his Norman sub- jects to revolt, she had thought proper to cast the most injurious aspei^ eions on his cliaracter aa a husbajid, and ioainuaied that lie luid made an attempt on her virtue.' Giiha, the mother of Harold, eagerly caught at these reports, which she a said to have taken great pleasure in circulating. She communi- caled them to Sweuo, king of Denmark, and added, thai the reason why 31erle3wen, a Kentish noble of some importance, had joined the laic revolt in England, was, because the Xorman tyrant had dishonoured his lair niece, the daughter of one of the canons of Conierburj',' This tale, whether false or true, came in due course to Malilda^s ears, and caused the first conjugal diOerencc that had ever arisen between her and her lord. She waa by no means of a temper to take any affront of the kind patiently, and it is said ihal she caused the unfortunate damsel la he put to death, with circumstances of great cruelty.* Heame, in his notes to Robert of Gloucester, furnishes us with a curious sequel to this tale, extracted from a very ancient chronicle among the Cottonian MSS^ which, aAer relating " that the priest's daughter was privily slaia b confidential servant of MaliUla, the queen," adds, " tliat the ConqiM was so enraged at the barbarous revenge taken by his queen, tlialj his return to Normandy, lie beat her with his bridle so severely, i _^^ she soon after died.^' Now, it is certain Matilda lived full leu yeus aAer the period at which this matrimonial discipline is said to have been inflicted upon her by the strong arm of the Conqueror; and the worthy chronicler himself seems to regard that part of the tale as apocryphal, and merely relate* it as one of the current reports of the day. We are willing to hope that the sioiy altogether has originated from the scnn- dolous reports of that malign busy-body of the eleventh century, the lady Grantmesnil; though at the same time it is lo be feared, that H woman who waA capable of inJUciing such deadly vengeance on.^ Uiatiji^^ ' Onl«rietis Viulii. Mnlmsbuiy. ' Henderson. Oideii ' HendetMn'i Liiit of ihi? Conqueror. Ii must lie lemembeted that tli« n nagpi of the Enitlish clergy were slloired hj ihe Angl^^uoa Catliolle C a quaner of ■ cetimiy BHerwanli. ■uwtl Kbi u be hanuinuig. — Rapin. Eradenan h;* Hslilda oi^fvad X A T I ). D A FLANDERS nofortDMt^ Saxon nobleman who had been ihe objecl of her earliest s fivtioiu, wouM ntil have heen very scrupulous in her dealingB with iVidmIp whom she siupceted of having rivalled her in hor husband's r^^ gnrd. At tliis distance of time it is impossible, after most careful inve«- ligpitiiin, tO speak with any certainty, as to the degree of credit which may be attar.h«d to this dark talc ; but as il is recorded by several of ihe (ilil«st clironiclerv. it becomes a matter of duty in the biographers of MalilJa of Flanders to relate it, and leave the readers to form likeir own William was attended, on his voyage to Normandy, by a great mili- ury retinue; matiy English aa well as Norman troops accompanieJ hiiD,' and performed good service for him, in the reduction of the rebel pt»>vm« of Maine. The king of France made a liasty retreat before the WTor of his ^vB^lil(.e neighbour's arms, and peace was quickly restored rcle of William's continental dominions. le of anger or mistrust liad occurred, during their long sepa- ia, to interrupt itie conjugal happiness of Matilda and her husband, m but a passing cloud, for historians all agree that they were living her in a ataie of the moat alTeciionBte union, during the year 1074, B pun of which was spent by the Conqueror with his family in Nor- * It wns at this period that Edgar Aiheling came to the court at J make a voluntary submisaion to the Normau sovereign, and to ia forgiveness for the several insurrections in which he had been The Conqueror freely accorded aa amnesty, treated him with ilness, and pensioned him with a daily allowance of a pound of . fi the hope tliat tliia amicable arrangemeut would secure his ' iMiuBient in England from all future disturbances. He was mistaken : nih troubles had already broken out in that quarter, but this lime they )racMil«l from his own tnrbulent Norman chiefs; one of them, willul, w» Iha eon of his great ftvourite and trusty kinsman, Filz-Osbom ; who *Mdef(vted and taken prisoner* by the nobles aud prelates of Worcester. The Dmiab fleet, which had vainly hovered on the cuaal, waiting for a ^mI to land trwps to assist the conspirators, was fain to retreat without weting its objecL As for the great Sajton earl, Waltheof, who had ^ dimwn bto the plot, and betrayed by his Norman wife. Judith, to til mxlt, the Conqueror, he was, after a long suspense, beheaded on a {•ground, jusi without the gales of Winchealur ; being the first ' ' " nan who had died by the band of a public executioner.' 'Iliiri. Malmfbuty, Ssxaa Annals. ilsLinslnny. Brociiplon ion Iff bit iovercign, nud. berorc this (ol of oontumwIJV A CiTOUt. He was oiil]' puniilied Willi iiii|iIiMnmoni, [o ■cr, Altrr a lime Ids royal muier, as a lokaa thai he him, >cnl liiiii n eotily siiil or clolhes ; but FiO-Ogborn, ii|' i» pBlgfiir ni'linnwIi^ilKmcnti Tor tliij preunl, ordered a ius* i, f n iha prcMMu^ ur ihp moasvager, tnimed the rii^li ilisoltinl u]ireMiiint of coniempl. Wiliinm wiu very W in wliieli Ilia luiwonieil grBiiousnem waj received by hji II inflictod no eeveiei punittinicai thiia n lengthened tttm of jlomlvraoii. •Ordciicus Vimlu. ^.nnals. ^^H intumwlj'il^^H t,rorbtoH il he WW ^M ■born, ii|~ ^H ^d a bust ^1 {(nnnenli, HATtLDA OF FLANDERS. ^^ William next pursued hig Norman irnitnr, Ralph Je Gtiader, to Uie cnntinenl, and besie^ him iu the cily of Dol, where he had taken refiigc. The young duke of Bretagne, Allan Fergeant, assisted also by the king of Trance, came with a powerful army to the sutcour of the besieged eorl ; and William was not only compelleil in raise the siege, but to Abandon his ifnis and baggage, to the value of lilleen thousand pounds. Hi« diplomatic talents, however, enabled him to extricate himself from (he enibarrassing stiaic in which he had placed himself; and a pocilie ttcaiy was entered into, between him and the valiant young duke of Brcingne, the conclusion of which was a marriage between Alan and his daughter Constance. This alliance was no less advantageous lu tlie princely bridegroom, than agreeable to William and Matilda. The nup- tials were celebrated with great pomp, and ilic bride was dowered with all the lands of Chester, once the possessions of the unfortunate eatl Edwin, who hod formerly been coniracied to one of her sisters.' At the close of this year died Edilha, the widow of Edward the Con- fessor. She had retired to a convent, hut was treated with the respect and honour of a queen-dowager, and was buried by the side of her royal husband, in Westminster Abbey. She was long survived by her ^nfo^ tunate sister-in-law, Algilh, the widow of Harold, llie other Saxon queeu- dowager, who, having had woful experience of the calamities of great- ness, and the vanity of eanhly disiinciions, voluntarily resigned her royal title, and passed the residue of her days in obscurity. In the year 1075, William and Mnlilda, with their family, kept the festival of Easter with great pomp, at Fescanip, and attended in person the profession of their eldest daughter Cicely, who was there veiled ■ nun, by the archbishop John.' "■ Tliis royal maid," says Ordericus Vh talis, "* had been educated with great c«re, in the convent of C«en, when shr was instructed in all the learning of the age, and several aciencu She was consecrated to the holy and indivisible Trinity, and took thi veil under the venerable abbess Matilda, and faithfully conformed to al the rules of conventual discipline. Cicely succeeded this abttess in hei ofHce, havii:g, for fourteen years, maintained the highest rcpuiation for mnctily and wisdom. From the moment that she was dedicated to God by her fiither, she became a true servant of the Most High, and conlinueil a pure and holy virgin, attending to the pious rules of her order, for > period of fifty-iwo years." Soon after the profession of the lady Cicely, those fiital divisions beeu to appear in the royal family, of which Matilda is accused of havuig sown the seeds, by tile injurious partiality which she hod shown for Boben, her first-bom. Thia prince, having been associated with his royal mother, in iki regency of Normandy, from the age of fourteen, had been brought more into public than was perhaps desirable, at a period of life when presuro))- tnous ideas of self- importance are only too apt to inflate the mind. Bo- bert, during his father's long absence, was not only emancipated from all I Control, but had accuetomej himself to exercise the functions of a acn^ a AnimltL &. Dunelm. Malrasbuty. 'Otdericua Vialis. Mnluub-iiJ MATILDA OF FLANDERS. 55] rnga, in ITnnnanily, by anticipBtion, and to receive the homage and Aaucry of all ranks of people, in the dominions lo which he was iha hrir. The Conqueror, il seeme, huiI promised that lie woiilJ one day lieatDw ihe duchy ofNoimandy on him; and Roberl, hnving rcpreBcnted the dncul majesty for nearly eight years, considered himself an injured' penon when his royal father took tlie power into his own hands once more* utd nacled from him the obedience of a subjerL, and the duty of ■ son.' There was nI»o a jealous rivalry between Robert and his two youager brnthers, Willioui Rnfua and Henr>-. William Rufus, noiwith- namling his rode, lioisi^roua manners, and the apparent recklessness of hi» disposition, had an abundant share of world-craft, and well knew how to adapt himeelf (o his lather's humour, so that he was no less a Eirouriie with the Conqueror than Robert was with Matilda. Robert was A prince of a generous disposition, but of an irritable lempenuncnt, uriiiid, and i]uick to Ijike offence. From his low stature his faliier had ' .''iwed on him the Cf^nonicn of Court-hoee,' and this appellation, like names ilerired from some personal peculiarity, was, no doubt, very /li'iising to a hauglity young man, and tended in no slight degree ta i'lisc the mortilication attendant on the loss of power, and to create ::tiu;Bof ill-will against his royal sire. He had, withal, many injurious I n-n and pretended friends, among the dissipated young nobles of uiiondy, wbd took every occasiou to porsuade him that lie was un rnl person, especially with regard lo the province of Maine. Robert ; in his infancy been espoused to Margaret, the heiress of Herbert, iha carl of that province. The little countess died while they were yet lUlren, and William of Normandy, who had, during hor minority, i'-.;'it her lands under his wardship, annexed them to his own dominions I'lT her death. When the juvenile widower became of age, he consi- ' >Tt-d hinmelf entitled lo the earldom and lands of Maine, in right of his i!<~ccsMd wile, and chtitned them of his father, who put him off with fair words, bnt withheld the territory, though the people of Maine demanded Robert for their lord ; and at the surrender of the revolted city of Mans, it ms amouff the articles of capitulation, that he should receive the in- rcslitnre of the eurldom. Thia condition was violated by the Conqueror, who had no mind to part with any portion of his acquisitions during hia ; veiifying, in this its in every otlier action, the predictions of the • at his birth, " that he wotdd grasp everything witliin his reach, ^ M which he had once grasped he would keep."' I ihe year 1070, while Matilda and William were with their family, p castle of L'Aigle, their two younger sons, William and Henry, in ^_ IDB play, threw some dirty water from the balcony of an upper TrjSnment, on Robert and aome of hia partisans, who were walking in cnutl below. The fiery heir of Normandy construed this act of \ i^h folly into an act of studied contempt; and being just then in an irritable and excited frame i>f mind, lie drew his sword, and ruclied np twitb a threat of taking deadly vengeance on the youthful itans- * who had ollered this insult to him before the whole coui^ fiMMIw at a|Miat« ^kn pi I I isVii^Ia. tftobert ofGloiuieinr. ■ Oidericiu Titalit \ I \ ^88 MATILDA OF PLANDERB. ^J This occssioned ■ prodiginua tniniili und uproar in the ciwilr. ari'I noiliing but the presence aoil stern authorJly of ihc king, who, heBrtni; ihc BiBim. burst into the loom wilh his Jrawn swunl in hiii hnnil, rouli' Iinve prevcntcil Tatal consequences.' Robert, not obtaining the attisraMion he expected, for the afTroiit hr had received, privaicly retired from ihe conn thai Tery evening. foUoiral by a pnriy of the youn^ nobility whom he had atlarhed to his cause.' Eicharil, the second son of William and Matilda, dofs not sppcar to hare taken any part in tliese quarrels. He was ihe ptipi! of the Immeii I^infranc, and w«s probably occupied with siudions pursnits, ns he is taid to have been a prince of great promise, and of an aniiable dii>pwi- tion.* He died in England, in tlie flower of his youth. Acrorditig Id popular tradition, he was gored by a stag, while hunting in the Nes Forest, which caused his death; bui some hisioriaiiB record thai he died of a fever, occasioned by the mnlaria in the depopulated district of Hamp- ehlre, at the time when so many thousands of llic unfonnnate Saxo(t> perished by famine, in consequence of having been drivrn from then tiomcs, when tlie Conqnernr converted that once fertile pan of F.ni^lani! into n chase, for the enjoyment of his fevourite amusement of hnnlinf- Princc Richard was buriL-cing CTit receiveil i>om WiltUun't lyrannir. Who frame'l taw> lo keep (hose beaiu he planted then. UU tawlesi will (rota hcD«c brfore hnil driven men : Tlisl where tlie Bwili wsi wsimeil will] Winipt's len&l ttt*. Hie mclaneholi« bare now totms in tantitcKl brnko and briers; And Oft liles of fhnicliei, grown with nellies, fein, and woedi. Sands now ihv aged raaiiiDh trunk, whire ploughmen cast Haiii ' The people Were, by Williaro horo, cut off IVoin everytnule: That iDM etermoro might kind lo aid tho»e here lierore." Tlie SaxoD Chrtmicle comments on the oppressive statutes en tlio Norman Conqueror, for ihe preservation of game, in an pl siraiii of indiguaiil irony, and says, '*lie loved the tall deer as if been ilieir father." Thai game4awB were in existence at a much earlier period, i criain ; but it was during this rei^ that they nere rendered a ^ ' ■> llic people, and assumed the character of a moml wrong in ij lalure of the country. The raore enligiitened policy of modem 1 rudent^e, has in some degree ameliorated the rigorous penalties • r Norman line of sovereigns, against poaching i MATILDA OF FLANDSftff. 9t rtments; but the bitterness engendered by the spirit of those laws mains in full force, in the hearts of those classes against whom the itutes are supposed to point, and is constantly acted upon by persons nuning the office of political agitators, for the purpose of creating ritions between the people and their rulers. MATILDA OF FLANDERS, QUEEN OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. CHAPTER III. itildm mediates between her husband and son— Robert's insolence and rebel* lion — Matilda supplies him with money — Conqueror seizes Matilda's agent— Conqueror's remonstrance — Queen's answer — Robert's military prowess — Field of Archembraye — ^Robert wounds the Conqueror — His penitence— Matilda in- tercedes—Conqueror writes to his son — ^Robert jmrdoned — Conqueror's legis- lation in ISngland — ^Domesday Book — Rojral revenue — Queen of England's per- quisites and privileges — ^Her dues at Queenhithe — Officers of royal household -—Matilda's court the model of succeeding ones — She continues to govern Nor- mandy— ^Her visit to the monastery of Ouche — Illness and death of her second daughter — ^Fresh cause of sorrow to the queen — Robert's dissensions with his &ther — Matilda's distress — Applies to a hermit — ^His vision, and message to the queeti — Her grief and lingering illness — ^Dying of a broken heart — The Conqueror hastens fVom £ngland»-^he dies — Her obsequies — hor alms — ^Tomb — ^Epitaph — Will — ^Articles of dress named therein — Portrait and costume — Her children — The Conqueror's deep affliction — ^Disquiets after the death of the Queen — ^Fatal accident to the Conqueror — ^Death — His body plundered — Accidents and interruptions at his funeral— >Monument — Portrait — Destruction of his tomb— Of Matilda's tomb— Her sapphire ring — ^Their bodies re-iuterred — Matilda's tomb restored^>Final destruction at French Revolution. The feud between her royal husband and her first-bom was Very infnl to Matilda, whose anxious attempts to efiect a reconciliation were nvaOing. When Robert's passion was somewhat cooled, he consented see his father, bnt the interview was anything but friendly. Orderi- ti Vitalifl gives the following particulars of the conference. Robert assumed a very hi^ tone, and repeated his demand, of being vested with the duchies of Normandy and Maine. This was of course fbsed by the Conqueror, who sternly bade his ambitious heir ^ remem- T the fate of Absalom, and the misfortunes of Rehoboam, and not to (ten to the ievil counsellors who wished to seduce him from the paths ' duty." On which Robert insolently replied, ** That he did not come ere to listen to sermons, with which he had been nauseated by his tors when he was learning grammar, but to claim the investiture hich had been promised to him. Answer me positively ^^^ coi\\xcrai^ he, " ore nnt these Uiings my right i Ilaie you nol promised to buio' them on me V ' '^ It is Dot my ciuloin to strip till 1 go to bed,'" replied the Conqaeror; ''and as loitg as 1 live, 1 will not deprive inyseir of my naiivc naJn. Iformandy, neither will f divide with another; for it is written in iht holy evnugelists, ^ Evnry kiogilom that is divided against iiselT shdl become draolaie.'* I won England by mine own good sword; the TicarB iif Chnst placed tbe diadem of iia ancient kings on my brow, and the sceptre in mine hand ; and 1 swear that all (he world combined shall nol compel me to delegate my power to anoiher. It is not to be borne, that he who owes his existence to me should aspire to be my riral in mine own dominions." Bill Itoberl scornfully rejoined, with equal pride and disrespect. '^ If it be inconvenient for you to keep your word, I will withdraw from Noi- numdy, and seek justice f(x>m strangers ; for here 1 will not remain u a subject." ' With these words he quilled the royal presence, and, with a party of disalTectcd nobles, took refuge with Matilda's brollier, Robert earl of Flanders, snmamed Le Prison, from his having married the counien of Friesland. From this uncle, Robert received very bad advice, and the kui^ ot France endeavoured, by all the means in bis power, to widen tbe brearii between the undutiful heir of Kormandy and his father. Encouia^ by these evil counsellors, Robert buried himself in fomenting disron- tents, and organizing a formidable faction, in his father's dominioiu, whence he drew large sums, in the shape nf presents and loans, from many of the vassals of the ducal crown, who were wdling to ingratiau themselves with the heir apparent, and to conciliate the favour of ibf queen-ducheas, whose jurtial fondness for her eldest son was weB The supplies thus obtained Robert improvidenily lavished among hi* dissolute companions, both male and female. In consequence of this cxtramgance, he was occasionally reduced to the greatest inconvenience 'When under the pressure of those pecuniary embarrassnientji, which cuuld not fail to expose him lo the contempt of the foreign princes wbu espoused his quarrel against his father, he was wont to apply lo bis loo indulgcDl mother, Maulda, by whom he was so passionately beloved, that she could refuse him nothing; from her private cufiers she secretly supplied him with large sums of silver and gold; and when ibttt resources were exhausted by tbe increasing demands of her prodigd Bou, Matilda had the weakness lo strip herself of her jewels and pncioM garmenu, for the same puqiose.* This system continued even when Robert had taken up arms againcl his father and sovereign. Roger de Beaumont, Uiat faithful minister .— whom William hail, previous to his first embarkation on the luewotaUr expedition from St. Vallerie, appointed as the premier of Nonuamiy,— ■Onlfricui ViialU. UvmingtuirJ. WalsinKliam. ■Oidpricus Viial^ S. Duaelni. P.Daniel. '(JMmleiH Ytflii. ' Uahmhuij. Oiderlant Vitally M ■ ATILDA OF FLANDERS. ■ad wlti> bad ever since usisled his royal mistress, not only with Ills 1 cootisvls in the aclruiuistmliou of affiiirs of sUle, bul even iu the ctluca. T ban of her children, felt il his duty to inrorm his Boveteijn of the under- haad proceeding o( MatdJa in favour of her rebel son.' WiUiun WB» in England when the startling intelligence reached hinii I of the unnatural rebelliou of his first-born, and the ireat^hery of his be- lonred consort, in whom he Imd ever reposed ihe moat nnbounder>.>uf wliich be addressed to his oflending consort on this occasion. "TIio observation of a certain phdosophcr is true," said he, "and S 1-411 only too much cause to admit the force of his words — ' NBuTrBgium rorum est niuliec itiBlefiJa jnatila;' ■Tlie woman who deceives her husband is the destruction of her - mhoDW.' "Whwa in all the world could yon have found a companion so faith- U Bd devoted in his afleclion f" continued he, passionately. '' Behold mr vift, she whom I have loved as my own soul, to whom 1 have con- mi tb* ^vemment of my realms, my treasure,aud all that I possessed iaAavtmd, of power and greatness — she haiK supported mine adver- Wfigliaat me — she halh strengthened and enriched him from the vaUt which I conlided to her keeping — she hath secretly employed iu ImI ind flubtlely in his cause, and done everytliing she could to JB him against me !'' * k** replv to this indignant but touching appeal, which her royal I , more, it should appear, in sorrow than in anger, addressed to j W. il aa Ina remarkable for its impassioned eloquence, than the sub- ''■■■^y with which she evades the pnncipal point on which she is presseil, :'-i ratrrucbes herself on the strong ground of maienud love. " My lord," said she, " I pray you not to be surprised if I feel a '.iumer'i lendemess for my first-bom son. By the virtoe of the Most lUh. I protest that if my son Robert were dead, and hidden far from Uk •iglii u{ the living, seven feel deep in the earth, and that the price of my bluud could restore him to life, I would cheerfully bid it flow. For *iu mLb 1 would endure any sutfering, yen, things from which, on any otbtr occasion, the feebleness of my sex would shrink with terror. Bo» then ran you suppose that 1 could enjoy llie pomp and luiurip« •ith which 1 was surrounded, when I knew tlint he was pining in warn -111 mwcry ? Far from my heart he such hardness, nor ought your . hririiy (o impose such insensibility on a mother."' i 1^ I 1M»1„ I Mr. uaa MATILDA OF FL.INOBRS \ I up, William is reported lo have turned pale with nnger ol ihis rejoindtr. Il WB9 not, however, on Maiilda, the object of liia adoring ano Consiut afleclion, thai he prepnied to iiiHict the measure of vengeauee which htr trancgreseion againsl him had provoked. Sampson, tne comparaiirdf innocent agent whom ahe had employed in this transaction, was doomed to pay the dreadful penally of ihe oOence, with Ihe loss of sight, by iIk order of his enraged sovereign.' In such cases il ia usual for the instni- nieni to be the sacrifice, and persons of the kind are geneinlly yirlded a sort of scapegoat, or expiatory victim. But Matilda did nnt jandon her lerritied agent in his distress j she conirived lo convey » hasty iitiimation of his peril, and her desire of preserving him, to •omt of the persons who were devoted to her service ; and Sampson, man fortunale than his illustrious namesake of yore, was enabled to eacape the cruel seDlence of his lord, by taking sanctuary in the monastery of Ouche, of which Matilda was a muniticent patroness. Nevertheless, u it was a serious thing lo oppose the wrath of such a prince as Willmm. the abbot Manier found no other way of securing the trembling fugilift front his vengeance, than that of causing him to be shorn, shaven, and professed a monk of Ouche, the same day he entered the convent, "ia happy hour both for his body and soul,'*' observes the conlemponiy chronicler who relates this circumstance.* It does not appear that William's alFcction for Matilda sulTered ai^ material diminution in consequence of these transactions, neither wonli he permit any one to censure her conduct in liis presence.' She was the love (if his youth, the solace of his meridian hours of life, and she jot' served her empire orer his mighiy heart to the last hour of lier lilt But though the attachment of the Conqueror lo his consort rnnoincd nnalleried, the happiness of the roysl pair waa materially tminiffii Robert, their first-born, waa in arms against his father and sovereign, and St the head of a numerous army, supported by the hostile power of France on the one hand, and tlie disalTecied portion of William's suhjcAf on the other- He had made s formidable attack on Rouen, and in srvt- nl instances obtained successes which at first astonished lus iodignaal parent, who had certainly greatly underrated the militart' talents ^ hi* When, however, the Conqueror perceived that the filial fr>e who had thus audaciously displayed his rebiDl banner against him, had inlieriled all the martial prowess of his race, and was bj- no means unlikriy U prove a match for himself in llie art of war, he arrayed a miglily amy, and advanced with all his wonted energy, to give him battle, not dogbl- ing but that success would, as usual, attend his arms. The royal chj^ of Normandy met in hostile encounter, on the plain of Archeml»ayci near the castle of Gerbetg. William Rnfus, the Conqueror'a fiivoivJK son, was in close attendance on his father's person that day. This ptinca had already received the honour of knighthood from Lanfrenc, aifV hisliop of Cajiierbury, hia tutor, and he was eager to assist in humblii] MATILDA OF FLANDERS. 61 the pride of his elder brother, over whom the Conqueror anticipated a signal triumph.' The battle was fought with no common fury on both sides; but Ro- bert, who headed a choice body of cavalry, decided the fortune of the day, by his impetuous charge upon the rearward of his foes, where his ro^-al father commanded, whose utmost endeavours to preserve order in his ranks were inefiectual. It was in this charge that the memorable personal encounter between the Conqueror and his rebel son occurred, where Robert, unconscious who the doughty champion was against whom he tilted, ran his father through the arm with his lance, and un- horsed him* This was the first time that'William had ever been over- come in single combat, for he was one of the strongest men, and most approved knights, of the age in which he lived ; and it is a singular fact, that in all the battles in which he had been engaged, he had never lost a drop of blood, till it was in this field drawn by the lance of his first- bom. He was on tliis occasion in great danger of being slain in the melee ; but transported with rage at the smart of his wound, and the disgrace of the overthrow, he called so loudly and angrily for rescue, that Robert recognised him, either by his voice or some of his fevourite exple- tives, and hastily alighting, raised him from the ground in his arms, with much tenderness and respect, expressed the deepest concern at the unin- tentional crime of which he had been guilty, for which he most humbly entreated his forgiveness, and then placing him on his own horse, he brought him safely out of the press.' According to some of the histo- rians of that period, William, instead of meeting this generous burst of feeling, on the part of his penitent son, with answering emotions of pa- ternal tenderness, was so infuriated at the humiliation he had received, that he uttered a malediction against him, which all the aflcr submissions of Robert could not induce him to retract ; while otliers, equally de- serving of credit, assert that he was so moved with the proof of Robert's dutiful reverence for his person, and the anxiety he had manifested for his safety, that he presently forgave him, and ever af\er held him in better respect Both accounts may be true in part ; for it is very possi- ble, that when the Conqueror of England found himself defeated by his rebel subjects, on his native soil, and his hitherto invincible arm over- come by the prowess ol^ his son, (whose person he had hitherto been accustomed to mention with a contemptuous allusion to his inferiority in stature,) he might, while the smart of his wound lasted, have in- dulged in a strong ebullition of wrathful reproach, not unmixed witli execmtions, of which it appears that he, in common with all Normans of that era, had an evil nabit. But after his passion was abated, it is certain that he did, in compliance with the entreaties of his queen, con- sent to receive the submission of his victorious but penitent son/ In this battle, William Rufus was severely wounded, as well as his bther, and there was a considerable slaughter of the English troops, of which the Conqueror^s army was chiefly composed; for Robert had ' Horeden. S. Dunelm. M. Paris. Polydore Vergil. 'S.DuDelm. Malmetbury. Hoveden. M. Paris. "S.Bunelm. M. Paris. « Ordericos YitaOis. TOL. I. 6 ■ ATILO& OF PLATCDERS Molen the hearts of the Normans, whfle asaociatetl in the regencj- mtfc his mother Alatilda, and his father considered it unsafe to oppoae him with his native troops. As it was, Robert remained ihe master of ch* field, having that day given indubitable proofs of able geDeralehi]), ud Ct personal Talour; but the perilous chance that had nearly readiTcd ihe murderer of his lather, inade so deep an impression on his raiod, ihol he remained for a time conscience-stricken, which caused him lo endeafour, by employing the inlercession of his doting mother, to obtua a reeoncilialion with his oflended sire.' Matilda had sul&red greatly in mind, during the unnatural war&re bfr tween her husband and her tiist-born, especially after the frightful eii> cujDstance of their pen^onal encounter in the field of Archembmy^ which was fought in the year 1077. Some feelings of self-reproMb mifht possibly mingle with her uneasiness on this occasion. Her health began to decline, and William was at length moved by lur incessant pleading, and the sight of her tears, to write a letter wiQi hit own hand to Robert, inviting him ^ lo repair to Rouen, and receive a full pardon for his Inte rebellion, promising at the same lime to grant hua everything that he could expect from the aileclion of a father, coiuitf- ently with the duly of a king." On tlie receipt of this welcome leiia, Robert delayed not a moment to obey the summons. He came to Roaec. attended only by three servants \ he was received by his parents ta tht most afiectionatc manner; and a temporary reconcUlatioti was eftuted between bim and his brethren.* MatUda did not long enjoy the society of this beloved son ; for iht Conqueror's a^rs in Zngland requiring hie presence, he thought propel to carry Robert with him, under the pretence that he reqtiir^ his ■c^ vices in a military capacity, to defend ihe northern counties against iba aggression of Malcolm, king of Scotland, who had once more vi^tul ' llie treaty of peace. William's real motive for making Robert the companion of liis vorafC, was because he considered Matilda was too much devoted to the iaierest of her firsi-bom, to render it expedient for him to remain with her in Normandy. The following spring, Robert was commissioned to chastise the Scot- tish monarch; but having been given an inet^tual force, he performtd nothing remarkable in that campaign. While in the north, he founded the town of Newcasde-upon-Tyne, in the same place where Monkcbv- ter, or the city of the monks, was situated.' The year 1078* was remarkable, in this country, for the great natiacid fcurvej', which was instituted by the Ck>nqueror, for the purpose of asco- taining the precise nature of the lands and tangible properly throughust England ; so that, says Ingulphus, " there was not a hide of land, wmUt, or waste, but he knew the valuation, the owners and possessors, togaba >Ot Vin ' Heniy Konlini^on. M. Weioniniier. ■ Acuoiding lo wme bittoriana, ihe tiinej vaa not gtaenllj began till IMI | U/rira>jaM/liUrcoa>pIeied tiU 1086.— Tuid>l'sNd Ibe " prec«ilenl« ftmn EitreniB uiliiiuiljr. ' Msiloi'i Siittirr or lbs Exohequet. ■ Ibid. MATILDA OF ILANDBSS. 65 ditaiy, and U at present exercised by his grace the duke of Norfolk. The office of the mareschal, or earl marshaU was to provide for the secu- rity of the royal person, in the palace, to distribute lodgings there, (not always the most enviable task in those bellicose days,) and to preserve peace and order in the king's household. How the latter duty was per- fijrmed when the mareschal chanced to be himself one of the most quar- relsome persons in the court, as in the case of Bigod earl of Noifolk, our authority saith not It was also the business of the earl marshal to assist in determining all controversies : there is a notable one on record, that took place between king Edward the First and his mareschal, the said Bigod, which we shall relate, among the events of that reign. The 4th great officer of the King's Court was the seneschal or steward of the palace, called the dapifer. The 5th was the chamberlain, who presided over all matters of courtly ceremonial. The 6th was the king's chancellor, generally some famous ecclesiastic. The chancellor was ^e king's prime counsellor, and was* accustomed to supervise the charters to be sealed with the king's seal ; and likewise to supervise and seal the acts and precepts that issued in proceedings from curia regisj or the king's court The 7th officer was the king's treasurer, and he was also most fre- onently a prelate or noted churchman. Besides these, there were le ioteUr^ or the king^s butler, who presided over the royal cellars, and served the wine-cup to the sovereign ; the sewer, whose business it was to place the dishes on the royal taUe ; and many other officers, of infe- rior reckoning in the housenold, but who were nevertheless nobles or knights. We have been thus minute in our particulars of the first Anglo-Nor- man court, because, although it was little graced by the presence of the «*me so deat to him, tbat oil llie aficctiona of bis heart nj ; red within its boands. In hii clmmicle of tha NorniBn soviniijn^ M a nialcea digrewioaa of a hundred pagM, to deseant on Si. Eurala, aad Iha ineiiM of the brethien ofOuche. ' Benderton. in hit Life of the Conqaoror. nates thai Robert wag tnucli U ritli ilie beauly of Ihs young Saioa liuly ; but that bia legord Wu by no uiMIil if an bonouiable uature, and his coniliicl to her disfleBied the Coni^uorai M nuch. Ihsi, 10 punish his Mm Ibi innilu offered lo bia t-eaudfiil ward, be forbail> im (be court ' Ocdeiicui Vitalii. MATILI^A OF FLAllDSmS. 67 tfie Most High has made known to me in a dream the things she desires to learn. I saw in my Tision a heautiful pasture, covered with grass and flowers, and a noble ehaiger feeding therein. A nnmerons herd gathered round about, eager to enter and share the feast, but the fiery charger would not permit them to approach near enough to crop the flowers and herbage. ^ But, das ? the ra^estie steed, in the midst of his pride and courage, diad, his terror departed with him, and a poor silly steer appeared in his place, as the guardian of the pasture. Then the throng of meaner ani- mals, who YuA hitherto feared to approach, rushed in, and trampled the flowers and grass beneath their feet, and that which they could not devour they defiled and destroyed.^ ^ 1 will explain the mystery couched in this parable. The steed is WiUiam of Normandy, the Conqueror of England, who, by his wisdom, courage, and power, keeps the surrounding foes of Normandy in awe. Robert is the dull, inactive beast who will succeed him ; and then those baser sort of animals, the envious princes, who have long watched for the opportunity of attacking this mir, fruitful pasture, Normandy, will overrun the land, and destroy all the prosperity which its present sove- reign has established. Illustrious lady, if, afler hearing the words of the vision, in which the Lord has vouchsafed to reply to my prayers, you do not labour to restore the peace of Normandy, you will henceforth behold nothing but misery, the death of your royal spouse, the ruin of all your race, and the desolation of your beloved country." ' This clever apologue, in which some sagacious advice was implied, Matilda took for a prediction; and this idea, together with the increasing dissensions in her familv, pressed heavily on her mind, and are supposed to have occasioned the lingering illness which slowly but surely con- ducted her to the tomb. This illness was attended with great depression of spirits. She en- deavoured to obtain comfort, by redoubling her devotional exercises and alms. She confessed her sins frequently, and with bitter tears.' It is to be hoped that a feeling of true penitence was mingled with the affliction of the queen, who, at the highest pinnacle of earthly grandeur, afibrded a melancholy exemplification of the vanity and insufficiency of the envied distinctions with which she was surrounded, and was dying of a broken heart As soon as William, who was in England, was informed of the danger of his beloved consort, he hastily emlmrked for Normandy, and arri^ tt CSaen in time to receive her last farewelL^ Afier Matilda had received the consolations of religion, she expired on the 2d of November, or, according to some historians, the 3d of that month, anno 1083, in the fifty-second year of her age, having borne the title of queen of England seventeen years, and duchess of Normandy upwards of thirty-one. Her body was carried to the convent of the Holy Trinity at Oaen, > Ordexieiis Yitalit. ' Ibid. • Malmsbmy. Hovedeo. Ingalphiis. Oidericni YitaUi. * OitokraaNVaaS^ ^ MATILDA Op PLANDBBfl. which she had buill and mnnilicentlr endowed. The corpse of tht queen-duchess wai reveranlially received, at ihe potuti of the churrh, by a numerous proceMJon of bishops »im1 nbbots, comlncUid wii)iin the choir, and depo§it«l before the high altar. Her obsequic« were eele- brated with ^real ponip and solemruiy. by the monka and rlerka, and attended by a vast concourse of the poor, lo whom she had beea ihrougboDl life a generooH benefactress ; •* and frequently," mti Ordert* eui Viialic, >^ relieved with bounieoua alma iit the name of hn R^ deenier." A tnagnificenl tomb was raised to her memory, by her sorrowing lord, adorned with precious stones and elaborate sculpture ; and her epitaph, in Litin verse, was emblazoned tliereon in letter* of gold, selling foflk in poaipoua language the lofiy birth and noble qualities of the illustriovi dead. The following is a umnslation of the quaint monkish tbywm, wbich defy the imilaliTe powers of modem poetry : — " Hp™ rests within ibis feii and ttatelj lamb, MnIildB. scion of a r^i^I linv ; The FlemiBh duke lire lire ; ' and Adelnia Her nKMbei, Id gnat Hnben, kiiig of PnnB», Buigliiei, and finer to his royal belt- In wedlocit to our migliiy WilJiun joined. She built (his boly lample, nod endowed Wiih IbqUi and gooilly gifts. Slie, Ihe true fiiend Of pi*iy. and (ooiber of distrera. Enriching ixlien, jndigenl herself; Kuerviog all ber ueofurH ibr ibe pool; And, by sucb deeds as these, tb« merited To be jmnaJiM of ew-rnal life : To which she pasi'd November Sd, 1083." Matilda's will, which is in the imperial Library of Paris, in the rtft- ler of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity of Cben,* fnlly bears ooi dw •aaertion of her epitaph, touching her poverty ; aince, from the items in this curious and inieresiing record, it is plain that the Grst of onr Angl'> Norman queens had little to leave, in the way of personal propmy; and, as to the bulk of her landed possessions, they were already settled on her son Henry.' •• I pve," sayf the royal testatrix, " to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity my tunic worked at Winchester, by Aideret's wife; and the inantle em- broidered with gold, which is in my chamber, to mitke a cope. Of in* two golden girdles, 1 give that which is ornamented with cmblenu, Icir the purpose of suspending ilie lamp before the great altar. " 1 give my large candelabra, made at St. Lo, my crown, my sceptre, my in»p« in their cases, another cup made in England, with all my hont- ttxppings, and all my vessels ; and. lastly, I give the lands of <}aMchoa and Coi«niiB, except those which 1 may already hare disposed of in BT ■ Baldwin, Maillda's Iklbei, was the desccndnnl •orereigns of Flanders were called. "Due .^ '1 am indebted lo (iie private conununicalion of that great b'lloiiaia Pt. Lia- MATILDA.OPFLANDERS. 69 Blirtlitie, wiih two dwellings in England ; and I have made all these ImudcsU witli ihe eonsent of my liusbaod." ft is aiaasine lo tnce the reminiiie feeling with regard to dress and hijouterie, which has led the dying queen to enumerate, in her last will •nd teetamenL, her embroidered tunic, girdle, and mantle, with sundry othej personal decorations, before she mentions the lands of Quetchou vid Cotentin, and her two dwellings in England ; which are evidently objecu of for less importance, in her opinion, than her rich amy. Ducard lelU us, that among the records preserved in the archives of the Holy Trinity at Caen, there is a curious MS. containing an account of ttatil'la, (he roval foundress's wardrobe, jewels, and toilette ; but he was unable to obtain a sight of (his precious document, because of the jealous care with which it was guarded by those holy ladies, the abbess and nuns of that convent.' Till the middle of the seventeenth century, the portraits of Matilda •nd William were carefully preserved on the walls of Si. Stephen's Cha- pel Dt Own. The queen had caused these portrails to be painted when itus magiiilicenl endowment was founded.' We have seen, by the Bayeux tapestry, that Matilda took great delight in pictorial memorials; and if we may judge by the engraving from this portrait, preserved in Moat- fiuGon, it were a pity that so much grace and beauty should fade from the earth without remembrance. Her costume is singularly dignified and becoming. The robe simply gathered round the throat, a flowing nil &lliiig Iram the back of the head on the shoulders, is confined by an elegant circlet of gems. The fuce is beautiful and delicate, the hair &Us in waving Iresaes round her throat ; with one hand she confines her dt^MTy. and holds a book ; she extends her sceptre with the other, in U Btutude full of grace and dignity. Mont&ucon declares that thia painting was actually copied from the wall, before the room in which it WM piMerved was pulled down. The elegance of the design and cos- tuow ou^it not to raise doubts of its authenticity, for it is well known that all remains of art were much belter eiecuted before the destruction of Conslanlinople than alier that jteriod. Female costume, with the exemption of some tasteless attire which crept into the uproarious court of Wiltiam Rufus, was elegant and dignified ; the noble circlet, the Itow- tng tianspareni veil, the natural curls parted on each side of the brow, the vestal stole drawn just round the neck, in regidar folds, the falling tl-'eve*, the gendy belled waist with its gemmed zone, confining the >t!i of a garment that swept the ground in rich fulness, altogether i.rd D eostume which would not have disgraced a Grecian statue, ihall see this elegant dress superseded in time, by the monstrous n.ui caps, of sugar-loaf or homed form, and by the heraldic tabards, aiid vutcoata, seemingly made of patchwork, which deformed female coatumca in succeeding ages : but we must not look for lliese barbarisms ■1 Uia date of Matilda's portrait. ■tilda bore ten children to her royal spouse, namely, fo I 1 ^iltilda bore t Ik t MoBinhte Franfotm. I •ix daoghtus. Hoben, »uriiRmed Courlhogc, her eldest boo, succeeded his failicr as duke of Nonuondy. Tills darling son of AUiildit's heart is thus described in the old chro- Bicler'a lines; — ■■ He waa r-woi (gtowa) era faia fiuler to Englanl eune, Tliiok roaa lie wai Fnoiv, but nai well long; S<|iure wBi b«, anJ well niBde for u> be ttiong. Belbia his lader, once on h. lime, he diJ sturdy d«d, Wliea he WH> foung, who beheld bim, and lliefe word* mid : 'By the upHsiog of God, Robelyn mo toll see The Couithoae, ray young son, a nalwrnit bni)!lit nit be;' — Foi hs wai lomewfaBl shon, lO he narnod him Couithote, And he might nairar alter tliia niune Inie. He was quiet or couQsel and epeecli >iiil of body stiong. Never yel man of might in Chriaiendoni ne in Payniin, In batiail from bia fttced could bring luin down.*^ After the death of Matilda, Robert broke out into open revolt ogaiiM his Toyal father once more ; and the Contiueror. io his famous death-btd speech and confession, alluded to this conduct with great biltetoett, wliea he spake of the disposition of his dominions: these were the words of the dying iDonarch. "The dukedom of Kortnandy, before I fou^t in Ihe vale Sauguelac, with Harold, I granted unio my soti Bi>- bert, for that he is my firsi begotten, and having received the homage d his baronage, that honour given cannot be revoked. Yet I know ihatil will be a miserable reign which is subject to the rule of his goveniDMsL for he is a foolish, proud knave, and is to bo puuishcd with end fortune," ' After the death of his father, Robert acquired the additional cognomen of the Unready, ftom the circumstance of being always out of the way when the golden opportunity of iniproviitg his forlaoes occurred. Kobert, though an indiffeienl politician, was a gallant knight and* skilful general. He joined the crusade under Godlrey of Boulugac, and, to obtain the funds for this purpose, mortgaged the dukedom of Normandy to his scllish brother William, for the sura of six thuunnd flii hundred and stxty^six pounds of silver.' He so greatly distinguisbtd himself at the taking of the holy city, that of ail the Christian prioee*. his fellow-crusaders, he was judged most deserving of the cronu of JerUBOleni.' This eleclion was wade on the Easler-evc, as tltey all stood U the high altar io the temple, each holding an unlighted wax lopetil his hand, and beseeching God to direct their choice ; when llie t^ which duke Robert held, becoming ignited without any visible AgsOfFi it was regarded by the rest of the Croises as a miiaculous inliioatioa ■ bis favour, and he was entreated to accept the kingdom.' Robert, however, at that critical juncture, hearing of the death of Vt Itatn Rufns, refused ilie prolTered diadem, and returned to Europe under llie idea that he should obtain ilte crown of England; but not onlyfU ■Sm de«Lli4>ed tpecch of the Conquorm, in Sjieed's Chronicle. ' S. DunElm. Bovedcn. Brompton. 'Maabew P»at. Poi/chnwiooo. Speed. * ftbnhew Patifc MATILDA OF FLANDSR8. 71 ne fail of dispoesessing his brother Henry of England, bnt he was finally defeated by him at the battle of Tinchebray, stripped of his dukedom, and made prisoner. After a weary captivity of eight-and-twenty years, Robert died at GardifiT Castle. While in the Holy Land, he had married the beautifid and amiable Sybilla, daughter of the Count Conversana, by wliom he had one son, named William. Ricliard, the second son of William the Conqueror and Matilda, died in England in the lifetime of his parents, as we have already stated. William, their third son, surnamed Rufus or Rous,' from the colour of Ills liair, and called by die Saxon historians the ^ Red King,'' succeeded to the crown of England after his father's death. He was slain in the New Forest, by the erring shafl of his favourite hunting companion, Sir Walter Tyrrel, whom he familiarly called Wat de Poix, from the name of Tyrrel's estate in Picardy. Henry, the fourth and youngest son of William and Matilda, won the surname of Beauclerc, by his scholastic attainments, and succeeded to the throne of England after the death of William Rufus. The personal history of this prince will be found in the memoirs of his two queens, 3Iatilda of Scotland and Adelicia of Louvaine. There is a great confusion among historians and genealogists, respect* ing the names of the daughters of Matilda and the Conqueror, and the Older of their birth, no two writers appearing to agree on that point, except with regard to the eldest princess, Cecilia, who was veiled a nun in the Abbey of Fescamp, and became the abbess of the nunnery of the Holy Trinity, founded by her mother Matilda.' William of Malmsbury, who wrote in the reign of Henry I., when enumerating the daughters of the Conqueror, says, ^ Cecilia the abbess of Caen still survives." The generality of historians mention Constance, the wife of Alan duke of Bretagne, as the second daughter of this illustrious pair. Ordericus Vitalis, a contemporary, calls her the third,' and Agatha the second daughter. Of Agatha he relates the following interesting particulars. ^ This princess, who had been formerly afiianced to Harold, was de- manded of her &ther in marriage, by Alphonso king of Galicia ; but manifested the greatest repugnance to this alliance." She told her father ^ that her heart was devoted to her first spouse," as she called Harold,^ ^ and that she should consider it an abomination if she gave her hand to another. She had seen and loved her Saxon betrothed, and she revolted from a union with the foreign monarch whom she had never seen ;" and bursting into tears, she added, with passionate emotion, ^ that she prayed tliat the Most High would rather take her to himself than allow her ever to be transported into Spain." Her prayer was granted, and the reluc- tant bride died on her journey to her unknown lord. Her remains were conveyed to her native land, and interred at Bayeux, in the church of St. Mary the perpetual virgin.* Sandford calls this princess the sixth daughter. If so, she could not have been the betrothed of Harold, but of earl Edwin ; and indeed, if we reflect on the great disparity in age '^Apres William Bastardus regna Will le B^ut."-Fitz-Stepheii'8 Chronicle. •Ordericuf Vitalia. William of Malmsbury. • Orderiom Vitalis. Malmsbury. «Ibid. ^TXvv^ [ I MATILDA OF PLASDKRS. between Harold and the younger daughters of William of Xonnanily ami take into tonsideratinn the circumBiancea of Iiis breach of coninct with the lillle Norman lady, and tliat he died the liugbaiid of anuihcr woman, il ia acarcely proluihle that his memory could have been cht- rixhed with nich a degree of pamionate fondneea as OnJeriens Vinlii Riiribule« to ihe lady Agatha; whereas Edwin was youn^, and reinafka- ble for his beauty; he had, in all probabilitj', been privileged with soini iniimary with the princesii, whom the Conqueror had promiaed to bestow on him' in marriage. The breach of this promise on ilie pan of Wil- linni, Ino, was the nufe of Edwin's revolt, which unplies that the youth- fid thane was deeply wounded at ihe refusal of ihe Norman monarch li> fulfil his engagement; and il is at least probable, thai lo the princtn who had innocently been made a snare to him by her ^ileful eirc;, lie mig'lit have become an object of the lenderesl and most lasting^ nfR-ctioii Malmsbnry, apeakiiig of tliis princess, says, " Agallia, lo whom Q«! gmnled a virgin death, was so devoted to the exercises of religion, ihal after her decease it was discovered thai her knees had become hard lOu horn with constant kneeling." ' W. Gcmiticejisis and some other ancient chroniclers assert, that il n< lo Adeliza, the Ghh daughter of William and Matilda, that Hurold wm contracled, and that she died young. Perhaps this is the same princes* whom Ordericus Vilalis mentions as iheir fourth daughter, of whom ha Sdya. "Adelaide, very &ir and very noble, recommended herself enltrely lo a life of devotion, and made a holy end, under the direciiou of Rapt de Benumont." Adela, or Adelicia, generally classed as the fourth daughter of William and MatddB, Ordericus Vitalis places as the fifili, and aavs, " She «1> sought in marriage by Stephen earl of Blois. who was desirous of aflf- ing himself with die aspiring bmily of the Conqueror, and far the adrici of William'a councillors she was united to him. The marriage took ^ace al Breleuil, and the marriage filtes were celebrated at Chartrei; This princess was a learned woman, and possessed of considerable dipb- matic talents. She had four sons : William, an idiot ; Thibaul. suraamed the erent earl of Cliampaigne; Stephen dc Blois, who succeeded to tha EnglisR throne after the death of Henry I.; and Henry, bishop of Win- chesier. After Ihe death of Ihe count de Blois, her husband, tlie countew Adela look ihe veil al Mareigiiey.' Gundrcd, the sixili and youngest daughter of the Conqueror and Ma- tilda, was married to William de Warren, a powprfid Norman noble,«ad the Ursi earl of Surrey in England. By him the lady Gundred hsil IWO aons, William, the snccessor of his faiher and the progenitor of a oUfitrf line of earls of that family, and Rainold, who died without issue. "H* counless Gundred died in chUd-bed ai Casdeacre in Norfolk, anil i* buried in the chapter-house of Si. Paneras church, within the priocyt*t Lewes in Sussex.* The death of his beloved queen Matilda afHicted ihe Conqueror very deeply. He wept excessively, for many days aficr her decease ; and 10 'Old&riaa FitaJia. Jfalmsbniy. 'Oidericut Vltalu. XATIIiBA OF FLANDSmS. 73 testily how keenly he felt her loss, he renounced his favonrite amuse- ment of hunting, and all the hoisterous sports in which he formerly de- lated.' After this event his temper became melancholy and irritable, Co which, indeed, a train of public calamities and domestic vexations might in a great measure contribute. To the honour of Matilda, it has been assert^ by some of the historians of the period, that she used her influence over ihe mind of her mighty lord, for the mitigation of the snfieringB of the people whom he had subjugated to his yoke. Thomas Rndboome, the author of the Annals of Winton, says, ^ King William, by the advice of Bfatilda, treated the English kindly as long as she lived, bat after the death of Matilda he became a thorough tyrant.'" It is certainly true, that after Matilda left England in 1070, the condition of the people became infinitely worse, and it is possible that it might be •ggimvated by her death. Not only the happiness, but the worldly prosperity, of William, ap- peued sensibly dinunished during his widowed state. In the course of the four years that he survived his consort, he experienced nothing but trouble and disquiet' William met with the accident which caused his death, at the storm- ing of the city of Mantes. He had roused himself from a sick bed, to execute a terrible vengeance on the French border, for the ribald joke which his old antagonist, the king of France, had passed on his malady ; and in pursuance of his declaration ^ that he would set all France in a Uaze at his uprising,^' he had ordered the city to be fired. While he was with savage fury encouraging his soldiers to pursue the work of destruction to which he had incited them, his horse, chancing to set his foot on a piece of burning timber, started, and occasioned his lord so severe an injury from the pummel of the saddle, as to bring on a violent access of fever/ Being unable to remount his horse, after an accident which must have appeared to him like a retributive chastisement for the barbarous deed in which he was engaged, he was conveyed in a litter to Rouen, where, perceiving he drew near his end, he began to ex- perience some compunctious visitings of conscience, for the crimes and of^Messions of which he had been guilty. In the first place, he ordered large sums to be distributed to the poor, ind likewise for the building of churches, especially those which he had recently burnt at Mantes ; next he set all the Saxon prisoners at liberty irhom he had detained in his Norman prisons ; among them were Mor- car, and Ulnoth, the brother of Harold, who had remained in captivity from his childhood, when he was given in hostage by earl (rodwin to Gdward the Confessor. The heart of the dying monarch being deeply tonched with remorse, he confessed that he had done Morcar much MrroDg, and bitterly bewailed the blood he had shed in England, and the desolation and woe he had caused in Hampshire, for the sake of planting * Ordericus Viimlii. *** Ittiut Matildis consilio Wilhelmus Rex pacifice cum Anglis tractabat, quam- din ipsa Tixisset; post mortem vero ipsius Matildis omnem induit tyrannidem." Winion, Anglia Sacra, i. 257. Thomae Rudbome Hist Major. 'Malmsbury. Orderknu ViuUiM. *Malmft\>UTY. lELvtL^tu VOL, /. — 7 I IIATILDA OF FLAKDEBS. the New Forest, prolealing " tliul having so misused Uiat fnit and beanli- ful laiiil, lie dated not appoint a successor to it, but left ilie disposal «f that nialiec in tlie hands gfGod." ' He had, however, taken some pains, by writing a letter lo lAufraiic, expressive of his earnest wish that Wi- linm Rufiis should succeed him in his regal dignity, and to aFcare llw cruwn of England to lliia his favourite son — for whom he called, u soon as tie had concluded his edifying Dckiiowledgment of tlie errors of his past life; — and sealing the letter tviih his own seal, he put il into the hands of the prince, bidding him liasien lo England with all speed, &iid deliver it to the archbishop, lie (hen blessed him with a farewell kiss, nnd dismissed him. When ilie Conqueror had settled his temporal af&irs, he caused him- self to be removed to Hennenrnide, a pleasant village near Rouen,' dial iip iiii^ht be more at liberty lo prepare himself for death. On the Sth of September the awful ctuinge which he awaited look place. Hearing ihe sound of the great bell in the metropolitan church of Si, Gervii, near Rouen, William, tnising his exliausted frame from the supporliiif pillows, asked "What it mean! ?"' One of his aitendanis replying, "That it then nag prime to Onr lady." llie dying monarch, lifting his eyes lo heaven, and spreadit^ abroad his hands, exclaimed, '' ] commend myself (o that blessed Laity, Mary the mother of God, that she by her holy intercession may recon- cile me lo her most dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ;" and with ttme words he expired, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. 1087, after a leip of fiAy-two years in Normandy, and twenty-one in England. His eldest son, Robert, was absent in Germany at the lime of lia death ; ' William was on his voyage to England ; Henry, who liad ukeo i^rge of hia obsequies, suddenly departed on some self-inteiested bmi- aees, and all llic great officers of the court having dispersed themselrei, some to oiler their homage lo Robert, and others to William, the inb- tior seri'ants of the household, wiili some of their rapacious confale- lales, look the opportunity of plundering ihe house where their sorerrip bad Jtiat breathed his last, of all the money, plate, wearing apparel, hang- ings, and precious furniture; lliey even stripped the pcrsou of the royil dead, and leit his body naked upon the floor) Every one appeared struck with consternation and dismay, and neilbn tlie proper officers of slate, nur (he sons of the deceased king, issniif the necessary orders respecting the funeral, the remains of the Con- queror were left wholly neglected, till Ilerlewin, a poor country kniglitt — but in ail prohabilily the same Herlewiu who married his lnoliler.A^ lolla, — undertook lo convoy die royal corpse lo Caen at his own eo* lor intcnneni in the abbey of St. Stephen, where il was met by piian Henry and a procession of monks.* Scarcely, however, had the ddo^ riles comnieiTced, when ihere was a terrible alarm of fire in thai qntitff tif the town ; and as there was great danger of the devouring cIcimhI tommnnicatiug to the cloisters of St. Stephen, the monks, ' '" ■ Sm William '■ death-lwd coiireuiun in tpoed. ■ EadiDft. ' Oniericat \ itniit. BfitlmBbuiy. *Ord«riciu Vitalii. BroineoA *Ont»ficaa ritafik, firomplon. Mntmtbuif. Spead. MATILDA OF FLA1IDSR8. 75 more coneemed for the preservation of their stately abbey than for the lifeless reoiains of the munificent founder, scampered out of the church, without the slightest rmrd to decency, or the remonstrances of prince Henry and the fiuthful Herlewin. The example of the ecclesiastics was followed by the secular attendants, so that the hearse of the mighty Wil- liam was in a manner wholly deserted, till the conflagration was sup- pressed.' The monks then re-entered the holy &ne, and proceeded with the solemnity, if so it might be called ; but the interruptions and acci- dents with which it had been marked were not yet ended ; for when the funeral sennon was finished, the stone coffin set in the grave which had been dug in the chancel between the choir and the altar, and the body ready to be laid therein,* Anselm Fitz-Arthur, a Norman gentleman, stood forth and forbade the interment : ^ This spot,'' said he, ^^ was the site of my fiither's house, which this dead duke took violently from him, and here, upon part of mine inheritance, founded this church. This ground I therefore challenge, and 1 charge ye all, as ye shall answer it at the great and dreadful day of judgment, that ye lay not the bones of the despoiler on the hearth of my fathers.''* The eflect of this bold appeal of a solitary individual, was an instant giose in the burial rite of the deceased sovereign. The claims of Anselm itz-Arthur were examined, and his rights recognised by prince Henry, who prevailed upon him, as the lawful owner of the soil, to accept sixty •hillings as the price of the grave, and to sufler the interment of his royal &ther to proceed, on the condition of his pledging himself to pay the fall value of the rest of the land.^ The compensation was stipulated between Anselm Fitz-Arthur and prince Henry, standing on either side the grave, on the verge of which the unburied remains of the Conqueror rested, while the agreement was ratified, in the presence of the mourners and assistant priests and monks, whereby Heniy promised to pay, aifd Fitz-Arthur to receive, one hundred pounds of silver, as the purchase of the ground on which William had, thirty-five yeara previously, wrong- fully founded the abbey of St Stephen's, to purchase a dispensation from tbepope for his marriage with his cousin ]VIatilda of Flanders. The bargain having been struck, and the payment of the sixty shillings earnest money f for Sie occupation of the seven feet of earth, reauireNd, u the last aboae of the Conqueror of England) being tendered by the prince and received by Fitz-Arthur, — strange interlude as it was in a royal funeral^— the obsequies were suflered to proceed. According to some historians, an accident occurred in placing the lid on the stone coffin, attended with such unpleasant results that moumera, monks, and tssistant priests, afler vainly censing the chancel with additional clouds of incense, fled the church a second time before the intennent was com- pleted.* This tale, inasmuch as it was refuted by the appearance of the royal remains when the grave was opened upwards of four hundred and fifty years afterwards, we are disposed to regard as a piece of mingled ' Ordericut Titalis. Speed. Brompton. Malmsbury. 'Speed. *£admer. Kalmtbury. OrdericuB Vitalis. « Ordericui Vitalis. M. Paris. *Se« Spoed^s Gmmicle. I 76 MATILDA OP FLANDEKS. mnrrellonsnest and malice on the part of the Saxon chrowielem. who ha™ uken eridenl pleasure in enlarging on all the miadiances mid hu- miliations which befel the unconscious clay of their great nat iottal ndm- Mry, in its psasa|;e to the tomb. Tet anrely so singular a chaprer of accidents was ne»er yet recorded, as occurring to the corpse of a mighty ■orerdgn, who died in the plenitude of his power. Wiltiani of Normandy was remarkable fur his personal strength, and foi the majestic beauty of his countenanre. It has he^i said of him, that no one but himself could bend his bow, and that he conid, when riding al full speed, discharge eiiherarblast or long-bow with nncrringaim,' Ilia forehead was high and bold, his aspect stem and commanding; yet he could, when it pleued him to do so, assume such winning swwt- nes9, in his looks and manner, as could scarcely be resisted ; but when in anger, no man could meet the terror of hia eye.' Like Saul, he waa, from the shoulders upwards, taller ihao the rest of his subjects; hm before he became too corpulent, his ligure was finely proportioned. Hii eloquence was both powerful and persuasive. His habits were tempv- niie, and hia household was well regulated, with a view to the striclesi economy; yet npon proper occasions he indulged his taste for magnifi- cence, and took pleasure in appearing in all his royal ajate. He wote hie crown three limea in the year;' al Christmas or Midwinteriiay, in (he city of Gloucester; Easter at Winchester; end when he celebrttad Whiisimtidc, at Westminster. Ue wisely cairied his court, it aeena, It these festivals, to diltreni parts of England. William Rufus caused a stalely monument, adorned with gold. aSfw, and precious stones, and very rich scnlpture, to be ereetoJ to the tnemofy of liis lather, before the high altar of Sl Stephen's Abbey.' The loftiness of stature which contemporary chroniclers hare ascribed to William the Conqueror. wa.» fully confirmed by the posl-morlem e»- ^ amination of his body, which was made by the Bishop of Baj-eux, in ths year IS-IZ, when, prompted by a strong desire to behold the remains of this great sovereign, he obtained leave to open his tomb.* On removing the stone cover, the body, which was corpulent, and exceeding in stature the tallest man then known, appeared as entire t> when it was first buried. Within the tomb lay a plate of copper gilt, on which was engraved fl ma«ription in Latin verse.* 'Bobuit ur Glauoester. W. Maliiubuiy. *W. Malmabniy. *Saxon Annali. Oidericu* Viulu. Modoi, HiiLEicbequer. *Otilc[icus Ti»lu. 'Ducatel'a Ifoimsn Anliquitiei. •Thomnt, nrchbUliop of York, WM the author of the Latin vers*, of wtikbtl> tiUowinR linei preienl > oloBe translation not nnpoeticB] in iu antique ail Ho who Ibo uninlf Nonniina rnlcd, and over England reiened, And •tnuilj' won and ntongly kepr what he bad i» obuinsd ; And ilid the iwonli of llioae of Maine bf torce bring under awa And ir.ade ihem under his commund live lubjecl to his lew ; This gi»at King Willism lieib bete enioral«d in litlle giave; So great a lord, to nnail a hoiue sufficeth him to have. VThen PhiEbiu in the Virgia'a lap hi* circled course applied, Aad (wenty-ilme degnea had put, e'en ai that time le died. whkbtia >pbaM MATILDA OF FLAKDBSS. 77 The bishop, who wn grMtly surprbed at finding the body in such perfect presemitiGii, caueed b painting to be executed of the royal re- mains, in the slate in which they tJben appeared, by the best artist in Cben, and canaed it to be hung up on ths abbey wall^ opposite to the BKMiiiiiient The tonb was thin carefully closed, but in 1562, when the Calvinists under Chastillon took Caen, a party of the rapacious sol- diers forced it open, in hope of meeting with a treasure, but finding nothing more than the bones of the Conqueror wrapped in red tafieta, they threw them about the church in great derision, viscount Falaise, haTing obtained firom the rioters one of the thigh-bones, it was by him deporatod in the royal gm?e. Monsieur Le Bras, who saw this bone, tsstified thai k was longer by the breadth of his four fingers than that of the tallest man he had ever seen.' The picture of the remains, which had been painted by the order of the bishop of Bayenx, fell into the hands of Peter Hdo, the goaler of Cben, who was one of the spoilers, and he converted one part into a taUe, and the other into a cupboard door ; which proves that this por- trait was not painted on canvas, but as usual, on wood. Some years after, these curious relics were discovered, and reclaimed by M. Bras, in whose possession diey remained till his death.' Jjfo sooner had die Calvinist spoilers plundered the abbey of St Ste- phen, and exhumed the bones of the Conqueror, than they entered the church of the Holy Trinity, threatening the same violence to the remains of Biatilda. The entreaties and tears of the abbess and her nuns at first had no efilect on the rapacious bigots, who considered the destruction of church ornaments and monumental sculpture an acceptable service to God, quite sufficient to atone for the sacrilegious violence of de&cing a temple consecrated to his worship, and rifling the sepulchres of the deM.* In this instance they contented themselves with throwing down the monument, breaking to pieces the effigies of the queen, which lay thereon, and opening the grave in which the royal corpse was deposited. At that juncture, one of the party observing that there was a gold rinff set with a fine sapphhre on one of the queen^s finffers, took it ofl^ and, with more gallantry than might have been expected from such a person, presented it to die abbess, Madame Anna de Montmorenci, who after- wards gave it to her &ther, the baron de Conti, constable of France, when he attended Charles the Ninth to Caen, in the year 1563.* In 1642 the monks of St Stephen collected the bones of their ro3ral patron, William of Normandy, and built a plain altar-shaped tomb over them, on the spot where the original monument stood in the chancel. The nuns of the Holy Trinity, with equal zeal, caused the broken frag- ments of MatOda's statue and monument to be restored, and placed over her grave, near the middle of the choir, on a tomb of black and white marble, three feet hiffh and six long, in the shape of a cofiin, surrounded with iron spikes, and hung with ancient tapesti^.' The restored monument of Matilda remained undisturbed till nearly the close of the kst century, when die French republicans paid one of ^Docarert Norman AntiquitiM. •lUd. •Ibid. «U»4. *\\>'A. 7* Its matilda of FLANDERS. I their destructive Tisila lo the church of ihe Holy Trinity at Caen, viH, I among other ouliagea against taste and feeling, awepl away this memo- ial of its royal foundiesB ; ' but while a single arch of that majestic and I time-honoured fane, the church of the Holy Trinity, survives, the first if our Anglo-Nonnan queens, Matilda of Flanders,' will require no ither monument. * In ailditioii to our nuiueroni aJilhoritiei regardjag Bribtric Hcaw, we nibjain Ilia important extract from a work conUtininjf gzest reKarch among fcncieni lODumpnia >^- Brielric, the Kin of Algar. h ^oion Thane, ia itated, in Domeidmr, ) tinve held this mitnor in the leign or Edward ibe Conresrar j bal having giTea I offence lo Maoil, iha dBiifthtGi of Baldwin count of Flaodara, preTioui id hei ifltringe widi William duke of Normundy, by refusing lo marir her himsell^ liif ropeily waa leizBd bf llial monarch on the conquest, and beatowed, aeeiaioftf ■ in revenge, upon theqoeen." — Blub*! lEMtor) of Thonibur/ Cattlt. BiiMol, IBM. MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. QUEEN OF HENRT I. CHAPTER I. n Alfred — Margaret Alhsling, her iM> aiiUlas hirilj— Hat god&iher— Eduom- ■uitor— Her falher inTaaDs England— Hit death—Kcr moOier's i9 dtarh — Revolulion in Scollniid — Kdgai Alheling cnrriet ibe royal o BnslBDd — Ptinceuet Maiitila and Mary — Placed ia Rumiry abbey — •bbe*3 Chrittina — Matilda's brother Edgar — Regtored to ths IbioniB I— The Aiheling a crutadei— Maulda at Wilton Abbey— Her lito- J education — Atlacbmeni beiwtcn ^latilda and Henry BcBUclerc — Uet on— Eaily life of Henrx^E.1uca Eu^ob ■Ub.fiub.fol. DQUta, 4. I MATILDA OF SCOTLASD- Sf , wlin hcTuiir! the Joiuesiic legjslalnr of the realm. She tiia- laispnl from ibe palace all persona «ho were eonvieled of lending iin-. ■nontl lirws or who nete gniliy of frniid or injustice, ftiid oIIowmI n* pcooDS lu l)ulil oflices in llic roynl huueeholil, unlese tliey conilucted lIumBL-liies in a solier and Oiscceei manner; observing, moreover, that tlte Scutch nobles haU an irreverent babit of rising from lAble before gnee could be pronuunced by her pious chaplain Turgot, she rewarded !•■• "f the more civiliied chiefs, who cnuiil be induced to nticnd the r.>rninnce a( thiu edifying ceremony, with b cup of the chi.iicest wine. .' irtnptation of such a bribe vtOB too ytovetful to be resisled by ibe ..'lierlo iierverse and graceless peers, and by degrees llie custom became ?n popiiliir, Ib&l every guest was eager to claim his " grace-cup ;" llie futuoii spread from the palace to ihe casiles of the nnbiliiy, and thence ijricrnditig to the dwellings of their humbler neighbours, became an aiabli^lied usage in the bnd. Many deeply interesting, as well na amtieing particulars, connected ■lib llie parrnts of .Muldda of Scotlniid, the subject of our pretuni lueuioir, have been preserved by the learned Tnrgot, the historian ot thi» roval faaiily, who, in his capacity of confessor lo queen Margaret, tod pfvceptor to her children,' enjoyed opportunities of becoming ■opainif^ not only with all pteraonal particulars respecting these iliu*- UiMii yulitjdiuUt but of learning their most private thoughts and Uiofs. Toigot gives great commendation to hra royal lOHUione care she bestowed on the education o fRcefitors she enjoined to punish tbein aa oAen a mncitoa. lUolda, the aubjecl of this memoir, was her eldest daughter, and was Inbably bom in the year 1077. This we infer from the remarkable t:irctDiw(ftnc&, of the elder brother of her future husband, Robert Cour^• kiu]ueror, and thut up by bim ia Lincoln Cottle. .. ftm ikmc* b* ficapFil to Norwajr. Returning rioai tbsi oouDDy, lie was tbip- ■ ■wkpd an the Eutiluh coast, and having loil cvprj^biog ha poB9Hsin« ■ pcjen, Bad diiliiiguijhed hintiaJf k> muoh by hi> lea; n4 fi»tj tb&l tie Wfti pramolad to be prior of Durliam. WhOD Margaret Alhalx^ i^ boniae qui^eo of Siwiland ihe prerecred him lo the office of ber conleuor. B* ((Ubwb^ itie IbTninef of hia rojrai pupil Matilda, iha dsugbier of hU illunri- <« IMfoani, aArt htr mafnage with Qeaty I. i and we find Ibat lh« Englidl n»>ai«.L, mhn (xMiibljr wialied to remove biin fiom the qoeen, in 1107 WBjml^ "■■Dnwnded biin hj his royal bmihei-in-law, Edgar of Sooitaad. as a fii perioii ■ h« ifipointed to iha bisbopria of Sl Aodiew't. Tuigol, bowevei. died prior 'tr^tbaiii He is laiil (o have been the author of the ■' Chioniole of Duibam," »*kfc |oe* by the aamo of » Simeon of Durhnin," and has been approptiaied kf a aoDMoiponirj monk vf tbU nune. Turgol't Chrooicle of the Lives of hi* ■(fal mixrrai, Margaret Alheling. and her consort, Malcolm Caiunore, king of i°Wka4. ba* been prefcrieil by Fordun, and ii ftaquentlj cited hj fia D&v\& f^tUwgila. -Htcbolsen. Utuuj'. ' Sat J . tUy ward. I B, for the con- lier children, whose their bulls required I I I » I I MLDA OF iC'OTLA^n. rep«l this northem attack.' Boherl, finding his forces inaiircjiiHte in maintain successfully h vor of aggression, eniered into a negntiation with the Scottish inonarch, which emied in a frientlly treaty. Malcolm re- newed his homage for Cumbprlund ; anil Itoherl, who, whatever liis fniills might be as a privnie characier. waa one of ttie most courtecrat knighla and polished gentlemen of the age in which he lived, Anally ce- mented the auspicious amiiy which he had established between hie royal ■ire and the warlike husband of the heiress presumptive of the Saxon line ©f kings, by becoming the ajwnsof of the infant pruicess Matilda. Sorat historians assert thai the name of the Itiile princess was originally E church, or at least to give her lender mind a conventual bias, greatly to the displeasure of the king hec lather; who once, as Matilda herself te^ liiied; when she was brought into his presence, dressed in a nun's veil, snatched it from her head in a great passion, and indignantly lore it in pieces, observing al the same lime, to Alan duke of Brelagne, who suxd by, " that be intended to bestow her in marriage, and oot to devote ha to a cloister."* This circumstance, young as she was, appears to have made a very deep impression on the mind of the little princess, and probably a-tsifUd in alrenglhening her delermination, in after years, never to complete the profession of which she was, at one period of her life, com[H-Ued to assume the semblance. AUn duke of Brelagne, lo whom king Malcolm addressed this obirr> ration, was the widower of William the Conqueror's daughter Conslanecj and though there was a great disparity of years between him and Madlds, it appears certain, from his after-proposals, ihat [he object of his visit to the ScoUish court was to form a matrimonial alliance niih the youif Maulda ;* and this was indubitably one of the nnsuilable malcdes U which we shall Hud that Matilda allerwards alluded. Matilda's uncle, Edgar Atheling, became resident at the court of htf father and mother for some time, in the year 1091, Robert Conrthost having sacrificed his friendship to the temporary Jealousy of William RufuR. This displeasure did not lost long, for both the eldest soni of William the Conqueror seem lo have cherished an afiection for the Aihc- ling, and he was often treated with confidence and generosity by a^ The misunderstanding, which occasioned Edgar's retreat into Ssutlaadr " 'Seethe precoflinB Mtmmi, Life o7 MaUIJn ofFlnndM*! 'Sre Dr. Iiin^rdi learned nnle. p. 136, vol. ii " ■ ' Eadn\firgaret Atheling (See Henry Ellis's edition):^ <* EduTinl, Dunkan, E<1gar, Alixander the gay, And David also, (that kings were all they say, Eache after other of Scotlande throughout,) Whose mother is now St Margarete without doubt. At Dunfermljrn shrined and canonised ; By wtiom Malcolyn a daughter had also, King Henry's wife the first, full well avised Queen Maude, that 't right welt loved England thraogh, Those crosses &ir and royal, as men go, Through all England, the made at her expense, And divers good orders through her providence." ^ MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. Tni^l , and, after reUling the death of i]ueen Margsret, ulds, ^ She luJ I sent ber Iwo daughters, Edith (Matilda) and Mary, to Chmiiu, to aiHier, who wa< u religieuae of tJie alibey of Itumscy, to be ituiniclal by her ia holy wnL These princesses were a long linie pupila aattai the nuns. Tliey were instructed by iliem, not only in the ari «f readii^ but iu tlie observance of good manners ; and these devoted maiden*) H ihey approached the age of womsabood, waited for the consolaiion of God, As we have said, they were orphans, deprived of both tlwif parenla, separated from their brothers, and foi froni llie protecting eut of kindred or friends. They had no home or hope but the cloister, ud yet, by the mercy of God, they were not professed as nuns. They ww ilestined by tlie Disposer of all earihlv events for better things," Camden proves that the abbey of Wilton, ever since the profMmun ef the saintly princess Edilho,' was the plnce of nurture and education fo all the young princesses of tlie Au^lo-Sason royal family. This abbif of Black Benedictine nuns liad been founded by king Alfred, am) tiMt his days had always received a lady of his royal line as its abboasi^ custom which does doe seem to have been broken by the depwitiuo df bis family. VVilton Abbey had been re-founded by queen Edillm, consort U Edward the Confessor.' While that monarch was building WeslmiDSV Abbey, his queen was employing her revenues in changing the mmaj of Wilton, from a wooden cdilice into one of stone. The abbey of Bunisey was likewise a rnyul foundation, genenllj' governed by an abbess of the family of Alfred. Christina is first tam- tioned as abbess of Rumsey in Hampshire, and aficrwanls as sapeiin of the Wilion convenL As both belonged to the order of Black BciU- :iD^, this transfer was not diHicdl; but chroniclers do not mentioii en it was efiecied, simply staling the fact, that the Scottish prinem first dwelt at Rumsey, but that when she grew up she was resident st Wilion Abbey, under the superintendence of the abbess Christina, bet aunt. Matilda thus became an inhabitant of the same abode where &t roj-ol virgins of her race had always received their eduratioo.' It was the express desire of the queen, her mother, who survivnd llut request but a few hours, that she should be placed under the can oflfat ladv Cliristina at Rumsey. Wilde in these English convents, the royal maid was compellsd U isnime the thick black veil of a votaress,* as a protection froai Al L insults of the lawless Norman nobles. The al)bess Christina, her aaA \ who was ejcceedingly deaifous of seeing her beautiful niece becofiw i nun professed, treated her very harshly, if she removed this cumbraaa and inconvenient envelope, which was composed of courae black dffh or serge; some say it waa a tissue of horse-hair. The impositioa sf this veil was considered by Matilda as an intolerable grievance. Sb wore it,' as she herself acknowledged, with sighs and tears, in the ft^ ■Oiu^iet of Edgar the Peaceable. 'Camdao. 'Onlerkiu T MATILDA or ScnTLANl). 87 1 nsiee of herEletn aunt; and liie moment she round herself alone, she durtg it uu ilie ground, and stamped il under her (nel. Curing ilic utien yesre ihai Maidda resided in this dreary asylum, she was carefidly iiutrucled in all the learning of ilie age. Ordericus Vitolis •afs alic was langhl ilio "•liittratoTiatn arlem," at which she aflerwards brcamr, like hrr predecessor, Matilda of Flanders, a most muniScent (■lUonces. She was also greaUy akilled in music, for which her lore 'TL'unted almccl to a passion. When queen, we shall find her some- uc(«irr, and Piert of Langtofi, and, above all, Eadmer, a coDtem|>o- ;., asseri tliat the royal pair had been lovers before circumstances nd» ''d of ibcir iiuion. Tliese are the words of quaint old Robiu on tlw -■'jt^l: — * ^padial love tharo luil *«' hern, as I undetitanil, 8«iw«n tiiin ind tlie king'i la.ir dau^liiet, Maiul of Scotland. 5o thai ha wUJi>d bi-t to wife, nad tbe tnshopa also, And tba h^b axca of the land taddt* liiiii ll)er«|i>," MaiUda received two proposals of marriage while she was ia the nun- ;' at Rumsey ; one from Alan duke of Brctagne, the mature suitor ire tnenlioned, who demanded her in marriage of his brolher-jn-law, ^ Warn Hufus, and oblained his consent, but he was prevented by dealh ' i.i fiiliiNiMg his engagement. Had it been otherwise, Matd da's only I -I I. "in ihis ill-assorted union, would have been the irrevocable '- :'■■. f the black veil, of which she had testified such unqualified riic i>ilier candidate for the hand of the exiled princess, was the ' ijiuig and hanilsome William Warren, earl of Surrey, the son of iho '.-toijorn'r's youngt-et daughter, Gundred, the favourite nephew of Wil- ium Itufufl, and one of ilie richest and most powerful of the baronago (if K-iiglaiid and Normandy. Tliir pir.lesnion of Matilda was delayed for a time, by the addresses i' ihpM' jirincca.' " But," continues the chronicler, ^ she was, by ilia pit* uf Gi-d, rcsen'ed fur a higher destiny, and through his pcrmiesion tonuaci^ a more illustrious marriage."* It is remarkable, that of iha thfco lovers by whom Mniddu was sought in marriage, one should har* Wen lfa« Min-in-law, another the grandson, and the thinl the son, of ihat TSoauMO conqueror who liad established a rival dynaaiy on the throne of W asKotori. ya'il'la pleaded her devotion to a religious life, as an excuse for de- clining the addresses of Warren, though, under existing circumstances, it - '^11* sirang« that she should have preft-rred a lengthened sojourn in « "trli. '£n means befbie, 01 Ibrmerl]'. ' Radd >: ierkus Tllalis. 'Ibid. I 1 I I glocRiy HtHRter, to a union with a young, handsotne, and wetdlhv pMr of the blood-royal of the reigning sovereign of England ; am! h«r tt» fiwai of Warren nfTords some reason for firing credence to ihc »!■»- mente of Eadmer, Robert ofGlouceiler, and others of the anrienl rhroiii- f ItTS, ns to " llie special lore" that existed between Hejirf Beaiidf re and Matilda, daring the season of their muina) adversity. Matilda was at thai time residing in the nunnery of Wilton, not far from Winchntn, the prtneipal seat of the Norman sovereign. When we reflect on ths great intimacy which subsisted between Mniilda's tinele, Edgnr Athdin;, and the sons of the Conqueror, it appears by no means iroproboMe thai prince Henry might have accompanied him in some of his vtnits to his rayal kinswomen, in the nunnery of Wilton, and perhaps been adraiOnl, tinder tlie sanction of his presence, to converse with the princesses, and even to have enjoyed ihe opportunity of seeing Matilda without h vnntnges which his more youibrul rival could boast. Robert of Gloucester, in his rhyming chronicle, gives this qnill nuumwy of the birth, education, and charBcteristics of Henry : — " In England wai he bofn, Henri, tin's nobleman. In (he tlhird jreat thai hl> taxhei Englnnd wnn ; He v-B!, of b[I lib sons, beit flUcd kini; ii> be, Of lursM rortn and iDHniieTt, bdiI mu^o gentle and fVee. Foi ^t be wai the youngpil to bcwk hit Eiihsi liim drew. And he becBme ■» ii btfel a ptod clerk enow. One time whrn he wns yonng, lib hroitier imoto him. I wia. And he wept while his bdier Mood bj- and beheld all thit; ■Ne weep duw,' he said, 'loving son, Tor it ihsll opme to be, That thnu shBtt ^t be king, and thai thou shnlt see.' Bit laiher made hinir al WesUninitei, kriigUt of hia own band. Id die ninolcenlli jrenr or his age, &c. ttt-. Taller he wu wme drol Ihnn hii brediren were, Fair man and tlirat enow, willi brown hair." Henry was regarded by the people of the land with a greater dcftw of complacency than ihe elder sons of the Conqueror, from the cirtm- stance of his being an English-horn prince. While yet a tender iBkut, hi* mighty aire named him as a witness, (the only male wiinesA,) oi the I'uUowing curious charter to one of his followers, the (cmnder U tb> bmily of Hunter of Hoplon : — >Tbr chronicle or Kotmeniy ttja that Matilda wu s ladf of steal bcaaVi WiTfaaa, die king, iho ijiiril yea liofe (loving) nnci do«r inrli uji and down, ■ gosd Bnd as fiiir ■< •vrr ifai-'y u e JagKP,' Hniidn. iind Mnrgprjr. B K bovit uid a broad bi I fhvmes of Ihis quaint feudal grant ore undoubtedly Tar more be to the yenr than the halting heroics of honest Robert ofGloa- l| nrcWously quoted, though compnundcd more than a ceiitory ^ nis jingling chronicle was wrillcn. Several of the charters of =tn tlifi Conoiieror are in this form, and with (lie names of llie enme ' -n >>r hia Itatiiiy. Il is probable that they were executed iti the act of his queen, " Maud ;""Jugife,"(8onieiimes used as an abbfp- f ft»r Judith.) must have been his niece Judith, aAerwards the wife Jheof ; and Margery, a daughter, who is sometimes enumerated in P5, by (he chroniclers ; and to these the name of that notable I the baliy Ilcnn-, was doubtless added, as a joke, by the royal iitiiig Ihe white wai was supposed lo give particular aulheniiinty /ancee from the crown, which were formerly each duly fur- irith k proof impreasion of that primitive substitute for the great ■.Eogluid, the royal eye-tooth, sometimes familiarly specilied by rch S9 bis « fang-looih." This custom, which took its ]' y remote antiquity, was needlessly adopted by the Anglo-Nor- le of •o»creigns, whose broad seals are peculiarly fine workman- »«riiiff their veritable effigies crowned, sceptred, nnd in royal EmsImI on the king's stone bench ; and on the reverse of the seal ■e monarch is figured, armed cap-d-pic, and mounted on a u KpIUntly appointed* Such are Ihe luipreeslous affixed to all b mon^ the boasts of Ciimbriilge' that Henry, so celebrateil fot ntng, received bis education iJiere. The ancient annals of St. ii Canierbury, however, alBrm ''that be was instruciid in phi- J beyond s«a8, where, for liis knowledge in the liberal sciences, hby the French sutnamed Beauclerc." ' plfattowiBg dialogue took place between Henry and his mynl sire, leluMr hy on hia death-lied at tlermeiiirude,' and was cunclud- d /■', who had all Hit worldly wisdom of a premature statestnan, complied, on condition of being pnl in possession of his mother's bequest of the Cotentin. Robtrt agreed ; but, after he had been foiled in his attempt to dethrone RuTuti he returned to Normandy with exhausted coflers, and wrongfully t^ possessed himself of the Cotentin. Henry, greatly enraged at tliis tictl- nient, was prepnring to lake up arms against Robert, when the latter, finding himself allocked by WilUam, and abandoned by his fntse tHj, PhUip of France, thought proper to make the most earnest solieitatioM to Hpnry for assistance, and forgiveness for the late outrage of wbieb bi had been ffiitlty. Henry, lieing mollified by the submission of his elder brother, ttti un<]ereUinding that a plot was in agitation to deliver Rouen to Willkn, midde:ily entered the city, and seizing Conon, the head of ilie conspin tors, dialed him with his treason to the duke, and caused him to be flinig headlong from one of the highest towers. By this decisive lUf Henry preserved the capital for Robrtt. Robert and William soon after came to an amicable ^reemenl, nidi conceiving a sudden allt^ciion for each other, they terminated their quv- n\ by making their wills in each other's favour, without any meatioii «/ Ueory. Uenry regarded this as a great alTront, especially on the put I MATILDA QF SCOTLAND* 91 of Robert, to whom he had rendered such signal services, and demanded of him eiliier a restitution of his silver, or to be put in possession of the Cotentin. On Robert's refusal, he seized on Mount St. Michael, where be strongly entrenched himself. The youthful adventurer maintained his rocky fortress with obstinate valour, against the united efibrts of his august brothers of England and Normandy, till he was reduced to the greatest straits for want of water. He represented his distress to Robert, in a moving message, and obtained leave to supply his garrison with water, and a present of wine for his own use. Rufus upbraided Robert with his compliance, which he called '•an act of folly." •* What !" replied Robert, with a sudden burst of that generous warmth of feeling which formed the redeeming trait of his character, ^ is the jnarrel between us and our brother of that importance that we should nake him die of thirst ? We may have occasion for a brother hereafter, yDt where shall we find another if we destroy this ?" After Robert had besieged St. Michael^s Mount during the whole of \jenU he brought Henry to terms ; who, weary, perhaps, of keeping a itricter fast than even the church of Rome enjoined at that season, sur* rendered the fortress ; and having permission to go whither he pleased, wandered about Grermany and France for some time, forsaken of every one save four fiuthful domestics, by whom he was attended. In the year 1094, we find, from Matthew Paris, that Henry was in England, and employed by William Rufus in assisting to quell Uie formi- dUble rebellion of Robert Mowbray, the Lord of Nor&umberland. Prince Henry^s poverty, and dependence on the caprices of his brother, tlie Red King, subjected him occasionally to the sneers of the wealthy Norman barons, but more especially of his kinsman and rival, Warren,* who took occasion, from his swiftness in pursuit of the forest game, ^ which oft- times," says the chronicle of Normandy, ^ he, for lack of horse or dog, followed on foot, to bestow the name of Deer^s-foot on the landless prince. This gready troubled Henry, who hated Warren to the death, but had no power to avenge himself, because the Red Kin£ loved Warren greatly."' It is possible that Warren^s courtship of Matuda of Scotland was one cause of Henry's bitter animosity.' This courtship was sanc- tioned by Rufus, and some of the ancient chroniclers assert that 3Iatilda was contracted to him, but this appears without foundation. Henry was in his thirty-second year, when the glancing aside of Wat TyrrePs arrow made him king of England. The chroniclers of that era record that, from whatever cause, omens, dreams, and predictions of the death of the Red Ring, were rife in the land, immediately preceding that event* Prince Henry was at this fatal hunting party ;' and Wace, the minstrel chronicler of the Norman line of princes, relates a most re- markable adventure that befell him on this occasion.* ^ Prince Henry being separated from tlie royal party, while pursuing his game in an adjoining glen of the forest, chanced to snap the string of his cross-bow, •Wace. •Ibid. •Chronicle of Normandy by Waco. *lfabntbiiry. Saxon Chion. •Duneim. •Vfaob* or arblast, and rep«iring to the hot of a forester, lo get it mwiIM m replaced, he was, die moment he emerPii this svlraii al)(□ iho 1io.>r or thy rcgnl auu uid power." Pefore Henty had rerovered from the surprise with which the wctid woninn's prediction had startled hini. the cries of the Red King's aUeo^ mnls procbinied the fatal accident that had befallen their roval maaM and llie hasly flight of the utilucky marksman by whose erring *hrf lie had died. Prince Henry acted aa Rufus doubtless would have dliM in his case; he sprang to his saddle, and made the best of his way la Winchester, without bestowing a moment's care or attention on the liedy of his deceased brother, which was irreTcrently thrown into the an of one Purkiss, a Saxon charcoal-burner, that was passing tlttotigh itx forest, and, on no gentler bier, was ignobly borne back tn the ctiv whirh he had i)uiiied that morning with such proud parade.' Robert of Gtw- center relates the circumstance, with his usual quaint rainateneM; wl among a number of his tame and lame lines, the following graphic eofr plet occurs, which we think our readers will consider wOTtiijr of qiio» lion,- — "To WinohesWT they Imre him, ril! mid« h)< green wound, And evur M he Imy Uie lilouJ welld lo giouiul." William Breleuil,' the royal treasurer, vcas also at this nientotabb bunting party, and with him prince Henry actually rode a race to \ViD> Chester — ay, and won it loo; for when BreleuU arrived at the door of tlie treasury, he found prince Henry standing before it, who greeted him wilh a demand of the kej-s. Breteuil boldlv declared, '• That Iwlh tr«*- sure and crown belonged to ihe prince's elilesl broilier, duke Robert of Normandy, who was then absent in the Holy Land, and for that prion he would keep ihe treasures of the late king his master." Then Ileiuy drew his sword, and, backed by his powerful friend, Henry Bellumoal^ nfierwards earl of Leicester, and other nobles of his party, forced tb ' keys from his kinsman Breteuil, and took possession of the treasure uJ regalia. Breteuil loudly protested against the wrong that was done w duke Robert Some of the nobles who possessed large estates in NormandT, nW •W>etL *!nuon Cliion. The lineal dsKendanU of the tBid EhBieoal-mBlCM', \ij loMS Purkiu, lull live within tha disuncc of > how-ihoi from il)e (pot whom Koto frlU srul continus lo eierciie the trade or tlieir ancHtor. — Miloer'a WinohMS>. ' Williun Breteuil wag the »n of the G^nquerori Kreai ftiei d iBto_Proud Spirit. — Sea ilia fiwiediiit in MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 93 • with Breteuil, in advocating the rights of the royal Crusader; and the (lehate growing rery stormy, it was considered more expedient to argue the momentous question in the council-chamber. Thither the nobles ind prelates adjourned; but while they were eng8(ged in advocating, according as interest or passion swayed, the rival daims of Robert and Henry to the vacant throne, the majority being inclined for the elder brother, (the brave but proverbially unready Robert,) Henry had suc- cessfully pleaded his own cause to Uie populace, in the streets of Win- chester ; and they, strong in numbers, and animated with sudden affec- tion for the English-bom prince, who had promised to bestow upon them English laws and an English queen, gathered round the palace, ind quickened the decision of the divided peers in council, by making he name of Henry resound in their ears ; and Henry, thus elected by he Toice of the people, was immediately proclaimed king, at Winches- er. The remains of the luckless Rufus were hurried into the grave, rith a sort of hunter's mass, the following morning, at an early hour, in Winchester Oathednd ;' and Henry hastened to London, where, on Sun- lay, the 9th of Au^rust, the third day after his brother's death, he was nt>wned in Westnmister Abbey, by Maurice, bishop of London. Before he regal circlet was placed on his brow, ^ Henry, at the high altar at kVestminster, promised to God and the people,'' says the Saxon Chroni- de, ^ to annul the unrighteous acts that took place in his brother's reign, ind he was crowned on that condition." ' Henry promised everything that could reasonably be demanded of him, and set about reforming the abuses and corruptions that had pre- vailed during the licentious reign of the bachelor king, and completely •ecu red his popularity with die English people, by declaring his resolu- tion of wedding a princess of the blood of Alfred, who had been brought up and educated among them. Accordingly he demanded Matilda, the daughter of Malcolm, king of Scotland, and Margaret Atheling, of her brother Edgar, king of Scotland. The proposal was exceedingly agree- able to the Scottish monarch ; but great difficulties were opposed to the completion of this marriage, by those who were of opinion that she had embraced a religious life.* The abbess Christina, Matilda's aunt, in particular, whose Saxon prejudices could not brook the idea that the throne of the Norman line of sovereigns should be strengthened by an alliance with the royal blood of Alfred, protested, ^ that her niece was a veiled nun, and that it would be an act of sacrilege to remove her from her convent" Henry's heart was set upon the marriage, but he would not venture to outrage popular opinion, by wedding a consecrated nun. In this dilemma, he wrote a pressing letter to the learned Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, who had been unjustly despoiled of his revenues by ' The monument that Henry L raised for hie brother Rufiu, before the hi^h altar at Winchester, is still to be seen there ; he put himself to no great cost Ibr fiueral expenses, for it is a plain gravestone of black marble, of that shape called do§ tTam^ to be seen, of brick or ireestone, in country ohmchyards. * Saxon Q-roDJcle. ' Eadmer. I I i H MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. Williun RDfus, and was then in exile at Lyons, entreating him U remm. nnd render him his adiice atrd assistanpe in thin nffcir. WIwb Aneplin heard ihe partirulars of the case, he declared Umt ii wm lm mighty for his single derision, and therefore stimnionetl a council »f llw church at Lambeth, for the ptirpose of entering more fully into this io- porlant question.' Matilda made her appearenee before the synod, and was closely int«t" rognted by the primate Atiselm. in the presence of Ihe whole hierarchy of England, as to the reality of her alleged devotion to a religions lifO The particulars of hpr examination have been preserred by Eodrmr, who, as the secretary of the archbishop Anselm. was doubUesiB an tn- witness of this interesting scene, and, in all probability, reconled tht *«ry words uttered by the princess. The urchbishop commenced by slating liie objections to her mwrisff, grounded on the prevailing report that she had embraced a religious Itfi^ tiul declared, " tliat no motive whatever would induce him to dispeiM with her vow, if it had already been given to Almighty God." The priacesa denied that there had been any such engj her part- She was asked " if she had embraced a fcligious life, either by htt own choice or the vow of her parents ;" and she replied, « Netthef," Then she was examined as to the fact of her having worn the black td of s votaress in her father's court, and subsequently in the niuiDenra of Rnmsey and Willon. " 1 do not deny,"' said Matilda, "having worn the veil in my biheA court: for, when I was a child, my aunt Christina put a piece of hhrii cloth over my head ; but when my father saw me with it, he snuidnd il off in a great rage, and execrated the person who had put it on ni".' I tflcTWards made a pretence of wearing it, to excuse myself from nnsuil- able marriages ; and, on one of these occasions, my father tore the vril ■nd threw it on the ground, observing to Alan earl of Bretagne. wfci stood hy, that it was his intention to give me in marriage, tiot to devoK me to the church." * She also admitted that she had a.«sumed the veil in the nunnery «f Ruinsey, as a protection from the lawless violence of the Notma nobles, and that she had continued to wear that badge of onveati^ devotion, against her own inclination, through the harsh compulsiofl t# her annt, the abbess Christina. " If I attempted to remove it," eontiowtt Maiildn, '■she would tonoent me with harsh blows and sharp reproaebn: ■ighing uid trembling, I wore it in her presence; but as soon as I wil^ drew froiB her sight, I always threw it off, and trampled upon it.^* This explanation was considered perfectly satisfactory by the cmmd tt Uimbetli. and they pronounced, that ■^ Matilda, daughter of Maleobh 'Ndt loni; Kftei Ihe nlnm or Archbiahop Anwim to Engluu), Ibe Idas, bgr A> iw>lvi(<(i i>r hii fTir-ndt, i«Kilv«d n Imve off liit mislreMes and tnnrry; mai tt iamii a icrf gnat afftttvm for Matilda, dnuftliwr lo Malcolm, UtB kias etSm Isii.l, molrsd, if il miglit be Uwfbl, to man]- ber. — ^TjTtolU 'Eadmei, 3Saiatii>urf. ' Eadinei. ■ Ibid. ■ Dnd. MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 95 king of Scotland, had proved that she had not erohraced a religious life, either by her own choice or the vow of her parents, and she was there- fore free to contract marriage with the king.^ The council, in addition to this declaration, thought proper to make public the most cogent reason which the Scottish princess had given for her assumption of the black veil, on her coming to England ; which was done in the following remarkable words.' ^ When the mat king William conquered this land, many of his foDowers, elated by so great a victory, and thinking that everything ought to be subservient to their will and pleasure, not only seized the provisions of the conquered, but invaded the honour of their matrons and virgins whenever they had an opportunity. This obliged many young ladies, who dreaded their violence, to put on the veil, to preserve their honour.^' According to the Saxon chroniclers, Matilda, notwithstanding her repugnance to the consecrated veil, exhibited a very maidenly reluctance to enter the holy pale of matrimony with a royal husband. It is possible that the report of the immoral ten our of Henry's life before he ascended the throne, which was evidenced by his acknowledging the claims of twenty illegitimate children, might be regarded by a princess of her parity of mind and manners as a very serious objection ; and if, as many of the early chroniclers intimate, there had been a previous engagement between Henry and herself, she of course felt both displeasure and dis- cast at his amours with the beautiful Nesta, daughter of the prince of Wales, and other ladies too numerous to particularize. It is certain that after the council at Lambeth had pronounced her free to marry, Matilda resisted for a time the entreaties of the king, and the commands of her royal brother and sovereign, to accept the brilliant destiny which she was ofiered. All who were connected with the Saxon royal line importuned Ma- tflda, meantime, with such words as these : ^ O most noble and most gracious of women, if thou wouldst, thou couldst raise up the ancient honour of England : thou wouldst be a sign of alliance, a pledge of reconciliation : but if thou persistest in thy refusal, the enmity between the Saxon and Norman races will be eternal ; human blood will nevei cease to flow." * Thus urged, the royal recluse ceased to object to a marriage, whereby ■he was to become the bond of peace to a divided nation, and the dove of the newly-sealed covenant between the Norman sovereign and her own people. Henry promised to confirm to the English nation their ancient laws and privileges, as established by Alfred, and ratified by Edward the Confessor — in short, to become a constitutional monarch; and on those conditions the daughter of the royal line of Alfred con- sented to share his throne. Matthew Paris says positively that Matilda was a professed nun, and BO averse to this marriage, that she invoked a curse upon all the de- seendants that might proceed from her union with the Norman king ' Eadroer. * Ibid. * Saxon C\xTOmc\<&. I M\TtLI>A OF SCOTLAND. ^H But ihij is conlradictRi] by all otlier historians ; and if any fouodatioB existed fur ihe story, we think friend Matthew must, by a atmnpe alip of ihe pen, have written down the name of the meek unij saintly JMatildi ineieaU of ihal of the pervcree virago, the abbess Chrislina, her uni, who was BO greatly opposed to those auspicious nuptials, aud, for atigbt we know, might hove been aa much adiliclt'd to the evil habit of irapro cation ns she was to eeolding and fighiiiig. Matilda's ikmurs, al^er all, occasioned little delay, for the orchblflhop Ansclm did not return to England till Orloberi the council ai [^mbeih was held in the latter end of that month, and her marriage and coiona- tiun look place on Sunday, November 11th, being St. Martin's day, just three months and six days alier the inauguration of her royal lord at Westminster, August 5ih, 1 100 ; which we may consider tjuick work, for the despatch of such important business, aud solemn ceremonials of ataie. We gire the singular scene of the marriage, in tlie very irorda of ooa who was a contemporary, and moat likely an eye-witnes«. " At the wedding of Matilda and Henry the First, there was a most prodigious concourse of nobility and people assembled in and about the ctiurcn at Westminster, when, to prevent oil calumny and ill report that the king was about to marr)' a nun, the archbishop Anaehn mounted into a pulpit, and gave the multiinde a history of the events proved before the synod, and ila judgment, tluit the lady Matilda of Scotland was (m frimi any religious vow, and might dispose of herself in marriage as she thought fit. The archbbhop tiuished by asking the people iu a land Toice, whether any one there objected to this decision, upon which they answered unanimously, with a loud shoui, ' that the matter was rightly settled.' Accordingly the lady was immediately married to the king, and crowned before thai vast assembly." ' A more simple yet majestic appeal to the aeuse of the people, in regaid to a royal marriage, history records noL To this auspicious union of the Anglo-Norman sovereign Henry L with Maiitda of Scotland, a princess of Englisli lineage, English edne»- tion, and an English heart, we may trace alt the constitutional blessings whicli litis free country at present enjoys. It was through the influence of this virtuous queen that Hcnrj- grantetl iIlc important charter which fonneil the model and precedent of that great palladimn of Eogliab lib- erty. Magna Charta; and we ctdl upon our readers to obseivc, thai it was the direct ancestress of our present sovereign-lady, who refused W quit her gloomy conventual prison, and to give her hand to the hand- somest and most accompliBhed sovereign of his time, till she liad obtained jUBt and merciful laws for her suflering country, the repeal of the tytaa* nical imposiiion of the curfew, and, in some slight degree, a recogoiticai of the rights of the commons. When the marriage of Matilda of Scotland with Iletuy I. took p)aei, t hundred copies of this digest of the righteous laws of Alfred aud Eil- ward the Confessor were made, and committed to the keeping of th( ^H t hundre ^K ward the ' William t>r MKlnubiuy. HATILnA OF SCOTLAND. 97 bishoprics anti niomslt^rjes in England ; but when these were for, ill ihe reign of John, li> furm a legal authority for the of the people, Rapiu says, only one could be found, which was I iIiii who name home, Anil cniwnpd Maudr his wire full Ihir and f^se f Tbm daugJitur wu ((Ull of b&nignile) To king MaJrolyne and Si. Margrcts llie queen or Scollmu), which albre that liine bad been ; Of whom ha gu William, Richard, and Molde, WhOie KOndoHsa ii yet spoken of full wide ; It alia w«i« fall, her vtriuea nian;-Jold Eteaeded far— nil vice ^e lei aside ; JVbatei thai were engendcTed of pride Bke w 11 rot with all bcnevoionce. Ami visited ibe sick and pour with diligeoce. Thft priaanBii and women cka with child, Lfing in abjpct mi^pry ay about, Cloibai, meat, and bedding new and andoflled, And wine and ale ibe gave wiihouien doubt, When the saw need in countries all ihiouKboat, TboM oroaseB all that fet be most royal In the bighwajrs, with gold site made them all."' MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. QUEEN OF HENRY I. CHAPTER II. of Matilda'* maniage— Called Mntilda Atheling— Her oliaiitie*— Her ■ ' Aleiander the Fierce — Her works of utility— Equitable Iswa of Ds nickname tho king uid quean — Duke Robert'a icTasioa loiaiian l&r Matilda — MutilJannd arch bieliop's mediation — Benrj * vldl arohbiihop Anselm — Duke Robert'i visit — Piesenli his peosioa ' Sir Benrf ElUt'i rartion. ^ MATILDA F SCOTLA [D. I f Malilda — Bepenta — Anselni'i rpliiin u- Engl anil — Malilda'* Triendilup Ibt hltn — Binb of princcia Mntilda — Robfrl regieu hii p«tisioa — Kevil(» MstiU* — Bfttlle of Tinchebnj— CnptiirA of Boberi and iho queen'i unci? EdgU— FBTiloned Ihioiqcb the qofim n influence — Court flrel keplat Windeor by Brai; •nd Malilda — Piinceu Matilda betrodied lo the emperoT — Court at Winckt^ ter — Rrmoval at king Alficd a bones — Mairisgo of Frince William — Depuma of CDipTcia Matilda — Paiiiameni hrlil — Wontlslncic palace coinplelnl — Brroll in Normandr— Illncts of ilie queen— Hec death— King Henry's grief— BukI nf MBt.lda — Iniciiption 10 her memory — Hrr fBlaco at Wnlm inkier — Pwirnl remain* — PoMiaii of Maulda^-Het children — Death of her elde^i Kn — Th* ampicM Matilila. Matilda's EnglUh ancestry, and English eiluestion, renderH the oew king's marrkge wiili her a most papular mensure with the AngloSaion people, oC whom the great bulk of his atihjecls was compoaetl. By theni tlie royal bride was fondly styled Matilda Alheling. and regarded as the lepreseniative of tlieir own regreltcd sovereigns. The allegiance wtiicb the mighty Norman conqueror, and his despotic son, the Red King, had never been able to obtain, except through the sternest ine«- sures of compulsion, and which, in deiiance of the dreadful penalties c' loss of eyes, limbs, and life-, had been frequently withdrawn from thSM powerful monarchs, was freely and faitlifuljy accorded to the husband of Malilda, Henry I., by the Saxon population. All the refomis eflect«d by his enlightened government, and all the good laws which his cnlargMJ views of political economy taught that wise monarch to adopt, were attributed, by his Anglo-SAXon subjects, to the beneficial influence of hi* young queen. Robert of Gloucester was fully impressed with these ideas, as we may plainly perceive in the following lines in his rhyming chronicle) ia which he speaks of HenrA's marriage : — " So thai as soon as he waa king, on 81. Martyn'a day I ween. He (pouted her that was called Claude the good queen, ^^ Thai wai kt*d' htir a/ England, ai I have lold before. ^^H Man a England, Five-and-ihirty years had elapsed since the metropolis had enjajti the advantage of a resident court. Matilda of Flanders, dn ring her t»itf visit to England, held her state at Westminster, the ferotirite abode tt the two tirsi Anglo-Xorman monarchs ; and the Londoners, whoR prosperity had sensibly diminished in consequence of the entire abiwnce of female royalty-, beheld with unfeigned satisfaciioa the palace of Gil- ward the Confessor, at Westminster, once more graced by the preseiK* of a queen of the blood of Alfred, whose virtues, piety, and learaiitf^ rendered her a worthy successor of the last Saxon queen who had bJo her court there, Editha, '■ That giBciou* nwe of Godwin'j thomy siem." MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 99 Those to whom the memory of that illustrious lady was justly dear, were probably not unmindful of the fact, that the youthful queen, on whom the hopes of England were so fondly fixed, had received that gamine Saxon name at the baptismal font ; and though, in compliment lo her Norman god&ther, she was called Matilda, she was also Editha. Like her saindy predecessor, Matilda fully verified the primitive title bestowed by the Saxon on their queens, Hlaficlige, or the giver of bread. Her charities were of a most extensive character, and her tender com- passioo for the sofierings of the sick poor carried her almost beyond the bounds c^ reason, to say nothing of the restraints imposed on roy- alty. She imitated the example of her mother, the saintly queen of Scotland, both in the strictness of her devotional exercises, and in her personal attentions to those who were labouring under bodily afflic- tions.' She went every day in Lent to Westminster Abbey, barefoot, and clothed in a garment of haircloth ; and she would wash and kiss the feet of the poorest people, for which, according to Robert of Glou- cester, she was once reproved, not without reason, by a courtier. He had lias answer, however, as our readers will perceive from the follow- ing curious dialogue >- ** *■ Madam, ibr Ciodde*8 love is this well ado To handle such unclean limbs, and to kiss so 1 Foul woald the king think if this thing he wist, And right well arile him ere he your li]>s kisL* * Sir, sir I* quoth the queen, *■ be still. Why saj you to? Our Lord himself example gave for to do so.' " * On another occasion, her brother, Alexander the Fierce, king of Scot- land, when on a visit to the court of her royal husband, entering Matil- da's apartments, found her on her knees, engaged in washinff the feet of some aged mendicants ; on which she entreated him to avau himself of the opportunity of performing a good and acceptable work of charity and humiliation, by assisting her in this labour of love, for the benefit of his soul.' The wariike majesty of Scotland smiled, and left the room, without making any reply to this invitation. Perhaps he was conscious of his want of skill as an assistant at a pediluvium party ; or it might be that he had seen too much of such scenes during the life of his pious mother qoeen Margaret, and feared that his sister would carry her works of be- nevolence to extremes that might prove displeasing to the tastes of so refined a prince as Henry Beauclerc. Bat to do Matilda justice, her good works in general bore a character of more extended usefulness ; so much so, that we even feel the benefit of them to this day, in the ancient bridge she built over ^ my Lady Lea.'' Once being, with her train on horseback, in danger of perishing while fording the river Lea, at Oldford, during a JdghJIood^ in gratitude for her preservation, she built the first arched bridge ever known in England, a little higher up the stream, called by the Saxons Bow * Bridge, still to > Weever. * Robert of Gloucester. ' M. Paris. * Bow, from ftofta, an arch, a word in the German language, pronounced with the g aoanded like y, which brings it close to the Angto-Saxon. STiKS'^TiSS ^ I I at Siroironl-le-Bow. " though the ancient and mighty Lonilog Uriilge h»s been broken down." Bow Bridge she built at the head of the lown of Stiatfon] ; likewiw Channel's Bridge, over a iribuiary siream of the Lea, the way beiireen ihem being well paved with gravel. She gave certain manors, a [id a mill ralM Wiggin Mill, for ever, towards keeping in repair (he said bridget and way.' Alatilda founded the hospital at St. Giles in the Fields, and also Chrhl Church,' which stood on the very spot now called Dnke's Place, noted as the resort of a low class of Jews. This exceUent queen also directed her attention to the importmt object of making new roads, and repturing the ancient highway*, thai had Inllen into decay during the stormy years which hail succeeded thi peaceful and prosperous reign of her great uncle, Edward tlie ConfcsMt, By this means, travellers and itinerant merchants were greatly facibtatrd, in tlieir journeys through the then wild and perilous country, which, with the exception of the four great Roman ways,' was only inieracctaJ by a few scattered carl-tracks, through desolate moora, heaths, and uncultivated wastes and woodlands. These public benefits, which Mi^ tilda tlie Good conferred upon tlie people from whose patriotic nii>- narchs she derived her descent, were in all probability ilie frnits of her regency, during the absence of her royal husband in Nonnaiuly-, for it is scarcely to be supposed that snch stupendous underlakiogl could have been eflected, by the limited power and revenues of a mtre queenHMnsort. Henry the First, be it remembered, was placed on the ^rone by ifu Saxon dirisian of his subjects, who were the commons of England, and by litem he was supported in his regal authority agninst t>ie NotiMD aristocracy, who formed a powerful parly, in fevour of his elder broilier'i pretensions to the crown of England. The moral and political reforms with which Henry commenced his reign, and, above all, the cven-handsd measure of justice which he caused to be observed towards all who pre- sumed to infringe ihe laws, gave great oQbnce to many of tliose haugbij nobles who had been accustomed to commit the most (lagrant crinwa with impunity, and to oppress their hmnbler neighbours, withont lirar of being anaianed for their misdeeds. The estabhshroent of ttie ei]iii(i- ble laws whicl protected the wives and daughtere of Englishmen froa insult, the honest trader from wrong and robbery, and the poor (tea violence, were attributed to the inQuence of Matilda, whom they insult' ingly styled "the Saxon woman,"' and murmured at the rimoM fwlf«i(its which her preaence and authority imposed upon the eoort' The conjugal afleciJon which subsisted between the royal pair, exeiiedi witfial, tlie ridicule of those who bod been the profligate associates of Hafwnitl'i Tluee Norman Eingi. 'PeunanL Which mightr woiki were of iiifimie uh u> oiir anceaion in ngei laier tbse Af Noiunui era. Kobcrl of Gloucesier ipwJii of (heir uiiLity m hu daj, and i^ "Thilk wnj-p by mony a town do wend." Thifny. *EBdiMV. MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 101 the bachelor king, William Rufiu ; and it was universally displeasing to the haughty Norman peers, to see the king's gracious demeanour towards the hitherto oppressed and dispirited English portion of his sub- jects, for whom his amiable consort was constantly labouring to procure a recognition of their rights. ^ The malice of certain evil-minded men," says E^mer, ^ busied itself in inventing the most cutting railleries on king Henry and his wife of English blood. They nicknamed them Leofric and Godiva, and always called them so when not in the royal presence.'' * It is probable that Warren, the disappointed suitor of Ma- tdda, and his kinsman Mortimer, with others of the audacious Norman quens^ who had previously exercised their wit in bestowing an offensive Mobriquet on Henry before his accession to the throne, were among the foremost of those invidious detractors, who could not endure to wimess the wedded happiness of their sovereign, and the virtuous influence of his youthful queen. The invasion of duke Robert, Henry's eldest brother, on his return from the Holy Land, took place in the second year of Matilda's mar- riage. King Henry's fleet being manned with Norman seamen, and, of course, under the influence of Norman chiefs, revolted, and, instead of guarding the coasts of England from the threatened invasion of the duke, swept across the narrow seas, and brought him and his armament in triumph to Portsmouth, where he was joined by tlie majority of the Anglo-Nonnan baronage.' Robert had also his partisans among the English ; for Edgar Atheling so far forgot the interests of his royal niece, queen Matilda, as to espouse the cause of his fnend Robert against the king her husband. Robert landed at Portsmouth, and marched direct to Winchester, where queen Matilda then lay in with her flrst-born child, William the Atheling. When this circumstance was related to the duke, he relinquished his purpose of storming the city, with the observation, ^ that it never should be said he conunenced the war by an assault on a woman in childbed, for that would be a base action.'" Matilda duly appreciated this generous consideration, on the part of her ro3ral brodier-in-law and godfather, and exerted all her influence to negotiate a peace between him and her lord, in which she was assisted by the good offices of the archbishop Anselm ; and this formidable crisis passed over without the eflusion of a drop of blood.^ These are Har- dinge's words on the subject : **But Anselm archbishop of Canterbury, And queen Matilda, made tliem well accord; The king to pay three thousand marks yearly To duke Robert, withouten more discord." AAer this happy pacification, Henry invited Robert to become his goest at the court, where the easy-tempered duke was feasted and enter- tained, greatly to his satisfaction, by his royal god-daughter Matilda,' who, in her love of music, and the encouragement she bestowed on ^Eadmer. Thierxy. * Saxon Annals, a.d. 1101. ' Cbronique de Normandie. * Ibid. * VL Pax\&. 9» I I IfK MATILDA OF SC OT I. A :« D. minsliels, or Iromieres, quite coincided vith the uatea of her epotaot and broUier-in-Uw ; " for," rays Malmsbur>'i " e^eiy poel haslMted to ilie court of Matilda to read his verses to that queen, and to partake of her bounty." ' So much did Robert enjoy hia sojourn at Henry's court, that he stayed ihere upwards of six moiiiha, though liis presence wu grpBily required in his own dominions* An uufortunale nibunderslanding took place between Henry and the archbishop Anselm, early in the yew- 1103. Tliia quarrel originated in an aileropt made by the archbishop, to deprive the king of s privilege, which had been claimed by the Saxon monarchs, of appointing his owa bishops Aneelm wished to restore the nominaiion to ihc chapten, which llenry resolutely opposed. Both appealed to the pope, bm Ab- Gelm went to Rome, to plead his own cause against the king's thrM advocates, and remained in exile. The following year Robert revisited England, either to demand pay- ment of hia pension, or to raise a revolt. He was, however, attended by only twelve gentlemen. Henry, having speedy information of hu landing, declared, if he fell into liia hands, he would keep him so closely imprisoned, that he should never give him any more trouble. "' Not mv eint," replied the count de Melleni, « he is yotir brother, and God Imbiif tliat you should do so great a villany; let me meet and talk with bin, and I will take care that he shall return quietly into Normandy, lad give you acquittance of his pension withal." " By my &iih," replied the king, " 1 will make yon do what you say." The count then mounted his horse, and encountering duke Robert «n the road to Southampton, greeted him with these words: '^St.Maiy! what brings you into this country f Who has eiven you such Ciial counsel? Tou know you have hitherto compelled (he king to pay yoB four iliousand marks a-year, and for this cause you will be taken and put to death, or detained in prison for life. He is deierniineil lo bt avenged on yon, I promise you." When the duke heard this ha mf greatly disturbnl, and asked '^ if he could not return to SouthampMti ?" "No," replied Melleni, "the king will cause you to be intercepted; bat even if you could reach that place, the wiud is contrary for yoar taeapi by sea.'^ "Counsel me," cried the duke. " what I ought to do." *» Sire," replied the count, " the queen is apprised of the nem, ml you know that you showed her great kindness when you gave dp ttw BAMiilt on Winchester, because she lay in cliildbed there. Hasten to her, and commit yourself and your people to her care, and [ am sure *i» will guard you from all harm." Then duke Robert went to the qneea! and sbe received and reassured him very amiably, and by the sweel words she said to him, and the fear he was in of being token, ho vai 'Matilda wm »o generous h palron of poeli Biiii minsirela, lliat tlie irhrtnicbn declan tbej crowded Ler rouil from nil paiti of Europe, and Ndtiff h«t imim III jireHnted her wilti their ptneffftici ; sJid Ilie onljr fnuli leA oa het masiarf thai ifae HMneiime* oppteueU liei lenanu. and jpeni ber monueg too ciMdj. ... _ ■ , .. "■ ■limm of Malraabury. ' 'Cbtoniqna da Normandia. J*. uiH Ban BuiiiBujiie* oppreued nri wiiBrjis. in providiiig rewanli Ibr ihete BBDUy. — Will. I *ina. " — ^ — '- • MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 103 induced to sacrifice those pecuniary claims on the king his brother, for which he had resigned the realm of England. When Henry hound that his brother had granted an acquittance for this money to the queen, he sent to the queen, to come to him with duke Robert. Matilda brought the duke to the king, and the duke thus ad- dressed him : ^ Fair sire, I am come to see you out of afiection, and not to injure either you or yours. We are brothers, bom of one &ther and one mo- ther. If I am the eldest, you liave the honour of a crown, which is a much better thing. I love you well, and thus it ought to be. Money and rents J seek not of you, nor ever will. I have quitted to the queen all yoa owe me for this kingdom. Enter we now together into perfect amity. We will exchange gifts of jewels, dogs, and birds, with such things as ought to be between brothers and friends." ^ We will do as yon say," replied the king, ^ and thanks for what you have said." ' The Saxon chronicler and some other historians affirm, indeed, that he invaded England ; ^ but it is plain," says Sir John Hay ward, ^ that he only came mr di^rt and play," that is, to recreate himself at the eovti of Henry Beauclerc, and to enjoy the agreeable society of the queen his god^ughter, with the music and minstrelsy in which they both so greatly de^ghted. Well would it have been for the luckless Robert, if all his tastes liad been equally harmless and refined ; but he had propensities disgraceful to his character as an individual, and ruinous to his fortunes as a prince. The chroniclers relate that he indulged in such excess of revelry, while he was at the Enriish court, that he was often in a state of inebriation foi days together.' According to some historians, Robert resigned his pension to Matilda at a carouse, and when he becaime aware of the folly of which he had been guilty, he was greatly exasperated, and bitterly reproached his bro- ther Henry ^ with having cheated and despoiled him, by employing the queen to beguile him with &ir words out of his pension, when he was under the influence of wine."* There was nothing but animosity between the royal brothers, after this a&ir. Robert's indignation at the trick he had been played, led him to make use, not only of reproaches, but menaces, against Henry, who availed himself of that excuse to make war upon him. In the year 1 104, Henry left the ffovemment of England in the prudent hands of Matil^ and embarked for Normandy. While there, he consented to meet Anselou the archbishop, at the castle of PAigle, where, through the mediation of his sister Adela, countess of Blois, a reconciliation was happily eflected. Anselm then returned to En^nd, where he was met at Dover by the queen Matilda, who received and welcomed him with the greatest demonstrations of satisfaction.* As the venerable primate * Chroniqae do Normandie, 24S->9. * Eadmer. ' Ibid. Gemiticensis. * Fucal IL admitted Anselm, the ikvourite priest and prelate of Matilda, to a ■eat near his right ibot, saying, " We admit this prelate into our circle, he being, as if were, the pope of the &rther hemisphere."— Godwin de Ihaei* I I 404 HAT1I.0A OF SCOTIiAnn. in leeble health, ihe queen look llie precaution of preceding him pn nrait from Dover to ihe oietrapolie, proTicliag, as she went. Cor h* comfurls aud Accoioinudaiion.' Matilda, ind^'pendeuLly of the feeling of political cxpodiency wltidi rendered this public lestimonial of respect to the archbishop oceinUci After the onpopuUr schism between him and her royal husband, ms, is all probability, oatundly inclined to testify her regard for a person who tiad been to actively ioatniineiital ia raising her to tlie exalted siatioa which she then enjoyed. Tct the return of Anseloi was attended with circumstances which ga*( great pain to Matilda, as an English queen. Both the king anil arch- bishop, after their reconciliation, uniietl in enforcing inesorably the cct bary of the Anglo-Saxon clergy, whose lower orders had previotwly been able lo obtain licenses to marry. Anselm now excommunicated kll the married clergy. Two hundred of these unfortunate Saxons, barefoot, but clad in iheit clerical robes, encountered the king and queen in the streets of London. They implored the king's compassion j he turned from them with vcnli of insult. They then supplicated the queen lo intercede for ilicfu, bol Matilda, with tears in her eyes, assured them "' that she dared n&t inbo^ fere."' The year 1104 was marked by the binh of a princess, who was fini named Alice, or Adelais,' but whose name the king afterwards cliangeil to that of his beloved and popular queen, Matilda. This princ««t WM afterwards the celebrated empress Matilda. Some writers, on the aiulu^ rily of Gervasius, the monk of Canterbury, assert that she was the fat born child of Henrj- and Afatilda; but tjie fact that prince WillioiikTli tborn child of Henrj- and Aiatilda; but tjie fact that prince Wdlwiik-«||^^ eighteen at the lime when the fatal loss of the nliite ship deprived JE^^| land of her heir apparent, in the year 1 1 20, makes it evident that Iw^^H the eldest of the two. It has been said that Matilda placed iter iSl^n (laughter, for education and nmture. in tlte Koyal Abbey of W3t^^ I where uhe had herself completed Iter studies. The profound trwiquillily thai subt.istcd in her husband's dominions, during his frequent absences in r^onnBnJy,is a proof that Matilda ns- tterslood the art of domestic goTcmment, and practised it with a liap- pier eflect tlian the two first Anglo-Normaji sovereigns, whose teips were so greatly disturl>ed by insurrections. Henry, oRei his successful campaign iti Normandy, returned to Eng- land— ni his personal appearance, ut least, an altered man. The An^(^ Normans Imd adopted the picitire^jue Saxon fashion — which, however, was ccHilineil to persons of high rank — of wearing their liair long, aad Howing in ringlets on tlieir shoulders ; and tlie king was rtinarkable iat the luxuriance and beauty of his lovp-locks, which he cherished viih peculiai' care, no doubt out of a laudable desire to conform to the butw of Ids queen, the daughter of a Saxon princess. His courtiers imhatal the royal example, which gave great ncandal to the Norman ctcrff- One day, while the king was in Normandy, he and his train eiiioM a MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 105 ehnrch, where an ecdesiastic of the name of Serlo, bishop of Seez, took ap his parable on the ainfalneas of this new fashion/ ^ which," he pro- tested, ^ was a deTice of the evil one to bring souls into everlasting per- dition ; compared the moustached, bearded, and long-haired men of that age to filthy goats ;'^ and, in short, made so moving a discourse on the unloveliness of their present appearance, that the king of England and his eonrtiers melted into tears ; on which Serlo, perceiving the impres- sion which his eloquence had made, drew a pair of scissors out of his sleeve, and, instead of permitting their penitence to evaporate in a few unmeaning drops, persuaded his royal and noble auditors to prove the sincerity of their repentance, by submitting their ringlets to his discre- tion, and brought hu triumph to a climax, by polling the king and con- gregation with his own hands.' Henry was then courting popularity, in the duchy of Normandy, and well knew that the readiest way to effect his object, was to win the good report of the monks. He had previously scandalized all piously disposed persons, by choosing for his private chaplain a priest whose only merit consisted in being able to hurry over matins and mass in half an hour. This was Roger le Poer,' afterwards the rich and potent bishop c^ Salisbury, whose hasty despatch of the morning service so charmed Henry, that he swore aloud in the church, ^ that he had at length met with a priest fit for a soldier." Roger, when he received this flattering commendation from the lips of royalty, was only a poor curate at Caen, but was advanced by Henry to the highest preferment in the chureh and state. After Henry had submitted his flowing ringlets to the reforming shean of Serlo, he published an edict, compelling his lieges to relinquish these sinful adornments also. Qpeen Matilda did not long enjoy the society of her royal husband in England, and during the brief period he spent with her at Northamp- ton, in the winter season, his whole time and thoughts were employed in raising the means for pursuing the war in Normandy. His unfortu- nate brotfier, Robert, finding himself sorely pressed on every side, and left, by his own improvident folly, without resources for continuing the contest, came over to England unattended, and, repairing to the court at Northampton, forced an interview with Henry * (who was reluctant to admit him into his presence), and earnestly besought his compassion, telling him at the same time, ^ he was ready to submit ever^nhing to his brotherly lore, if he would only permit him to retain the appearance of a sovereign.'* As it by no means suited Henry's policy to yield to the dictates of natural aflection, he coldly turned away, muttering some- thing to himself, that was unintelligible to the by-standers, and which he could not be induced to explain. Robert's quick temper could not brook this contemptuous usage, and, in a paroxysm of rage, he indignantly assailed his younger brother with a storm of reproaches, mingled with abuse and menaces ; and without waiting to employ the good offices of queen Matilda, through whose > Ordarieiu Vltalis. ' Ibid. • Godwin de Praes. « M.^vlt\%. r I VK UATILDA OF SCOTL\IVD. kinill}' inflapnce it b possible he might luive obtained reasonable condi- lions of peace, he departed from Nortlinmptnn the saine hour. Id tlie spring, Henry once more commiiied the domeaiic aSiun of hi* kingdom to the cnre of Matilda, and having levied an enormous tux on his subjects, lo support the upensca of the war, eintwrked for S lordi of towns and burgipsaca of cities ; Thiongb couni:iJ of Ditme Maid, s kind womaa ind mm, lantead of hatred old, there now wa» ioTe alt new; Wow love d upholder of the Saron fortn of legislature, whose sptem was that of a representative constitution. He says, "The goodness thai king Henry and the good queen Mold Did to tbii Iimd ne may never be sold." The y«nr 1 109 must have been an era of eventful interest to Matilik. Her royal husband, having spent the winter and spring in Nnroiuiiljr,' Teiumed to England in the summer, to visit her and their infant bmilgr, and kept court with ancommon splendour, in his new palace at Windsor, which liad been completed in his absence. It was there that he recetveil the ambaasadors who came to solicit the hand of the princess Malildt for the emperor Henry V,' The proposal was eagerly acc«p(«d br Henry Beauelerc ; sud the princess, then jusl turned of five year* old, was solemnly espoused, by proxy, to her roval suitor, who was fortr years her nenior; but, on account of her tender age, the infiint bfin was aHowed for the present to remain under the care of the queen hn mother.* About ihe same period Alexander the Fierce of Scotland, Matilda^ brother, condescended to wed Isaliella, the youngest illeeitimaie Uaufhnr of his sister's husband. His motives for contracting this alUanee m tlilficult to imagine, since the young lady wu remarkable for ^i« pWi* ness of her person and ilie impropriety of her contluct' The fact that Henry's numerous illegitimate children were many of them adults at (lib period, proves that they were bom in his youth, and at all evetils before his marriage with Matilda of Scotland. In the year 1109, the mi^ly Norman chief Fitz-Haynuin, lurd of Glamorgan, dying without sons, left the lady Aimabel, his young luana, to the guardianship of l]ie king. Henry, wishing to secure eo rich % prize for his eldest natural son Robert, proposed him to his fair ward, >s a suitable huabaDd for her. But the haughty Norman damsel, thnofh only sixteeo, intrepidly replied, "■ That the ladies of her bouse were iiM Bccuiiiomeil to wed nameless persons." Then the king answered, "Neither shall thou, damsel; for 1 wiD pre my son a fair name, by which he and his sons shall be called. Robert Fitzroy shall be his name hencerorlh." "BuU" objected the prudent heiress of Glamorgan, "a name so given 14 nodiing. Where are the lands, and what the lordship, of Uie aaa voD will me to wed, sire ?" ' Saxoa Aiumlr. 'U. Paris. Houtiogdon. *M. Paris. MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. 109 ^ Truly,** responded the king, with a smile^ ^ thy question is a shrewd one, damsel : 1 will endow my son Robert with the lauds and honours of Gloucester, and by that title shall he henceforth he called." The lady Aimabel made no further demur, we are told, but wedded the king's son without delsry. The fact was, the king was generously bestowing upon his son Robert the lands imd honours which had been granted or sold to Fits-Haymon, hef deceased father, by William Rnfus, once the patrimony of the luckless Brihtric Meaw,' and the young lady, who seems to have been gifted with no ordinary share of worldly wis- dom, thought, no donbt, that she had better hold the lands and honours of Gloucester on the tenure of wife-service to the king's son, than lose them altogether. Such were the dealings of the Anglo-Norman sots* reigns wiUi their wards. The high-spirited heiress of Fitz-Haymon was, however, fortunate in the marriage that was thus arranged for her by her ro3ral guardian. Robert Fitzroy was the princely ean of Glou- cester who so valiantly upheld the title of his half-sister, the empress Matilda, to the English crown, in the succeeding reign. The following year, an enormous tax, of mree shillings on every hide of land, was levied, to pay the portion of the princess Matilda, by which the sum of 824,0002. was raised ; and the princess was sent over to her imperial husband with a magnificent retinue : she was espoused to him in the cathedral of Mentz,' and solemnly crowned by the arch- bishop of Cologne. Queen Blatilda was in the next year left to keep court alone, in con- sequence of a formidable insurrection in Normandy, in fiivour of Wil- liam Clito, son of the unfortunate Robert Ck>urthose, which was pri- vately fomented by the earl of Flanders. King Henry, perceiving that all classes of his continental subjects were averse to the yoke of an absent sovereiffn, considered it expedient to forego the society of his queen and theur children, for a period of nearly two years, while he held his separate state in Normandy. In the year 1 1 12, we find the king and queen* were together at Win- chester, with their court, where they personally assisted at the removal of the bodies of Alfred the Great, and his queen Alswitha, from the ruinous chapel of Newminster, close to Winchester Oathedral, to the magnificent abbey of Hjrde,* founded and endowed by Henry and Ma- tilda, as a more suitable shrine for the relics of their illustrious progeni- tor^ — ^from whom, be it remembered, Henry, as well as his Saxon queen, was descended in the eighth generation, through the marriage of Els- trith, the daughter of AUred, with an eari of Flandeia, his maternal ancestor. Here, too, the bones of Edward the Elder, and his queen, the imme- diate ancestors of Matilda, were at the same time translated.* — - — — * ' See the preeedint Biogmpby, and Domeadaf -book. ' Simeon of Durham. ' Aroheolosia. * Henry VIIL bmmlly deteerated the place where reposed tiie remain* of these patriot Borereignt. Englishmen of the eighteenth centar^i more barbarous still, converted the holy fime into a bridewell, and the bones of AUred were by felon hands exhumed. * AxobKoVo^EA. TOL. I. — JO I I I I MATILDA OF SCOTLAND. Tlie following yrar Henry was again in Nonnnndy, where he eiilvrrd into an bmicabie Ucaiy wiih one of his most troublesome eneniiee, Fulk earl of Anjnu, by a mBtrimoRial alliance between his heir, prince Wil- liam, and AlicCf the daughter of that earl. The educaiioa of Matilda's eldest daughter being considered as roat- pleicd in IIU, the marriage was fully solemnized between her and tlia emperor Henry V^ and ihey were both crowned a second time, wilb great pomp, in the cathedral at Meniz. The young empress was liieo only in her twelfth year. Notwithstanding this great disparity in sgc^ it appears that the youthful bride enjoyed a reaiionable share of happi- ness with her mature consort, by whom she was treated with the greatest indulgence, while her great beauty and majestic carriage won ihe hearts of the German princes, and obtained for her unboanded popn- lariiy. Matilda^B eldest son, prince William, (or the Alheling, as he was moN generally styled by the Rnglish,^ was, in tlie year 1113, conducted by tiie king hie father with great pomp into Normandy, where he was pie- aented to the stales as the heir of the duehy, and fealty was sworn to )ii:n by the barons and fieemen. This prince was then only twelre years old. He relumed with his roj'al father to England in July, and the following year Henry summoned that memorable parliament men- tioned by Uolinahed, as the first held since the Normsn conquest, to meet at Sulisbur}', and there appointed the young prince as his successtx. William of Halmsbury says, ^ Every freeman of England and Normvt- dy, of whatsoever degree, or to whatsoever lord his vassal service wM due, was made to perform homage, and swear fealty to William, son of king Henry and queen Maiihia." The Easter festival was kepi this jm by the royal &mily at Odiliam Castle, in Hampshire. Matilda passed the Christmas festival of the aame year, io tlie com- pany of her royal husband, at the abbey of St. Alban's.' They were tht giiesis of abbot Richard, who had then brought to a happy conclunW ihe building of lliat magnificent fabric. He invited die queen, who mu one of its benefactresses, the king, and the archbishop of Rouen, and many prelates and nobles, to assist at the consecmtion of the tbbry, which took place Christmas-day, 1115. The royal pair, with their soils of nobles and ladies, were lodged in the abbey, and entertained from December 25th to January 6ih. The queen, sanctioned by Ucfuy, gave, by charter, two manore to SL Alban's. The eiisieiice of a pM^ trah of queen Matilda is certainly owing to this visit; for in a tidi illuminated volume, called the Golden Book of Sl Alban*s, (now to ttw British Museum,) may still be seen a miniatnre of the royal beocA^ tress.' The queen is attired in the royal mantle of scarlet, lined wttk ' Newcome'a Hiatorj of Sl Alban's, pp. 52. 93. 'Cotlonian MSS. Ncro D. T. A beBiiuAil and accuiaie vopj from tha otifSMi tins Iwen dmwn by M. Eraroey at ibe expense of Heoiy Howard, Esq. Kf Corby, the detoendiial or MaiiUla, anil pivKnteil by luni to ibe nuthon or ttni work. Ii oOTKGIs, in many paniculan. the eiioii of an enpitvinir (iubli*lied hf SlrulL We bava llie opporlunily, in this second ediiioo, of devribiug Maltid*^ patlrail, latm an eiaDiiualian of the Golden Book itwif. The Golden B ' ' MATILDA OF BCOTLAHD. Ill white for; it eoreis the knees, and is very long. The mantle is square to the host A cordon of scarlet and gold, with a large tassel, passes through two gold knobs : she holds the cordon in her left hand. She wears a tight kirtle of dark blue, buttoned down the front with gold. Her sleeres fit close to the arms, and are scarlet like the mantle. A white Teil is arranged in a square form on tlie brow, and is surmounted by a gold crown, formed of three large trefoils, and gold oreillettes ap- pear beneath the veil, on each side of the cheeks. The veil flows behind her shoulders with lappets. Matilda is very fiur in complexion : the has a long throat, and elegant form, of tall proportions. She dis- plays with her right hand the charter she gave the abbey, from which bangs a Tery lai^ red seal, whereon, without doubt, was impressed her effigy in grand relief She sits on a carved stone bench, on which is a scarlet cushion figured with gold leaves. This cushion is in the form of a woolpack, but has four tassels of gold and scarlet. A piece of figured doih is hung at the back of her seat There are no armorial bearings — one proof of the authenticity of the portrait ^ Queen Ma- tildis gave us Bculwick and Lillebum,'' is the notation appended by the monks of St Alban's to this portrait About this period, the stately new palace at Woodstock being com- Ceted, and the noble park, reckoned the finest at that time in England, ivinff been walled round, Henry stocked it with a curious menagerie of wild beasts, the first zoological collection ever seen in this country. It is described in very quaint terms by Stowe, who says, ^ The king craved from other kii^ lions, leopards, lynxes, and camels, and other curious beasts, of which England hath none. Among others, there was a strange animal called a stryx, or porcupine, sent him by William of Montpelier; which beast," says the worthy chronicler, ^^is, among the Africans, counted as a kind of hedgehog, covered with pricking bristles, which they shoot out naturally on the dogs that pursue them." Unbounded hospitality was one of the social virtues of this peaceful St. AIbaD*s ii a lort of conventual album, in which were entered the portraits of all the beneftctort of the abbey, together with an abstract of their donations. FiTe different artists, of various degrees of ment, may be traced in this collec- tion. Some of the miniatures are exquisitely designed and coloured, others aro barbaioos and puerile in their execution ; some il, were beginning to practise same of the poaceful pursuits of the Anglo-Saxons, anJ la^iea of high rank considereil it no infringement on the dignity of their station to attend to tlie prolilnbte concerns of the poultry-yard and the dairy. The counien Constance of Chester, though the wil« of Hugh Lupus, the king's fini eousin, kept a lieni of kine, and nmle good Cheshire cheeses, three of which the presented to the archbishop of Canierbttiy. Giialdua Csia- bricnsis bears honourable testimony to the exceUence of the produce of the cheese-shire in that day. A fresh revolt in Normantly' deprived Matilda of the society of her husband and son in 1 1 17. The king, according to Eadmer, relumed and Bpent Christmas with her. as she was at that time in a declining state of health;* lesring prince William with his Norman baronage, as a ptedp for his return.* His sojourn was, of necessity, very brief. He waa coot* pelted, by the distracted state of affiiirs in Normandy, to rejoiii his anqr ^M there, and Slaiilda never saw either her husband or her sou again. Resigned and perfect in all the duties of her high calling, the dyioi I in her palace at Westminster, I i I queen remained, during this trying lonely, though surrounded with all the splendour of royidiy ; endnriag with complacency and patience the sepaiaiiun from her beloved consort tiid children, and alTurding, lo thclaai hour of her life, a beautiful exantpls of piety and self-denial. She expired on the 1st of May, 1 11 S,* passionately lamented by eniy class of the people, to whom her virtues and wisdom had reodcfcd bcr inexpressibly dear. Accorling to the most ancient chroniclers, the king her hosbaud ms much afflicted when the intelligence of Matilda's deatli reiwhed hint, amidst the turmoil of battle and siege in Nonnandy.' Piers of Langtoft alludes lo llie grief fell by the royal wiilower, bIiIm loss of his amiable consort, in terms of lite most homely Eimplicitjr >- •' Now is die king torrj, bor dealh iloth liim gram'' (Buevc), Hardinge's rhyming chronicle produces tiie following quaint stsniat on the death (rf Matilda, and the sorrow of king Henry for her Icm :— 'Th« frillowing Terwa tiora ui Biiciein MS„ qumod by Collins, aliiird an iH» inlinK wilneu of ttuB Jant. Tbrj were iuKriliea by iiir Willjim Fits-WtllMa cha lurd of SpnHborongb, on an ancieui croii which wu damoliahed H As EteCMtiiBCioni — " Who«) is bm^^iy, and Vitta well to eni. If I bin come U> Sprotboioogh lo bin meal. And fot a ni^bt and a day Ilu horte ihall tuive bolU corn and hsjr. And DO ODB iball aak bim; ■ wbea he goetli away t* " Oldviicui VitalU. ■ Saion Annals. Eadmei, |). I IB; te« Rspin, toM IN. •William of HalmatMHyi itaioo Anoal*. >Ki>bert GlouceMeb MATILDA OF 9C0TLARD. IIS *The yenr of Christ a thousand was full clear, One hondred eke and therevrithal eighteen, Whea good queen Maude was dead and laid on bieri At Westmiiiater buryed, as well was seen; For heaviness of which, the king I ween, To Normandy then went with his son, The doke William, and there with him did won.** •e is, however, mistaken in supposing that Henry was with his msort at the time of her decease. ne chronicler gives us another stanza on the death of Henry, ie, in yet more positive terms, speaks of the conjugal afiection ted the Norman sovereign to his Saxon queen : ** Of Christens date was there a thousand year, One hundred also, and nine and thirty mo, Buryed at Redynge, as well it doth appear, In the abbyo which there he founded so, Of monkes black, whenever they ride or go. That pray for him and queen Jiibude his wife, Who either other loved withouten strife." r chronicler says, ^Nothing happened to trouble the king, eath of his queen Matilda, the very mirror of piety, humility, »ly bounty." • me causes that had withheld the king from attending Matilda xig illness prevented him from honouring her obsequies witli nee. Matilda was buried on St Philip's day in Westminster I the right side of her royal uncle, Edward the Confessor.* yutes, however, have existed as to the place of her interment,' I been contested with almost as much zeal as was displayed by cities of Greece, in claiming the honour of having given birth '. The monks of Reading averred that their royal patroness d in her own stately abbey there, where her illustrious consort irards interred. The rhyming chroniclers insist that she was Su PauPs cathedra], and that her epitaph was placed in West- bbey. These are the words of Piers of Langtoft : — ** At London, in St, Paul's, in tomb she is laid, Christ, then, of her soul have mercie. If any one will toUten (know) of her storie, At Westminster it is written readily.^* > saVi so that it may be plainly read. I declares that she was buried at Winchester, but that tablets to ory were set up in many churches^ — an honour, which she ith queen Elizabeth. ollowing passage from the learned and fiiithful antiquary, ^pressly indicates that it was his opinion that the mortal of Matilda, ^ the Good Qjueen,^ repose near the relics of her :Ie, Edward the Confessor, in the solemn temple founded by *e of Worcester. * Pennant's London. Robert of Gloucester* ing to 8lowe, her grave was in the vettry of the abbey. 0* H I I ' 'I'M MATILDA OF SCOTLAND, tnat lost Saxon mooarch, and vt-htch had been cnmpleletl under Iter rtrt- fill superiniendence, "Here lielh in Weaiminster nbber, wiilioul wy lomb, Matilda or Maad. daughter of Malcolm Canmore, king of Srav. auil wife of Henry I. of En^and, who brought to him children, Wiliiutu Itirhard, and Mary, who perished by shipwreck, and likewise Mawt, who WHS wife to Henry, Uie lifUi emperor. She died the firvi day of May. 1 1 18." ' She had an pxcelienl epigram made to her coauDeadi lion, whereof these fonr verves only remain : " Proipera non Inetnm feoeic, noo aspcra iriMem, Non d«ror effltil ttnfiieio, non tceptnt eu]>eibsm, Sol« poien* humilii. sola pudica dfcen«." Benry of Huntingdon, the chronicler, no mean poet, was the aQlW of these Latin lines. From the numerous transhlions exlsnl of lUi beautiful epitaph, we select the following exquisite lines, which ease Teiy close to the original, and aflbrd a lovely portrait of the fenunJM graces of this admirable queen. "SueceM ne'er sal Mnlting in (ler eye, Nor diuppoimnWDi caused iho irc<|ueiil ligb ; Beauty not raade her vain, nor icapicB ptouil, Nor litlci taughi lo worn ihe mcBnec crowd ; Supreme hurailiiy was awful giBoe, And ber ben chnrm a basliruliieBi of Tace." Matilda died in the eighteenth ycsr of her marriage, and about dit forty-first of ber age. Her favourite residence was tlie royal pdare o( the Saxon kings at Westminster, where, with occasional visits to N(w Windsor, Winchester, and Woodslork. and other places in which ikt king her busbaml thought proper lo hold his couild, ahe paaaed dw greater portion of her wedded life. Many curious remains still exist of the old pafacc in WeaUniiutoi where Matilda kept slate as queen, and ended her life. This vetietMi abode of our early sorereigns, was originally huilt by Canute, rniil. btiaf devastated by fire, was rebuilt by Eklward the Confessor, with «uch «■ during solidity, that antiquaries still point out diflcrent poriious, whtrh were indubitably the work of the royal Saxon, and thenfore must h»« formed pert of the residence of his great niece. Part of the old palan of Westminster is still lo be seen, in the buildings near Coilan-gardes. and the lancet-shaped windows about Old Palace Yard are di^clarr^l w apnerbiin to it.' Coiton-garden was the private garden of the uicteai {niaee, and therefore belonged especially lo queen Matilda. It wiiiii) be idle to dwell on Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey, tlioi^ the original sites of both were included in the precincts of this pdwt because one was rebuilt from the ground by Richard H., anil the oAb by Henry III. Great devastation was made in the royal abode of ibt .4riE;lo-Saion queen, by the late disasirnue conflagration of t' " of Xiorda and its adjacent apartments, which all belonged to it. ■Weeiei'sFuneisl Mod MATILDA OF SCOTLAHD. 115 The House of Lords was an antique oblong room ; it was the hall uf state of Matilda's palace ; it was called the white-hall, but without ■ny reference to the Tast palace oi Whitehall, to which the seat of Eng^ iish Tojdlty was trensierred in the reign of Henry VIII. As the Painted Chamber, still entire, is well known to have been the bedchamber of Edward the Confessor, and the apartment in which he expired,* there can be no doubt but that it was the state bedchamber of his niece. A curious room in Cotton House was the private oratory of the Confessor, and was assuredly used by Hatilda for the same purpose ; while at the south end of the Court of Requests are. to be seen two mighty Saxon arches, the lig-ng work of which indicates that its architecture is the most ancient in our country. This was once a deserted state-chamber* of the royal Saxon palace ; but it has been used lately by the House of Commons. There is a statue of Matilda in Rochester cathedral, which forms the pilaster to the west door; that o£ king Henry, her husband, forms another. The hair of the queen depends over either shoulder, in two long plaits, below the knees. Her garments are long and flowing, and she holds an open scroll of parchment in her hand. King Henry proved the sincerity of his regard for Matilda, by con- firming all her charters afler her death. Madox, in his History of the Exchequer, quotes one of that monarch's charters, reciting ^ that he had confirmed to the Priory of the Holy Trinity in London the grant of his queen Matilda, for the good of her soul, of 25/., on the farm of the city of Exeter, and commands his chief justiciar and the barons of his ex- chequer to constrain the sheriflf (^ Devonshire to pay the same to the aid canons."' Matilda's household was chiefly composed of Saxon ladies, if we may trust the evidence (^ Christian names. The maids of honour were Emma, Gunilda, and Christina, pious ladies, and full of alms-deeds, like their ro3ral mistress. After the death of the queen, these ladies retired to the hermitage of Kilbum, near London, where there was a holy well, or medicinal spring. This was changed into a priory* in 1 128, as the deed says, ^for the reception of these three virgins of God, sacreil damsels who had bdonged to the chamber of Matilda, the good queen- coosort to Henry 1."* History only particularizes two surviving children of Matilda of Scot- * Howell. 'The appellatioii of Court of Requests has no reference to modem legal pro- eeedinfs. It was the feudal court of the High Steward of England. It is naed Vf the House of Commons since the destruction of St Stephen's Chapel, while the Lords have taken possession of the Painted Chamber. 'Charter Antiq. N. n. 10. *On its sita are a pubHo-honse and tea-gardens, now called Kilbum Wells. * The original deed, preserved in the Cottonian MSS., Claudius A. says of these maids of honooi^-^^ Tres virgines Deo sacratas domioellas, videlioit, oamere Matildis bone regine Consortis regis Henrici primL" The term dumiedla proves their rank was noble, as this term will be seen applied even to the daughters ^4 emperors. I I r •J 16 KATILDA OF SCOTLAND. land and Henry I.; but Gervase, the monk of Canterbury, says she tiiiJ, besides Williura and ihe empress Maiilda, a son named RiehsnI. Ilerint Boeihius mentions a daughter of hers, named Euphcmia- The Suon Clirnnicle and Itobert of Glouccsier both spe^ of tier second Mt Richard. Piers of Langiofi lays, "The Inu princes, Iwr sons, wm both in Normandy when Matilda died^" anil Hardinge eaya she had iva eons, William and Richard. Prince William never returned to England after ihe death of his nyil mother. During the remainder of the year IMS, he was 6gbting by his iaiher's side, against the invading force of the king of >'mitce, ud the partisans of his cousin William Clito. On one occasion, when itw noble war-horsG and its rich caparisons, belonging to that gallant bM unfortunate prince, having been abandoned during a hasty retreat, wen captured, and Henry presented this prize to his darling heir, the ddUb youth generously sent them back, with a courteous message, to hi» lind Lmsman ajid namesake.' His royal father, king Henry, did not disdain to imitate the inagnaii- mous conduct of his youthful son, after the memorable battle in wbidi the standard of Trance ^vas taken: when the favourite charger of I»BiB le Gros fell into his hands, he returned it to ilie Firach monarch the The king of France, as murain of Normandy, at ihe general pacit- cation, required of Henry the cusIomHry homage for his feof. Tlui iht vicioriouB monarch considered derogatory to the dignity of a kinj of England to perform, and therefore deputed the office to prince Williaai, vrho was then invested with the duchy, and received the oath of ftalty from the stales.' The prince solemnly espoused his betrothed liriot .Mice, the daughter of Fulk, earl of Anjou, June 1119. King llmry called her Matilda, out of respect, it is said, for the memory of h» mother, but more probably I'rom a lender regard for bis deceased con- sort. Matilda of Scotland, the love of his youth, and the mother of bit children. The marriage was celebrated at Lisieus,' in the county o( Burgundy ) and the prince remained in Normandy with his young bride. attended by ail the youthful nobility of England and the dnchy, passing the time gaily with feasts and pageants, till the 2Sth of November, io the year 1120; when king Henry (who liad been nearly two yean absent from his kingdom) conducted prince William, with liia retinne,!') Barflcur,' for the purpose of embarking for England. The king and ha (rain set sail the same night, leaving the prince to follow in another *hip. Fiiz-Stephen, the captain of the Blanche JV>/"(the finest veswl in tb« Norman navy) demanded the honour of conveying the heir of Engbad home; because his father had commanded the Mora, the ship viluA brought William the Conqueror to the sliores of England, lixa pelilioa was granted; and the prince, with his gay and splendid company, entand Ihe laial bark with light hearts, and commenced their voyage with minb and minstrelay. The prince incautiously ordered three casks of wine ix Holmtlied. SaiOQ Amials. ■Ordericui Tinilis. TytielL XATII.DA OP SCOTLAND. II' k given to iKe sliip's crew; nnd the Bailora were, in consequence, fi* ~ it pari, intoxtcaleil, wlien they soileil, about ilie close of dav. e Wiliiaiii. who waa desirous of overtaking the rest of (he'fleet) 1 Pitz-Stephen In crowd his sails, and put out hta sweeps. Filz> a., hkviDg named the white ship as the swiftest vessel in the world, alee ;^od his bottst, and oblige his royal passenger, caused his niea Bsireich wiih all their might to the oars, and did everything to accele- T the speed of Ub light bark. While the Blanche AV/ was rushing Joa^ the water with the most dangerous velocity, she suddenly struck ■ k rock called the Calle-raze with such impetuosity, that she started nral planks, and began to sink. All was instant horror, and confu- MOO. The boat was, however, let down; and the young heir of Eng< land, whh several of his youtliful companions, got into it, and having cteoreil (he ship, might have reached the Norman shore in safety ; but (be cries of his illegitimaie sister, Matilda countess of Perche, who di»- tiBttly e«lled on him, by name, for succour, occasioning a tender impulse if coBpuaion, he commanded the boat back, to take her in. Unfortu- oalriy, the moment it neared the ship, such numbers spmng into it, that it (BalaDiiy tank with its precious freight, and all on board perished \ and af iIm thrae hundred persons who embarked in the white ship, but one •ool neaped to tell the dismal tale. This person was a poor butcher of BOHCfii naitipd Bcrthould, who climbed lo the lop of the niasl, aticl nu ■ke aext morning rescued by some lishermen. Fitz-Stephen, the master tf dw luckless while ship, was a strong mariner, and stoutly supported Umelf (or some hours in the water, till he saw Berihould on the mast, ml calling to him, asked if the boat with the heir of England had ■Mfad; bm when the butcher, who had witnessed the whole cataslro- ■Iwt IHOmI, " that all were drowned and dead," the strong man's force mW nm ; he ceased to battle with the waves, and sank to rise no ■orb' Tbo nporl of this disaster reached England the next day. Theobald hip. ^ ADELICIA OF LOUVAINE, 8URNAMED THE FAIR MAID OF BBABANTi SECOND QUEEN OF HENRT 1. A^Ueia'a Ixnutr — Iinp«riKl descent fVoni Chnrlemasne — flumlard cmbroiilfred liy AdBlteia — Pinrivod at Lkj[^~Atl*Iici« foaglit in ntarriag« \tj Honiy Ir— tirhlf doWMwl — EdilMrki (tii England with Hency — King snd quean paiiab- tooer* or arehbUhop of Caowrbuiy — Violeace of itrchbishop — He urowu Addi- I'm V.uiOfita on hei beauty — Her prudenco — Encouragrmeat or lilenluiA— Emimw Macilila — Adelloia cHltllega — Empress MndMa kepi in Adclkia't vtembii — Ditfimill polUion of ih« quwn — Friendship wilh hM Jtcp^Bughter — Savsnil inBiriB|[e of [he einpreii — Adelicia'i conhi^l vinuFi — Matilda reiuiM tn Enftanil — Remnint with tlie queen — Binh or prince Henry — Dealli of kln| Hmty — Ailelioia's leipect Tde bit mtrnorjr — Her iroubsdour write* king Heary't nrr— Her leooiul mBrria«B— WiUiain Albini— Her dowry— PalacB—ReceivM rQi|ire« Matilda — Meunge to king Stephen — Cjojugal happinesi of Adrlii'ia — Har cliilJieu — CbariMble rouHdaliDii) at Aruiulel — Hei youngci bmiliBr abbot nf AlBighain — Adelteia ri>Iire« lo Afllighaiil nutinery, in Flanden — Dies Ihera -^Re^vril i^r hdr dauh — Buried — titr iasiu hj Albini — Adtlicia aiie»>tiir Af ^w-o of our itDeena. Tb19 prince**, to whom eontcnipomry chroniclers have given ihe name ■! '• lh« 6iif maid of Bmbant," is one of the moet obscure characierB IQ K' jlliKtricius catalogue of Engliali queens. Tradiiion, and her hand- .. Ill] Portry, hare, however, spoken bright things of her; and the sur- MViK hiaturical records of her life, though brief, are alt of a nature 1' :tijing til coafirm (he good report which the vcrsca of the rrovonfals hsTe prMcrred of her Tirtnes and accomplishments. DMC«nded, through both her parenis, from (lie imperial Carlovingian line,' Adelida boasted tlie moat itluatrious blood in Chrisleudom. She wu ihe dtiest daughter of Godfrey of Louv&ine, duka of Brabant adiI Lotfaeir (or Lower Lorraine), and Ida, countess of Namur.* Her fiilher, as ihe gnat-grandson of Charles, brother to Lolliaire of Prance, was ib6 bwAil repmeniaiive of Charlemagne. The male posterity of the unfur- noateCharlea having b««n cut off by Huf^h Capet, the righu of his house h«euiM) rested in the descendants of his eldest daughter, Gerbergs.' l>nheTt. the ion of Gerberga, by her marriage wilh Koherl of Louvaine, WM the falbrr of Godfrey. Crmengarde, the second daughter of Cliarlea, UMiried .VIberL, the third count of Namur^ and their sole daughter and hriim, Ida, (the motlier of Adelicia,) became the wife of her cousin, Go(trn>jr of Louvtine, Humsnied Batbatus, or the Bearded, because be hftd nude a row never to shave his beard till he had recorered Lower il Herooriala. •bdiafli'* G«ieala«ieB] Tables. Menwrisl* of the Uowatd Family. I I I I ADBLICIA OF LOCTAINE- , the potrintony of hia aneeslors. In llii* he sncceetlet] in l)i( ypar 1107, after which lie triumphanlly displayed a emouih ehiiuiB ioken that he had fultilletl his obligation, and finally obiaiiied fiam hi* eul'jeria and conienippraries the more honourable appellatiou of Goddtr the Great.' The dominions of this prince were somewhat more esteiunt ihnn the modem kingdom of Belgium, and were governed by him wiik the greatest wisdom and ability. From this ilhislrious lineage Adelicia appears to have inlieriied lb* distinguished beauty and fine talents for which the Lorraine btmocb of Ihe house of Cliarlemaene has ever been celebmied. She wm iIm remarkable for her proficiency in feminine acqnirements. A aundwi which she embroidered in silk and gold for her fiiiher, during the ardtwM conusl in which he was engaged for the recovery of his patrimonyf m> eetebraled throughotit Europe for the exquisite taste and akill di*)il^ar* of Ilia Ilovatd Fanjily. 'BniMlmlinc. ] ADBLICIA Op tot m TltF name of this princess hna been variously written by the chroaiclera tai delayed in consequence of a singular dispute between the arch- of Canlerbury and the bishop of Salisbury, which eslnblislied a Ut loo important to be omilted in a history, embracing, in a peculiar ■ner, lh« habils and customs of royally. K~XagW le Poer, the bishop of Salisbury, ihal notable preacher of short ^■loiis, claimed ihe right to marty tlie royal pair, because iho fortress »Wind»or was within his diocese. This right was disputed by ll« ' Vi Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, who was a great stickler for tl pVifalives of his office; and an ecclesiastical council was culled, 'tliron^ th» miitVur «r his grace i)ie diikc of Noifulli. I hnre bvra TiiTOur.^ , ii pnnleil lor privBM uMfc. 1 J iHoeeniltl* u> ilie piibliu, but it inoM iuiiXHUiikl ■* a book of rr' - - ■- -'•^ ' ~ ' ■! and Dubte btograpliiu. ', in I list 4DBLICIA OF tOtrVAIXB. which il was decided, ihat wherever iho king and queen mtglit be wiiliia Uie reidtn of England, they were ihe pariahiuners of the archbishop of Canterbury. Accordin|ily, the reremony was iriumphanily perfurmR] by ihe venerable primate, thuiigh bowed down by bo many infirmiiuf. that he a[ipeared like one loilering on ihe verge of the grave. This nlTorded Henry an excuse for deputing the honour of crowninf Jiitn and his fair young bride on the following day, at WestmiaEter, to his favourite prelate, Roger le Poer, the bishop of Salitbary, ^mtb namei), lo console him for his disappointment with regard to the hyme- neal office. But the archbishop was not thua to be put olT. The lighl of crowning tlie king and quei^n lie considered a still inore iniporttM branch of his archiepiscopal prerogatives tlian ihal of marryiug Htm, and, malgri his age and pamlysis, lie hastened to the abbey, woertlfaa ceremonial had commenced at an unusually early hour. Rog«r 1« Pmt having, according lo his old custom, made unprecedented expetlidon a the performance of bis office, bad already placed the royal diadem « the monarclfs brow, when archbishop Itnlpb slendy approached lilt royal chair, and asked Henr}-, "Who had put the crown on his heail!"' The king evasively replied, " If tlie ceremony had not been properiy perfonned, it could be done again." On which, aa some chtoniden asaerl, the choleric old primate gave the king such a aniart blow with his crosier, that be smote the crowa from his head \ ' bni Eadmer aay*, he only mised it up by the strap which passed under the chin, and lO turned it olf his bead. He then proceeded lo replace il with all dM form, and afterwards crowned the fair young queen. Thia moat exk^ ordinary coronation took place on Sunday, January 30tli, 1111. The beauty of the royal bride, whom Piers of LAiigcofi calls "The May wilboulon vice/' made a great impression on the minds of the people, which the sweet- of her manners, her pruderwe, and mild virtues, streuglheued ta no ■tighl degree, li was on the occasion of her bridal corooatioa that Henry of Huntingdon, the chronicler, addressed lo Adelicia tliose ctl^ bniteJ "When Adelim'i name shoulJ grace mf song, A aoilden wondor ttupi the tnii^ ■ loiigae) Your orown and jpweli, wlien winpnreil K) jon. How poor your crown, bow pale your jewels ihowl 1, decores. ' Eadmer, '"Aiielarum n^ina, luos Ail( Ipsa referro pacBiu miisa siiipore tegiL Quid diadema nbi pulchcrrima! Quid libi I%Uet gemina tibi, dec diBdema nilcL De me libi eullui. culinm nalura raiiiialiat: ■i forma beaia potest, OrnamenlB e»va, npo quici|UBni lumini* inde Accipit; ills miennt lumliie Nan puduil modicu de ntngnis dicete laodea, An pndeat Dominum, A ADBLICIA OF LOUVAINX. 133 T«k« off joar robes, your rich attire remoTe; Such pomps may load you, but can ne'er improre; In vain your costly ornaments are worn, Ton they obscure, while others they adorn. Ah I what new lustres can these trifles give, Whieh all their beauty from your charms reoeiret Tims I your lofty praise, your vast renown, In lowly Terse am not ashamed to have shown, Oh, be you not ashamed my services to own !" * wMoni of this lovely girl-qoeen early manifeflted itself in the id manner by which she endeavoured to conform herself to the of her royal lord, in the encouragement of the polished arts, and itTonage o( literature. Henry's love for animals had induced him He an extensive menagerie at Woodstock, as we have seen, during 'e of his first queen, Matilda of Scotland, who was probably weU nted with natural history. The youthful Adelicia evidently knew \g of soology previously to her marriage with Henry Beauclere; lie a good wife, in order to adapt herself to his pursuits, she turned «ntton to that study; for we find Philippe de Thuan wrote a work ( nature of animals for her special instruction. The poetical natu- did not forget to allude to the personal charms of his royal MS in his courtier-like dedication. ** Philippe de Thuan, en ftanceise raisnn. Ad estrait bestaire im livre de grammaire, Pout lour d'tme feme ki mult est belle, Alix est nam^ reine est comn^ Reioe est d'Engleterre, sa ame natt ja guaie.*' ** Philippe de Thuan, in plain French, Has written an elementary book of animals, For the praise and instruction of a good and beauteous woman, Who it the crowned queen of England, and named Alix." ) of the most approved historians of her day, the author of the am Abbey Manuscripts,' states of himself, that he was appointed a of Waltham Abbey, through the patronage of queen Adelicia. ^ronicler is the same person who has so eloquently described the [ search made for Harold's body, after the battle of Hastings. licia was deprived of the society of her royal husband a few aAer their marriage, in consequence of a formidable inbreak of elsh, who had entered Cheshire, and committed great ravages, went in person to the defence of his border counties, and having *d the invaders, pursued them far into the country, ing this campaign his life was in. some peril, while separated from lin body of his troops, in a narrow defile among the mountains, he fell into an ambush, and at the same time an arrow, which med at him from the heights above, struck him on the breast, but ided from his armour of proof. Henry, who probably did not is Cambrian foes credit for that skill in archery for which his ^ 8«e Cottonian MSS. Julius D. S. See note, p. Sa \ I tSi ADELICIA OF LOTVAINE. Tforman followers were Ottnet], intimated his Bii«ipirinns of Itnchnj among his own people, by exclaiming, " By our Lord's death, it wm da Welsh l^nd thai shot that arrow !" ' This narrow escape, or, perhaps, a wUh of reluming to Atlelick U Wesbninsler, induced the king to conclude a peace wtlh the Wel'h. A very brief season of domestic iiilereonrae was, howerer, peimitl«d to the royal pair. Fulk, earl nf Anjoii, having esponsed hi« youn^ daughter, Sybil, to William Clito, the earls of Mellent and Montfon, wilb a ponsiderable parly of the baronage of Normandy, openly iledand themselves in favour of that prince, the heir of their lawAil duke, Kobai Coiirlhose. Henry 1. was keeping the Easter festiral, with hia be-autiful yomif queen, at Winchester, when the news iliat Folk of Anjou had joined thiv fonnidable confederacy reached him. He sailed for Normandy in Ajvil 1 123 ; and Adclicia was left, as her predecessor, Matilda of Seollind. had often been before her, to hold her lonely courts during iha pro- tracted abaence of her royal consort, and to exert herself fur the p» wrvaiioa of the internal peace of England, while war or ■tale polii^ detained the king in Normandy. Adelicia, following the example of her popular predereaaor HatUk " the good queen," in all thai was deserving of imitation, conducted hn- •elf in a manner calculated to win the esteem and love of the nation: using her queenly infiuence for the establishment of gooil order, reli- gion, and refinement, and the encouragement of learning and tlie am. The king was absent from England three yean and a half, l>cfore iIm expiration of which time Adelicia joined him in Norman' empress Matilda, the heiress presumptive of England, then a widow, in her twenty-fourth year. According to Malmsbary and other several contemporary historians, .nnge and mysterious reports were in circulation throughout Eur "iinecbed with the death, or rather we should say the diaappearanci ^blildu's imperial spouse; for it was atlirmed that he was not dead, ihoufh bia obsequies had been performed with all due solemnity, and a Unriy monument was raised lo his memory, in the eaihedrel of Spires, EfBi (incc ihc miMrabie death of bis unhappy father, Henry IV., ih« mperor Henry V. had been subject to great menial diaqoiet, ham iho TKoane which perpetually deprived him of rest. ^ One night," says William of Malmsbury, " he rose up from the side of ihe empress, and hLnff his etaff in hand, with naked feet he waudered forth into the duincM, clod only in a woollen garment, and was never again seen in ht own palace," This wild tale is repeated by Hoveden, Uiraldus, and Hifjilf^ tmd is confirmed by various ancient mannscript chronicles, mdre Trevisa, who adds, by way of sequel to the legend, that "■ the esBarience-stricken emperor fled to England, where at Westchester he bMutiB a heimit, changing his name to GodVcall, or the called ofGnd. S> lind in daily penance for the space of tea years, and was buried in ibe cathedral church of St. Werburga the Virgin." The empress 31atilda, after ilie funeral of her august spouse at Spires 1 13&, took possession of his imperial diadem, which she brought to : leland, together with a treasure which, in those days, was by soms ' .'usideivd of even greater importance — ilie hand of Si. James. Matilda wu rrluctani lo leave Germany, where ahe was splendidly dowered, and tnioved a remarkable share of popularity. The princes of the empire •tre to much charmed with her prudent conduct and stately demean- odr, that they entreated the king, her fether, to permit her lo choose a ■wuod eoiuorl from among their august body, promising lo elect for fiieir onperor the person on whom her choice might fall.' King Il«nry, however, despairing of a male heir, as he had been mai^ t^ to Addicia six years, reclaimed his widowed daughter from thn 4 >ns, ■ ■•3 m I I I ADBLtCtA OF LOUVAIXB. kdmiring Bobjects of lier lale eonaort, and carried her with liiin to Eng- land. Soon after iheir arrival, Uenry Gummoned a pariiaoteiit for the purpose of causing the empreis Matilda to be ofknowledgiil as tlic heite»s preeiunptive to the crown. This W8« the £rsl inilance thtit !iui oceurreui since the consolidation of the Heptarchy under one supifmc head, of a female itanding in that important posiiioo with reg»ril to the suceesaioti of the English crown. There was, however, neither law n« precept lo forbid a female from hoLding the re^ office, and Hi^nry lailnj not to Hi forth to tlie representatives of the great body of the people, who hod been Bummoned on this importaoi business, bis danghitr'* descent from their ancient line of sovereigns; telling them, '•Tbu through her, who was now his only heir, they should come to Ix governed again by the royal English blood, if they would make aaih lo secure to ber, alter his death, the succession as queen of Engluul, a case of his decease without a male heir." ' It is, dmibltesi, on the authority of this remarkable passage in Henij'i rech, that historians have called his first wife, Matilda of ScollaWi heiress of the Saion line. This is worthy of observation. The people of England joyfully acceded to Henry^s proposition ; nd the nobles and prelates of the Norman aristociacy, then BMembleil » council on this occasion, swore feajty to ibe high and mighty lady K*- tilda as their future sovereign. Stephen earl of Moriagne, the king's favourite nephew, (being lh« thtnl son of the Conqueror's fourth daughter, Adela, countess of Btois,) wis the lirat who bent his knee in homage to the daughter of his li^e lut^ as the heiress of England, and swore lo maintain her lighleous title la the throne of her royal father. Stephen was the handsomest man in Europe, and remarkable for hii fine ciirriagc and knightly prowess. He bore great sway in the couscQi of Ilia royal uncle, and was a general favourite of the nobles of Eo^inJ and Normandy. It has been said withal, that his fine person and giac*- ful manners made a deep Impression on the heart of tlie widowed heiiCH of England - The royal family kept their Christmas this year nt Windsor,' hot iht empresfl Matilda did not grace the festivities by her presence, but rfr mained in the deepest seclusion, ■' abiding continually," says Hatthc* Paris, "in the chamber of Adelicia;" — by which it appears, that not* withstanding her high rank and matronly dignity as Ibe widow of u emperor, the heiress of England haii no establishment of her oaii This retirement, lasting for several months, gave rise to many roystf- rious reports as to tlie cause of her being hidden from the people, wio liad so receudy been required to swear fealty to her as their future »of* leign. By some it was said. "^ iliac the king, her bther, suspecied b(( of having accelerated the death of her late husband, the emperor, otM (Wising him to be spirited away from his palace." Bat that was en- denily a groundless surmise ; for Gemiiicensis, a contempoiwy chioiu- elet, beara testimony to " her prudent and gnicioua behaviour to htt ' Hearjr al fiuntiDgdon. W. Ualuuburjr. W. GemUiceiuis. ■ Smwb Annis ADELtCIA OP LOrVAIKE. 137 1 1 apuose, which." lie observes, ^ wub one of the enusea which won llic Htcern of ilie Gcnniiti princes, wliu were urgent in ilicir entreat- ties lo hw royal fiuhfr for her resiormtion." This Henry jjertinairiousty rvAtMil, tcpeating, " that she wbb his only heir, and must dwell amoog her own people." ' Yet, early in the following year, he again bestowed L nurriago, without the consent of his peers of parliumenl, and idly Bgainst her own inclination, on a foreign prince, whom she TVfudcd with the most incflkble acorn, as her inferior in every point of We have seen tltat, in licr tender infancy, Matilda was used as a politi- cal puppet, by her parent, lo advance his own interest, without tha diicfabBl con»ideialion for her happiness. Then the victim was led ■ ■■ding sacrifice to (lie altar, unconscious of the joyless destiny to which {Mrcnliil ambitioD had doomed her. AW the case was different j it was ao merk inlWaL, but s royal matron, who had shared the imperial throne of ■ Kvscr, and received for years tiie homage of Taesal princes, Morrorer, alie whom Henry endeiivoured to compel to an abhorrent marrian of stale, possessed a mind, as inflexible as his own. The dio- pMe« oetweea the king and hi^ daughter must have arisen to a veiy moaoa height, before he look the unpopular step of subjecting her to ptaoiwl nairaint, by confining her to the apartment of his queen. Jbttliew pHia, indeed, Inhours lo convince us that (here was nolhia^f (■{una live rather than with a (jueen, a daughter than with a mother, a Ut lady, a widow, and the heir of a great nation, than where her person ■qgfat b« ufest from danger, and her conduct from suspicion ?" The Worian, however, fbrgela that Matilda waa the step-daughter of the qqecn; that Adelicia was not older than herself, and, from the acknow- Uged jreuilenesa of her disposiiion. unlikely to assume the slightest IBatomal control over the iiaughty heiress of England. Adelicia must li:itr fr Ii ht-rself very delicately situated in this business; and it appears [' < !l ilial she acted as a mediator between tlte contending parlies, I .' I ji iiri^' herself rather as a loving sister than an anibitious step-dame. 1 Ml .1 irMiiplished editor of the Howard Memorials infers that a very ^'i.nilship existed between the empress Matilda and Adelicia V ; >ij'i lii'e, which probably had cojnmenced before the fair maid of i:',. I i:,i It OS selected from among the princesses of Europe lo share the rr.iMn tti England wiih Henry I.; for Matilda^s imperial spouse, the rvnfKtvt Henry V., had been actively instrumental in assisting Godfrey J Ba^a.iu>t (he father of Adelicia. in the recovery of Lower Louvaine— ■ I ■n obligkiidii which the Louvaine princess certainly endeavoured tv4 npay to hia widow.* I Atktieia's uncle, Wido of Louvaine, aiferwards Pope Calixtus II., waa >l 000 period bishop of Vienna, and it is even possible that Henry'a anantion was first aitracted lo the fair maid of Brabant at the court of Im danghlrr; and the previous intimacy between the ladies may accoui.l (or (hr fact tltat the haughty Slatilda lived on such good terms with her I IS8 AOELICI.V OF LOVVAIHB. ■tep-moiher; for AilelicLi njipeurs in linvc bt-eu the only person ttiih whom sKe did not quarrel. The princp lo whom Henry I. hail pleilged the haiiil of his perrerw lieiress, was Geotfrey Planlagcnet, llie eldest son of his old aiiugosiit, Fulk, etirl of Aiijou, atid broiher lo ihe widovred princess, who hid been espoused lo Mutilds's brother, WiUiain the Aiheling. GeolTrey Pianlageoet, the heir of Anjou, had been ihe &Toirril8 ees- puiion of king Henry I. when on ihe continent. His line penon, hii elegant manners, great bravery, and, above all, his learning, made bii society very agreeable to the nionnrch who still possessetl these eied- lencics in great perfection.' He chose to become the sponsor of Geofr irey in chivalry, and, at his own expense, had had that high cerentauf performed at Rouen. After the bath into which, according lo the anuent custom, the young chevalier was plunged, Henry gave him, as his god- son in amis, a Spanish steed, a steel coat of mail, and cutsses of douUe proof asuinst both lanes and arrow, spurs of gold, a scolcheon, adurasd with golden lions, a helmet, enriched with jewels, a lance of asli, wiih a Poictiers' bead, and a sword mode by Gallard, the most famous of liis ancient armorers. Some of the French chroniclers declare this Groffity to be the first person that bore the name of Plan lage net, from piiuingin his helmet a plume of the flowering broom, when he went to haul in the woods. The king of England did not coullne himself lo this chivalric adof^ tion; he was resolved that his accomplished favourile should becodw liis son-4n-law. There were, moreover, strong political reajoits, ia Henry's opinion, for this union. Fulk of Anjou, who had hitlierio mf- porittl the claims of liis gallant young son-in-law. William Clito, to tht (lukedora, was willing lo abandon his cau.se, provided Henry wo^ marry Jltalildn lo his heir. This Henry had engaged lo do, without the slighiesl attention to his daughter^x feelings. His favourite nephtw, Stephen of Blois, who is said to have rendered himself only too ilcw to the imperial widow, was, unfortunately for them both, a muried mfl at that time, or the long and ruinous civil wars lliat desolate-hcfJ to Henry's mlisfkclioii, more especially as Fidk of Anjou, beinj called to the Uirone of Jenisakm. by the death of Baldwin IL Ilia fallier- iii>law, resigned his palriraoiiial territories to his heir. Yet there were nany cireuinslunees that rendered this alliance a fruitful source of an- ii'Tance to Henry. The Anglo-Nonnan barons and prelates were highly 'Ti-iided, in tlie first place, that the king should hare presumed to marry It' hrirrsa out of the realm without consulting them on the subject; -:ui ihr pimple of England were no less displeased, at the open violenca '-'u\ li:iJ licen put on the inclinations of the descendant of thetr ancient . ,,. p. 1^1,, II, iiiig foreign marriage. As for Matilda, it Hbould seem that • 'ii ill lilt consider herself by any means bound to practise the duty ri( i.iK. [)i,'ni'e, or even of common courtesy, to a husband who had thus bna forced upon her against her own will; and while she exacted the ROM nnqualilied submissions froto her luckless helpmate, she perpetually '«d her father with her complaints of his conduct. . sen Adelicia was rejoined by king Henry, in the autumn, and [ An kepi ilieir Christmas together in Loudon. Early in the following IliBDg. 1128, he was again compelled lo embark for Normandy, to ■ mm the enterprising designs of his nephew, William Cliio, who, I knng sncreeded to the earldom of Flanders, in right of his grand- ■ rr Matilda, tlie wife of William the Conqueror, was enabled to at a mure formidable attitude ihan he had yet done. But this gaU iml unfortunate prince met with his death in consequence of a slight id in tiie thumb, which he took in disanning a mutinous soldier of MHX. He died six days af\er,* in the monaalerv of Sl Berlin, July n, ii«s. Tlii* formiilable ri^-al being now removed, Henry appeared at the ■OBBUt of his ambition, and was considen^d the mightiest monarch of die Weal. He was the husband withal of one of the most beautiful and ] ■BiahlA piiBceasus in Europe. Whedier the fair Adelicia loved her r cecoided; but her conduct as a wife, a queen, n ■a* irtrproachable. When all i ' 'ko«i|TiDBt* bjr WMping piteoiulr, and exolaiming, " My »on ii drad ! mf torn iai ' -ti r aaJ tabued, " thai ha had in hi* dreams, that night, teea him mortally ■otadad wiik ■ l«nc».''-0>airtnil TiKUl. I t ADELIcrA OF LOtJVAIHK. (carcely be tma^«il, however, ihiti lier aplenilid marriage was prodne- tivc of happiness to Itie youlhCul wife of Henry I. To Bay noiiiiii^ of liie (lispariiy in yrare between this iUusirioua pair, llie morbiil Borraw of wliich Heofy was the perpetual prey after the loss of hia cliiltlren is the white ship, the iraBcibility of temper to which he gave way in hi* old age, and his biller disappoin intent at the want of o&pritig from hii ■ecDud marriage, muai hare been mo«t distressing to the feeUng* of hit Setitle consort. Then the stormy disputes between Henry and hti uiilf tughter Matilda could not hare been oilierwise iliai) very piunfol to her. Whatever, however, were the trial* with which Adetiria bad to contend, she evidently supported them with silent magnanimity, andil the same time endeavoured to sonihe and cheer the glooin of her wajT' ward lord by attracting to the cniirt the moat distinguishetl poeB ud minstrels of the age, who repaid her liberal patronage by cdcbnUng her virtues and her c banns. Adelida frequently altended her royal husband on hia progw* Her presence was, doubtleaa, of medicinal inllueuce iu tiiow fniM hours when the pang8 of troubled conscience brought the visilatioiM <^ an evil spirit upon Henry, and sleep either forsook his pillow or broo^ visionary horrors in its train. " In the year 1 130, the ktn^ romploinBd to Grimbald, his Saxon physician, that he viae sore disquieted i>f nights, and thai h? seemed to see a great number of husbandmen with llMir rtislical tools stand about him, threatening him for wrongs done aguiM them. Sometimes he appeared to see his knights and soldiers thtmtoB^ ing him ; which sight so feared him in his sleep, that ofttime^a he igM undrest out of hU bed, took weapon in hand, and sought to kill tb*n he could not find. Grimbald, his phvsician, being a nouiblv wiee mni expounded his dreams by true conjeciuie, and willed him to rcfim himself by alms and prayer, as Nebuchadneziar did by lite coutisfl tt Daniel." ' It is probable that the unfortunate troubadour knight, Luke de Bans, was not forgotten by the conscience- stricken monarch, though ttinn- rians have not recorded that his mangled form was among the gbwilf dranvtt* pcrtona thai, in his latter years, made king Hcrtr)''s iU|IUi horrible; — no enviable stale of companionship, we should itnagins, ior the young and innocent being whose fate was indissolubly linkeil witb hts. It must have been a relief at all times to Adelicia when her royal husband's presence was required in Normandy. On the death of Adclicia's uncle, pope Golixtua H., a dispute octah ring ill the election of two rival pontids as succeuore to the pap^ dnir, Henry proceeded to the continent, in the year 1130, in the hope of r«^ ing some poUlical advantage from the candidate whose cause he espoimi His errangemeots were perfectly salisfa^ory as to that matter, but tw ww lo the last degree, harassed b}- the quairels between his doubter bimI hfc unbeloved «)ouse, Geoffrey oi Anjou. After he had thrice Bdjuned tiet dif&teiices, Matilda, on some fresh oflence which she eitlier gave or ImL abjured her husband's company, departed tram his court, ami rl>iT< ADXLICIA OF LOUVAINB. ISl ihe protection of the king her father, with whom she once more returned to England,' having, by the eloquence of tears and complaints, succeeded in exciting his indignation against her husband, and persuading him that die was an injured person. Soon after their arrival in England, a parliament was summoned to meet at Northampton, September, 1131, where the oath of fealty to Matilda, as the heiress of England, was again renewed by the general estates of the nation.' It was a subject of the greatest disappointment, both to the sovereign and the people, that there was no prospect of either the queen Adelicia, or the empress Matilda (though both were -still young and beautiful women) bringing heirs to the crown. So desirable was the possibility of the royal line being continued through Matilda considered, that when the count of Anjou sent an humble entreaty to his haughty consort to return to him, the king and parliament seconded his request ; and all due submissions having been made by Geofiirey, Matilda was at length induced to return to him.' A passage from Mezerai casts some light on the mysterious separation that took place between the widowed empress and her new spouse. After the nuptials of this pair, a monk came to Matilda, and declared that her late lord, the emperor Henry, had not died at Utrecht, as she and all the world supposed, but that he finished his days as a servant in an hospital, which severe penance he had sworn to inflict on himself for his heavy sins. When dyin^ at Angers, the disguised emperor dis- covered hiniself to this monk, his confessor, who came to Matilda with the news. In conclusion it is said, the empress attended the death-bed of Henry V., and recognised and acknowledged him, as the emperor, her first husband. This is a fine tragic tale, whether it be true or false. The following year was remarkable for a destructive fire, which con- sumed the greatest part of London '* but soon after this national calamity, the joyful news that the empress Matilda had given birth to a prince,^ diverted the attention of the royal family from the contemplation of this misfortune, and cast the last gleam of brightness on the declining yean of the king. The young prince was named Henry, after his royal grand&ther, the king of England. The Normans called him Fitz-Empress, but king Henry proudly styled the boy Fitz-Conqueror, in token of his illustrious deseent from the mightiest monarch of the line of Rollo.* King Henry summoned his last parliament in 1133, for the purpose of caosing this precious child to be included in the oath of fealty, by which the succession to the throne was, for the third time, secured to his daughter, the empress Matilda. If his queen Adelicia had brought him a son, after these repeated acts in favour of his daughter by a princess who was regarded by the minority of the people as the heiress of the royal English line, in all probability, a civil war respecting the * Roger Hoveden. H. Hontiiigdoii. 'Malmtbuiy. H. Huntingdon. •M. Paris. «H. Huntingdon. *R. Diceto. M. Paris. *M WaatmmauBt. I I I I 133 ADKLICIA or LOl1VAI\8. Euccesfiion, would have occurred on ilie dealh of king HeniT'. Hm liarrt^nnraR of the beautiful young queen, however, though so deeply kmenled by her royal husband, was ai ihai time, no doubi, a prorideo- tial dispensation, and one of the causes of the amity and confidence ihu mb«isted between her and her haughty step-daughter. Towardi the latter end of this ennimer, king Henry embarked on hit Iwl voyage for Nonnandy. The day wag remarkable for B loUJ eclipw of ihe Eun, accompanied will) storms and violenl commotions of ibt deep.' It was so dark, say the annalists of that era, >* that on board the royal ship no man might eee anollier's face for some hours." Tlit eclipse was followed by an earthquake i and these two phenomena were, according to the spirit of the age, regarded aa portents of ItoiTor and woe, aud it was predicted thai the king would never return from N«r- On a former occasion, when Henry had embarked for Englsodr in June 1131, he was so dismayed by the bursting of a wslet^pont orcr the vessel, and the fury of the wind and waves, that, believing hia Iwi hour was at hand, he made a penitent acknowledgment of his sina, pro- mising to lead a new life if it should please God to preserve him fna the peril of death, and, above all, he rowed to repeat the oppronin impiwl of danegelt for seven years, if he were permilled to reach tb« English shore in safety * From this incident we may infer that Uenrr L was by no means impressed with his brother Rufus's bold idea, ofdH Hecurily of a king of England Irom a watery grave ; but the eatastraphc of his children in the fauil white ship had no doubt some offibcl on Hi mind, during these perils on the deep. The summer of 1 1 39 he spent in Normandy, in feasts and rejoiringi, for the birth of his inlant grandson. That event was, however, only ^ precursor of fresh dissensions between that ill-assorted pair, the empKH Matilda and her husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet Her late visit to Eit|- land had renewed the scandalous reports respecting her partiality for ha cousin, Stephen of Blois ; and the birih of a son in the sizOi rear of tlieir marriage to the long childless pair proved anything but tt oond rf union between them.* There is no reason to suppose that Adelicia was with the king bci husband at the time of his deatl), wliich took place in Normandy, in the year 1 1 35, at the Castle of Lyons near Houen, a place in which be nmeh delighted. It is said, that having over-fatigued himself in bunting in tM forest of Lyons, he returned much healed, and, contrary to the aihin of his courtiers and physicians, made too full a meal on a dish of stewsd lampreys, his favourite food, which brought on a violent fit of indigo lion (called by the chroniclers a surfeit), ending in a fever, of which he died, after an illness of seven days, at jnidnight, December 1st, in the sixty-«eventh year of his ege. He appears to have been perfectly oao- scious of hi* approaching dissolution, for he gave particular directioM respecting his obsequies to his natural son, Robert earl of G1ouc»1ct, whom he charged to take 60,000 marks out of his treaaure-chesi U 'Stxoa AaitAlM. ' W, Malmtbuiy. * Saxon Annali. ' Saxoa OrranM^ ADKLICIA OF LOUVAI5B. 133 liaise, for the expenses of his funeral, and the payment of his merce- iry troops.' He solemnly bequeathed his dominions to his daughter e empress, not without some indignant mention of her luckless spouse, eofirey of Anjou, his former Sieve and bel ami. He absolutely ex- uded liim from any share in his bequests, and with much earnestness instituted his beloved son, earl Robert, the protector of his daughter's Shts. Ilis nephews, Warren earl of Surrey, and Stephen de Blois earl of [ortagne, with Robert eari of Leicester, were standing round the bed !* the expiring monarch, and were witnesses of his charge to his son, le earl of Gloucester.' Robert of Gloucester gives the following serio-comic account of the lyal wilfulness, in partaking of the interdicted food which caused his 9ath: " When he came home he willed him a lamprey to eat. Though hit leeches him forbade, for it was a feeble meat ; But he would not them believei for he loved it well enow, And eat in evil case, for the lamprey it him slew, For right soon af\er it into anguish him drew, And he died for his lamprey unto his own woe." The noble earls who surrounded the death-bed of king Henry, and stened to his last instructions respecting his funeral, attended his emains from the town of St Denis le Forment (where he breathed his Mt) to Rouen ; and when they entered that city, they reverently bore he bier, on which the royal corpse was laid, on their shoulders by oms.* At Rouen, the remains of this mighty sovereign, in preparation for emoval to England, underwent the process of embalming, as it was ailed, according to the barbarous fashion described by the chroniclers : he body was sliced and powdered with much salt, and vnrapped in a lolPs hide. The remains of king Henry were interred with great pomp on Christ- sas-day, at the abbey of Reading, which he had built and magnificently ndowed for that purpose. On the anniversary of the death of her oyal lord, queen Adelicia, to testify her respect for his memory, gave ry charter the manor of Eton in Hertfordshire to the abbey of Reading, or prayers to be said for his soul ; and, by a second charter, she also [are the manor of Stanton Harcourt, in Oxfordshire, and the churches if Cham, Eslingham, and others, for the expenses of his anniversary — a olemn service for the repose of his soul, — which was yearly to be cele- Mmled there.^ The royal widow also save one hundred shillings, out if the hythe, or wharf (Qjueen hythe),l)elonging to her in London, to le applied to the expenses of a lamp, to burn perpetually before his 4NDb.* In these charters and deeds she styles herself ^Adalid the queen. *Qrderknis Vitalis. W. Malmsbury. Ibid. * Henry Huntingdon « Howard Memorials. Monasticon, Charter 7. art Reading. *Ibid. TOL. I. — 12 I ADELICIA OF LOUVAtNE. »i-ife of ihe moBi Doble kiug Henrj', and Jauglitcr of Godfrey, Jukt d Lutharingia." ' The chroniclers of that rfign, several of whom verc well acqmiDtiJ with him, hate given the following lively description of the person rf Adelicia's royal lord. « He was, for peraouage, of reasonable fUlnre, broad-breasted, well-jainled, and full of flesh, amiable of caunWoaiMe, with fine and penetrating eyes, and black hair, carelessly hanging sboil hia forehead."' It is to be remarked, that after he had been inducMLbf llie eloquent preaching of friar Serlo, lo submit (his natural ornainait to the siiearB of iliai priesily reformer, he was verj' strict in Lb prohibilkm to his subjects against long hair. Two illuminated portraits of Henry 1. are jn existence: both repnant him as advanced iu life, and in a melancholy attitude ; suppoaed to Im after the loss of his children. His face is handsome, with high regular features, his hair curling, but not lung; his figure is eaiscn he is clad tn a ven' close dress, the shoe and slocking all of a pice*, tad the loe pointed: he wears a mantle wrapped about him. Uis crown ii ornamented with [liree trefoils^ his sceptre is a staff with an ornamented head. Ue is sealed on a stone bench, carved in an architectoral deaigt- He is represented in the coronation robes he wore at the crowning df Adelicia.' Henry received from his subjecls the title of the Lion of Jualice. TIb» appellation was drawn from the prophecies of Merlin, then very pofli'i in England. On the accession of every sovereign to the English llinHi all his subjects consulted these rigmaroles, as naturally as we coDraltu mlmnnac, lo know when there is a new moon. ■* After two dragons," says Merlin, '■'■ the Lion of Justire shall oonC) at whose roaring the Gallic lowers and island serpents shall trembla." This Lion of Justice certainly suffered no one to break the law* but himself, if he is accountable for the villanies of his purveyors, his ilam)- ard of justice was not very high : "' the king's servants, and a multindt following the royal reliuue, took and spoiled everything the way lb* king went, there being no discipline or good order taken.* When llWT ronld not consume what they found in the house they had brokeji iato, they made the owners carry it to maiket and sell it for them; ihw bonied the provisions, or washed their horses' feet with the ale ot naiii. or poured tlie drink on the ground, or otherwise wasted it, so that f*nv Egu Arlalid Regina, uxor nobilisumi Regis Hi-nrici. el llll.i I . LolbulnsiiE. 'Cnnoninti MS^ * Thew poitniu eincllf agree wllb the deieri]iuans of tbu < << niDiKisiic i-hioniclea. " Tbey wore dote bieeube* ami ■locking - made of fiae cloth ;" the pointed shoes were broiighi in by ^^ i ■ -» flm inrenled hj Ynlqoe \e Rechin (whose aurnnnio mca.i.- nt of Anjou, lo hide hiseoms and bunions. The queen an.' > ro gown* and mantles Wailing oii the ground. The marripa \. additional robe over iJie gown, noi UQlikH tlie «M;erdoial gaimtui . ;^ ...^ ^.- ■ largo pooch oi purse whb Bu>peniie of lb greatest and best men of iliai age. His virtues a:id lalents suifieii justified the widow of the mighty sovereign of England ami Kog in bestowing her hand upon him ; nor was Adelicia^ second i; in the slightest degree oiTensive lo the subjects of her late I considered derogatory to the dignity of a queen-dowager of £ngti • Ibid. ■DuKiIale'iBuoi ist wonu ADKI.ICIA OF LOUVAIXE. 137 Addina^ hy hfv union with Albini, conveyed to him a life iiilereEl in her ricli ilowry ofAniniiel. anil he accordingly aisHuiued ihe tille of enrl of AniiiU^I. in her rigiii, as the possessor of Acundel Cusile.' It was at this feudal fodms, on (he iheii solitary coast of Sussex, that the royal baauly. «ho had for fifleen years presided over the splendid court of Hnrj Beaoclerc, voluniarily resided with her iccond husband — the bubwid, doubtless, of her heiirt — in the peaceful obscurity of domestic h^pituiM. far remold from the scenes of her former greatness. Addicia'a ni&doo) iu avoiding all the snares of party, by retiring from pttblic Ufa at a period so full of perilous excitement as the early part of Strphen's reign, cannot be disputed. Her gentle disposition, her good lute, aod feminine feelings, fitted her for the enjoyments of private life, ud the tiiadc them her choice. Tbero was, however, nothing of a seliish chnracler in the conduct of the loyikl matron in declining to exert such influence as she posseted in •dvueating the claims of her slep-ilaughler Matilda to the throne of Eoghnd. As a queen-dowager. Adelicia had no voice in the choice of a toTWMgn ; as a female, she would have departed from her province, had lbs intermeddled with intrigues of stale, even for the purpose of aseisi- isg tht lawful heir to tlie crown. She lelt the question lo be decided by llw pMn and people of England; and as they did not oppose the ci to- nam of Slephen, she bad no pretence for iulerfering ; but Gtie never MBCtioned the usurpation of the successful rival of her step-daughter s ngbt, by appearing at his court. And when the empress Matilda la ided in EaglBnd, lo dispute the crown with Stephen, the gates of Irundel Chtlle wer« Uirown open to receive her and her train, by the royal ^ile- licit and her high-minded husband Albini.* It was in the jear 1139 when this perilous guest claimed the hospitality, and finsJly the protec- Iwtti of Uie Doble pair, whose weilded happiness had been rendered more farfect by the birth of a son, probably very little before that period, for a vu only in the second year of their marriage. And she, over whose MB aa the consort of the mightiest monarch of the Weet, both » and people had lamented for nearly fifieeii years, became, when tba wife of a subject, the mother of a numerous progeny, the ancestress of an Qlustriiius line of English nobles, in whose veins her royal blood has bscn prewrvei) in uninterrupted course lo the present day. According lo Malmsbury, and many other hbtorians, the empress Halikk waa only attended by her brother, the earl of Gloucester, and a hondrad and forty followers, when she lauded at Portsmouth, in the lutar and of Srpiembcr. Gervase and Brompton aver that she came wilil S niUUnroue army ; hut the general bearings of history prove that ttH wtt not dte Iticl, since Matilda was evidently in a state of aliBnlute INtil wbcn hfr generous step-moiher allbrded her an asylum within ife wall* of Anindel Castle, for we lind that her devoted friend and I fcntber* Robert earl of Gloucester, when he saw that she was honours- I I ' IM AnBLICIA or LOUVALXB. biy ret^rirei) there, considered lier iii a jiluce of csTeiy, and, attendMl hj only twelve persons, prorcetlei) to Bitslol. No sooner was Stephen inrnnned t)int the empress >lMilda wa> n Ariindel Cosile, ihan he mised the siege of Mnrl borough, and cob- mencecl a rapid march towards Araiiilei, in order to attack her in htf retreat. The epirJi with which he pushed his operations alamieil the royal ladies.' Adelicia dreaded ihe deatruciion of her casile. ihi- li«i of her ticloved bosband, and the breaking up of all tlie domf-^ ' ahe had enjoyed nince her retirement from public life. ' Matilda Birflcred some apprehension lest her gentle atep-ir be induced to deliver her into ihe hands of her foe. Tli^ ever, no lesa linnneas than ^nileness in the character ul~ ^ the moment Stephen approached her walls, she sent n- entreat his forbearance, assuring' him ''■that she had ailn not as ^ enemy, but as her daughter-in-law and early frii.u.. _ claimed her hoapitality, which respect for the raemoiy of her late tojji lord, king Henry, forbade her lo refuse ^ the same considentioiu wooid i;ompel her to protect her, while she remainey, near Af tomb of his father, the Pincema of Engiand and Normandy. I3y her marrtage with Albini, Adelicia became the mother of tent surviving children. William earl of Anmdel, who suoceeded to At csiates and honours ; Reyner ; Henry ; Godfrey ; Alice, married to lh« ' Bntkon'o iiopbi« du HnlMiii. Ibid. * Sandenu'a Abbeji and Churcbea in Bialnnt. * Ibid. 'Howmrd MeworiaiM. ' Tbii will ba detailed in the luooeediBK biognffef. ADXLICIA OF LOUVAINB. 141 count d^u ; Olim ; Agatha. The two latter were buried at Boxgrove, near Arundel. Though Adelicia had so many children by her. secocd marriage, her tender a&ction for her father's &mily caused her to send for her younger brother, Joceline of Louvaine, to share in her prosperity and happiness ; and the munificent earl, her husband, to enable this landless prince to mtnr adTantageously, gave him the fair domain of Petworth, on his wedmnff Agnes, the heiress of the Percies : ^ since which," says Cam- den, ^ me posterity of that Joceline, who took the name of Percy, have ever poescaeed it-«a &mily certainly very ancient and noble, the male wpeacntatiTes of Charlemiagne, more direct than the dukes of Guise, who pride themselTea Saxon princei* — H« Uikm —MbIiMb cspouMd IS Sicpbrn of Bloit— Rrsldcsace at Towcr-Roxnl— Mull- da'« popularity in London — Stephen seizes the throne — Birth nf priTiri; Emtirii — Coronnlion or Malildn — Queen left regent — Disasteri — Queen (."---l--' i1">— Cutle — Medi»te» peaoe with her uncle — Bniptefs Matilda iani- — Heniy of Bloii — Civil war — Quern puis lo France — SiairiH^. heir — Knifes an army — Slrpben OHpltireil — Arrogance of eiiii grief — Elerlioiu in Slephen's enuee— Queen Matilda writei i( i Her >I^>pUcaIion for Siepben'e libany — Obilunic; of empreas — ' ' , loann* — E^prws id Winchefiei — Herieat — Inaultj LondcQcr- - London-^-SDccesies of the queen — Takea Wincheiier — E«(i[.,- Sat] of Gloucexct taken — Eiflianged for Stephen — Illness of . i Emprass escape* from 0»ft>rd — Her son — Decline ofemprcss., ..,^.,^ .,..-._ Matilda fbimds Sl Kadierine hf the Tower— Death of ths quc-eu — &i[.w- Tonih— Epitaph— Children— Eutiace— Death of king Stephen— Burial hf hn queen — EzhuuiatiDn of their bodiei. Matilda of Boulogne, the last of our Anglo-Nonnan (jtieeas, wu I princess of ihe ancient royal line of English monarrhs. Her mother, Mary of Scotland, wag the seconi) daughter of Malcolm Conmnrc and Margsrel Atheling, and sister to Matilda the Good, the first queeo cl Henry Beauclerc. Alary of Scotland was educated with her elder lelit, in ilie royal monasteries of Wilton and Rumsey, under the stem tnlel^i of iheir aunt Christina; and woa doubtless, like the princess Malilifa, compelled to assume the habit of a Tolaress. Whether llie youifafid Mary lestiljed the same lively antipathy to the coneecrated black ral, that was exhibited by her elder sister, no gossiping monasLje chrotiidcr has recorded ; but she certainly forfiook the cloister, for the court of England, on Matilda's auspicious nuptials with Henry I., and exclHa|ld the t«dge of celilmcy for the nuptial rin^ soon aflerwarda, wbtn Iw royal brother-in-law gave her in marriage to Eustace, i;ount of Boi^ The father of this nobleman was brother-in-law to Edward tlie Coe> fessor, having married Goda, the widowed countess of Mantes, etsier to that monarch; both himself and his son Eustace had been poweiful supporters of the Saxon cause. The enterprising spirit of the conDU of Boulogne, and the contiguity of their dominions to tlie Envliih shores, had rendered them troublesome neighbours to William the Coih (lucrnr and his sons, lill the chivalric spirit of crusading attracted ili«ir encieies to a different channel, and converted these pirates of the ni «e8s into heroes of the cross, and liberators of the holy city. Godfrey of Boulogne, the hero of Tasso's Gierusahme Lihgrata,iai hlf hrothPz Baldwin, who successively wore the crowa of ierunlni J the Coo- rled lll«ir c narro* I raUfiai f 'ruidni J XATILDA OF BOVLOONX. 143 were the nnclefl of Matilda, Stephen's queen. Her father, Eustace count of Boulogne, was also a distinguished crusader. He must have been a mature husband for Mary of Scotland, since he was the companion in •nns of Robert of Normandy, and her uncle Edgar Atheling. Matilda, or, as she is sometimes called for brevity, Maud of Boulogne, was the fole of&pring of this marriage, and the heiress of this illustrious house. There is every reason to believe Matilda was educated in the abbey of Bermondsey, to which the countess of Boulogne, her mother, was a munificent benefitctress. The countess died in this abbey while on a visit to England, in the year 1115, and was buried there. We gather from the Latin Terses on her tomb, that she was a lady of very noble qualities, and that her death was very painful and unexpected.' Tonnff as Matilda was, she was certainly espousea to Stephen de Blois b^ore her mother's decease ; for this plain reason, that the charter by which the countess of Boulogne, in the year 1114, grants to the CXugniac monks of Bennondsey her manor of Kynewardstone, is, in the jmr she died, confiraied by Eustace her husband, and Stephen her son- iii4aw.* Stephen, the third son of a vassal peer of France, obtained this gnat match through the fiivour of his royal uncle, Henry I. He inherited from the royal Adela, his mother, the splendid talents, fine person, and enterprising spirit of the mighty Norman line of sovereigns. A very tender friendship had subsisted between Adela, countess of Blois, and her brother, Henry Beauclerc, who at different periods of his life had been under important obligations to her ; and when Adela sent her land- less boy to seek his fortunes at the court of England, Henry returned the friendly offices which he had received from this faithful sister, by lavishing wealth and honour on her son. Stephen received the spurs of knighthood from his uncle king Henry, previous to the batde of Tinchebraye, where he took the count of Mor- tigne prisoner, and received the investiture of his lands. He was farther rewaroed by his royal kinsman with the hand of Matilda, the heiress of Boulogne.* ^ when Stephen was but an earl,'' says William of Malmsbury, ^ he gained the auctions of the people, to a degree that can scarcely be imagined, by the affiibility of his manners, and the wit and pleasantry of his conversation, condescending to chat and joke with persons in the humblest stations, as well as with the nobles, who delighted in his com- pany, and attached themselves to his cause from personal regard."^ Stephen was count of Boulogne in Matilda's right, when, as count of Mortagne, he swore fisalty in 11 26 to the empress Matilda, as heiress to the Norman dominions of Henry I. The London residence of Stephen and Matilda was Tower-Royal, a palace built by king Henry, and presented by him to his favoured nephew, on the occaaion of his wedding the niece of his queen Matilda Atheling. The spot to which this regal-sounding name is still appended, is a close lane between Chespside and Watling Street Tower^Royal was a fortress > Hist. Bermondsey Abbey. * Annales AbbatiB Bermondsey. " Oiderieus Yitalis. * W. Malmsbnry. Ordeiicaft YiAbWu I I AM MATILDA OF DDILOGNE. of prodiipous sirengili ; for more ilinn once, when ihe Tower of Lowui itself fell into the hands of ilie rebels, ihis einbaiiW palace of Stephen remained in security.' Il IK a remarkable faci, that Stephen hai embarked an board ifat Bltmekt ,Vcf, with his royal cousin, William the Atheling, nnd tlic ml of her fated crew; but with two knights of his train, and a few othcn vho prudently- followed his example, he left the vessel with lite recntrk thai "she was too much crowded wiili foolish, headstrong young people."' After the death of prince William, Stephen's influence with his rwil uncle became unbounded, and he was his constant companion in all hii voyages to Normandy. There are evidences of conjugal infidelity on the part of this gay and gallant young prince, about this period, proving that Matilda's rup iJ happiness was not without tome alloy of bitterness. How far faerptMC was affected by the scandalous repoits of the passion which Iter haughty cousin the empress Matilda, the acknowledged heiress of England «od Normandy, was said lo cherish for her aspiring husband, we annoi presutne to say ; but there was an angel-like spirit in this princess, wtiieii supported her under every trial, and rendered her a beautiful example la every royal female in the marriod state. Two children, a son and a daughter, were bom to the young earl and countess of Boulogne, during king Henry's reign. The boy was nanKat Baldn'in, afler Matdda's uncle, the king of Jerusalem; — a Saxon nUM wilhal. and therefore likely to sound pleasantly to the ears of the I^ lish, who, no doubt, looked with complacency on the infant heir « Boulogne, as the son of a princess of the royal Atheling blood, bcni among them, and educated by his amiable mother to veaemle thtir ancient laws, and to speak their language. Prince Baldwin, howe*tfi died in early childhood, and was interred in the priory of the Holy Trinity, without Aldgate, founded by his royal aunt, Matilda of Scot- land. The second child of Stepheu and Matilda, a daughter naniad Maud, )>om also in the reign of Henry I., died young, and was buried in the same church. Some historians aver that Maud survived loa| enough to be espoused lo the earl of Milan. So dear was the memory of these, her buried hopes, to the heart of Matilda, that afler she became queen of England, and her loss ww VO^ plied hv the birth of another son and daughter, she continued to laaxU for them; and the Church and Hospital of St. Katlierine by the Tower were founded and endowed by her, that prayers might be perpeiiisllT said by the pious sisterhood for the repose of the soula of her tirst^Kni children. In the latter days of king Henry, while Stephen was engageil in steal- ing the hearts of the men of England, al\er the &shion of Absalom, thr mild virtues of his amiable consort recalled to their remembnace ha royal aunt and namesake, Henry's first queen, and inspired ibem wiilia trembling hope of seeing her pbce filled eventually by a priocoa ■> 'Slovre'c SDivey. Penaam't LottdoD. ' Otdariout ViMlH. MATILDA OF DOtJLOONB. 145 mach more resembling her than the haughty wife of Geoffrey of Anjou The Norman woman looked upon her mother^s people with scDrn, and from her they had nothing to expect but the iron yoke which her grand- father, the Conqueror, had laid upon their necks, with, perhaps, an aggra- facioii of their miseries. But Stephen, the husband of her gentli* cousin, the English -hearted Matilda, had whispered in their ears of the con- firmatioo of the great charter of their liberties, which Henry of Normandy had granted when he became the husband of the descendant of their an- cient kings, and broken, when her influence was destroyed by death and I foreign marriage. King Henry ^8 daughter, the empress Matilda,^ was the wife of a foreign prince residing on the Continent. Stephen and his amiable princess were living in London, and daily endearing themselves to the people, by the roost popular and affiible behaviour. The public mind was certainly predisposed in &vour of Stephen's designs, when the sudden death of kinz Henry in Normandy lef^ the right of succession for the first time to I female heir. Piers of Langtof^ thus describes the perplexity of the aation respecting the choice of the sovereign : — ** On bier laj king Henry, On bier beyond the sea ; And no man might rightly know Who hit heir suld be.'* Stephen, following the example of the deceased monarch's conduct at the time of his brother Rufus's death,' lefl his royal uncle and benefac- tor's obsequies to the care of Robert earl of Gloucester, and the other peers who were witnesses to his last words ; and embarking at White- nnd, a small port in Matilda's dominions, in a light vessel, on a wintry sea, he landed at Dover, in the midst of such a storm of thunder and lightning, tliat, according to William of Malmsbury, every one imagined the world was coming to an end. As soon as he arrived in London, he convened an assembly of the Anglo-Norman barons before whom his confederate and friend, Hugh Bigod, the steward of king Henry's house hold, swore on the holy Evangelists, '* that the deceased sovereign hau disinherited the empress Matilda on his death-bed, and adopted his most dear nephew Stephen for his heir."' On this bold affirmation, the Archbishop of Canterbury absolved the peers of the oatlis of fealty they had twice sworn to the daughter of their late sovereign — and declared ^ that those oaths were null and void, and contrary, moreover, to the laws and customs of the English, who had never permitted a woman to reign over them." This was a futile argnment, as no female had ever stood in that im- portant position, with r^rd to the succession to the crown of England, in which the empress Jnatilda was now placed; therefore no preosdent hid occurred for the establishment of a salique law in England. Stephen was crowned on the 26th of December, his name-day, the feut of St Stephen.* He swore to establish the righteous laws of 'The Biography of the empretfl Matilda is continued through this life. *Malmtbnry. 'Malmsbury. Rapin. * Sir Harris NiooLChronoloft^^^''^'^* TOL.I.~I3 K I I vIM MATILDA OF BOLLDOKE. Eilwanl the confe»stir, for llie general liappinpss of all cIbbbm oT hi« nih- jec.ls.' The Eiigliah regarded Siephen's union with a priiicm of tluv nee as the bon pledge of the Biaerriiy of his profesaioru in n^rd u> ih« ameliorBlioQ of iheir condition. These hopes were, of course, increaMj by the birth of prince Enstnce, whom Matilda brought into the world Tory soon after her hiwhanU's accession lo the throne of EngUnJ. h was, perhaps, this auspicious event that prevented Matilda from htin^ asiocialed in the coronation of her lord on Si. Stephen's day, in V!ttH- minsier Abbey. Her own coronation, according to Geri'aBe. took pbc« March 22d, 1 136, being Easter Sunday, not quite three months aftM- wards. Stephen was better enabled to support the ex|>ense9 of a splendid cerenioniol in honour of his beloved queen, having, immediately >ft*t his own hasty tnaugumiion, posted to Wiiichesier and itiadc fatoiMlf master of the treasurj' of his dereosetl uncle king Heni^-; which eo* tained, says Malmshury, ^ one hundred thousand pounds, besides Hon of plate and jewels." Tlie empress Matilda was in Anjou at the time of her father's twUtt demise. She was entirely occupied by the grievous airkums of hv nusband, who was snpposed to be on his dcath-bed.' AfWr the eonnte- ceneeof her lord, as none of her parliaans in England made the slightM movement in her favour,8he remained quiescent for a season, well know* ing that the excessive popularity of a new monarrh is seldom of loo; eontiniiance in England. Stephen had begun well by abolnhing dane- ge1t,aDd leaving the game in the woods, forests, and uncultivated watts, common to all his sunjects ; but afler awhile he repented of hia libeal policy, and called courts of inquiry lo moke men give occohqi of iht damage and loss he had sustained in his fallow deer and other wild game; he likewise enforced the offensive syaleni of the other KomuB monarcha for iheir preservation. Next he obtained the enmity of the clergy, by seizing the rerennet of the see of Canterbur;-; and lastly, to the great nlaim and dctrinMHi of the peacefully disposed, he imprudently permitted his nobles to bniU or fortify upwards of a thousand of those strongholds of wrong oin] mt>- bery called castles, which rendered tlieir uwocis in a grral mcwon mdependent of the crown. Baldwin de Redvera, earl of Devonshire, was the first lo gire Su^ilwii a practical proof of his want of foresight in this tnatler, by telling linn, on some slight cause of oflence, " that he was not king of right, and U would obey him no longer." Stephen proceeded in person to ' him ; in the meantime David, king of Scolbnd, invaded the i counties, under pretence of revenging the wrong that had bwn his niece, the empress Matilda, by Stephen's nsurpation and penury, Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's consort, stood in the same mgnttt relationship lo the king of Scotland, as the empress Matilda, hum bff mother, Mnry of Scotland, was his sister, no less than Matilda, the otMi of Henry I. Stephen concluded a hasiy peace with the Welsh princes, ' JklaJmsbOr/. fimmplon. * Carrutheii' Hiit. ol SeotUbd, pfi. 3>7, JOL. MATILDA OP BOULOONX. 147 to repel the inTasion of king David ; but when the hosthe armies met near Carlisle, he succeeded in adjusting all differences by means of an iroicable treaty, perhaps through the in treaties or mediation of his queen. Easter was kept at Westminster this year, 1137, by Stephen and Ma- tilda, with greater splendour than had ever been seen in the court o Henry Beaudere, to celebrate the happy termination of the storm that had so lately darkened the political horizon ; but the rejoicings of the queen were fearfully interrupted by the alarming illness which suddenly •ttacked the king, in the midst of the festivities for his safe return from the Welsh and northern expeditions. This illness, the efiect no doubt of the preternatural exertions of both mental and corporeal powers, which Stephen had compelled himself to use, during the recent momentous crisis of his fortunes, was a sort of stupor, or lethargy so nearly resembling death, that it was reported in Normandy that he had breathed his last ; on which the party of the empress began to take active measures, both on the continent and in England, for the recognition of her rights.* The count of Anjou entered Normandy at the head of an army, to assert the claims of his wife and son ; which were, however, disputed by Stephen's elder brother, Theo- bald count of Blois, not in behalf of Stephen, but himself; and the earl of Gloucester openly declared himself in favour of his sister the em- press, and delivered the keys of Falaise to her husband, Geoffrey of Anjou.' When Stephen recovered from his death-like sickness, he found every- thing in confusion, — the attention of his faithful queen, Matilda, having doubtless been absorbed in anxious watchings by his sick-bed, during the protracted period of his strange and alarming malady. She was now left to take care of his interests in England as best she might ; for Ste- phen, rousing himself from the pause of exhausted nature, hastened to the continent with his infant heir Eustace, to whom queen Matilda had resigned the earldom of Boulogne, her own fair inheritance. Stephen, by the strong eloquence of an immense bribe, prevailed on Louis VII. of France, as suzerain of Normandy, to invest the unconscious babe with the duchy, and to receive his liege homage for the same.' Meantime some portentous events occurred during Matilda's govern- ment Sudden and mysterious conflagrations then, as now, indicated the sullen discontent of the very lower order of the English people. On the dd of June, 1137, Rochester cathedral was destroyed by fire; the following day, the whole city of Tork, with its cathedral and thirty churches, was burnt to the ground ; soon afler, the city of Bath shared the same &te. Then conspiracies began to be formed in favour of the empress Matilda, in various parts of England; and lastly, her uncle, David king of Scotland, once more entered Northumberland, with ban- ners displayed, in support of his supplanted kinswoman's superior title to the crown.^ Queen Matilda, with courage and energy suited to this * Hoveden. Brompton* Orderioot Yitalis. * M. Paris, iLO, 4tc ' Ordericas Vitalis. Henry of Huntingdon. Brompton. M. Paris. Rapin. SpeecL *Brouipton. Bapin. Ordericus Yitalis. I I K^ITtLDA OF BOVLoaSE. ^H klanDing crinst n-eni in peraun, and besieged the insui^nU, who M eeiied Bover cusUe ; and she sent orders to ihe men of Boulo^e, ba loyal KubJecU, lo attack the rebels by sea. The Bonloonois obeyed the commaiids or iheir beloved princes* with •lucrity,' and to such good purpo«ei by covering ihe Chonael wvih ibeif ligbt-armed vessels, that ifae besieged, not being able to receive ih* •lightest succour by sea, were foiced to Bubmii to the queen.' At lliil juncture Stephen arrived, uid lucceeded in chastising the Ic&den of the revolt, and drove the Scottish king over his own border. Nercrthelc« the empress Matilda's parly, in the year 1 138, began to assume n fbrm^ dable aspecL Every day brought tidings to the court of Stephej) uf aooe fresh revolt. William of Malnubury relates, that when Stephen ma bifTmed of these desertions, he passionately exclaimed, " Why did thiy make me king, if they forsake roe thus ? By the birth of Gkxl,' J ril never be called an abdicated king!" The invasion of qneeu Alalilda's uncle, David of Scotland, lor the third time increased the dialractioa of her royal husband's ai&irs, ttf»- r-ially as Stephen was loo much occupied with the internal troubles of his kingdom, to be able to proceed, in person, against him. David, ud his army, were, hovrever, defeated wiih immense slaughter, by the war- hke ThursUn, archbishop of York, at Cuton Moor. The paniculan dI this engagement, called the battle of the Standard, where the church militant performed such notable service for the crown, belong to getwdl hislor}-, and are besides too well known to require repetition in the biograpliv of Stephen^s queen. Matiloft' was mainly instrumental in negotiating the peace which ww concluded this year between her uncle and her lord. Prince lleniy, llie lieir of Scotland, having, at the same time, renewed bis homags to Stephen for the earldom of Huntingdon, was invited by the king lo hit court. The aiieniion with which the young prince was irraied by tba king and queen was viewed with invidious eyes by their ill-mannertd courtiers; and Ranulph, earl of Chester, took such great oQence at tk* myal stranger being seated above him at dinner, that he made it an ei> cusc for joining the revolted barons, and persuaded a knot of equally uucivdized nobles to follow his example on the same pretence.' The empress Matilda, taking advantage of the fierce contention be- tween Stephen and the hierarchy of England, made her lardy appearaDU, in pursuance of her claims lo the crown, in the autumn of 1 14i>. Uks her uncle, Robert the Unready, ihe empress allowed the critical tnomtat to slip, when, by prompt and energetic measures, she migbl have gatnad tlte priie for which she contended. But she did not turive till Sttq^UB had made himself master of the caslles, and, what was of more import* nuce to him, the greal wealth of his three refractory prelalea, tiie bwiof* of Salisbury, Ely, ami Ijncoln. ' Onterkns Vitalia. * ThU was Siephen 3 Diunl oath. MalmitniT. '"Throu^ die mediatiOD orMotiUa, Uie wife orStcpbcn, and nieoa of Davia a peace was conclQileii at I)uihBm beiween ihesa two king*, t^Bii>b4e hi Imit and Dwrul laboiii paniei." — C^rruthers' HisL oT Scotland, vol. i. p. 39t. MATILDA OF BOVLOONK. 149 When the empress was shut up within the walls of Arundel castle, Stephen might, by one bold stroke, have made her his prisoner; but he was prerailed upon to respect the ties of consanguinity, and the high rank €i( the widow, and of the daughter of his benefactor king Henry. It is possible, too, that recollections of a tenderer nature, with regard to his cousin the empress, might deter him from imperilling her person, by pushing the siege. According to some of the chroniclers, the empress sent, with queen Adelicia's request that she might be permitted to retire to Bristol, a guileful letter or message to Stephen,' which induced him to promise, on his word of honour, that he would grant her safe con- duct to that city. Though the empress knew that Stephen had violated the most solemn oaths which he had taken in regard to her succession to the crown, she relied upon his honour, and put herself under his pro- tection, and was safely conducted to the castle of Bristol. King Stephen gave to his brother, Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester, and to Wal- leran, earl of Mellent, the charge of conducting the empress to Bristol castle. This bright trait of chivalry contrasts beautifully with the self- ishness and perfidy too prevalent at the era. It was during this journey, in all probability, that Henry de Blois anmnged his plims with the empress Matilda, for making her mistress of the royal city of Winchester, which was entirely under his influence. While the earl of Gloucester, on behalf of his sister the empress, was contesting with king Stephen the realm of England at the sword's point, queen Matilda procapded to France, with her son Eustace, to endeavour to strengthen her husband's cause by the aid of her foreign connexions ; and« while at the court of France, successfully exerted her diplomatic powers in negotiating a marriage between the princess Constance, sister of Louis VII., and prince Eustace, then about four years old. The queen presided at this infant marriage, which was celebrated with great splendour. Instead of receiving a dowry with a princess, queen Matilda paid a large sum to purchase her son the bride ; Louis VII. in return solemnly invested his young brother-in-law with the duchy of Normandy, and lent his powerful aid to maintain him there as the nominal sovereign, under the direction of the queen his mother. This alliance, which took place in the year 1140,' greatly raised the hopes of Stephen's party; but the bands of foreign mercenaries, which his queen Matilda sent over from Boulogne and the ports of Normandy to his succour, had an inju- rious eflect on his cause, and were beheld with jealous alarm by the people of the land ; ^ whose miseries were in no slight degree aggra- vated,'' says the chronicler Gervase, ^ by the arrival of these hunger- starred wolves, who completed the destruction of the land's felicity." It was during the absence of queen Matilda and her son, prince Eub- tace, that the ^ttle, so disastrous to her husband's cause, was fouffht, beneath the walls of Lincoln, on Candlemas-day, 1141. Stephen hail shut up a great many of the empress Matilda's partisans and their fami- lies in the city of Lincoln, which he had been for some time besi^[ing. > Gervase. Henxy of Hontinfclon. * Florence of Woiceitiex. TyncW 13* •tfid ILDA OF BOV LOGSE. I The Mrl of Glotioejter's youngest daughter, lolely married to lier eonrin Raiiulpiii earl of Ciiesler, was amon^ the besieged; anil bo iletermtncd were die two earls, her father anii her huabaiiil, for her delivemnc«, tlitt tht^y encouraged (heir followers to swim, or ford, the deep cold waten of the rirer Trent,' behind which Stephen and hia army were encamped, and fiercely attacked him in their dripping garmenta ; and all for ihe relief of ilie fair ladiea who were trembling within the walls of Lincoln, anil beginning to suffer from lark of provisions. These were the dayii of cliivalry, be it remembered.' Spned gives ns ■ ilescriptjre ntlalogne of some of the leading characiers among otir valianl king Sl«plwn'> knighls $ani peiir, which, if space were allowed us. we would abstiact from the animated harangue with which the earl of Gloucestsr endn- *oureyal captive to the empress Matilda, at Gloucester. Th« carl of Gloucester, It Is said, treated Stephen with some degree of cour- trsv ; but the empress Matilda, whose hatred appears to huve e ■ Matin ibury. RB|)in. SpM^I. ■Polyitore Vrrgl!. Speed. MiilmibaTT. 'Roger HtiriHlen. R. HiinlinRiIna. Polfchronicon, 'Jtogrt Hortdcn. H.Hunlincdan. Spc^d. 'H. Huntingdon. Epi^. Rafun. ■ MATILDA OF DOULOQNE. 151 ftam a ilscper root of bilternrss tlinn mere rivalry of powefi loadeil hlffl witli indigni tin, anil unlernl liim itiio itie mosE ri^oroua conflncment, in Bristol ewxie. According lo (jeiietnl tusiorians, the caused liim lo be liraTilr irpcicd, and used the royal captive aa ignominiously as if lie had been Uie lowcat Tclon; but Williaiu o( Malmsbury says, "this was not btl afl«r SWfihen tuul attempted to make his escape, or it was reported tint Ike haij beea eeeu eev«ral timtis beyond the bounds prescribed for air and Merfiae." The cq^ireM Matilda made her public and tiiumphant entry into the riif of Winchevter, February 7, wliere the was received with great state by Stephen's equally haughty brother, Henry de Blois, bishop of Wiu- c^rster, and carding Ifgue. He appeared at llie head of alt the clurgy and monks of the diocese; and even the nuns of Winchester' (a thine hetam unheard of) walketi unveiled in the procession, to receive and wcJeonie the rightful heiress of the realm, the daughter of the great and learned Henry Fitz-Conqucror, and of Matilda, the descendant of the Atbeling. The English had also the satisfaction of seeing the male Rpivaeiiiative of their aucient rouiiarchs on llial occasion within the walls of Winchester; fur David of Scotland, the son of Margaret of Alhding, w» precent, to do honour lo his niece, — the victorious rival oC Sirpbeii'a crown. Henry de Bloia resigned the regal omatnents, and the fiuy midue of her father's irGoaure, into the hinds of the empress, he next day he received her with great pomp in his cathedral church, where be excommunicated all the adherents of hii! unfortunate brother) and pmoiued absolution lo all who should abandon his cause and join the tmprasa.' In ihi* melancholy position did queen Matilda find her husband's ruMT. when she retimied front her successful negotiation, of the luar- nagc hciircen tlie Frenrh king's sister, and her son the young connt of Boahi|rne, whom slie had left, fur the present, established us duke of V onmady. The peera and clei^y had alike abandoned the luckiest -.ipben in his adversity; anil the archbishop of Canterbury, being I ...in a( lender conscienee, had actually visited Stephen in prison, lO jL^joeai hb permission to transfer his oath of allegiance to bis victorioiif fiial, tlw cnipreis Matilda. !■ thia praUcameni, the faithful consort of the fallen monarch applied hxTMclf to the citizens of Londiin, with whutn she had ever muinlatliad a fTtBi share of popularity. They knew Iter virtues, for she had livtd tnong lliein; and her tender atlection for her royal spouse in his vi- ittmitj, w«a well pleasing lo those who had witnessed the domestic hap:* piacM ()f the princely pair, white they lived in Tower-Royal, as count «ad cuunteaa of Boulogne ; and the remembrance of Stephen's free and pleaaaJii cwduct, and a&ble association with all sorts and Cundiiioiis of aea, before he wore the ilinmy diadem of a doubtful title to the sov»- le^Bty uf Efi^nd, disposed the magistracy of Loniton to render eveiy hlk. 'RudbamFi HiiL oT Winrhosior. ^r 'Ottili Stephani. Oernue. Malmabuiy. Rapln. I I I MATlLIlA OF BnVLOONB. Bssislance in their power lo itieir unfortunale king.' So powcifaWy, in* deed, had tiie personal iiiHuence of queen Matdda operated in thni quulrr, tbat when ihe msgistrales of London were sniiimoned to send iheir de- puties to a synod al Winchester, held by Henry de BIuie, wliieh had ptedeleryiined the election of the empress Matilda to the ilin^ne, ihey lusirucU'd them to demand the liberation of the king in the name of ihe burona and citizens of Ixindon, as a preliminary to entering into anr discussion nilb the paniGuns of his enemy. Henry ile Bloia repliM. ^ that it dill not become the Londoners to side with the adherenit uf Stephen, wliose object was lo embroil the kingdom in fresh troublm."* Queen Matilda. Ending that the trusty citizens of Ix>ndon were baffled by the priestly subtlety of her husband's brother, Henry de Itloif, took ihc decided, but at ifiai time unprecedenCed, step, of writing, in her owtt name, an eloquent letter to the synod, eamcstly entreating those in whose hands the government of Englaud was vested, to restore the Ling, her husband, to libeily. This letter the queen's faithful chaplain. Christian, delivered, in M synod, lo the legale Henry de Bloia. The prelale, after he had |)erniri the touching appeal of his royal slster-in-luw, refused to eoinmunicste its purport to the assembly ; on which Christian boldly look the quentV letter out of his hand, and read it aloud to the astonished cnnclaTO courageously disregarding the auger and opposition of the legate, wbu was at that time virtually the sovereign of the realm.* Henry dc Bluia eflectually prevented any good eflect resulting from the persuasive ad- dress of the high-minded consort of his unfortuuaie brother, by ifit- solving the synod, and declaring '^ that the empress Matilda was lawfully elected as the domina or sovereign lady of England." The followiDg are the words of the formula in wiiich the declaration was deliremd: " Having first, as is lit, invoked tlie aid of Almighty God, we clod « lady of England and Nuimandy the daughter of the glorioua, ilie ridi, the good, the peaceful king Henry, and to her we promise fealty and support."' No word is here of the good old laws — the laws of Alfred uid SL Edward, or of the great charter wiiich Henry 1. agreed to observe. The empress was the leader of the Norninn party, and the hetid of Korman feudality, which, in many instances, was incompatible with the Sued 1 Arrogant and disdainful as her imperial education had renderHl h«, she bore those new honours wiih anything but meekness ; she lefiMEd to listen lo the counsel of her friends, and treated those of her adm^ ties whom misfortune drove to seek her clemency with insnlene* nd cruelty, stripping them of their possessions, and rendering (hem jieffeedf (tesperaie. The friends who hiul contributed to her elevation fre<|t)eMFF met with a harsh refusal when they asked favours ; "■ and," myn ma dd historian, " when they bowed themselves down before ber, ■be tlid Mt MATILDA OF BOULO Mtfontime the sorrowful i|uecn JMatilda wai unremitlin^ in her ei liMu Tor itie Ubeislion of lier unfortuiiale lord, who was al tilts hH*ily bxmed, wid iguominiaualy ir^aied, by order of the empr Mot mly Enfkml, bat Nonuaiidy. tvas now loit to the captive luuiiartll bar huaband, and ^ir young heir, prince Eustace ; for GeotTrey of Aajod, aa aoon ae he received inielligence of the decisive b&tlle of Lln- f«la, pamiaded the Norman baronage to withdraw their allegianre front ihnr reototly invested duke, and to transfer it to his wife the cmpreaan »ihI her son Henry, certainly die rightful heirs of William the C ~~ r,ucTor. The los« of regal siste and sovereign power was, howe< ncBfded by the queen of Stephen as a matter of little the •ewHMi of adveraily. it was not the king, but the man, the hus- band of her youtli, and the fcther of her children, to whom the icMlef-beuted Hatilda of Boulogne clung, with a devotion not often lo be met wiili in the personal history of royalty. It was for his sake ^lini she coudftirended to humble herself, by addressing the most lowly ' liiiTsties to her haughty cou^n, ilie empress Matilda — to her, who, if f leporl of some contemporary chroniclers is to be credited, had Lttmycd ber husband into a breach of his iimrriage vow. The insult- iag »eom with which the empress rejected every petition which the vtdded wife of Stephen presented lo her, in behalf of her &llen foe, looks like ibp viudiclive spiril of a jealous wnman; especiBliy, wliea «■ ntket, thai not only the virtues of Matilda of Boulogne, but the dsMaeia of her consanguinity to herEelf, required her to be treated with fame degree of consiileralion and respect There appears even to be a coven reference to the former position in ■likh them prince«»es had stood, as rivals in Stephen's love, by the |n)»ea«l made by his fond queen. She proposed, if his life wore tntt •faitd, to relinquiah his society, and thai he should not ouly for onti hn^o ill claims upon llie crown and succession of England and No^ mandv. but, taking upon himself the tows and habit of a monk, devota liiinirll to a teligious life, either as a pilgrim ot a cloistered auchorile,* ■m (■oticUiiou Lliat their son, prince Eustace, might be permitted to enjoy, iti her right, the earldom of Boulogne, and his father's earldom of Mor- Ugae, lilt) grant of Henry I. This petition was rejected by llio victo- liiiaa onpress, with no less contempt than all the others which Ste- phen's aii€Pn hod ventured to prefer, although her suit in this instance naa liarkod by the powerful mediation of Henry de Blois. This prelate, who apficar* lo have thought more of peace than of brotherhood, was 1I1.H only destraus of settling public order on such easy terms for his iidw iKiTercign, hut wUling lo secure lo his nephew ilie natural inh»- ntancE at his parents, of which the einpress's pariy bad obtained •r^ton. So blind, however, was this obdurate princess, in pursuing liewllong impulse of her vindictive nature, that nothing cold ' Iter to prrwivc how much it was her interest to grant llie pray unhappy cousin ; and she rcpuUed the Guit of Henry de Blois so rud< llut, when next summoued to her presence, he refused lo come, ^ui I >r Ris inh»- 1 I i f'VH UATILDA OF BOULOGNE. Matilda improved this tliflemice between her hHiiglii}- ririil end faer brolher-in^w. In her otni adTaninge; and, having ohuitml a prinu interview wiih him, she prevtiilcd on him, by ilie eluquence of hec Iran and enlreatiest to absolve all her husbund'a party, vrhoin. as [x^'i legate, he had a Tew day* before excornniunieateU, and U> enier into t Re|;otialion with her for ihe deliverance of his brother.' Not did tlie queen MaLlda rest here. In the name of her iion.pnKS Eustace, aided by William of Ypres, Stephen's able but unjxipuUr inia*- ler of stale, she raised the standard of iier captive lord, in Kent and Surrey, where a strong party was presently organized ia his favour; mi finding that there was nothing to be hoped for from her obdurate kii» woman, the empress Matilda, on any oilier lenns but the unrewuia^ one of giving up her own I'uir inlierilanee, she, like a true dau^hur of the heroic house of Boulogne, and the nieee of the illnalrioua Godfiri' and Baldwin, prepared herself for u struggle, with such coun^gmw energy of mind and promptitude of action, that many a recreant bonm was shamed into qaiiiing the inglorious shelter of Itis castle, and led- ing forth his vasrals to strengthen the muster of the royal heroine. In the pages of superliriiilly written histories, much is said of te prowess and luilitaty skill displayed by prince Eustace at this period', but Eustace was scarcely seven year* old. at tlie time when tWse eflbiU were made for tlie deliverance of his royal sire. It is, therefore, pUni to those who reHeci on the evidence of doi«s, iliat it was the hii^ minded and prudent queen, liis mother, who avotdMl all Aiuazouian » pluy, by acting under the name of her son. Her feminine virtues, endearing qualities, and conjugal ilevolMin, h*i already created the most powerful interest in her favour ; while rrpum of tite pride and hardness of heart of her stern relative and iiaineMlu, the new domina, began to be industriously circulated through ilie load, by the ofieiided legate, Henry de Blois.* William of Malmsbury mentions expressly, that the emprma Mstild* never bore or received the title of ri-^ina. or queen of England, bat (hu of domina, or lady of England. On her broad seal, which she eaaxd to be made for her royal use at Winchester, she entitles herseli', ■■ KooN- uorum Regina Mactliildis ;" and in a charier granted by her, just oAcf the death of her brother and champion, Robert earl of Gloucealer, ibt styles lierself ''' Regiua Romaiioruni, ci Domina Angloruni." Tiie seel to which we have just alluded bears the ligurc of the fmBil daughter of Uie Norman conqueror, crowned and seated on tJie Kinn^ Bench, with a sceptre in her riglit hand, but bearing neitli«r orb nor duve, the symbols of sovereign power and mercy. She was not M anointed queen, neither had the crown-royal ever been placed brow.' The garland offieur de lis, by which the folds of her 'S|wed. TjTreiL 'TymlL • We »fe inilebleJ to oat tLnci friend, Mr. Howan!, of Colby Cuile, for • da* iag or Ilie impreuion at another sual penaining to MiiiMtt Ihe EmprDM^ tlfde Slwt by Uiis Mary Aglkinbf Aom ■ iletil belantpng to hfir thmil;. Th* kaA r these inlorestiiig cupplh cants, and burning wiih rage at the insolent treatment he had recriftd from the imperial virago, whom Camden quaintly styles '*a niggitkM wife." solemnly ptomised the queen to forsake the cause of lirr tinL Immediately on his relurn to Winchester, the preUle foni£rd Ui rasile, and having prepared all thinga for declaring hinisidf in farimr rf his brother, he sent messengers to the queen, begging her to put hmdS at the head of the Kentishmen and Londoners, and march with hrt toe, prince Eustace, to Winchester.' The etnpress Matilda, and the earl of Gloucester, having some ifUeOi- gence of Henry de Blois' proceedings, advanced from Oxford, acciMBpi. nicd hy David, king of Scotland, at the head of an army, to ovenwt him. When ihey approached the walhi of Winchester, tlie empreu Mat a herald to the legate, requeeting a conference, as she had something if importance to communicate ; but to this requisition Henry de Bloia o^ replied, -"Parabo mr,'"' that is, '* 1 will prepare rnvBelf;" and lindiogifeal the Norman party in Winchester were at preseni too stroitg for him, it left the city, and retired to his strong castle in tlie suburbs; caasiBg,*! th« same time, so unexpecied an attack to be made on the emptn«,lte she had a hani race to gain the shelter of the royal citadd.* ^uecn Klaiilda, with her son and »ir William Ypres, at the he«J cf Ihe Londoners and the Kentishmen, were soon aAerat the gates uf ftW Chester; and the empress was now bo cJusely blockaded in her palwt 'TjTrelL *Uslin*buT7. Gerrue. * Mtiinshbuiy, MATILDA OF BOULOGNB. 157 that she had ample cause to repent of her vindictive folly, in driving her gentle cousin to desperate measures, by repulsing the humble boon she had craved with such earnest prayers. For nearly two months the most destructive warfare, of famine, fire, and sword, was carried ou in the streets of Winchester ; till the empress Matilda, dreading the balls of fire which were nightly thrown from the legate's castle, and which had already destroyed upwards of twenty stately churches and several mo- nasteries, prevailed on her gallant brother to provide for her retreat. This he and her uncle David, king of Scodand, did, by forcing their vay through the besiegers at swords' points ; but it was at the cost of the noble earl's liberty. While the empress and the king of Scotland, by dint of hard riding, escaped to Lutgershall, the earl of Gloucester arrested the pursuit, by facing about and battling on the way, till almost ill his followers were slain, and he was compelled to surrender, after a desperate defence. This skirmish took place on the 14th of September, 1141. The earl of Gloucester was conducted to queen Matilda at Win- chester, and she with great joy committed him to the charge of William of Tpres, as a sure hostage for the safety of the king her husband. The Wife of king Stephen obtained the praise and admiration of all parties, by her generous conduct to her illustrious captive ; for, instead of loading him with chains, and subjecting him to the same cruel treat- ment under which her beloved lord was suiiering, the confinement of the earl of Gloucester, at Rochester Castle, was alleviated by every indulgence consistent with the safe custody of his person.* The empress and her party, with some difficulty, fied from Lutgershall to Devises, where she Mras so closely pursued by the queen's troops, that she only escaped their vigilance by personating a corpse, wrapped io grave-clothes, and being placed in a coffin, which was bound with cords* and borne on the shoulders of some of her trusty partisans' to Gloucester, the stronghold of her valiant brother, where she arrived, frint and weary, with lonff fasting and mortal terror. Her party was so dispirited by the loss of her approved counsellor ind trusty champion, the earl of Gloucester, that she was compelled to make some overtures to the queen, her cousin, for his release ; but Ma- tilda would hear of no other terms than the restoration of her captive husband, king Stephen, in exchange for him. This the empress peremp- torily refuted in the firat instance, tliough she ofiered a large sum of gold, and twelve captive earls of Stephen's party, as her brothcr^s ran- som. Queen Matilda was inflexible in her determination, never to resign her illustrious prisoner, on any other condition than the release of her tojral husband. Although she had treated the captive earl most hu- manely, she now had recourse to threats ; and she caused the countess of Gloucester to be informed, that unless the king were speedily exchanged for the earl, she should cause him to be transported to one of her strong castles in Boulogne,' there to be kept as rigorously as Ste- 9hen had been by the orders cf the empress and her party. Not that it ' Liogard (from Malmtbury), fourth edition, p. 178. * Brompion. John of Tioemouth. Geryase. Knighton. * Malmsbury. TOL. I.— i4 I I I ^fS8 MATILDA OF BO L- LOOM. was in Ae gcntte nature of the qwecn lo have mnde these hatsli rrpnnt* on B gallant ^entletnan, whom the fonune of war had placed at her du< piieal ; nor did she proceed to the use of thrmtii liU she had ined. bv eloquent entreaties, to win eail Robert to uae his influence with hi* •■»■ In, for the release of her husband. She had even promuied that Iw •hould be restored lo all hie powesnoDs and honoura, and etitramd with the principal ad minis nation of the government, if he wnold co«k elude a peace, geeuring England to Stephen, and Normandif to th* empress.' Gloucester's high principles, however, vontd not admit af his entering into any treaty which he eonBidered prejndicial to hie as- ter's interest ; and, esHeniial as his presence was to her, the obdniais temper of the empress woold never have auttered bar to purchase Iw release, at the price of restoring Stephen to his queen arid fneods. Ind it not been for the reaolnie detenninalion displayed by her sist«T-in-U«, Aimabel, countess of Gloucesier. Fortunately, the person of StepbHi happened to be in the possession of this lady, who was the MgieUatne of Bristol during the captivity of Gloucester, her redoubted lord. U« aniieiy for his rcstorBiion being no less than that of the queen fof ibt libemtion of Stephen, these two ladies contrived to arrange a sort rf amicable treaty, which ended in the exchange of their illusiHou* pB- soners.' This memorable event look place in the month of NovemMH lUl. C^ueen Matilda was not long permitted to enjoy the re-union iriiiri took place between her and her beloved consort, after she hnd j^iircreiiri in procuring hb deliverance from the fetters of her vindictive nval ; fn; nothing could induce the empress to listen to anv terms of [ui-iticsHoo. and the year 1142 commenced with a mutual renewal of hosiilii^ kelween the belligerent parties. While Stephen was pursuing tlie \nr at York, with the fiirj- tt * newly enfranchised lion, he was seiied with a dangerous niulmlv H» ftfterlionate queen hastened to him on the first news of ', which was so sore, that for some hours he was suppct^-i ami was only restored lo life by the indefatigable care i ■ consort. In all probability his illness was a return of Ihe i._. .,i._.^.... plaint with which he had once or twice been afllicted, ai itie coibikoc^- meni of the internal troubles of his realm. Through the tender aiteniions of his queen, Stephen tvas, howvon soon afler able to take the field ag»in ; which he did wilh snch noctfm, thai the empress's party thought it high lime to claim the aMislanc«nclere r]u«que mm Angelicit Diantbai diva hiec Regina lenctar. ovmM I I The monutjc LaUq of this inscription may be thus r(1ndefMl^- ihe yon one tliousand one hundred and filly-one. not to her oira,n lo our great loas, the happy Illaiilda. the wife of king Stephen, (tied,«i>- Dobled by her virtues as by her lilies. She wub a true wnnhipjier of Uod, and a real patroness of the poor. She lived subniiasive lu God. thai she might afterwards enjoy his presence. If ever woman dewrnd lo be carried by the hands of angels to heaven, ii was this holy queeo." Queen Matilda left i)itee surviving cliildren, by hec marriage with Stephen : Eustace, Williani) and Mary. The eldest, prince Eustace, was, after her death, despatched by Stepbcs lo the court of his royal brother-in-law, Louis VII., to solicit his tau^ ance in recovering the ducliy of Normandy, which, on the death d Gcofijrey of .Anjou, had reverted to Henrj- Fiiz-Empress, tfie righlfiil heir. Louis, who had good reason for displeasure against Heat;, n- invested Etislace with the duchy, and received his homage once laon, Stephen then, in tlic hope of securing this beloved sod's siiccessioD in the English throne, endeavoured to prevail on the archbishop of Cantt^ bury to crown him, as the acknowledged heir of England. But nciiluT the archbishop, nor any other prelate, could be induced to perform tiii* ceremony, lest, as they said, " they should be the raeans of ii]VoUin{ ihe kingdom once more in the horrors of civil war."" Aecordiiig to some historians, Stephen, was so exasperated at this re- fusal, thai he shut all the bishops up in one house, declanng his inlni- lion lo keep thera in ward, till one or other of ihern j'ietdtd obedirat* to his will. The archbiahop of Canterbury, however, succoeilrd in making hie escape to Normandy, and persuaded Henry Plantagcnct, who, by his marriage with Deanor duchess of Aquiiaine, the divorced qtwtii of France, had become a powerful prince, to iry his fortune once mow in England. Henry, who had now assumed the lilies of duke of Normani^f' ud Aquiloine, and count of Anjoa, landed in England, January llS3,bd«a preparations were made lo oppose his victorious progress. He marrhrf directly to Ihe relief of his mother's friends, at Wallingforil, Anil arttvtd at a lime when Eustace was carrying on operations, in the nbseun iiT the king his lather, who had gone to London, to procure freeb cu{t)di0 of men and money. Eustace maintained his position till the reitim id Siepbeti, when the hostile armies drew up in baltle-airay, with lb* v MATILDA OF BOULOONB. 163 tendon of deciding the qaestion between the rival claimants of the erown, at swords' points. An accidental circumstance prevented the deadly efTusion of kindred blood, that seemed as if doomed to stain the snows of the wintry plain of i^aw. ^That day Stephen's horse," says Matthew Paris, ^ reared furiously thrice, as he advanced to the front to'array his battle, and thrice fell with his forefeet flat to the earth, and threw his royal rider. The nobles exclaimed it was a portent of evil, and the men mmrmnred among themselves ;^ on which the great William de Albini, the widower of the late dowager queen Adelicia, took advan- tage of the pause, which this superstitious panic on the part of Stephen's adherents had created, to address the king on the horrors of civil war, and reminding him of the weakness of his cause, and the justice of that of his opponent, implored him to avoid the effusion of his subjects' blood, by entering into an amicable arrangement with Henry Plantagenet" Stephen and Henry, accordingly, met for a personal conference, in a meadow at Wallingford, with the river Thames flowing between their armies, and there settled the terms of pacification, whereby Stephen was to enjoy the crown during his life, on condition of solemnly guarantee- ing the sQCcession to Henry Plantagenet, to the exclusion of his own children.' Henry, on his part, swore to confirm to them the earldom of Boulogne, the inheritance of their mother, the late queen Matilda, and all the personal property and possessions enjoyed by Stephen, during the rrign of his uncle, Henry I. Afier the treaty was ratified, William de Albini first affixing his sign manual, as the head of the barons, by the style and title of William earl of Chichester,' Stephen unbraced his annonr, in token of peace, and Henry saluted him as ^^ king," adding the endearing name of ^ father ;" and if Polydore Vergil, and other chroniclers who rdate this incident, are to be believed, not without good reason. Of a more romantic character, however, is the circumstantial account of the cause of this pacification, as related by that courtly historian, Mattliew Paris, which, though he only mentions it as a report, is of too remariuble a nature to be omitted here. We give the passage in his own words :— ^ The empress, they say, who had rather have been Stephen's para- mour than his foe, when she saw him and her son arrayed against each other, and their armies ready to engage on Egilaw Heath, caused king Stephen to be called aside, and coming boldly up to him, she said^ — ^ ^ What mischievous and unnatural thing go ye about to do ? Is it meet the &ther should destroy the son, or the son kill the sire ? For the love of the most high God, fling down your weapons from your hands, sith that (as thou well knowest) he is indeed thine own son : for you well know how we turabi were acquaint before I wedded Geoflrey P The king knew her words to be sooth, and so came the peace." ^ The moet doubtful part of this story is, that the empress is represented aa making this communication personally to Stephen, yet no other his- torian mentions that she uras in England at this period, much less that ' Henry of Huntingdon. Lord Lyttleton. Speed. Tierney's Arundel. ' Tiemejr's Arundel. Matthew Paris. Speed. ' Tierney's Arundel. * Matthew Parii. I I 164 MATILDA OF BOtLOOKB. the was the aalhor of ihe pnrilicaiinn. Lord Lyillelon, however, in hii hiaiory of Henry 11^ says, " that at one of his mierviews with Sirphen, previous to the settlement of the succession on Henry, thai prince u stated by an old author ta have claimed the king for his fkilin, on the confession of the empress, when she supposed herself lo he on a <)cBlb- heil." Kapin abo mentions the report. Thai which lends most colooi to the lale, is the fact, that the empress Matilda's second son OenlTrey, on the death of his father, set up a claim to the earldom of Anjnn, gronndcd on the supposed illegitimacy of prince Henry. Tbii ungn- cioua youth even went so far as to obtain the leslimony of the An^vtis harona, who witnessed the lust moments of the count his father, lo the Msertion " that the expiring Geoflrey named him aa the successor to hii dominions, because he suspected his elder brother to be the son M Stephen." ' Prince Eustace was «o much enraged at the manner in which ha inierests had been compromised by the treaty of Wallingford, that ht withdrew, in a trenspori of indignation, from the field, and gBlhertn^ toother a sort of free coropany, of the malcontent adherents of hn father's party, he marched towards Bury Si. Edmund''s, ravaging and laying under contribution all the country through which he fmaaei. Tlie monks of Bury received him honoarably, and oAered to re&«ab Uf men, but he sternly replied, " That he came not for meal bui moaer." and demanded a subsidy, which being denied by the hretliren of St. Ei)- nmnd — "■ they being unwilling." they said, '' to be the means of nisii^ fresh civil wars, which fell heavily on all peacefully disposed men. tal heaviest of all on the clergy" — Eustace, reckless of all moral reatninia, instantly plundered the monastery, and ordered all the com imd othor provisions belonging to these civil and hospitable ecclesiastic* k> be rarried to his own castle, near the town ; and " then sitting down lo dinner iu a frenzy of rage, the first morsel of meat he essayed to ainl- low choked him," says the [Chronicler, who relates this act of wrimg md violence. According to some historians, Eustace died of a brain ferer. on the 10th of August, 1153.' His body was conveyed to FevetBhan Abbey, and was interred by the side of his mother, qoeeii Matilda. Eustace left no children by his wife, Constance of France. William, the third son of Stephen and Matilda, inherited hia mollMf'l earldom of Boulogne, which, together wiih that of Morlagne, and aO hii father's private property, were secured to him by the treaty of Walling ford. He is mentioned in thai treaty by name, aa having done boffis^ lo Henry of Anjou and Normandy- Shortly afterwards, however, thn prince, though offender aee, entered into a conspiracy with Bome of lb* Flemish mercenaries, to surprise the person of prince Henry on Barham Cowns, as he was riding from Dover, in company with the king. Ste- phen himself is noi wholly clear from a suspicion of being coae«nM«IiL this plot, which failed through an accident which befell prince Wiltiua, for just before the assault should have taken place, he was thrown bjrhb metilesorae steed, and had ihe ill tuck lo break his leg. Henry, on n> 'Vila Gau&edi de NoimondL *Spee>:t. MATILDA OF BOULOGNE. 165 eeiTioi^ a secret hint of what was in agitation, took the opponnnity of the coofusion created by William's fall, to ride off at full speed to Can- terbury, and soon after sailed for Normandy. It does not appear that he bore any ill-will against William de Blois for this treacherous design, as he aifVerwards knighted him, and con- firmed to him hia mother's earldom, and whaterer was possessed by Stephen before his accession to the throne. This prince died in the year 1160, while attending Henry II. on his return home itom the siege of Thoulouse. The lady Marie de Blois, the only surviving daughter of Stephen and Blatilda, took the veil, and was abbess of the royal nunnery of Rumsey, in which her grandmother, Mary of Scotland, and her great aunt, Ma- tilda, the good queen, were educated. When her brother William, count of Boulogne, died without issue, the people of Boulogne, desiring to have her for their countess, Matthew, the brother of PhiUp, count of Flanders, stole her from her convent, and, marrying her, became in her right count of Boulogne. She was his wife ten years, when, by sen- tence of the pope, she was divorced from him, and forced to return to her mooastery. She had two daughters by this marriage, who were allowed to be legitimate ; and Ida, the eldest, inherited the earldom of Boologiie, in right of her grandmother, Matilda, Stephen's queen. Stej^n died at Dover, of the iliac passion, October 25th, 1154, in the fifty-first year of his age, and the nineteenth of his reiffu. He was buried by the side of his beloved queen Matilda, and their aaibrtiuiate son Eustace, in the abbey of Feversham. ^ His body rested here in qoietness," myn Stowe, ^ till the dissolution, when, for the tri- fling gain of the lead in which it was lapped, it was taken up, uncoffined, ind plunged into the river: — so uncertain is man, yea, the greatest princes, of any rest in this world, even in the matter of burial." Honest old Speed, by way of conclusion to this quotation from his brother chronicler, adds this anathema : ^ And restless may their bodies be alstt, who, Ux filthy lucre, thus deny the dead the quiet of their graves !" ELEANORA OF AQUITAINE, QUEEN OF UENRY II. I CHAPTER 1. Froren^al qutem — Cbuntry of Elranoia of Aquilaiof — Her gnod&tltn — OMd pf luc fiuliei — Her grmi inhenaiice — Muiiage — Become* qunmi otFmniM BeBUtjr — Sbe becocnu s cnunJei — Hei gUBid of Amozona — BicMWM mi lailiot eacumbci itis um}' — Occaaion France — Hei clisgusu — Tamil*— Staif PlBFiUGenel— ^'nndiils— Birih of inlanl piincei! — Eleanora ialti in lora wU Henry — Je«Iou!ic»— She opplios for divorce — Her matriBgo dis»l*ttd-^» iiinu U Aquilame — Adventures on jframey — Marries Hanry Planinfr"''— Knli of b«r mit — Enablea Henry lo ftaia England — Henrj'i loro tot Bd* mood — Roturci to Eieauora — Sunwedg to tlia EnglUb ihrono — Elonat crnwneJ at Weauoiiuier — Cotiunie — Binh of pHnca Henr; — Qiun piWMW bei iiif&nis 10 ibe horoni — Dcoib of eldest son — Her court — Tiafcil/ Jfi*t*t before Lei — Uor hiialsnd — His clianu^tei — Rosomorid diKOtereJ hf tbaqwM — Eleonora's children — Binh ofptinoe Geoiffrey — Eleanon r^geni of Eaflnl — Guct to Noniisndy — Conclusion of empren Maalda'i nienioit — Mldllt resent of Naroiaiidy — Medutteg pL-aae — Uiei— -Tonili — Eleuwrk Kona* regent — She goes lo Aquilaiue. The lire of ihe consort or Henry II. caramencee ihe bio^rapluea of* Mries of Provencal princesses, with whom the eulier inotiArchs of ont royal liouse or PJantngenel allied iliemselves, fur upwards of ■ ccdIdcT' ImpoTtani efTecls, nol only on ihc ijomesiic hialoty of ihe court of Eng- land, btil on its cotamercc and statistics, may be truceil to tu union, bf B of tliis queen, wiih ilie moat polished and eivilized people on live face of ihe earth, la the Proren^als of the twelfth and ihiriet^lh mUK riea indisputably were. With the arts, the idealiiies, and the relioeoiaitt of life, Eleanom brought acquisitions of more importance lo the Aoj^ Nonnan people, than even that " great Provence dower" ou n&A Dante dwells with such earnestness. But before the sweet provinces of the south were united to EitfliBd, by the marriage of iheir heiress with the heir of the Conqnenu, a tissue of incidents had chequered the life of the duchesa of A and it is necessary to trace tficm, before we cut describe her i)ueen of England, It would be in vain to search on a map for the doiaiiiioiis of ridinii. under the title of dukedom of Aquilaine. In the eleventh coDtiKf, (he roimtiea of Guienne and Gascony were erected into this dukedom, afiu cm) BLBAIfORA OF AQUITAINB. 167 the ancient kingdom of Provence, establislied by a diet of Charlemagne/ had been dismembered. Julius Csesar calls the south of Gaul, Aquitaine, from the numerous rivers and fine ports belonging to it; and the poetical population of this district adopted the name for their dukedom, from the classics. The language which prevailed all over the south of France was called Provencal, from the kingdom of Provence ; and it formed a bond of national union among the numerous independent sovereigns under whose feudal s\nj this beautiful country was divided. Throughout the whole tract of oountry, from Navarre to the dominions of the dauphin of Auvergne, and from sea to sea, the Proven9al language was fipoken — a language which combined the best points of French and Italian, and pre- sented peculiar facilities for poetical composition. It was called the langue cToCy sometimes langue d^oc et noj the tongue of ^^yes" and ^00,^ because, instead of the ^^oiii" and ^^non'' of the rest of France, the affirmative and negative were ^^oc" and '^ no." The ancestors of Eleanora were called par excellence the lords of ^Oc" and ^^JVb.'' Wil- liam IX., her grandfather, was one of the earliest professors and most liberal patrons of the art His poems were models of imitation for all the succeeding troubadours.' The descendants of this minstrel hero were Eleanora, and her sister Petronilla. They were the daughters of his son, William count de Poiton, by one of the daughters of Raymond of Thoulouse.' William of Poitou was a pious prince ; which, together with his death in the Holy Land, caused his Other's subjects to call him Si William. The mother of this prince was the great heiress Phiiippa of Thoulouse, duchess of Quienne and Grascony, and countess of Thoulouse in her own right Before Phiiippa married, her husband was William, the seventh count of Poitou and Saintonge ; aderwards he called himself William the fourth duke of Aquitaine. He invested his eldest son with the county of Poitou, who is termed William the tenth of Poitou. He did not live to inherit the united provinces of Poitou and Aquitaine, which comprised nearly the whole of the south of France. The rich inheritance of Thoulouse, part of the dower of the duchess Phiiippa, was pawned for a sum of money, to the count of St Gilles, her cousin, which enabled her husband to undertake the expense of the crusade led by Robert of Normandy. The count St Gilles took possession of Thoulouse, and withheld it, as a forfeited mortgage, from Eleanora, who finally inherited her grandmother^s rights to this lovely province. The fiither of Eleanora left Aquitaine in 1132, with his younger bro- ther, Raymond of Poitou, who was chosen by the princes of the cru- sade that year to receive the hand of the heiress of Conrad prince of Antioch, and maintain that bulwark of the Holy Land against the assaults of pagans and infidels. William fell, aiding his brother in this arduous contest; but Raymond succeeded in establishing himself as prince of Antioch. > Atlas G^ogmphique. * Sismondi's Literature of the South. * Rer. ScripL de Franc. ; likewise Suger. t I I 168 BLKa:«ORA of AQtlTAtKB. The gnuiflfsiher of Eleonora had been piy and even licratinns in hk yniiili ; and now, ni the age of siiiy-eighL, he wished to devote wum limp, lieforc his death, to meililation and penitence, for the siiiB nf hi* early life. When his gran d-d sni^hier had aiiained her fouileenth jtu, he eommenced his career of self-denial, by Eummoning the baronage iJ Aquiiaine. and rOTniDunicaiing his intenljon of abdicatini; in faroiir uf his grend-daughler, to whom ihey all took the oath of aljegianre.' lie then opened his great project of uniting Aquicaine wiih France, lijr ji». ing EI«snora in inarriage to the heir of Louis leGros.' The bmat agrred lo this proposal, on condition that (he lawa and cnstoma of Aqni- laine should be held invtolale ; and thai ihe consent of the young pri»- cesa should be obtained. Eleanora had an inlervien with her auiiorf utd professed herself pleased with the arrangemcnl. Louis and Elesnora weie immediately married with grent pomp, >t Boiirde«ux ; »nd, on the aolemn resignation of duke William, the youihfal pair were crowned duke and duchess of Aquitaine, Angus! 1, ) 137. On the conclusion of this grand ceremony, duke William,* grandfitc of the bride, laid down his robes and insignia of sovereignly, and took up the henuit's cowl and statT. He departed on a pilgrimaige «i SL James's of Compostenella, in Spain, and died soon after, very pcaiUsli in one of the cells of that rocky wilderness.' At tlie time when duke William resigned the dominions of ih« (ovlb lo his grand-daughter, he was the most powerful prince in Europe- Hit rich ports of Bourdeauz and Sainlonge supplied him with commercjil wealth i his maritime power was immense ; his court was Uio focw wf learning and luxury ; and it must be owned, thai at the accession uf (tie fair Eleanora, this court had become not a little licentious. Louis and his bride obtained immediate possession of Poitou. Gi» cony, Biscay, and a large territory extending beyond the PyreoMs. They repaired afterwards lo Poiciiers, where Louis was soloiRdr crowued duke of Guienne,' Scarcely was this ceremony condoM ■ Suger. OrdericDs Vimlit. 'Cillnl Le Jeune, lo duiinguiih him from tut fklhei Louii TL. who c«u*ed tot tna ID be crowned in bU lirelune. 'Mouiaifpe, "who speaks fWnn his own IochV tnulTiJOTU of ibo louclk, a^gnt thai Jnke WilliaiD lived in hia henniagp, ai Monisprni, leu ot ltt-«lt« fmr\ wealing, a* a penaixte Ibr his youthful liDi. hii annoui nnder hii bennii'i woidk Ii i> RUiI by Dlhera, that be died a* a bemiit. in a grono at Florenta, alliv kaTliC maccniHl Ml bod]' by tremeiulou) penoncei, and ettabliihed iba mnt* (MM ut the Guillemiuei. ■To this greai prines, ibe anceslor, ihrougb Elennora of A<]uilaiim,af o«T Dfal iiae. niny be traced armorial bearings, and a war-iry, whose origbt luu OMI liille perplexed ibe leaders of English history. The patron ■■tai of ffiigliai. Si. OwrgE, was adtrpted liiDro the Aqoiiaine dnlce*. as we find, from the JA ff Uie Ptaiich hecald, Gilles de Bonnier, ttui ihe duke of Aiuifuie'i aW, nt W^ pry, wai. " St George for the puiHani duke." Ilii crest Wu a {•efiaH ; a^ IM ileMcndani* in Englaml bore leopaidt on Ibeit sbielils lill after the noM af SI- ward I. Edward III. it called " valiant pard" in his epimphs; ami iTil i«tnia Chein«. VOL. J.«-15 I 170 ELEAXOBA OF AQLITAIKE. of Petrcinil]&, prevailed on her husband to punish the count of Ch4a) pit^ne for his ioierference. Loui^, who already had cause of oSeoc* agHJiisi t)ie count, invadeil Champagne al the heaJ of a large aimv, atul IwgBii a devastating war, in ihc course of which a mosl dreailful ncruf- TCMM happened, al the siormiiig of Vilry: the calliedral, wlieirin tht^ lecn hundred persons had taken refuge, was burnl^ and the poor [itciple perished miserably. It was at this juncture that Si. Bernard preached the crusade al Xe- zalai, in Burgundy. King Louis and queen Eieanora, with all ibrir courl, came to hear the eloquent sa'uit ; and such crowds attf ndeil th* niynl auilitors, that Sl Bernard was forced to preach in the market-place, for no cathedral, however large, could contain them. Sl Bcmaiil loucbeil with so much eloquence on the murderous conJlagTatiiio at Viiry, that the heart of the pious king Louis, full of penileiice for llrf sad efTMts of his desiruciiveness on hia own subjecu, resolved to atou for il to the God of mere)-, by carrying sword nod fire, to destroy ihon- eanda of his fellow-creatures, who had neiUicr otl^njed him, nor evtft heard of him. tiis quecu, whose inSueuce had led to llie misdeed il Vitry, likewise becatne penitent, and as sovereign of Aquiiaiue, vowed M accompany her lord lo the Holy Land, and lead the forces of the Suudi to the relief of the Chrisiian kingdom of Jerusalem. The wise and excellent abbot, Suger, the chancellor of Louis VIl., endeavoured Co prevail on his royal master to relinquish his mad elpt- dilioo to Syria, assuring him that it would bring ruin on his countrj; but ihe Ikiiaiicism of the king was proof against such persuasisM. Moreover, the romantic idea, of becoming a female crusader. luJ c<>i into the ligbl head of Eieanora his queen; and, being at ilii~ very flower of her youth and beauty, she swayed the K' . according to her will and pleasure. Suger gives us the de^i pre|iaraiions F.Ieanom made for this campaign, which were nl • lo raise the idea, that tiie good Elatcsman was romancing, if ciii'^-ni^ lary historians had not conlirmed his evidence. When queen ElcaatKi received the cross from St. Bernard, ut Vezalai, she directly put on lb drees of an Amazon ; and her ladies, all actuated by the fiune freia;: mounted on horseback, and forming a lightly armed squadron, nu- rounded the queen when she appeared in public, calliiig tLemwln) queen Eleanora^s body-guard. They practised Amazonii -and performed a thousand follies in public, to animate their lical crueaderiL By the suggestion of tlieir young queen, madwomen sent tbeir useless dislafik, as presents, to all i)k nobles who had the good tense lo keep out of this insmi' This ingenious taunt had the effect of shaming many wi^i their belter resolutions; and to such a degree was thi" i crusade carried, iliat, aa St. Bernard himself owns, whcilr dcserieil by tlieir male inhabitants, and the land lef\ to be iilli •nd children. Such fellow soldiers as queen Eieanora and her Atnazonn, woaU ban been quite sulEcienl lo dbconceri the plans, and impede the pr^rrth of Hutnibal htitiaalfj and though king Louis conducted hiinaeU ndl BtBANOJtA OF AqUITAIJJE. 17|| ftcot ability and courage id Ilia diflicull cnlerprise, no prudence could cmiolnaei the misfortune of being eucumberEil with on anny of lanlaslic waaustu King Lauii,rollowiiig the course of ihceinperorConnu], whose MDijr, rouncd Djr ihe eloquence of Si. Bcrnarci, hud just preceded iJiei% nilnl wp the Boaphorue, mtJ lauded in Thrace. Th« in»ii3 uf <|ueeii Elcanora and her female warriors, were the raus tt kll tbe inutfortunes dial befell king Louis and his army, especially ii .: iIm dawn of day that he discovered Ids advanced troops, encamped .^1 lh« fucnaaiic valley chosen by his poetical queen. Seven thousoiHl of Um Bower of French chivalry paid with tlieir lives the penally of 'i inenperience iu warlike tactics; all the jirovision was cut 1, containing the fine array of iho lady- warriors, wtiicli h an encumbrance to ihe king, was plundered by (hfij \t-Jm and Saisccns, and the whole army was reduced to great disirei - .rusaaU-ly Aniioch was near, whose prince was the uncle of the en , •iiiag, quMD of France. Prince Raymond opened his friendly gates h ihc duIrcMcd warriors of tlie cross, and by the beautiful streams of Utunt)-* Uia defeated Freacli aruiy rested and refreshed diemsrtves, n tbeir rrcoQi dinsters. RnyinunJ of Poitou was brother lo the queen's father, the b WiIIhoi of Puiluu. There was, hnwever, nothing of the saint ii .-<)KMitioa of Raymond, who was stUl young, and was the handsomeat j •^m^^^ l^tmiQia, mad Saga. 'Williainaf 1^7>a>„ 4 J I , b«gagB, or ta (urh I I 179 BLBANOSA OP AQUtTAIXB. ^^H man of hi* timr. The onrle anil tiiwe, who hait nrver tncl hcTive Miftw much charmed wiih rsrh oOicT. It seFHis stntnire that tiie man wliu lint anaktmed liie JnUuusy nf king LnuU, should siuid in such very n Mr relatiunship to hio wife; yet it ia cerUiiii thai as eoon ai queen ^eanota had roeuTered her beauty, aomewliat sullied by tli« hard- ahipa ahe endured in ihe ramp, Khe rommeitred luch a fvries of coquet- ries with her hsndanme unclr, that kin^ Louis, grratly araailaliml a ' inrensed, hurried her out of Antiorh one night, and deciunped tti It wlem, with slight teafe-taking of Itaymond, or notie at all. It is true, many autlioriliM say ihal Raymond's iiilrigues WJA _ niere were wholly poltlirat, and that he woa persuading his aiMU'S employ her power, as dueheii of Aquitaioe, U>r the eilaDeioo of hit doniinioni, and hii own private advantage. Eloanoni was enraged at her sudden remoi'al from Antioch, ami enteied the Holy City in a moat indignant mood. Jerusalem, the objeei of (he ardent enthusiasm of every other crueoder, raised on rvligioui ardour in her breoM; the was burning witli resentment, nl the unaccu» tometl harahneaa king Louis exercised towards her. In Jen:*aleiu, ting Baldwin received Eleanom, with the honours due both to her mnk u queen of Franec, and her power as a sovereign ally of the cnuuliDg league ; but nothing could please her. It ia not certain whether hu uneasiness proceeded from a eoneeiousnees of guilt, or indigiialiuD ■( being the object of unfounded suspicions ; but it is indisputable that, , after her forced departure from Aniiorh, all afirciion between Elnnnn and her husband was at an end. While the emperor of Germany and the king of France laid an unsuccessful siege to Damastiqs, Eleanoia «U detained at Jerusalem, in something like personal restraint. The great abilities of Sultan Noureddin rendered ihie siege auviit- ing, and Louis was glad to withdraw, with the wreck of his army, fmn Asia. After many perds at ConslanliDople, and detention at Sicily, the king and queen of France arrived safely in their own dominions, 1N8- There are letters ' still extant from Suge'r, abbot of Sl Drnis, Uie minif ter and conlidant of king Louis, by which it appears that the king had made complaints, of the criminal attachment of his que«n to a yi>uiig Saracen emir, of great beauty, named Sal-Addin. For this miBcoodofl the king of France expressed his intention of obtaining a divorce inna^ diately, but was dissuaded from this resolution by the su^estioitt rf liis sBgacioDs minister, who pointed out to him the troubles whidi would accrue to France, by the relinquishment of the "great Prorenp dnwer,'' and that his daughter, the princess Alarie, would br dqirivN in ail probability, of her mother's rich inheritance, if the queen wcM « liberty to marry again. This remonstrance so br prevailed tin Louis, that from the unrorts- nate crusade, Eleanora resided at Paris, with all her usual state and &i iiiiy, aa long as Suger lived, about four years. She was, however, closely watched, and not penuitted to visit her southern dominions — i ' III tJiO coileciion of Du Cliesno, wbieh hu fiunUhed much in Ihli narratiVD. ZJ BLEANOBA OF AQUITAINE. 173 prohibiuon which greatly disquieted her. She made many complaints, of the gloora of the northern Gallic capital, and the monkish manners of her devout hoshand. She was particularly indignant at the plain and unostentatious clothing of king Louis, who had likewise displeased her Inr sacrificing, at the suggestion of the dei^, all )\\8 long curls, besides shaving off hiB beard and moustachios. The giddy queen made a con- itant mockery of her husband^s appearance, and vowed that his smooth kce made him look more like a cloistered priest than a valiant king. Thus two years passed away in mutual discontent, till, in the year 1150, Geoffrey ' Plantagenet, count of Anjou, appeared at the court of Lonis VII. Geoffrey did homage for Noimandy, and presented to Louis his son, young Henry Plantagenet, sumamed Fitz-Empress. This youth was about seventeen, and was then first seen by queen Eleanora. But the scandalous chroniclers of the day declare, the queen was much taken by the fine person and literary attainments of Geofirey, who was considered the most accomplished knight of his time. Geoffrey was a married man \ but queen Eleanora as little regarded the marriage engage- ments of the persons on whom she bestowed her attention, as she did her own conjugal ties. About ei^teen months after the departure of the Angevin princes, the queen <^ France gave birth to another princess, named Alice. Soon after this event, Henry Plantagenet once more visited Paris, to do ho- mage for Nonnandy and Anjou, a pleuritic fever having suddenly carried off his &ther. Qjueen Eleanora now transferred her former paitiality for the &ther, to the son, who had become a noble, martial-looking prince, fill! of energy, learned, valiant, and enterprising, and ready to undertake any conquest, whether of the heart of tlie gay queen of the south, or of the kingdom from which he had been unjustly disinherited. Eleanora acted with her usual disgusting levity, in the advances she made to this youth. Her beauty was still unimpaired, though her cha- Ticter was in low esteem with the world. Motives of interest induced Henry to feign a return to the passion of queen Eleanora ; his mother^s cause was hopeless in England, and Eleanora assured him that if she could efiect a divorce from Louis, her ships and treasures should be at his command, for the subjugation of king Stephen. The intimacy between Henry and Eleanora soon awakened the dis- pleasure of the king of France, and the prince departed for Anjou. Qpeen Eleanora imn^diately made an application for a divorce, under the plea that king Louis was her fourth cousin. It does not appear that he c^iposed this separation, though it certainly originated from the queen. Notwithstanding the advice of Suger, Louis seems to have accorded heartily with the proposition, and the divorce was finally pronounced, by a council of die church, at Baugenci,' March 18, 1152; where the marriage was not dissolved on account of the queen's adultery, as is conunonly asserted, but declared invalid because of consanguinity. ' Via He GaufViHl, Duo de Normaod. ' Sir Harris Nioolaa' ChroDoloKV of HUtory. 15 • r I I I 174 KLEAItOIlA OP AQI'ITAI.'VB. Eleanofa and Lonis, wiih most of ilieir relations, mci at Baiigenci, ind were present when the dixorce was pronounced.' When ihe divorce was firet agilated, Louis VII. tried the experiment of seizing several of ilie strongholds in Guienne, but found the power of ilie Bouih WM too strong for him. It is useless for modem hiitoritns either to blame or praise Louis VII. for his scrupulous honesty, in tt- storing to Eleanoni her patrimoniBl dominions ; he restored nothing ifaM he was able to keep, excepting her person. Gilford, who aever wW« a Hue without Ihe guide of contemporary chronicles, has nuidc it fijlly apparent that the queen of ihc south was a stronger poieniale than the king of the north. If the ladr of Oc and JVo, and the lord of Oui and Abn, had tried for the mastery, by force of arms, the civilized, the vtt- like, and maritime Provencal would certainly have raisod the luuiner of St. George and the golden leopards far above the oriflantme of Fran«, and rejoiced ai having such feir cause of quarrel with their suzeraio,!! the rescue of their princ«Bs. RIoreover, Louis could not detain ElesDon. | without defying the decree of the pope, , On her way southward to her own countrj,' Eleanors stayed »nii» ( time nt Blois. The count of this province was Thibaut, elder brolto ', tn king Stephen, one of the handsomest and bravest men of his tinif. Much captivated with Ihe splendour of "the great Provence dowa,'' ', Thibaut offered his hand to his fair guest. Jle met with a refusal, whii . by no means turned him from his purpose, as he resolved to ilctam tbt lady, n prisoner in his fortress, till she complied with liis propoaL Eleanora saspected his design, and departed by night, without tlie nn- l mony of leave-taking. She embarked on the Loire, and went down At J ■trenm to Tours, which was then belongiitg to ilie dominions of Anjon. Here her good luck, or dexterous management, brought her off dar from another mal-ad venture. Young Geoffrey Plantagenet, the otii brother to the man she intended to marry, had likewise a great incline lion to be sovereign of the south. He placed himself hi atnbush, tl > part of the Loire called ihe Port of Piles, wiih ihe intention of sanig Ihe duchess and her train, and carrj-ing her oft and marr%-ing her. " Bol," snys the chronicler, " Eleanors was pre-wamed by her good angel, ud she suddenly turned down a branch of the stream soulhwarda, towaiA her own country." Thither Henry Plantagenet, the elder brother of Geoflwy, nfiMi to claim the hand which had been promised him monlhs before 4* divorce. The celerity with which the marriage of Eleanors foUownl to divorce, astonished nil Europe ; for she gave her hand to Henir PtaB* tngenet, duke of Normandy and count of Anjou, only mx wawks altar the divorce was pronounced. Eleanora is supposed to have been in to ihirty-second year, and the bridegroom in his twentieth—* iimt^ somewhat ominous, in r^rd to their future matrimonial felicity. The duchess of Aqnitaiue and the duke of Normandy were maimd at Bourdeaux,* on May-n, William,' on the l7Lh of alier their union, on the tirsl for the haate with whiel Had kine Louis detained his unfaithful v 1, respecting the succession to itie c Elmn»ra waa divorced. iiv[iiitr might h* Thu child was bom in Normandy, whither Henry conveyed Elcanora iliiK'tly lifter tlicir marriage, leaving tlic garrisona of Aquilaine cum* ''. Norman oflicers Ihithrul In Jiis interest; a step which wa^ ' i]<-i'inenl of bis unpopularity, in his wife's domioiona. II. waa much displeased at the marriage of his divorced queea r I) iif Anjou. He viewed with uneasineas, the union of ths - - ['["vuife* of the souUi with Anjou and Normandy ; and. in order ' inraliduu: it. he actually forbade Henry to marry without his permia- lA, riaiining that aniliarity as his feudal lord. His measures, we think, "III to :^>-ii4nd-thiny abipi to England com." There ia reason m believe ihal, al this period, Henry wthicfd iht heart, and won the aflbclions, of Ihe bcauliful Rosamond CiitTon). undn the promise of marriage, as the birth of her eldest son corresponds wiib Henry's visit to Eii|;land at this time; for he left England tlie yar bt- forc Stephen's deatti, 11 S3.' Henry waa busy, laying siege to dieCMllt of one of his rebels in Normandy, when the news of ^phen^s dctih reached him. Six weeks elapsed before he sailed to lake posaeseioa of hi* kingdom. His queen and infant son accompanied him. They miw) a month at Bartleur, for a favourable wind,' and al\er all th«y had a dn- gerous passage, but landed safely at Osterhara, Dec. 8. The king ud queen waited at the port for some days, while the fleet, dispersefl bjr the wind, collected. They then went to Winchester,' where they rewinj the homage of the souihem borons. Theobald archbishop of Canierbury, and some of the chief iiebte came to hasten their appearance in London, "^ where Henry wai,''a7 the Saxon chroniclers, "received with great honour and worafaip,ai blessed to king the Sunday before illidwinter^ay." Eleanor and Henry were crowned in Westminster Abbey, Deenbv 10, 1154, '•after England," to use the words of Henry nf Hnntingddi^ " lud been without a king for sin weeks." Henry's security, duringMi interval, was owing to the powerful Hcei of his qneen, which comimW the seas between Normandy and England, and kept all rebels in awe. The coronation of the king of England, and the luxuriotu lady ft the south, was withoat parallel for mBgnificence. Hen were teat in profusion mantles of silk and brocade, of a new fashion and splegKUd texture, brought by queen Eleanora* from Constantinople. In the illir- minaied portraits of this queen, she wears a wimple, or close coif, wiib a circlet of gems put over it ; her kirtle, or close gown, has tight sImtbs and fastens with full gathers, just below the throat, confined with • neb collar of gems. Over this is worn the elegant peliason, or outer rets. bordered with fur^ with very full loose sleeves, lined wiih emuM. showing gracefully the tight kirile sleeves beneath. The elegant Hat of Eleanora, or, perhaps, her visit to tlie Greek capiiaJ, revived ibe h(n> tiful costume of the wife of the Conqueror. In some portfuiSi th* queen is seen with her hair braided, and cloeely wound round the bid with jewelled bands. Over all was thrown a square nf tins laws or eedinga in England bare be#n ilelnileit in the prccedluf liingnphf o. 'Sir Hanii Nifola** Chianolaj^ of Huwy. 1 ihe introduced the growth of lilk in her Knllhl^m (kaniBiaoa, ■ tr neAi aiiribuleil lo Ueniy ihe Great ; but in the murdoioui civil Wan «t tmtt a/t mijfbl have been loiL BLBANORA OF AQUITAINB. 1T7 gauze, which supplied die place of a veiU and was worn precisely h'ke die faziola^ still the national costume of the lower orders of Venice Sometimes this coverchief, or kerchief was drawn over the features, down below the chin ; it thus supplied the place of veil and bonnet, when abroad ; sometimes it descended but to the brow ; just as the wearer was disposed to show or conceal her face. Frequently the co- verchief was confined, by the bandeau, or circlet, being placed on tlie head, over it Girls before marriage wore their hair in ringlets or tresses on their shoulders. The church was very earnest in preaching against the public display of ladies' hair after marriage. The long liAir of the men likewise drew down the constant fulmina- tions of the church ; but after Henry I. had cut off his curls, and for- bidden long hair at courts his courtiers adopted periwigs ; indeed, if we may judge by the queer effigy on his coins, the handsome Stephen him- self wore a wtf. Be this as it may, the thunder of the pulpit was in- stantly levellecf at wigs, which were forbidden by a sumptuary law o^ king Henry. Henry H. made his appearance, at his coronation, with short hair, mnstachios, and shaven chin; he wore a doublet, and short Angevin doak, which immediately gained for him from his subjects, Norman and English, the sobriquet of Court-mantle. His dalmatiea was of the richest brocade, bordered with gold embroidery. At this coronation, ecclesias- tiet were first seen in England dressed in sumptuous robes of silk and velvet, worked with gold. This was in imitation of the luxury of the Qreek church : the splendour of the dresses seen by the queen at Ck>n- ■tantinople, occasioned the introduction of this corruption in the western church. Such was the costume of the court of Eleanora of Aquitaine, queen of England, in the year of her coronation, 1 154. The Christmas festivities were celebrated that year with great pomp, at Westminster Palace ; but directly the coronation was over, the king conducted his queen to the palace of Bermondsey, where, after remain- ing some weeks in retirement, she gave birth to her second son, the last day of February, 1 155. Bermondsey, the first place of Eleanora's residence in England, was, as delineated in its ancient plans, a pastoral villa^^e, nearly opposite to London, of a character decidedly Flemish. Rich m well-cultivated gar- dens, and wealthy velvet meads, it possessed, likewise, an ancient Saxon palace, and a priory then newly built Assuredly the metropolis must have presented itself to the view of its foreign queen, from the palace of Bermondsey, with much more pic- turesque grandeur than it does at present, when its unwieldy size and smoky atmosphere prevent an entire coup (PtBiL But at one glance from the opposite bank of the river, the eyes of the fair Proven^ could then behold London, her royal city, situated on rising ground from the Thames. It was at that time girdled with an embattled wall, which was 9tadded with gateways, both by water* and laud. The new Tower of London kept guard on the eastern extremity of the city, and the lofty * J>owgBte and Billingsgate. U ^ e of the ancienl calhedral jirecided over llie weitem siile, just behini iiie antique gaieway of Ludgaie. Tliis ^t« led lo llie pleasant ruad of llie river's Strand, omampnled with ihr Old Tcniple, ita lair ganlciu uid wharf, and interaperued with ■ few inns,^ or melropolitsn dwellings of the nobility, the cultivated g;rtiuiids of which sloped down to their waiet- riairs and boat-houses, tjte Thnuies bejni; (hen the highway of Lomlua The Strand road terminated in the majestic palace and abbey of Wmi- miitater; the Old Palace, widi its yard and gardens, once beloof^inj in Sl Edward ; and the New Palace, lU noble hall and water-etairs, which owed their origin to the Norman dynaaiy. Sucfa waa ibe metropolis when Henry II. succeeded to the EDglisb If the example and conduct of the first Proven^ queen wa« aeitlia edifying nor pleasing to her aubjecta, yet, in a commercial point of tir«, the connexion of the merchants of England nitli her AqtiiUinian duBU- uiooa was highly advantageous. The wine trade with fiourdtnux tieeaoK considerable.* In a few months after the accession of EJeanora, aa quMk consort of England, large fortunes were mode by the London Uadtm. who imported the wines of Gascony from the port of Bourdevui;' and above all i by the example of the maritime cities of Guienne) the shipping of England was governed by the ancient code of laws, called tlie code d Oleron. In compliment to hie consort Eleanors, Henry 11. adopted for bit plate-mark the cross of Aquiiaine, with the addition of his initial Icitn j^. An instance of this curious bet is siill to be seen, in the graoe-rap of Tliomos a, BeckeL* The English (:ho6c to regard Henry 11. solely as the descendant of their ancient Saxon line. "Thou art son,"' said they, i' to th« loail glorious empress Matilda, whose mother was Matilda Atheting, daughiet to Margaret, saint and tjueen, whose father was Edward, son to kinj Edmund Ironside, who was great-grandson to king Alfred." Such were the expressions of llie English, when Henry convrncd ■ great meeting of the nobility and chief people, at Wallingrord, in Blaitb 1155j where, by the advice of his mother, ilie empies* Uatilda,(wbo 'Inn was ddI, in tar[y timca, a word nted Ibr a hotue oTpoblic lu original tigoifiiMltm was a temporaiy aboite in London, i bishop, or peer. ' Anil*T»On'» Vitiory of Cim '••The land," sbtb ana of the malctnurni Snion chroniolen, ■■ hFcuniB fall rf iliink and ilmnlisidi." Clarel wu id. per gailon U Uus time. Giuctai via* it gcTiFrsI EOld al S0(. per nin. 'Thti cup formeTly belonged (o the Aru^d(^l Coltmtion, and wiu fStm bf Bernard Edward, Ifas laic duke of Norfolk, to H. Howaid, B«q., of Cnrti)' faak, who ihut b«ranie the possessor of this hJEl'lf-prized relic of BInuioira i «*. TW (■TOSH of Aquiiaine eomewhai rmmblea iho MbIIpib cioss ; thn cop in b( mf mmnird with silver, which ii itudded on the loinDiil and baie Willi fnaih^i^ pteeioui atooet. The inecriplion round llie cup i*, Fmum laum tit* ami pa^ — ■■ Drink Iby wine with jof :" bui round the [id, deeply engravMl, i« tha n iljifc inj[ iojunctioa, Sobrii fita't, with the initials T. B. iDieilaced iriih a Blln^te peculiail; low (bnn of which tiampi the antiqailj' of the whole. ^Ailml IJhronHjIe. -j ■ ^^m BI.GAXORA np AQI'ITAIVE. I7tf I h*d learnt^ wixdoin Trom adversity,) he swore lo rontirin tn tlte English the laws of Alfred aiid Edward the ConfeBsor, ns set forlh in ihe great rhmrtfr of Henry I. At this uirsnd convocation queen Eleanors appeoRM), with her elili^I son, then in his fourth year, and the infant Henry. The laroiutgi! of England kissed the handa of the infants, and vowed to lecog- n»e ihinn la tlie heirs of the English monarchy. A few weeks after ihia rpco^Hion, the queen lost her eldest son, who was buried at Reading, at the fir«t of his great-grand lather, Henry I. The principal residences of the court were Winchester Palace, West- minster Palace, and the country palace of Woodstock. The amusements ni :i« favoured by queen Eleanom were of a dramatic kind. Besides the Mv4l«riea and Miracles played hy the parish clerks and siudenis of imity, ^e classic taste of the accomplished Eleanora patronized repre- irjttions nearly allied to the regular drama; since we find thai Peter ■■'■ Hlnis.' in his epistles, congratulates his brother William on his tragedy "t FUura and Marcus, played before the queen. This William was an aSbot, but WW master of the revels or amusements at court; he com- f>oKnt all the Mysteries and Miracles performed before the queen, at Westminster and Wiitch ester. h is to Peter of Blois we owe a graphic description of king Henry'* tiF[Q and manneis; likewise the picture of his court setting out ta " When king Henry sets out of a morning, you see multitudes of p«iple running up and down as if they were distracted, hotsee rushing Viinst hoTves, cajriages overturning carriages, players, gamesters, cooks, (unfmrtioners, morricc-dancera, barbers, courtesans, and parasites, making' M much noise, and, in a word, such an iniolersble tumultuous jumble of horse and foot, that you imagine the great abyss hath opened, and that hell hath poured forth all its inhabitants." Wo think this disorderly crew must have belonged lo the queen's court, fnr the sketch given os by tliesame most amn sing author, of king Henry himself, would lead us lo suppose that he coonienanced no such riotous Hoioga. The chaplain Peter' thus minutely describes king Henry, Ae hiuhand of Eleanora of Aquilaine, in his Idler to the archbishop of Panonuilan. "In praising David the king, it is read thai he was ruddy, but nmst onderaiand that my lord the king is sub-rufus, or pale-red ; his- haroMB {annonr) hath somewhat changed his colour. Of middle staturs he is, «o tluit among little men seemelh he not much, nor among long men Memeth he over little. His head is round, as in token of great «■!, and of special high caunsel the treasury." 'Oi Paanu Blrsantii, wlio wu bom 1190, at ths citf of Blois. or a noble Gunily. lUi paiBon waa iIm iftj llrsl who ever used ihv word IratititMai^lialion. Ha | «a* pr«c«ptnr M Williuu 11, of Sicily, 11S7; was invited Id Englaail by Henijr !(, aad main his utiaiilaiu, uid archdeacon oT Bath, likewise privnle wrrelaiy m tht Ua^ Hr (poni nomc years at ihe court oT Bngland. and dieil about ibo end of mm IwfllUt onliity. He wrote nbaut one bimdcei) and lliiii/ lettari, in Iho ■osi Hnljr and iulividualUiag nyle. Theu he niUecied and twipeuiatml, bjr umlaat maor eopie*, al ihe Mprem ciMita of his rayal manar, Henry U. ^•dilod by Heaioe. I k R I ISO BLEAKOSA or AtjriTAINB. ^H Our reader* would ickrcely expeci plireTiol<^icsl obserratioos in in cpielle of ihe tweliUi cenlury, but wre faiilifuUy write whit we find Dierein. " Ilia head is Df auch quanlitj-, that to lh6 neck, aod la all tUe boiy, ii accordeth by even proportion, ilis een pykel«d (fine), and clwti to colour, while he is of plcnaoU will, but ihroogh dislurb«nce of btin, like iparkling lire or lightning wiih hasLinegs. His bead of cmiy ban, ulien clipped square in the forelieBtli dlieweib a lyonoua *inge, ike aw- liila even and couely, according u> all ilie other features. Hi^ nnliad feet, lege able to riding, broad bust, and long champion ann*, wlikh lelleth him to be strong, light, and hardy. In a loe of his loot the OiH gruwoth into the flesh, aud in harm to the fool over waseth. Ilis htodi tliruugh their greatness shewelh negligence, for he utterly loavcih ihc keeping of them ; never, but when he beareih hawks, wesreth he glotc*. E^u day at mass and council, and other open needs of tlie realm. throughout the whole morning he standeth a foot, end yet wbei) he m- elh he never Bitlelfa down. In one day he will, if neeJ be, riile two at three journeys, and thus bath ho oft circnmvenled the plots of bia a» mies. A huge lover of woods is he, bo tliat when he ceaaelh of war be haimletti phices of hawking and hunting. He useih boots without foM- iiig cap«, and homely and short clothes wearelh he. Ilia tieab wuuld have charged him with fatness, but with ttsvel and fasting he odaanlcth, I keeps ii down,) and in riding and going tnivailetb he mightily tiis Touih. Not as otiier kings Uelh he in his palace, but travelling about bjr Im provinces espielh he the doings of all men. He doomctb iboee ibulM judges when they do wroitg, and punisheth them by stronger judnuot than other men. No man mote wise in counsel, ne more droacuul in prosperity, ne stediaster in adversity. Wlien once he lovelh, scarcdy will he ever hate; when once he hatelh, scarcely ever receiveth he iuo ^race. Oft holdedi he in hand swords, bows, and hunting gear, exer^ ing he be at council or at book. When he may rest from worldly biui- neas, privily he occupielh himself about learning and reading, and anraif his clerks askeih he questions. For though your king' be well y-lM> tered, (learned,) our king by far is more y-letlered, I, forsooth, in science of letters, know the cunning of them both, ye wotting well thai tny lord the king of Sicily a whole year was my disciple, and ttam^ by you he bad the beginning of teaching, yet by me he had ilie ben^ of more fiill science.' And as soon as I went out of Sicily, your Lisg cast away his books, and gave himself sp to palatine* idleuess. Bot, forsooth, our lord the king of England has each day a school for H^ well lettered men ; hence his conversation, thai he halh with them, ii busy discussing of question. None is more honest than our king ia speaking; ne in alms largest. Therefore, as holy writ seiili, w« mT say of him, ■ his name is a precious ointment, and the alms of him u the church shall take.' " 'Tbe king of bicilf, William Ihe Good, arteTWaoii Henty Ihs 8«ooii^'i tm BLHAKORA OP AQCtTAINE. ISI 'Sneb ia the pielure nf the Tirat < drawn to minute pencilling, hy the i: chdilbuod. li ia not a very easy task to reduce to anything like perspieuily the nrioua traditions which float through the chronicles, regarding (|ueen Elminra's unfortunate rival, the celebrated Roaamond Clifi■ Thou art my legitimate sou," said he to one of ibe MM of Koiamond, who met him at the head of an armed force, at ■ line when the rebellion of the princes had distressed him; "and," roulmoed he, * the rest are bastards." ' Perhaps these words aflbrd the iraait esplanntion of the niyslcnous dissensions which perpeluully dis- loctoil the roiTil family. Itow king Hcjiry excused his peijury, both to Rosamond and the qaren. is not explained by chronicle ; he seems to have endeavoured, by (•tile expeilienis, to keep them both in ignorance of his perfidy. Aa KMamond was retained by him as a prisoner, though not an nawilUng one, it was cosy to conceal from her the facts, tliat he had wmUhI a quetn. and brought her to England ; but his chief difSruliy waa to conceal Rosamond's existence from Elcanora, and yet to indulge htmaelf with frequcnl visits to the real ob|ect of his love. iktMBpton eaya. " That one day queen Eleanora saw the king walking in iha pleoaance of Woodstock, with the end of a ball of floss silk altarfwd to his spur; coming near hira un perceived, she took up tlte ball, anil the king walking un, the sdk unwound, and thus the queen Incnl him to a thicket in the labyrinth or maze of the park, where he diappewd. She kept the mutter secret, often revolving in her own umA 'm wbM company ho could meet with balls of silk. Soon aAer, ihm king Wt Woaxlstock for a distant journey ; then queen Elesnon, *Gane. fcuBipHo. BosweH'i Aaitqutiiei. 'Lingaid. I I IS3 ltI.e«.M)RA OF AQUlTAtNB. ^^H bavinc thia iliicovery in mind, eearctiMl Lh«> thicket in tba jwk, and db- covcml a \ove d(K>r cunningly rnncoBleil ; this door eho Iim forcnl. uitl fnunil il ivax the ^ [iimncf lo a wiiulinfi; Kubl«riunean path, which led out Bt R distance lo a svlvan lodge in ihe most retired part nf ttit? kdjncerii furMl." Hero ilie qtiecn found, in ft Imwer, a yrning lady of incom- parable b<-iiuiy, busily eufaged in embroidery. t{iieL'[i Eleanora then raaily giirswd how balls of silk atuclied ihftni- tdvea to tint; Henry's spurs, WhaieTer waa ths result of ihc inierview between Elcanora and Kosamond, it is certain that ihe qneen did nni deviroy her rival cither by sword or poison, tiKiugb io ht-r ngc ii is poMihlc that she mi)ilit tiireBien both. Thai Rosamond was not ktiy. may be ascertained by ilie ch&ricrB before named, which plainly tbon that she lived tweiiiy years, in j^rcai peniirnce-, after her rvtiremeal froii the kin^. It is extremely probable that her inierview wiih Doanura \ti to her first knowledge that Henry was a married man, and eonsHiDenilT lo heT profe«aion at GmIsiow, which took place the second year nf Henry's reign. The ^tid error in the slaimienls reKardine; Ro«ani(niil is the assertion, tliat alie was a youni; girl seduced and cnnccaleil br A' king, when lie was in advanced life. Now the charters collaieil hf Carle, prove thai the acquainloncc of Itneamond and Henry comnicnMtl in early youlh; that ihey were nearly of the same age, and tint deir connexion tentiiiiated soon after queen Eleanora came lo Eiii^land. Twenty years afterwards, when Kosamond's death realty oecuned a her convent, it happened to coincide with Eleanore^s impriaonmeal twl | diegraee. This coincidence rcvivij tlie memory of the romantic inci- dents connected wilh Henry's love for Itosainond Cliflord. The bigti nnk of tbe real object of the queen's jealousy, al llial time, anil the circumBlances of horror regarding Henry's profligacy, as tlie bbJok* of his son's wife, occasioned a mystery at court which no one ibmd ti define. The common people, in their endeavours lo ^eas this m\t i secret, combined the death of the poor peiiileni al Godsiow with El«- Dora's imprisonment, uid thus the rejiorl was raised that Elcauoia h«l killed Itoeumond. To these causes we Imce the disamuiEement of the chronology in the story of Rosamond, which lias cast clonbls on lb> truth of her adventure*, In Brompton's narrative we find the h^iinb' ' A> to th( labyhalh or maze at Wooditock. il man likely eiitl^ brhn ihi timD of Rosunonil, sad remained adei hei death, sinco all [i1cili-iiii[-<'.« .» ni- I dens in tho middle age wcie conlriT«d with this adjunct. Trn. -j^ to thu dny, in ihe nsmes of places near defkuicl royal palmws , bill at Gtemwicb, (near the site of the miue or [sbyiinth of Gii- : and the Haia in Southwark, cooe part of tlie itsideD of ihe {m i dor'* palace. We have eTideoce that Edward 111. (bffiwnTu >' drath of Rosamond linlo more Uum a century iniciireni-d) fun. striidiire pertujiiiog In WoodaUick Palace, KowmDnd's Chambif. which he minutely dewribes in a letter prpwrved in the Fcedi;:.i In Uiil docomanl be diiccis Willlain de Moniacute lo order Vm.. i., :., .. lUt manor of Wnndiiook, and Ibal (he hoiiH! btyand llu gatt >n Iht nrv mil )v Imlli again, and thm *ame chaiobet, called Rotainond « Cbamliai, to bv rowaed | a* before, suU oryilal plate*, and marble, and Irad lu be provided tbi ii. Bale ti indi^utable proof ibai there wms a stnuiura called BMamood's E L E A N O II A O I A Q r I T A I N E . 1 S3 a( U'oodstock, &nd the clue of silk, famous in the romance and ballad. His chronology of the incidents is decidedly wrong, but the actual erents are confirmed by the most ancient authorities. Queen Eleanora brought her husband a princess in the year 1156; this was the eldest daughter, tlie princess Matilda. The next year the queen spent in England. Her celebrated son, Richard Coeur de lion, was bom September 1 157, at a palace considered one of the finest in the kingdom, called the Beau Monte, in Oxford. Thus, that renowned University claims the honour of being the birth- place of this great warrior. This palace was afterwards turned into tlie White Friar's church, and then to a workhouse. The chamber in which Richard was bom still remains, a roofless min, with some vestiges of a fireplace ; ' but such as it is, this fragment is deeply interesting to the finglish, as the birth-place of a hero of whom they are proud. Eleanora of Aquitaine, in some passages of her life, appears as one of the most prominent characters of her age : she was very actively em- ployed, either as sovereign of her own dominions, or regent of Nor- mandy, during the period from 1157 to 1172. Eleanora was crowned a second time at Worcester, with the king, in 1159. When the royal pair came to the oblation, they both took ofT their crowns, and, laying them on the altar, vowed never to wear them more. A son was bora to Henry and Eleanora, September 23d, after the Worcester coronation : this prince bore the name of the king's father, Geoffrey Plantagenet The same year the king betrothed this boy to €k)nstance, the heiress of Conan, duke of Bretaffiie. The infant Constance was about eighteen months older than the little prince Geoffrey. Henry had made most anjnst seizure of Bretagne, by way of conquest ; he, however, soothed the independent Bretons, by marrying their infiuit duchess to his son. His ambitious thirst for extension of empire was not sated by the acqui- sition of this dukedom ; he immediately laid siege to Thoulouse, and, in the name of queen Eleanora, claimed that sovereignty of earl Ray- mond, who was in possession, and the ally of the king of France. A year was occupied with skirmishing and negotiation, during which time Eleanora acted as queen-regent in England. Henry sent for his queen to Normandy, in 1160; she went in gpreat stale, taJung with her prince Henry and her eldest daughter, to meet their &ther. The occasion of her presence being required, was the mar- riage of Marguerite, the daughter of her former husband Louis VIl. by his second wife, with her young son Henry. Chancellor Becket went, with a magnificent retinue, to Paris, and brought the little bride, aged three yean, to the queen at Rouen. Both bride and bridegroom were distinct ftom Wooditock Palace, yet belonpng to its domain, being a building sauated beyond the pork wall. Edward IIL pasted the first years of hit mar- riage principally at Woodstock, therefore he well knew the localities of the place ; which will agree with the old chronicleri, if we suppose Rosamond's residenoe was approached by a tunnel under the park wall. >fiosweU*s Antiquities. IS'l ELBANOBA OV AQUITAIXI. given, afler their muringe, to Becket ' for eilucatiun ; and lliia extraonli- nury penon inspired, in their young boaome, an atiachment to him, ilitt enileil but wii!i thtir bves, Queen Eleononi kept her Chrislniaa at Maoa, with the king, iii groU ■lale and splendour, the year of this betrothmenU ATief a sharp diepule, between Henry IJ. and Lnuia Vil., relaiire to the portion of the pcinceu Marguerite, the king of France voinprtMiiwd the matter, by givbg the city of Gisors, as s portion, with anutfaer infiuit princess of France, named Alice, in 1 163.' This child was in bet tliiri year when wedded to prince Richard, who wm then acveo years old. The liide princess was unfortunately consigned to the king of England for education. Two marriages were thus contracted between the datigb- ten of Louis VII^ and the sons of his diTorceil queen ; connesiuo* which must seem most extraordinary, \v~hen we consider that the father of the brides, and the mother of the bridegrooms, had been married, tnd wero the parents of children, who were sistere to botb- l^uisVn. gB»e his eldest daughter, by queen Eleanora, in msrriagBta Henry the Large, count of Champagne. It was in this year thai king Henry's troubles began with Thomas a Becket, who had, hitherto, ben liis favourite, his friead, aod prime minister. Tlie contest between the king and fieeket, which fills bo matiy folio pages of modem history, must be briefly glanced al here. It wm ibt same quarrel which had agitated England, betwt^po Henry L and Ansdin. But England no longer possessed a virtuous daughter c^ her toyti tttt for a (jueen, who, keenly feeling the cry of the poor deprived of duir lawful provision, mediated between iheee haughty epirila. The gay, luxurious daughter of the South was occupied wiili her own plfa«ui«, and heeded not the miseries which the king's aequeslniions of limericM brought on the destitute part of the population. Becket appealn! tii ilit empress Matilda, the king's mother, who haughtily repubcd his taiL Becket was the son of a London citizen, who had followed Edgxr Albk> ling, on his crusading expedition, and was luade prisoner iu Sjnia^ In oblaiiied his liberty through the al^lion of a Syrian lady, aa muA daughter, who followed her lover afler liis departure, and »iieoee(M ■ finding him in London, although slie knew but two European vnvdit - London" and '■Gilbert," the place ofabode, andCIiriBtiannaiiM,of bn lover. The pagan maiden was baptized, hy the favourite NartMn mat of Matilda, and from this romantic union sprang Thomas i Boekeuwbtt was remarkable for his learning and brilliant talents, and his tine atainfc and beauty. The love which Gilbert Becket bore to the nee and falnoi of Alfred, which had sent him crusading with prince Edgar, readered biiD tlic firm partimn of his niece, the empress Matilda. Yotmg Becket had taken the only road to distinction i^toi to an AngW- ■Tha KKulat BilBesiioo ■nd nippon of die linle prinetn. was Robert dp fiowbuigh, ooe of Heniy tlie twcond'a tarons, who lier pciMjn, and biing up die priocesi Marnuetilo in a manner bcBitug Im rayal tiirlli. e by Eleanon, and this ddU 1^ ELCANORA OP AQCITAINE. 185 he waa d/'ihe churchibul nol in it; for he wm ndtherptiesl, being rather a chureh-lawyer tlian a clergymaii. Henry II DiahMl this Anglo-^oxon wiiK peculiar favour, lo die indignn- wifc anil mother, who warned hini aD;aifi9t feeling friendship lo-Saxon aerf, with the toailiing ihal the daughters of rajalis Ibr a pariah. uf Cinlerbury liaving reitiainei] vacant a year and a half, Heniy ivourti« to accept it, in hopes that he would connive at liia iwrtitig the revenues of the church, lo enrich those of the litis was simply the whole cause of the perpetual contest, ) Attglo-Norman kings, and the archbishops of Canterburyt nic{ue«t; but «a the church supported the desiiiute poor, it is lo decide which had ihe moral right. .Archdeacon Becket it, if he were once a bishop, he miial uphold the right* uf { but the king still insisted on investing him with the arch- The night before his consecration, at supper, he told the )m &rchbiahopric would place an eternal bdrrier between their Henry would noi believe it. Beekei was consecrated priesl d was invested as archbiahop of Canterbury the iiexi. To rce of the king, he instantly resigned his chancellorship, anO m champion for the rights of his see. I yan, the contest between Becket and Henry continued, fa time we have several events to noie; and to conclude the be emprees Matilda. left' regent of Normandy by her son, which country she ith great wisdom, and kept in a peaceful state', but she never England. ar 1 169, king Louis VII. gave the princess Alice, his youngest f (^ueen Eleanora, in marriage to the count of Blois, but, at ^B, endowed hini with the otTice of bigh-acneschal of France, the feudal right to Ilenrj- II., as count of .^njou. Heniy leated this disposal of his otTice ; and the empress his mother. V the rising storm, and who had been thoroughly satialed ifron of war in her youth, wrote lo pope Alexander, begging ■ her, to mediate between the angry kings. crfieyeil llie summons of the royal matron, and the kings and llie pontiff at Gisors. The dilTerences between Becket I. had then risen to a fearful height. It appears ilial Mutildii t, by the pope, with a commission of peace-making, between liit royal mui«r. Emboldened by the mandate of ilie pone, t more referred to llie empress Matilda, as the mediator be- hurch and her son, and no more mei with repulse, teta the disgust, with which Matilda recoiled from any com with Becket, as the son of a Saxon villein \ nevertheless, this hy means of his eloquent episdes, was beginning to exercise iominion over ilic mind of the haughty empress, that he did living cmiunt with whom he communicated. Heifry 11,, den. GuiVBSe. Kewliurj-. I L 180 BLKA7IOBA Or AfJUITAIXK. ■Uniml Bt his progrMa, wu lo hia lUOLher a priest Damftl John of Ox- fonl, wlia wu cliarCHl lo infurtn her of mmiy [jarUcuJ&rs dna|Uat]r lo Burket's morel chftractpi--eveiiu probably lliAi bappcnnl dnhag hii gtf uid iiisj^nificenl ean«T, w clwnrrllor uiJ ^rrliiJcacun. The dmlh of thn duke of Bretagne had rjJIod Henry II lo Uike [nm> Hvsinn of thfti iluchy, iii the iihuic ft( ihe iiitniit iluclicss Constaiiea tipon it was the following epitaph, whose climax tends rather to adnoci the glory of the stirnTing son, than the defunct mother : — "Grnl bom, ppsl inntiifi'l, gteaier bnniglii lo beil, Ui^ie Ueiaj't dauglitec, wife, awl molhcr'a laid."* Here her body remaineil till the year 1282, when the abbey cbtud) of Bee being rebuilt, the workmen discorered it, wrapped up in an a- hide. The colHn was taken up, and, with great solemnity, re-intcmd in the middle of ihe chancel, before the high altar. The ancieal loob was removed tu the saiiie place, and, with the atieniion the dioith cf Rome ever showed to the memory of a foundreas, erected over the Bt> grave. This structure foiling to decay, in the seirenteenth cenuuy,iu place was supplied by a liue monument of brass, with & ponpow The character of this celebrated ancestress of our royal line wis U much revered by the Normaiw, as disliked by the English. B<«W» Henry II.. she was the mother of two sons, Geullrey and Willinni, who both preceded her to the giave. Queen Elinors was lesideiit, during these events, at the palaca of Woodstock, where prince John was bom, in the year 1100. Henry comj^ctcd the noble hall of the palace of Rouen.' bc^mi br ' Ducaier* Sonnsiuij, ' - Onu nuisna, vita mijoi, wd inaitma par Hie jacBi Ueiuici filia, (paiua, pueo*." J R&KORA OF AdUITAIXE. Uenry I-, and nearly finished by the einpreas Matilda. He seat for queen ^ Vrnioro, from England, lo btiog her daughier, ihe prim^sa Matilda, lliot t Ae uiigbt be luarnMl to her alfianced lord, Heniy the Lion, duke of ' fkxauy. The nupiioi fcaat was celebrated in the newly-tiniehed hull of i touM) Palacv, lim opened Tor this stalely banquet, 1167. (^ireD Eleinore wns left regent of Normandy by her royal lord ; but >hc prople, discontented at the loss of tlie empresa Matildn, rebelled, i^iui her authority ; which insurrection obliged ileury to come to ths ul of his wife. tiaicnue and Poilou became in a slate of revolt soon after.' The ptuftle, who earnestly desired Eleanors, their native princess, to govern ihcm, would not he pacified till Henry brought Ins queen, and left Iter tt Bounleaux, with her son Kichard. Ileury, ilie heir of England, wu cQUiled (be duke of Guienne ; hut for Eleanora's favourite eon, Richard, '- 1-> inlcndrd the county of Poitou, subject lo vassalage to his broilier i: tather. This arrangement quietetl the discontents of Aqiiitnine. I K- princrss Marguerite, the young wife of prince Henry, was Ictt in I < uirnne, with her mother-in-law, while Henry II. and his heir proceeded lA Engl&udt then conviils«d with the disputes between church and stale) rATTKd on by Becket Queen Eleanora and prince Richard remained at B-iunleaux, lo ihe satisfaction of the people of the South, who were 'vlightetl Willi the presence of iheir reigning family, although the Nor- Ul deputies of king Henry still continued to exercise all the real , -ftr of the government. The heart of Heiirj's son and lieir siill yearned to his old tutor, Irrkel — an allection which the king beheld with jealousy. In order to UFBO hie son from this attachmenU in which ibe young princess Mor- pinite fully shared, Henry 11. resolved, in iinilaiioii of ihe Capetian roiil family, to have hia sou crowned king at Westminster Abbey, and lu usocmie him in die Bovernment. "Be glad, my son,"* said Henry II. lo his son, at this coronalioDt ■then be set the first dish on the table, at the coronation banquet; ''then is DO prince in Europe has such a sewer* at his table V ''So tivM coDdesceneion fur the eod of an earl to wait on i of X iting," rrplied the young prince, aside to the earl of Leicesle Ths princrss Marguerite was not crowned at the same time with her hoabvia ;* she remained in Aquitaine, with her mother-in-law, queen □raaon. Her faiJier, the king of France, was enmged at this slight nttatd to his daughter, and Hew to arms to avenge the afTront Yet it WW no bult of king Henry, who had made every preparatio cDrMMtion of ihe princess, even to ordering her royal robea to be in nwltaeM. But when !t1arguerite found that Becket. the guardian of her foatli, ma not to crown her, she perversely refused to share the i aMJoti of her husband. I •Hoi ' virii hor frn- Sei ■ law — TUb Iwo qaiHm* in caplivily — Henry dpr»«l« bi* xoas — I" wncd in Winohsiier ynlace — DsKih of RubuoudiI — Turhulrai otid Eleaooi* — TrouLadoui n^talon — Deatli of ihe ynuiiget L:: recoiioilialion uf king and queen — Piinee Rirbant'a wronK* — '' Rppom of riiroroo — Ekanor npiin tmprisoned — Sonjti eono. : . snlyKis' tors — D«aih oT prinoa Oeoflroy — Oricr d( Elifnr. . bruu^hi ID Poiion — Clnlnu lior doiniiuon* of priuoc RichanJ^I' tliiqutet* — -Dcttih — Buiial — Quaan iii captiviif — King RichoiLl :< . — Api'iinu hei queen refill — Her justice — Tteaaoie-vnull n: '.'^ . ■ - Queen mnilicts ilower — Eleanorn sou out for Nnvnrre — Berei.^; l; ■ I drnvet at Mefsina. villi Kiclinrit's liciile — Depiiu — Meilim.'! .1 .ij-^ ii<< •: Bonie^Eleanora'a reiieiKy — Uel tailfome tgo. ' HoTpHen. ' Bronipton. Gcrvue. Hovtvlra. ' yiti-SippIien call) Ihe four wbo murdered the sichbishop, tjw bataiu m m vauu of ifae king's bedchambet. ■ LSAXORA OF AQUITAINE. IS9 From the tinie of the marrio^ of her daughter Matilda to tiie Lion uf Saxony, EHeanora had not visited England. The coronation of her eldest son, and the marder of Becket, had occurred while she resided in her native province. She had seen her son Richard, in 1170, crowned count of Poiton, with all the ceremonies pertaining to the inauguration of her ancestors. But king Henry only meant his sons to superintend ihe state and pageantry of a court ; he did not intend that they should exercise independent authority ; and Richard's will was curbed, by the biihiiil Norman reterans pertaining to his fether. These castellans were Ihe real governors of Gnienne ; an order of aflkirs equally disapproved of by prince Richard, queen Elcanora, and their Aquitanian subjects. The queen told her sons ' Richard and Geoflrey, that Guienne and Poitou owed no obedience to a king of England, or to his Normans ; if they owed homage to any one, it was to the sovereign of France ; and Richard •od Geoflrey resolved to act as their Provencal forefathers of old, and pay no homage to a king of England. All these fermentations were approaching a violent crisis, when Henry lU in the summer of 1 173, arrived, with his son, the young king, in Guienne, to receive the long-delayed homage of count Raymond of Thoalonse, and to inquire into the meaning of some revolts in the south, against his Norman castellans, evidently encouraged by his wife and prince Richard. It was part of the duty of a feudal vassal to ffive his sovereign advice in time of need; and when Raymond of Thoulouse' came to this part of his oath of homage, as he knelt before Henry II., he interpolated it with these emphatic words: — ^ Then I advise you, king, to beware of your wife and sons." That very night the young king, although he always slept in his fiither's bedroom, escaped to the protection of his father-in-law, Louis Vf I. From Paris he made all manner of undutiful demands on his father. Simultaneously with the flight of young Henry, his brothers, Richard and Groffrey, decamped for Paris. Richard's grievance was, that his wife, the princess Alice of France, was withheld from him ; while Geof- frey insisted, as he had arrived at the mature age of sixteen, that the duchy of Bretagne, and his wife Constance, whose dower it was, should be given to his sole control. Reports had been brought to Eleanora, that her husband meditated a diforcc; for some lady had been installed, with almost regal honours, in her apartments at Woodstock. Court scandal pointed at her daughter- in4aw, the princess Alice, whose youthful charms, it was said, had cap- tivated her fiither-in-law, and for that reason the damsel was detained from her afiianced lord, prince Richard. Enraged at these rumours, Deanoia resolved to seek the protection of the king of France; but as she was surrounded by Henry's Norman garrisons, she possessed so little power in her own domains as to be reduced to quit them in dis- guise. She assumed male attire, and had travelled part of her way in this dress, when Henry's Norman agents followed, and seixed her, before ■ Script Rer. Pnnc. 'Hud. 'Gervmte. I I I 190 BLEANORA OF A<]riTAIKe. she Miuld reach the lerritorics of her ilivorced husband. They brongh her back very rudely, in ihn diB^ise she had adopted, and kepi her pn- ■oner in Bouideaux, till the arrival of her husband. Her son* punuol their flight safely, to the court of the king of France. Now commenced thai long, dolorous, and mysterious inipri*oniDrai, which may be considered the third era in the life of Eleanors of A()utitii)i. Bui the imprisonment of queen Elcanora was not stationary ; we net her carried, with her royal husband, in a stale of restroinL, to Barflent. where he embarked for England. He had another prisoner, in coin{aBT with Eleanora; this was his dauehter-in-law, the young Marguerite, who hod roniumaciouely defied him, left the royal robes, he had made for her coronation, unworn upon his hands, and scorned the crown be had Dllered lo place on her brow, if not consecrated by BeckeL With tbtH royal captives, Henry 11. Innded at Southampton, some timcin July, llTl.' Henry 11. proceeded directly lo Canterbury, carrying the captive (jntou in his train. Here ho performed the celebrated penance bo ofien desrnhid, Bt the tomb of Becket. We have no new light to throw on this wdl- known occurrence, except the extreme satisfaction that his daughtTf-il- law Marguerite (who was in the city of Canterbury at the time) nmo have felt at the sufleringB and humiliation of the man who had aund the death of her tutor and friend. Scarcely had king Henry completed his penance, when tidings mm brought him that his high constable had defeated prince Ridianl and it earl of Leicester, near Bury ;' and this news was followed hy a meaMiiflr announcing the capture of king William the Lion, at Alnwick, anil IM the royal prisoner was approaching, with his legs tied beneath hiti bim* — the most approved method of showing contumely lo a 'm;.;.'. middle ages. All this manifested very clearly, lo the Angl Sl Thon^as had forgiven his royul friend, and was now F\r : very actively in his behalf; but when, within a very few li . genre came that the fleet of young king Henry, which had act i^ail it> in- vade England, had been entirely demolished by a siorm, public enthuraM for the saint knew no bounds. The king went to return UMoki tok Thomas, at the shrine before which he had done penance, and (be ptW oflhe kingdom was wholly restored. Then was queen Deanore consigned to confinement, which hflli with but short intervals, for sixteen years. Her prison w«« no wflBi place ihen ber own loyal palace at Winchester,* where she ww wcB guanled bv her hhsband^s great justiciary and general, Ranulph de Gka- ville. who likewise had the chan^ of the royal treasury, at the mat place. That GlanviUe treated her with respect, is evident from lotti subse<{iient events. The poor penitent at Godstow expired in the midst of these — nol cut ofl" in her brilliant youth by queen Eleanora, but " fron ' Diceio. Dr. Henry hss litapwi^eliaced tlie progress of Henry widi tWQ ■ Dom ilic eonlcrnporary chromeleri, 'B(o *B*nc(iict Abluf. and m»n)r chiDniclM. Benedioi during liei long Tps^icf, in ihe sacceeiling rpign; ibeTefm irlMra fail TO^l miitreN Te^e4,d«nac w long a period atbm life. ELBANORA OF AQUITAINB. 191 icay by pining.^ She was nearly forty, and was the mother of two ofl, both of age. She died practising the severest penances, in the high lour of sanctity, and may be considered the Magdalen of the middle *eB. Tradition says she declared on her death-bed, that when a certain ee' she named, in the convent garden, was turned to stone, they would now the time she was received into glory.' She died deeply venerate contemplate, nor was the front of God's altar a proper station for it.*' He ben gave orders for the expulsion of the coffin into the churchyard. The sisters f Godstow were forced to obey at the time ; but after the death of St Hugh, bey gathered the bones of RoKimond into a perfumed bag of leather, which liey enclosed in a leaden case, and, with all the pertinacity of woman's afiec- ion, deposited them in their original place of interment pretending that the nnalbrmation of the tree had taken place, according to Rosamond's prophecy. ouihey records a visit to the ruins of Grodstow. The principal remnant serves M* a cowhouse. A nu^tree grows out of the penitent's grave, which bears every tmx a profusion of nuts without kernels. King John thought proper to raise a Mnb to the memory of Rosamond ; it was embossed with fair brass, having an BKription about its edges, in Latin, to this effect : — ** This tomb doth here enclose I Rose passing sweet erewhile, The world's most beauteous rose-~ | Now nought but odour vile.** 'Boswell't Antiquitiai. I I VB BtEA50KA OF A q C I T A 15 B. with ibeiDMt rainous I'-indnes^; he slway° kepi them near him, if m sible, while ptioce Itichard mill priric« Genflrpy. equally belmed by tb moilier, were ctiielly reaiJint with her, on the contiaenL Prince John luul entirely an English piliitrniion, hnviDg for bis luloc ihM Ittraid ecclesiastic, allied to the Welsh myal loniily, well known to biUohMi^ aa Ihe chronicler Ginldus Csnibrienets. liut aaiatl profit, eilhar to lill rottnliy or lo bimKlf, accrued from the English edacaiioa oi pmN Through the mediation or the king «f France, his &iher-ia-lsw, ihi youiig king Henry waa reconciled to Henry II. for a time, and hia ^Miit queen Marguerite was restored lo him. King Louii hiinaelf ria^ England in 1 179, for [he purpose of praying for hiit son's health ■■ tto ahrine of St Thomas a Becket PfoHvithaiaading the singular relationship in which the kings of Eof- land and France stood to each other, as the former and presirol hmhanJ of the same queen, ihey appear to hnre frequently met in friendly tni0> course. Henry recei red Louis with much respect, and rode all nigh, Augiu^ 18, with his train, lo meet Louia VII. at Dover, where the cfarth nicjers relate that Henry made many curious observations, on ■ toul eclipae of the moon, which happened during his nocturnal joutney,— I &CI reminding us of hia fondness for scientific questions, as rvcordad i> hia character by Peter of Blois. Henry il. aKerwards took hia royal ^est to his Wincbeater Palan. where he showed him his treasure-van! U and invited him to t^e ay- thing he chose. Queen EUeanora was then at ^Vinchester, bill wbOM she met her divorced lord, is not recorded. In the course of a few months Louis VII. died, of a cold cangfel tf his vigils near the lomb of St. Thomas a Becket. Such was the ad itf the first husband of Elcanora of Aquitainc. To enter into a minute detail of all the rebellions and iuaarrectMi nDdcriakcn by the insurgent sons of Eleanora, during their mother's m- prisonment, were an endless, and indeed an impracticable task, h unal suffice to hold up a picture of the manners and temper of the peoal* over whom she \t'as the hereditary sovereign, and who diadaiDed at rule of any stranger, however nearly connected with the hcinsa o^ ihi country. All the elements of strife were kept in a perpetual slate of actitkfi by the combativeness of the troubadours, whose tensons, or W-*0$ft perpetually urged the sons of Elcanora to batde, when ihoy WW inclined lo repose- Such, among many of inferior genius, was BnlB ' de Bom, viscoum de Hauteforle, whom Danie has inlroduccd with n lerrilic grandeur, in his Inferno, aa the mischief-maker betwrur, eiiconfaeivl Benraiid in a [m.isioi) for liia beao- iTiii miter Klntnoia;' and to i!ie daughter of ihc queen nf England, r iL^'plf, these passionate declamliona were addressed. ifie nudsi of insurrection against his aire, ihe maiiTspring <^ which liiR itiec-uaiit sini^le to obtain an independent sovereignly, yoang .,i.iy Plunlagenel died, at the easile of Martel inGmenne,ia histwcnty- ngtitn y«w. Whea he foond his illness mortal, he was seized with Iwp renonci for his frequent rebellions against his eTer-indii)s?nl fntlier. lie aent to king Uenry, to implore his pardon for his trane^reasionf. itfan he expired, he had the saiisfHction of receiving a rin^' frnm his , m. as * token of forgiveness. On the receipt of this pledQ;c of atTcc- i IMM, Uie penitence of the dying prince became passionate; when ex- fimgt he caused himself to be mken out of bed, and died on sackcloth ' nd sehea, u an atonement for his sins. The death of their heir for a short time reconcile queen Dcanora lad her royal husband. Henry moiirned for the loss of this son, with Ike deep grief of David over Absalom. The contemporary chroniclers l|m, that from the year 1 183 to the year 1 18-1, when the princess jtla- id^a, with her hu.iband Henry the Lion of Suxuiiy, sought rpfuge in Ei^ud, tlie captive queen was restored to her r^nk al the English Bce Richard, now become the heir of Henry and Eleanors, remained « quiet, in order to see how his talher would condnct himself urn. Although he had arrived at the age of twenty-seven, and incesB to whom he was half-married was twenty-three, she was I detained from hJm. Richard had formed, at Guicnne,* an attach- it to a virtuous and beautiful princess, the daughter of a neighbouring ito, and he was anxious that his mysterinus eulanglement with the a Alice shoulrl be brought to a termination. Richard seems to have met with nought but injury from his lathery nor tns Ilia brother Geoffrey much belter Ireutei). The continual upacy of prince Richard, in regard to the princess Alice, was met wub eoiutant evasion. Reports were renewed, of the king's intention lodi*a«ee queen Eleanora; and the legate resident in England, cardinal Hugo, vaa conaidted on the practicabdily of this divorce, and likewise m ihs poasibtlity of obtaining a dispensation for the king's marriage nth some person nearly allied to him.' The cooae^uence wa.*, that prince Richard flew to arms, and got pos- ' t 0^ hia mother's inheritance, while queen Eleanora was again o some restraint in Winchester Pnlnce. ■lTUeii7. i Auniljr conaidcre'l the love of die noble Ii ■ion, uiil (lie yoiiiig princeta was married at of rasdHo. It WB« no trifle in the eyes of Be _ I, 1^ lb* Rer» R»l1cs9nasa with whii-'b ha ilislur f the Ufr of Henry II. — Msinonili. It Abha*. * UoTcilen and Dr. HeiiFjr, I I ;1M BLBANOB* OF AQtlTAtKB. The leoB^ihened im prison iiicnl of qnpeti EDeanora infuriaied ber mA- jecu ill .Aquitaiiic. Tlie tr'>ti bad ours rnuKcil Llie national sprrii in &TDai of Uipir nalJTe princess. Iiy surh airnins as tficsc, which were the >■^ ■on^ iliHi Biiiniatcd ilie contest maiuuiiietl by Hichanj in the auoe i( hw mother. '- Dnughler of AqiiiUnia,' fair rniiiful vine, ihnu hn.*l brm tarn Ira thy country, and leil inin a stmnge lonil. Thy harp is chnne«! mlo iht voice o^ cnouruiiig. and iliy snngs into aounilE of lameuuiiiun. Bron^ up in delicacy ami nbuDdaiice, ihou onjoyed« a royal liberty, livine ia the bosom of wealth, delighting thyself with the sports of tiiy noawa, with their snngs, to the sound of the lute and tabor: and now thai moumest, ihoti weepeai, thou consumest thyself with aorrow. H«a^ poor prisoner — return to thy cities, if ihnn cnn«t; ond if thou cwMoaf weep and say, 'Alas! how long is uiyexjle!' Weep, weep, and iq^ ' My tears are my bread both day anil nig'ht^ " " Where are thy guards, thy royal escort? — where thy maiden tnua. thy counsellora of slate ? Some of them, dragged far from thj country, have sulTered an ignominous death; others have been deprived of^igbij others banish^ and wandering in divers places. Thou CTiest,hni as one hears thee ! — for the kinjj of the norili keeps thee shut np bkc i lawn that is besieged. Cry, then— cease not to cry ! Itnise thy fotct like a trumpet, that thy sons may hear it ; for the day is spprotwluif when thy sons shall deliver thee, and then shall thou see aeaiu tliy &■)>•« bnd l'> These expressions of tenderness for the daughter of the old oUtdMl chieb of Aquilaine. are followed by a cry of malediction against Ite towns which, either from force or necessity, still adhered to the king d the foreign race. " Woe lo the traitors which are in Aqnilaine, for ilie day of theirdas' tisement is at hand ! La Roclielle dreads [hat day. She dnublea iMt trenches, she girds herself all round with the sea. aud llie nouie of \m great works is heard beyond the mountains, Fly before Ricliani. dote of Aquiiaine, ye who inhabit the coast! for he aliall orcrtliri'W ihe^if" rious of the land — he shall annihilate, from the greatest to the leasuiil who deny him entrance into Saintonge T' For neariy two years, tlie Angevin subject; of Henry II., and the Aqu- Unian snbjecis of bis captive qneen. gave battle to each other ; and ^tm Koehelle to Bayonne, the dominions of queen Eleanors wen in a Mh The cmitemporary chroniclers who beheld this ronieai of bialwl gainst wife, and sons against father, instead of looking upon ii H tk( natural consequence of a divided rule in an extended empire, swajal hr persons of great lalenL*, who had received a cotrupl eduoitMiii, coot- dered it as the influence of an evil destiny presiding nrer the not d PIsniageneL, and as the pnnishmeni of some great crime. Many sinister stories, relating lo the royal family, were cumnL ^IM Kleannra, when pursuing, in her early days, her guilty raro-r aa ipi** ' Cluouia. Bicanli FtolavieDiu ap. Soripl. Bei. Fraae. SLBANORA OP AQUITAI.YB. 105 nno«,' it was whispered, h&d been too intimaie with GeotTrey Plaii' I' '. her husband's hihet. Then the atocy of Fulk the Red,' (he first '. -A Ihe name of Planta^Piitit, was revtvetj, and ihe murder of his -I'-r ilismitaed. Likewise, ilie wonderful tale was reniemlterei] of itie iu:h-coanli'.M of Aiijou, Henry (l.'s )^reat-^rand mother, wife to Foulke Rcchm (or the Qtiarrelier). This count, having observed tlial hie M* sddom (vent lo church, (and when she did, quitted it always at the Kiliiiii of the }ioet,) thought proper not only to force her lo maM, but •de four of hia es.(uirGa hold her forcibly by the mantle when she was «f«; wh*n, lo! at the momeni of consecmtioD, the countess, untying !■ mantle 1^ which the was held, left it in the hands of the esquires, ' JjrinK thraugb the window of the chapel, was never heard of more. t thunder-storm happened at the moment of her departure; a 1 Huell of brimstoae remained, which " no singing of the monks .ll.y." B truth of lliia marvelloils tale probably ta, that the countess was tbv lightning, in a church injured by a iJ] under- storm. W angraeions dcscenduit, Richard Cisur de Lion, used to tell this t glee, to his ktiiirhls at Poiiou. and added, " Is it to be iili-rcd, that having sprung from such a stock, we live on bad terras i-nch other ? From Satan we sprang, and to Satan we must go." i-'lTrey held out Limoges, in )iis mother^s name, with great pertiiia- Anioiig other envoys came a Noriuan clerk, holding tlie cross in • 'laiid, and supplicated Geaffrey not to imitate the crime of Absalom. "WhatT' said Geoffrey. " wouldst thou have me deprive myself of iiri>' inli«ntnn«e ? It i« the fate of our family that none shall love the tlUtiml is our rightful heritage," added he, bitterly, '■'■ and none will tceced in depriving us of it." Ing a conference which prince Geoflrey soon after had with htK in the marhet-place at Limoges, for the purpose of discussing the Aquitatiian soldiers and suriporters of Geot^ey, full of rage at kl of the monarch who kept uieir duchess imprisoned, broke the by atniiiig from the castle a shower of cross-bow shaiis at the nf ihe king, one of which came so close as to shoot his liorse ii'Fiijh tlie eitr. Tlie king prejenied tlie arrow lo Geoffrey, saying, I irtrs, " Tell me, OeoHrey, what has thy unhappy &ther done to . in drsmrc thai tliou, his son, shouldst make him a tuark for thins X' uras gr^tly shocked at thw accident, of which he declared lly innocent. It was the outbreak of popular fury in 's subjects. 1 prtnc« Richard and prince Geoffrey were not combating with ..ber's snbjeria, they employed themselves in making war on each JoBi before the deatlt of Geoffrey, his brother Ricliard inTaded minions in BrciBgue, with fire and sword, on some unaccountablr L blvwD inlo n lihuEe by the sirveMri of the troubadours. After 9 jMcilted, Geoffrey went lo assist at a grand toumamwit ■ IlK>> menii in (he very dower uf his youth and strength. Like Ikia bruthw Henry, this prinee waa remarkable fcir hin nianly beauty, ui] the afile gnee of h)« martial figuie. Hi* death afllirted hi« mother cqiwlly w-iih that of hrr firvl-born ; for GcnlTrey had been brought up a I'rovenfil. and had shown Ikr more rrscnlment for his inaiber''9 impnsoiuneni t^ the youtif kiniE Henry. That Eleanorn loved botli with all a rootlter'* pasiionate teiideniMs, we have the evidene* of h*r own taasi cloqurai worde. In one of her letiera to the pope, preMrved in the collectiM of , Pi^r Bloia, she wyi, — "I'he youngsr king and the count of HrrtagnP both skrp in iluti, ' while their most wretrlied mother is comprllpd to liTC on, though lu^ 1 ttired by the irremediable recoltectiona of tlie deail.'" ^ The dislike lluil queen Eletuiorv iiiaiiifeBled for the widow of her MB ', GeoOrey, is one of the c ire urns lances that Aoat like strawa oa the stnam k of iMmmon htslorv. without any one defining front whence it rame. A - MMnge in the " Newbury Chrnnicle," hitherto Imlc nolircd. cast* aam • iighl on this aversion, which certainly did not commence, on the quifd't , Jiart, tdl after the dnth of Geolfrcy. Krom it we find that the miffiv- tunee of prince Arthur began before ha birth, and were Rlrenglhenod ^ hia baptism, on tite 29th of March, 1187. The duchess CotulaaiB brouf^ht thin heir of misfortune into Uie world a few mouths afker th* dMih of his father. Eleaiiora. the cldfsi child of Consiaiic«, had faai proclaimed heiress of Brelagne, but was disinherited on the birthaf Imt brother. " It wnii the pleasure of king Henry and queen ^eanonlhli Uie infant should be named Henry ; but l)ic Bretons rJio«e to lodi^ tikeir natural prejudices in &voiir of kin^ .Arthur, whom they tiumU tlieir countryman ; and as they liKikcd forward to the boy as the posaitili beir of England, they insisted on giviitg the lost descendant of the At' morican princea that favourite name. This was the lirst public dtsplo- wire given by Constance to the parents of her husband ; their cniniir increased with years." " Great scandal arose after the death of Geoffrey, regsiding the duchw Conslance and her brother-in-law John : till his marriage with iMbtll* of Angouleme, he wa* constantly 'haunting her;' and on this acciinUi it is supposed, Henry H.. after the binh of her |>osihuinau8 son Anhnr. forced the duchess to marry the earl of Chester, as prince Jultn's sUM- lions to his sisler-in-law c-nused considerable comment,"' Prince Richard having got possession of the whole of Atguioi ftther commanded him to surrender it to his mother, queen Eleatian, whom he bad brought as far as Normandy, to claim her rigtiL' Tbt i a inftJW" liniB vivrte oogiiut, ul iitcmedisbiliicr de moituuruin iiiemoHl lorijiMasK-' I S^efitul LeuBt ftoin Eleaiiara to Pope Celesiine.^Fuslera, vol I. p. 71. ELEANOR& AQCITA INB. 19? mt ihe prince rticeived this manrlalc, lie gave up ihe terrilory. and liMienn] lo Normiuiily lo welcome ilie queen, auJ coiigraliilaie her on her reawration lo freedom. Tiiia release b recortJed by (he friend of the queen, abbot Benedict. ; arms. Kmg Philip contrived lo induce prince John lo join in the rebellion. When Henry heard that this idolized child of hit old age had followed the insurgent example nf his brethren, he r himself into a paroxysm of rage, and invoked the bitterest curses id, and that of prince Richard ; he cursed the day of his own I, after giving orders to his painter at Windsor, lo paint a de- f a young eaglet pecking out the eyes of an eagle, as a reproach cr J >hn,lie set out for the continent in an agonized slate of mind, r waippg, for the first lime in his life, an uiisuccessful war, king litoi'i Chroit. I I B«nin:.l le Tm J I ) L 19B BLEANORA OF AQUITAtNR. Henry agreed to meet his eon Richard and the king of France at Te xalai. Ab the king was on his progress to thi« con^ss, he fell ill at Ctucua, after indulging in one of his fits of violent passion.' Finding that bii life was departing, he caused himself to be carried before the high tllv of the cathedral, where he expired in the supporting arms of Ceo&tj the youngest eon of Itosaoiond, who was the only one of hts chililrat from whom be received Ulial attention in his la^i moments. Before ht died) he spoke earnestly to his son, and eave him a ring of great nlns then laying his head on the bosom of Geodrey,' hia spiiit depmUii leaving his features siill convulsed with the agony of roge, which twl hastened his end. When the news was brought to Richard, thai the crown of En^ud had devolved upon him by the sudden death of his lather, he wu Ua with remorse and regret He went to meet (he royal corpse at Fool^ vraud, the place of interment pointed out by the will of (he decOMJ monarch. King Henry, when he was carried forth to be buried, was Grsi apt*' reted m bts princely robes, having his crown on his head, gloves oa oil hands, and shoes on his feet, wrought with gold^ spurs on his hedi.i ring of gold on his finger, a sceptre in his hand, his sword by hii sidh and hia face uncovered. But ihis regalia was of a strsnge nature; in the corpse of Ueury, like that of the Conqueror, had been strippod tti plundered ; and when those who were charged witli t)ie fiiiiti^ d^ manded the ornaments in which Henry was to lie in state, the Ireunm, as a favour, sent a ring of little value, and an old sceptre. As brikt crown with which the warlike brow of Henry was encircled, it wattV the gold fringe from a lady's petticoat, torn ofl'for the occasion', aodn this odd attire, the gresiesi moiuu-ch in the world went down to tuf hV Thos he was conveyed to the abbey of Fonlevraud, where fa* lif with his lace uncovered, showing, by the conliaclion of his fealum, iw Tiolenl rage in which he departed. When Richard entered the ■bbor ht shuddered, and prayed some moments before the altar, when the oom and mouth of his father began to bleed so profusely, that ilie monk in attendance kepi incessandy wiping the blood from his face. Ricbsnl testified the most poignant remorse at this sight. He wept bilieilyi ind> prostrating himself, pmyed earoesily, under the tningled stimulus of grief and superstition, and then, rising, he departed, and lookadoelb* face of his sire no more.* Henry died July flth, I IBS. The first step taken by Richard I., on his accession to the En^ifc crown, was to order his mother's release from her consinitaed irtiitwiB at Winchester Palace. From a captive, queen Eleanors in one maoMI became a sovereign; for the reins of the Iijtglish goveranmit nf* placed in her hands, at the time of her release. She made a noUt W* it her authority, according to a manuscript cited by Tyrrell- ' Wliirh Rrompnn declares wu ilie immediate onuie of dMUk 'Lord Lrllleun. 'Jtogei WendoTU. , ■Count Ttiierr)-, fniiD Nonoan Chiomclei. ^^1 JiLBAHOEA OF AQUITAINB. 190 ^ Elfianom of Gnienne, directly she was liberated from her restraint t Winchester, was invested with full powers as regent, which she most eoeficially exercised, going in person from city to city, setting free all lose confined under the Norman game-laws, which in the latter part of feniy's life were cruelly enforced. When she released prisoners, it was n cooidition that they prayed for the soul of her late husband. She kewise declared she took this measure for the benefit of his soul." Her eon bad given her full power, but, to her great honour, she did ot nee it, against those who had been lier gaolers or enemies. Her B^ency was entirely spent in acts of mercy and wisdom, and her dis- rimioating acumen in the prisoners she liberated may be judged by the blowing list Sho liberated fully— ^ All confined for breach of forest laws, who accused of no further crime. All who were outlawed for the die invited back to their homes and families. All who had been by the king's arbitrary commands, and were not accused by their oadred or county, she set free." ^ But all male&ctors accused on good and lawful evidence were to be apt in prison, without bail." When we consider Eleanora going from city to city, examining thus ito the wrongs of a government that had become arbitrary, and seeing oMice done to the lowest, we are apt to think that her imprisonment ad impioved her disposition. The queen-regent next ordained that ^ every freeman of the whole wdom should swear that he would bear faith to his lord, Richard, son fking Henry and queen Eleanora, for the preservation of life, limbs, ad tenene honour, as his liege lord, against all living ; and that he ponld be obedient to bis laws, and assist him in the preservation of eaoe and justice." ^ Eleanora showed so little distaste to the Winchester Palace, that she Murned thitlier af^ her justiciary progress, to await the arrival of her OB from the coast of Normandy. h appears that king Richard, when he gave commands for his mother's deaae, ordered her castellan, the keeper of the treasure-vault at Win- hester, Ranulph de Glanville, to be thrown into a dungeon in Winches- !r Ckitle, and loaded with fetters weighing a thousand pounds.' Our ancient chroniclers, when labouring to reconcile the prophecies f Merlin with the events of English history, while hunting after the npoesible, very often start some particulars which would otherwise ave slept shrouded in the dust of the mve. Thus, speaking of the beiatioii of Eleanora of Aquitaine by her son, Richard 1., Matthew luis nys she is designated, by Merlin's sentence, Jlquila ruptifaderis ffrid nidijicaiian$ gmidehU ; ^ The destructive eagle shall rejoice in her aid nestling." — ^ Eleanora," pursues Matthew, ^ is the eagle, for she 'This i» tbo first o«th of allegiance ever taken in England to an uncrowned lag. •Tjrrell, to whose most learned and indefatigable reteaivh the elucidation Oi liny dark paasagea of Eleanora'i life is owing. I I I I 1300 ELEANORA QF AQUITAtKS. i![ir«Bds her wings over two nations, Englnnil «nH Aqnitaine; tltcby reason of her erctisive henuty, she ilealrojed or injured nation*. Shi was sepsraied from the king of France by rcaHon of conmn^inily, ml from (be king of England by divorce upon iuspicum, and kept in otat confinement. She rejoiced in her third nestling, since Richard, bir third Bon, honoured her with all reverence after re1ea.sing ber htm prison." If Mnlltiew would imply thai Henry confined Eleanom for imprO]»ien' } of conduct, he id not supported by other aulhom. ' Kini» Richard I. landed at Portsmouth, Angnst the 1 2th, 1 1 89. Thnt days aAer, he arrived at his mother's court at Winchester, where his fat rare was directed to his father's treasure. Afier he had conrened wiA his mother, he ordered before him Ranulph dc Glanville^ who gtn Ub 80 good an account of the secrets of the Winchester traasnrMwh, that he set him at liberty, and ever afler treated him witli cotifidMtt. Either Rnnulph de Glanville had behaved lo the queen, when hu pi> soner, with all possible respeci, or Eleanora was of a very m^naniaoM disposition, and forbore prejudicing her son against her late fiwitthni Glanville gave up to the king the enormous sum of nine hundred ikM s&nd pounds, besides valuable jewels. At his first seizure, only IP04N marks were found in the treasure-vault, which, it seems, posaeaaed MM intricacies only known lo Glanville.' The king's neit care was to settle the revenue of the mother Im« passionately loved, and whose wrongs he had so fiercely resentert. Hv dower was rendered equal to those of the queens Matilda AthdiqgMl Hatilda of Boulogne. The king's coronation took place on the 3d of September, 1189. ii the etiquette of the queen- mother's recent widowhood prevented Int from sharing in this splendid festival, all women were forbidden toll present at its celebration. The chroniclers declare that Richard ImmJ a proclamation the day before, debarring all women' and Jews frn entering the precincts of Westminster Abbey, at the lime of bis iongB- ntion ; — a classification of persons greatly impugning the gallanUy - rious lace into England. As they enjoyeil iiigh privileges m tha htn- 'Hoveden. Brarnptoo. Tyrrell. Psru. The tingulai cmpiiijsaBiu of mt- like bnroDS si jui'iiciaHE'i, aiul ihe combinuion or llie officPt of grnMal mt of lawyer in on* man, arc strange feaiurej in Ihe Normnn an't Aagvrin 4ial nation in England. Thii Ranu!|ih de Glanville la an instance ; lie waa Honji great geneial, who dereated and took prisoner William the Lion at SmitiBt, ta tie is only known to aiu fenilemen of the bnl aa (he author of ■■ GtamilW'* ^ nilnlei i" this ateel-ctad benin being die first who redooed the law* «t ~ ' ' !0 ■ wrillen code. To make the conlnul with modern dmee pt»t legalist died ctmading, having, either (o please Ocui de lot hia >in>, both as lawyer anil general, taken up (he croca, for the 'ntiling 'Mahoun and TerRiBgiunt." 'Hoveilen. Biompion. M. Paris. He lail says, all womaq flf tarf < XLBANOKA OF AQUITAINB. 901 Eiy dddiinions of qneen Eleanora, they supposed they were secure der her son's ffoverament Believing money would buy a place every- lere, they flocked to tlie abbey, bearing a rich present, but the popu- « set upon them and slaughtered them, being excited to a religious inia by the preaching of the crusade. The massacre of these unfor- oate money-brokers was not perpetrated with the connivance of either nir Richard or the queen-mother, since Brompton expressly declares It tlie ringleaders were, by the king's orders, tried and put to death. Alice, the long-betrothed bnde of Richard, was neither married nor owned. On the contrary, she was committed to the same species of •traint, by tlie orders of the queen, in which she herself had been so ng held captive. The princess Alice had been twenty-two years with- II leaving England ; and as she was the only person on whom Eleanora taliated any part of her wrongs, the inference must be drawn, tliat she msidered Alice as the cause of them. Eleanora departed for Aquitaine as soon as her son had settled her ngiish dower, and Richard embarked at Dover, for Calais, to join the iMule, taking with him but ten ships from the English ports. His oops were disembarked, and he marched across France, to his mother^s ominions, where he formally resigned to her the power he had exer- ised, during his father's lifetime, as her deputy. Richard appointed the indezvous of the crusade at Messina, and, directing his mother to meet im there, he set sail from Marseilles, for Sicily ; while Eleanora under- lok a journey to Navarre, to claim for him the hand of Berengaria, the inghter of king Sancho. Richard had much to effect at Messina, before he commenced the cru- ide. Before he stnick a blow for Christendom, he was obliged to right le wrongs of his sister Joanna, queen of Sicily, the youngest daughter f Deanora and Henry II. William the Good, through the recom- lendations of Peter of Blois, (who had formerly been his tutor,) asked le liand of Joanna Plantagenet of her father. The Sicilian ambassador rmnted Joanna an immense dower; but when the aged bridegroom mnd that his young queen was still more beautiful and sweet-tempered lan her father's chaplain, Peter, had set forth, he greatly augmented her ower. The king of Sicily died childless, leaving his young widow reat legacies in his will. King Tancred robbed her of these, and of her dower : and, to pre- mt her complaints, encloseil her in prison at Messina. It was this ntrage Richard hastened there to redress. But the list of gooils the ir widow directed her brother to claim of Tancred, could surely have nly existed in a catalogue of Aladdin's household furniture : — an arm \imt of solid gold ;' footstools of gold ; a table of the same with tres- iU, twelve feet long ; besides unis and vases of the same precious letal. These reasonable demands were enforced by the arm of the iighty Richard, who was as obstinate and wilful as Achilles himself. ' HoTeden and Vinisanf ; likewise Piors of Langtoft, who mentions many other iriotu artiolet. ELEANOK.\ AQ r t TAIN K. TaDCred deserves piiT. when we comtiiler die eztnionlinary lulurt o( tlic legacy. However, he compounded lur tlower and leirnry si lul. wilh the enomous tiaymenl of 40,000 ounces of gold. Tins 'liwiurt, with the royal widow herself, were consigned lo Richard fonhaiib. Thus was a companion provided for Richanl's expected bride, iht ele- gant and refined Beren^ria, who, under the conduct of Eleanora at Aquitaine, wae daily expected. Richard was so well pleased wilh the restoration of hi* st«ter and Ko treasures, that he asked Tancred's daughter in marriage for his iha acknowledged heir, Arthur of Brelagne.' During this negotiation Eleanors arrived in Measina,' bringing •iili Iter tlie long-beloved Berengaria. Although il was long since Eleiaon had seen her daughter Joanna, she (arried but four days in her compuf, and then sailed for Rome. There is reason to suppose thai her emnd was lo sellle a dispute which bad arisen between king Richard and hit half- brother Geoflrey, the »on of Rosamond, whom the king twl appointed archbishop of York, according lo his & therms dying rei|Uf9i< bul had retiuired an enormous sum from the revennes of llie arrhbisb- opiic' Queen Eleanora returned to England,* with her friend the wtii- bishop of Rouen ; he was eoon after appointed its governor, in plan of Longchamp, who had convuWd the country by his follies. We have seen Eleanora taken from captivity by her son Richard, m) invested with the high authority of queen-regeni : there is no rcasoa w suppose thai ihol autlioriiy was ravoked ; for) in every emergency (ivtwf the king's absence, she appears as the guiding power. For this purpow Kite abseiiied Imrseir from Aquilaine. whose government she plnrel id the hands of a deputy, lier grandson Olho of Saxony ;* and at ihn cii' of the reign of Cteur de Lion, we liud her, according to the wiwh of Matthew Paris, "■ governing England will) great wisdom and pop>- loriiy." Queen Eleanora, when thus arduously engaged in watching over tlx ' itereais of her best-beloved son, was approacliiiig ber seventieth y«f— a age when rent is imperiously demanded by the human frame. Bm '' oil still remained before her. ere death closed her wrarr pil- grimage in 1'2U4 ; and these years were laden with sorrows, which if* from her lliat palhetic alteration of ihe regal style, preserved in herlrtto lo the pope, on occasion of ihe captivity of Ccenr de Lion, where >bt declares herself — ■■ Blnuiora,* bj- Uie wntb of God, queea of Englauct' Nul only in this instance, but in several others, traits of the sobduM spirit of Cleanom are to be discitvered ; for the extreme mobility of he spirilB didiised tuelf even over the cold records of stal». when in biua 'Tlie tlocuKiitnl ■ pertnitiing lo this oonlnitl prove lli*t Anhut wa» ili™n»* dered. t>r hi* un<; le, lu die heii of Kbglimd.— Ficdera, vol. i. •.<«edig«u:OK. Lliiig memoir, 'Rapin, vol. i. 24ti. •SpMil.lll •Tr"«ii. • Pf^iei of Bloii** KfMiti VLVANOBA OF AQVITAINE. 203 grief she subsGribes herself, ^in ira Dei Regina Anglorum," and ^iElie- son misera et utinam miserabilis Anglorum Regina.^' When swayed bf calmer feelings, she styles herself ^^^ienora, by the grace of Ood, Imblif queen oT England."^ Eleanom of Aquitaine is among the very few wonen who have atoned for in ill-spent youth, by a wise and benevolent old age. As a sove- logD, she ranks among the greatest of female rulers.' >R]rmer, vol. L *To prevent repetition, the rest of >ier life is ootnprehended in the memoirs if Wr daughters-in-law, fierengaria and Isabella. IVD OF TOL. I LIVES or TBI lUEENS OF ENGLAND, fMK THE NORMAN CONQUEST; WITH ANECDOTES OF THEIR COURTS, ROW naST PUBLISHED FBOM fP'ClAL RECORDS AND OTHER AUTHENTIC DOCHMENTSt PRIVATE AS WELL AS PUBLIC. ilCW EDITION, WITH CORRECTIONS AND ADOITIOKJ. BT AGNES STRICKLAND. The trMMUW of aatiqaily Wd ip IB old liMono roUs.IoptMd. BtAOHoirr VOL. 11. i PHILADELPHIA: BLANCHARD AND LEA lSo2. Fno(dd bf T. X CONTENTS or TBI SECOND VOLUME. BesENGARijt OP Navarre, Queen of Richard I Pags 0 "ABELiA o> Anuoulrme, Qucen of King John 28 UKANOB ^F Provence, surnamed la Belle, Queen of Henry III. 46 CLdpter II 64 ^KVNORA OF Castille, sumamed the Faithful, First Queen of Edward I 05J ^^•^'JiERiTE OF France, Second Queen of Edward 1 109 '**»ELu OF France, surnamed the Fair, Queen of Edward II. 122 Chapter II 142 '^'^'LIPPA OF IIainault, Queeu of Edward III 173 Chaptei II 187 *^^'s op Bohemia, surnamed the Good, First Queen of Richard n. 206 (7) BERENGAKIA OF NAVARRE, QUEEN OF RICHARD 1. ■of Borengaria and Riohard — Berengnria'B dcKenl^ — Beranga- 1d niBtriage — TraielB wiih quei^n FJcanora — Wails Willi Iiir at ligned lo queen Joanua — Emboili! far Palesline witli ber — Storm of Bernigaria — Berengaria lam) *— Nuptial • at Typnn — Costume of retiffarj^-^rownfld qufl«n of England and Cypni* — -Beri^ni^aria aaila IDB — Reoeirnl bf king PbilipalAore — Her resklenco tbers — Beim- Unlmrka with Joanaa — Richard ahipwreoked — Iinpii«on«l — Berengaria e— Queen* eworted by count Raymond Si. GillBB — Queeo Joanua mar- him — Misfonunea of king Ricliard — Eieano™'» n-genry— Betcngaria IlircapliTcCj^riol — Bcrengaria'i brother — Queeii-molher returns vilh I to England — Berengaria furiMiken — Richard'i peoiiencc — Bemngaria'i «— Putlowi Richard to war— Devotoil loTe — King* deaili — Death of ]»innB — Bcrenfsria's dowor — Her peouniary iroublea — Bujlda abbey in— Bee idea there — Dips there— Buried— E^gy—Characler. IRARIA, the beButiftil daughter of Saneho ilie Wise, king of Nu- ts firei seen by Richard Ctcur de Lion, when count of Poiiou.' d louniaiiipiit given by her gallant brother at Painpekinu, her ,ly. Richard was then captivated by the beauty of Berengaria, eiigngemeni lo the fair and frail Alice of France prevented hint irritig her hla hand. igBtia may be cunsidcrcd a Provencal princess, by language and n, though she was Spanish by descent. Her miglily aire. Sanclio h had fur hia immediate ancestor Saneho the Great, called the of all Spain. He inherited the little kingdom of Navarre, and Besirice, daughter to Alphonso, king of CaslUle, by wham he B children, Berengaria, Blanche, and one son, Saneho, surnamed ag\ a hero celebrated by the Proveni;al poets fur his gallant ■gaiiiBi the Moor^; he defeaieil the Miramolin, and broke, with iMxe,' the chains that guarded the camp of the infidel, which 'ere aTteruanls transferred to the armorial bearings of Navarre, dent friendship had subsisted, from bnyhood, between Richard iho the Strong, the gallant brother of Berengaria. A sitnilarity ita sirengiliene r Aquioiue. vol. i. * Chronicle of Navarro I I 10 SEIt B?40AR1A OP N A V A B S B. I IrDnbadours, liri-nine natiinilly drawn into dose linmls of amity itidi i Gunily, wliO!>e usies and pursuiu were similar to his awn. No one can marvel that the love of itie anient Richard shouU be sirenglhened, wlien he met the beautiful, the culliraled, and Tinuoui BereDgaria, in iha lainiliar intercourse which sprang from hia frienJohip with her gallant brother;' but a long and secret en^^^nienl, rrplnt with ■• hope delerrcd." was the fate of Richard the Lion-hcaned ami the lair flower of Navarre. Our early historians first mention the attachment of Ricliard and B(- ten^ria, about the year 1 177. If we take that rvent for a datum, ern allowing the prinrcss to have been very young when she aliracttd in lore of Itlehani, she mui'l have been twenly-iilier, queen Eleanora. was deeply indebted to kin^ Sancho. the fiilher of Bereiigaria. bocaUM ho had pleaded hercMK with Henry II.. and obtained aomp ameliomiion of her impriHonnifliL Soon afier Rirliard ascended the English throne, he ?ent hi* mother, qtieen Eieanora, to tlie court of her friend, Sancho the ft'ise, to demud the princess Berengaria in marriage \ "* for,'*' aaya VinisauT, ■" he had la>{ lo»«l [he elegant girl." Sancho the Wise not only received the propo- sition with joy, but CDtrusted Berengaria to the care of queen ElouuA The royal ladies travelled from the court of Navarre togMher, acM* Italy, to Naples, where tliey found the ships beUm^ng to D>-anon twl Brrived in the bay. Btil etiquette forbade Berengaria to appreaeh btt lo*er till he was free fiom Uie claims of .\lice; therefore she snjoiinid with (jtieen Eieanora at Brindisi, tn the spring of 1 191, wajliog tbt message from king Richard, announcing that he wa« free to receive Iht hand of the princesa of Navarre. It was at Messina that the question of the engagement belwwa At princes!! Alice and the king of Enghinil was dehateiTwith Philip Align*- tus, her brotlier ; and more ilian once, the pntenlntea assembled for ibt cniMde, expected that the forces of France and England would be o«M , to decide the right of king Kirfiard to give hia hand taM other lady than the stisier of the king of pTance. The rhymes of Piers of Langtotl recapitulate these e*enU will «nd quaintness ; — I Piiiiip, And in grisf said, 'My rtrter Alice b raw fonaken. Since one of mote riebe* or Navarro luut ibciu takon.' Wlmn kiiiB EicbHtd unilc/MOod Whai king Philip had (WDm, Belhrp clprgj- he ttood, And prOTBiI on that n»tn. TIlBI Alice to Ilia h hi( lira king DOW and U I*. B Huxr W«i* --1 III* nephew, ihe inubailoui now . _ . ilanchc. [lis grounder oMCr at BrrenciriB. «M«, wah AawkalW OM iDtimale iiirni] of ftieoitiliip. being fratnt jmnA, «rM^ Buslum uf Ilio chivolik ii« ■ BKEKOAttIA OP NAVARRE. 11 J Philip contonded ihnl Rirhnrd hclil in liand his siswr's dower, ij niy of Giiora. Upon iliis, ilie king of Eiiglniid brought ihe B lo s coDcluaioD, in these words : — WW.' «1.) kFnK Richard. 1 Bf foro wilneas nt sighl. (Or clerk and eke hnion,) br iboa
  • ll liBK ward Hi« fiatirr he miglil miinj. or GlKini Uiy v>i^, Wherever Goil miidil like, kn riphl, Riuhatd a quiHancc look." U* irMuDn and big !□«□, M French contemporary chroniclers, who are exceedingly indignant Id rrpodiaiioa of their princess, sllribuie it sniely to Eleanora's influ- net. Bernard, ilie Treasurer, sayB, " The old queen could not endtrrc ilui Rirhnrd should espouse Alice, but demanded the sister of the king uf Novarre for a wife for her son. At tliis the king of Navarre was njtlit joyful, and she irsveljed wilh queen Klcaiiura to Messina. When tl» srrived Richard was absent, hui queen Joanna was tliere, preparing hfiBejr to embark next day. The queen of England eoiild not tnrry^ boi said to Joanna — > Fair daughter, take this damsel Tor ine to the king ^■r brother, and lell him 1 command him to espouse her speedily.' ^■u received her willingly, and Eleanors returned to France.^' ' ^■pn of Ungtofl resumes :— ^H -She be leA Berengere, I Queen Joanne held her denr^ ^H At Richard's Botutge, | I'Lpy lived as dovca in tnge." ^Hbg Richard and king Tancred were absent on a pilgrimage to the ^Hm of Sl Agatha, at Catania, where Tancred must have devoutly ■nyed for the riddance of his guest, Richard here presented the Sci- liin king with a famous sword, pretending it was Calibum, the brand of king Arthur, lately found at Glitstonbury, during his falher^s antiquariaa retiairches for iJie tomb of that king. Rictiard then embarked in his favourite galley, named by him Trenc- ihe-mcre,' lie had previously, in honour of his bctrothment, instituted ID order of twenty-four kiiighta, who pledged tliemselves in a frnteruity »-ith the king, lo senle the walls of Acre ; and that they might be known in tlie storming of iliat city, ilie king appointed ibem to wear a blue band of lenilier on itie led leg, from which ihey were called Knights of the Blue Thong.' T)>e leaBon of Lent prevented the immediate marriage of Richard aod his betrothed ; and. as etiquette did not permit ihe unwedded maiden, BercDgwia, lo einhark in the Trenc-the-mere under the immediate pro- lactioii of her lover, she sailed, in company with queen Joanna, in one It i« Piera of Laninoft who preierTes tU* K , Kulffn. Sir Egerton Bridge) nnme* Bogei Si, John as out oC llieae early b of (be Gnrtei, 8l. George wa< ihe tiilclnrjr Mint of Aqiiiinine ; his naiYM Ifce wn-ctj of the dukedom. King; Rii^hnrd bad o Titian of Sl. Oeorg* ■ lit tuidertnok tlie crusade, end many iiidJcaiioas tlirauglinut ilie chronltlen ■ llial St. OeorgD w» oonsldeied the palron jainl of ibe el|irditia J 13 BERE.YBARIA OF NAVARBB. of ihc atrongeat t>hip9, uniler llie care of a brave knight, adltd Si«phai lie Tumliam. AftiT these arrangements, lUelianl led tlie »an of the Jl<«l, iu Tmw- ihe-mere, bearing a huge lanierii al her poop, to mlly ihe fleet in (li* darkness nf night. Thus, with a hundred and My sliips and lifty gal- leys, and aecompanied by his bride and his sister, did Lion^auud Itiehard hoist sail for Pnlesiinei where Pliilip Auguetus had itlicady iaJo- lently commenced the si^ of Acre. ■■ Syrian virBiiii wail and vreep, Engllali Rii'lisril plnuglii lite ileep." But we must turn a d^.if car tn die bewitching metre of poUiM verm, and qiinie deiaila inken by Piers or Langton fiom Uie Piotni^ comrade of Richard and Berengaria's enisade voyage. -Till kina Rioliaf-I be forwar. He ninj' linva no rosl, Acre* tUcn ia liii tiyntB, Upon SBiBcen fiends,' To TBnge Jesli Cfaritl, Hiiherwaril he wendi. The king! li^ler Joanna, And lady Borengare, Foremoai sailed of ilk one; Next them hU chaacellor, Soger Mancel. ~ ■ high^ The I Hii tide Toll a well; A rirmprsl on him light, Ki> ship wu ilown liame, Hiinseir tliero lo iJie; The kings ■enl «nu lost, Willi oiliot gBlliet iwajr. Lady Joanno she Tlir Lord JoTO Iiejought, In Cypnii tlic migfit be To haven ()Mickly brou^ Tlie mnidnu Beretitnre, She was wre alHglil, Thai nelilier (Ur nur near. Hor kiim tixle In aighi." Queen Joanna was alarmed for herself; but the maiden Berengirii only ihou^ht of Richard's safety. Bernard, the treasurer, does nm allow thai Joanna was qitile so modi rrighlenetl. We translate his words: "Queen Joanna's gallw shelund in the harbour of Limoussa, when Isaac, the lord of Cyprus, sml t«e boats, and demanded if ihu queen would land ? She dcriin-'ij the nftr, nying, 'all she wanted was to know if the king ofKnglatid )iad pused' They replied, ' ihey dirl not know.' At that junrtnre Isaac appnatiol with a great power, upon which the chevaliers, who guarded the royil ladies, got the galley in order to be rowed out of (he harbour) at the Erst indication of hnjiility. Meantime Isaac, who saw Bcrennria «a boanl, demanded ■ ^Vhal damsel that was with tliem .''' Thev declard, J was the sister of ihe king o( Na\-arre, whom the king of Enj- land's mother had brought for him to espous*.' Isaac seemrd «> aiigrr al this intelligence, that Stephen de Turiiliam gare signal tn hetre vf Uie anchor, and the queen'.s galley rowed with all cpn>d into tki When ihe gale had somewhat abated, king RichattI, after tniwenni I hia navy, found not only llial the ship was missing wherein WW* f drowned both die chancellor of England and tlie great anal,' """"' I galley thai hore the precioua freight of his sislcr and hi* bride. ^H BBBBNOAIIIA OF NAVARRE. ^Hfairly ■ailrd rmm a rHeniMy Crelan Ijarbniir. in e^parcli of his lost ^Mpi. WfieD nrrived off CypniN, iip entered die bay of FarnagiisCu, uid Hpllal Uin ^ili-y thnt r^nnlaineii lits princesses lal'ourjiig heavily, and ^Waing in ihr nffine. lie became infuriated wiih the thought that some wmne had bi^n oflcred to thrm, and leaped, armed aa he was, into the fini boat that roidd be prepared. His anger inrrenKed on learning, thai tie queen's galley had put inii the Imy, iu ilic slorm, but had been ilritcn inhoBpiiably from shelter, by the threats of the Greek despot.' At the time of Richard's landing, Isnue and all his islandem were biKitv employed, in plundering the wreck of the chancellor's Ehip. and Iwn English IranaporU, then stranded on the Cypriot shore. As this •rif-fiyled emperor, though in behaviour wor«c than a pagan, professed ui he a Diripiian, Richard, at his lirai landing, sent him a eivil message, •uEgetting the propriety of leaving off plundering his wrecks. To ihia" Wf rFlurnt'd an impertinent answer, say'mjr. •■that whatever goods iba •n threw on his island he should take, without asking leave of any "Thoy iliall 1* Wii-lit full d™, l.y J«u, lipnvi-n'a kiiigl" Wjih tliJB saying, RichanI, batlle-Axe in hand, led his criisaderB so Mdly tn ilie rescue, that tlie mock emperor and his Cypriots scompered iaio LiinoussB, ilie capital of the island, much faster than they had WiiL r'r'.rd ftoto ilie presence of the inhospitable despot, king Richard ' ■ rignals for Joanna's galley to enter the harbour. Bereupiria, half ; 11 Uh laligue and terror, was welcomed on shore by the conquering :. M'hen. saya the chronicler, '■ there was joy and love enow." li i-otin as Isaac Comuenus was safe behind the walls of his citadel, - (I a MieHraire, to rei^uest a conference with king Richard, who ex- < <: tiial he bad a little lowered the despot's pride; but when they . I«aar was so full of vapouring and boasting, that he elicited from _■ HiclinrtI an "aside" in English; and as Cceur de Lion then uiteren ai'bnowlcilgEd lirir, .Arthur, ttiett Julie. (nniMn/.J 14 BERENOABIA OP N A V A R K B. Ervparaiions were nnailc al IJmnDSKa, for ihe nupuals am] c itig Ilirlinnl and Rereiij^an >. Wi; are able [o describe tlie maiTe by ilipse rovnl pereoiinge*. nt this high solemnil^. Ki coalume, we may supjiose, raried lilile frt>m Ihal in which h ence to the despot Isaac, a day afler llie marriage had taken { *'A salin tunic o[ rose-colour was belied round hia w&ial lie was of striped silver tissue, brocaded with silver half-* >wn the banner ol Leo)>o1d, archduke of Austria, wlio was Lhe uncle of the Cy{mM bilf. ' Her caplivitv was the real mutter of dispute. Wb have little space to dwell on Richard's deeds of T'-ii , ' i ' - in Palestine, on the capture of .^sralon, or ihc lialile -d '• which city was killed Hiclmrd's good slced, named K.i i feats in battle are nearty as much celebrated, by the iiii. those of his master.' AFler the death of Fanuelle, Richard wa^ obliges! to figlit on foot. Thf »urteous Saladin. who saw him thus biiiilitig, was eliucked thu w accomplished a cavalier shimld be dismounted, and sent Imn. m j p- seni, a masniliccnt Arab charger. RichanI had tlie prer^nt'' e «r his knights to mount the charger first The hcail-i •ooner found a stranger un his hack, than he took the )>ii teeth, and. refusing all control, gallopped back tn his nwi: , . > ^ing the Christian knigltl into the midst i>f Saladin's camp- li' i^i Richard had ridden the wilfitl animal, he woidd, in like manner, haw been at the mercy of tlie Saracens. Soladin was ao ranch aslianird M the misbehavinur of his present, that he cnuld st^rcj^ly look up <*Ue hi apologized to the Chrisiian knight; for it appeared as if be liad lai^ i it%p for the liberty of king Richard. He sent back the kiiight, uinualiJ on s more manageable steed, on which Richard lode to the cni^ i^'iSc Irampaign.' King Richard, during his Syrian campaign, was once ^ Jerusalem, but never took it. While he was with his i|ij> > at Acre, an incident befel him. of which de Joiirville, the . anna of St. Louis, has ihuti preserved the memnry. , "■ In those times, wbci. Hugh, duke of Burgundy, and king Rirlian) of I England, were abiding n' Acre, they received inlelligence tliai ihry mista I take Jerusalem if they rhnse, for its garrison had f^one to itu- u.'.i-;:"t I of Dumascus. The dnke of Burgundy* and king Richar' ! » ' Sinilanj CmUn, in tier cel^hmVed b«I florid r 1mi ■ !i5ln f( Kinliara'a (hare.! hU ciiis>.,l<. w,ii, i Imiy nor Sir Wntler Sootl soein awaro which pi^n called FaTBllf. probablr Flavel, meanin|r jreUow, liwIiKiW' ihlt pei-tlcssclmtiT was laUenainongtbe cpaJIsorC;! ■ nam-!,! LfBri). 'Vhe civnliers in aticipni limes nmneil Iheu ^'■ ooloar. HS BayanI, ImjMiilour; Ljiari, gtrj; FerraiHil. black ■* imn: FIjw^ p- J low iir v»r)r liirtir *nrrrl, I " "■ .i<:la of flrrimr,! le TrcMrier. I I Ai>)(i»i<'< tliF iliikc ol' AnitriB ilorampml fVnm l9ii> rriaa^ WfV 1 H'lgli "1 eu'L;iiid/- eoiiimnniled ilie rcmoiul of Iho Prei^-h f--— . ' lA or NAVAnRE. 17 _ .. .a Uie holy city. Rirhard's ballalions led ihe way. wlijle •* force brouc;hl up ilie rear. But when king Richard ilrew tunleiD. intelligence was brought )itin that the duke of Biir- [ lumuil back with his division, out of pure etivy, thai it might id that ihc king of England had Uiken Jerusalem. As iheKe ere diHCUssing, one of the king n{ England's katghls cried Bire, only come hilher. and I will show you Jerusalom,' le kingt throwing down his weapons, said, with tears in his 'hands uplifted lo heaven, — ' Lord OotI, I pray ihee ihai I may never see thy holy city, I, since things thus happen ; and Kince 1 cannot deliver it from tof thine enemies .'' Richard could do nothing more than re- R queen and sister, at Acre. tnuei know thai this king Richard performed such deeds of Vrhen he was in the Holy Land, that the Saracens, on seeing n frightened ai aahadow or a bush, cried out lo litem, ' What! k Mclech-Ric is there ?' This they were accuslomed to say, many times he had vanquished them. In tike manner, when fen of Turks or Saracens cried, their mothers said to ihem, lah! or [ will give yoti lo king Richard; and from ihe terror ITonle the babee were instantly quiet.'" evenqal historian affirms that the final trace between Richard in was concluded in a fair llowery meadow* near Mount Tabor; thard waa so much charmed with the gallant bearing of ihe Utacreanis, as Saladin is civilly termed in the crusading treaties. Bclared he would rather be ihe friend of that brave and honest in the ally of the crafly PhUip or the brutal Leopold. Iliinin of 1192 had commenced, when king Ricliard concluded I with Saladin, and prepared lo return, covered with fniilleM bis native dominions. A mysterious eatrangement had, at this li place between him and Berengaria; yel the chroniclers do ion thai any rival had supplanted the queen, but merely that of war had divided him from her company. As for the Cy- ecsi, if he were estranged from his queen, he mnst likewise \ Bepttrated from the fair captive, since she always remained with tig bade fiirewell lo his queen and sister, and now them eml>ai^, iveniiig of his own departure. The queens were accompanied ^nriot princess, and tiailed from Acre, under the care of Stephen BID, September the 29th. Richard meant to return by a difierem DM Europe. He travelled in the disguise of a Templar, anil 'f in a ship belonging to the master of the Temple. This vessel ked olT Ihe eoasi of Istria, which forced Richard (o proceed .9 parBphnsaJ by Drj'den: irp Sebaslion's fonniclable name b longfrr u*ed to (till llie crying babo." A I I p 19 BEBB.NGARIA OF NAVARRE. ^H homewards through ilie iloinnins of his enemy, LeopolJ of Anltlh But to Ills ignonini-« of geography is attributed bis nwtr appruub to Lecpolil'g L-apiial. Afier several narruw es«-jpes,a page win by Rkhwil. to piirrliase provisions at a village near Vienna, waa ntcn^niml by u ufficer who had muile the ble crusade with Leopold. The boy «u seized, aiid, after enduring cruel tunuenis, he cou[eaatd where he had left his master. When Leopold received certain intelligence where Kidiard lwr!xnin alnrai, thai some disaster had happened to her lord, from seeing a Ml of jewels ollered for sale, wliich she knew had been on his persoa aha ahe parted from him. At R>>ine she likewise heard some vagne rvforiB of his shipwreck, and of llie timiity of the emperor Henry VL* Berengsria was detained at Rome, with her royal companions, W ha fear of the emperor, for upwards of half a year. At length the pop moved by her distress and earnest entreaties, sent them, under the cart of Messire Mellar, one of the cardinals, to Pisa, whence they procralnl til Genoa, where they took shippijig to tlur^eilles. At MaraeUtes, Be- reugaria was met by her friend and kinsman, the king of Arragou, who allowed the royal ladies every mark of reverence, gave them safe can- duct dirough his Provencal doinauis, and sent ttiem on, under Ifac scot of tlie count de Sanclo Egidio. This Egidio is doubtless the gallant Raymond count St. GiUea, who, travelling from Rome with a strong escort, olTered his protection U tat distressed queens; and though his lather, the count of ThoulooMS hal, dnring Richards crusade, invaded Guienne, and drawn on himsrif * severe chastisement from Berengaria's faithful brother, Saneho the Smiif, BRENGARIA Op NAVABBE. l!l >nng oant lo well arquiitcd himseif of his charge, thai he "i-cliotift nf tiie f»\t widow, queen Jofinna. on the Journey.' lent uf the«e Wers henteil the eninily ihnl hnti hmg^sub- vtt the house of Ai|«itiiine anil ih»l of tlie couiiu of Thou- Ti-uut nf the superior cliijniH of qiieon Eleaitora on thai great n Elfauura found the love iliat siihsisicd between her ynunijesl 'ie heir of Thoulouse, she conriliated his father, by giving up [> her (laughler, and BereDgaria hui! the satisfaction of seeing {ftieiuts united, after she arrived at Pollou.* II Berengaria is \e(l tafely in her own dominions, it ia lime 0 her uiifurluiiate lord, who seems to liave been declined, by a of Leopold, to a life-loog incarceraliou. The royal prisoner Wpairetl of liberty, when he wrate that pathetic passage in hi* "roveD^nl tens on, saying, "Now know I for a certainly s for Hie neither friend nnr parent, nr for the lack of gold luld not so lung reiiiiiin a prisoner." ■icely did justice lo his aiTectioiiate uiuiher, who, direcdy she b captivity, never ceased exerting herself for his release. It giving any credence to ilie ballad story of king Richard and !• heart, which solely seems to have arisen from a meiaphorictil of the iroubfulour Fej-rols,' iind is not even alluded lo by the fuginative of contemporary chroniclers, it really appears thai [ was ill-treated, during his German captivity. Matthew Paris llin was thrown into a dungeon from whence no other man ever LpritJi lile, and was loailed with irons ; yet lua couiueiiaiice wu put, and his conversation pleasant and facetious, with the crowds gitards by whom he was sunoiinded day and night. B long time before Richard's friends could with atiy certainly pi bm locality, lie vtas utterly lost for some monllis. Blomld, ftatu knight and poet, who had been shipwrecked with him on tt«f istria.and who liad sought him through the cities of southent m, sung, beneath the lower 1 euebreuae in which he was confined) LwUich Bichard and he had composed together. Scarcely had 1 the first stanza,' when Richard replied with the second. JuvrUon, fol, A4T. t iMOfUiR nri lliat king RicliuJ betroiheii hi! rislsr to the galbun 'l Gitln. in PiilrmliiF , an aHpnion cotiuuliuHd by the «niniir su^ nod/Id etUBula limili cimni by Feyrol*, he enlia Die Viog lio«Jltarlii ' ifiol* WM hi» fallow-tolJier.— (Si«m«rfi.) Tha eiuUett olirouklsr isriie lion lagctiil it lUiuill, ilt« bniiliec-iii-Jnwor^iiTlioinuMoia, I»tii-c ludiuit of knowtiig i)ie iiuih than we havi.. Here are his ison lli« iiil|j«>^i. "Il ia iniu> ■" king Riehard. n ha»e drrnuied him. and when the lyon was pipUig, ho p« mouQt ai"! piMtd lU Urn by IM htart a hard Uuu ho »l«w ih» 1^ dierafore l* palleil Cutur .lo Lyon; wUilo olhrri Mf lio U caUod nans* of hi* boldnei* and hardy ilomaoh. ' n b not pieHtvad, bui llie poem Kiuliud compoMil i» alill in l^u« Royatn. Tb.^0 ii no jn^t rPiuon for (Joublimt tbii I'rovBnfal ~' - - -' c dbcovvty of ItH-liiuii. CiuKciuUni and 30 « K C A 11 F .1 A V Blondnl dirrctly wcni in nuncn Eleanorn. antl rJ^e her litunga jf in eximnticD of iwr min.anil nht (uok meonutea forlim releue. IW ]tUes> to iliB pojip are wrilicii with b pu«ionaie eloqiiaiice, highly illunintitc of that trnJiliui) uf lliB aouth wliich naiiiM her among the poeta of ha couiilry. •• Moilier of pity," she wys. " look upon a mother of so many ifflw- tiona t or if thy holy Sun, the fountain of mercy, iklHicts my son for aij iraiifgrvMion, oh lei me, who nm the muse, endure nlone thi! pnniih- inent. Two *ons nlnni; remnin for my succour, who but iniiecii eumie fnr tny miwry^ for king Itichanl I'xiats in fHlers, while prince Joluii brother to the cajtlive, denupulalt^a wiih the ewoni, and wuteii with 6re. Thr Lord in agniiiBt me, hla wrvth fi»hls against me, iherefure do mj children fight a^insl each other !" The queen-mother here alhides to the strife raised by prince Jnlui. (Id had obtained his brother's leave to abide in England, on conJioua that ho submitted to tlie government e«tnblislicd there, (^iicen Eleouan had intended lu fix her residence at Rouen, ns a central situation, be tween her own dominions und Itiose of king Kiehard. Bui the cnnfasMt •tale of afliiirB in Englnnd summoned her thither, F'ebruur>' 11, 1191 She found John in open rebellion; for, stimtjialcd by uieji^MigBS trnn riiilip Anguaius, offering him nil Kirhard's continental pnivinres, and the hand o( Alice, rrjuctcd by Kichnril, he aimed at nniliing Icaa Ltiu Uk Engliah crown. The arrival of his mother curbed his Eutbulencc} sh* loll] him lo touch his brollier's right* under peril nf her curse ; she hn- bade his disgraceful intention of allying himself with Alice; and U render such mischievous project impossible, she lel\ lliat princess m close confinement at Rouen, instead of delivering her to Phdip AugaxIM u king KiclianI had agreed ; so liiile iniLli is Acre in the common ajtw tion, that the worthloMs character of John might ho altribuiml to llM encouragement his vices received from hie mother; but it waa tliedoiaf ailcctian of Henry il, for his youngest son, that had this eQecL, at h* was the child nf his old ngo, and constantly near him, while the queca .s kept in confinement, at a distance from her family. When II Eleanora and the chief justiciary heard of the deteation of king Richard, ihey sent two abbots to confer with him in Germany They met hua, wiih his guards, on the road to Worms, where a dielof the empire was soon to bo held, and were received by hiiu with hi* usuul spiril and nnimniion. He inqnirrd into the state of hii> friends, Iw •ubjeets, and his dominions, and particularly after the hmlilt of ilie kuf of Scotland, on whose honour, lie said, he entirely relied ; and certainly he was not deceived in his judgment of the character of that hero. OS hearing of the base conduct of his brotlier John, he was shocked wi looked grave ; but presently recovering his cheerfulness, lie laid, will) ■ smile, "My brother John was never made for contjneriag kli^- « iffrfr BBRBNGARIA OF NAYARRB. 31 Richftrd defended himself before the diet, with eloquence and pathos [hat drew tears from most of his hearers; and the mediation of the princes of the empire induced the emperor to accept as ransom, one hundred thousand marks of silver. Meantime the ransom was collected in England, Normandy, and Aqui- taine, to which queen Eleanora largely contributed. When the ^rst instalment was ready, this affectionate mother and the chief justiciary Rt out for Germany, a little before Christmas. Queen Eleanora was arcompanied by her grand-daughter Eleanora, sumamed the Pearl of Brittany. This young princess was promised, by the ransom-treaty, in marriage to the heir of Leopold of Austria.' The Cypriot princess was likewise taken from the keeping of queen Berengaria, on the demand of the emperor, and surrendered to her German relatives.* It was owing to the exertions of the gallant Guelphic princes, his relations, that the actual liberation of Cceur de Lion was at last effected. Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony,' and his sons, appeared before the diet, end pleaded the cause of the Englisii hero with the most passionate elo- qvence ; they pledged their credit for the payment of the remainder of hit ransom, and actually left William of Winchester, the youngest Gaelphic prince, in pawn with the emperor, for the rest of the ransom. After an absence of four years, three months, and nine days, king Richard landed at Sandwich, in April, the Sunday after St George's day, ia company with his royal mother, who had the pleasure of surrendering to him his donunions, both insular and continental, without diminution. Eleanora's detention of the princess Alice in Normandy, had drawn on that country a fierce invasion from Philip Augustus, the result of which would have been doubtftil, if the tears of Berengaria, then newly urived in Aquitaine, had not prevailed on her noble brother, Sancho the Strong, to traverse France with two hundred choice knights. By the nJour of this hero and his chlvalric reinforcement, Normandy was deli- vered from the king of France.^ Berengaria, during the imprisonment of her royal husband, lost her father, Sancho the Wise, king of Navarre, who died in 1194,' after a glorious reign of forty-four years. After a second coronation, Richard went in progress throughout Eng- lind, with his royal mother, to sit in judgment on those castellans who had betrayed their fortresses to his brother John. At all these councils queen Eleanora assisted him, being treated by her son with the utmost reverence, and sitting in state at his right hand. The magnanimous Cceur de Lion treated these rebels with great lenity ; and when prince John, on the arrival of the king at Rouen, ^ing ' The marriago was aAerwards broken. 'She was the daughter of the duke of Austria's sister; hence the extreme hatred borne by Leopold to Richard ; he considered, and not tu reasonably, that Richard had disinherited his niece. The emperor Henry was her first cousin. ' Her mi^esty queen Victoria is the representatiye of this great and generous pruice : and at tlie same time, from his wife, Matilda, eldest daughter of Henry IL derives a second direct descent from the house of Plantagenet. •Tyrrell. * Hittory ol '((vraxi^. I 32 SERefCOARIAOPKAVAIIRB. intrcxlucetl by queen Eleanors^ knelt at his brother's feel for par^oni (m raised him, with this remarkable exprvpsion : " I ftvgive yon, John, aad I wibIi 1 coald as eaaily forget your oflence as yon will my panJon." King Richard iinislied his progress by residing some inontlis id hii Angevin lerritories. Although he was in the vicinity of the loringBtKl faithful Berengaria, he did not r^um to hersoriety- Tho maaa atttm estrangement was, that ihe kittg had renewed his connexion with a numher of profligate and worthless tusociate*, the coinpanions of hi) long baclielorhood in his father's lifetime. His conduct at this tim« iufi- niirly scandalized all his subjects, as he abandoned hitnseir to drinking and great infamy ; for which rarious virtuous chiin^hmen reproied hin boldly, to their eredit be it spoken. "The spring of 1195, Richard was hunting in one of bis ffnnpa forests,' when he was met by a hermit, who recoEDiscd hiiu, and pcttdicd him a very eloquent sermon on his irregular lite, linishing by prnpliMy- ing, that uutess he repented, his end and punishment were close at hand. The king answered slightingly, and went his way ; bnt the Eaeier ( ilie contemporBrj of kinR Ricbud anil kiugJcdiit. Hli cSuiai^ it, tro ihinic, among tUoM edited by Qiuhh. BBRBNGARIA OF NAVAKRB 23 •* Very ewy," answered the king. ** How can that he, my son," said the hishop, ** when you live apart from your virtuous queen, and are faithless to her — when you devour the provision of the poor, and load your people with heavy exactions ? Are these light transgressions, my son ?" The king owned his faults, and promised amendment ; and when he related this conversation to his courtiers, he added : ^ Were all our prelates like Hugh of Lincoln, both king and barons must submit to their righteous rebukes P' ' Whether the interview with St. Hugh took place before, or after, the king's alarming illness, we have no data to declare ; but as Richard was evidently in a tamer state, when St Hugh visited him, than when he hwlessly demanded the fur mantle, we think the good bishop must have arrived opportunely, just as Richard was beginning to foiget his sick-bed vows, without quite relapsing into his original recklessness. The final restoration of Berengaria to the afiections of her royal hus- band, took place a few months ttfler, when Richard proceeded to Poic- tiers,* where he was reconciled to his queen, and kept Christmas, and the new year of 1196, in that city, with princely state and hospitality It was a year of great scarcity and famine, and the beneficent queen ex- erted her restored, influence over the heart of the king, by persuading him to give all his superfluous money in bountiful alms to the poor^ and through her goodness many were kept from perishing. From that time queen Berengaria and king Richard were never parted. She found it best to accompany hun in all his campaigns, and we find her with him at the hour of his death. Higden, in the Polychronichon, gives this testimony to the love that Berengaria bore to Richard : ^ The king took home to him his queen Berengaria, whose society he had for a long time neglected, though she were a royal, eloquent, and beauteous lady, and for his love had ventured with him through the world." The same year the king, despairing of heirs by his consort, sent for young Arthur, duke of Bretagne, that the boy might be educated at his court, as future king of England. His mother Constance, out of enmity to queen Eleanora, unwisely refused this request, and she finished her folly by declaring for the king of France, then waging a fierce war against Richard. This step cost her hapless child his inheritance, and finally his life. From this time Richard acknowledged his brother John as his heir. The remaining three years of Richard's life were spent in petty pro- vincial wars with the king of France. In one of his treaties, the prin- cew Alice was at last surrendered to her brother, who gave her, with a tarnished reputation, and the dowry of the county of Ponthieu, in mar- riage to ihB count of Aumerle, when she had arrived at her thirty-fifth year. After the reconciliation between Richard and Berengaria, the royal levennet arising from the tin-mines in Cornwall' and Devon, valued at * Rigord, Fieooh Chron. * HYm^i" t ¥ CB\et«L« 34 BEEE^OARtA OP KAVARRE. Vmu ihoussnd marks per arinum, were confirmeJ to thfi queen, for Iwr dower. Her continental dower wtia the rity ol* Bigorre in Aquitaine, maii ihe whole cnunly of 3Iaiu. ll wu the lively iroa^HBiion of Richard, healed by the ^eodid fic- tions of Arabian romance, ihal hurried him to hie end. A report ww brouebt to him, tliat a peasaat, ploughing in the fielda of Vidomw, lonl of Cluiluz in .^quitaiiie, had struck upon a trap-door which concealed an eiichauled treasure,' and going down into a cave, discovered aevtnl golden statues, witli vases fuU of diamonds, all of wbich had been secured in the castle ofChalux, for tlie private use of the eteur de Vido- inar. Riehanl, when he heard (his fine lale, sent to Vidomu, deinu>d- ing, as sovereign of the cauntr)', his slwre of the golden statues. The poor caatelian declared that no such treasure had been fouiid ; nothing but a pot of Roman coins had been discovered, and tboee he was wel- come to have- As Richard iiad set his mind on golden stalnes and vases of diatnonils. aw) had thriven so well when he demanded the golden furniture bom king Tancred, it was not probable he could lower his ideas to the reality Slated by the unroriunale lord of Vidomar. Accordingly, lie tii«rclied M besiege the casUe of Chaluz, sending word to Vidomax, eilhei to deliver the statues, or abide the storming of the castle. To this siege quan Berengaria sccoropauied the king. Here Richard met his death, bwf pierced from the walU, by an arrow from an arbalista, or rrocs-bov, aimed by the hand of Bcrtiaud de Gordon.' It was the noekilfulnu* U the surgeon, who mangled the king's shoulder in cutting out tlie anoiTi Joined to Richard's own wilfulness in neglecting the r^men of bis phy- sicians, that caused the mortification of a trifling wound, and occasioDol llie death of a hero who, to many faults, joined a redeeming generutiiy, that showed itself in his last moments. After enduring great agony ligii liis wound, as he drew near to death, the castle of Chaluz was lakea. He caused Bertrand de Gordon to be brought before bio), and telling hiffl he was dying, asked him whether he had discharged the &tal arrow with the intention of slaying him. " Yea, tyrant," replied Gordon ; " for to you I owe the deaths of laj fuiiier and my brother, and my first wish was to be revenged on yon-" Notwithstanding the boldness of this avowal, the dying kinx cdB* manded Gordon to be set at libert}-, and it was not his fault uat Ui detestable mercenary general, the Fleming, Marcade, caused lum M it put to a cruel death. Richard's death took pbce April 6th, 1199. Uis queen DnqnMioB- ably was with him when he died.' She corroborated iJie lestimonyltial he lelV his domioioiis, and two-thirds of his treasuies, to bis brother Richard appears to have borne some personal resembtanoe to hi* great ancle, William Rufus. Like him, bis hair and complexioa «Rt 'BcomplOQ. Nswbiirr, Hsnuningrord and Wlkes. * We And the tame or Gordon among tbe inOammatory sirrenies or > —■* ds Born. , - _ BXftXNOAKIA OF RATAKKX. 35 Winn in edour, and his eyes blue, and fiercely sparkling. Like Rufus, his strength was prodigious, but he had the advantage of a tall majestic figure.' There are some points of resemblance in character, between Richard and bis collateral ancestor, though Richard must be considered a more learned and elegant prince, and susceptible, withal, of more fre- quent impulses of generosity and penitence. They both seem to have excelled in the same species of wit and lively repaitee. At the time of king Richard's death, Matthew Paris declares queen Eleanora, his mother, was governing England, ^ where," adds that his- torian, ^ she was exceedingly respected and beloved." Before the body of CoBur de Lion was committed to the grave, an additional load of anguish assailed the heart of his royal widow, through the calamities that befel Joanna, her friend, and Richard's favourite sis- ter. The persecution on account of religion, that afterwards visited Joanna's gallant son, in the well-known war against the Albigenses, had already attacked his father incipiently. Owing to the secret agitations of the catholic clerffy, the barons of Thonlouse were in arms against the gallant Rajrmond. Queen Joanna, though in a state little consistent with each exertions, flew to arms for the relief of her adored lord. We translate the following mournful passage from Guillaume de Puy-Lau- rens ^ — ^ Qpeen Joanna was a woman df great courage, and was highly sensitive to the injuries of her husband. She laid siege to the castle of Cesser, but, owing to the treachery of her attendants, her camp was fired. She escaped with difficulty from the burning tents, much scorched and hurt Unsubdued by this accident, she hastened to lay her wrongs before her beloved brother king Richard. She found he had just expired as she airived. The pains of premature child-birth seized her as she heard the dire intelligence, and she sank under the double afiliction of mental and corporeal agony. With her last breath she begged to be laid near her brother Richard." To Berengaria the request was made, and the cold remains of the royal brother and sister, the dearest objects of the sorrowing queen's aflections, were laid, by her pious care, side by side, in the stately abbey of Fontevraud.' The heart of Richard was bequeathed by him, to be buried in the cathedral of Rouen, where it has lately been exhumed, in 1842. When the case was unclosed, the lion- heart was found entire, but withered to the consistency of a faded leaf.^ The deaths of Richard and Joanna were immediately succeeded by that of Berengaria's only sister, Blanche. This princess had been given in marriage, ^ CoBur de Lion, to his nephew and friend, the troubadoup- > ViniMof. * Gaizot's Chnmicles, vol. zv. p. 919. ' The desoriptkm of Richard*s statue has been given by Miss L. S. Costello in her reeent charmiog work, entitled, ** The Boccages and the Vines." It coincides well with the descriptions we have given of his person, from his contemporary Vinisaud *This is fVom a most interesting description of the exhumation of Richard's heart, by Mr. Albert Way, in vol. xxix. Archslogia, p. 210 ; where may be Ibuna a eopy of- the inscription identifying it as the heart of Richard, and likewise an •eooant of the discovery of a fine portrait statue, raised by the men of Rouen to fhe memory of their beloved heia VOL. II. — 3 I I iiij BI:RE.\C ARIA UF »AVARBK. prince, Tliibaut or ChampBgiie. Tlie princess Blanche died the 6aj after tiie birth of a ion, who aAerwitrJa woi the heir both o( Soncha and Berengaria, aod fiaally kuig of Kavarre. Thus, iu the coiirve nf a few short weeks, was tlie queen of England bereft of all that were tmr and dear to her. The woild had become a desert to Bereugaria before Bhe left it for a life of conventual seclusion. Queen Berengaria lixed her residence at Mans in the Orleaniioiis when *he held a great part of her foreign dower. Here she founded the noble abbey of L'Espan. Once queen Berengaria lefl her widowed retirement, when sha met her broth er-in-^aw, king John, and his fair joung bride, at Cliinon. her husband's treasure city. Here she compounded with the LiigUBli rooa- arfh, for the dower ahe held in En^and, for two ihousoad marks pti annum, to be paid half-yearly. After being entertained witJi rnyal mi^ ciliceiice, and receiving every mark of respect from the £n;gli>h conn, the royal widow bade farewell to public splendour, and retired to coi^ ventual seclusion, and ilie practice of constant charity. Bui do soouet was John fixed firmly on tlic English throne, tlion he began to ae^ea Ute payment of the dower for which liis sister-in-law had compo and, in 1206, there appears in the Fcedera a passport for the dowager to come to Engiand, for the purpose of conferring witli John; but there esiats no nuihority whereby we can prove "' ' arrived in this country. The records of 1209 present a most elaborate epistle from pope Ibimk cent, selling forth the wrongs and wants of his dear daughter in Qina, Berengaria, who, he says, had appealed to him " with Hoods <^ MO si reaming down her cheeks, anil with audible cries," — which we Unit were flowers of rhetoric of the pope's seerelary.' As pope Innocsai threatens John with an interdict, it is pretty certain that the wrong* ot Berengaria formed a clause in the subsequent cscommutiicjUion of tbs felon king. In 1214, when the excommuuicsiion was taken off, there exiotai In- ter from John to " his dear sifter, the illustrious Berengaria, Pi^dm dial the pope's nuncio might arbitrate what was due lo hor." Tne Htf year brings a piteous letter from John, praying lliat his deariy httont sister will excuse his delay of payment, seeing ihe - greainsM of U adversity by reason of the wickedness of his magnates and bvons," wbs had invited prince Louis of Fraiice to spoil her estates; "but rnhml" says king John, " these clouds that have overcast our serenity shall ito- pei^e, B[id our kingdom he full of joj'ful tranquillity, then the pccnitiuy debt owed lo our dear sister shall be paid joyfully and thankfully." This precious epistle was penned July Sth, 1216, by John, but ba died the succeeding October, and Berengaria's debt was added to the n> ■nm of his other trespasses; for "joyful tranquillity" never canwls' liim, nor of course her time of payment. In the reign of Henry III., Berengaria had again to require the popt^ assistance, for tiie payment of her annuity. Uer ariesrv at tfaat UC* ' Rymer, FisJeia, vol. i, p. ISti. BERENGARIA OF NAVARRB. 27 amounted to 4040 Z. sterling ; but the Templars became guarantees and agents for her payments ; and from that time the pecuniary troubles of Berengaria cease to form a feature in our national records. The date of Berengaria's death has generally been fixed about the year 1230 ; but that was only the year of the completion of her abbey of Espan, and of her final retirement from the world ; as from that time she took up her abode within its walls, and finished there her blameless life, at an advanced age, some years afterwards. Berengaria was interred in her own stately abbey. The following most interesting particulars of her monument, we transcribe from the noble work of the late Mr. Stothard, edited by his accomplished widow, .Mrs. Bray. ^When Mr. Stothard visited the abbey of L^pan, near Mans, in search of the effigy of Berengaria, he found the church converted into a bam, and the object of his inquiry in a mutilated state, concealed under a quantity of wheat It was in excellent preservation, with the exception of the left arm. By the effigy were lying the bones of the queen, the silent witnesses of the sacrilegious demolition of the tomb. After some search, a portion of the arm belonging to the statue was recovered.'* Three men who had assisted in the work of destruction stated ^ that the monument with the figure upon it stood in the centre of the aisle, at the east end of the church ; that there was no coffin within it, but a imall square box, containing bones, pieces of linen, some stuff embroi- dered with gold, and a slate, on which was found an inscription." The ilate was found in possession of a canon of the church of St. Julien, at ^lans: upon it was engraven an inscription, of which the following is a translation :-^ *^The. tomb of the most serene Berengaria, queen of England, the Doble founder of this monastery, was restored and removed to this more sacred place. In it were deposited the bones which were found in the ancient sepulchre, on the 27th May, in the year of our Lord 1672.'* The sides of the tomb are ornamented with deep quatrefoils. The effigy which was upon it is in high relief. It represents the queen with her hair unconfined, but partly concealed by the coverchief, over which is placed an elegant crown. Her mantle is fastened by a narrow band crossing her breast; a large fermail, or broach, richly set with stones, confines her tunic at the neck. To an ornamental girdle, which encir- cles her waist, n attached a small aumoniere or purse. This greatly resemUes a modem reticule, with a chain and clasped top. '^ The queen holds in her hand a box, singular from the circumstance of its having embossed on the cover a second representation of herself, as lying on a bier, with waxen torches burning in candlesticks on either side of her.*' From early youth to her grave, Berengaria manifested devoted love for Richard ; uncomplaining when deserted by him, foigiving when he retomed, and ftithful to his memory unto death, the royal Berengaria, qoeen of England, though never in England, little deserves to be foigot- leoy by any admirer of feminine and conjugal virtue. ISABELLA OF ANGOULkML. ^t QUEEN OF KING JOHN. ^M alvlooUKi by king John— Marriage id king John— Challeo«o of coiinl Ba|^ Liuury— Cooclorion of Eleanora of AquiOiine'* blograph/— B«iFgiBd— B liovod by ting Jolin — Hb capiures count Hugh — Denth of Eleanora— EOfT H,igh to Isoljella's liiile daughter— Royal dress^-Murdci of M vuUU il,r t, —John's alrocitiei — Meeu the qufen al MarliionJiigh — SIil' ■ ■ ^ b«r wn— She leavM England- MartiF. eoum Hugh— Depr. > bfoili hai hutband in war— Atleropu die life of Si. Louif — ! Takw llie veil— Dies— Tomb— Elfigy— Children of second inairiiigo. No one would have imagined ihal Isabella Angoul^ioe was tlei^ Ihrnne; for she was then not only ilie pngnged wife of another, be according lo the custom of ihe limes, hadlteen actually cooaigned ' her betrothed, for Ihe purpose of education. Hugh de Lusignan, sumamed Le Brun,' was ihe affianced lotd.of li belta. He was eldest son of Hugh )X., the reigning count de ]» Jifamk who governed the provinces which formed ihe northern boDwIiry of l| Aquitanian dominions, called in that age French Poilou. Re «ai vassal prince of the French crown, and, by virine of bis kuthnri^,! ban and am'er( Sun, and pour on tliem the whole feudal mUiiift of large portion of France. conciliating thia powerful neighbour. She had been forced, at ibc ilai of Richard, lo do homage at Tours,' in person, to Philip Au^iituf,fil Poitoo, 1199; and by her wise mediation she reconciled John M Philip, negoiialing an alliance between prince Louis and her piai ' " Hugli," say. G. de N«Ilgi^ " wbom iho people of the liiile town of Utmm would «.!1 il.e Bmwa, was a noble personage, brave, powerfiil. ana |«e«M rreal rirlies." Ho did not own the Kbriqurl of Le Brun. bnl li^t himtrlf Itait nan in bis charten. 'Guillaiune de Naafit. ISABELLA OF ANGOOLBMC. 29 IftDctie of Caslille. She even travelled lo Spain, and was e splendid marria^ of her granddaughter, who was wedded prince Louis by procnralion. Al'terwards her daughier, the tin, accompanied her across the Pyrenees, with the young native territories of Guienne. Queen Eleanors intended to be to Normandy, where prince Louia waited for them.' but with fatigue, and retreated to Fonlevraud, towards the cIobb I9S. In a letter written by heron her recovery, she informs ■that she had been very ill, but that she hail sent for her Bin, Amcricus de Thouara, from Poitou ; that she was much f his presence, and through God's grace she was convaler- En Eleanora then proceeds lo urge her son to visit Jmuie- foictevin provinces, and, for the sake of their peace and ite desires him lo form an amicable league with the count le is dated Fontevraud, 1200, and was the occasion of king ress to Aquilnine, in the Hummer; but little did the writer t, before the year was expired, the whole powerful family of puld be exaspemled, by king John's lawless appropriation wedded lo the heir of their house* «s ihe only child and heiress of Aymer or Americus, count KiBDrnamed Tailiefer. By malernal dcsceni she sliarei! the l> Cbpetian sovereigns, her mother, Alice de Courtenay, being Lof Poter de Courtenay, lifth son of Louis VI. king (? inherilance of Isabella was a beautiful province, caDed the '■itnaJed in the very heart of the Aquilanian domains ; with the south, Poilou on ihe north, Ssintonge on the west, and I on the east. The Angoumois, watered by the clear and iar«nie, abounded in all the richest aliments of life; allo- t &ir and desirable as its lieiress. The ProvenQnl language Ira spoken throughout the district; Isabella of Angoulfme K be Kckoned the third of our Proveiifnt queens, Thn which she was heiress, had been governed by her anceelon, te reign of Charles llie Bald. ru actually abiding at one of tlic castles of her betrolhod,* MDia sent for her, to be present al a day of high ceremo- di they paid ihcir homage to king John for the province of ' Indeed, it may be considered certain that ihe young Is^ M.U.Si9,SlB. H. L Th* IaiJd 1fII« of the nged qaeen is [ifecedpd by Bnolbsr W. uniJng ihe ™mo advice, and pving an sirouni of Ihe hoahh Of nramitn. The concluaioB of ihe liTe of Elennora t>r Aquiniine is nil Uographir. KMOMlinf M All gpoflalofrief, was b[Ivs long nfler hii tan't h«lrolh- Bb. Us borrA Uivn of Inbella iBrTccnliHl hii faibrr, by Ui« dlle Itntoa. Dr. Hanrjr astern tha tame, and givM Hovetlen awl M I heiself, ss iheir sole heir, was required lo pay her peraonal honuifc lii her lurJ psraniounL, as ituke of Aquilaine. Her betrotlieil yiag abtuii but ihp count of Eu, bis brother, surrendered the fair heiress, nt l)u request of tier parents. He waa deceived ' by ilie message uf the cuuni of Angoulfme, and incurred great blame, as if he had trsacbcrotuly tut- rendered the young bride o^ his brother; but, vbo could deny dtf parents the pleasure of enjoying the society of their child ? It was at the high fesiiral of king John's recognition in AngoaUmc. aa sovereign of Aquilaine, that the Ejighah king tirst «aw the bcauiilvl ftanc^e of Luaignan. He was ihirty-lwo; she had jual enterrd htr fifieenlh year ; notwithstanding which disparity, he become niDdlv em* nioured of her. Tlie parents of Isabella, when ihey perceiveo their sovereign thus captivated with her budding charms, ilishoaouiaUy encouraged his passion, and by deceitful excuses to ihe count of Eo, prevented lite return of Isabella to the castle of Valence ; a proeeetjing the mure infamous, since subsequent events plainly showed thai tti* heart of the maiden secretly preferred her betrothed. Had John Plautugenet remained in the same state of poverty aa wliio his father surnamed him Lackland, the fierce Hugh de Lusipisn nii^ have retained his beautiful bride ; hut at tlie time liia fancy trat capD- vatetl by Isabella, her parents saw bim universally rect^ised ai lb possessor of the first empire in Europe. They had jusi done IiooNfl (o him as the monarch of the south of France, and they knew he M received the elective snSrages of the English people, in prvferenc* W the hereditary right of his nephew Arthur ; that he had I>een acuaSf crowned king of England, and that bis brow hai! been circleil wiA nt duplet of golden roues which fonncd the ducal coronet of Nortnan^f. John was already married to a lady who had neither been crnwM with him, nor acknowledged queen of England ; yet she appean tl have been the bride of his fickle choice. The son of hi* gu-m urn-It. Robert earl of Gloucester,' had left lliree daughters, ccr-lii ^. -- - vaal possessintM. The youth and beauty of Aviso, the \i< sisters, induced prince John lo woo her as his wife. The place at Richard^s coronation, but the church forbade tliu ; . together.' The pope, who had previously comtnanded the divorce of ATin 6i> John, because the empress Matilda and Robert earl of OloottMef W been half brother and sbter, now murmured at the brokdI acknowledge that she had consented lo any maniiM^ coatrvct v^ count Hugh. As Isabella preferred being a queen to giving her band W '8ee the Chtoniole of Willinin le Breton. GuUoi t FrcDcb CollaolitB. 'a deaeeai, u itiicUy ai I8ABBLLA OF ANOOULEMB. 31 the man she really loved, no one could riglit the wrongs of the ill- tmted Liwignan. Moreover, the mysterious chain of feudality inter- wove ita inextricable links and meshes even round the sacrament of marriage. King John, as lord paramount of Aquitaine, could have ren- dered invalid any wedlock that the heiress of the Angoumois might contract without his consent ; he could have forbidden his fair vassalcss to marry the subject of king Philip, and if slie ]iad remained firmly true to her first love, he could have declared her fief forfeited, for disobe- dinice to her immediate lord.* Ring John and Isabella were married at Bordeaux, some time in the month of August, 1200. Their hands were united by the archbishop of Bordeaux, who had previously held a synod, assisted by the bishop of Poitoo, and solemnly declared that no impediment existed to the This event threw connt Hugh of Lusignan into despair ; he did not, however, quietly submit to the destruction of his hopes, but challenged to BK)rtal combat the royal interloper between him and his betrothed.' lohn received the cartel with remarkable coolness, saying, that if count Hngh wished for combat, he would appoint a cliampion to fight witli him ; but the count declared that John's champions were hired bravoes nd vile mercenaries, unfit for the encounter of a wronged lover and Irae knight. Thus, unable to obtain satisfaction, the valiant Marcher nited his hour of revenge ; while king John sailed with his bride in Hiomph to Elngland, where he was anxious that she should be recognised 11 his wife, not oidy by the peers, but by the people. For this purpose, being just then on his best behaviour, he called that the chroniclers term ** a common council of the kingdom^' at West- minster. The ancient Wittena-gemot seems the model of this assembly flere the young Isabella was introduced, and acknowledged as the qucen- consort of England. Her coronation was appointed for the 8th of Oc- kber^ and there exists a charter in the Tower, expressing ^^ that Isabella of Angoid^me was crowned queen by the common consent of the barons, clergy, and people of England."' She was crowned on tliat day by the archbishop of Ganterbury. Clement Fitz-William was paid thirty-three shillings, for strewing Westminster Hall with herbs and rushes, against the coronation of lady Isabella the queen; and the chamberlains of the Norman excliet^uer ^ere ordered to pay Eustace the chaplain, and Ambrose the songster, twenty-6ve shillings, for singing the hymn Christus rici/, at the unction «nd crowning of the said lady queen.^ The expenses of her dress at this time were by no means extravagant; three cloaks of fine linen, one of ■earlet cloth, and one gray pelisse, costing together twelve pounds five mnd fourpence, were all that was afforded to tlie fair Provencal bride, on this august occasion. The whole of the intervening months, between October and Easter, BnctoD. ** By the feiwlal law, any woman who is an heir forleita her lands if she marries without her lord's consent." * Speea t Chronicle. * Boger Hoveden. * Madoa. I n ISABELLA OF ANQOULSUS. vreK spent by the king and queen, in a ronlinual round of fmiinf ana vohiptuouMiesi. Al ifie Easter feslival of 1201, they were ilio ^omh of nrchbiahop Hubert, nt Caalerbury,' wher« they were onco man crowned,' or rather, tliey wore their crowns, aerording to l)ic wieim English custom at this high TeaiivBl ; it beinf the offic« oT the pnnntt of England, always to plaee them on the heads of the kinf and qnm on such occasions, when he was abiding' in the vicinity of royalty. Warx, and rumours of witra, awoke the beoutiful Isabella and kiaf John from their dream of pleasure. Tlie ducbeas Constance of BnHfW had eloped from lier liusband, the earl of Cheater, and marriwi a nlini Pojctcvin, sir Guy of Thoaars,* who showed every detnonnntion of suecfiBsfully asserting the claims of his son-in-bw, young Aithitr Ha* tagenet, for whose cause Anjou and Maine had already declared. Addd to this alarming intelligence, was the news that Lusignan and his broihtr, the count of Eu, were conspiring with the family of firriaipe, nt raising insunections in Poilou, to avenge the abdaciioo of k^tella ol Angoul£me. These troubles caused Isabella and her husband to eisbBrk at PmM- moiiih for Normandy. Ring John sailed in a separata gaUry tnm dR queen, and in stress of weather ran for the Isle of Wight, a pUee of i^ tireraeut where John often abode for months togetlier. - The iu had made his prisoner. While the queen-mother retained W, John contanted himself with incarcerating Arthur in the talaiw; but be insulted count Hugh, the unfortunate lover of i with every species of personal indignity, carrying him, and " "xroiu of Poilou, after him wherever he went, "chained a tumbril carls dmwn by oxen." " A mode of travelling," tei^al chronicler, very pathetically, "to which they were not ' '* la this manner he dragged them afWr him, till he made k with him for England.' ■abella must have exerted her uiroosi influence, to save tlie g Lneignui from the fate of his fellow -prisoners, for two-and- ■-jctevin lords, who had been exhibited with count Hugji in the ilarved to death in the dungeons of Corfe Castle, by tlie P.Kiog John.* The lover of liubella, positively refusing any D to tbe abductor of liis bride, was consigned to a weary con* B the donjon of Bristol Castle, at the same time with John's a prisoner, Eleanor, the sister of Arthur, suniamed the Pearl lut %a Ihs righUul heir, for frar Cooilaiioe should (I dnriuft hia minoiitjr. r Arn deuila Ihii inoideni aratlf in eimitkr words. ■ sad Di. Henif, 9 tHppo«e thai this unfortnnaw XfXj, oa whom tbs lineal rrown devolvHl, took the vowa allei a king impnsonmenL idle of obatlBn bclonniirg to the abbef of FoalsTiaud, axamised by J L SI ISABELLA OF AXOODLEMB. Isabella nf Angoul^me had not bnrne an beir (o John, when Arlhnr wu cut ofl^ in 1202 ; thererore, after John had desiioyed this promrnng scion of Plantagenet, the sole represenlalive nf that heroic line wm hn (lishonoured self.' The cledsion of the twelve peers of France, roo- vened lo inqalre into the fate of Arthur, declared Normandy forfeiwd bf king John, in 1203. The demise of queen Eleanora, his molber. tool place the year after: she lived to mourn over the dismemberment oflhi conliiicnlal possessions of her family. Paulus Emilias, in his lift of Philip Augustus, declares that the queen-mother interceded etrennntwly for Arthur, and (lied of sorrow when she found the depths of guilt iaia which John had plunged. The annals of the monks of Fonlevraiid testify, that queen Elmaoii took the veil of their order, in ihe year 1202, and that she died in thr year 1204, having been for many months wholly dead to the world. Her last charter is given to ihe men of Oleron,* soon after the dwni* of her SOD, Richard 1. In this document she confirms the privilege of this great maritime guild or Iraiernity. Adversity evidently improved the character of Eleanora of Aquitnnc; and after the violent passions of her youth had been conecied by Mr- row and experience, her life exhibits many traces of a great ruler uJ magiiunimous sovereign. A good moral education would have ivadami Eleanora of Aquitaine one of the greatest characters of her tinte. Sb« had been reared in her sunny fatherland, as the gay votaress of plavwr ; her intellectual cultivation had been considerable, but its sole end •»* to enhance the delights of a voluptuous life, by calling into actWiiv lO Sir Tliomas Phillipi, Ban., ii u evident that EIboikiib of Brettgns wtts ippoMri, bjr the nhlMsa of Fonievimud, aupctiot of Iho nunntry of Amlimtnirf. iH known hitlieno' of the sislei at Anhur wom, that slie died Jn 1333, ud wn liiiriod Bi Ambtesburf. ' ll ia iu an allusion 10 (Ilia fsci tlinl Le Breton, in his beautirut ^esriip'ifa "( Arthur's death, (whioh. wiili other rie!i though iirelevsnt mactpr, we are Ixoii to eielude,] makes Arthur exeinim, when pleading pasnonately fiir his lir*,*ih ID)' iinolu, apa/e the aon of ihy brother — spare Ihy faung nrpLew — •psr* »J * ElEuioia of Aquitaine, at that ent the greelen naval polennia in th* woit'^ i« teen in this chuier lo exetciie full Kivereiguty over these mctoliaM illuil'n ■'To the beloved and faithful mariuea of Oleton," rays Eleanora, ' «a (Dnfta the former GmoU of llial venerable and illnattioas mna, our )»r<1 flcnry tinf cf Bnglanit, with whom wo oowracled our matrimony, on condition •':'.■ r'- ■-'—' en orOlerOD keep lajth with our heira." She names not king * tilts ohaner is fbllowed by amnhflr rromhim, ■■ onnfirnitng, for lii. our dearest and mon venerable mother baa giBDiod diihng h > Ihii Jbrgolten cliarler willioul a deep and vilsl iateresi to out : disDMil iate of Oleion was the source of out maritime laws, and tba cnif'' i^ our infuil couimerce. — (Fiedera, vol. i.) To one of ber cbarten, fttMtni^ the FonlevrBud coUecdon in the Bibliotliiqae Royule, eiamiiM4 bjT Sb "T M lips is appended the seal of Eleanora, representing liar figate at (hll Ik$^ niiRiliog with a fleur-de-1i« in her ri^-ht hand ; pho holds in the Igft a ^loba, f^ bol trf soveieigaly, on which ia a binl alandiDg an a cross. Ttu) charter itiaUn a great curiosity, granting cettaia lands, anniiai value tOs., to Adam Ccidi ul Joan hia wife, on condition of ibeir paying hei every yrmt oat pound oS mon. — Adam was possibly bar coo^ ISABELLA OF ANGOCLBMK. 35 the powers of a poetic mind. Slowly and surely she learned the stem lesson of life, that power, beauty, and royalty, are but vanity, if not linked with moral excellence : she learned it too late, for the thorns her own reckless hand had planted beset her path to the latest hour of her txistence. She was buried by the side of Henry II. at Fontevraud, where her lomb was to be seen, with its recumbent statue, till the French revolu- tion.' The face of this effigy is beautifully worked with strokes of the pencil, like miniature ; the features are noble and intellectual. Eleanora wears the gorget, wimple, and cover-chef; over this head-gear is a regal diadem ; the royal mantle is folded gracefully round her waist ; it is of Get blue, figured with silver crescents. A book was once held in the ds clasped on the breast, but both hands and book are now broken away.' With his mother king John lost all fear and shame. Distinct as his ehamcter stands, on a bad eminence, the reader of general history knows little of the atrocity of this man, whose wickedness was of the active and impetuous quality sometimes seen in the natives of the south of Europe, combined with the most prominent defects of the English dis- position. He exhibits the traits of the depraved Proven^d, whose dvilizatioQ had at that era degenerated to corruption, joined to the bru- tality of his worst English subjects, then in a semi-barbarous state. Isa- bella's influence did not mend his roannera; he became notoriously worae after his union with her. Ignorance could not be pleaded as an excuse for John's enormities ; like all the sons of Eleanora of Aquitaine, he had literary tastes. Some ilems in his close rolls prove the fact, that king John read books of a high character. His mandate to Reginald de Comhill, requires him to send to Windsor the Romance of the History of England.' The abbot of Reading supplied his sovereign with the Old Testament ; Hugh St Victor on the Sacraments ; the Sentences of Petre Lombard ; The Epistles of St Austin ; Origen's Treatise ; and Arian. The abbot likewise ac- knowledges that he has a book belonging to the king called ^^ Pliny." ^ After the dower knds of the English queens had been led free, by the death of the queen-mother, and the composition of Berengaria, king John endowed his wife most richly, with many towns in the West of England, besides Exeter, and the tin-mines of Cornwall and Devonshire. The jointure paUce of the heiress of Angoul^me was that ancient resi- dence of the Conqueror, the castle of Berkhamstead, in Hertfordshire. Queen Isabella accompanied her dishonoured lord to England, Decem- ber 6, 1203. As Aquitaine, since the captivity of count Hugh de Lu- signan, had been in a state of revolt, John was forced to reside in Eng- land, until he made an attempt to subdue Poitou in 1206. Having set at liberty the queen's unfortunate lover, Hugh de Lusignan, and entered into ' Her beautiful statue is still preserved, thanks to the research and zeal of our lwn<*nie(l antiquary Stothnrd. * Montfiiiicoirs engraving gives the hands and book. "April *29, 1203. See Ezcerpta Historica, 393; the word nmanetj it mnit bs remembered, merelf meant proie narration. *lbii\.. ^'^. 18 ABELL OF ANGODLEM I b s pucifio treaty mih him, lie cmhorkeJ utih him, and they toon lAtr luiiled Bi Rocbelle. By the inllueiice of Liisif^nan, tbe principal pan nf the South of France agaia owned the sway of tlie line of llie Pknnaiwt Queen Isabella, during th« king's abeeuce, brought him an Imt H Winchester, who received the name of Henry. After his return (u Enf- land, king John began utterly to diaregani all the ancient lawa uf hu kingdom ; and when the barons murmured, he required from ikm the surrender of their children as hoetagea. In tbe Tower rolli f^ documenis proving that those young nobles were appointed to n his queen ' at Windsor and Winchester, where they attended her in. serving her si meals, and following her at cavaieadeei and jt Tlie trsQedy of the unfortunate family of De Braosc, visa oceaMMC by the resistance of the parenia to these ordinances, in 1211. Kiaf Jolin had demanded the eldest son of William de Braoae. lord of Bnua- ber, in Sussex, as a page to wail on queen Isabella, mmuing bim ia reality as a hostage for his father's allegiance. When the ki^a in» sage was delivered at Bramber by a courtier who bore the omiMM name of Mauluc,* the imprudent lady de Braose declared in his hMiiK '^ that she wonld not surrender her childtcn to a king who had monlMW his own nephew." The words of the unfortunate mother were Mf reported, by the malicious messenger. The lady de Braose xepentsd rf her rashness when it was loo laie, and strove in vain lo propitiate qi»a Isabella by rich gifts. Among other offerings, she sent tlie quMi i present of a herd of four hundred cows and one beautifVil bull: lUt peerless herd was white as milk, all but the ears, which were red.' This strange present to Isabella did not avert the deadly wruih ofhni John; forheseizedlheunforinnate&milyatMeaihin Irelanil. i had lied for safety. The lord of Bramber, his wife and i' conveyed to the old castle at Windsor, and enclosed in n - where Ihey were deliberately starved to death. Father, ni"i- innocent little ones, suffered, in our England, the (ate of count Ujolino and his family; an atrocity compared with which the dark fltain of Jf> Oiiir's murder fiides to the hne of a venial crime. Tbe passion of John for his queen, though it wae sufficimily stmu lo embroil him in war, was not exclusive enough lo secure coorftwu fidelity; the king tormented her with jealousy, while on hid nan W was far from setting her a good example, for he ofton invaded the haooof of the female nobility. The name of the lover of ls^)elb bai never been naeertained, nor is it clear that she was ever guilty of any ilwtfiO' tion from rectitude. But John revenged the wrong that, perhap*, oal* existed tn his maligimnt imagination, in a manner peculiar lo hiiiMiC 'Two of ibese hosmea cbiMreo, Elizabtith hciiBu of sir RaJpU Dviiaiuitef SUerili Cuilfs in WeiUnotelaml, ami WaltPi The lielt of ni Thumai Sir«UnA of Strickluod, rotmed an BHachmmit for each other at thi* coon uf Wliclla. iml >Aerwi>r ibui; Jicnce ihc lanni of the lady de Biaose. — (l^pmL.) She wh a ZfoMB barouct* by binh, lici name Matilda St. Vaiery. 'An «ecJeot Flemish ctuoiuBle siiad by Sgotii aad Bolinjtdiad. IlABBLLik OF ANOOULSMB. 37 Re made his mercenaries assassinate the person whom he suspected of npplauting him in his queen's affections, with two others supposed to be accomplices, and secretly hung their bodies over the bed of Isabella.' Her rarpriae and terror when she discovered them may be imagined, though it is not described by the monastic writers who darkly allude to this dreadful scene. After this awful tragedy, the queen was consigned to captivity, being ecmveyed to Gloucester abbey, under the ward of one of her husband's nercenary leaders. In a record-roll of king John, he directs Theodoric de T3res ^ to go to Gloucester with our lady queen, and there keep her ii the chamber where the princess Joanna had been nursed, till he heard fiirther from him." Joanna was bom in 121 0, according to the majority of the chroniclers. The queen's disgrace was about two years after the birth of her daughter. The queen had brought John a lovely family, but the birth of his (bildren iailcd to secure her against harsh treatment : she was at this time the mother of two sons, and a daughter.' Isabella inherited the prorince of the Angoumois in the year 1213, at which time it is proba- ble that a reconciliation took place between the queen and her husband, tince her mother, the countess of Angoul^me, came to England, and put hmelf under the protection of John. Soon afWr he went to Angou- i^Die, with Isabella. To &cilitate the restontion of the Poictevin provinces, again seized hy Philip Augustus, John found it necessary to form an alliance with w former rival, count Hugh de Lusignan.' Although that nobleman had been set at libeity some years, he perversely chose to remain a hadielor, in order to remind all the world of the perfidy of that faithless boMity who had broken her betrothment for a crovm. The only stipu- Uiioo which could induce him to assist king John was, that he would give him the eldest daughter of Isabella, as a wife, in the pbce of the mollier. In compliance with this singular request, the infant princess Joanm was betrothed to him immediately, and forthwith delivered to him, that she might be educated and brought up in one of his castles, %• her mother had been before her.^ Afler this alliance, count Hugh eftctnally cleared the Poictevin borders of the French invaders ; and king John, flushed with his temporary success, returned with his queen, to plague Elnffland with new acts of tyranny.^ Although die most extravagant prince in the world in regard to .his own personal expenses, John was parsimonious enough toward his baatilifiil queen. In one of his wardrobe-rolls there is an order for a my doth pelitsom for Isabella, guarded with nine bars of grey fur. In king John's wardrobe-roll is a warrant* for giving out cloth, to make ^ S«a Dr. Linsard, reign of John. * Her tecond Km, Richard, was born 1208, and her daughter Joanna at Gloocester. "Matthew Paris. *Goant Hugh is called the son of count de la Blarche, his father being alive. FeBrls, a tunic of white damask, a girdle s^t with garnets and ma- phires, while the baldrick that crossed from his lefl shoulder lo siHtiu his sword, was set with diamonds and emeralds, and hia white glow were adorned, one with a ruby, and the other with a aaf^hin!.' The richness of king John's dress, and the splendour of his jeweller}', partir oerasioned the extravagant demands he made on the purses of bis peo^, both church and laity ; he supplied his wants by a degree of corruption that proves him utterly insensible to every feeling of honour, both u t man and a king, and shamelessly left rolls and records whereby posterity were enabled to read such entries as the foilowiug ludicrous speciroeu of bribery.' " Robert de Vaux gave five of his beat palfreys, thai the king m^ hold his tongue about Henry Pinel's wife." Wliat tale of scandal king Jolm had the opportunity of telling, depo- nent saith not ; but the entry looks marvellously imdignified, in nipl accounts, and shows that stiame as well as honour wu dead in the bfwt of John. " To the Bishop of Winchester is given one tun of good wine, fof »d putting the king in mind to give a girdle to die countess of Albemsrie." The scarcity of coin, and absence of paper-money, made bribery re- markably shameless in those daysj palfreys prancing at the levee,' uJ the four hundred milk-white kine of the unfortunate lady de BibM^ lowing before the windows of Isabella, must have had an odd cflrcL* The queen, soon afler her return to England in 1314, ivas aupereeded in the Uckle heart of her husband, by the unfortunate beauty of Malilik Fits-Walter, suntamed the Fair. The abduction of this lady, who, to the sovEreigns of ibe middle ages prove tlint ihoj kept a royal warsluHiH of raoipcry, haberdaBhcrjr, and linen, from wlicnce ilieir offioer* mmsutcil oat ni- VHls,-brocnde, wuconels. liesue, ^iue«, and Iiinnnings of all tona,' uul ibnqb ihfl teipi of Henry VIII,, nt least, ihe Branu for IhiB hnbprdufaety wrre l^od by the warlilie hand of the English sovsrelgii. See Ihe order Ibr lady tlUlt fold's coiin nwuraing, quoted by Dr. Liogaid al Ihe end of ihs Tcjgn of lluu B» narab ; in whioh even ber caps ar« diaoataed. ■F^crpta Hlitorico, p. 398. ■ Siich otnamenied glovei are *eea oa hii effigy al Worcester calbedial, tM m that of bi« father at Fontevraud. • Vpo Neustria. Man. VfeBtm\nMtet- ■ It realiaei Uie mtire of Vapf, applied U> ilie Walpole tninutty. Tte fMt laiuling the convenipnce of bonk noiei in such oaiea, conlrattf tlw cliirBif «« rflyaiice of tangible properly as bribes, saying, ■■ A bandM& VIML U^J llBTM MM." ISABELLA XGOULEME. in hn juslice, ihoroughly abhorred ihe royal felon, was ihe exploit ■■hirh completed ihe eiBsperaiioii of the English burona, who flew W> imi* for ihc purpose of svenging ihe honour of the most disiinfuislied i!Ti(tng their cIms, lord Fitz-WiJter, liither of the fair victim of John. r.vny one knows ihnl, clad in steel, they met their monarch John nt uiiiinymede, and there - In Uapry bour MnJp the fell lyrani frrl Ins ppoplf's power." The unfurinnaie Maulda, who had rouaeil the jealousy of the queen «ii(l excii«' t Uiatj in ihe spring of ihe year 1215.' .\Aer the signature of Magna Charta, king John retired in & rage ta >:■■ foitreM at Windsor, the scene of tnany of hia secret murders. Hent .'- gave way lo lempesta of personal fury, resembling his fulher^a bursU) ' poxsion ; he execrated his birth, and, seizing slicks and clubs, venlof ' 1.^ maniantl feelings by biting and gnawing them, and then breakitu iiiim in pieces. While these emoitons were raging, mischief matur tiarif in his soul ; for after passing a sleepless nighl at Windsor, he ( puwd for Ihe lale of Wight,' wliere he sullenly awaited the arrival ot ' ■ome imaiia of mercenaries he had sent for from BmbanE and Quieniicit with whooe assistance he meant to revenge himself on ihe barons, the btr isle John passed whole days, idly sauntering on the beach, chaV- tmB fiuniliarly with the fishers, and even joiuing in piratical cxpediliona wiui ibem against his own subjects. He was absent some weeks ; eveiT Mie ihooghi he was lost, and few wiahed that he might ever be fouiia> He onerged from his concealment in good enmeal, when his mercenary '~'-op« urived, and then he began that atrocious progress across ths •iani), always alluded to by his contemporaries with horror. One trail 1/ hi* conduct shall sen-e for a specimen of the reel : — The king every urnming took delight in firing, with his own hands, the house that had ^clicrvd Ikim the preceding night. Ill ilie luidst of this diaMical career be reconciled himself to Isabellaj ■■ ' '- lind kept in a stale of palace reattuinl ever since Ihe abductiov ! ' I tlie Fair.' The queen advanced as far as Marlborotigh Id 11' jau Illi," Mith tho book oT Dunmow, "there atoie a grtat dit^ ^ b«f Jnhn and hit barom, becaiui of MnliiJa, iornamed ihe FaiTi ■:: .r I ; I Rnbi-n lord Filz- Waller, whom ibe king unlawrully loveil. but codHT aa .tictif. bcf. nor ber Ikthec'i consent thereto. Wheien|ion Ihe king baoisha^' , a* B.-i )'ia Laiit..ii. callod fiijmard, and, all bis oibor dwelliaifi, uj be spoiled. Whidh I l-3i( if.ur, lie tent to Matilda ihe Fair about his old auit in laeo, and beoani ■dv V. I lit TKii a^ree in h>> wickeilneH. the meiecngei poisoned aa egg, aud l« Icrf.'fi, when ibe was hungry, boil il and giTB her to eat. She did K •!i-^] " rmdilion points out ouo of ihe toCtj lurrelB, perched on the top, at tl ■se from tlic atlaclu J one wlinm he had indefatigably served during hia life. Hh I ''I'tiieinpcirary hislorisne did not seem to think ihnt l)iis arraiigeinenl, .1 Imwrvtr pnidentty planned, was likely to be elTecln&l in altering hia I ilatinAtinn ; as one of them sums up hia rliaracier in these words tf- | Wnific energy — "Hell felt itself defiled by the presence of John." Tilt c|ttGen and the royal children were at Gloucester, when the m of the king's dwith airived. Isabella and llie earl of Pembroke imm^ ] liiaiely caused prince Henry to be proelaimeil, in tlie streets of that eity, In the coraoalion letter of lienry III. is preserved the memory of t Trry prudent step, taken by Isabella as queen-m oilier. As the kingdca wu in ftn unsettled and tumultuous state, and as she was by no means J Bwiirra! of the safely of the young king, she provided for the security iff | ^•'•\k l.i-r sons, by sending her son Itirhard to Ireland, whieh was at that I turn.' loyal and iranquil. The boy-king says m his proclamntion,* "ThtJ lady ijueeii our mother has upon advice, and having our assent to it| I •rni our brother Itichard to Ireland, yet so that you and Dur kitigdot f«n »pecdily see him again." Only nine days after the death of John, the queen caused her young ] bo crowned, in the cstiiedral of Gloucester.' .'Although so r&> J BBitlj' K widow, the citrrmc exigencies of the limes forced Isabella to J child's coronation. The regal diadem belonging to his faihtir I _ lost in Lincoln Washes,' and the crown of Edward the ConTessn I bcng (u distant in London, the little king was crowned with a gold I ifu«Ml cellar belonging to his mother. A very small part of Engliw4 1 rnvgnised llie claims of Imbella's son ; even Gloucester was divided, I llie citizens who adiiereil to the young king being known by tlie croM ■ 'f Aqnilaine, cut in while cloth oa their breasts. ' The nobtv monumenl i>f king Jolin, in black itinible. with hia flna effigjr, ii to : iivu ill Worv«9ti.'i callieilnJ, Ihougb now removed to die choir, at noinv dil- - .■:r (nrni th« ilpairablu ni-i|jlibou[tioiiil or llic Saxon siiinl. JoUn wai rechone4 \.j hia coDWnipnntlcs ciiremftly liniiclsomc ; but ihc great breaullh over Iba ■■Wtto and emio, Which is the ieiiJing characleriglic of lhi> monarclt, i« not con- ria,nt wllh modarn ideu of beHuly. In the mors animal comelinegs of cM^ pliiiiiii anci farm faa ptobabiy sxoelled. 'Foiiara, vol. i. ■Speed'i CtaKiaiclb ■RrgBid* w«a circulated in Noilblli, that the royal circle! of king Jobn tng ] nrtunlj nnind, in tlio laus eictvation for ilic Eau brink dminxge, near the i tadlcaied tyf chronicler! ni the scene of Ibii lost; and n wel I'sinker, who ki vAlng dT hiftory, informed a gentleman of Norfolk, of a eiirioua discovery M J ■mIo wbcn dig^ine fbr a well in tbc wme nei^liboarhood. "I found," mid h' 'ill IIhi oOurHi of my wll-ditcsins. • king* crown." On l>sinf deiliKl » d KDb* iU ha dcrUtiitl tlmt it wu no larger tliHii (he lop of ■ quut pot, but Otf' I Ml in WDBtnenu round tlie lep i tint it looked black, uid thai b« had no laok (1^ I Ihe Tahii', Cir when ■ JuW imilat oflBred liim iliree pounijs ten (hillings, he «!■ 1 fjaj u> aecepi ll, hut he afturwiirds hcarJ ilinl the Jew had made upward* cf 1 Uty ppundj by the •pecalatian. Tllii Was moil likely one of the golden Mr» 1 mJ* m dnlm (Ued at die back of the king* belmais, a» iu liza ihawi tbaf^ J I I 4'2 ISABELLA or AKOOILENK' Henry vim (lieu jiui nine yt»n clil -, but lliou^h likely lo be > minor fur aome vmrs, ji tiiuit Iw obrntrveJ ihai tlie (juuen-moihOT wu oftnd no vharo in ihe goiremm<-ui ; *iid lu i|uecn« of Englooil h«d (Jr«i}iKflily acted OS rvgrnta, during ihc nliscncG of ihcir )iaab«nda or aotia, iliii n- elusion Li a prDof ihut itir English liclil laabclla in little Mteen. London snil ihe ndjai-'eni cuunliH were \iuio in the ImuuIb of Lmiiad' Frauce. Animig other ^sbcmIoos. he hclJ ilie ijueeii's dower>palace of Berkhampstcad, which was strongly gartiauned with French aolilim. (lowfTcr, the lalout and wisdom of iho protector Pembroke, and Iht in- trppitlily of IluWrl di: Bur^fh, in n few mouths cleared England of ihcH! in trader*. Before her year of wiilowhood liad espiied, l«al>ella retired U) her native city. Angoul£ine, July. 1217. The princess Joanna mided m ttie vicinity of her luutlier'a doitiBina. being al Valence, the c&piial of ibi count do la Marchc. Nothing could be more aingular than the aiiuatiai of queen l»bclla, as niuthvr lo the pmmised bride «f count [iagb.wi that bride but ocven years old. The valiant Ltisignan himaelf wai ^iM from bia territories, venting his superfluous ccinibotivenesa, and aoolhl^ hia croasos in lova, by a cruude which Ite uoilrrlook in I3I& Tia demise of his father obliged him to revisit Puitou in 1220, when ba«« frequrnily in cmupany with the ijucen of England, who wu al tb« «M time hia false love, and tlie mother of iiis little wife. laabelU, at limfi of ihirty-^our, still rtitained that marvellous beauty which hiKl cauid M tu be considered the Helen of the middle ages. It ja iheKibit no gml wonder, thai alie quickly regained her old place in lite conatant taiM tt the valiant Matcher. Accordingly, we find this notation in UatlliavW WeaUninater, that in the year 1220, or'* about that time, Isabella, qM«- dowagerofEjiglaod, having beTore crossed the teas, took lo her binburf her former tpou$t, llie couui of Marche, in Frauce, without leav» of b> son, llie kin^, or his council."' As the queen took this step witboot asking the cuoseni of any one in England, the council of regcttcy witb- held her dower from her, lo the indignation of her husband. A very It" months afforded them an opportunity of righting this wrong. The countcss-queen and tfie count de U .Marche had still retained U ^'aleiice the little Joanna, who had been deprived by her mother of im mature bridegroom. But it so happened that the council of Hr-nnr lil greatly needed the resioniUon of tiie princeas. in order lo make peaH with Alexander, king of Scotland; upon which king [lenr;- took llio opportunity of writing a congratulatory episde to hia muiher on hrt marriage, and demanding the restoration of his sister; but queen Isabell*i highly inceused at the deprivation of her jointure, poaitivety refuaed U give lip the princeas. The young king then wrote to the pope, eomesllt requesting him to escommunicaic his mother and failier-in-law ; the latter he vituperated as a very Judas. Before the pope complied with this dutiful request, he inquired a little into the meiits of ilic case, lixl ' Maitliaw Paris. Beside M Paiii, all hiitoriiui!, nnrienl and mckleni. maaiiaa the nnnanlie le-tnanio^. Rymet's Ttuden, Hemniiaglbid, Wikee, Ratuiiil'' 311, Carta, Tj^etl, Collier, mad Monii ISABELLA OF ANGOtlLEME. 43 ' I Ihwd that Henry III. had ilepriveil his royal mother or all, in England mdGtiienne, ihat appertained to her as the widow of king John, because At (Ud not ack his leave to marr}' a sccuiid time ; and as he was only bnrtern, timl waa scarcely to be ex{>erted. After a most Tohiminous correapottdence between tlie contending parties, on the kin|; of Scots declanng he would not be pacified without a wife from the royni family, Heitry was glad to make up the difference with his mother, by paying Urr ■rrearM of jointure, and receiving from the count de la Marclie the The king of Fninre was the liege lord of count de la Marche; but the ci>uiit«a9-<)ueen waa infuriated whenever she saw her husband arrayed ■{{aiiuii llie iprritorips of her son, and her sole study was, how French pMtou could be rendered independent of the king of France. " She was a ifuwiii'** she aaidi ^ and she disdained to be the wife of a man who had lo kneel before another." Another cause of violent irritation ex- M«l>— Prince Alphonso, the brother of the king of France, had refused Imdaughler, by ihecount delaMaiche. and married Janeof Thoulouse; en this occasion king Louis created his brother, count of Poictiers, and nqoiml llie count de la Marche, as possessor of Poitou, to do him homage. Isabclb manifested great disdain at the heiress of Thoulonse* liking precedence of her, the crowned queen of England — mother, ea ibe nid, ofa king and an empress. From that time she suflered the unfortunate count de la Marche to btn DO domestic peace, till he transferred his allegiance from Louis IX. Co ber won Henry 111., who undertook the conquest of French Poitou at ' the insiigntion of his moiher.' Several ymn of disastrous ware Eiiglitb, Joan Makepeace. She died, when twenty- SO, ■4' a dwelinr, piiHlncpd tiy a change of cUitiole. The king a( Seal*, at this {■ciltcatio*. tcccived baek Uia (Wo sieiera, who had been pledged lo Icing Joha' J tu a Mm at nonay. •Spoc^ •TiUndsRecueil, IMl. 'H. Paris. wi(^ and the rest of the children with him, to the Cftmp of Sl t iht^inselTes at his feet, and were very kindly reccired, on no ditions, than doing homage to prince Alphonso, for three cm It might liavc heen eupfioed ihal the restless epiril of t lamed by tliese disasters; but soon alier, in 1244, die ItfB of was twice atiemptcd: the last lime the assasnns were before (heir execnlion confessed that Ihey had been niboi Isabella, to poison the good king of France, fsabcdla gSTC' the accusation by flying for sanctuary lo the abbey of T " where she was hid in the secret ehunber, and lired at her niatihew Paris; "though the Poictevins and French, cociaidf the origin of the disasiroos war wiih France, called her b name than Jezebel, instead of her rightfal appellation of Isat thew says, tht whole brunt of this disgracefnl business feQ' unfortunate husband and son. They were seized, and attoul on this accusation of poisoaing, when count de la Marche ni to bailie, and oflbred lo prove in combat, with his MCiwer brother to St. Louis, lhal )us wife was belied. Alphonao, ' to liave had no great stomach to the fray, declined it, on I coimt Uu^ was so « ireaaon-spoited," it would be pollni with him. Then Isabella's yonng sou Hugh dutifully ofll in the place of his sire, and Alphunso actually appointed place lo meet him; nevertheless, he again withdrew, ezci on the plea of the infamy of the family. *^This sad n Matthew, " for evil tidings hasten bat, soon reached the in the secret chamber of Foiitevraud." The affront otfitred lo her brave young son seems to hare heart of Isabella. She never came out of the secret chamber assuming the veil, (lied of a decay brouglil on by giief, 1246. As a penance for her sins, she desired to be buried hn common cemetery at Fontevraud. Some years aAerwards h«ri III-, visiting the tombs of his ancestors at Fonlevraud, was i being shown ^le lowly grave of his mother : he raised for b tomb, with a fine enamelled statue, in the choir at Fontei Henry II. and deonom of Aquitaine, her mothei^in-law.' Her statue is of fine proportions, clad in fiowing garment to the waist by a girdle. She wears ilie wimple veil, and frontlet. Her face is oval, with regular and majesiic feature*.' 'Ataitbew or WestmiiisleT. *Ttia alate or Ihe loynL etRgies HI Fouler mud. in ihe pmeni od ■iMciibed in Sntbud* Monumenlat Aniiqullii-). by tbe ndmirKble Bmy. "WheD Mr. SnnfaBtd lirct vUited Ftwme, diiiiog rli* came dltecl lo FonlevrKud h> aweiiam it ibe vfflgiet of oui wire bucieil iheio weie to be hod. He Sbnad Uie nbbejr coavcitad and diicovered in b ocIIhc belonging u> it the effigies o( Heaiy I Eltsnora or Ac|Uilaiao. Riehatd I, and lubella of Angoultmi where I'je flpjiei were placed prnviou* lo Uie roTolulion wiii »t» ■ad' ibfan iovaluatal* effl^i then i«bwxb& «> «- coUaXiWhoM ISABELLA OF ANGOULBMB. 45 The count de la Marche simrived his unhappy partner but till the year 1219. The enmity between him and the family of St Louis entirely diMppeared after the death of Isabella ; for her husband shared the cm- ade that the king of France made to Damietta, and fell, covered with woonda, in one of the eastern battles, fighting by the side of his old mttigoniet, Alphonso, count of Poictiers.' Ubella left several children by this marriage ; dve sons, and at least three dangfaters. Her eldest son, by the count de la Marche,' succeeded ooC only to his Jhther's patrimony, but to his mother's inheritance of the Angoumois. He is reckoned in the genealogy of Lusignan as Hugh XL, count de la Marche and Angoultoe. The count de la Marche sent all his younger sons, with his daughter Alice, to Henry III., who provided for them very liberally, to the great iHlignalioa of his subjects. pOMd to oonstant mntilmtioii ttom the prisoners who came to draw water from m irtU twice every day. It appeared that they had sustained severe ir^ury, as Mr. SaNlierd finind the broken fragments scattered round. He made drawings of (he flgurea, and upon his return to England suggested to our government the pnprietj of obtaining possession of these interesting relics, that they might be among the rest of our royal effigies in Westminster Abbey. The appli- friled, but it succeeded in calling the attention of the French govern- towards theae remains, and in preserving them from total destruction." 'Mbotfiuioon, who gives the date of his death 1249. *Afl a modem writer has committed the strange blunder of marrying Isabella to her own son, instead of her fbrmer husband, the following note is subjoined ftOM Speed, no slight anthority in matters of genealogy. *Qnieea iMbella, surviving king John, was married to Hugh le Brun, earl of Mnchy and k>rd of Losignan and Valence in Poictou, to whomfirU tlu ihould km€ beem tmarried, hui ytt (^oi tumeth) continutd ker affectum to him tiU now. By Inm she had divers children, greatly advanced by Henry 111., their half brother (ttd aa graatly maligned by his subjects). The eldest was Hugh, earl of March and AngoalSme ; the second Chiy de Lusignan, slain at the battle of Lewes ; the tbirdf William de Valence, earl of Pembroke ; the fourth, Ajrmer de Valence, faiiliDp of Winchester ; the fifth, Geoffrey of Lusignan, lord of Hastings." ELEANOR OF PROVENCKj flUBNAMED LA DBLLB. QDEEN OFHENRYin. CHAPTER I. Elt-aiior of Prorcnc?— ParpDiBEe— Biriti— Talenu— Poem writtm by ! beauty — Henry acappls EIpbhot witboul dowry — Escorted lo EnfUml- ried nl OtDlerbory— -Crowned iit WpilminMBr — Coctnme and ]«wel> — I ■Itention lo dresi — Rapncily of the ijaeen't relalivsi — Binlk or hei ehlcMMt — PuuIinKs in her obambers — Attempt on the kiag't llfh — Eleauor nilM M kin^— Birth of bei sldost daughter — Queeu aocanipanie) the kittg to GttiaM — Birth of the princeu Beuiict! — Return to Enslaiid — Tmboiencc iif riiWfrt un^le— Etennor's teeond ton bom — Kingnud qupsn robbed rm the higbMq^ _SleaDOt'e unpopulariiy in London — Dower — Elennor's nrother^ — -Kint pi*** ■bIb — Mnrriapeof princPH Marfiaret — Projected cnts»il« — EiMM leen-regent— King's tlefinriuro for Goicnne — Makes hii wiB— ■» a loyal power to Elesuor — PriniHMa Katliurino born. i of Provence waa perhnpa the moat unpopoUr queen te OTtr presided over the couii of England. She was imrortanalely tiiU to share the crown and ro}til dignity of a feeble-minded sovrrei^alu earlier age ihan any of lier predecessors ; for, at the time of W Il■^ riage with king Henry, she had scarcely completed her fourteenth ytati a penod of life when her education was imperfect, ber Judgiuoit n* formed, and her character precisely thai of a spoiled child, of pncociuB beauty and genius — perilous gifts! which in her case aerved bui to foster Tanily aiid sclf-sulHciency. This princess was ilie second of the 6Te beautiful daughl«ra of Beiw ger, count of Provence, tlie grandson of Alfonso, king of .Amfw Berenger was the last and most illustrious of the royal Provonf^ oountii and even had he not been the sovereign of the land of song, his o«9 verses would have entitled him to a distinguished rank among the trw- Iwdour poets.' His consort Beatrice, daughter of Tbnnus, ftmnl of Savoy, was scarcely less celebrated for ber learning and Uiemry fowm.' From her accomplished parents the youthful Eleanor inheriled boA* natural taste, and a practical talent for poetry, which the «ny m A > M. PBtia. ■ SismoDdi's Litetalure oT tfaa £ea«k 'According lo «ome writpts, ahe was the friend anil coirespemlenl of Sidtfl Coeut d« Lion, and it hu boaa pnerally tuppoHHl thst the caOolDiliBgt >*>■* £nK>y«, in hi> eelebtiued prUon poem, bcKiiuiiog ■ Comleue,'' ii aiUn^al * tbLt liuly, lo whom alra he ii laid lo have icot a copy of his wpna^^ RbaaA mad J. P, Aadnwt, SLSAICOR OF PROVENCE. 47 •bretthed tended to foster and encourage. Almost before she entered her teeos, she had composed an heroic poem hi her native Proven9al tongue. This work is still in existence, and is to be found in MS., in tlie royal library at Turin.* The composition of this romance was the primary ciuse to which the princess, or (as she was then styled^ the infanta of Provence, owed her elevation to the crown-matrimonial of England. Her fiither^s major-domo and confidant, Romeo,' was the person to whose able management count Berenger was indebted for his success in match- ing his portionless daughters, with the principal potentates of Europe. No doubt, to Romeo's sagacious advice the following steps taken by young Eleanor may be attributed. She sent to Richard, earl of Cornwall, Henry the Third's brother, a fine Provencal romance of her own inditing,' on the adventures of Blan- din of Cornwall, and Guillaume of Miremas, his companion, who under- took great perils for the love of the princess Briende and her sister Irionde (probably Britain and Ireland), dames of incomparable beauty. Richard of Cornwall, to whom the young infanta sent, by way of a eonrtly compliment,^ a poem so appropriately furnished with a {xdadin «f Cornwall for a hero, was then at Poitou, preparing for a crusade, in which he hoped to emulate his royal uncle and namesake, Richard I. He was highly flattered by the attention of the young princess, who was ■o celebrated for her personal charms that she was called Eleanor la Belle ; but as it was out of his power to testify his grateful sense of the hoQoar, by ofilering his hand and heart to the royal Provencal beauty in letam for her romantic rhymes, he being alr^y the husband of one food lady (the daughter of the great earl protector Pembroke) he obli- giurij recommended her to his brother Henry 111. for a queen. That monarch, whose share of personal advantages was but small, and whose learning and imaffinativeness far exceeded his wit and judg- ncnt, had been disappointed in no less than &ye attempts to enter the holy pale of matrimony, with as many different princesses. Henry would fitin have espoused a princess of Scotland, whose eldest sister had married hia great minister Hubert de Burgh ;* but his nobles, from jeal- ousy of Hubiert, dissuaded him from this alliance.* * Nostrodamna, Hiit. of Troubadours. ' CrescembinL Romeo is mentioned by Dante as one of the greatest Italian poett of hit tim«; be was tutor to Eleanor and her sister Marguerite. ' Lirea of the Troubadours, by Nostrodamus, who very stupidly mistakes Rich- ard, earl of Cornwall, for his uncle Cceur do Lion ; but Fauriel has, in tlie Revue des Deox Mbndes, satisfiuitorily explained the blunder. *The poem written by the princess Eleanor bears marks of its origin, being pRcisely the sort of composition that a child, or jroung girl of some genius and Unle literary eiporience miglit have composed. It was not without iu popula- rity in bar native country, where it is yet remembered. Probably the young Eleanor received some assistanoe firom her mother and fhther, as the countess Brairiee and the count Berenger were both poeu of great popularity in tlie Pro- vni^l dialect — Fauriiij Rtvue dn Deux Mo9uUm. * It was reported to king Henry, by Hubert's jealous foes, that he had dissuaded a lady fhmi folfllling her engagement with the king, by telling her ^ that Henry waa* a aqninteyed fbol, a lewd man, a leper, deceitful, perjured, more fiunt« iManed than a woman, and utterlf unfit for the company oC an^ fa^i ov tMC^\% lady" (ArticJef a/* /miwacfamen^ Sneed.) ^'BLa^vou CLEinOK OP FROVEKCS . Ao»- * I r then vainly suwl for a conson in ihe rnurtt of Brvta^i d Buherau ; and al length, wholly Aiapiriun] hj hb vnni n( ouo _.,Jrfal every mairbnonial nt-g-ftialion inio whirh he hmit tntenf^i Ae TO^ Cwleht, havin' arrivcil ai (he age of iweniy-ifTe, began, no dmAt. to imagine himvetf deTotcd to a life of single bleisethieu, and reniabtil fonr years without further attempts to provide himself with a qiit«n. In IS39, howcvn, he agiun tnolc rnnnigr, and offered bis li.'iiii] (o Joanna, the daitghier of ihp rarl of Ponthicu; and harjn- time in his life, received a favourable answer to his pmpii- . of marriage with this lady wan ni^ied, and ambanxadors k. them ; and so rode tliey in at the royal banquet, (betiei r were they than the men who wear long gowns in the ci: in these degenerate days), and served the king and that nt>' . )rdmg to their duty.' .Mnnlirw Pnrii. Ciiy Record. Sp>^eiJ. Aa cFllarcn xhfy handed the via the ton! builei. i) ^e tofal builer SLBANOR OF PROVBNCB. 51 The mayor of London, Andrew Buckerel, the pepperer, headed this nlendid civic calvacade, and claimed the place of Master Michael Belot, the deputy of Albini, earl of Arundel, the gprand boteler or pincema of En^and ; but he was repulsed by order of the king, who said, ^ no one ooght by right to perform that service but Master Michael." The mayor mbmitted to the royal decision in this matter of high ceremonial, and lerved the two bishops at the king^s right hand.' After the banquet, tlie arl-boteler received the cup out of which the king had drunk as a antter of right ; and Master Michael, his deputy, received the earPs robes. Gilbert de Saodford claimed, for the service of keeping the queen's chamber-door at this coronation, the queen's bed and ail its furniture, as her chamberlain.' Alms were bounteously distributed to the poor on this occasion, king Henryf with all his faults, being one of the most charitable of princes. The most sumptuous and splendid garments ever seen in England were worn at the coronation of the young queen of Henry III. The peaceful and vigorous administration of Pembroke and Hubert de Burgh aad filled England with wealth and luxury, drawn from their commerce with the south of France. The citizens of London wore at this splendid ceremony garments called cyclades, a sort of upper robe, made not only of silk, but of velvet worked with gold. Henry III., who was, like his fttfaer, the greatest fop in his dominions, did not, like king John, confine die cMnders of his wardrobe rolls to the adornment of his own person ; hot liberally issued benefactions of satin, velvet, cloth of gold, and nmine, for the appareling of his royal ladies. No homely dress of green cloth was orderiMi for the attire of his lovely queen ; but when a mantle fined with ermine was made by his tailors for himself, another as rich WIS given out for Eleanor. The elegant fashion of chaplets of gold and jewels, worn over the hair, was aidopted by this queen, whose jewellery was of a magnificent order, and is supposed to have cost her doting husband nearly 30,000/. ; an enormous sum if reckoned according to the value of our money. Eleanor had no less than nine guirlands, or chaplets,' for her hair, formed of gold filagree and clusters of coloured precious stones. For state oc« cauons she had a great crown, most glorious with gems, worth 1500/. at that era ; her girdles were worth 5000 marks ; and the coronation present given by her sister, queen Marguerite of France, was a large silver peacock, whose train was set with sapphires and pearls, and other precious stones, wrought with silver. This elegant piece of jewelry was ^ Ai the citizens of London had claimed the service of the butlery, so those of Winchester claimed that of the royal kitchen ; but the doings of tlio men of Winchester, in the capacity of the cook's assistants, have not been recorded. The cloth that hong behind the king's tabic was claimed, on the one side, by the door>keepers, and, on the other, by the scullions, as their perquisite. ' Speed. City Records. " See the elegant description of this kind of head-dress, in the lay of sir Laua fel, written a few years aAer : *^ Their heads were dight well withal, Each with a jolly coronal With sixty genu or mo." I I I KLKAMIK OF P R O V K N C ■• twcd u a rsMirToit for swei^l watent wliicli were furcei) out of ib bnk, into B buiii of sUver chaiwiJ. Henry dui nol (orgol hl» own ipptrtl, when Ke endowed hi* queen to riclily wUh jcwcU ; lie wu aoled as tho firat prince who won the eomlj iDklsrHl nlled baudekitu, bmI, urayvd in a gaimeaE of ihia brillitat UMue of gold, be lal upon bia tlirane, and •* glitlered very glarioosly,"' wbcn his young mkI tovely queen aluired his llunl corotMliun. Tile expenwa of Eleuior^s curonaiiou were enorntous. So greU mu the outlay beyond the lungVreeource»,that lien ry expended the p<^itioii of hU ftister Ifsbctk, Ju»t manicil tr> iho ctn)icror of Uermany, for ih« purpose of ddraying llienu* When be peiitioned the lords for a thirlielh of his ■iihircts' propprly, bb a relief from liis dilTii'ulueH, thtiy told him *• Uicy hnJ amply supplied funds boUi for his marriage, and iliat of tkt enipreaa-, aiiil as he had wasted the money, he might defray the uzpencet of his wedding as he could." Oreat oflijncc, it seems, had tJready been taken by the nation tl lb« nniubor of foreigners, especially lialians, who had accompwiied, oi fol- lowed, ijueen Eleanor to Rutland. Among these was licr uncle, pMer . of Savoy, one of the yuuiiger bruiliera of ilie countess of ProTeoK, lienry created Peter earl of Kichiiiond, and, at the suit of the nuiea, bestowed upon him thiU pari of Loudon itince called the Ssroy, fton this ptiiice. lie paid the crown but the nominal nuit-r«nl of tlim bm4 arrows. Peter founded there a noble pnloce, which the queen, hi* niMti afterwords jntrchased of him fur her soti Edmund, earl of Loncaslac-' In the course of one short year, the ascendancy which the nnde of hie young queen guined over tlie plastic ntuul of Henry was so cob» dendile, Uiat the adminiairation of the kingdom was entirely left in ha discretion, and all the patronage of rhureh and slate puaeil ihruugb ba huids. Kichsid, earl of Cornwall, at tliat lime the heir praauniptiTfl to tin throne, ihotuh greatly attached to the king his brother, reprobaied llenr)''s conduct in permitting the iiilnisioii and interference of iht tiueeu's foreign relalivea and utleud&nts; bidding his brother "fuUo* llie prudent exnmple of their brother-in-law, tho emperor, who, vhoi he received ilicir sister, l)ie princess Isabella, sent bark all her tnio ol followen." The king of Fmnce, loo, he remnidnd Henry, hod i^bi the same course, when he married the elder sister of queen Eleanor.' In tlie fourth year of hor murriage Eleiuior brought an hcii to Eof land. The young prince was bom on the Ittlb of June, 1233,alWesi- ■ Maulicw P&ris. 'Uuiiiy )iaJ iniieed fined lils lifiet out wiili a aumpiuniu wardnbc. tht i^ntA of wliicli lio bad iieiioeaU)' auponnieiulo own use. (ii^pH. So^'l ' Pennaut'i Lgndon. ■ M. Vm». SLEA50R OF PROVB!«CB. 53 niinster«and received the popular name of Edwaid,in honour of E«1ward the Confessor; for whose memory Henry III. cherished the deepest Teneration. The celebrated earl of Leicester,' was one of the godfathers of prince Edward* and held him at the baptismal font : he was then in the height nf &Tour both with Eleanor and the king. But the scene changed be- fore the queen left her lying-in chamber ; for when she gave a grand festival on occasion of her churching,' and the king summoned all tlie ireat ladies of the land to attend the queen to church, Leicester brought his newly wedded wife, the king's sister, to perform her devoir to Elea- nor, but was received with a burst of fury by Henry, who called him ** the seducer of his sister, and an excommunicated man, and ordered his attendants to torn him out of the palace." Leicester endeavoured to remonstrate, but Henry would not heir him, and he was expelled, veeping with rage, and vowing vengeance against the young queen, to whose influence he attributed this reverse. Independently of his noble taste in architecture, of which Westminster Abbey is a standing proof, Henrv HI. was undoubtedly possessed of a love for the fine arts ; for we find, in the seventeenth year of his reign, a precept directed to the sheriff of Hampshire, commanding him to cause the king's wainscoted chamber, in the castle of Winchester, to be painted with Saxon histories, and the same pictures with which it had been painted before ; which proves, not only that historical paintings in oil on wainscot were then in use, but that they had been painted so long ihat the coloure were fiided, and required renewing. Again, we have a precept of Flenry 111., twenty-three years afler this perioid, which mns thus :— <^ Pay out of our treasury to Odo the gold- smith, and Edward his son, one hundred and seventeen shillings and ten- pence, for oil, varnish, and colours bought, and pictures made in the chamber of our queen, at Westminster, between the octaves of Holy Trinity, and the feast of St Barnabas, the same year, in the twenty-thim year oif our reign.'' ' Among many other proofs of attention paid by Henry to his young queen on the birth of his heir, we find that he onlered ^^ the chamber behind her chapel, in his palace of Westminster, and the private cham- ber of that apartment, supposed to be Eleanor's dressing-room, to be freshly wainscoted and lined, and that a list or border should be made, well painted, with images of our Lord and angels, with incense-pots scattered over the list or border." He also directed that the four evan- 'Simon de Montfbrt, carl of Leicester, the third son of Simon, count de Mont- fbn, the sanguinary leader of the crusade ajcainst the Albigetises. He had 8orveI into high spiriiA. and began to be very amusing lo the :] minne, joeiilating for their entertainment, and singing some choice ■irelsy.' Thns he whiW away the time till daik, when he stole ilie king's hed-chamber through a window, armed with a long sharp , and concealed himself among the rushes under the king's bed. Henry, forinnBiely for himself, pnased that night in the queen's cham- hrr. and Ribald, rising up al midnight, stabbed the bolster of the rdjrnl bed »e»etal times, searching for the king in vain, and demanding wheVe Im wa«, in a loud roaring voice, which so alarmed Margaret Bisaet, one of the (joeen's maids of honour, who was silting up late reading a dcvom fcwok by the light of a lamp, ihai her shrieks awakened the king's Mirants, who took him into custody. The unhappy creature was Omoim} at Coventry for this oflence.' The following year two other uncles of ihe queen, Thomas, count of SiTov, and Boniface, his younger brother, visited England ;' and Henry, wit of complnisance lo his consort, received and entertained them wiih toch roagni5cence, (hat, not knowing how to support the chaige by liiflWl means, he sent word lo the Jews, that unless they presented him •Lih twenty thousand marks, he would eipel them all the kingdom ; mi thus lie supplied himself with money for his unjust generosity. TV denih of Sl Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, funiished Henry ' I'ij » furtltcr opportunity of obliging Eleanor, by obtaining the nomina- !: iif her uncle Boniface lo the primacy of England. Mjiiliew of Westminster, as well oa Paris, informs us that Eleanor ir, with her own hand, a very elegant epistle to the pope in his be- ;, "taking upon herself," says the worthy chronicler, (who appears ' iiive been highly scandalized at female interference in ecclesiatlical ir^,} '^ for no other reason than his relationship to her, to urge the Mr of this unauiiable candidate in the warmest manner; and so," iinues he, " my lord the pope, when he had read ihe letter, thought jrj- lo name liiis man, who hatl been chosen by a woman ; and it : I iimiiioiily said that he was chosen by female intrigue." '>;iii'r proofs of Eleanor's unbounded influence over the mind i\ was observed, that when, on the death of Gilbert Mare- I Pembroke, his brother Walter demanded of the king the : t^ifl .Marshal, which was hereditary in his family, Henry at U in a gi be presenL" Tm^ • the ettri, having succeeded in biece^ticg queen Eleanor in hit bioH^ 1 k^ia preferred his suii, it vraa iinmedulely gramed through hec povtr- ful iulercesBton.' (ioedn EUsnor preAented her royal husband widi a daughter id the yosr 1241, who was named MHrgaret, after the elder sister of Cleaooi, ilip queen of France. The following year, the queen accoiDintiinl llw king her busbaud on his itl-mlvised expediltoTi agaioat her brutlin-iii- Uw, the king of France,' with whom that pe&ce^oving monarch hiil BiiAared himself to be involved in a quarrel, to oblige hu mother, Inbdii of Angoul^ute.' The king and queen emWked at rori«mouih. May 19, 1242. Henry was totally unsuccessful in hia aiUcka on the kiiif d France, and, after a seriea of defeats,* look refuge with his quwo al Bourdeaux, to the great scandal of all his English knights and oobla^ niony of whom forsook their sovereign, and relurned hwBe, wbieb Uenry rerenged in tlie usual way, by fining their estates. Eleanor gave birth to another daughter at Bourdeaux, trhoB i^ trained Beatrice, after her mother, the countess of Froveiu:e.* la cousequcnce of the close conuexiou between their queens, Loa IX. was induced to grant a Inice of five years to his vanqubbcd fiM Uenry and Eleanor then resolved to spend a merry winter u Bourtei^ where ihey lunused [hemselves with as ntuch feasting and yuff»aUjm if Henry had obtained the most splendid victories, alUiough be m much impoverished by losing tiis military chest, and his moveude chifit royal, with all iis rich plate, at ihe battle of Toillebouig. ITUta Satj and Eleanor returned to England, they landed al Portsmouth, anil coin were issued thai the principal iuhabilanls of every town on tbe toWM bjndon should testify their loyal aflectioa, by coming forth on boW back in their best array, to meet and welcome their sovereign ind Ul queen.' During Ihe residence of the royal family on the continent, qosa Eleanor strengthened her interest by bringing about a onion betwteatar youngest sifter Cincia, or Sancha, and tlie kjng's brother, Rirliard, mI of Cornwall, who had recently became a widower. The (r.^,,;.™ »« solemnized in England, whither the countess of Provence ■ affianced bride in the autiunn of tlie same year. Henry <■■; Jews to furnish the funds for the splendid festivities, whi' proper to ordain in honour of the nuptials between his tir sister of his queen. One Jew alone, the rich Aaron of T ■ pelled to pay no less than four hundred marks of gold, an : . of sHver; and the Jews of London were mulcted in lik. ■ The charge Henry was at, on account of tins marriage, may tw nsiimWni by the wedding-dinner alone, which consisted of thirty ttiousand dolK " The kuig," say the chroniclers of that day, ■* thought lie never OMB do enough to testify his love for the queen and her fomily."' The countess of Provence, not contented with the splctMlouf of ^ * Sm the prscvdii^ bkva)^ SLBANOR or PROTENCG. 57 iMmnent, (honghl proper, before she departed, lo borrow four il marka of the kinj for the use of her hueband. a mtMeonduct of Rleaiior's ancles, uid their unfitHMs for ihs high poRsible aitnalion, in which ihey were placed in England, may IhCTcd from the following disgraceful fracas, which look place be- ■ itie archbishop Bonifaee and the monks of St. Bartholomew-. In r im, Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, thought proper to e himself in the bishop of London's diocese, on a viiitation lo the jinury of Sl Bartholomew. The monks, ^ough they liked not his eoomf , received him with respect, and came out in solemn procession i«ni«Mhim; hut the archbishop said "he eame not to receive honour, hm tar the purposes of ecclesiastical visitatitMi.'" On this, the monks nplml, '* ihnt having a learned bishop of their own, they ought not lo be THtlrd bv any other.^' ■ This answer was so much resented by the vraihful primate' thai he smote the sub-prior on the face, exclaiming in ijiiL'OTemcd fary, " Indeed, indeed, doih it become ye English traitors ■ u.i withstand me ?" and, with oaths not proper to repeat, he lore the 1 \-<>pe of the sub-prior to pieces, and trampled it under his feet, and it liim DgKtnst a pillar of the chnncel with such violence thai he had ~(gft slain him. The monks seeing their sub-prior thus maltreated, I the arehbtshop back, and in so doing dtscovered that he was i in armour, and prepared for battle. The archbishop's attendants, e all Proven^ls to a man, then fell on the monks, whom they I, and trampled under foot. The monks, in their rent and BjamwRU, ran to show their wounds and to complain of their ^ to tiieir bishop, wbo bade them go, and tell the king thereof. tRly four who were capable of getting as far as Westminster, pro- I to the palace in a doleful plight ; but the king would neither see -WT receive their complaint,' The populace of London were, how- ■ g«at indignation, and were disposed to tear the archbishop to I pursDing him all the way to Lambeth wirii wecrations, crying f " Where is this mOian, this cruel emiter ? He is no winner of ^acter of monev — a stranger bom, unlearned, and unlaw- Boniface fled over lo the palace, where he made his story Il Ihe king, through the influence of ihe queen, his niece ; and imlU of St Bartholomew got no redress. Il this time, Henry, it is said, ordered all the poor children, from laand highways round Windsor and its neighbourhood, lo be 1, anil munificently feasted in the great hall of the palace there. !■ tho royal children were all publicly weighed, and their weight IT dtatribnled in alms among the desutute individuals present, for 1 of the souls of the princely progeny of himself and queen i lie following year. 1244, the threatened war, between England and ■laiiil. was averted by a contract of marriage; in which the liand of ■Idcst daughter of Henry and Eleanor, the infant lady Margaret, was 'arfd to the heir of Scotland, the eldest son of Alexander 11.' I I I I I 98 ELEANOB OF FBOTE5CS. Id tl)« beginning of the year 1245, the queen was delirerod of in second son, prince Ealmund. The porliameni having, in llio prKcdiBt November, relused an aid to the king, he levied a fine of fifleen hnndnB marks on the city ot London, under pretence that they had ■bellati one Walter Bukerel, whom he had banished. Henry was encoin^cd k his unconstitutional proceedings, by a very trivial circuntslanee, A £n broke out in the pope's palace, and destroyed the chamber la wbillLlkl principal deed of Magna Charta was kept, which made the quocn iuij tliat it was rendered null and void.' England was at this period in such a state of misrule, that in Ilaiw- shire no jury dared to lind a bill against any plunderer; nor om IM tysteni of universal pilluge confined to the weak and undefended, sian Matthew Paris declares " king Henry complaiued to him, that wboihi was Itaveliing with the queen through that pouniy, iheir Ivgg^^m robbed, iheir wine drunk, and themselves insulted by the lawless nbUs." Such was the insuigent stale of Uampshiie, that king Henry toM find no judge or justiciary, who would undertake to aee the laws dilf executed. In this dileiQioa, he was forced lo sit on the bench of jiislill himself in Winchester Castle j and no doubt the causes detenniiwd tf him would have been well worth the attention of modem ropatW* While thus presiding personally on the King's Bench, Henry hw oc» ■ion to summon lord Cliflord to answer at this justice-«eat br teat nalefaclion ; when the turbulent misdoer not only contumMJou^l^ fused his Btiendance, but forced the king's officer to eat the rojnl nr> rant, seal and all!' Henry punished him with spirit and caang». One great cause of the queen's unpopularity in Londont orifuMJ from the unprincipled manner in which she exercised licr iatliMtict tc compel all vessels freighted with com, wool, or any peculiarly valwUi cargo, to unlade their cargoes at her hithe, or quay, called ^uecnhUkf: because at that port (the dues of which formed a part of the r«veiuiei ti the queen-consorts oi' England,) the tolls were paid according 10 lb value of the lading.' This arbitrary mode of proceeding was wilbost parallel on the part of her predecessors, and was considered as a icrm> grievance, by the masters of vessels, and merchants in general.' JttkM Deaaor, for a certain sum of money, sold her tights in this quay tn kr brother-in-law, Richard, earl of Cornwall, who, for a quil-rtmt cf IAt pounds per annum, let it as a fee-farm to John Uisnrs, the maycB •* London, for the sake of putting an end to the perpetual disputes, bet«(M the merchants of London and the queen.* Ill order to annoy the citizens of London, Henry, during the ilJitiW regarding the queen's gold, revived the old Sxxon custom nf c« folkoioles, and by tliis means reminded the commons, as the gretl of his subjects were called, that ihey had o political existe than the barons of England, — and they never again forgot iL " ' M. Paris- ^ '' ■ Hnrrisonj Suivef of London. ' ■ Haiiiion's Surrej of London. T1>il w< the IbMinotee, vtdch were iitad by t)ie k afBuni the ma^Mnles who had QSended. SLSJLIIOE OF PEOVBNCB. 59 Modem writers have asserted that there was no middle class, in the days of the Plantagenets— what, then, may we ask, were the citizens of [4MMlon, those munificent and high-spirited merchants, whose wealth so often in this reign excited the cupidity of the court ? If the conduct of the king and queen, towards this class of their subjects, had been guided by a more enlightened policy, they might have found in their loyal •flection no trivial support against Leicester, and the disaffected aristo- eiacy of En^nd ; but, excited by the rapacity of Eleanor, the king pil- laged and outraged the citizens, till they threw their weight into the ■ale of the mighty adversary of the monarchy. Qpeen Eleanor was somewhat relieved from her pecuniary difficulties Ky the death of the queen-mother, Isabella, in 1246. She was put, aAer this event, in full possession of the dower lauds appointed for the Eng^ lish queens; she however appropriated her replenished purse to the use of her mother, who, now a widow, paid another visit to England, to the great indignation of Henry. The king was discontented at the manner in which count Berenger had disposed of Provence, to the exclusion of his ddest dauffhters. He was, besides, very little able to afford gif\s to his wife's moUier, since he had not at that very time wherewithal to meet his household expenses. He was advised, as the parliament refused to assist him with more money, to raise the sum required to satisfy his damorous creditors, by selling his plate and jewels. ^ But where shall I find purchasers, if money be so scarce ?'' demanded the king. ^ In the city of London,^ was the reply. On this, Henry petulantly observed, *^ If the treasures of Augustus Cossar were in the market, the city of London would purchase Uiem, I suppose. Those clownish citizens, who call themselves barons, are an inexhaustible treasury in themselves.'' * With the determination of participating in some of this envied wealth, Henry and Eleanor thought proper to keep the Christmas of 1248 in the city of London, and extorted presents from the most liberal of the leading men there, to the amount of upwanls of two thousand marks.' This was, however, fiur from satisfying the royal visitors. Henry com- plained that he had not been treated with sufficient respect, and to testify his displeasure, proclaimed a fair in Tothill-fields, for the benefit of the men of Westminster, which was to last a fortnight; and during that period he forbade the citizens of London to open their shops for any sort of traffic, to the great injury of trade.* In Henry's thirty-k>urth year, occurs his order to the master of the Temple, ^ that he deliver to Henry of the Wardrobe, for two years' use, I eertain great book, which is at his house in London, written in French, eootaining the acts of the king of Antioch, and of other kings." It had been compiled and illuminated, under the care of Henry himself, and if it was, as supposed, relating to Uie crusading Provencal princes of An- tioch, it would be a valuable history.* The extreme straits to which the king and queen were, at times, teduced for the money they profusely lavished, may be gathered from » M. Paris. Speed. ■ Survey of London. ■ Stowe. •CUme Rolls, quoted by Brayley. Hist Palace of Westminster. I ^m lb* ^H md VO BLEAKOR OF PROVE^CCB- lliF ftet, that in th^ twrntynKvenlh yew of tiis tvign, Heiin-, Mf ' wiihout the meu* iiT fMvini; llie oRiMn of ihc diap«'l ruf al M WindMii iMued m unliT tu John MHniHrl, directint; him " lo pawii the moat nlfr able image uC the Vir^n Mu-y for (lie iiuru iequiiv« be ctepooiteid in a decent plstcc."' In the year 1240, the roynl coflcn being entirely fxhnniied, 1111] dw parliament rrfiiiing to ^m any aid, 1 ) en ry proceeded to pnuiiar tlw degimdiiie expedient of suliriiing loans and gifts of every person ri ceth diiion wno Liiien>w money on nitn, titan on those who wsu trotn door tu door begging an aim*.'*' The king and qwecn were ne«i eeixed with an unw"ii' noniy, and noi nttly forhnre to ninke expensive ^nts nm I ' put nil tiiBir tcrvanta on ahort allowrancei nbrid^l ihi . nduanl to diabtirec any of the gntuiiiea whieh the kinp :i: Fjigland had been acciutionied to bestow. They ruaaeil it. [.'ui ua iticir ruj'al robes/ and, to rtb the expense of keeping a table, they hSj invited Iheinfelvei, with thrir son, prince Fdwan), and a chosen nombti of their foreign kindrett, or bvouriiea, to dine with the rich tnini if (t> city of London, or tlie CTeal men of ilic r- content unleas preaonted wiili costly gilts at their departure, which ihr look, nni ns uhligaiiuns and proob ur loyal al&eiioii to ilicir pewBi. but aa iiiatiera uf righL The cry of the land, in that reign, waa agninat foreign infloeticeBit forei^i oppression ; and it was a proverb, thai no one but a Pnnmjtl or B Poicievin hiui any hopes of advaneement, eillier in ihf "ifiK! w church J and which were held in the grcalesi abhorren... thcrs of the king, or llie uncles of ihe queen, it was dilfl< :.. On St. Dunatan's day, I30I, queen Elcnnor'a apartmLH'.- Oaaila were struck by lightning, and the cliimney of tin r .. '^ 'i^ ah« and the royal children were, ww thrown down by tin ' Madox. ' M. Parit *A liiieign hisKirian Jeclaio> that llio 1liiij,-iiiiu<' nr Uii? Kjii;]',>t r»lgn M bartaroiu u their inannprii. T •• ■- repilnr eotiAuion of longUFi.as in Engtiin ' haul, II wn> a nisfk or nobilitjr oud Ri- : NonDan-FiDiioli, 01 in ProTBnpil ■ and mn thvni not. All the qawa'* nun ipokv I': langtiH|p> but NDi-man-FtCQcb ; the uliun'li iiliiIititk )»iI Liiiui ; tho rnpipd SBXOQi tliertifute, in addiiioa 10 hrr o^or ailalbnuDoa, pcm 10 cnduie the plapiM of lbs Tower uf BebrJ, »Sonie um," i^ farjr wriWr, "sunnEi! (ibberiag, ohatiBrlng, wnffing. anil rnlingi ' umbrM iDn|cu<> (uid »Bp<<D wilb l^T«no» «kiu lion or llii? riiiog Isiigiwgi', its iharp of liannoDT and tj !igii nf El«n.ir uf PioTenrr. and b " iiintty, aidpd Ihis Itannfutioa. It !( 1 11, in ordoi 10 prewne ihi; kinBs poi , . _, •nlMivoiu, had 10 be nad ia ihne lansuaKM — Saxon, PMOoh, wmt ■ LBAHOR OF PROVBIfCB. 61 » shock, and reduced to dust.' In the parks many oaks were rent mder and uprooted ; mills with their millers, sheepfolds with their epherds, and husbandmen in the fields, were, by the same awful storm, tten to the earth and destroyed. The year, however, closed, more auspiciously than it commenced, tfi the espousals of the princess Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry d Eleanor, then in her tenth year, to the young king of Scotland, esander IIL, who was about twelve. The nuptials were celebrated Ih great pomp at York, where the royal families of England and Scot- id kept their Christmas together. The youthful bridegroom was knighted by king Henry, in York cathe- ■1, on Christmas-day, in the presence of the whole court, and the next oraing the marriage was solemnized at an early hour. Henry endea- mred to persuade the young Alexander to pay him homage for the ■Im of Scotland ; but the princely boy excused himself with good Idreas from the performance of this important ceremony,' by replying that he came to York to be married, not to discuss an af&ir on which B, being a minor, could determine nothing, without consulting the states r his kingdom.^^ Henry, finding his son-in-law was of so determined ^Hrit, could not find it in his heart to break up the nuptial festivities f iiiflisting on his demand, especially as the archbishop of York had BBcrously promised to be at the expense of all the entertainment, which ost him upwards of four thousand marks, ^^and six hundred oxen, teh," says Matthew Paris, ^ were all consumed at one meal." * More worthy of remembrance, however, than these enormous devour- igi of the hospitable archbishop's beef, does the worthy chronicler OBsider the dignified and princely conduct of the youthful majesty of eodand, at his bridal feast, and the amiable manner in which he suppli- Med, on his knees, with clasped hands, to his ro3ral father-in-law, for le pardon of Philip Lovel, one of his ministers, who lay under the iai^s heavy displeasure at that time. The royd bride joined in the Bdtion, kneeling with her newly-wedded lord at her father's feet, and inging on his garments. Henry was so moved by the artless earnests » of their supplications, as to be only able to articulate one word, V^illingly," and all who sat at the feast melted into tears of tenderness id admiration. The object for whom these interesting pleaders used eh powerful intercessions was an unworthy peculator, convicted of seiving bribes in the dischai^e of his office ; nevertheless, the misjudg- I sovereign was persuaded, by the engaging prattle of two inexperi- eed children, to invest him with the tempting office of treasurer. No ubt the royal supplicants had received their cue from the queen, or me person who possessed the means of influencing them, to make an pral in favour of Lovel, for it is very improbable that at their tender e they would have thought of him at such a time. The extravagance of dress at these nuptials, has been noted by many iters. Matthew Paris declares the nobility were arrayed in vests c) k called eointoisesj or quiniises; and the day afler the nuptial cere- Stowa. 'Chronicles of MailrOB. * Matthew ?«i\a, ^t^««^ r I I cnony, ihe queen of England anil her loilies laiii tliese new robe* wiiict and appeared clad in others sijll mure costly, and of a new piun, The robes quiiUisei, thus named ta express their fanciful quainwah were upper, or superlunics, with no sleeves, or very short oiiea, bordcnd wilh vandyking, or acoUoping, worked and notched in various paUenu, scarfs were worn by knights, li la quitUUc, meaning thai they wtn ornamented with a notched border. The qtiiniiie robe was worn by queen Eleanor so long before and behind, as to trail on lite eround, and was held up with one hand, lest her steps should be iinpedeil. The &^ man de la Rose, speakins; of these gaimenU Arst worn by Eleanor taJ h«'r court, counsels the ladiea, if their feel and aucles be not «m*ll tnil delicate, to let their robes iail on the pavement and hide them, whilil those whose feet are of a beautiful form, may hold up the robn ui Iroid, fur the convenience of stepping along briskly. He uncivilly conipam the ladies to pies and peacocks, which, lie says, " delight in fEoilien oC various colours; so do our courl ladies. The pies have long laiN lliai train in Ihe dirt, bul the ladies make ilieir tads a thousand tiiues longrr than the peacocks and the pies.^' Ladies' head-dresses were singularly elegant, in the yonlh and mukilf age of this beautiful queen. The hair was gathered up under a golikn network, over which was thrown the veil, or covcrchef. Those woffltfi who ventured to walk in the street with only the caul, garUiMl,uil bandeaus. without the shelieiiag veil or coverchef, were deemed touio per characters, and liable to insult. The unmarried females wore W> hair Aowing in ringlets on the shoulders, or, if their tiessea w«n Wf long and luxuriant, braided in two tails, and tied with ribbouf , or k Imi of gems, at the ends. Tlie veil, surmouuied with a bandeau, was miimri when tliey rode or walked in the open air. The queen is Bomatinci represented with the homely g'orget or wimple, in illuminatiofts of llMt lime. The gorget fashion imiiated, in cambric or lawn, the kni^bt'l helmet, with an aperture, cut like the vizor, for the &ce to peeoihraogh; and very lovely that face must have been which did uol look opf through so hideous an envelop. The felicity which the king and queen enjoyed, in the celebration of their daughter's union with the Scottish king rupted by the return of Henry's discarded favourite, Simon de Mnatfitft, | earl of Leicester, who had passed sis years in a sort of honotiniU* banishment, as governor of Gascony. Deputies had been sent ftiw thai province wiUi complaints of Leicester's tyrannical conduct, and br, having succeeded in refuting the charges of his Gascon foes, procMdoI to call upou the king to reward him for his services, r«miniliog bim of his royal promise to that e^cL Henry, with infinite scorn, re{med,tliK '■ he did not consider himaelf obliged to keep his word with a tnitaL" Leicester fiercely told the sovereign " he lied, and were he not hit kinf he would make him eat his words ;" adding, " that it was acarcely f)^ ■ibie to believe he was a Christian, or ever bud made confession ' Liiru'd in llie chutoh of the bleited Edward of Wot- iMh^i.T, ill, |, I .■ liTncDi — luTiiig tormerly &ppaint«d mj boAj to ba liiin'-'l III i: ^ ' I . . <CB. Ae ag»in eommiitpd UiPin, togMh«r with Kiclurd fhrdpll, dnper. Die mayor, v> iho nmo prison, for •rreara of ui aid, towards ihe war in GtMOBJ. Thwe ftTbilmry proceedings of the enl the king fire hundred marks from te own private eolTers, as a new year's gili, for the immediate reli«f of ha mart pressing etigeaciM.' Henry then direeled his brother to esUt from liie lucklew Jewa the sum required, for ijie nuptial festKJtin of hii heir. As soon as Henry receivnl the glittering fruits of this uuquilf, he aent for Eleanor, to assist him in squandering il away, in the t^ and vain espeusea, in which they mutimlly delighted, and lo grant wok her presence the bridal of their eldest son, pnnce Edwani.* Fioum, who loved power well, hut pleasure belter, on this welcome summinii resigned the cores of government tu the earl of Cornwall, and, wilh h> sisUit, itie countess of Cornwall, her second son, prince Edmund, and i courtly reijoue of Indies, knights, and nobles, sailed from rortsnioinh on the ISih of May, and, Unding at Bordeaux, was jo)-fully welcooied by her tiusband, and their heir, prince Edward, whom she had not seeii for upwards of a year. She then crossed the Pyrenees with her son, ■nd having assisted at the solemnization of his nitpUals with the in&nti Eteanora of Caslille, relumed with tlie royal bride sod bridegroom K king Henry, who was waiting for their arrival at Bordeaui. Inslgid cf ■ailing from thence to England, tlie queen persuaded Henry lo aeupl the invitation of St. Louis, her brother-in-law, to pass soffle days at lut court with their Uain. At Chartres. Eleanor enjoyed the pleasure of embracing her sister^ li< queen of Freuce, who, wilh king Louis and their noblea, Uiere nAu' I welcomed dielr royal guests, and couducted tliem with dl due ponp* Paris.' Here Louis assigned the palace of the Old Tem|^, lor ifa* W df^nce of his royal guests ; a domicile thai could almoat furnish aeraO* I moilations for an army. The morning after their arrival, Henry firt*- buted very abundant alms among the Parisian poor, and made a tplEndid ruLi*. ■ M. Paiu. ■ M. Paris. M. WeBmlaMn. XLBANOR OF PROVBlfCB. 67 ontertaiiunent for the relatives of his queen, which was, in memory of ks magnificence, and the number of crowned heads present, called the Feast of Kings.' Contemporary chroniclers record that neither Ahasu- enis, Arthur, nor Charlemagne, ever equalled this feast, in any of theit frr-fiimed doings. King Henry sat at table on the right hand of the king of Fimnce, and the king of Navarre on the left. King Louis, with the princely courtesy and meekness which so much characterized the niyal saint of France, contended much that the king of England should take the place of honour; but Henry refused io do so, alleging that the king of France was his suzerain, in allusion to the lands which he held of him as a rassal peer of France ; on which Louis, in acknowledgment of the compliment, sofUy rejoined, ^ Would to God that every one had his rights without offence." ' At this memorable entertainment, queen Eleanor enjoyed the happi- ness of a reunion with her four sisters, and their children, and her mother, the countess of Provence. Ailer the royal family of England had received, during a sojourn of eiglit days in Paris, all the honour, which the power of the king, and the wealth of the fair realm of France could bestow, they took their leave of these pleasant scenes. The king and court of France accompanied them one day's journey. DeancHT and her husband landed at Dover on the fiAh of January, lt55, and on the 27th made their public entry into London with extra- oidinaiy pomp. They received a present of a hundred pounds sterling, which the citizens of London were accustomed to give on such occa- lioiis ; but as Henry did not seem satisfied, they added a rich piece of plale of exquisite workmanship, which pleased, but certainly did not content, this most acquisitive of all our monarchs ; since, a few da3rs after, he extorted a fine of three thousand marks from them, on the frivoloQs pretence of the escape of a priest from Newgate, who was ■censed of murder. It was very evident to the citizens, that Eleanor had not foigotten their resistance of her illegal exactions ; for much strife ttfucd regarding her claims.* Eleanor, who was probably ambitious of being the motlier of as many cmwned heads, as those, by whom she had seen the countess of Pro- vence proudly surrounded at the feast of kings, was much elated at the pope sending her second son, prince Ekimund, then about ten years old, ■BLPvis. 'M. Paris. The king of France alluded to the detention of Normandy and Aqirm, the inheritance of the House of Plantagenet ' In addition to this impof ition, Henry forced the Londoners to pay fourpenea t day for the maintenance of a white bear which he kept in the Tower of Lon- don, having six years previously commanded the sheriffii of London to provide a muzzle, and iron chain, and a cord, for the use of the said royal pet, while Ashing in the river Thames. Henry appears to have hod a mighty predilection fe wild beasts. Tlie menagerie at the Tower was formed in his reign, com- ItaeDcing with three leopards, which his brother-in-law, the emperor, presented Id bim. Then he had an elephant, which was so highly prized by him, that on hf decease he issued a writ to the constable of t)'e Tower, '*to deliver the bcnei of the elephant lately buried in the Tower ditch to the sacristan oi Westminster, \o make thereof what he had enjoined him to do.'* R OF P R O V a ring, whereby lie professed to invest him wiili ilie kingdMB of 8kil)r. But ihe f lb« porpoM tt eslablishing the chimerical claima of the boy to tbis sbsdowy England, Eleanor's trouble of mind brought on a violent iltncas nJ she was confined to her bed at Wark Castle,' with amall hope* of bi life.* At last tidings came, thot Gloucester and Mansel had gaiaaj W- millaoce into the castle of Edinburgh, by assmntng th« dress of lenaM L ■Speed. 'Rymet*! Vaioa. *1'lirte h among Ihc Tower records b Icuer fiom Henrj, ilaud Ann Vut, Seplember 13th, cvidonily wnllcn wl>ili> be wbj yel in Boipenw u w IhB w^ or iliifl sdair, enfomjug " bU deal loii IjUlwaril or WeMminstet, ami hu lna«aMt Tbilip Lovcl, irf the love siul faiili thejr owe biia, to keep the £»*«* irf tM bvouiilD saint, EJwud tbe ConG-iwl, with ail due pomp, the same ■* it M» Rif were piewni) and to make an olTeiing in golil fbc faimwll^ ht tkt q^H and the royal ohildien ; also thai tLey cause to be touched the sU m croa «a tt jpest altai at WeiUiiinaui, and otter a plate of gold weigliiog <»• tPutm, te ■ame aa wai ouMomar]' to be done whcu the king waa prcvMit at Ihe maa it% EUwant ; and ibai ihcjr cauie nj come ■olcmnly to WetimlniMt. iw Sl btraA dar. the pnuMsion of iha church of Sw Margivrel, and all iha pnmeieHBu (f ^ eit/ of London, with wax-tigh(9, as (ha kltig haih commnnd^ Uu nu^ mi the liouMl nieu of Loiulun." Benijr concludes with coinimislinf ir-iU Wk of tlie [islaue at WeiQuinstei In be Ailed with poor men and woini ' " I ■ LCAMOE OT PROVBNCS. 69 Saliol ihe governor, and, in this disguise, they were enabled to give «t access to their ibllowens by whom the garrison was surprised, the rescued king and queen restored to each other. Their cruel lers, Baliol and Ross, were brought to king Henry at Alnwick to irer for their treasons; on their throwing themselves at his feet and loring for mercy, he forgave them ; but as Baliol was his own sub- he mulcted him in a heavy fine, which he reserved for his own pri- ! use. He then sent for the young king and queen of Scotland, to I him at Alnwick, where the king of Scotland solemnly chose him c his guardian during the rest of his minority. Ipwen Eleanor's illness continued to detain her at Wark Castle, even r her mind was relieved of the anxiety which had caused her sick- L Her indisposition, and extreme desire of her daughter's company, certified in a letter of king Henry to his son-in-law, the king of tJand, dated the 20th of September, 1255,* in which he species. at the queen of Scotland is to remain with the sick queen, her mo- r, his beloved consort, at Wark Castle, till the said queen is suffi- itly recovered to be capable of travelling southward.'' hi Eleanor's convalescence, the king and queen of Scotland accom- ied her and king Henry to Woodstock, where she kept her court h more than ordinary splendour, to celebrate their deliverance from ir late adversity. There were then three kings and three queens at todstock, with their retinues.' Richard, earl of Cornwall, having lined his election as successor to the emperor of Germany, had imed the title of king of the Romans, while his consort, queen Elea- h sister, took also royal state and title. ifler exhausting all the pleasures that the sylvan palace of Woodstock, extensive chase and pleasance, could afford, they proceeded to Lon- ly where, in the month of February, the three kings and queens made ir public entry, wearing their crowns and royal robes.* kU this pomp and festivity was succeeded by a season of gloom and e. The departure of the king and queen of Scotland was followed that of the new king and queen of the Romans, who went to be wned at Aix-la-Chapelle, carrying with them seven hundred thousand uds in sterling money. A dreadful famine was added to the public barmssment, occasioned by the drain on the specie. I was at this season of public misery that Eleanor, blinded by the ish spirit of covetousness to the impolicy of her conduct, chose to iw her demands of queen-gold on the city of London. These the I enforced by writs of exchequer, himself sitting there in person,* compelling the reluctant sheriff to distrain the citizens for the same, liis year the queen lost her little daughter, the princess Katharine, 3m she had borne to king Henry duriug his absence in the Gascon . The king caused a most sumptuous monument to be erected for in Westminster Abbey. There is among the Tower records an sr to his treasurer and chamberlains of the treasury, to deliver to lymer't FcKlera. ' Matthew Paris. M. Westmiaattr. latthew Paria. * Stow't London. E BLEAXO OP PROVE!«rB. Miister Simon de Wills fire marks mil a half for his from 'Lon lion a ccrtsin brass image tu be set on the rayal anil fur paying to Sirann de Gtoucesier, the king's go] image for ihe like purpose, ihe sum of eevenly tuariis. The ardent desire of ihe king ard queen foi ifae mtin second son's title as king of Sicily meeting with no enca litile piece of stage cfleci was deviled by the sorereipi, 1 foolishly imagined he should move his obdnrale bsrona to gM niary supplies for his ilarling project. Having caused the j to be aliired in the graceful costume of a Sicilian hii^,h«i r^ of tho parliament, presenied him lo the assembly vith I speech : — " Behold here, good people, my son Edmitnd, w his gracious goodness haih called lo ihe excellency of kie how comely and well worthy he is of all your favour, am and lynnnical must they be, who, at this pinch, would doxy and seasonahle help, boih with money and adricer" Of the latter, truth lo tell, the barons were in no wise I they urged the king not to waste the blood and treasure of' people on such a hopeless chimera ; but Henry, who waa ai as he WHS unstable in well-doing, periinacimisly relmned 1 notwithstanding the strange insensibUity manifested by llM comeliness of the young prince, and the picturesque bemH I dress, for which the royal sire, in the fond weakneai lity, had condescended to bespeak the admiration of tha The aid was finally obtained through the interference t _ ite, but on condition that the sovereign should consider ta ly the Oxford statutes. The object of those stalutea wu I power of the crown to a mere nominal authority. ' One day, as the sovereign was proceeding by water lo d as overtaken by a tremendous thunder-slonn, ami in gra le boatman push for the first stairs, forgetting, in bis U ilonged to Durham-house, where Leicester then dwdt T iwelcome courtesy, came In receive his royal brother^! landed from the boat, telling him, at the same time, " not ' ' aa the storm was spent." " I am beyond measure afraid c lightning, but by the head of God I fmr thee more than id in the world," replied Henry, wiih as fierce a lorft as be To which Leicester mildly rejoineil. " My lord, you are t your only true and firm friend, whose «ole desire it is to J land from ruin, and yourself from the destruction which yr sellora are preparing for you." Henry, for from confiding in these professions, took tbe lunity of leaving the kingdom, to fceW assistance from th iiexions of his queen. In his absence, die king ami qtt arrived at Windsor Cascle. on a visit lo queen Cleanor. after Henry's return, John, duke of Rreiagne, came o*i princess Bcairice. The earl of Leicester allawed the kj tmple supplies for the entertainment of these illustrioiis pi w*M.PiU. •Und. ELEA^OR OF PK0\E<1CE. 71 • ctniTi U Windsor had never been more numerously alli'niled, or I magnificenily appointed, than on this orcasion ; but there wai- a iding elooni on the mind of the royal parenta, which the pr^enee lir difesi daughter, and the marriage of iheir second, fniled to di«si- The young (jueen of Scotland passed the whole winter with her 1 Windsor Castle, where she lay in of n daughter, state of Henrj-'s mind at the period preceding the baron*' war e gatherMl Irom his issuing directions to his painter, Master Wd- a monk of Westminster, to paint a picture for hini, of a king 1 by his dogs, from an attack made upon him by his subjecia, p LoTel, the king's treasurer, is ordered by this precept, which was I in the fortieth year of Henry's reign, to diaburse, m the said ir Williams, the full charges and cspeiises of executing this picture ; b is ordered to be placed in tlic wardrobe of Westminster, where was accustomed lo wash his head, a period, the king and queen chiefly confined themselves within W other of the royal fortresses of Windsor, or the Tower, both of rere nrengthened, and prepared with additional defences, to stand After Henrj- had violated llie provisions of Oxford, he took up dence in the Tower of London, while Eleanor remained wilh r J gwrison to keep Windsor. The principal communication be- ■ these forliJied palaces was by water. I^ISfll died the queen's sister, San cha countess of Cornwall and ■ of the Romans, for whom the king and queen made greet lamenia- h and gave her a mttgniltcenl funeral. B^at year the royal party gained such strength, that the earl of r fband it m prince Edward was carrying on the war against the Welch, T^i cause became more formidable, and in 1*203 that might) r relumed almost at the same lime with t)ie king, lo whom he e barons to present an address, requiring him to confirm the I, adding a defiance lo all who opposed them, the king, L, and the royal children excepted. This exception may he It things considered, as a very remarkable piece of civility on f die reforming barons of the 13th century- One of ihe moat ■1 of these was Roger Bigod, earl of Norfolk and Sutlblk, lo 1 angiy parlance king Henry said, "What, sir earl, are you so Ji me, whose vassal peer you are ? Could I not issue my royal HI fat threshing out all your corn ?" " Ay," retorted Ihe earl, *'and in return send you the heads of the threshers."" n would ihey have been who had ventured to undertake thai A striking instance of the disregard of all moral restraints, I die high and mighty, in that reign of misery, may be seen ' ■ robbery, committed by the heir apparent of the realm, on the 1 I I fl9 BL*A!in« nr TRovmncm. tiTtaory of the Knts;)iUi Trinpluv. in tiir year 13d3. "nioM mSiarr fuonki wei* Dot only tl)e iiHUtera of gmiL wealih, bul aewil u bonkm uhI money-broken lo all Europe, lending suma on rich ptedgw S luuiioii) inicrcM. (^eni Elrooor, U tlto ciRUDCTorni«)t of thi OvMm m which l)» rorktrse canoeRls had inrolrcd ihc kin^, had drwxMihm jewrlt, for mtextnty, with tliia fnilcniity, \iho hai.] advancoa a nn uf money ufiun ihein. On die retitni at' pnnce Uward front In* ncUcwa coinfwiifn in U'lklea. Huiliiig hiniaelf without the menu of dkAoniag llR anf urs of puy which he owed hu iruupa, and anwfllbig to dmimai nM whom ha forrtaw hia Taihpr's c«uk wouM raqaire, naH;hc4 Mniglkmy to ihe Tempb, onil told the master thai it was tut fiwman lo Me ihf ^ irweU of the queen his motticc, na he undcntood lh«y wore aot mUl kept. On thi* cxctiee he eniBnid llie treasury, and broke open the coF- Sat* of many person* who liad lodged their money, and pledga tot Mfcurity, in ilie IibiuIh of (he Teniplsm, and Mised ten ihountid pouoAi aterliii^, pttBcipally belonging to the cituieus of Londoti, which, together with the tfuecn'B Jewels, he carried olT to the royal rortreas of WmiltorJ A few monUiB alWrwarda ilie queen pawned these jewels a kcmkI time to her st«i«r'« bushnnd, llio king uf Kranoe ; that monareti [irat«blf rivinliii^ the ruhbery ol' the Template as a very emaU ain.* The active ptui taken by queen Eleotior aiid faer eldatt Km, m lilt iiiisiiiaiiagcineiii of the king's allairs, at this critical pariod, is mwJwl iby mUtihew Farts, who is certainly a credible witne«a,tBd one wbohid ever)- means of information on the aubject, sine*, (mm the great ntftft in which bis tnleiits were held by king Henry, b« was ianisd to in. Harrinm') Satrt^ t> of Lunaon, ic. 441 )t 'Far LoDis hod pennitiod his Bnaclicd tiicnd and foilnwer, Ae loiO ds Ja<>- ^ Ivilln, who iriuioiiIiBBlJy leueiU* Uia Ihcl in tug otiioBk'Iool'thu onsBtde. to M>> ^ open Ujs tmauip-cheaii of ibii wcslthy fyatcnuty of ibe oliureh militant at Di- miens, will) a iJsdjie-liijnnier. and take from (Lance tlio lum requitoJ to wsta I ■p bis taocom. Joinville't Clinraiele, ytt lU Si, I/m,a. ' * * Pionouticeil wmk, meaning twining or n-roDcbing (he words of I CSarla fhxn llirir clear uid simple rigBidealioa. KLEANOR OF PROVBHCE. 7» f indeed were the wiles and e\-atiion«. very inFonstsienl with the d MiUier-like pltiiineBs o( his characler in after lire, which were d by ihe valiauL heir of England, while acting under the influ- iSiDcere mother, in the hope of circumventing the barons M by force. , notwithstHDilin^ the relucinncc of the qiteen,' king Henry o sign an amicable amng«ment with the barons, by which d bmiself to confirm the provJHions of Oxford. This agreement, _l might hA*a averted llie storm of civil strife, was regarded with to impatience, by some of the destnictives of the thirteenth century, L«ager for phmder and athint for blood, linding they were likely ■diaappoinled in the object which had led them to rank themselves %• tide of the reformbg barons and their great dictator, Moniforl, IS • dreadful tiproar in London against the unhappy Jews, whose .h excited their envy and cupidity. I^Wikes, a contemporary chronicler, thus details the particulars of ult, which was the prelude to a personal attack upon the queen, d of SL Faults gf^' bell, a numerous mob sallied forth, led phen Buckrell, the marshal of London, and John Fitx-John, & I baron. They killed and plundered many of these wretched I wilhont mercy. The ferocious leader, John Filz-John, nn li with his awortl, in cold blood, Kokben Abraham, tlie wealthiest w resident in London. Bexides plimdering and killing fire hundred led race, the mob turned the rest out of tlieir beds, undressed i, keeping them so the whole night. The next morning they iced the work of plunder with such outrageous yells, that the s then at the Tower, seized with morlnl terror, got into B with many of her great ladies, the wives and daughters of the iding to escape by water lo Windsor Castle. But the raging whom she had rendered herself most obnoxious, aa soon as —Y obaerved the royal barge on the river, made a general rush lo the bridge, crying — " Drown the wiich '. — drown the witch !"' at the same ■idM! polling tl)e queen with mud, addressing the most abusive language k) her, and endeavouring to sink the vessel by huriing down blocks of kood tnd stone of an enormous weight, which they tore from the MoCniahed buildings of the bridge. The poor ladies were pelted with roam eKK*! and ■heep^s bones, and everylliing vile.' If the queen had t^misieirin shooting the arch, the boat must have been swamped, or her •e«»el dsslied to pieces, by the formiilable missiles that were aimed at tk«r pcDon. As it was, she with dilhculty escaped the fury of the assail- •au by returning lo the Tower. Not considering herself safe there, she >«nk skDctuikry at night in the bifiliop of l,ondoii's palace at Sl Paul's, Mwsc* she wna privately reraoTcd to Windsor Castle, where prince bdword kept garrison willi his Uoops. This high-spiriied prince never ^ k*e iIm Londoners for the insult ihey hud o%red to his mother.* « I hj^*e lite Lout ^■ilpilrit. Id llie MuiboworWetUnmsinr. Wiltra. Speed. Rapia. 'Ibid. 0( Wotininitri, i n Ilia FJuwets of Uiilory, delaili tbis oatrafis wfth int. Id llie Latin of tlia oluiitei. ^1 BLBA iOR I Tliough Eleenor had been o modi unpriucipled plunderer o( the J wkenevbr opportunity served, stie was accused of patranbtn^ t' because great numbers of ihein liud llotrkcd into Engtand a her marriage with king Henr)'. t^e Proveogal princM hiring i granted toleration to litis people. Eleanor never foigol hor Icmv K London bridge, which had the etiect of hurrying forward tha cini war. Al the lime when the harons had agreed to reler their gricmoen Ut llit drbitrstion of Sl Louia, the brotlier-in-law uf tlie uucen, king Henry lonll Eleanor with him to France, and led her lliere in October, 1!C6I, milt her children, at the court of her «isler Marj^erile. The decision of St. Louis, though really a rational om, did not MWfr tlie barous, who protested against it on iho gmutids of fiiniily pwubiy, and Eugland was forthwith involved in the tlomes -of ciril war. Amt Henry had placed his adored queen in security, and taken • letKlnr iatn of her and her young children, he returned to Engkud to encmoier it» ■lorm, with more spirit and manliness than whs usual to hta charMirr. On Passion Sunday, Henr}' gained a great victory at Nonhamptoa urw the barons ; be took hi^ rebellious nephew, the earl of LvictMtar'a ddtM son, prisoner, together widi fourteen of ilie leading barona.* Ilnry %u»i his victory with great moderation.' At the oas^e of Tunliridge. Inrfcit countess of Gloucester, the wife of one of the most invelemleof bit (dm, fell into hia hands, but he geueroualy act her. at liberljri witL the BBll^ BliBANOR OF PROVBlfCB. 75 Croydon, where he made a merciless slaughter of the hapless citizens. When he returned to the field of battle with his jaded cavalry, he found his &ther, who had lost the support of all the horse, taken prisoner with his uncle the king of the Romans, and Edward had no other resource than surrendering himself to Leicester, who conveyed him, with king Henry, as captive to the castle of Wallingford. The remnant of the rojral army retreated to Bristol Castle, under the command of seven knights, who reared seven banners on the walls. The queen was said by some to be safe in France, but old Robert of Glouces- ter asserts that she was etpy ^ in the land for the purpose of liberating her brave son. Let this be as it may, she sent word to Sir Warren de Basingboume, her son's favourite knight, one of the gallant defenders of Bnstol, that Wallingford was but feebly guarded, and that her son might be released, if he and the rest of the Bristol garrison would attack ii by surprise. Directly Sir Warren received the queen's message, he, with three hundred horse, crossed the country, and arrived at Walling- ford on a Friday, just as the sun rose, and, right against All Hallows church, made the first fierce attack on the castle, and won the outermost wall. The besieged defended themselves furiously, with cross-bows and battle engines : at last they called out to sir Warren, that ^ if they wanted sire Edward, the prince, they should have him, but bound hand tod foot, and shot from the mangonel" — a terrific war engine used foi casting stones. As soon as the prince heard of this murderous intention, he demanded leave to speak with his friends, and coming on the wall, assured them, ^ that if they persevered in his mother's intentions he vhould be destroyed." Whereupon sir Warren and his chevaliers retired in great dejection. Simon de Montfort, pretending to be angry for the violence oflered to the prince his nephew, carried off all his royal pri- soners for safe keeping to Kenilworth Castle, where Edward's aunt, his countees, was abiding, and who ofiered her royal brothers and their sons '* all the solace she could." The queen, thus disappointed in the liberation of her gallant heir, soon after found a partisan, in a lady strongly attached to her. This was lady Maud Mortimer. Lord Roger Mortimer had, much against the wishes of his lady, given his powerful aid to Leicester ; but having received some affront since the victoiy of Lewes, he now turned a com- placent ear to the loyal pleadings of Lady Maud, in behalf of the queen and her son. What all the valour of sir Warren failed to accomplish, the wit of woman efl^cted. Lady Maud Mortimer having sent her in- structions to prince Edward, he made his escape by riding races with his atttendants till he had tired their horses, when he rode up to a thicket, where dame Maud had ambushed a swift steed. Mounting his gallant courser, Edward turned to his guard, and bade them ^ commend him to hia tire the king, and tell him he would soon be at liberty," and then galloped off; while an armed party appeared on the opposite hill, a mile distant, and displayed the banner of Mortimer. 'Concealed. r I I To BLEA:tOR OP PROTENC8. ■Wbr (houli! hall a kmg lalf t Ha off n»p>^ h>, To ■!)« oULle of Wigmore ihs injt »ocin hs toolt, TbuRi was jay srul blisi emw wlirii lin eamn thiUmc, To ihe loiIy of that ensile, clauio MbuJ de MortiniBr," Damg ibe captiTUr of her huBbanil btkI eon. it is aaserlMl that D» nor pr Ptovence made more than one privalo visit to England. Oaim- tibly, ihe reaiiled in France, with her younger children, amler ih« kiiul protection of her siaier, queen Marguerite. Meantime, she had, liireetlf itfler the disastrous ticld of Lewes, borrowed all the moaey alie eonld raise on her Jewde and credit, and proceeded lo muaier forces, and nnip a fleet, Matthew of Wealminster does full justice lo the euer^ik efiun of "' this uoble virago,*' as he styles qtieen Eleanor, for the lib«r>i>ad nf her husband. ''She sacceeded," be mys, "in getiinfi; to^etlier a pM nrmy, conimaQJed by so many dukes and carls as aeomeii incredible;'' aiid those who knew the strengllt and power of that army affinattL " lluit if they had once landed in England, they would prreseatly hm subtlued the whole population of the country ; but God in his ineret," continues tlie chronicler, '^ ordered it otherwise ;^* for while il>e qoMa and her foreign troops remained wind-bound on the other side olf tin water, the battle of Evesham was fought and won, by her vnlianl ««■ prince Edward. Leicester had the audacity to proclaim that pcinmod all his loyal chivalry traitors to the captive sovereign, for whoee delim- anre iliey had displayed their banners. There are letters in the Fusdero, written during Hemy's eaptiTi^, att- dressed by him " to queen Eleanor abiding iu foreign parts," in whsi he assures her of his health and comfort, and continued afleclion (or ba and their children, and of his good hopes of a liappy peace being tottt established (through the blessing of God) in his dominiune. Thne letters are, however, evidently written under the resLraiui and diciatioii of the carl of Leiceaier, since the captive monarch desires, ziay, «a^ mands, the queen to >■ abstain from any attempts to alter the state sf things, and charges her to exhort his heir not to interfere in bny war against his will, which will be further explained by master Edttarddii C^rol, the deacon of Wells, who is the bearer of tbeae ■uissmii.'' Thev are dated Windsor, IStli of November, 1264.' Eleanor, of coarse, paid no regard to the forced nutodales of bet m^ forttinale consort, but, like a faithful helpmate in tlie lime of itoabi*, exerted all the energies of her nature for hia delivecanoe. Possnsoig the pen of a ready writer, she addressed llie most persuasive leiicn U> Urban IV. and his legates, setting forth the zeal and ubvUience her lu» band had ever shown to the church / she obtained bulls in favour al^ party, which were of great service to the royal cause. The batde of Evesham was won by a eoap de mai took prince Edward's army for that of his own son, Simoo de Sit which the prince had intercepted and dispersed. Wlien covered his error, he was struck with consternation, and aloud, '^ May the Lord have mercy on our souls, for our bodies •Rfm»T't Fcedera, vol. 1. •Matlhew of W. SLSAHOR OF FROYSirGS. 77 6^8 P Leicester exposed his royvl prisoner, and former benefactor, Henry, to the shaf^ of his own friends, by placmg him in the front e battle. Poor Henry was wounded with a jarelin, in the shoulder, ras in imminent danger of being slain by one of the royalist sol- , who, mistaking him for one of Leicester's party, would hare cut lown, had he not cried out, in a lamentable voice, ^ Slay me not, I [enry of Winchester, your king.'' An officer, hiring this, ran to isistance, rescued him from his perilous situation, and brought him Ince Edward, who, greeting him with the tenderest affection, knelt mplored his blessing ; and then, leaving a strong guard for his pro- «i, pursued his victorious career.' lis liattle was fought on the 4th of August, 1265, fourteen months the defeat and capture of the king at Lewes. Though great pro- ion had been given to the king, and every member of the royal V, there was not a single drop of blood shed on the scaffold after fecisive triumph. Henry, with all his fiiults and follies, was tender uuui life, and mindful that the noblest prerogative of the crown is jr. Neither is it recorded of queen Eleanor, that she ever caused a linary vengeance to be inflicted on any of her foes. King Henry, !ver, made the Londoners pay pretty dearly for the pelting they had wed on the high and mighty lady, his companion.' At length he ed a charter of remission for their sins to his consort, in these s: — bart of Okmcester, in strains of rugged strength, bewails the death of Leices- id describes the singular darkness which overshadowed the fhtal plain esham, ** while England's barons fought a field." ** Such vras the murther of Evesham, for battle none it was.** proceeds to sa]r, that the victory was much displeasing to the Saviour, who token of his anger by a darkness over the middle earth, such as befel 1m died oa the rood. For, ** The while the good men at Evesham were slew, In the north-west a dark weather arose, Suddenly swart enow that many men rgros, (terrified) And overcast all through the land, that me might scarcely seoi Grislier weather than it was might not on earth be ; Few drops of rain fell, but they were large enow, Tokening well through the land when these men were slew, For thirty mile then. This I say, (Roberd That first this book made,) and I was sore aiVaid." divested the city of its ancient charters, caused its posts and chains to be away, and ordered the mayor, with a party of the principal citizens, to t him at Windsor, to confirm the instrument of their own degradation, by if die seal of the city to a written form of their submission to tlie royal % Wh(*n they arrived at Wimltor, tlicy were treated with the utmost con- y by the oflcert of the royal hoitseliold, and committed to the custody of msfable of the castle, who shut them up in the keep till the following day, , as a great Ikvonr, they were bestowed in less alarming lodgings, except ftyor, and four of the most obnoxious to tlie ro3ral cause, who were deli- to prinee Edward, and by him subjected to a rigorous confinement till thej «id ransom for their own persons, and consented to petition the king to a sum as the price of reconciliation with the city of Lcmdon. Hftixn^i^n\ I I 78* ELBAHaR OF PBOVENCE. ^^| " Know ye> itial in conBidentlion of twenty tiiousuul marki, paij lo IM by our citizens of London, as ui nioiicaieni fur their great crium ■tkl tnisdcnieanoura ogaiast us, our royal consort, our royal brother, fUchanl king of ilie RonuLua, and our dear sod E<1 ward, iliai we have, and do. by these our presents, remit, forgive, acqnit," &c. tec. &c. TKis enormous fine was not paid into the king's exchequer, ererf fiinliing of it being devoted lo queen Eleanor's use, and, by hrr daairt, it wa« iransmilicd to certain persona in France, who had supplied her with money at her need, during her exile from England.' As for Henry, he had a rich harvest of fines and confiscations, grauiMl by his obliging parliament, from the lands of the rebel barons. The "disinherited," as they were called, who were thus stripped of lh«r patrimony, liaving nothing more to lose than their lives, raised a &Wi revolt, under the banner of Simon de Montforl, Leicester's ruined heir, who was also king Henry's nephew. The consequences of this rebellion were happily averted by the atrinl of the queen, who landed at Dover, October 29ih, 1266, bringing wiA her tlie pope's legale, cardinal Ottobone, whom she had iiidueed lu vmi England, for the purpose of hurling the anathema of the church agiinsl the rebel barons. Ollobone accordingly convened a ^ynod, and solemnlv exeommunicaled all the adherents of the late earl of Leicester, wheiMr living or dead, which had a wonderful elTect in suppressing the infiD' The discontented annalists of tlie era mention tliu event, by aytBf that the queen returned with the legate, and that " together they toMet great cursing." Thus did Eleanor see the happy termination of the barons' wm, and was once more seided with her royal partner on the throne i^ England. In the year 1267, the formidable revolt of the earl of GloncesKT occurred. Fortunately for the queen, she was at Windsor when hii partisans stormed her palace at Westminster, which they socked, brmk- ing and destroying everything they could not cany away, even to the doors and windows, and making a great slaughter of the roj'al dontMtin, who offered some slight resistance. They also did great mtacliicf to At beautiful new-built abbey. Four of these banditti being discuveml tobt i the servants of the earl of Derby, were, by that nobleman's onlera, DmI up in sacks, and thrown into the Thames.' J It was at this juncture that prince Edward personally encountered ibt I last adherent of Leicester, and overcame him. The queen afierwinU I proved the benefactress of the gallant outlaw, Adam tie Gorili'ii. >rb" was not B Scot, but a Poictevin. We translate, from i ; i lit be offeied wi-' ■Iks. Bui the I., ; to unreaaomiblii .i >, -aA been KniltL™ uS agaiiut liirn ami Ibe (guson, tliiit ne Wu al leomh inilKCecl innads ro tw(-nl^ thoiiunri mnrluL— ^amam't Sun^f. ' 'Awali of London. T.WUttx. < whom rarTf blaiifht termi ooi tiioui fina or liiiy ihouHiiiiJ n 'igly the iin)>o»{bililj' of lainn et riiin many families who I r R O V E X G B. Ucniingfonl and Wikn, lliia odrenCure, so credilable bolh to Eleaiio^ kuii her son. ■* Edward engaged iht brave outlaw, Adam de Gordon, in Alton funtl to hand, «ad fHirly conquered him in a personal encounter. Ifnuitiiig him hia life, he brought him to his wife's palace or Guildrord^ where hiB mother happened la be that evening, and introducing him to ilie queen, pleaded so eariiesily for him, that Henry 111. pardoned thia adherent of Leicester, and Eleanor soon after gave Gordon an office at Windsor Oude." St. Eflward'a Chapel being now complered, and forming the crowning ^nry of that sublime ehff d'auvre of Gothic archiieciure, St. Peter'a Abbey at Weslmineler, which Henry III. had been lifty years in build- ing, he, ou the I3lh of October, Si. Edward's day, 1200, assisted by hia brother, the king of ilie Romans, and his princely sons, Edward arid, Kdmund, bore the bier of the royal saint on his shoulders ; and, in liul pnsence of his queen and all the nobles of bis court, placed it in ita new statidti, tjueen Eleanor oflering a silver image of the Virgin, and oUier Jewels of great value, at llie fnrine. King Ilenry reservetlthe old coffin of St. Edward for his own private use ; having, with his usud: Mrapliciiy, an idea that its previous occupution by the royal saint bad made it a peculiarly desirable tenemenl. rorliinately for Uie future peace of England, Boniface, archbishop of '''i/iU-ritur}', the chief cause of queen Eleanor's unpopularity, ditnl at ~..vi>y the same year thai prince Edward leti England.' From the exchequer rolls of this reign,' some lighl is thrown on ihs ilomeslic usages of royally in the middle ages. The royal table was, it ihould seem, chiefly supplied by the Hherllfs of the counties, or ilie bailiffii of towns. Thus, w^ find that the ahenff of the counties of Buck- ingham aiid Bedford, by ihe king's command, on one occasion brought har hundred and tweniy-eight hens to Westminster, for his use. The bwli& of Bristol provided coiiget eels, and the sheri^ of Essex, fowla and other victuals. The bailiff of Newhaveu brought lompreya. Th» •herifi' of Gloucester was commanded to cause twenty salmons to be piK inio liis pies, agiunst Christmas. The herring pies of YarmouLli and Norwich still form part of iheir quil-reni to llie crown. The sheriff of Sbsmx waa to furnish brawn, and other provisions, for the royal usft The shcrilf of Wiltshire provided oxen, hogs, sheep, fruit, corn, and many otlier tilings for llie queen, when she was at her dower castle of Uarlborough. Tliesc requisitions were, however, by no means coniined tn eatabjes. In tlie thirty-«evttnth of Henry lll.'s reign, the sheriffs of Wiltshire and Sussex were each ordered to buy a thousand cUs of fina iiiiro, and to send it to ihe royal wardrobe al \Vesiminaler before thi utit Whitsnmide; and the linen was to be very fair and delicate il ' Mitdnx'i HiiL Eiehenuei Libtrnl. 37 H. III. m. 4. Somo of thete suppli '•■t know were quii-raDit, u the bertini pies of Yntmouth and Narwiub. T^M N'tilTi. in aOter it.jimDcei, bouglit the pioductiua) for wliicli oaoti iocalily ^' :.Jiii(nu, and pskl tliemselrei oul of the crown lenu of ihe couaif or cily. I ha a I I i SQ ELEANOR OP PBOVEKCE. quality. In the forly-eecond of Henry, ihe sherifig of Norfolk vi Suflolk were cominantleiJ to diiburse tliiriy bezants, to be off^nnl U 9l Edmund's shrine, for the king and queen, and iheir children. Thir Att- jiff of Nottinghamshire was enjoined lo cause llie queen's chunbnil Nottingham castle to be painted with the hiBiory of Alexander iheOrai; and the sheriff of Southampton to cause the image of St. Chri*toph*t, with our Saviour in his arms, and the image of SL Edward Ihe kiiig,U be painted in her chapel at Winchester.' lie of the Tower rolls, dated Woodstock, April 30th. in tli» ihtriy'secoDd year of Henry IIl.'s reign, that monarch directs lii« tnt- surer and chamberlain to pay Master Henry the poet, whom he ktIe^ Liouately alyles, " our beloved Master Uenry, the versiGcBlor," one hiiD- dred shillings, due to him for the arrears of his salary, enjoiniug ibmi to pay it without delay, though the exchequer was then shut. In the great roll of the forty-ninth of Henry IH. there is a carimn account of queen Eleanor's wardrobe expenses, as rendered by Hugh of Ihe Pen ; from the feaat of St. Philip and Si. James, in the forlv-finl yw of the king her linshand, till the feast of 3l Simon and St. Judn, fom- ninth year, under Ihe control of Alexander de Bradeham, chaplain lo liii queen. The accounts are of a more creditable nature to EWuor Iha might be imagined, when we consider the reckless expcndtlnre ot At first years of her marriage.' There was expended in Ihe lin«n dsfw^ menl. the botlery, kitchen, scullery, saisary, hall, in feeding the poaii >■ liveries of garfons, farriery and shoeing of horses, six tliouawid ^{kl hundred and eixteen pounds. In oblations for holidays, and alniaMti- buted d^ly, and by the wayside, one hundred and fifty-one pounikuJ eighteen shillings. In f ilks, mantles, upper garmeats, linea hose (at W ladies, and otlier miicellaneous expenses for the wardrobe, t, kitoM and four-score pounds, eleven shillings, and twelve-pence halfpentif' In horses purchased, and robes for the queen's family, in mnding nbM in shoes, saddles, reins, almonds, wax, and other neceasuie* for dv wardrobe, one thousand six hundred and ninety-one pounds, anbt shillings, and one petiny. In gifts presented to knights, derka, wd eliHt 'Madoi'i HitL Eiclwq. Roll*, Memonnda, aod LilirnL or (lint rn^n. 'From tbe pniuKl of tbe ancieuL roll*, it apimi* liiat ■ part at iha n>rsl nf*- nuB WHi alwajra devoieil lo bIhis, Tliie alms wns called £Jtmuyaa iiiiiifr— or Killed alnu, and we Qnd dial ppiuions were aocusuxnnl ta be taitl n 4* tetvanu of ibe king and queen, when aiBkness or age inOopneJlBwd ihcM ftH (lie performBOce at their reipeclive duties. In th« reifcn of Hamy ID, fli ilierilfj of London were commanded " to par uuto Riehard Iha ouMC iha MMf per day of Ilia king's alms, which Nicholas the carprntet (ued u tvon-ntttt theillTi of ibal eiljr for the lime being." The king granted lo Eliai d* ICIii^ for hi* good service. Llue« liaUpeuce par daf during liii life ) anil la hoMM .le Fanihani, the king's porter, Iwopenoo per dnjf, lo be received nf tV *>rf oT Essex, unlil the king should otherwise provide for him. In thr nmi ht^c bold there Wu on EUtmoifi»a itttula and /oriniaa, besides wliiii ,. in oblaliuni iumI daily alms, hj the liaadi of the king anil qD(>>?:i - ulotbinit for the poor, and other necessaries sent to them. The-' rilieii with otlien ol^ Uie like kind, were disbuned out of tbe kin aaJ Ihe queen's private cbatitiQi out. ot Uci wardrobe ai BLBANOR OF PROVENCE. 81 aettengen coming to the queen, three hundred and sixty-eight pounds, leven shillings, and ten-pence. In secret gifls and private alms, four UMuand and seventeen pounds, ten shillings, and three-pence. In jel- es, spices, apples, pears, and other fruit, two hundred and fifty-two oimds, sixteen shillings, and nine-pence halfpenny. In jewels bought n the queen^s use, Co wit, eleven rich garlands, with enaeralds, pearls, ipphires, . and ffanets, of the value of one hundred and forty-five ooDds, four shifiings, and fourpence. The sura-total of these expenses I jC21^60 dJL 7^d^ and the accomptant acknowledges that he was in oqilimge £10,446 3s. 3d. Thus, we see how large a portion of her leome Eleanor of Provence devoted to charitable purposes. But the hancter of this qneen undoubtedly improved as she advanced into the lie of years. When men were indebted to the queen for aurum regina^ she some- lOies respited, pardoned, and discharged the debt, as she saw fit' Elea- or of Provence, oppressive and exacting as she was, occasionally sercised this mcious prerogative, as we learn from memoranda con- lined in the rolls of the Exchequer, where it is recorded that the queen ave respite to Imoyne de Sulleye for thirty marks, which he owed her or amrum rtgina ; and in the same roll, dated Southampton, it is certi- iad, ^ that the queen pardoned Patrick de Chauces a hundred shillings, nred for queen-ffold, due on the fine which he paid to the king, to have eisin of the lands that were his patrimony .'' ' In the fifth roll there is Iso record of Thomas, son of Aucher, having respite of the fine of iAeen marks, due for a trespass in the forest, and of the portion coming 0 Eleanor. The nuptials of queen Eleanor's second son, Edmund, earl of Lan- aater and Derbv, with the beautiful Aveline, heiress of William Fortibus, arl of Albemarle, had been celebrated on the 8th of April, 1270, before lit departure for the Holy Land. The youthful bride died before his etom, in the first year of her nuptials.' Her death was quickly followed by that of the kine of the Romans ; or grief of which, king Henry fell into the deepest dejection of mind, ad, having been in person to quell a riot in Norwich, in which great •rt of the cathedral was burnt, he was attacked with a mortal sickness t Banr St. Edmunds : but his anxiety to settle the affidrs of the kingdom aoacd him to insist on being carried on to London by short stages. Vlien the dying monarch arrived in the metropolis, finding his dissolu- km at hand, he summoned Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, into his * Mailox'B History of the Exchequer. *Tbe care of the wards of the crown was occasionally grentetl to the queen, ■ we find by a memomndum of Henry UL, specifying that queen Eleanor, haT- SB the cusiody of Baldwin de Lisle, her ward, the hereditary chamberlain of ha exchequer, she presented Thomas Esperen to the barons to fulfil his diiti«» M deputy chamberlain, and her appointment was confirmed by tlie king. *8he was interred, with pompous obsequies, in Westminster Abbey, near the tfta ; her stately monument and effigy adding another ornament to the marrela of acalptured art, witli which the exquisite taste of Henry HI. had graced that MgMi Kpository of England's royal dead. SS ELEAKOB OF FBOVBTICE. prtsence, anil made him swear lo prescfre ihe peace of England, ilfl ihe absence of prince Edwan). He expired on iht IBtb of Nfweu 1872, aged eiiiy-Bii, having reined fifty-iris years and twcoiyil His decease happening in the nighi, John Kirkeby delivered the n seal Ihe nexl morning lo Peter of Winchester, keeper of the wanb" the archbiahop of York, and the lesl of the council-' By the only will king Henry ever made, queen Eleanor haria^ I appointed regent uf England, she caused the council to assemble U New Temple, on the 20ih of November, the feast of St. Edmonil martyr and king, where, by her consent' and appointment, and tlte vice of Robert Kilwanlby, archbishop of Cnnlerburj-, the earl a'~' ' ter, and the chief peers and prelates of the realm, her eldeal • Edward, waa proclaimed king of England, by the style a Edward L The remains of king Henry, roj-aily robed and crowned, ^ __ cording to his own desire, placed in the old coffin, in which thvt of Edward the Confessor had originally been iniefred, and burial j the slirine of that monarch in Westminster Abbey. The kniffht* t plars, with the consent nf queen Eleanor, his widow, undertook the and expense of his funeral, which was very magnificent.' They n s sumpiuous monument to his memon', which waa afterwards M inlaid with jasper and precious stones, brought from the Holy L his son Edward I. for thai purpose. We copy the translation of his Latin epitaph from Slow: '• Tbe fijend of pity anil almE-dced, Henry Uie Tliiril wliilunie or England kins, W)io Itiis cliuich bnlcc, and after, ai bil Aeain t»n«wed inio iliis Giir buiiding, Now restelh here, which did bo great a After the funeral of king Henry, the barons « to the high altar of Westminster .Abbey, and sn sovereign. In 1273, the widowed queen, on account c. dissolved the old foundation of the hospital of St. I Tower, and refounded it in honour of the same n' ' chaplain, three brethren, three sisieis, ten bedeawct scholars. ^ The pope addressed a pastoral letter of condolence (o 1 deaih of the king het husband; it ta written jointly to bfvl Edward, whom he felicitates on hia accession, and re<)neata I^ give him the letter on liia return. Soon after his return, Edward I. was forced to nciift m m milled by his mother, which was much in the stvle of her f< of rapBciiy. Just before the death of her husband she I him lo grant her the custody of London bridge for atz y Ihu term was expired, ihe citizens found their new-buS "Slew. 'Uam'sm's Surrey. •Speed- naunm^i r Hntris Nitolai. . C ■LBANOR OF PKOTBNCS. ring great injury, ^ for,^ they declared, in their aupplicatioii , ^ the said lady queen taketh all the tolls, and careth not hv«v tne' •e is kept"' Edward I. soon put an end to his mother's imcon- tious proceedings. eanor of Prorence lost her husband and daughter in one year ; for ely had the tomb closed over the mortal remains of her royal lord ihe was called upon to mourn the death of her eldest daughter, rmret queen of Scotland. This lady had come to pay her moUier a ul risit of condolence, on the death of the king her father, and died igland in the thirty-third year of her age, and the twenty-second of narriage, leaving only one daughter, who was married to Eric, kinff 'orway, and was the mother of the Maid of Norway, heiress of and. It the rejoicings and festivities of the coronation of Edward I. re- d a melancholy interruption in consequence of the death of the eta of Bretagne, who came, with her lord, to witness the inaugura- of her royal brother, and died very unexpectedly a few days vards, in the thirtieth year of her age, greatly lamented by her rious consort, and by her mother queen Eleanor. Matthew of Iminster says she was a princess of great beauty and wit' leen Eleanor and Edward I. preserved a great regard for the duke retagne, after the decease of lady Beatrice. lere is a letter in the second volume of the FoBdera from Eleanor, ig her widowhood, to the king her son, in which she appears to a lively interest in the welfare of her son-in-law. It is thus ed:— >w*s London. lere is a letter in the first volume of the Foedera, from Blanche duchess of ^e, the mother-in-law of this princess, addressed to Henry III., in which ia affectionate mention made of Beatrice and her eldest son. We transcribe itter, as affording one of the earliest specimens of fiuniliar correspondence sen myul personages in the middle ages. After the usual superscription to ny high and very dear lord Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, bc, slie commences : — ire, I pray that you will be pleased to inform us of your state, which may Old of his grace make always good; for know, my dear lord, that I have joy at all times in having good news of you. now, sire, that my lady Beatrice, your dear daughter and ours, is still sick r fever, but is much better, God be thanked, and her physicians tell us that !ver cannot last long. pray you, my dear lord, if we have anything in our parts that you would ne to send, to inform me; for know, sire, that I shall have very great joy mn do anjTihing for you. And know, sire, that Arthur is good and very lAil, God be thanked ! Our Lord have you in his care." is letter is dated 1205, and is written in old French. There is also a letter tin from the young duchess Beatrice to the king her father, on the same of tlie Fcedera, written at the time of this illness, which she says Is " a in fever or ague," and she entreats her father ** not to distress himself on nt of her indisposition.'*-— She had six children by the duke of Bretagne whom she lived happily twelve years. She was buried in the chuick ol nj Friars. ELEA DR OF PROV i.NCE. R tomm DCS* or 8u* I ■■ LkTTIB Of AlIXIUBI. TBC aOTVEH or th " AUonor, by [ho gioce of God, qiieeu of England, 10 tha Icing oot Mo. ki wiih (mi lieniHin. * my Sir Klrol de 8i _ ^ on Bitend bi hii wmu ht tliit enunttj, and we wish itinl yon wmild troi fvai lenar by him, a* hi- will underitiuid It, tor he will Dot go wiikoai your iai»0Bl oomniand; and wc pray you thai yoa will do il ijuickly. and if you irtll phat K> give ihe powei by joar lener thai lis auty ba*a oJIgrM,' whetv h« plt*«« the MJiie as fan sranied ID ihe Sirs do Dreux, Lii bmtlur. " And eicuHi Sir John de Maurro dial be uannoi make hi» fn«/ » you bdbi* he dppHrti, for ho cannot do il on account of haste. We oominend you » CoJ •'Civen at Luteefihall, 8ih day of October. " It is probable thai Eleanor was eudeting ftpm some kind of ttdacaa. in llie year 1275, for wo finil in the Fwileni a proieclion ^nltd fcj Edward I. " lo Master William, the Provemjal, physieo lo the ^ mother, whom the said queen tind procured lo coine 10 her from h B««." It is especiHlly provided, in this proieclion, " That the P physician is to be left in quiet at all times and plares, saw tf he answerable far any debts that lie may contract in this eomiir It has been generally asserled llist Eleanor of Proreuce 1 nunnery of Ambreebnry, soon alter the coronation of her son EdwanI L; but this does not appear to have been the case, for several cif ha precepts and letters are iIsIm] from Waliham, Guildford, Luigfrshali. mi other places.* She retired lo Ainbresbury as a residence in 1280, but she ilid not take the veil till four years afWrwanls. There is an original letter from queen Eleanor to her son, k.in{ Ed- ward, dated from Wallhain : ■Alianoiu, by the grao* of God, queen of England, lo our dear aoa ik* UiC health and our biesaing, • We bare sent your prayei lo thd king of FraDce. that he may Itnd hk Ml ia puKhating our abore of ibe Imnil of PioveucB.* We have ilona ib* iMNrfa you, wlikh you sent to in, and we pmy you to hear it psul, Knd if it p|«aM |«« b«*e it Moled, and if not, that you would be pleatol to eomaanJ ii B 1* ■mended, and sent Ibrthwilh ta your aunt, my lady of Fiance. We bIsb aaoM you that you would lend to Mecue Bonnst, your clerk, that be woal4 il tilvance Ihii loquesl io Iha court of France ta much ■: ' the que» iGod. b day of July, 1383." The four younger sons of queen Eleanor, Richard, John, ^ 'Rymet'i Ftedern, vol. ii. p, 831. 'SuppoiB ntloruBy letterj of petoniary oreJil. 'Pram fliis letter it appears thai the surviving a wliom our Eleanor was one, compnundi^d dieic ligbls ti-t monny to ih sifter, who, by Ibe will of iheii fclhet Barrngei, waa 10 aueceed lo the < dT that diiirici. This sister, Beatrice, wu the wife of the bnnber U rharles of Anjoa. in whoae line the beautiful eouuly of ProTBuoe tf ftwBB ty ttu euAm of 4w tu^ oCota tnJiappr qMen, IT ■ LBANOR OF PROVBNCB. 85 nd I Jeniy, all died before the king their fiither ; so that, of her nine ^ildren, two sons only were surviving at the time she retired to Am- vsbury. In the year 1280, her son, king Edward, visited her there, hen he was on bis march to Wales. Queen Eleanor then showed him Dsan who said be had received his sight through the miraculous inters •ition of the late king Uenty III., in consequence of having ofiered up I prayers at his tomb. Edwvd, whose sound judgment taught him to regard the legend with 5 contempt its felsehood merited, entreated his mother not to bestow r pfttrooage on a base impostor, whom a prince of his father's piety d justice, would certainly rather have punished with loss of speech r his hypocrisy, than restored to sight, had he indeed possessed the •wer of doing either.' Two years after this date, king Edward again visited his widowed 3Cher in her monastic retreat Her profession as a nun did not take ice till the year 1284, when she was solemnly veiled, in the church Ambresbury; and, according to the words of her contemporary ikes, ^ she laid down the diadem from her head, and the precious trple from her shoulders, and with them all worldly ambition." She nnaded her younff grand-daughter, the princess Mary, the fifth daugfa- r of Edward ]. and his queen Eleanor of Castille, to take the vows at e same time, together with Eleanor, daughter to the deceased duchess ' Bretagne. Qpeen Eleanor, though bent on a conventual life, had delayed her ofeMion till she could obtain the pope's license to keep her rich iwry as queen-dowager of England.' She received the tenderest attention and respect from her son, king Iward, who regarded her with great afiection ; and once, when he was mg to France to meet the king, his cousin, on a matter of the greatest iportance, and had advanced as far as Canterbury on his journey, eeiving intelligence of the sudden and alarming illness of his mother, ) instantly gave up his French voyage^ and hastened to her. Uatthe w of Westminster mentions the profession of queen Eleanor as king place in the year 1287, in the following terms : — ^ That generous rago, £lianora, qneen of England, and mother of the king, took the dl and religious habit at Ambresbury, on the day of the translation of : Thomas, the archbishop of Canterbury, having obtained leave of the ipe to keep possession of her dower in perpetuity, according to her kh." After queen Eleanor's profession, her uncle, Philip, earl of Savoy, )plied to her and her son, king Edward, requesting them to choose om among his nephews a successor to his dominions, as he was him- ilf childless, and distracted by the intrigues and quarrels of tlie rival iimants.' There is a long letter in the FcBdera on this subject, addressed jointly > Eleanor, the qneen-mother, and king Edward her son, by the dying 'HWeitminster. T.Wiket. 'T.Wiket. Annalt of Waverlef . ' Pvmer'tFaBdeim, vol. U. VOL. U.^8 F * earl, in which he enireats ihem to deride for him, anJ ^'declam ihtl hi« bishops and nobles are willing lo recognise whomsoever ihev on think proper lo appoint for his heir." Qneen Eleanor was, in the following year, named aa executor to Philip of Savoy's laat will and testament, jointly wiili her son, kinc Ed' war» Caarnatvoti Canie — Quspn'a chamber — The eagle lower — Binh of pnait EdwBid — Death of prince Alphonso — Queen at Guienne — Binb of jiiunir daughleis — Queen's plnu — Edward ilepaili Ibr the nonh — Elcauora iuttm him — Sudden ilealh — King returns — His extreme grief — Follow* her mnu Solemn mourning — Burial — Tomb — Epiia|)h — Crostei lo Elmuiom') atafj — Traill of the limei — Eleanorai imptovemenu — Hoi creditor*— Ihajrn fa bar aool — Her children. Tbb marriage of the inranta Donna EleaDora of Caaiille with priaet Fklward, heir of Englanil, happily (erminated a war, which her bnMjiBi ' king AlphODSo, sumained the Aatronomer,' was waging with [Itsvy Dl-r /' ou account of eoiae obsolete claims the Caatillian monarch Uitl U) iht ' province of Gascony.' AlphonsD had invaded Ouienne, but, contrary to his usual fottoiM Ifenry IIL had Uie best of the i^onteel, and the royal CostiLliaii v»f gU to maLe overtures for peace. Henrj-, who had not the least gall of hfr lerupss in his composition, and was always more willing to protnolti festlral than continue a fray, luckily recollecteil that Alphonso Md ■ Hi young sister to dispose of, whose age would just suit his beii, pnott Rdwuxl. He therefore despatched lus private chaplaia, the hi^wfti Baih, wilh his secretary, John Manse), from Bordeaux, (o demud At hand of the young Infanta, as a pledge of her brother's placable iliM- tions. These ambassador? speedily returned with Don AiphocuoS OBf ' He was the Eelebrmled icfol philompber who inven of Rirmnoiaf. His countrymen ctilleil him, 11 Sabio, or the Wiss. 'He pretended that Henry H. bad tetilsd thi* proviiica tn fail i Ptamtion, ^ueen of CasliUe. CM) BLBANORA OF CA8TILLB. 89 It, inscribed in a scroll sealed with gold.' Alphonso stipulated that English prince should come to Burgos, to receive the hand of his Je, five weeks before Michaelmas-day, 1254 ; otherwise the contract mid be null and void. rhe stipulation was not unreasonable, for both the mother and grand- ther of the bride had been long engaged to English princes, who had ken their troth. ;*he king of Castille was but half-brother to the young donna Elea- I. She was the only child of Ferdinand III. of Castille, by Joanna, ntess of Ponthieu, who had been many years before contracted to iry III., king of England. Joanna inherited Ponthieu from her her^ — that princess, Alice of France, whose betrothment with Rich- Coeur de Lion, in the preceding century, had involved Europe in . Eleanora, as the sole descendant of these princesses, was heiress nmptive to Ponthieu and Aumerle, which provinces the royal widow !!SMtille, her mother, retained in her own possession. IThen the preliminaries of the marriage were settled, the queen of land, Eleanor of Provence, set out for Bordeaux, with her son prince raid} and from thence travelled across the Pyrenees with him to 108, where they arrived August 5th, 1254, within the time limited be royal astronomer. stately festival was held in the capital of Castille, in honour of the tials of the young Infanta with the heir of England. At a touma- C Kiren by king Alphonso, the prince received knighthood from the ra of his brother-in-law. Edward was just fif^n, and the princess e years younger,' at the time of their espousals. Anr the chivalric festivities at Burgos had ceased, queen Eleanor noesed the Pyrenees, accompanied by her son and young daufhter- iw. King Henry waited at Bordeaux to receive his son's bride.' He prepared so grand a festival for the reception of the young Infanta, oe expended three hundred thousand marks on her marriage-feast, le indignation of his English peers. When one of them reproached for thtf extravagance, the king replied, in a dolorous tone : O ! for the head of God say no more of it, lest men should stand led at the relation thereof?^ enry settled on the prince, his heir, all the Aquitanian domains, rited from Eleanora, his grandmother; he likewise created him ce of Wales, with an exhortation to employ his youth in conquering principality, of which he and his princess, rather prematurely, mad the title, together with that of Guienne. One thousand pounds annam was the dower settled on the young Eleanora, in case the ee should die before his father. ienry 111. ordered a suite of rooms to be fitted up for his daughter- iw, in the castle of Guildford ; his directions particularly specify reserved iQ the Chapter Houie at Westminster. (Rapin.) he is mentioned by all chroniclers as a very young girL Piers of LangtoA, Dontemporary, speaks of her as a cliild. Her ago seems about ten, at this od. Robert of Gloucester, Piers, and Matthew Paris, are the authoriXMM fm erenu of this marriage. * Matthew l^ina. I I 90 BLEAKOR* OF CAftTILLE. ibsi ber chuuber i* tu have glaxed window*, ■ niaeil hcartht k clunuic/. • wnrdrobci miiI wi Mijoining wraloryi or oriel.' The young prinrcH BccompMiKl ihe 1°}'*^ &mily la HauUuiI, Ltirriii|l' Francr, and til Pans was lixl^ iii the Tcniplo, whim II< i. ihttl celebntwl Uuiquet loSl. LouiB^mvulJuued, ia theprocr.: M the f«aal of kiiigo. Hi^h fesUvtla tiul hoaoan wwo yi< reception in EnglanJ, Tho most nolet! of these wna ili.. ^ taiiiniGut, giren by the sermlary of slate, John Mansel, a pri<:$L Henry, queen Elmniini. thr bri(l« of prince EiiwanU llie jirince Lite king and queeii i>l' Scoilaiid, wiib hucU nuiolwrs of iheii reiiauBillBl John MiuiMirs houtie at Tuihtll coultl not hold tislf the compaayi thtj wcra lodged iu tents and gre«n booths, tcl up round tho luansiou. Setei liuridred inefMfl of mtat wcro served up nt ihia diimcr. I'ritice Eilward aitil bii youn^ bride paMett o«tc to Bordeaux in T35I1; ' 4ad while Eleanorti wai comjUcting her edncaliuu, the yim-y- ■"■'•'•-- >a< th« wHnderiiig lil'u of a knight-emuil, " liaunting loumaui'") they were (pvn;.* U« wa« at Paris, tiliiug at a ve^' - tmtch ia l^Sll, when n«w8 wm brought him of thn tloI' < betu'iien tlio English barons and hia father, which M to tiic i> imti ii'u war iliBt convulsml England for more ihati three ycttrs. During ite ; whole of that disaxirous em, liis youii^ princess resided ui Fnnof, w'llk , iho i««i of iJie royal (omily, eiilicr with qiinen Marguerite of Fnncc,oi . with her own muUier at Pouthieu. After the heroic eirurla of prince Edward had freed his dtbrr ud nwlored hitn to hie tltroike, and the country breathed iu peace afUt (Ix dreadful strife at Evesham, tite royal ladies of England ventured to tPlnni Ou llie -iadi of October, 1205, Eleanor of Provirnr«, iiuceu of EugM Willi her daugbter-iu-Iaw, Kleanora of Coslille, landed at Dover,' what they wore rocwved by Henry III. and prince Eilwurd; from ihene? th»r were C3e\)rl«d (u CautfTbur)-, where iho royal party was magQi"" "" enterlaincd by liie arclibishi>p. Prince Edward hnd Ie(\ hie wife an uninformed girl ; she lovely young woman of twenty, lo wlioce chnmctcr the luicei fortune bad assuredly given a favounhle bios. The prinrc restored wife to Sl John's, Siniibfield, after a nugniliceut weicomt the citisens. Eleanor* afterwards removed lo the jmlace of the Sum which had been origiiinily built by count Peter of Savoy, her hmbaon uncle, and afterwards purcliased by Eleanor of Provence, •( a Loate ■in, or residence fur the younger hrauches of her family. Thii wm Uo abode of Eleanoia of Casiillu when she attended the court at WasDU* *>er, but her lavourite reeideuce was the casllo of Windsor. Uen h* eldest child wns horn, the year after her return to England ; be «■ luuiied John, after hia grandfethcr of evil meniorj-. Iii ihe «acceedfal( year, li^Ctf, Eleanon gave birth, at Windsor, Iu a princess naned Ql^ nora, and the year after lo prince Henry. The beauty of these nhildnn> and their early promise, so much delighted their royal grandlMher, Ad ne greatly augmented the dower of Uie mother. it ' Stow'f l^,^■l^Tn_ ■ I.BAHORA OF CA8TILLB. 01 klward took up the cross in 12G9, and his virtuoos princess share the perils of his Syrian campaign. Before she aeparted mdy she accompanied her mother-in-Uw, in a grand progress shrines. During tlie royal progress to Northampton, the leanora made a pilgrimage to Dunstable, in company with nor, and oflered at the shrine of Sl Peter an altar-cloth of le, as a thanksgiving for the health of her children. On her assisted at a magnificent convocation of the barons of Eng- 9lminster Hall, where they swore fealty and kissed the hand I son, prince John, and recognised him as his father's soccet- i of the death of Edward, in the ensuing crusade, oporary historian * has leA us a very graphic portrait of the ' Eleanora, at tliis period of his life. ^ He was a prince of n, and majestic stature, so tall that few of his people reached sr. His ample forehead and prominent chest added to the his personal appearance. His arms were most agile in the •word, and his length of limb gave him a firm seat on the )d horses. His hair was light bdore his eastern campaigns, dark in middle life. His lefl eyebrow had a slightly oblique a shade of resemblance to his father's face, in wnose portrait is very strongly marked. The speech of Edward was some- iting, but when animated was passionately eloquent His which EUeanora of Castille had the sole merit of sof^ning ng, was naturally a fiery one, but generous when opposition id the ladies of Eleanora represent to her the hardships and er attendant on a crusade; for death on the Asiatic coast in many forms beside the sword. The princess replied in rd. un relates a circumstance of prince Edward, which took place be- an campaign ; it is an anecdote that oasts some light on his cha- iwking one day on a river, he saw one of his barons not attending that had just seized a duck among the willows. Prince Edward im for his neglect ; and the noble tauntingly replied, * it was well the river parted thera/ Stung by the remark, the prince plunged un, though ignorant of its depth, and having with difficulty reached side, pursued the noble lortl with his drawn suvord, who, seeing ess, turned round his horse, flung off his cap, and advancing to Ed* himi^elf on his mercy, and offered his neck to the blow : this sub- rmed the prince ; he sheathed his sword, and rode home quietly 5nder.*' An accident that happened to the prince, just before the sign, gave a devotional turn to his mind. One day, when he was less at Windsor with a knight, the prince suddenly, fhom an impulse, I game, without any motive or decided purpose which he could de- himself ; the next moment the centre stone of the groined ceiling 41 on the very spot where he had been sitting. From this accident himself to be under the •i»ecial protection of Providence, and re- Mne great purpose ; he attributed his preservation to our lady of . Why that Norfolk shrine was connected with his preservatioD, i does not inform us; but from tliat time this English lady of Loretio ith votaries. ^ I ■ LEANOkA OP CASTILLB. words llwl well JMeire to be irmcmbered and notrd. " Nothing," Miil this admirable lady, " ought w pMl ihose whom God haih jomnt, ai ths way lo lipavrn ii a* nnir, if not nearer, from Syria, a:* frnm England pr my natlre Spain."' Much has bern said re^anliRg the ruujugal lidetiiy or prinnr Kdwanl. ' Bill [iKvioualy lo his Symn canipaign lie was impi'luous and wilful id cliarai^lrr, and far from a fatililtms husband. He had inspired llie rad ' of Gluucealer with a mndjralimsy,* who nut only accused him ofrrinnuil , . ioiimary with his connirts, bat declared thai he, the fsH of Gloumtn, I had beet) [K>ison«d by the agency of prince Edwan], auid the fiuihlcsi | rounless. It is to be feared tliat the countess of GIoiH-esier was a gnat i eoqiiellc, for she had previously bten exercising her powers of hsdM- nn the old king, for in ihe Wakefield Tower has recently been Ji»- 'rml a »ery curious letter from Margaret, queen of France, expiws- uncaainoa, for her sbter'B take, al the hnimacy between Henry HI and this euunteas* The scandal regarding prince Edward's aueniioo lo the fiiir cotinless had coinniencoJ before iho reunion of Eleanore wiih her husband, in lSO-1 ; but its eflecis convulsed the eourl with hroitt, tilt the princess left the court and all its iiirmoilB in the spring of 1270; when she bade btewell lo the iwo lovely boys she never saw again, aoJ aailcd for Bonleaux, where she superintended the preparations for the crusade campaign.* Edward sailed from Portsmouth about a month later, and met l)i^ consort at Botdeaux ; ihey proceeiled to Sicily, where they sojnuTtwI during the winter, »viih the expectation tlial SL Louis, ilie king of Fninet. rould unite in the crusade. Soon afler their arrival, tidings wen brought of the death of St. Louis, at Tunis, and the discomlilure of Iw The king of Sicily, who was hroiher lo St. I^uis, and husband hi Edward's aunt, endeavoured to persuade his royal guests (ogive up d crusading expedition ; whereupon prince Edwanl struck hia b "" exclaimed with energy^ — ■■ Snngue de Dieu, if all should desert me,' I would lay nffe to J if only attended by Fowen, my groom !" * ^ The following spring, Edwanl and Eleanora arrived at PuAetuSm Tlie prince made an expedition as far as Naiareth,' and pul all the gar- ' rison lo the sword ; and when the Saracens came U> their rescue, ht engaged the infidel army, and defeated ihem with great elanghier. H* won another battle, June 1371, at Cahow, and thus terminated his fiiM anra. But if there had been any truth in the story of her sucking »n from his wound,* the narrators of the scene, who have en* Heraingford^s Chronicle. * Knighton and Hemingford. >r]r is to be found quoted by Camden, but only as recorded by Sanotinsi biitorimn, who lived a hundred and fifty years after tha ikfb cC Kfi.i% 9t BLEANOKA OF CASTILLB. Ured into ita details so luiuulcly, would nol have fargotten the cifcom- Wliile yet in ill health, prince Edward mode his will.' With t philo iophy rare al this era, he leaves his body lo be butled wherever ti To his principal executor, his brolhet-in-Iaw aiid fe!low-cnM«d(r, John duke of Breiagne, he leavos the guardianship of his children, ifba should die before ihey come of age. He provides for the dowrj- of Im dear wife Eleniion, but doea not leave her either guudiaii U> the ruin, iu reversion, or to her children. Scarcely was the prince recovered from his wound, when Eleanon brought iuio tlie world an infant princess, named Joanna, and called bma the plac« of her bittli, Joanna of Acre.' I'he nest renwrkable event that happened at Acre, while Elaanati »■ mained tliere with her royal Lord, was, that a pope was choeea, in ■ manner, out of their household. Theobald, archbishop of Li«^, vbo attended the royal pair on ibeir crusade, was in his absence elected ts the papal tliroue, wliich lie ascended under the najne of Gngvrj X> This pontilT had been the tutor of prince Edward. The army of tite prince being reduced by sickness, want, nnd dtscf tion, he considered that it was useless lo tarry longer in Syria. Lmvibi behind him a reputation nol inferior to that of his great-uncle, Cwut tit Lion, Edward turned his buck post reluciandy on the Uoly l^nd; Mil, with his princess and her infant daughter, arrived safely at Sicily, whm heavy tidings awaited thei The news first reached them that prince John, their lovely and pn- rowing heir, whose talents were uneijualled for his years, luul i" August 1, 187^. Scarcely had the princess and her husband rKeivid tliis intelligence, when tliey hfard of the death of their feconJ • prince Henry; and a third messenger brought the news to Mevsiita, thai king Henry Uf. was dead, and thai prince Edward was now Edward t o[ England. The firmness and resignaiioa, with which Eluuion ud Edward bore Uie loss of their protnising boya, surprisetj every o the Sicdion court ; but when the prince heard the desth of hn loj^ aire, he gave way to a burst of anguish so bitter, that hia uoele' OimIm of Anjou, king of Sicily, who was in company with him, osUioished V his manner oi receiving iutelligence tliat bailed hiiu king, asked him >'how it was Uiat he bore the loss of both his sons with such qnO end wbo iiitriHluPeil ii iu a commt'iit lie wroie on ilie woiki of Roiltiri)^ TulfUL Tliii aiiihoi due* not Wai iho wt'inlii nt WbImi Hominglbnl, wlio ainiiiHr Kleanorn, Inil does iioi alluile lo Ibis c^vanl. 'Sir Harrii Ificolaa. TesUnienia Vnuala, Etlwird ten do other wilt. *Thi* princeu ii t)ie flrsi inmnoeof a minlliuwe In lliti rojral houcaof Pta» Alter die daaili of bei Am huibnmli alie iiols ■ mateli h ' ' iiprs, Ralph Mautliermer, catled by •oine « Joanna u a 1306. furtitven by liar iliiliet, c rs bis gmoai, but he ww is J nediaiot in this reconnjlialioa. *X1m bartand nC l^ nadtu'asMiw. ■ IiBAXOBA OF CASTILLfe. 85 ipiation, and abandoned himself to grief at the death of an aged n ?'' * Edward made this memorable answer :— * The loss of infants may be repaired by Uie same God that gave m ; but when a man has lost a good father, it is not in the course of mre for God to send him another." From Sicily queen Eleanora accompanied her royal husband to Rome, lere they were welcomed and magnificently entertained by their friend, M Gregory X. England, happy in the permanent setdement of her ancient representa«' B government, now, for the first time, practically established since the p of Sl Edward, enioyed such profound tranquillity, that her youn^ ig and queen were able to remain more than a year, in their conti- ital dominions. During this time the queen gave birth, at the town Maine, to another heir,' more beautiful and promising than either of deceased brethren. The queen named him after her beloved brother ihoDso ; a name which sounds strangely to English ears, but had this nee lived to wear the crown of his great father, it would, in all liability, have become as national to England as the names of Edward George.* K second time, at this juncture, the life of Edward was preserved, in Mumer that he considered almost miraculous. As he was sitting with queen on a couch, in their palace at Bordeaux, a flash of lightning ed two lords who were standing directly behind them, without in- ing the royal pair.* ulward, with his queen, made a progress homeward through all his nch provinces, tilting at tournaments as he went Passing through ii, he did homage to the king of France, for Aquitaine and its depen- cies, before he returned to assume the English crown.' The king I queen landed at Dover, August 2, 1273. Ail preparations had been de for their speedy coronation, which took place on the iOth of the le month. They were received in London with the utmost exulta- I. The merchants, enriched by peaceful commerce with the rich le provinces of the south, showered gold and silver on the royal iane, as they passed under the windows of the Chepe.' Both houses Suirlef was not likely to be troubled with much Bensibility, for while St. us waj bitterly weeping for the death of their mutual brother, the count of ton, slain io their crusade, Charles, who was on ship-board, amused himself k playing at tric-trao all day long. When the king of France was informed this hard-hearted way of spending the hours of mourning, he came softly ind his brother in the heat of his game, and seizing his backgammon-board, sw men, dice, and money, into the sea. The humour with which the Lord loinville (who saw the incident) relates tliis anecdote is irresistible. Pkalus Emilius. He was bom Nov. S3, 1272. Alphonso is an abbreviation of Ildelbnso, a native Iberian saint. Matthew Paris. * Walsingham and Wikes. Edward brought in his train, Guasco, a rebel Gascon baron, whom he had demned to death, but his punishment seems to have been commuted by his Bg exhibited, at the London entry, with a rope about his neck. The poor live expected nothing but death. He was forgiven the capital part of his •Qce. by the act of indemnity at the ooionation. He returned thanks to Edward I BLBAKORA OP CASTILLB. 1 aMrmblfKl, In wpkome and do honour to th«ir nd lib virluoiis convoiL I of EdiranJ and EleaDora proparatinns wctv madp tor of the motl proruM honpiulJiy ; (he whole areu of ite Palaeu Yards, old and new, were filled with wnodra bnildine^' open it the lop, lo let out ihe imokc of cooking. Here, for a whole foruii^t, wrm prepured BUceM8ion8 of banquets, iivrTpil ap for ilie entertainmeat of nil comers; where the itidependrnt franklin, the stout yeoman fiom lh<^ country, nnd the rich citizen and indnatrious ariizan fimn the raetto- polis, alike found a welcome, and were entertained graluilously. Good order w&b general, and every one delighted with this auspicious cfNB- mcncemenl of the new rci^n. Edward and Eleanors were crowned by the hnnilB of Robert Kilwnrdby. archbishop of Cameibury. One of th* ino«I extraordinary features of this coronation is recorded in so old black -letter manuscript chronicle.' " King Edward was crowned and anointed as right heir of En^Iudl, with much honour and worship, with his virtuous queeu; and afler maxs the king went to his palace to hold a royal feast among all ibe peers that hnd done him honour and worship. And when he was set it Iiis meal king Alexander of Scollnnd came to do htm serrire, and l» Worship with a ^enlysr,' and n hundred knights with him, horiied and tmyed. And wheit ihev were lijjhl US' their horses, Ihcy let their horm go whither they woulcf, and they that could catch them had them to their own behoof And afier that came sir Edmund, the kind's brother, a courteous knight and a gentleman of renown, and the earl of Glnuces- ter. And after them came the earl of Pembroke and the ear! of Watiw, and each of them led a horse by their hand, and a hundred of their knights did the same. And when they were alight off their hotaca they let there go wherever they would, and they that could take them hu iheLn still at their liking." The coronation of Edward and Eleanora had been graced by the pr^ tenco of the king of Scotland and the duke of Bretagne; bnt Llewrllya, prince of Wales, absented himself; upon which the king of England sini him a sharp message, '■ to know wherefore he did not tender homage al the late coro:ialion of himself and queen .'" Llewellyn relused lo ackoov- ledge thai any homage was due; he was a viclotiuus prince, for, lakinf advantage of Uie recent civil wars in England, he had reconqucrml all tht territory, which the Norman predecessors of Edward 1. had wrested fran the Welsh. The first mischance that befel the Welsh was the capture of the bride of Llewellyn,' coming from France; her vessel was seieed by the Bnslul merchantmen, who carried her prisoner to king Edward. This prince had not yet lesmed lo behave with cruelly to women. The young on his 1tne«. This mnsl have ni«flo s mem sinking fraluro of thai jmnotii* ememaajr. Ouisni wiu altprward* a lojml IViPod and nibjecl M EdwmnL ' Ancient Chronicle, qiioied by Oine. ■ PreMrrsd by Sii Rob«n Coww. *A tjuaint derise, Di in^nioai InTsiitkin. ' WalBntfwBi and fawaUa W«l»h ChwaJBla^ — J GLKA.tODA OF CASTlLtB. 97 L though UiP daughter of Simon ile Muntfort, hit mortal Toe, whom he had slain in baulc, was ul ihe same time the chtlil of lus aunt, Eleanor Plsntagciiet He received her with the courtesy of a kineniaii, and con- cisned her to the geuile keeping of his queen, with whom she resided at Wmdaor Castle.' The war with Wales lasted till 1278, when Llewellyn, finding it im- poaeible to recover his bride by foice of arms, submitted to the required iKanage, and queen Eleanora brought the lady Elinor MontTort to Worces- ur, wnen king Edward bestowed hia kinswoman upon Llewellyn, giving bcr away with his own royal hand, while his amiable queen supportoij her at the altar of Worwtster cathedral, and graced the nuptial feast of prince Llewellyn with her presence. The prince and princess of Wales ifierwards accompanied the king and queen to Westminster,* with a gmt retinue of malcontent Snowdon barons, and their vaasala. \l\er this pacification, the death of the queen of Castille caused tlic Enncea of Ponthieu and Aumerle (o devolve on her daughter, queen uiora, who quilted England with king Edward, in order to take po»- Ktaiun of her inheritance, and do homage to Ihe king of France. The iTiurn of the royal pair was hastened by another Welah war; for the &ir bride of Llewellyn died, after bringing hira a living daughter," and ilx^ prince, urged by die songs of the bards, and the indignation of hia (ubjerts regsr^ing bia homage, suddealy invaded Engluid. The ainbi- Tuous words of a prophecy of Merlin, asserting tlist a prince bom in ^'<-s should be the acknowledged king of the whole British island, - ihe stimulus that led to a war, terminating in the death of the brave 1 he gold coronet of the unfortunate prince, taken from hia head by -lill'i Cu^ogua of Honour. Wikes. I " prinpc of Walei did homage in Westminiler Ball. According lo an ■ ^T'^ rrnmlaied hy Carle, in liia Hialory, ihe Snowdon barons who aeoom- !!:.■;! 10 England with iheir serfs, were quBTtered ai Islinpoii, whore . Ii.nB but eonifortable. taking ftcnl offence bi the fare provided fot uld neither drink the wine nor the ile of London; mead and I 111 Dot ba gol Tor ibem ; ihe Engliih bread Ihef tefiusd lo cot, sod I riJirii I'ould not aflbtd milk enough for their dailj diet. Tbej were indig- ~ ul ih* itaring of ihe Loadoners, when they walKed in iLs tireeis iu their 'ridirt garb, and even liupocted thnl ifae Engliih look Ihein for savagei. . ciimI they in chorus, "we will never Bgain visit Islington, excepting u ;^irmn.'' Dioll as the auocialion of ideal may be between the Welsh bard* liIiDgion. ihe name of that bBrmleaa suburb was the eonstanl refrain of Ihs '!i !aiii iMinoe was eieeuted by Edward. Thus ended Ihe line of Roderick Iha .' (biw. — Pirn iMmgtafl. Pieii roentioos hi* personal aeguainlam* wilh thcM rou tl. — 9 I BLE r ASTIttB. loitl Mortimer, afl^r the ftial skirmish at Biiihh, was offered by princr Alphoneo, at the shrine of EilwarJ the confessor. The un^eiiled slalr of Wales necdnl the constant proence of Itiag Blurani, to keep down the spirit of the people; and quem Ehonoci, wild had followed him in all his Welsh campaigns, kepi (mt Mxm ■ Rhuddtan castle, in the summer of 1383. Here h«T eixm daH^irr. the princess Isabella, was born a natWe of Wales.' Early in spring, 12S*, Edward carried his qneen to his newly-bmll castle of Caernarvon, a stronghold he had just finished, tn awe the mmi- gents of the principality. This truly royal fortress, according lo Iht antiquary Pennant, appears at present^ in its external rtalff, precisely B when ([ueen Elcanora first entered ihe stupendous gBte«»ay so many ciB- luries ago. The walls are studdetl by defeneive round lowere; ihw have two principal gales, the east feeing the Snowdon mountain*, itw west commanding the Menai. The entrance to the <-«stle is Terr aistriv: lienealh a noble lower, on the front of which appears the siaitie of ijit great Edward,' finely carved from the life, drawing a dagger with a aUta air, as if menacing his unwilling subjects. This eniranco hotl four port- cullises, and every requisite of strength. To ibis mighty castle, Edward brought Eleanora, « a time when ha situation promised an increase to the royal family. Tht Eafte Toww, through whose gate the aDectionate Eleanora entered, is at k prodigion height from the ground, at the farthest end, and could only be approurM by a drawbridge, supported on masses of opposing rock. Every ooe who beholds it is struck with Its grand position : it is vtill, by the to- dilion of the district, called queen Eleanor's gate; &or was the b^ Tower an eyry by any means too lofiy, for the semrity of the n^al Eleanora and her expected infant, since most of the Snowdan buOM still held out, and the rest of the principaliiy was fiercely chalEng at Ac English curb. This consideration jusiilie^ ihe tradition vrhKh pnou out a little dark den, built in the ihickneas of the walla, as itie chtiobcT where the faithful queen gave binh lo her son Edward. Th* dunbet ia twelve feel in length, and eight in breadth, and is wtlboul a ftrcplaci. lis discomforts were somewhat modified by liansinn of upartiy, li which some marks of tenters elill appear in the walle. Qoaeii Elt«Mn was the firet person who nsed tapestry as gamiture for walla, in £a^ land ; and she never needed it more than in her dreary lying^-cliaabR at Caernarrou.* ■ kii noble portrait, engraved by Terta« !n Cntw, ii taken Ihnn this tBMa. *li was the iirimitiTe office or the groonis or the cbsmber to hB.ag nf> ibrafr* try. wliieli wis alwnyi curried in progrca wiih the rojral tngptgc^ and mm Ik- wiirdt with the puiveyoi And gnwmi of tfae chamber, M thai dM fjoan *■! llie none walls or her sleeping derived l'ii>tn it. 'This kinfc, ■nrnuned B Sabio, «niployed ihe moal Ipamnl men, not ndf t* TopeuiB. Iiut Arab* and Jews, lo auisi liim in conilracdne the aetebrui>.i m dte Focdera. ^Tj ELEAKOKA OF CASTtLLB. lOj^ pnM;^ of witlkbniding from heaven a choKeii lamb, from her nutneroua nuck.' Among the other odiniraljle qunlities of Eleanora, we find fre»-, dotu from die prejudices af her eta. She kept a happ}' meilium beiweea im bulil infiilelity of her philosophic brother Alphonso, the mathein^ Ucitn,' anil the superfluous deroiion of the middle agea. The princeac \\uy Maa. however, veiled, at the age of ten years, al Ambresbury, I28S. Thi' year after her profession the queen added a ninth daughter, the »puiceu Blanche, to her family. Elnnoim reared and educateil her numerous train of beautiful prin- OUcs, in a Retired angle of Westminster Palace, which was given, oa Mtonui of their residence there, the appellBtion of the Maiden Mall.' Time of ihe queen's elder daughters were married, or betrothed in IWO. The princeas-royal, Eleanora, was affianced to Alphonso, princiy of Amijfon : this prince died soon after, when she married llie duke of Bur. The next sister, Joanna of Acre, in her eighteenth year, renownea fiir hrr beauty and high spirit, was married, with great pomp, at ihtr niunaiieiy of the Knigfata of St. John, Clerkenwell, to the premier poor' '^ England, Gilbert the Red, earl of Gloucester. A few weeks latw. ^ca Eleanora assisted at a still statelier ceremony, when her tbin^ uhter, Margaret, then ttf^een, wedded, al Westminster Abbey, JohOb I^Kcund duke of Brabant.' IF liislorians dwell much on the magnificence displayed at the ruj^ ■ of these princesses. A list of the plate used in the queen's housfr- 1l will prove that the court of Eleanom hail attained a considerabia « of luiury. The plate was the woik of Ade. the king's goldsmitl^ Bthf description of the rich vessels furnished by this member of the ' ' '» company has been brought lo light by modem research.* r pitchers of gold and silver, calculated to hold water or wine; in gild chalices, of the value of £140 to £293 each ; ten cups of sQv«r ' , or silver white, some with stands of the same, or enamelled ; more^ B one hundred smaller aHvet cups, value from four lo one hundred d eighteen pounds each ; also cufie of Jasper, plates and dishes of r, gold salts, alms bowLs, sdver hanapers or baskets ; cups of beni- I viih holy sentences wrought thereon ; enamelled silver ju^ 'Tfa«e ve umiiinerable grsnu recorded in the Fisclera to tbe nDn-prinoSM; Hn Ihihpt gnnts the Itireal ot SaTeinBks and other woodlands, Tor Ore Ibr bar tli«!nb«[; ihe port of Souihfljnpion ii taxed Tor tuns of wine foi her 0«ltar, Wnin oil lilt her lamp. 'Aipboou 1* Hid ID hare deolated, » thai ho coald b«T» deviBod a belter w» tif uniaiii'g Uia moements or llia oelesdal bodieB;" which speech led le hi( •trfiMJtiDa. Tbe fact ii, he was not satisfied with his own astKraomical tables, tod lunww aulMeqiiem iinptoTemepis. 'Sntirj't and Bniton'i Palace o( WesimiDiler, lU. Thin portion of the old. |«teea WM deaiioircd by tlte, a Utile lime after lbs queou'i death. 'Tti* rounf dairheis did not iaioiedialelr quit EngJaiuI. bat bad a Mpaiala. TiMhllihinnni •< appears I17 the following entry in Edward IL's household tooks : ~ PaiJ lto!>eit de Ludhnin tliirleen shillii^s and siiponce, who was ponai ta the Idne's diiHglitei, ibe tacly Maigarpt, duchesi of Brabant, whsa >he nwia- ^tiwd ■ bouMibold differcal ftom the king'i ion," *%^llt- 102 ELEATtORA OF CASTILLE ailomed with eRigieii oT the king, in a siircoal snil hood, nai edigies of qneen Eleanora. It is generally suppose) ihal Toi of qneer memory, introduced ihe use of foiks from Italy, I the time of James I. But our Provengal Plaiitagenet qooL feed with iheir lingers, whatever their English subjects might in the list of Eleanora's plate occurs a pair of knives with sih naoielled, wiili a fork of crystal, and a silver fork,' handled % and ivory. In the list of royal valuables were likewise I looking-glasses of silver-gilt, and a bodkin of silTer, in a 1m five serpents' tongues set in n standitrd of silver ; a royal ci rubies, emeralds, and great pearls; another with Indian pearl* great crown of gold, ornanienled with ememlda, sapphires d rubies, and lai^ oriental peurlc. This seems to have been : state crown, used at the coronation feasL Above all, thei ring with a great sapphire, wrought and set by no other 1 of Si. Dun Stan. The countess of Gloucester brought forth a beautjfiil I spring of 1291, lo the ingnite joy and plessure of her roolli the king and queen Eleanora welcomed this first grand-chi]| light, and called hit name Gilbert. The autumn of the year 1290 brought threelening clouds U perily of the island kingdoms, and to the royal family of q^^ nora. The little queen. Margaret of Scotland, was lo be s> from Norway to Scotland, and thence, by agreement, to t England, that she might be educated under the care of ths igueen of Edward I. The bishop of St, Andrews wrote to k' that a report was spread of the young queen's death * on be voyage. Edward, who had already sent the bishop of Durhai regents, to take possession of Scotland,* in [he names of f Caernarvon, and Margaret of Norway, was startled into pro at these alarming tidings. He took a hasty farewell oif I queen, and chared her to follow him with all convenient «pi Edward had not reached the Scottish borders, when the reached him that Eleanom, the faithful com)>aQian of his lif^ ling through Lincolnshire, to join him, previously lo his e: land, had been seized with a dangerous autumnal fever, U E Grantham. Ambition, at the strong call of conjugal love, for once i giusp on the mighty heart of Edward. In comparison witli dead ot dying, the coveted crown of Scotland was nothing i ■See likow>» Record Commisiion, p. TB, where fiirks bts Ihe items of Edward L'l domcBlic atmiilB. ■ S^lie died at the Orkney!, il ii rappoaaJ ot tlie faligoe of Kgn, being driven to ihoie ialands bjr violent wesitaer, Oclobar tWOL' niigbam. Her death wb> Ibe grcateit nalional calamilf ihM stc An elegant female poet, Mis* Uolfbrd, tKj*~- "Tbe nonh wind lObs wtieie M«reeret tleepa, And (till in lean of blood her memory Scoittod Mn ■Ana As Ufia v^ Viktt.. - _ ' -^t. Pub, m ELBAlfORA OF CASTILLE. l03 He turned souUiward instantly ; but though he travelled with ost speed, he arrived too late to see her living once more. His le queen had expired, November 29th, at the house of a gentle- med Weston. She died, according to our calculation, m the Tenth year of her age. irhole affiiirs of Scotland, however pressing they might be, were ted, for a time, from the mind of the great Edward by the acute he sufiered for the death of Eleanora ; ' nor, till he had paid the e considered due to her breathless clay, would he attend to the t temporal business. In the bitterest grief he followed her corpse »n during thirteen days, in the progress of the royal funeral, from m to Westminster. At the end of every stage the royal bier surrounded by its attendants, in some central part of a great II the neighbouring ecclesiastics came to meet it in solemn pro- and placed it before the high altar of the principal church. At ne of these resting-places the ro3ral mourner vowed to erect a I memory of the chere reine^ as he passionately called his lost a. Thirteen of these splendid monuments of his aflections once : those of Northampton and Waltham ' still remain models of tural beauty. The principal citizens of London, with their ma- r, came several miles on the north road, clad in black hoods and ur cloaks, to meet the royal corpse and join the solemn proces- rhe hearse rested, previously to its admission into Westminster at the spot now occupied by the statue of Charles I., which ided a grand view of the abbey, the hall, and palace of West- > ' buried queen Eleanora at the feet of her fiither-in-law. Her statue, reclining on an altar-shaped tomb, was cast in bronze by t patronised by Henry IH. and Edward I. He was supposed to xaebrated Pietro Cavallini, but his name is now certified as To- iherwise called Master William, the Florentine. He built his I to cast the queen's statue, in St Margaret's churchyard. The ent Edward paid Torelli £1700^ for his elegant statue of the «nora. It is well worth it, for he produced a work of which dern artist miffht be justly proud. We feel, while gazing upon it possesses all the reality of individual resemblance. The coun- of Eleanora is serenely smiling; the delicate features are per- th in form and expression. The riffht hand held a sceptre, now away ; the left is closed over someming pendent from the neck ring, supposed to be a crucifix. Her head is crowned with a :ent circlet, from which her hair falls in elegant waves on her lD|^m and Speed. lam CroM was built where Eleanorm's corpse turned from the high north fest lor the night at Waltham Abbey, which is situated about a mile I spoL he accounts of the executors of Eleanom of Castille, edited by B. Bot- !|., Rozburghe Club, published since the second impression of this biogn^- n which the author is glad to rectiiy the error into which WalpoU %&i\ had led her. ^I&nsi. EI,E\NOB A I C & a T I L L K. I ! i ^honldcrs. The queen of Edward I. must have been a modd of fonil- nine beauty. No wonder that llie united inlluence of lovidiowt, viriue. and Hweei temper, should have inspired in ilie heart of her renovHil lord an attachment so deep and true. The king endowed the abbey of Wesitninster with mnoy rich ipli*, for dirges and masses, to commemorate his beloved qUL-en. Wox-liehu perpetually burnt around her tomb, till the Reformation extinguutneil them, three hundred years afterwards, and look away the fuuds ili«t kept them alight. '■'■ She halh,'' saya Fabiaut "■ two wax ttipcrs bunnuj upon her lomb both day and nighi, which hath so continued lya iht day of her burying to this present." ' The tomb itself is of grey Petworlh marble, and is deai^ied in a styie corresponding with the rich memorial cross of Wullhami especially die lower range of shields, on which are seen embossed the loweis of 0»- tille and the puiple lions of Leon, with tlie bendleta of Ponthieu. Rouod the metal table on which the statue reposes is a verge, einbuaaed witli Saxon charvciers, to tliis edect ; — '' Here lies Alianor, wife lo king Ed- ward, formerly queen of England, on whose soul God for pity lun grace. Amen," This is at present the sole epitaph of Elnnon of Caatillei but, before the Reformation, a tablet hung near the tomb, oa which were some funeral verses in Latin, willi an English translation 1^ some ancient rhymester,' transcribed here, not for llieir beauty, InU itMlf historical chameter. ^h oQueea Eleuion ii heie inlerred, A rornl Tiriuoui dame, Siaier UQIo ibe Spnnish king, Of ancirnt blood and fame ; King Ed wBid'i wife , fini of (hut nam* And prince of Wales by right, Whoie falher Henrj- josl the ihird Wu Mue an Engliali wi^L Ha emved bet wife unlo bis ton. Tba prince himself did goe Oq that embassage luckiljr, Himteifwiih many moe, This 31 or li The king Alphonso likod, ^^H And wiih hia siltei and diis Prf^^H Thr mairiage up was ctrikod. ^^| The U0W17 rich and royal WBi For )uch a prince moat meetj For Fonihipu was the matriaga ^t, A dowry rich and gresi, A woman bolh in caunul wis*, Religious, fruitful, ineek, VVliodidiQcreatehoiliusbuKl'sfanai. And 'laiged his UoDOur eke. L«un 10 dia. Of all the crosses raised to the memory of Eleanora of CutUle br 'The tomb of Ueniy III. is richly inlaid with curious and preciiMis aRDO^ which his Mm, Edward L, brought with him from Syria Ibr ibal purpose. Ip iplvndour may be noticed by thcisa who wHlk in the abb«y banenlh St. Cdwanl^ chapel. Fotuiwuely most of this beautiful mosaie of outioo* tionea is fttba on the ouuide of (he obapel, which is placed al an inconreDiDDl height ix huftg on laMels neu th« torabi. — Bvftey't UisioTical FenmbolvBf. BLBANOEA OP CA8TILLB. 105 her Borrowing widower^ that of Charing is the most frequently named by the inhabitants of the metropolis, although the structure itself has fanished from the &ce of the earth. Yet every time Charing Cross is mentioned, a tribute is paid unconsciously to the virtues of Eklward I.'s bdored queen, for the ^pellation is derived from the king's own lips, who always spoke of her in his French dialect as the chere reine. Thus hid words Charing Cross signify, the ^ dear queen's cross,'' ' an object tmi was alwajTS seen by the royal widower in his egress and regress from his palace of Westminster. This anecdote is corroborated by Ed- ward's personal habits, who certainly, like his ancestors, spoke French n his ftioiiliar intercourse.' Our sovereigns had not yet adopted English as their mother tongue. Although Edward and his father spoke Englisli readily, yet their conversation in domestic life was chiefly canied on in Fiench. Foreigner as she was, Eleanora of Castille entirely won the love and fDod-wul of her subjects. Walsiagham thus sums up her character:' **To our nation she was a loving mother, the colnnm and pillar of the iriiole realm ; therefore, to her glory, the king her husband caused all those fiunous trophies to be erected, wherever her noble corse did rest ; for he loved her above all earthly creatures. She was a godly, modest, iod merciful princess : the English nation in her time was not harassed bj foreigners, nor the country people by the purveyors of the crown. The sorrow-stricken she consoled as became her dignity, and she made Ihcm friends that were at discord." Civilixation made rapid advances under the auspices of a court, so veil regulated as that of Eleanora of Castille. Wdes, in particular, emerged from its state of barbarism in some degree. The manners of ibe Welsh were so savage, at the time when Eleanora kept her court in North Wales, that her royal lord was forced to revive an ancient Welsh lav, threatening severe punishments to any one ^ who should strike the queen, or snatch any thing out of her liand." The English had little reason to pride themselves on their superiority. Although there was no dinger of their beating the queen in her hall of state, they had pelted her predecessor from London Bridge. Moreover, in the commencement 'Melcolm** Londiniam Rediviva. In the accounts published by Botfield of Kleanora of Ckstille** executors, the progress of 'this cross is repeatedly men- tioBed as Cmetm dt la Char Rjfnge. It is possible that the word Charing may faive oome ftom the car or char-ring, being the drive where the carriages or cars •f those visiting at the palace, drove round while waiting for their owners. "Rblindied. *The common people have not dealt so justly by her ; the name of this virtuous woman and excellent queen is only known by them to be slandered by means of a popular ballad, called ** A Warning against Pride, being the Fall of Queen Elfanora, Wife to Edward I. of England, who for her pride sank into the earth ■i Queenhithe, and rose again at Cliaring Crosf, aAer killing the lady mayoress/* 'ome feint tmces of the qiwrrels between the city of London and Eleanor of Nyvence regarding Queenhithe, had been heard by the writer of this ballad, ^lio ormibunded her with her daughter-in-law, whose name was connected with ^Wing Cross. I I 4V ELKAIIORA OF CASTILLI. ^^M of ihe reign o( Eilwanl I., Luodon was so ill-gwanied, that avatiem mm coDiiuitwd in the Btreeta in noan-*lay.' Sculpture, artliilcrtiirp, and cwiing in brass and bronze, were not oalj encournxcd by king Edward aiid his quern, but brought to ^creat perirc- lion by Torclli, and native ariistii wliotii tliejT cncoumgeil in liiia rouutr;. Oarriiig in iVi>od, an art purely £ngluli, now richly deconled boili ecdesiaatical anil domestic Btructures. Eleaiiora o( Oistille lirst introduced tlie use of tapestry as hangiiui for walls. It waa a la^hion appertaining to Moorish luxury, ulopiu of the Spaniards. The coldness or our clintale musi have mode it iali*- penpable lo the Tnir daughter of the South, chilled wiilt the damp ' walU of English Gothic halb and chambers, hi the preceding cei Ispestry was aolely worked to decorate aluirs, or lo be disf^ayed torial exliibiiions, in oolcrnn coi urn cm oration of great eveuta, like iht fiayeux tapestry of Matilda of Flanders. The robes worn by the court of Eleanora of Castijle were graceful; the close under-gown, or kirtle, was mnde high in the neck, with ligtil sleeves, and a tmiii, over which an elcg-^nt rube, with full fur slecm was worn. The ugly gorget, an imitation of the helmets of the knlghu, executeO in white cambric or lawn, out of which waa cul a visor for itit lace to peep through, deformed the head-tire of some of the ladies of to court, and is w be »«n on ihe €tli^ (oUierwite niosl degiinI)of Ardiit countess of Lancaster, her sialcr-iii-luw. Bui Eleanors had a bMter W in dress ; no gorget biet>B] bf proclamslian lot on^ perioD, but the graBl lotd*, to Im spod in LooiIb) ■Itaels with etihrr ipear or liuclilet, tRei iho partem at St. Maittn'>-le.OfafKl AmI nirm t>ut hiiouifpw beK, ■ ptoor Ihalthe curfew \Fa> rung u late u ilwilnNtf EUward I. Il bail Ifeoome ea instnimeal of civil police, nihot Uian mUtm^ i)e>potiiin. Tlie hiihw&fs, on wtiich we have isen Hetirf TIL ami hi* qon* fobtwd in open dny.wMo nowclearedof all wood eiceptiDg high ireti. fin Hw ft«t on Mch (iile. Tlit flrsl clock in England waj set up in p««lo to Wedmuatei Palace.— Slow. MhMJLMORJL OF CAtTIX.I.B« 101 )d by Dame Alianora, late queen and companion to our lord rd I^ and the said executors show that thoueh our lord tlw iren command to have it paid, it is not yet done ; therefore ly ciare that he will be pleased to give a new order for thai ceoont of the health of the soul of the said queen Alianora^ lion.** ioeument we learn from the beet authority, that creditori, in rhtn Catholicism was prevalent, conaidnred they kept a detain- n the souls, even, of rojral debtors.' r, in the same parliament, the poor prioress and her nuns of iresent a pathetic petition to the king, representing ^ how ley have prayed for the soul of madame the queen, late com- ling Edward, and they hope for perpetual alms for the suste- heir poor convent in London, in consideration of the paina teken,"" . of Gsstille left seven living daughters and one son. Only daughters were married. ' the sixth daughter of king Edward and Eleanora of Gastille, d at Ipswich (the year before her father's wedlock with Mar- Trance) to the count of HoUand. It is doubtful if the young rer left England, for two years afterwards her lord died, and ft a widow, childless. She afterwards married the earl of lumphrey de Bohun. Another entry mentions the birth of Ud. 80, 1803. To Robert le Norreys, servant to the lady Isabella * Hereford, the king's daughter, for bringing news to the prince of the birth of her first son, £26 ld«. 4d. icese-royal married, afWr the death of her mother, the duke of 3 king paid Husso de Thomville, valet of the count of Barr, f him news of the birth of her eldest son, the enormous sum nds ! But this boy was the next heir to England after Edward von, as Edward I. settled the succession on the daughters of 4 Cutille; first on the countess of Barr and her progeny, neediDg tuch stimulus, and solely prompted by family honour and a itegrit}, we have seen our young queen pay the debts of a ftther tever knew — a line of conduct in early youth which is, we trust, duly by her country. Long after this sublunary scene has dosed npon of regality, the biographers of succeeding centuries will remember this action of the then maiden sovereign of Great Britain. >ar. Rolls, 475. les in the household book of Edward I., 1298, preserve some of the >f this marriage. ** To Maud Maktfofff for dancing before Edward, ^ales, in the King s Hall at Ipswich, two shillings. To sir Peter in lieu of the bridal bed of the countess of Holland, the king's bich be ought to have had as his fee when she married the earl of Ipswich, twenty marks. To Reginald Page-Ho John the VUhtUUm non, minstrels, for making minstrelsy, the day of the marriage of die Iter, the countess of Holland, fiAy shillings eiioh.'' 106 BLSAiroBA or castillb. then on Joanna of Acre, and all the Ktta princeaMa dien aHre, i cession. Edu-aril I. survived moat of hii beloved HMHon'a Aildrtn. J of Acre died soon after her &ther. The conniesa c^ Barr pneede la the tomb soon after the birth of her aecond MO, io 1S9B, ai countess t>{ ilerpford sum*ed him but four yewa. The nun-princesB, and the onfoitnnaie Edward II., mn the indiTiduala that reached the t«ni of middle life, ovt of tba mm family itiat Edward I. had by Elemom of ChatiUa. MARGUERITE OF FRANCE, SECOND QUEEN OF EDWARD I. ikii fcmity of Maigoerita— Ditconaolate widowhood of Edward L — ^Demsndt Mugnerite's sister — ^Blanohe la Belle — ^Edward contracted to Miargaerit»— Espousals— Maids of honour — Edward leaves his bride for the Scotch wai^-* Qoeen follows Edward — ^Lives at Brotherton— -Eldest son bom there — Lett at Oiwood — Queen goes to Scotland-— Danger of journey owing to Wallaoe— Her oourt at Dunfemi line— High festival at Westminster Palace— Marguerite's gold eiiolet — ^Birth of the qoeen's seoond son^^Queen's kindness — Robert J^ruce^s oowB— Queen saves a goldsmith's life— Benevolence to the mayor of Win efaester^-Residence at Winchester— 'Death of king Edward — Happy Wedlock of Marguerite-^Her good qualities— Her historiographer John o' London— His Aetch of Edward's character— -Anecdotes of Edward— Marguerite's visit to Fmnce— Friendship with her son-in-law — ^Widowhood — Early death— Burial ^-Cbaritiee — ^Foundations— Debts^-Children — Present descendants. The early death of the braTe eon and successor of St Louis, king Uip le mrdif left his joongest daughter, the princess Marguerite, AiierksB at a very tender age. She was brought up under the guardian- bip of her brother, Philip le Bel, and carefully educated by her mother, Qsen Marie, a learned and Tirtuous princess, to whom Joinville dedi- aiad his immortal memoirs.' Marguerite early showed indications of la Mme piety and innate goodness of heart which, notwithstanding ane superfluity of devotion, really distinguished the character of her nudfttber. If Marguerite of France possessed any comeliness of penon,her claims » beauty w€«6 wholly overlooked by contemporaries, who surveyed rith admiialion the exquisite persons of her dder brother and sister, •d somamed them, by common consent, Philip le Bel and Blanche la Me. The eldest princess of France was full six years older than Mar- iwrite,' and was withal the reigning beauty of Europe, when Edward I. ^■B rendered the roost disconsolate of widowers, by the death of EJea- Nxi of Oastille. If an historian may be believed, who is so completely * contemporary that he ceased to write before the second Edward ceased o reign, Marguerite was substituted, in a marriage-treaty, commenced by Sdwvd for the beautiful Blanche, by a diplomatic mancBuvre, unequalled or craft since the days of Leah and Rachel. 'Of the Life of St Louis. *8ee Piers of Langtoft, corroborated by Speed's calculation of the age of Mar> F^inite. As th«^ most extraordinary blunders have been made by an ajflC^^n ^\a 'v* endeaTonred to write thii menunTf the point deserret aUensoDTi. VOL. u. — 10 ivatt\ I IIO MABGtBRITE OF FHA^ICB. It hafl been seen that grief in the energetic mind of Etlwanl 1. 1 Uie cliaracler nf intense activity ; but aftet all was done that hiiinu ingenuity roulU contrive^ or that the gorgeous ceremonials of tike Rotnu church could deTise, of funeral honours lo the memory of the ekht reine, his beloved Elcanora, the warlike king of England sank into ■ morbid state of mdiuicholy. His contemporary chronicler eniphatinUy says — I • A more forlorn widowerhood no pen can portray than is thna by the monk Piers. It is exceedingly curious to observe how anxioiu Edwftnl aseerlain the qualifications of the princess Blanche. Hi were commanded to give a minute description doi only of her face wd manners, but of the turn of her waist, the form of her foot and of htr hand; likewise tn fiu;ovn, perhaps dress and demeanour. The result of this inquisition was, that Blanche was perfeclly lovdf, for tif plua bel erealuTt rati Irouve, Moreover, sire Edward, at his n»- ture age, became violently in love (from report) of the charms of Blaadu 1> Belle. The royal pair began to correspond, and the d&msel ulm^ ished him by letter, thai he must in all things submit lo her btotktr. king Philip. In truth, the extreme wi»h of king Edward to be ipis united in wedlock with a lair and loving queen induced him to comdr with rondilions loo hard, even for a young bride to exact, who hta j hand, a waist, and a fool perfect as those possessed by Blanche In Belk Philip demanded thai Gascony should be given up by Edward fvcrvBi as a settlement on any posterity Edward might have by his bMuAil sister. To this our king agreed ; but when he surrendered the (ituiiMa according to the feudal tenure,' to his auzeTsin, the treacbvoua IVif refused to give it up, or let him marry his beautiful sist«r i and jw * this time the name of Ma^uerile, tlie youngest sister of Blanche, a dii of little more than eleven years of age, is found in the marriage IKtl between England and France. The consternation of the king's brother, Edmund of he found the villanous part Philip le Bel meant to play, i of the duchy of Guienne, is very apparenL His letter •amiraes so much the style of famUiar correspondence, that it is l*tt 'Pii raof Langtofl. . .._ y, at nuTsled bj Piers, is modecQ copjrhold. EdwKid without te«er*o Sal give Philip lbs king The wIioIp oCGaKoay, Without Jinuibing After the /arif day> JIMing '»«/"2' iceetliogly like the JIMing t»« frnfmna £b^K MAmaUBRITB OF FRANCS. Ill lial the limits of this work will not permit the entire insertion nment ^ says earl Edmund, ^ my lord and brother had surrendered, ce of Christendom, this territory of Crascony to the will of ig Philip assured me, by word of mouth, that he would agree esaid terms ; and he came into my chamber, where the queen ras, with monsieur Hugh de Vere, and master John de Lacy, ught with him the duke of Burgundy, and there he promised, to the ^th of loyal kings, that, in reality, all things should opposed. And on this faith we sent master John de Lacy to n order to render up to the people of the king of France the le land, as afore agreed. And the king sent the constable of receive it. And when these things were done, we came to ueens,' and they prayed the king of France that he would riTe safe conduct to my lord the king, to come and receive Hid and fortresses according to his covenant And the king in secret, in the presence of queen Jane, told me he was t he must return a hard answer before the council, but never- meant to fulfil all he had undertaken. And forthwith he de- re his said council ^ that he never meant to restore the terri- ieh he had just been given full seisin.' " . nund evidently concludes his letter in a great fright, lest Philip lid persist in his cheating line of conduct ; but he makes a bortation to his brother, not to let tmall causes break the His letter is accompanied by a treaty of marriage, in which not the name of the beautiful princess Blanche, but that of Marguerite. A fierce war immediately ensued, lasting from l98, during which time Edward, who at sixty had no time to sft half married to Blanclie ; for, according to Piers of Lang- eems intimately acquainted with this curious piece of secret 3 pope's dispensation had already been completed.' ot till the year 1298 that any pacific arrangement took place, dward and the brother of Blanche. The treaty was then H" Marguerite, who had grown up in the meantime. The ngement was referred to the arbitration of the pope, who de- t Guienne was to be restored to the right owner ; that Ed- •uld marry Maiguerite, and that she should be paid the portion bousand pounds left her by king Philip le Hardi, her mther.'' Piers verily believes, Philip le Bel meant to appropriate to e. es not say why the younger sister was substituted instead of iger of Navarre, queen Blanche, mother to Jane, wife of the king of married to Edmund of Lancaster. Q of France and her mother, queen Blanche, wife of Lancaster, •tated by Piers are most satiofactorily confirmed \jj Wikes. Like* learned researches of sir Harris Nicolas ; see a Latin poem pre* ■ city archives, Chronicle of London, p. 1312. I ■ ARarSBITB OP F8ANCK. Blsnehe,' but he seems to insinuate in these lines that she w charocter : — MsTg;ucrile was maiTied to EJwanI, who met lier at Cnnterlrary, by Robert de Winchelsea, September Sth, 1299, when she waa in her saveti- tcenth year. Among '■^ the folk o{ good array," sent by Philip for the aceommixl*- tion of the May* his sister,' we find by the wantfobe-book of E!dwiTei to Philip le Bel, married Rodol- pliua duke of Austria, eldest ma lo ilie eniperat Albert I. Her liu'banil wiu Kttctwatds lung of Bohemia. Tbia marringe »-bs sjrangcd twtweeii king Philip mill Albert The joudk lad;', Who had accompanied her brother, wa* befrcHbrd al Tm the infected air of the city." This order is dated fnm Cariisls. Jans 88th. "YsarBookof Edwaxd L • (^an qI \aA«cA. 10* n* HAItOL'ERITE OP FSkSCB. ^^| The young queen was stationeJ at Cowood Castle, a insgniliceni jmIs of feudal grandeur, being a coiin try -seal belonging to ihe arclibishonnr. seven miles from York. King Edward often came there down ihe Ouie lo see her and her infant. Here Marguerite chiefly abode-,' till the yesT 1304. Her husband then considered Scotland subdued from tea lo Ms, and as completely prostrate as the principBlily of Wales ; npon "kkh he sent for his young queen to behold hia triumph, and lo keep Chmt mas at Dunfermline, Piers of t^ngtofi declares there was much danger in her joumifv ; for though Scotland vaa appnrenily subdued, the woods and hig-liirav! swarmed with armed men, who would not come in and submit lo ilie conqueror. Thus irreverently doea thai time-«erving historian ding of» hero, whose memory lias been embalmed, by the justice of more morlem ages. Speaking of the danger of ihe royal Marguerite's journey to Dunfermline, he aays ; " Bui tho lord of Bodenocb, PrBser, nnd Wallitce. Lived al tliieTei Intr, And robbed all the wafa. Tbey linil di Tlie " By that Ibe wni wb» em (ended), Winter was three year, To Dunfermeline he wont, For ro« will he there. For the qoeon ho hdi, And ihe did diglil her eheer ; From CbwixkI >1ie Weill But lived upon chance, To Sunfermeliiie lo fare. And robtied nye betwevn." Scotland, at the lime when queen JMarguerite kept hei couH, lilt Christmas of 1304, at high Dunfermline,' seemed to lie bleeding at iht feel of Edward; every fortress had surrendered excepting Stirling Gmlf. from whose unconquered heights the Royal Lion of Scotland still floaud in the national banner. Marguerite and Edward kept iheir royal state at Dunfermline until the Idst fatal wound was supposed to be inHicted on Scotland, by the tts- chcroua capture of Wallace, and the fall of Stirling. Lexving Lonl Scgrave, commander at DunfermUne, Edward and his queen comnMiKCd ihi^ir celebrated triumphal progress homeward to England. Wbeiixr Edward brought Wallace in chains with him in this triumphtd pngnmf I cannot be precisely determined, but bis cruel execuiion waa (he HO* nieneemcnt of the high festivities, held by Edward and his yonof tpiM at Westminster, lo celebrate the conquest of unhappy ScotUmd.* ' For aeven years, at lliis juneture, the courts of King'* Bench and die Elfl* quer were held at York, to be near the royni court — VValaiaiAam. ' Among the iciuitf noiicei of the leiidenco or the queen '■ oourt at Ihaitim' line, lliere is in tlie household book of EUlwarJ La pnymifat of rony shllluipB John, the young ton of John the boilis; a* boy bishop in the cbapal of Dw- fermline, and forty ■hillingB lo Nicbolas, the valet o( Ihe eorl bT CIsBt H b'inging the news of ihe dereal of Sir Simon Fnuei and William Waltan;' KoppHsDWe, by Latimer, Segrave, and Cliflbrd. * A iradilion of Carlisle exist* vhich points out the arch of the otnle piumwt U the spot where Wallaco passed a night manacled in hit cart, daring his WW proKreas thnnigh £ugland. This ciTcumelonca favmirs the suppoaitioa ibar ^ was brought in the royal train, and thai room could not be round in Ae tatOl > 'odga the fbrlom pritonei. * We heit subjoin llie commencnncDl ot i. ifsat, of la^iOMsi MARaVBRtTE OP PHANCK. 115 While the «trocirtua execution of Wallace was perpetraled, (lueen Mur- goerile and her eourl were making preparations for the grandest limrna- ■nent e»er celebmtej in Kngtanil since, aa the chronklere declare, tlie, daye of king Anhur's round table. On new-year's day, 1306, this lournament was held si Westminster Palace, where prince Edward nceived knighthood, and was invested with Ihe principaliiy o( Wales ; tirn hundred young nobles were knigliled, and two of the lung's grand- dan^hters inarried or beirothed. The fesiivul of Si. JoIid the Baptist, the same year, was likewise kept with ^rand ceremonial. Among ihe parliamentary rolls we meet the loDowing Tnnnoranda of this event. " Thomas de Frowick, goldsmith of l.ondon, pmya king Edward for the payment of 221. lOj. for a circlet of fold made for Marguerite qtieen of England, to wear on the feast of Si. John the Baptist" This goldsmith had previously made a rich crown for the queen, and by the orders of the king left his bill with John de Chesm and his fellows, who had neglected it, and being injured by the delav, he prays the king, in 1306, "' for God's sake and the soul of hts ftiher. kin^ Henry, to order payment ;" he is answered " that he may ^e his bill \n the King's Exchequer, adding to it the charge for certain caps and Taie«, which he had likewise made, and the clerk of the Ex- chequer ihould pay him 440/. in part of his bill. Thus we find that <|onn Mir{^erite was prnvi(]«l with a Rplenitid state erawn, though Bh« «■■ w.rer crowned ; a ceremony prevented by the poverty of the . 7— S>5, ' Veij ilifferenl is luiolher euliy in Ibe eipensei or the iDUi)f-l»tiii( haa ■To seven women meeiiiig ihe king on ibe rotul between Gask snil ruiilsH and singing belbre him u ihey hod been BccuiKimeil 10 do in the iiar cf tls| Alexander, 3>." Small in proponion ia (lie beneliuticia Iwauweil bif III* ^ quwing Edward on thew Saotch songnreuw, who miobi have tuogHwIadMsai an him in tlieii dialect, Ibi auelil tm kosw to tliH couuary, Wbila aoiM Ml Mulpuue had aliainod s«ne d^tea o( perfeciion in Englaud ai tlut tiniKO** aru snd Kiencei were in a tuange slate or barbarous i^iuiiaace. Tbe etrUM notice of lacdlcal praoUce is to be lound, at ihi« era, in ibe I.alin Work nt Oat desden. pliyaiciaa at Ibe oonrt of queen Marguerite. This learned dcME^fr (cribing bis traattnentof prirkoe Edward in the amatl-pm, Ihuaiteclarw IiiBOidi of pnciice: "I ordered dia prince 10 be enveloped in soails) eluih. and ibMU bed and all the liuaiture of bis cbambcr should be of a brigtil rod laltM which practice ool odI/ cured bim, but pievenled his being marked." Ibaalr good luck iljtui good maoBxeiocct ; uuuedlj', it may bo luppoaisJ that Gativ dan wUhed Id uare the red i nflammaiion of the amsjl'pox out of oousneaias^k hii glare of scarlet teBeciionsI He add> in hi* Bon Anglaiuia, dm "Imm^ the Knit or Ihe nobletl bouse* in England wiib ihc reil sj-aif m, and nads pl^ cure* nr bIL" In this cLildisb *ta.te was the noble art of beBlingat A* lawlff Maicuchlo. * Houaehold Book t£ Edwaiil I '"Hie name iiipelled Bcmrarifia the French; the ordur Was aeni Iiy dit^n to Ihe baroni of (he Exchequer. (Madoi'i Hiiiory of ihH Exoboqisa.l ^ Jad/ Margaie: Howaid was a widow, and Ihe debt soma aopj^aU tarn. XARGUSRITE OF FRANCS. 117 years old, and the in&nt Edmund much younger, it may be judged who |>rofnpted the young petitioners, and how the queen must have made the caresses of her infants work on the heart of their great father. ^ To the honourable father in God, Walter, bishop of Chester, trea- surer to our lord, king, and father, Edmund son of the king, salutes in ;reat love. As our dear lady, madame the queen, has required, we would that you would grant to our good friend ma dame Marguerite, late wife of Monsieur Robert llereward, the remission of her debt. Written at Northampton, June 15.^'* Prince Thomas and the queen each wrote letters to the same efiect, that their good friend may be spared her payment to the exchequer. Marguerite of France is the first instance of a queen consort of Eng- land, who ventured to stand between a mighty Plantagenet in hui wrath, and his intended victim. We leam^ by tlie statement contained in an act of pardon by Edward I., that Godferey de Coigners ^ had committed the heavy transgression and malefaction of making the coronal of gold thai crowned the king's rebel and enemy, Robert de Brus, in Scotland, and that he had secretly hidden and retained this coronal till a fitting occasion, but that these treasonable doings had since been discovered tod convicted by the king's council.'^ No doubt, Godferey the gold- mith would have been dealt with, according to the tender mercies shown to Wallace and Eraser, if he had not found a friend in queen Margue- lile ; ^ for," says Edward I., ^ we pardon him solely at the intercession of our dearest consort. Marguerite queen of England.'^' The citizens of Winchester were likewise deeply indebted to queen Haiguerite, whose beneficent interference relieved them from the terrible Consequences of king Edward's displeasure. To the mayor of Win- chester had been confided the safe keeping of Bernard Pereres ; a hostage of some importance, whom the city of Bayonne had delivered to the king, as a pledge of their somewhat doubtful loyalty. Bernard made his escape. On which king Edward stenily commanded his sheriff of Hampshire to seize upon Uie city of Winchester, and to declare its liberties void; thus reducing the free citizens to the state of feudal villeins. The mayor he loaded with an enormous fine of 300 marks, «nd incarcerated him in the Marshalsea till it was paid. In despair, the Winchester citizens appealed to the charity of queen Marguerite. She recollected that when she was first married she had been received at Winchester, with the most affectionate demonstrations of loyalty; more- over, she remembered that her husband had given her a charter, which entitled her to all the fines levied from the men of Winchester. Armed \rith this charter, she went to her loving lord, and claimed the hapless Unyor and his fine as her pergonal property. Slie then remitted half the fine ; took easy security for the remainder, and set the mayor at liber^; nor did she cease pleading with her consort, till he had restored to Win- chester the forfeited charters.' During her husband's absence in Scotland, queen Marguerite retired ■ Folio ii. 1048. * Rymer's FcDdeia. Milner'i Hiatoij of Winohester, ftom the Trustel MS. H I I 118 HABCCERITE OF FRANCE. ^| rorMcnriiy lo Winchester, wherp she wsa deserredly belovfd; (i^fufc gnre birlh lo s princess — her ihinl. bui the king's Bixteeiiih riiiW. V» infunl was called Eleanora, afi^r Edward^s first qucm snd htf ditf dughter, who waa deccawd m thai time. Shf dird in a fem montiu. Before king Edward rwiched the Scottish bonier he fell ill, m Barfi on Sands. He gurrived a firvr days, till the prince or Wales ramr up with the remaining forces, time enough to recfire his tasl comnnftK which breathed implacable fury against the Scots. The dying wamof, moreover, commanded his son "lobe kind lohis little brothera Thoow and Edward, and, abore all, lo treat with respect and tenderiKM b mother, queen Margneriie," While Edward 1. remained unburwd, IWi was paid by his treosorer, John de Tunford, for the expenses of the nni widow.' *■ The May, queen Marguerite," was married lo Edward in hw •pto- teentli year; notwiihstatuling the disparity of their ages, lh« iari happily during a wwilock of eiglit years. The chroniclers of Enijluid record no fault or folly of queen Marguerite ; nothing exists to cootik- diet the assertion of Piers, that the was "' good wiihoutra lack." aaJ ■ worthy successor to Eleanora of Cuaiille. Like Adelicia of LouTnine, the queen of Henry I., Sfargnerile k'pl » chronicler to record the actions of her great lord. He was itsmrd Jfta o' London, (not a very diatinciive appellntioo -) but a» we have fim a persona] sketch of Eijward in his youth, we add a portmit of hiM,ia advHnced life, drawn tinder the superintendence of his royal widow. " His head spherical ; (this is the serond instance in which w»hl« found that the chroniclers of the middle ogea notice (be funn of ite head ;) his eyes ronnd, gentle and dnve-like when plettsed. bat fiorn H n lion's, and sparkling with fire, when h« was distatbed ; his hsir mf, his nose prominent, and rebed in the middle ; his chest brrwd, luf uat agiie, his limbs long, hie feet arched, his body firm and fleahy, boi m» I'al. lie was so strong Bad active, llial be coold leap inu> his iwldle bt merdy patting his hnnd on it. Passionately (bnd of hauling, be m ung^cd with his dogs and falcons when n temperate ; never wore his crown after the coronation, uiinking il i burdcD \ he went about in the plain garment of a citizen, exoqkinf m ilsys of festival." " What could 1 do more in royal robes, bther, i^h in this plain gabardine Y" said Edward once to a bishop, who fBM»- strateil with him on his aitire as unkingly,' How so elegantly proportionetl a man as Edward I. came to be •«■ named Longahaaks has been a question to all writers, since the opmiif of th« stone sareophagua in Westminster Abbey, when the body o( i*« great warrior and legislator was found of just and fine propoflions. w^ out any undue length of legi ; his stature was six feet two rorbv, &■• skull to heel. Ji appears that the insulting epithet, Longshanks. mi> tohriqitel given by an infensed enemy, and first took its rise (na » satirical song, sung by the Scots, when Edward laid siegn to BctbhU HAKOIJESITE OF FRA 119 1 ot Scoiland.' Edwan) In incensed at this song, ihal when iie bod slonneil Btmriek he puc everr living soul to the sword, to the number of four thonssnd persons, in this siege he tUspIayed the fine horsemanship for which he was noted. " Wbni did kinK Edwatdl r.'ei lie liud none like, Besides this steed Bsysrd. another colled Grey Lyard ie celebralcd in the hdrons' waT«,n one on which he ever « charged forward;" likewise h>9 horse Ferrauni, '^ black as a raven, on whose back, though armed in prooC Sire Edward eould leap over any chain however high."* No eheratier of his day was so renowned for noble hoTsemanship as this most accomplished monarch. Yel it is certain, that b1! which finally ntnain^d, from his ambiiious war in Scotland, was the insulting tobriquet of Lmfishanks. The original MS. of the queen's chronicler, John o' London, is a great cnnoaity. li is written in Latin on vellum, very finely and legibly praaed^ and ornamented with initial letters, illuminated with gold and eokturs ; the centres of the most of these are aafinished, and the manu- ■lipl ilMlf is a fragmenl. The de-scription of Edward's pterson is accom- faiued by an odd representation of his face, in the midst of an initial Inter. The features bear the same cast as the portraits of llie king ', tbrre is the small haughty mouth; the severe penetrating eyes, and the long straight nose ; the king is meant to be shown in glory, but the head H sorrouiided with three tiers of most suspicious -looking flames. Mow- CTCT. such as it is. it doubtless satisfied the royal widow, to whom the »ofk was dedicated. " The noble and generous matron, Margareia, by the gmcir of God, queen of England, invites all men to hear these pages." The plan of the oration is to describe the doleful bewailings of all sorts mmI eundilions of persons for the loss of the great Edward. Of course, 4m lameniaiion of the royal widow holds a distinguished place in the te^mtmontUi. it commences thus : " The lamentable commendation of Harnreia, the queen. Hear, ye isles, and attend my people, for is any wBow like unto my sorrow ? Though my head wears a crown, joy is Anut fmm me, and 1 listen no more to the sound of my cithara' and sifBiu. I mourn ineeasantly, end am weary of my existence. Let all Mnkwil hear the voice of my tribulation, for my desolation on our ^ "Hunflte king Edwaid " Wbal wcniih kiag Edward wiih his Ions sbB"!^ To wia Berwick with all our unltuuUu, Gaei pyke him AnJ when he has hit, Gael dike him." [Jdditiimt U Botm o/ GlMifrtlir.) I Meaning the chains used in dcfeniii * I ISO MARCLEKITE OP FRAKCE. esnh is comjJete." • • • The queen's chronicler proceeds liie lament for Saul and Jonathan ; at lengih he remeuiben ibe rojti Maiguerite by adding, " Al the Toot nf Edward'a mounmeni, with m; little fluns, 1 weep and call upon him. Whoa Edward died, all ncs died to me." These lamentationa for a husband more than seventy, from a widow Iwenty-six, seem a tilile exaggerated; yet the after>life of the tojt Marenerile proved their sincerity. Although queen Marguerite appeared in pnblic earlier than was dmhI, for the etiquette of royal widowhood in the fourieeatli cenluiy, il wm in obedience to the dying comn»nda of her royal lord, whose heart m «ei on a French alliance. Soon aftei her husband's death site weal to Boulogne with her ^on-in-law, and assisted al his marriage with bs niece Uabellu. After she returned lo England she lived in reiiremeat, spending bit magniliceni dower in acts of charity, and in the encouragemeat of U^ lorians and architects. While she lived, her niece, queen k&bdb, M ■ virtuoua and respectable life. Marguerite did not survive to aea Ac infamy of this near relative, or the domestic wretchedness of her W^ son, with whom she had always lived on terms of affection and aniisr. Marguerite is the first queen of England who bore her arms with ihoN of her husband, in one scutcheon ; lier seal is aflixed to the pwdoo d John de Dalyeng, which pardon she liad procured of her aon-ii>-4aVt il the ninth year of his reign. We trace the life of this beneficent qiBifr dowager, by her acts of kindness and mercy.' Qrieeo Marguerite's principal residence was Marlborough Casdl^M the borders of the forest of Saveroake ; it was there she died at tJH early age of ihirty-«ix, on the 14th of February, 1317. King Gdavri II. 's household-book has the following entry relative to this evnit "Sari by the King's order, to be laid upon the body of the laily Mai){wnto late queen of England, by the hands of John de Hauled, at Msd- borougli, the Slh of March, two pieces of Lucca cloth."' Also at the place of its final destination, the Grey Friar«, vuions olbe pieces of Lucca cloth were to be laid on her body, at the expense of ^ king. She was buried at the Grey Friars church, the magnificent tn^ turn which she had principally founded;' her body was buried bdiai the high altar, wrapped in the convenlutd robe of the Franciseaiu. The splendid monument mised to the memory of ihie * ■ThcM-al is of ted Wi own Qciu-de-lis on llie I lizBui-e.— See Saad/ard, p. 130. * LuTftt cloth was tLD ItaliBn mBnnfBctuieorsitk itriped with Bold ; oaajraM moTMlolha were proTid»d by Edward 11^ lo ihow his respect for hi* ilsp !■■>' er'* luetDorjr. Tbese rich palli were tlic fee* of the offiaiaiiag prion, al VKf ottuich where the royal corpse rested on iu piogien to its place of Mpolna* •Stow. Shebegau ihectioii' in 130G, and finisbed it in her widowhmd. Ai leR by bet will one hundied marks to this church. This Ibundaliaa is ss* Clirist Charch, Newgate. Part o( Maiguerite'i origiml buildinK la lbs eloV* MAROrEBtTE OP FRATfCE. 121 mtaun tns destroyed by ihe acquiBJiifeness of Sir Martin Bowes, lord BMyor, in the rei^n of queen Elizabeth, when the Grey Friars' church was mnde parochial ; he, to the indignation of the aniiquBry Slow, solil queen Har^erite's tomb and nine others of royal personages, logeiber with a nnmher of grave-Btones, for fifty pounds. Marguerite left her iwo sona joint executors to her will. Edward I(. mpowered his dearest brothers, " ThomoB eiarl of Norfolk, earl marshal, nd Edmund erf' Woodstock, co-execulois, by the testament of our molher of good memory, Marguerite, late queen of England, to execute the raid ttstament, and to have all ^ods and chattels that belonged to the said queen ; and all her com on her manors, whether housed or growing green in the earth; from the 14th day of February last, when she died, 1318. They are to receive all debla due to the queen-dowager, and pay what she owes, according to her will." ' The troubles of the reign of Edward IL prevented the debts of the widow of his father from oeing paid ; a* we find the following petition concerning them. In the eighth ;nr of Edward [II., there is a petition to Parliament,' from Thomas, earl of Norfolk, marshal of England, and executor of the testament of ifuepn Mai^erite, his mother, praying, " that the king will please lo gnmi of his good grace, that the debts of the deceased queen may be fofthwith paid by his exchequer, according to the order of King Edward IIt whom God aasoil," Qiieen Marguerite is Ihe ancestress of all our English nobUity, bearing die great name of Howard ; the hononre of her son Thomas'planloge- net, earl marshal, were carried into this family, by his descendant, ladv Mwgaret Mowbray, marrying Sir Robert Howard. The Howards,' Aniugh this queen, unite the blood of St. Louis with that of ihe mighti- f» of llie Plantagenet monarchs. The heiress of her second son, £d- mnnd earl of Kent, married first Sir Thomas Holland, and then Edward ib« bl>«k prince : through her this queen was ancestress of tlie nobility •ho bore the name of Holland; which family became extinct in tM ■m of the Roses. 'IV(tianieauiT7 Bolls. 'Ibid, 'Smna of i!ie mon iliualrious chEiracters among rhe English nobility, boih u lURiti anil warriors, bavo belonged id tliis ramil/. Sii disiiact bnuicliea of iha dxal ItmUy of Howard, devendann of queen Marguerila and Edwud I., are inc. Firstlj-, the Norlblk line, repteeented by Bemud Edward, duke of Secondly, the elder line of Sud^lk and Betk>bire, repteieiiled by die t. Greville Howard, heireis of Cnstio Rising, Lcven's Hal], &«. Jbc M jouDger line of Suffolk, icptesenied by Thorr.aa, earl of Suffolk and Fourthly, the Carlisle line, icpre«enled by George, earl of Carlisle. I", flje Coiby line, whose teptewnlBlive wai Henry Howard, otq^ of Corby , auUtor of llie Howsid MemoriBta, Tb» patriarch of the Cailitle and Coif luancbea wai the celablated lord William Howard, niinamed "Belieb Will," grandaon of the illuitriaui Bail of Surrey, bebeaded by Henry VIIL In a of Catliile and Corby. Ihs literary lastea of their renowned anoeaun T«d. SdiUily, the EfBngbani tine, whose repreaenlatiTe is Kenneth Alei- all of Efflnghaui, ibe dcsueadant of ihe admiral who defeated the I «U«tauic. mtf- ** 1 A ISABELLA ^F FRANCE, 1 eUKNAMBD THX FAIB. QDEEH OF EDWAHD II. I CHAPTER i. InbellA) paicnlafiK — Boilj parenu teig Itj (lie piiiuis or Waieii — Her great beiuly — Her maniage — it — Sails /or Eugland wiih Edward IL — Snintnoin for [adiei ij DoTur — Her wardrobe — Her coronadon — PeBrt Sltgtiis oSered lo Isibella — Queau'i ooiiiplaiiil»— ReTFnues — Her potmluitf— Her jaaloua)' of Gaveilun — Ci*il w>i — Queen's charily — M»]nli» poa nl buoo* — fiirlh of he> eldeit too — Fieienu lo hei KrTuiis — Qur«a(»> t, Fraoce wiih the king — Eeuim — Obtajna ajuiiesty — Cunjagsl happtni " ' of her eecond aoji — Queen's cliurcbing robe — Birth of h«r eldeii A Gifta ID queen"a nurse and aeivmita — Kings grants lo Isabella— M— Ht Brotherton — Roger Mortimer — Queen ■(pilgrimageloCBnt.-ilMi- — of lady Bedlesniero — Indignation of the queen — She exeitej i Bircb of princeu Joanna in the Tawei— Queen Isabella'* rii : wilb Mortimer — Hei influence witJj the king — Mortinwi'a — Queeo'a jealaugy of lite Despenceii — Dt^priied of her tevenuei — HtM S ^rrants disiniBsed — Complaints to Uer broitiei — EsUnngeuieiit AT It bobella mediatrix with France. 8t\CE the days of ihe fair and false ElTrida, of Saxon celrf (jueeti of England has left so dark a slain on ihe annals of fniia!« ally, as ilie consort of Edward II., Isabella of France. Sh^ wai ihi eleventh queen of England from Ihe Nomian Conquest, and with ibf exception of Judith, the consort of Ethelwolph, a prinr-ess of higbtr rank ihan had ever espoused a king of England. She was ihf ol^nis{ of a marriage between Iwo sovereigns ; Philip le BeJ, kin^ of Vnaa aiid Jane, queen of Navarre. Three of her brothers, Louis le Hiitie< Philip le Long, and Charles le Bel, successively wore the royal imAai of France. Isabella was bom in the year 1295, and, when but four years old, he name was included in the twofold mairimonial treaty whicli Ceot&tjit Joinviltc, as the envoy of Edward I., negotiated between iJist aoMlit and Ihe princess Marguerite, sister of the king of Fnutce, uul the pliW »f Wales, with the princess Isabella his dauirhler. By the marriage articles it was covenanted, that Philip le Bd WifM give his daughter a portion of e^hlecn thousand nouDtls, tai itMit was to suecccd lo the dower which Edward 1. seitled on his tHriiKll' ptinoeaa Marguerite, her (IB) ^P ISABELLA OP FRA!)CI. 123 ' A 9oleina act of beiratluneiil took place ai Paris, in the yrar 1303,' wlien the pope's dif>pen«alioa Tor ihia utiiou was publislied. The count of Savoy and ihe earl of Lincoln, as ilie procuraiiire of Edward piince ot Waled, affianced the youug priucces, on hia pan, in the jiresence of her illiistiious jwrenta, Philip IV. of France, atid Jane, queen of Fmnce and N'DTsrre. The lady Isubella received the Iroth of her future lortl, Ettwanl, son of the king of England, from the hand of PereGJIl, ilie archbishop of ITarboiine. It appears tiiai the young princess signified her assent to (he /narrioge, by pulling her liand iti Iliat of Pere Gill, oa Cvndilion that all the articles of ilie treaty were duly performed. She was then nine years old," Edn'ard [. was so ilesirous of this alliance, that among his denih-bed injuncliona to his heir, he charged ikim, on his blessing, to complete hia cnngeinent with Isabella. This was, in truth, the only command of hia dying aire to which Edward II. thought proper to render obedience. Such was his haate to comply with a mandate whicli happened to be in accordance with bis own inclinatioo, tliat before the obsequies rtf his dee«a9n! kine; and father were performed, he dispatched the bishops of Durluuo and Norwicli, witli the earls of Lincoln and Pembroke, to the court of France, to appoint a day foi the solemnization of his nuptials. The i«i>ort of the personal cbarius of hts intended bride, had indeed (utdi! so lirely an impreEsioa on ihe iiiitid of Edwud II., iliai he is itpnwched by the chroniclers of his reign with having lost liie kingdom nf Scotland, through his impatience to complete his marriage with her.' TTIvrn he was apprised that all the arrangements for hia marriage wert OMicludcd, though perfectly aware that his recognition, as king of Scot- land, depended on his remaining there till tiie importaut affiiirs which nqniird his presence were selued, he treated every consideiation of puilical expediency with lover-like contempt, and hasted to the fitlliU nent «f his conimct witli the royal beauty- There was the lees catise (or such unreasonable liasle, since the lair Isabella had scarcely com- j4etej her thirltieuih year at the time of her espouBala. Great preparations were made at Westminster Palace tor the reception of ihe young queen. The loyal apartments, which had been burnt down in the preceding teign, and had been rebuilt, were completed and furnished', the gardens were new turfed and Irelissed, the fish-ponds •rcn drvwn and cleaned, and a sort of pier jutting into the Thames, allrd tlic Q.ueen's Bridge, was repaired. The royal ship called the Xat^garct of U'ealniinsler, woe, with her boats and ba^s, entirely cleaned nd bautiGed. Various butleriea and waidrobes were constructed in the «e«ei, not only by the command, but according to the device of the kiof bimsetf, for his expected queen's accommodation.' After appointing lii> recalled favourite. Piers Gaveston, guardian of tiie teahn, Edwartl ■lied, early on Monday morning, January 22, 1308, accompanied by bia molher-in-law, queen Marguerite, to meet bis bride. He landed at I I ■ Bf luirr'i F(ei'rB, vol. ii. p. 93S. 'Rymci'i Frxdeta. •AiMwl* ut »l Anguiun. Baiiio. WKUJngliaiD. ■Sng'lejr aod BriiioD s Wauny of (be Palace of Weitmiu iBuucu ai j L4,11«,M7. ^J |u OF PRANCE. I Boulogne, where Isabella had already arrifed with het myil nifiili There king Edward performed homage for Guieniie and PoaUuey,W Itiiig Philip. The oeKt day, being ihe festival of the Conversion of Sl Paul, (hi niipliab of Isabelia and her royal bridegroom were celebrated, in du famous cathedral church ot Boulogne, with peculiar magniGccnoe. Tom sovereigns, and as many qneens, graced the bridal with iheir pmeMt These were the king and queen of France, the parents of the hridcj Marie, queen dowagei of France, her grandmother ; Louis, king of S^ *arre, her brother, lo whom queen Jane, their mother, had rmigMiJ ifie kingdom she inherited ; the king and queen of tlie Romans, the kinf of Sicily, and Marguerite, queen dowager of England, IsabeUa^s auiiL Tim archduke of Auatria was also present, and the most numerous asaeniUy oi' princes and nobility thai had erer met together on such an octanOL The dowry of the bride was provided from the spoils of the hiplw Knighls Templars, who had been recently tortured, plundered, and mtt* dered, by her father.' Like most ill-gotlen gains, this mouey bj no means prospered in the spending. The beauty of the royaJ pair, whose nnpiiala were celebrated with &a exiniordinary splendour, excited the greatest odmiralion ; for the bride- groom was ihe handsomest prince in Europe, and the precocious chanu of the bride hail already obtained for her the name of Isabella the Fsit.' ^Vho of all the royal and gallant company, wimesses of tliese espowib. could have believed their fatal termination, or deemed that the epitlMlW She-Woif of France could ever have been deserved by l)ie bride? High feasts and tournaments were held for several days afier dK espousals, at which the nobility of four royal courts assisted. Tlac festivities lasted nearly a fortnighL Edward and Isabella wcte ni»oi«d on the 3&th of January, and on the 7th of February they embarked hi England, and landed at Dover the same day. There is, in the Fiedni, a copy of the summonses that were sent to Alicia, the wife of RofB Bigod, earl of Norfolk, the countess of Hereford and other noble ladks, by the regent, Piers Gaveston, in the king's name, appointing tlieni U be at Dover on the Sunday after the Purification of ilie Virgin Mary. W receive the newly-wedded queen, and lo attend her on her prognM te Westminster.* The king and queen remained at Dover two days, where Pter* Ga- veston joined lliem. The moment the king saw him, he flew to bin, fell on his neck, and called him ■'brother^"* conduct which gnul*' displeased the queen and her uncles. From Dover the royal parly frtr ceeded to Elthara, where they remained till the preparations were eo*- ?leted for the qotonation. Two of Isabella's uncles, Charle* covoi li alois, and Louis de Clermont, count of Evreux, brothers of PhiUp 1' Bel ;' the duke of Brabant, with the grand chamberlain of rraacc tei many other nobles, came as guests to the coronation. This ceremuaitl ■De la Moot. p. 1. bitjili Miueum, * Froisati sayi, aha wai one of lh« gteateal biantiea in the woticL ISABELLA OF FRAIICE. 125 K>aed till Quinquagesima Sunday, February 25th, one monUi nuptials of the king and queen. The royal circular in the ddressed by king Edward to his nobles, in which ^ he corn- er attendance with their consorts at Westminster, to assist at ition solemnity of himself and his consort, Tsabellti queen of is the first royal summons in which the wives of the peers of re included.' •ung queen^s outfit was magnificent' She brought with her to two gold crowns, ornamented with gems, a number of gold drinking vessels, golden spoons, fiily silver porringers, twelve T dishes, and twelve smaller ones. Her dresses were made of silver stuff, velvet, and shot tafiety. She had six dresses of th from the Douay, six beautifully marbled, and six of rose isides many costly furs. As for linen, she liad 419 yards for Jone ; she was likewise endowed with six dozen coifs — pro- btcaps. She brought tapestry for her own chamber, figured in of gold, with the arms of France, England, and Brabant. Dg of France, on the occasion of his daughter's nuptials, had imde his royal son-in-law a profusion of costly presents, such , rings, and other precious articles, all of which Edward imme- sstowed on his favourite. Piers Gaveston, whose passion for 8 insatiable.' Such conduct was peculiarly calculated to excite •sure of a young girl, and Isabella naturally resented this im- amsfer of her futher's munificent giAs, which she regarded as Bt dower, and as heir-looms to her descendants, obles took occasion of the anger manifested by the young ainst the haughty fevourite, to signify to their sovereign, that iveston were banished from the court, they would not attend Niching coronation. Edward, alarmed at an intimation which amounted to a threat of withholding their oaths of allegiance, that everything should be arranged to their satisfaction, at the It that was to meet directly afier his inauguration. I coronation itself, fresh discords were engendered. Thomas, sncaster, the son of Edward's uncle, Edmund Crouchback, bore or the sword of mercy, and Henry of Lancaster, his brother, I rod, surmounted with the dove. But the indignation of the iceeded all bounds, when it was found that the king had assigned id office of bearing St Edward's crown to his unpopular fa- irho, on this occasion, was dressed more magnificently than the I himself. This gave such ofience to one of the earls of the jral,^ that nothing but the respect due to the young queen re- turn from slaying him, within the sacred walls of the abbey, rchbishop of Canterbury being absent from the realm at that *• FoDders, vol. iii. p. 50. e la Bibliotheque Roi, vol. xxxiv. The amount is stated b7 M. Raumefi 79 livres, but the articles enumerated would have cost a great deal ess the Uvres meatit pounds sterling. iw of Westminster. ^ Mills. OicM^. !• ^crated and crowned by ibe biilMp I k period^ ihe kins and queen of Winehfisier. So gKat wu the concourse of speclaiora many serious &c>^idenla occurred, through ihc eager desire of the |>nniU to obtain a eight of the beautiful young queen ; and a knight, air Jooa Bakeweil, was Iroddcn to death. Gaveslon had laken upon hiineelT the whole manageoieni of ibe to- ronatioa ceremonial ; and eithei bis arrangements were made witb iiule judgment, or liU directions were perversely disobeyed, for il u-a*,fraai the cegiuiiing to the end, a scene of (he most provoking coufumm ui diaonlei. Il was three o'clock before the consecralioD of ilie kin; ami 3ueen was over; and when we consider die sbortncsa of ibe wjoHl tys, we cannot wonder al iJie &cl stated, Lhtit though there wu abuK dance of provisions of everv kind, there wad not a morsel served upd the queen's table before darL' The lateness of the dinner-hour apinn to liave excited the indignation of llie hungry nobles, more ibM ibj other of Gavesion's misdeeds that day. Tlie banquet w«s, jtuxtant, badly cooked, and, when al last brought to table, ill served, and frw ■/ I the usual ceremonies were observed, for the want of the proper BiTo it,for ihis dpTioB repre „....__ ^■DDJTing the ring Irom Si.JuhD tbe ETmngduu in WbIUmid _.»,....» _. Haverins-bowsr detJTetl its luuiia. Tliit *ery ring ii declued b}- mdiUos .1 .:,^ ,i„g 1„, prBMiil majetir reoeivMl — ' — — - — ' WaJsingliatii. jnd of sold, Auliioncd Id ihs likt^MSf* is second was (igUl ooiwn of pM. fa A* liaad lo take the ring, dt raUwt. wr tttii •n\ed tlio IvKeitdor E^witnl tha Cu^"* ISABELLA OF FRANCE. 127 ihgrae of allention, either as a queen or a wUe. Isabelk was, however, pcnectJy aware of llie importance oT her poaiiion in the English court; and even hail she been as childish io mind as she was in age, she wae loo eloMly aUied in blood to the greai leadere of ihe disamcted jieers of England^ Tlionias earl of l^ncasier, and his brother, Uenry earl of Derby, lo rcinatn quiescently in ihe back-ground. The mother of the ■bciTo^named nobles, Blanche of Artoia, the queen-dowager of Kuvarre, mw l»bcUB''a maternal grandmother;' consequendy) ttie sons of queen Btaache, by her second marriage viiih Edmund earl of Lancaster, were half-tinclea to the young queen, and resolutely determined to act as her chuupioiia against Piers Gaveston, who was now allied to the royal family by his marriage with Margaret of Gloucester, die daughter of Edward^B »i»ter, Joanna of Acre.' Care»l(H] was not only the Adonis of the English court, but remark- •Ue for his knightly prowess, graceful manners, and sparkling wit. It «»• ihe laticr oualification which rendered him peculiarly displeasiug to the English nobles, wliom he was accustomed to deride and mimic, for the amuvetnent of his thoughtless sovereign ; nor was the queen ex- unptMl, when he was disposed to display his sarcustic powers.' The gill* of the tongue are those which more frequently provoke a deadly Trngesncfi than any other oDeace ; and Gaveslon's greatest crime appears u> have been Uie fatal propensity of saying uiifo^veable thln^ in spott. 'MU-Jla'a father secretly incited the English barojis to a combination '^iiini Gaveston, which compelled the king to promise to send him he- ':] setM. Thia engagement Edward deceitfully performed, by making > nceroy of Ireland, which country, his worst enemies own, he ruled HHii (treat ability. The queen'a pecuniary distrcMeB were then brought before the lords,' Md w they found there was no money in the treasury, to furnish her with an income befitting her station, the revenues of the county of Pon- ihirD and Monlrieul, the inheritance of the kiug^s mother, were appro- jinatcd to her use. The king specilied as his wish, " that his dearest cooMirt, babelU queen of England, shall be honourably and decently provided with all things necessary for her chamber; and all expenses for jewels, gifts, and every other requisite."' During the first year of Isabella's marriage with Edward II.| her fclber, Philip le Bel of France, appears lo have acquired some degree of n tlw councils of the nation, for we observe several letters 'Miln' Catalogue of Honour. Brookei, Spt-ni, d»s. &c. 'The huDos were uiaspeiated hI thii marriage, which made the (hvoariie Ed- *«fdi DCiihewj yiM Ilio eml of Gloucenlpr, wbo wa» certainly Ilia poison wliotn '* OMwe atnilj concerned, oa he was the young laiifs btoiber, nppeaied jwt- hcCf mOtlted, and remained Gavesuin's lirin friend ; and It is more ibui pto- baUe ihu iIm lady heitelf wu quiie agieealrlo lo the union. Walringbain. * Carte, ■■Tbaratiiie be it pleased (o assipi the tanda of Pniitbieu, Ite., fur het me, lo prDTtit* Im wilb tucb tbingi ; and be directs Richard de Snkeslie, his tenescbal tt iIbU pnrTiim, 10 give ibe depuiica of Ilie queen peaceful posKSsion of Ilie " Fmlm, vol. iii., May Ulh, I3B0. I I I 196 ISABELLA OF FRANCS. in Rymer'a Fiedere, from Edward to his ralher-in-law, in whi descends to expkin his conduct with regard In Gavestoa t narch, and weakly solicits his mediaiion with hia turbulent bi The following year Gaveslon took occasion lo rclum to E ^ attend a toumament at Wallingford.' The magnificence of bis n and the great number of foreigiiera by whom he was BUrrouodDd. aen to increase the jealous disple.asure of the barons. Gaveslon, sceotrti to his old practice, retaliated their hostility with scornful raillery, taS fliit occasion bestowed provoking xobriquels on the lenders of ibe fi against him. The earl of Pembroke, who was dark, (hin, and tJh complexioned, he calkd " Joseph the Jew ;" the earl of W«nrick, m foomad at the monlh when angrj-, ^ the wild boar of Arttenne ;" lad earl of Lancaster, from hia acting a picturesijae style of dm*, « Bia^ player ;"* and in like manner ne characterized the rest of the pn either from their peculiarities or defects. These insults wen not a treasured up against a fearful day of reckonine, but had the tSM stirring up such a storm in the court, as made the throne of hia ro, mister totter under him. The queen, her uncle the earl of Lancaster, and all the huotmei England, made common cause against Gaveston ; and Edward, not ufi lo oppose so potent a combination, dismissed his lavooirile to Gwmi At parting, the king lavished on Gaveslon all the jewels of whidi was possessed, even to the rings, brooches, buckles, and other tiiali which his young and lovely consort bad at various limea presenMd him as tokens of regard. Nothing could be a greater proof of H than such a proceeding, which was sure to create feelings of gritf resentment, in the bosom of a high-spirited girl of fifteen.* Queen Isabella was at that time much beloved by the nation, and < hear no more of her complaints of conjugal infelicity, till the ynrlSI when, to her great displeasure, as well as that of the nobles, ijii ki recalled Gaveston, and made him his principal secretary of state,* All the a^rs of the realm were under his control, and no one en obtain access to the sovereign except through him; lie wa« aem withal of leading the king into a reckless course of dissipuioa, n ofiensive and injurious to the queen. Isabella, not being of a temper to bear her wrongs in ailenca^ Wlfi remonatrated with Gavesion; on which he so lar forgot the rctpeei^ 'Wal«in|^wm. 'Thoouu V 'Edwaiil'B want of juilemenl wa* eiguollj peireptible in al] hit ■ llMUGfailBH proriuion bnd been ilir means of involving bii nannEDU. to thai he win pompelled to «enil precepts to » of hit manors, lo raise and borrow all the monej ihej could fix tliB tt his bouirbold. When tbsse espedienis feilod, his ai&irs wiirv bra^ his parliunent in 1310. His misconduct wms highlj ceDsnrnd, wl4fl refbrm oammiHioii was Bpp n'l barons, who were called ordainets. — Waitiaghawi. Brmdg, * ItisIsJn^liBlD. Bapiu. ' ^^ ISAbELLA OF FRA?(CE. 1^9 A rank, ta to make a conlempliious reply ; and when she pas- .eoiui>laiiiri] lo the king of the affront alio had received from liis kvouritei E^divard treated it as a matter of little importance. Ii rUenl that, at this period, Isabella was only considered by him ■ t child.' Less perilous, however, would it have been to and provocations to a princess of more advanced age and iilgnienl; for Isabella vented her indignant feelings, by sendiJig it detail of her wrongs to her father the king of France, lo wrote bitter compUints of her royal husband's coldness and icribing herself" as the most wretched of wives, and accusing of beiM the cause of all her troubles, by alienating king Ed- gction ^m her, and leading him into improper company." dward's letters, at the same period, to the father of hia queen, B in the most slavish style of prostration,* and he constantly turn for counsel and assistance in his internal troubles, appa- BODScious that hia " dearest lord and father," as he calls the W Philip, was the secret agitator by whom his rebel peers were disturb bis dreams of pleasure.' mmrkable that Isabella's name is mentioned but once, in Ed- to the king her father, and then merely to certify " that ;ood health, and will (God propitious) be fruitful.^" not, however, till the finh year of Isabella's roaniage with Ed- " any well-grounded hope existed of her bringing an heir tnu the period at which this joyful prospect first became WU amidst tlie horrors of civil war. i of I^ncaster, at the head of the malcontent barons, look up ist the sovereign in the year 1312, in order to limit the regal and to compel Edward to dismiss Piers Gaveston from his Isabella accompanied her lord and his bvonrite to York, and ir flight to Newcastle ; where, not considering either Gaveston ' safe from the victorious barons, who had entered York in Sdward, in spite of all her tears and passionate entreaties to the abandoned her, and took shipping with Gaveston for Scarbo- ,The forsaken queen, on the advance of the confederate barons, Tynemouth. During her residence at Tynemouth (!:astle, nployed her time in charity and alms-deeds : of this, most inte- [oence appears in the royal household-book for 1312. tt V. — To little Thomeline, the Scotch orphan boy, to whom ^ being moved to charity by his miseries, gave food and raiment oont of six and sixpence." But Isabella's good work did not feeding and clothing the poor destitute creature; she provided nra wel&re of little Thomeline, for we lind another entry : — • M Mue orphan, on his being sent to London lo dwell with I uriJe of Jean, the queen's French organist ; for his educaiioni ■hea bought him, and for curing hia maladies, tifiy-two ahU- Bightpence." Mbiil. 1M ISABELLA OF PBAXCE. Willie ihe queen remained disconsolate &t Tynemouih, LAnracter.vl had got posseflsion of Ifewcastle, sent a ilepuiation to his roni niH " with assurances of her safely," explaining " that ihdr sole lAjecl ndem,~uiil |k catalogue is indeed likely enough lo have excited the indignaiiun of ib jealous peers, who, on the greeu hill-side, sat in relentless jodgnail (I Ihe man whom the king deHghted to honour' ITol withstanding her avowed hostility against Gaveainn, then v n reison to suppose that Isabella was in the slightest degree irodiciB^ll his murder, though his misconduct to her was one of the nio^ grounds of accusation used by the ear] of Lancaster agsinst him. When Edward received the tidings of the tragic fate of the con" of his childhood, he was transported with rage and grief, and di. his intention of inflicting a deadly vcngemice on Ihe perpelruors el A outrage. He sullenly wiilidrew from London to Cauterbury, wmI Cr^ joined the queen at Windsor, where she was awaiting the birth of M first child.* This auspicious event look place on the 13th day of TTortaibail forty minutes past 6ve in the morning, in the year 1312,' wtwa Udl ' (Gathrie.) Oammoa wm mlten vrry ill « Neweaitie ; far ibaue ;• »a MQ In rbs liMitetnia-tiaok of Edwvtd IJ.— "To ihuim WiUub da BMnf^l pbj'siitian, Ibi hi* atismlance on Sit Piers <)e Uxmim, ilniiag lu* BkMMWKV ciuilc-upon-Tyiuie, two pouiuli." 'Among oilier fritolou] chargeB that were brought a^nM GavOHB W 6l BMOciale batons, he wru accused of bring ■' ihs •ou of s wiwb," and oTteM) olnaiacd bit iuflurnce ovrt the nund of his nreteign bj ihe {iraoiiM of HMff Hii moiber bad bMn mctnallr butnt for tonerj in dueaiie. - Wtlaio^iam. 'RrMt^ t 'kfatitiQ ISABELLA RF FRANCE. 13t Hhe efehteenih year of her age, and ihe fifth of her marriage, piaio Ihe world the long-ileairei] lieir of England, afterwnrda that " iwned of our moaarchs, Edward HI,, aumamed of Windsor, ilaee of his binh, loom and gullen sorrow in which the king had been plunged the death of Gaveslon, yielded lo feelings of paleriial rapture il event, and he testified liis approbation, by bestowing an iges, valet lo the queen, and Isabel his wife, twenty pounds, llie iame on them as an annunl pension for life.' Ibm delighted were Isabella's uncle, the count of Evreux, and ibles. who were then sojourning in England, at the birth infant, who was remarkable for his beauiy and vigoiir, ited Ihe king to name the young prince, Louis, after the heir and the count of Evreux ; but the idea was not agreeable to teeHngs of ihe English in general, and it was insisted by the the itew'bom heir of England should receive the name of his ler and hia renowned grandfather, Edward. Four days after ^ he was baptized with great pomp, in the old chapel of St. Ed- fte castle of Windsor.' influence, after this happy event, was very considerable with hiuband, and at this period her conduct was all that was pru- ible, and feminine. It waa through her mediation that a lecon- U length etTecied between king Eklwsrd and his barons,' &nd restored to the perturbed realm. Before the amnesty waa queen Isabella visited Aquitaine, in company with her royal from thence ihey went to Paris, where they remained at the Philip the Fair nearly two months, enjoying the feasts and which the wealthy and magnificent court ofFrance provided entertainment. Plays were represented on the occasion, being and Moralitiea for amusement and admonition, entitled, " Tlie the Blessed, and the Torments of the Damned." fh the earnest entreaties of the queen, the long-delayed pardon ihcd hy king Edward, October 13ih, 1313, without any escep- id the rnyn] deed of grace expressly certilics, " that this pardon eion is gmnled by the king, through the prayers of his dearest lit, lubetla queen of England."' The parliament met amicably, ftaroHB solemnly made iheir submission on their knees to the in Weslrainster Hall, before all the people.' Soon after, llio Fvwick, ihe most active agent iu the death of Gaveston, dying l>Bay>l PkIum. ivemuny wsi perfbtmed by Arnold, midinal piicit, unci the ro;Bl balw M ibao HVvn Kodrallier* ; namely, RinUara. bisbop of Poit-licni John, 'Bidi ami Weill ; Wiltiwn, bishop of Worcester ) Looii, count of Ev !• to tilt qn^Pii ; John, dulle of Brplaina and c«rl of Ricbmoiiil i Af- iaiciwe, earl of Pombroke; >ail Hugh le d« Spcncei; but there is not ^Tona lodniolher rKordpd. Afewdayaiifler his binh, hit fbnd rather I hi* deMly-prixcd heir, his new and blameless Ikvourite, the ooiinljr L M ba ImUI by bint and Lis heirs Tot eveti also the county of Flint. Mem, vol, iil. ' R/mer'i Ftrdera. r I IS? ISADGLLA OF FBAXCE. suddenly, it was iiiiluBiriniisly circulated by his friends Uut he had bn taken off liy pobon. The barons niiBtrusted llie king, tuid qt]«8D htf Iwlla WHS the only link that kepi ihetn rrom open war. The year 1314 commeDccd with aeiiTe preparations on the pmnf the kioj^ for renewing the war with Scotland-' Stirling, so appropniidf designated by the chroniclers of that stormy era, SiritreliTig, wa« thai besieged by the energetic Bruce, and it was for the relief of Uiai unpon- BQt posseiision tlial the laggard heir of the conqueror of Scotlcotl U length crossed the Tweed. He met with a decisive overthrow at Bu* Dockbum. Queen Isabella frequently resided at York and Bniihi>ruin. lo be near the king during liis nurihem campaign. In the ninth i>f U- ward 11. an information was brouglil before ihe king's rouocil m the exchetguer, agaioal Robert le Messoger, for speaking irreverent or indr- cent words against the king. He was tried by a jury, and found guiltvi for some reason, however, the queen induced tlic archbishop c^ Ou- terbury to become his bail, and on lliat surely he was reloMed frm prison.' In Ihe month of September, 1316, king Edward was joined bylw royal consort, queen Isabella, at York, who had remained at Elthim for her confinement, as there is an entry soon after, in the king's houMbitU book : ^' To sir Eubulo de Moniibus, for bringing the first news la lb king of the happy delivery of queen of her son John of Elilium. £11^." There is likewise a reward to the queen's messenger T >< the fiist tidings of the queen's arrival al York. Septemin queen sent costly presents to the new pope, John, of cnpi - with large pearls, bought of Catherine Lincoln, and a eopi' > by Bosia de Burford. To the same pope qtieen Isabella through don John de Jargemoc, her almoner, of an inceitse boat, and a gold buckle, set witli divers pearls anil precious stonu, value £901 " The queen sent her valet, Goodwin Hawtaine, with letien 19 bishop of Norwich and the earl of LaQCaster. requesting ihoai 10 U> Eltham to stand sponsors for her eon John j his travelling c] were sixteen shillings. John de Fonlenoy, clerk of the queen's received one piece of Turkey cloth, anil one of cloth of gold for ing the font in which the lord John, son of the king, w&s ' Ellhani, 30th August; to Stephen Taloise, the queen's iai|ar,wMaB' vered fire pieces of white velvet fur ihe making thereof a ceruin ttbl against ihe churching of the queen, after the birth of her awii son." The birth of the princess Eleanor look place in 1319. The boB^ hold-book notes the king's gift of £333, •« to the lady Isabelh, ^MP of England, for her churching feast, after the birth of the fc^ Eleanora." There are likewise notices of money thrown over the heads d 'Roben Biui^e slibwed ao iLighl judgment or chancier when he iliu* qi^ I9l belween tiic tint Eilwsnl of England and iho Miamd Edni^ afruil of ihe bonei of ihc Tsiher dead, iltan or the livinf nu-, m^ hjr all tlie HinU. it wu more ,!ifficull to gel half a foul of Innil lhy«l i»bk, detivend « IsUer u dw kJig. Edward, imagining thai it contkiiwfl tomo nlowiitt eaneai or elqpM roiDplinient, onleretl it tn bo npnni^ and nsad aktnd (or llie unateaat n( )>i» rnuniera; but to his gmc mintifiminu tl w* place of apparent securiiy, h it wu nearly a hitiMU«d nuka feoN tt ueene uf wtr: vei siie nin ninnMri tn n Tirv ISABELLA OF FSANCK. 135 It was in 1321 that the storm gathered among the lord niaichers, rhich led to the barons' wars, and brought Isabella and Roger Mortimer nto acquaintance with each otherJ We now come to that eventful period when Isabella exchanged the ywtW character of a peac&-maker for that of a vindictive political agita- sr, and finally branded her once-honoured name with the foul stains of dnltery, treason, and murder. The circumstances which in the first istance led to this fearful climax of guilt were, as far as concerned Isa- ella, accidental. On the 18th of October, 1321, the queen set out on a pilgrinuigc to be shrine of St Thomas i Becket at Canterbury, and proposing to pass he niffht at her own castle of Leeds, of which Bartholomew Badlesmere, oe of the Associated Barons, was castellan, she sent her marshal and (Dfveyors before her to announce her intention, and to order proper nangements to be made for her reception.' Badlesmere was absent at that time, and being deeply involved in the reasonable designs of the earl of Lancaster, had charged his lady to BBintain the castle, though it was a royal demesne, being one of the bwer palaces of the queens of England. Lady Badlesmere, feeling ome mistrust at the real object of Isabella in demanding admittance for lenelf and train, replied with great insolence to the royal messengers, •That the queen might seek some other lodging, for she would not dmit any one within the castle without an order from her lord.'' While the dispute was proceeding between the hidy Badlesmere and he pnrveyors, the queen and her train arrived at the castle gates, and rere received with a volley of arrows, which slew six of the royal aeort, and compelled the queen to retreat with precipitation, and to seek iCber shelter for the night* The queen complained bitterly to the king of the affront she had re- ehred, and entreated him to avenge the murder of her servants, and the Molence of lady Badlesmere in presuming to exclude her from her own Bstle.^ Badlesmere had the folly to write the most insulting letter to 'King Edward Yiad married hu new favourite, the young Despencer, to hi* icat-niece Eleanor, one of the co-heiresses of his nephew Gilbert de Clare, earl r Gloucester, who had been the most potent among the lords marchers of Waleis nd ■ sort of lord paramount over them all. The warlike Mortimers, during le long minorities of the two last earls of Gloucester, had taken the lead among M marchers ; and now the king's favourite, in right of his wife, assumed a sort f nipremacy on tlie Welsh borders, and prevailed on the king to resume the rmnta of some of his late nephew's castles which he had given to the Morti- icn. Those fierce chiefs Hew to arms with their marchmen, and in the course fa few nights harried lady Despencer^s inheritance widi so hearty a good will, Mt they did many thousand jwunds* worth of mischief. The leaders of this Kploit were lord Roger Mortimer of Chirk, and his nephew and heir, lord Roger fortimer of Wigmore, who luul been the ward and pupil of Gaveston. The Etimordinary influence of the younger Mortimer exercised over the destiny of le queen requires these few words of explanation as to the origin of this rebel- on. ' Walsingham. De la Moor. ' Ibid. * Leeds Castle was a part of the splendid dower settled by Edward L on queen larpuvt, Inbella*s aunt, to which queen Isabella had succeeded. B!%wmn'% I I U6 ISABELLA OF FUAUCB. the queen, in reply to the coinplainis that hnd been nddremed to hioi of biB wife's coDcliict, expreBsing his entire approval of what site had doM Tliis cunduct was aggravalei!, by the fftct, llint Badlesmere had tvf^ lately been one of the principal officers of the palare, and held the bigli BULtioD of steward ti> the inyal housoliutd, before Edward gave bin iht appoinimoni aa caatellan of Leeds. The whole iransaction impUeewBe previous peraonal quarrel with the queen. Hilherlo the queou bad been on the mc«t amicable terms with the bsroiu; but a* neither ! if i-" nor any of the associates thought proper to exprcae any tvprobstiaa «f the disreepect witli which she had been treated by their cotOedentatibe determined to be revenged on all ; and accordingly represented to iht king thai if he raised an array for the piupoee of besieging Leeds Cwtk, he would eventually be enabled to use it for the extenciou of his kiniljr power.' The king would willingly have temporized, but Uie haopiv Rpirii of Isabella would not permit him to delay becoming Out iniiiwMl of her vengeance. Edward published his manifesto, setting (iMh thf contempt with which his beloved consort Isabella queea t>f Fflglairi hid been treated by the family of Bariholomew Badlesmere, wbo had in» lently oj^Kwed her in her desire of entering Leeds Castle, Mid that ibi eaid Batiholomew Badlesmere had by his letters approved of ihw n» conduct of his family, in thus obstructing and contumelMmaiy fraMlif tlie queen, for wliich cause a general muster of all persona faetwvedlb ages of swleen and sixty was called to attend the king iit ao e^tab^ against Leeds Castle."' A large force, of which the Londoners formed a considerable pottiuL was quickly levied, for the queen was Llic darling of the tiatioa, aajafi were eager in avenge even the shadow of a wrong that was otkni M her. The lady Badlesmere, who was uudoubiedly a nolable vingO) ami the royal threats with contempt; and, with her senescltal Waller Cal» pepper, defied both ihe king and his army, wheji they appeared bcDMlli the walls of Leeds Castie, wluch was well stored with proviaiona, tai she confidently relied on receiving prompt relief from lite aiti'rrt' barons. In this, however, she was disappointed, for the earl of Imntn- ter had no intention lo come to a rupture with the queen, hia n castle of Leeds was in consequence compelled to surrender ai on the last day of October. Immediate vengeance was taken by the king, for the naitanli am tt queen and her servants, on the seneschal, Walter Colepeppot, vIm, wtt eleven of the garrison, were hanged before the castle gataa.* L^ Badlesmere was committed to the Tower of London aa a slate IHWtmi. and was threatened with the same fate tliat had been iiUlichNl cu hv agents : but it does not appear that she suHered any woim poa^itf than a long and rigorous imprisonment.* With all their bulta, tbstii no instance of any monarch of the Planlagcnet line paltinr a hdy t* death, for high treason. ItABBLLA OF PSANCE. 137 Flmhed with his success at Leeds, King Edward recalled his banished .▼ourites, the two Despencers, whose counsels quite accorded with the rerious persuasions of the queen to use the military force which he id levied for the reduction of the Leeds Castle, for the purpose of re- pessing the power of the associate barons.* Isabella was so deeply offended with the barons, as the allies of the •dlesmeres, that she not only refused to employ her influence in com- oaing the diflerenees between them and the king, but did ererything in er power to influence the mind of her lord against them.' Lancaster was taken at the battle of Boroughbridge, where the sove- ngn fought in person against the associate barons, March 16th, 1322. lie earl, and ninety-five of his adherents, were conducted as prisoners » Poatefiaet Castle, where the king sat in judgment upon him, with a nail jury of peers, by whom he was sentenced to lose his head. The Been was not aware of her uncle^s sentence till after his execution, which M>k place only a few hours after his doom was pronounced. Probably lis indecent haste was used to prevent the possibility of the queen's in- ircesaion being used in behalf of her kinsman.* While king Edward was battling the rebellious barons, the queen, for realer security, took up her abode in the Tower. In this royal fortress lie gave birth to her youngest child, the lady Joanna, who from that irciimstance was called Joanna de la Tour.^ Some time before the birth of the princess Joanna, the two Morti- lers, uncle and nephew, having been taken in arms against the king, ren brought to the Tower as state prisoners, under sentence of death nd confiscation of their great estates.' Roger Mortimer, lord of Chirk, le nncle, died of famine, through the neglect or cruelty of his gaolers I fiiiling to supply him with the necessaries of life, it has been said, MMi after his capture. Roger Mortimer, the nephew, was in the pride nd vigour of manhood, and possessed of strength of constitution, and nergy of mind, to struggle with any hardship to which he might be cpMed. The manner in which he contrived, while under sentence of ealh in one of the prison lodgings of the Tower of London, to create 0 powerful an interest in the heart of the beautiful consort of his ofllended svereign, is not related by any of the chroniclers of that reign. It is oasible, however, that Isabella's disposition for intermeddling in political MCiers might have emboldened this handsome and audacious rebel to btain personal interviews with her, under the colour of being willing to ommnnicate to her the secrets of his party. He was the husband of a 'ranch lady, Jane de Joinville, the heiress of Sir Peter Joinville, and raa in all piobability only too well acquainted with the language that rwM most pleasing to the ear of the queen, and the manners and refine- lenta of her native land, which in civilization was greatly in advance * WaJfingham. Rapin. 'Ibid. * Bnrtboloraew Badlcsmerc, the primary cause of the war, was taken at Stow« ^rk, the seat of his nephew, the bisliop of Lincoln, and ignominiously hanged t Canterbury. * La Moor. Walsingham. Bayley's History of the Tower. Brayley. Brittoa^ itto. * Wal&inghani, &c. 'D^Xvk'ttnat. 19 • I 138 ISABELLA OP FRAKCE. of liie bellicose redm of England. Be this M it may, Moi reprieved through ihe good olRceB of some powefful ii the king commuted his sentence of death into perpetual iinpruonmeni in the Tower. Thia occasioned some aslonisbnieni, wlien it wu rnnan- beted thai Mortimer whs llie firel who had commeDced tlic civil wu by his fierce attack on the limds of Hugh Dcspencer, who was hia twon foe, and who at this very time hail regained more than hU fonner awij^ ill the councU of king Edward ; but al thai time the influence of ik queen was pa amount to any other, and it was probably on this ticcoitat that the deadly feud commenced between her and ilie two Deepeitctn, which ended bo fatally for both.' About this period, we observe the following precept, addmwd hj king Edwaid lo his treasurer and the barons of the excliet|uer, fertbi aupply of hifl own and hia queen's wardrobe. "EdWBid, by Ihe grace of Cod, tc,^. Ik. " We comiD&ud that yt provide ainern piecet of cloih for ibe n)eUin( rf oarselvci and our dene coni|>aiiion, alw fuii, agaiosl Itie next koM OtOttuiam and thirteen pieces or cloth for corsets Toi our (aid compsnion Mail bcr lisinnli. with nsping linen' and other thing* or which wf stand in need af[«iBM ibe «U feMi ; requiring fmx to assign to William Cassoncei, the clerk of cnir wudnta one hundred and ftfleeD pounds, in suoh manner as mnyohiaia prompt pa/MM of iha nme for llna purpose. " Given at Lsngief, Ihe 10th dny of Dwembor, and «( out reign the lAtk'* The king and Isabella spent their Christma.^ together, and it is proli^ thai she availed herself of that opportunity of obtaining not only to «■ conscinnable nn allowance of cloth for her corsets, but a rt^prieve fra> death for Mortimer. In the succeeding year, 1333, we 6nd the lamdesa border chief, fiov his dungeon in llie Tower, organizing a plan for the seiiure, not ait of that royal fortress, but Windsor and Wallingford. Again iraa ttoO^ nier condemned to euifer death for high treason, but through tlteagM<} of Adam Orleton, and Beck, bishop of Durham, he obiaineil « mM. On the Ist of August, the same year. Gerard Alspoye, the «atet of St grave, the constable of the Tower, who was supposetl ta b« ia »■ operation with him, gave the men-ai-arms a sopoii£e pi^tjoa is tin drink provided by the queen ; and while the guartis were asleep, HF FRANCB- excnse to the Despencere for advising king EJwanJ to deprire Ibe ipua of her last possession in England, the earldom '^f Comn-nll. Th« kin( resamed this grant in a perulinrly disobliging manner, gning the qneni lo understand " 3iat he did not consider it mife to allow any pnttioa «f hi) tenitoties lo renjain in her hand>i, m sh« mainlained a n-oM com- pondence with the enrmies of the stale." ' The feuds between the royal pair proceeded to raeh a htifhl, ttnl Isabella denied her company to her lord,' and he refiis«l lo cuine wfcxr she was* The queen passionately char^ lliis eatno^nDent va ife Despencers, and reiterated her complaints to her broilier. Ki[ig Charles testified his indignant stnoo of his Mister's tmioMnl. )if de<-laring his intention of seizing all Lh(i prarinrr^ hold br kiaglliwiri of the French crown, he having rcpeatrdly sumnioned fiiai In nJB 10 perform the accustomed homage for tlinn. Rdward vm tioi jftnmi lo engage in a war for their defence, and neither he nor hi* aiouMi liked the aliemaiive of a personal visit to the courl nf thp bwMrf brother of queen Isabella, after the indignities tlist hhi bem altnt to In this dilemma, Isabella herself obliginglj vottinteered in art » i mediatrix between the two monarchs, providM she rnivhi be pi ' ' lo go lo Paris to negotiate a pacification. Edward, wnn hMJ a beni extricBted from bis DoUtical diffietthjea bv dn itiiiliiiwMiii >■ ISABELLA OF FRANCE. 141 The propriety of the queen undertaking the mission to me court of nnce, was debated, first in the council, and afterwards in the parlia- lent which met January 21st,' 1325, to consider the af&irs of Guienne, hen it was agreed that any expedient was better than pursuing the ar." A hollow reconciliation was effected between Isabella and the De« KDcertf, who were delighted at the prospect of her departure from ngland ; and the royal pair parted, apparently on terms of the most ftctionate confidence ana good-will. Isabella sailed for France in the beginning of May, attended only by le lord John Cromwell and four knights. She landed at Calais, and -oceeded to Paris, where the first-fruit of her mediation was a truce itween her brother and the king, her husband. She then negotiated an nkable treaty, proposing the surrender of Guienne, already forfeited by le neglect of (he feudal homage to the king of France, which was to » restored at her personal instances, by her brother, to the king of £ng- nd, on condition of his performing the accustomed homage, and remu- snting the king of France for the expenses of the war. This was to ke place at a friendly interview between the two monarchs at Beau- The Despencers, anticipating with alarm the great probability of the aeen regaining her wonted ascendancy over the mind of her royal hus- ind, dissuaded him from crossing to the shores of France, even when is prepatatioDS for the voyage were completed. Isabella, who was well formed of these demurs, and perfectly understood the vacillating cha- cter of her husband, proposed to him that he should invest their son, m prince of Wales, with the duchy of Guienne and the earldom of onttiieu, and send him as his substitute to perform the homage for lose countries to the king, her brother, king Charles, having signified is assent to such an arrangement, in compliance with her solicitations. Edward, fiir from suspecting the guileful intentions of his consort* igeiiy complied with this proposal; and the Despencers, not being Msessed of sufficient penetration to understand the motives which ixnpted the queen to get the heir of England into her own power, fell lo toe snare. On the 12th of September, 1325, prince Edward, attended by the ishops of Oxford, Exeter, and a splendid train of nobles and knights, fled from Dover,* and, landing at Houloflie, was joined by the queen s motl^er on the Hth, who accompanied him to Paris, where his firat terriew with the king his uncle took place in her presence, and ho srformed the act of feudal homage on the 2l8t, at the Bois de Vin- nnes.* ' Walsinghnm. Public Aou. "Ibid. 'Rymer'i Fcsdera. RTiner^i F'sdeni. 'Act mftde a* the wood of Vinccnnet by Edward, (son of Edward IL) in the eeenoe of tlie queen hit mother and many gmndeuA of England. . \er the usual formula reKiirdin^f tlio homaffo of Guionue, a clause is added, iu ete words— ^ And as for tlio country of Ponthiuu, according to the protestation ide by msdaine the queen of England} then present, the homoL^ donA \k^ ^« ISABELLA OF FRANCE, SlfRMAMED THE P.Mi. QUEEN OF EDWAED U. CHAPTER II. -Queen and pitncerEcnlled loEnglaiid — Hat diiei. _. &.nft Edwd's lelletB — BuoDS invilc but lo invwLe EogUml— F«mklina«» Willi Mordmer — ScBodrJ ol Ibe Fiencli court — Inobclla Jiatniatad bum KbM -UvT tiail to Haimiiili — Hei Toj-iige lo Eiiglmiil — L»n(Ii — EniliiHluia ii M people — ProclamsiioD — Her iriuinpbBl progTOft^Caplurs at Am \\tt~-lttr donrri welcome the queen — Deporition o{ EilwnnI II. — Qi Seiiet the govenunent — Exorbjnuit dower — H«r bail preTiemHl hj ■ tumuli — Murder of the ting — Unbelln'i peoHi wilh Saul* " " B quBen — Her vindiclive dia|)o*ilion— Ji>l!i«» of Morti NoQia — IsabeJla'* Dtecaationi — MorUmot aJiaii u ISABBLLA OF FRAKCB. 149 igB, and urged him to command her immediate return, with Wales.* King Edward vainly issued his private letters and •uses to his consort and son for that purpose : his most per- ;rs were disregarded by Isabella, who asserted ^ that it was of the Despencers to cause her to be put to death if she Ingland :'' on which the king of France, her brother, wrote ird, ^ that he could not permit her to return to him, unless iranteed from the evil that was meditated against her by her Despencers.'' * ard's manly and eloquent reply to this letter is preserved lose Record Rolls of the nineteenth year of his reign. We om the ancient French copy, printed in the fourth volume Tosdera : ■AB AVD BILOVID BBOTBIB, received, and well considered, your letters delivered to ns, by the ther in God, the bishop of Wincheiter, who has also discoursed >rd of mouth, on the contents of the said letters, lat you have been told, dearest brother, by persons whom you oon- f credit, that our companion, the queen of England, dare not return Q peril of her life, as she apprehends, iVom Hugh le Despenoer. ; brother, it cannot be that she can have fear of him, or any other Um ; since par Dieu I if either Hugh, or any other living being, in I, would wish to do her ill, and it came to our knowledge, we 9 him in a manner that should be an example to all others ; and rays will be, our entire will, as long as, by God's mercy, we have .nd, dearest brother, know certainly, that we have never perceived ither secretly or openly, by word, look, or action, demeaned him- than he ought, in all points, to do^ to so very dear a lady. And Bmber the amiable looks and words between them that we have great ftiendship she professed for him before she crossed the sea, : letters which she has lately sent him, which he has shown to us, >wer to believe that our consort can, of herself^ credit such things umot, in any way, believe it of him, who, after our own person, all our realm, who would most wish to do her honour, and has good sincerity to you. We pray you, dearest brother, not to give y one who would make you otherwise suppose, but to put yooi who have always borne true wimess to you in other things, and ) best reason to know the truth of this matter. Wherefore we earest brother, both for your honour and ours, but more especially ' said consort, that you would compel her to return to us with all rtes, we have been ill at ease ibr the want of her company, in e much delight ; and if our surety and safe conduct is not enough, me to us, on the pledge of your good fiuth for us. intreat you, dearly beloved brother, that you would be pleased to s EdMrard, our beloved eldest son, your nephew ; and that of your ion to him you would render to him the lands of the duchy,' that {inherited, which we cannot suppose you wish. Dearly beloved ray you to suffer him to come to us with all speed, for we have iiim, and we greatly wish to see him and to speak with him, and long for his return. )f the Lord Treasurers, by Francis Thynne, esq., in the collection Phillipps, hart, at Middle Hill. Walsingliam. Rapin. Speed. B» which the young prince had gone to Parit to do bia Vmbdbic^ "sft m " And, dearest brother. le thehonoi>TNt]leAlbrTtaGaa,WBMr. '-"» I lanishHi enemies, and we. havnit Ktvnt ttaed st hwi enjoiiied liiin dd his iiwiii anil allef iance to letuin Ibitbwilii, l^lrUif tU **« mstiera io Uie beat wnyhe could. We pmy foil, Aetefoir, lo ewnua dieiaUfl depanure oftlie etiict bishop for the chuk t>efore Eaid. ■■ Given at We»(miinler, llie firsi day of December (ISSS)." Edwonl^s letter 10 Isabella herself, on [he Mune subject, b oravdindt lempeiaie, but evidently written under a deep sense of uijmTi aad wA a fonnal courtesy, very dilTereDt from Uie friendly iui • I»»i "Onentiiaes hare we sfiil to you. both before and al^r the hamate, mS yooT daiteri&fi deponmeDl towards each otbei in oai pmcuce, M> uniiaM* »ai tveet was youi dapcRmenl, with s]>eelBl nieuraneea end looktiaod otbcf nki* ISABELLA OF FRAJICB. 14$ Iter to Uie prince of Wales, written on the next day, is as T DXAm loir, I are young and of tender age, we remind you of that which we charged anded you at your departure from Dover, and you answered then, as with good will, * that you would not trespass or disobey any of our lu« in any point fbr any one/ And, since that your homage has been If our dearest brother, tlie king of France, your uncle, be pleased to leave of him, and return to us with all speed in company with your 80 be diat she will come quickly, and if she will not come, then come It ftirther delay, for we have great desire to see you, and to speak with fbre stay not for your mother, nor for any one else, on our blessing. at Westminster, the 2d day of December." after of regret that the replies to these most interesting letters been preserved among our national records ; but the substance nay be gathered from tlie following uigent and touching appeals* injured husband of Isabella, to the prince their son, and to her he king of France : ITABD, TAia soir, idersiand by your letters written in reply to ours that yon remember iharge we gave you j among other things, not to contract marriage, nor t to be contracted for you, without our knowledge and consent j and It your departure fVom Dover you said, * that it should be your pleasure ir eommandments, as far as you could, all your days." on, if thus you have done, you have done wisely and well, and accord- jr duty, so as to have grace of God of us and all men; and if not, then It avoid the wrath of God, the reproach of men, and our great indigno^ re charged you so lately and so strictly that you should remember well gs, and that you should by no means marry, nor euficr yourself to be vithout our previous consent and advice; for no otlier thing that you would occasion greater injury and pain of heart to ns. And inasmuch IS yxm say * you cannot return to us because of your mother,' it causes us isiness of heart that you cannot be allowed by her to do that which ia ral duty, and which not doing will lead to much mischief. Km, you know how dearly she would have been loved and cherishedi 1 timely come according to her duty to her lord. We have knowledge of her evil doings, to our sorrow; how that she devises pretences for herself from us, on account of our dear and faithful nephew,* H. la r, who has always so well and loyally served us, while you and all the re seen that she openly, notoriously, and knowing it to be contrary to and against the welfkre of our crown, has attracted to herself, and har company, the Mortimer, our traitor and mortal fbe, proved, attainted, Iged, and Aim she accompanies in the house and abroad in despite of iiS| nm, and the right ordering of the realm— him, the malefhetor* whom ed brother the king of France at our request banished from his domi- 3iir enemy I And worse than this she has done, if worse than tkU can itring you to consort with our said enemy, making him your counsellor, openly to herd and associate with him in the sight of all the world, great a villany and dishonour both to yourself and ns, to the prejudice r*i Fcedera, vol. i. p. 182. Edward bestows this appellation on the flivourite, because he was the of his great-niece the heiress of Gloucester. Iff is the word used in the original French bj the inoftnuHl kiii|^ L. II. — 18 I!u« I:' f' T you from a pan whieb is to shameful, •ad laf ■ I I ■■■ s in loo mnny «-my». We Me mn pleued wift :iLieT,DOT for BnyolheriOughi^utodiipItaHM. ' . ". I've. luid alUgiuiee which JDU owe lu, uid (natt 11 LI- wiihoul oppcMilion, delay, ot anj (btther esca»i II r 'I r ; '- '-' " "' 1'' lit, 'that if yaa wi«h lo letorn to a> th» will M II II. mill |^ '- 11 ' ii"i iiri'Ii^itmnd Tbnlyour uncle ihe king denial jo* «sviM ■111 uf jipui Hilc (.pii.Ili.-i. In no roannet, then, either Bn jooi iiiQ(bai,«B liri itui.-|iy, niLt r'. if ya wuuld hare out bleuing. and aroid oni rrjmack <- .'.IT It .~li Til iiiili'r rill tilings for Ihe good of A« dachy, aad om .1.-1 1 Hr.'Mi^iii'. nnil John de CioiDwell, will coma in j iiiii iiiaMl«ny, iir »iii. >ira|iii?ii iim againal our coaumndl, for we hear much llml JM liLiio iiri1iMitrsyird, become so strong, that about this time she received a deputa- om the confederate barons, assuring her ^ that if she could only , thousand men, and would come with the prince to England, at •d of that force, they would place him on the throne to govern by iduice.''* f queen had already been very active in securing the assistance of enterprising young nobles, and soldiers of fortune, who were, by ranasive words and fair promises,^ ready to attend her ; but though d conducted her preparations with great secrecy, the Despencen le sentences marked by commas are evidently quotations fhmi Isabella's ntations. h le Despencer. Yet the deprivation of the queen^s revenue was a sei ioiifl its restomtion must have taken place directly, or the queen would hava t at this time as a matter of eomplaint. singham. Le Moor. Froissart. I ^^ ISABELLA OF FRANCE. ■had information of tier prucceiliii^», sni], if we may trusi of Froissart, iliey circumvenlei] ber, by the skiiful Jisuibulion nf toanm bribes among tbe minisiers of the king of France ; nay, he even guei w far as lo say that the Drapencere aJdreraed tbeir golden argumciiu to king Cbarles himself, eo siurcessfuUy, thai he withdrew his cotniieiaan from Itis royal aiaier, and forbade any person, under pain of pQiiithiDnii. lo aid or assist her in her projected invasion of Ctigland.' Ua* prqu- diced liialorians, however, aiiribute Uie marked change of king CWlrv with regard to his sisler'a cause, lo llie scandal which her oiidDguud passion for Mortimer had caused in his court. Some tmpresKion, too, might have been made on the mind of IinbdVi brother, by the urgent app^ which her luckless huaband about tliii liuie addressed to him, in the following letter : "Man HUB xsd biiovid aaoTBtB, " Wo would wish jTDu 10 icineiiibur, that we have ai diSeient timet ngiiM 10 you by our Ielleri,!H>w improperly jrour sister our wife hai coiiiliwlAt boxd in withdrawing f^om o», and refusing to retarn at our commani), wUl> Aa w natorioiulj hu silacbed 10 her oomjiany, and conaoiU with, oar tnia*, ti mortsl enemf the HDiiiioer, and out biMhet eaemiu thete,-BDd bIhi irabw Efr wmfd oar ion and heir mii adhaienl or (he sune our eneiaf, to oa* gnat ri^K and UiBl of every one or liet blood ; and it you wiih her well, ym iiaiii^M for your own honout ami ouii, 10 have these things duly radresx^d.'' Then, after reileraCing hie earnest enlreatic* to his royal brotfag l»h«. for the realoration of the prince, hia son, "who ia," he absem*,-^^ loo tender an age to guide and govern himself, and therefore ought lob under his paternal care," — king Edward implores him to put his ton ii possession of the before-named duchy, for which he had perfutaed •( homage as stipulated, and that without dwelling too jiaruculaily 00 ik wording of the covenant, (which had evidently been designedly taymiii by the contrivance of Isabella,) he adds : " But tliesB things are at nothii^. it ii Ibe heidiog of oui niil wifc a^ mm. wiiti our treitor) and iDonal eapmies, ihal nolariously cooIiDoaa ; iruemtt^ M the laid traitor, the Monimer, wai ea/tied iu Iho train of oni »i " VI Paris, al Ihe eolemiuty or the coronation of our v«ry .tcnr ii^u i\ueen of Franco, ai Iha rBWocoal just pasjeJ, to our _■ of us. " Whereiiire, dearsM hraiher, we pray you, aa 1. > . rigbu and bleHingi of peace, and ib« entiio ftieniinii.,' thai yoa wiil o( your bsnevoleuce ofleeUially atletiil i<< wo ho not thiu dishonoured, and our son disinherited, wfjicL w .- you Willi. " Deareet brother, ymi ought to feel fijr ns, and to ahonld all iti Ifar moeb we are, and much we have been, grieved at iho ^^ gieal injury whi«h we Ibto hi long rndored. Nay. verily, t)rMb*r-i»Jn^ we cannot bear ii longer. Tbe Holy lipirii have oharEe al you."' At the same time, in the month of June, 1336, king Edward aaia « fruitless attempt to prevail on the prince, his aon, to wiihdnw hi*- ^1 'Ryn ItABBLLA OF FRAHCB. 149 bIT froiii the evil counsels and contumacious companions of the queen, lis mother, and to return to him. This letter, like the preceding cor- Bspondence, affords indubitable evidence how accurately the nnfor- mate husliand of Isabella was informed of her proceedings with regard » Mortimer. ■^ESWABB, PAIS HOB, • We have seen by your letters lately written to us, that you well remembered le cliarges we ei\joinod you on your departure from DoTer, and that you have N transgressed our commands in any point, that was in your power to avoid. Dt to us it appears that you have not humbly obeyed our commands as a good m ought bis father, since you have not returned to us to be under government, I we have et\)oined you by our other letters, on our blessing, but have noto- ously held companionship, and your mother also, with Mortimer, our traitor id mortal enemy, who, in company with your mother and others, was publicly urried to Paris in your train, to the solemnity of the coronation, at Pentecost just 1st, in signal despite of us, and to the great dishonour both of us and you : for Q^ lie is neither a meet companion for your mother, nor for you, and we hold iBt much evil to the country will come of iL ** Also we understand that you, through counsel, which is contrary both to our iierest and yours, have proceeded to make divers alterations, ii^unctions, and ndinances without our advice, and contrary to our orders, in the duchy of ■wnna, which we have given you ; but you ought to remember the conditions ^ the gift, and your reply when it was conferred upon you at Dover. These lOigt are inconvenient, and must be most ipjurious. Therefore we comm9.«d id chaige you, on the faith and love you ought to bear us, and on our blessing, ml you show yourself our dear and well-beloved son as you have aforetime MM, and, ceasing from all excuses of your mother, or any like those that you ive just written, you come to us here with all haste, that we may ordain lOr HI and your state as honourably as you can desire. By right and n^sson you Hht to have no other governor than us, neither should you wish to have. "Also Cair son, we charge you by no means to marry till you return to us, nor iliiout our advice and consent, nor for any cause either go to the duchy, or sewhere, against our will and command. *P. S. Edward, fkir son, you are of tender age: take our commandments nderly to heart, and so rule your conduct with humility, as jrou would escape ir leproech, our grief and indignation, and advance your own interest and moor, fie lie ve no counsel tliat is contrary to the will of your father, as the ise king Solomon instructs you. Understand certainly, that if you now act nirary to our counsel, and continue in wilful disobedience, you will feel it all e days of your life, and all other sons will take example to be disobedient to eir lords and ikthrrs." ' The eril influence of Isabella prevented the paternal remonstrances of m toywl writer from having any proper effect on the mind of her son ; id it should seem that she succeeded in persuading him that she was m object of the most barbarous persecution, both from the Despencers id the king, her husband. King Edward sent copies of these letters to the pope,' and entreated M interference so effectually, that the pontiff addressed bis censures to baries le Bel, on his detention of the queen of England from her royal ' Rynter*s Fosdera, vol. iv. From the Close Rolls of 19th Edward II. * Rymer's Fcsdera, vol. iv F«vm the Close Rolls of 19th of Edward If. JPVob- rt. Walsingham. 13 • jr I I I I ' f Btf ISABBLLA OF rRATTCB. ^^ cnnsort, and pharspd him. under ifie nfrnattj of exeoinmtmication, lo ili*nii«« both Imbclln and licr sun li-um ain dotninioiis. *• When king Charles )uid read these letiers," mvs FroiMart, " he wu gmUy (litlurtiedt and cinlered hia sister to be inado a(X(imini«d wiili their conieni«, for he had held no convprsaiion with hrr for • Inn^ dme, and commanded her tn leave his kingilom iimnediBiely, or be would make h*r Invo it with Khami'." ' ■■ When the queen received ihis angry and coniempluoua mesaage 6tm her brother, she wai greully troubled ;" for the Freiicii barons hod already withdrawn iheinselvet, either a« Froieaari stales, by the king's roo- inands, or through disgust at the infaitialinn of her condaei wiiii tr^atd to Mortimer, '^and she had no adviser left but her drar coaein, Robal d^Aftois,'' and he rould only asiisi her secretly, since the king, her brother, had not only coid, b'ni sworn, - that whoever should i^«ak ia behalf of bis sister, the ijiieen of England, should forfeit his lanils. ud he banished the realm.'' Kotierl of Arlois had also di:«corer^ that a plan was in agilaliun for delivering queen Isabella, the nrinee her fan, tlie earl of Kent, and Sir Ro^r Mortimer, to king Edwata.* " Sir Robert Artois came in the middle of the nighl lo want liabelk of the |>eril in which she stood. The queen was struck with consiein^ lion at ibis intelligence, nnd Artois strongly urged her to enter the inf perinl iciritoncs, and lo throw herself upon the protection of some of d» independent Gennan princes, especially Willimn earl of Hainault, wiiose consort was Isabella's 6rsi cousin. " The queen ordered her baggage to be made ready as aecretlv as pos* ■ible, and having paid everytMng. (a point of honesty reconl«l U> ha credit by Froissarl,) she quilled Paris, wiili .Mortimer; and arcompaaied by her son, and by her husband's brother the earl of Kent, who hod beeo altached to the homage deputation, and yitvi at this time decidedly hrr partisan. AAer some days she came into the country of Camhny. j When she fuund that she was in the territories of the empire, she «■• more ai her ease; she entered Ostrerani in Hainault, and lodged at ibi house of a poor knight, called sir Euslaee d'Ambreti court,* who rcoeirtd . her with great pleasure, and enlerlained her in the best manner he coidd, I insomuch that afterwards the queen of England and her son invited ibt I knight, his wife, and all his children, to England, and advanced tf "' fortunes in various ways." " The arrival of the queen of England was soon known in the hnoM j of the good earl of Hainault, who was then si Valenciennes ; sir Jehu, ] his brother, was likewise informed of the hour when she alighted tl dx \ house of the lord of Ambreiieourt. This sir John being ai thai liM ( very young, and panting for glory, like a knight errant, inounied Im ^ horse, and, accompanieu by a few persons, set out from Valencienni* i and arrived in the evening to pay the queen every respect and honmif-" The queen was at thu time very dejected, and made a lamentable ^ eomplainl to him of all her griefs ; which aflected air John so much llu' ' he mixed his tears with hera, and aaid : jtjimt 'Vim, ISABELLA OP PRANCB. 151 •* Ladj, PM here your knighi, who wiil not fcil to die for you, though erery one else should forsake you ; therefore 1 will do every thine in iBy power to conduct you safely to England with your son, and to rcMore you to your rank, with the aHEisiiuice of your friends in those parts ; and I, and all those whom I can influence, will risk our lives on ihe ftdrcDture (or your rake, and we shall have a BulEcienl armed forcr, if it please God, without fearing any danger from the king of France." The queen, who waa sitting down and sir John standing before her, would have cast herself at his feet ; but the gallant sir John, rising up (jnickly, caught her in his arms, and said, ''God forbid that the queen of England should do such a thing! Madam, he of good comfort to yourself and compnny, for I will keep my promise — and you shall come and see my brother and the countess his wife, and all their fine children, who will be rejoiced to see you, for 1 have heard them soy so." ' The queen answered : " Sir, I find in you more kindness and comfort ihnn in all the world besides ; and I give you five hundred thousand Oianks for nil you hare promised me with so much courtesy. I and my «m shall be for ever bound unio you, and we will put the kingdom of England under your management, as in justice it ought to be." ' When Isabella quilled the castle of Ambreiicourl she told sir Euslaee ud his lady, " that she misled a lime would come when she and her son Muld acknowledge their courtesy. She then mounted her horae and )rl ofTwiih her train accompanied by sir John, who with joy and respoci tondncied her to Valenciennes. Many of ihe citizens of the town came fart.*! to meet her, and received her with great humility. She was thus (onducted to William count of Hainauli, who, as well as the countess, ifcrtvrd her very graciously. Many great feasts were given on this 'iccasion, as no one knew belter than the counless how to do the Konours of her house.* Queen Isabella remained at Valenciennes during eight days, with the jTicd count and his couniess, Joanna of Valois. Then the queen made rvery preparation for her depanure, and John of Hainsuli wrote very ■j&ctionnte lettera to ceitain knight-companions, in whom he put great ronlidcnre, from Brabant and Bohemia; ■'beseeching them, by all the fnfndjhip there was between Ihem, to arm in the cause of the distressed tjurrn of England."* All the expediiion gatheretl at Dort. "Then the queen of England took leave of the count of Hainault and his countess, thanking them much for the honourable entertainment they had shown her, and she kiw«d ihem at her departure. Sir John, with great ditliculty, ob- Iftinrd liis .ord and brother's permission to accompany Isabella. When lie took leave of him he said, — ■ My dear lord and brother, I am young. «ikJ believe that God has inspired me with a desire of this enterprise for Inj ■(Inuicemenl. 1 also believe for certain, that this lady and her sou Imvp beeo driven from their kingdom wrongfully. If it is for the glory of Ood 'ihe v"*-'^ tV^Bctt 4du he u Edwiid ItABBLLA OF FBAMCB. 153 ohiiera, well appointed, commanded by lord John of Hainault, brother 0 her ally, the sovereign of Hainault Roger Mortimer commanded ler English partisans. The historian of Harwich declares that it was wonderful how the ommon people flocked to her. Every generous feeling in the English haracter had been worked upon by her emissaries, who had dissemi- ated inflammatory tales of the persecutions she had endured from the ingi, her husband, and his barbarous ministers. It was asserted that she ad been driven into a foreign land by plots against her life, and that she pas the most oppressed of queens — ^the most injured of wives. So blinding was the excitement which, at this crisis, pervaded all lasses of the people, that the glaring falsehood of her statements, as to le cause of her quitting Engknd, was forgotten ; the improprieties of er eoodnct, which had excited the disgust of her own countrymen, and rased the king, her brother, to expel her with contempt from his domi- ions, were regarded as the base calumnies of the Despencers. The kcts that she came attended by her paramour, an outlawed traitor, and t the head of a band of foreign mercenaries, to raise the standard of eT<^t against her husband and sovereign, having abused her maternal iHiience over the mind of the youthful heir of England, to draw him ito a parricidal rebellion, excited no feeling of moral or rdigious repro- ■tion in the nation. Every Plantagenet in England espoused her cause ; but it is to be baerved, that the king's younger brothers by the half blood, Thomas f Brotherton and the earl of Kent, were Isabella's first cousins, being la sons of her aunt Marguerite of France, and that Henry of Lancaster ras her ancle. The connexion of these princes with the blood-royal f Fiance, had ever led them to make common cause with queen Isa- dla. By them and by their party she was always treated as if she rere a person of more importance than the king her husband. When the alarming intelligence of the landing of the queen's arma- WDt reached the king, he was paralyzed, and, instead of taking measures Mr defence, he sat down to write pathetic letters to the pope and the iag of Fiance, entreating their succour or interference. He then issued pfoclamaiion, proscribing the persons of all those who had taken arms gainst him, witn the exception of queen Isabella, the prince her son, nd his brother, the earl of Kent It is dated Scot 28, 1326 : in it he a thousand pounds for the head of the arch-traitor, Roger Morti- The queen, who had traversed England with great celerity, at the head if an increasing army, immediately published a reward of double that Bin for the head of tlie younger Despencer, in her manifesto from Wal- iogford, wherein she set forth, that her motives in coming are to deliver lie kingdom from the misleaders of the king.' The next attack on the king was from the pulpit at Oxford, where idara Orleton, bishop of Hereford, having called the Univereity together, 1 the presence of the queen, the prince of Wales, Roger Mortimer, and *FcBden. r I ISA ISABELLA OF PRA.XCe. tlteir followers, preaclieil a sermon from the following text : '*My \Mi, my head aclielli;" (3 Kings iv. 19;) in which, afier espltUAiDg ihl queen's motive for appearing in arms, he with unprieaily fetocjiy «»■ cludeJ with this observation : " When the head of a liingdom bMoattb sick and diseased, it musi of necessity be Isken off, without tudM attempts to administer any other remedy." ' The delivery of this nui^ Jerous doctrine, in the presence of the wife and eon of the iletoied sovereign, ought lohuve filled every bosom with horror and iadi^aaiioBi but such is the blindness of party rage, that its only edect wu to uicnHi the madness of the people agahisi their unhappy king. That misjuil^ prince, after comniiiiing Ihe custody of the Tower, aod the can of ha iieconil son, John of Ellham, to the young lady Despencer, liw niMt. and the guardianship of the city of London to the faithful Sutplcton. bishop of Exeter, left the metropolis,, attended by the two Des|>eiicav tlie earls of Arundel and Hereford, his cliancellor Baldock, bishop ef Norwich, and a few others of his adherents, and fled to Bristol, wiik the intent of taking refuge in Ireland.' The departure of the king was the signal for a general rising of Af Londoners, in which the bishop of Exeter immediately fell a McaSet Vt the fury of the partisans of the queen and Mortimer. The head of iki* honest prelate was cut off, and presented lo the queen at Glouce«ter,M an acceptable olTering. "Six weeks afterwards," says Thynoe, "ihi queen, forgetting all discourtesies, did (like a woman deairaiu to sbov that his death happened without her lilung, and also that she revcregad his callmg) command his corpse to be removed from the place of IB first dishonourable interment under a heap of rubbish, and crniMd U H be buried in his own cathedral." ' The lady Despencer, intimtdated I7 this murder, surrendered the Tower to the mob, who prnolainiMl pROct John the custos of the city ; and in the queen's name libenicd tht fl^ toilers in all the gaols. ^ The queen and all her company," says Froissart, ** the Ionic ^ Hainault and their suite, look ihe shortest road for Bristol, and in t*vj town through which they passed were entertained wiih every muka distinction. Their forces augmented daily until they arrired al Piirtt^i which they besieged. The king and the younger Hugh Dnpeacartta themselves up in the castle; old Sir Hugh and the carl oT Annidil remained in the town, but these the citizens delivered up soon tHttV the queeu, who entered Briniol, accompanied by Sii John Hainaull, «iib all her barons, knights, and squires. Sir Hugh Despencer, the ddrt, and the earl of Arundel, were delivered to the queen, that she might Jo what she pleased with them. " Tlie children of the queen were also brought to her, John of DikM and her two daughters. As she had not seen them for a long tiine, i» gave her great joy as well as nil her parly." " The king, and the younger Despencer, shut up in the CMtle, M» ISABELLA OF FRANCS. 155 jonch grieved at what paised, seeing the whole country turned to the queen^s party. ^The queen then ordered old Sir Hugh and the earl of Arundel to be brought before her son and the barons assembled, and told them ^ that she should see that law and justice were executed on them, acc(»rding to their deeds.' Sir Hugh replied, '^^Ah, madam; God grant us an upright judge and a just sentence! and that if we cannot find it in this world, we may find it in another.' ^ The gallant old knight, when he made this reply, was ninety. He was speedily sentenced, and his execution took place on St Denis's day, 1326, in sight of his son and the king, who were still safe in the castle of Bristol. ^ It seems,'' says Froissart, ^ that the king and the younger Sir Hugh, intimidated by this execution, endeavoured to escape to the Welsh shore in a boat which tliey had behind the castle ; but afler tossing about some days, and striving in vain against the contrary winds, which drove them repeatedly back within a mile of the castle, from whence they were try- ing to escape, Sir Hugh Beaumont, observing the efforts of this unfortu- nate bark, rowed out with a strong force in his barge, to see who was in iL The king's exhausted boatmen were soon overtaken, and the con- sequence was, that the royal fugitive and his hapless fovourite were brought back to Bristol, and delivered to the queen, as her prisoners." According to other historians, Edward fled to Wales, and took refuge among the monks of Neath ; but his retreat was betrayed by Sir Thomas Blunt, the steward of his household. Now the evil nature of Isabella of France blazed out in full view. Hitherto her beauty, her eloquence, and her complaints, had won all hearts towards her cause ; but the touchstone of prosperity showed her nataral character. The queen and all the army set out for London. Sir Thomas Wager, the marshal of the queen's army, caused Sir Hugh Despencer to be fast- ened OD the poorest and smallest horse he could find, clothed with a tabard, such as he was accustomed to wear, that is, with his arms, and the arms of Clare of Gloucester, in right of his wife, emblazoned on his sorcoat, or dress of state. Thus was he led in derision, in the suite of the queen, through all the towns they passed, where he was announced Sir trumpets and cymbals, by way of greater mockery, till they reached ereibrd, where she and her suite were joyfully and respectfully received, and where the feast of All Saints was celebrated by them with great •oiemnity. The unfortuitate Hugh Despencer would eat no food, from the mo- ment he was taken prisoner, and becoming very ^int, Isabella had him tned at Hereford, lest he should die before he reached London. Being neariy insensible when brought to trial, his diabolical persecutors had him crowned with nettles.' But he gave few signs of life. His mise- were ended by a death, accompanied with too many circumstances * Chronicle in Lelaiul, written hy sir W. Packington, treasurer to Edward the Prin'*^. L II i: M. V OF r R A !( c «• i h, mrirc iliati nitiitlci) to here. He was rw ■ :-;rii'>ly lit tli'iff-inl. Ill ijniiiry tltc vinJinirt 111 i'li<':iKli(iI an (i<|Ni'ial aniinn«iiy aiguiiiat ihem. i'iiiii:;li priitcriinl liy hi» pno«lly vocation, as 11 ihi' Lix>- ami till! hnltiT, durivnl little beuefii w.i^ ri>iisi)!iit'il to l)ic IlihIlt ilicrcic* 'iiliiii.r!< of his (Iau>;liUT Isabella, at this \r:: thir |K>|Hilnr iilol of tlie Eni^li^h Jumi then; ii.il iIi-IiiMiiii la^teil. she eoukl ilu no wnini;. -. llie i)uitii set out fur London, aeroni{nninl ilimiijiioLi. Sir John of lluinaulu and her par*- >:iial partiKiii.«. uud her foreign Iroops, while a r~. wlio had oeeimiuUiixl uti the road, followed irABBLLA OF TKANCB. 19^ r to the inauguration of his successor ; but they found nothing satisfy the young Edward, as to the lawfubiess of his title ne. lappy king had already been compelled to resign the great t delegates of his queen and parliament, at Monmouth castle, ton, &e traitor bishop of Hereford, was the person employed en to demand it ; and as the king quiescently resigned it to 18 deputed, with twelve other commissioners, to require the ) monarch to abdicate his royal dignity, by delivering up his plre, and the rest of the regalia, into their hands, imissioners proceeded on their ungracious errand to Kenil- le, where the king was kept as a state prisoner, but with t treatment, by his noble captor, Henry of Lancaster. The tor Orleton was the spokesman,' and vented the insatiable lis heart, in a series of the bitterest insults against his fallen under the pretence of demonstrating the propriety of depriv* a dignity of which he had proved himself unworthy, listened to the mortifying detail of the errors of his life and t, with floods of tears ; ' and when Orleton enlarged on the >wn him, by tlie magnates of his kingdom, in choosing his successor, instead of conferring the crown on a strangier, he uiowledged it to be such, and withdrew to prepare himself ffnation of the outward symbols of sovereignty.* foor, the faithful servant of Edward H., gives a pathetic ' the scene in the presence-chamber at Kenilworth Castle, commissioners, in the presence of Henry Plantagenet, earl of he earl of Lancaster's eldest son, were drawn up, in formal >rleton, to renounce their homage to king Edward, and to personal abdication of the royal dignity. Afler a long pause, unate prince came forth from an inner apartment, clad in nreeds, or, as the chronicler expresses it, ^ gowned in black,^ uggle of his soul being sufficiently denoted by the sadness ires ; but on entering tlie presence of his obdurate subjects, »wn in a deep swoon, and lay stretched upon the earth as one e earl of Leicester and the bishop of Winchester immediately assistance, and, raising him in their arms, with some tender- •rted him. After much trouble, they succeeded in restoring >py master to a consciousness of his misery.* ^ As piteous as this sight was," continues the chronicler, ^ it failed to compassion of any other of the queen's commissioners, ideed, had the kin^ recovered from his indisposition, before ess Orleton, regardless of the agony he had inflicted, pro- 1 repetition of his cruel insults.'' g gave way to a fresh paroxysm of weeping ; and being much his decision, he at length replied, that ^ ne was aware that a Moor. Knighton. * Walsingbam. Rapin. la Moor. Walsingbam. * Ibid. la Moor. * J>e la Moot. WiiwEnriBMsu 1.— 24 I I 1 i 199' ISABELLA OF FRA>'Ce. for liiB mimy sins he was thus punished, and ihereTore he booughl lliott present to have coropassioo up^ lious banner of the mighty father of this grown-up baby, Adversity appears to have had a hallowing inHuence on ifae diaacttt of Edward II- ; and tlie following loucliing lines written by hint in l^lUk during bis captivity, sutlicieutly denote that he was iMmed. and f»- sessed redective powers and a poetic imagination : — Graced wiih fiur Her bitieteti slioweti, All from ■ wiutr/ cloud, Siarn Ibrtune pouri. View bui her ftvourile' Sage and discerning, Famed k Stioiild slie witlidrsw li« a... . Each grare iUe batiislie*, Windoin and wit are OovK. And bcautf T»ni parliament, the prince of AVales was publicly proctaime^l kjag en Af 20th of January, 1927, and Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, pnvW Be la Moor. Walsingbam. Polydore Vergil. J. P. Andrews. Colleeiiona from the Chroiiiele*. ' tuppowd to mean Mortimer. Tliese line* are irsnslated by J. P. AodiBW*, from ihe orlfiual lAlin,|l^ •orved in Aldetmao Fabiui't Chronicle : ■'Damnum mihi contuiit Temfoie bnmali," dec Ac ISABELLA OF FSAIICS. «50 m Mnnon in WettmiDster Abbeyy preparatory to the coronation, taking for his text, not any Terse from tcripture, but the words. Vox populi^ vox DeL The queen judged it prudent to detain her sworn champion, Sir John de Hainault, and as many of his stout Flemings as he could induce to mnain in her sendee, till afVer the coronation of the young king, who had completed his fiiVeenth year in the preceding No?ember. He re- ceiTcd knighthood from the sword of his cousin, the earl of Lancaster, assisted by sir John Hainault on this occasion. ^ There was, at this time," says Froissart, ^^ a great number of count- esses and noble ladies attendant on the queen Isabella. The queen gave leare to many of her household to return to their country-seats, except a few nobles whom she kept with her as her council. She expressly ordered them to come back at Christmas, to a great court which she proposed to hold. When Christmas came, she held her court ; it was very fully at- tended by all the nobles and prelates of the realm, as well as by the principal officers of the great cities and towns. The young king Edward, since so fortunate in arms, was crowned with the royal diadem in West- minster, on Christmas-day, 1326." The most remarkable feature at this coronation was the hypocritical deoManoar of the queen-mother Isabella, who, though she had been the principal cause of her husband's deposition, aflected to weep during the whole of the ceremony.' Sir John de Hainault and all his companions, noble or otherwise, were much ieasted, and had many rich jewels given them at the coronation. He remained during these grand feasts, to the great satis&ction of the lords and ladies who were there, until Twelf\h-day. Then the king, by the advice of the queen, gave him an annuity of 400 marks, to be hdd by him in fee, payable in the city of Bruges ; and to the countess of Gamines, and some other ladies who had accompanied the queen Isabella to England, king Edward HI. gave many rich jewels, on their taking leave. With a view of increasing the unpopularity of her unhappy lord, Isa- bella wrote to the pope on the last day of February, 1326, requesting him to canonise the beheaded earl of Lancaster, her uncle, whose virtues she greatly extolled.* The parliament, immediately after the coronation, appointed a council of regency for the guardianship of the youthful sovereign and the realm, eonsisting of twelve bishops and peers. Among these were the king's two uncles, Thomas of Brotherton, earl marshal, and Edmund of Wood- slock, earl of Kent, and the archbishops of Canterbury and York, &c. &c. The earl of Lancaster was appointed the president. Tlie queen made no remonstrance against this arrangement, but, having military power in her own hands, she seized the government, and made Roger Mortimer (whom she had caused her son to create earl of March) ha prime minister, and Adam Orleton her principal counsellor.' Thii ' Planche*! Hist, of Coronation!. • Bradyi Hiat, p. 138. and Appendix, No. 64, 66. Rapin, 397. * WsUingham. De la Moor. m SABELLA OF FBAJICB e trio managed the af^ira or ihe kingdom belwem dim. A6n ma arrangement, Isabella, hilherlo ihe rao#t nccomplinhcd of iltMuMii- 'ore, threw off the mask, and, with the Eanclion of a [larliatDeiit IM^ tf of her partisans, appropriated lo herself a dovrer exc«Mbn; t*'»4Mli of Uie revenues of the kin^nni. The Easter fotlowing brought an inTaaJon front iha SocKs, hMMtf the heroic king Robert Brace, and the qa»en invited bftr riiampMn, * John ITainaolt, to assist in repulsing this JRvnsion. At WIiilMiliilr, ^t John, and a number of mercenary irtiops, airivwl in EnpUmt, boi «tlf very ill received by the populace, as the following namttaa wfll An. " The queen held a great court on Trinity Sunday, at ih* hwMt rf the Black Friars, but she and her son were lodged in Oxe ritT. ■*■• each kept iheir lodgings separate^ the young king with hia knlKlitB.a4 ihe queen with her ladies, whose numberg ware very coniridenbla. J* this court the king had 6ve hundred knights, and daUwd fiAm m ones. The queen gave her entertainment in the dormitofy, whtivM least sixty ladies, whom she had invited la entertain air Jnhn dp EUoii* and his suite, sat down to the table, There might be Mwa • tmmstm Kobiliiy, well served wiili plenty of eiran^ dishee. ao diagtitwd itel t could not be known what they wen^. There were b]mi ladjaa matt superbly dressed, who were expecting with impatiencd Uia hoar of ibe ball, but they expected in vain. Soou after diimer, the gw ~ ' ISABELLA OF FRANCE. 161 ** Such tools the Tempter never needs To do the savagest of deeds.*' B7 this pair the royal victim was conducted, under a strong guard, tint to Coife Castle, and then to Bristol, where public sympathy operated so &r in his hrouT that a project was formed by the citizens for his de- liverance. When this was discovered, the associate-traitors, Gurney and Maliravers, hurried him to Berkeley Caade, which was destined to be his last resting-place. On the road thither, he was treated in the most barfaaroua manner by his unfeeling guards, who took fiend-like delight in augmenting his misery, by depriving him of sleep, compelling him to lide in thin clothing in the chilly April nights, and crowning him with haj, in mockery.' Aecording to De la Moor, the queen^s mandate for the murder of her ro3ral huaband was conveyed in that memorable LAtin distich from the iobtle pen of Adam Orleton, the master-fiend of her cabinet; it is capable, by the alteration of a comma, of being read with two directly opposite meaniDgs : ** Edwardmn occidere oolite timere, bonum est Edwarduni occidere nolite, timere bonuin est* ** Edward to kill fear not, the dee«l is gnotl. Edward kill not, to fear the deed is good/* Manriee de Berkeley, the lord of the castle, on the first arrival of the mhappy Edward, had treated him with so much courtesy and respect, fhat he was not only denied access to him, but deprived of all power in kit own home. On the night of the 22d of September, 1327, exactly a twelvemonth after the return of the queen to England, the murder of her unfortunate husband was perpetrated, with circumstances of the greatest horror. No ' De la Moor adds, with great indignation, that they made him shave in the open field, bringing him cold muddy vrater in an old helmet, from a stagnant ditch, for that purpose. On which the unfortunate Edward passionately ob- fcrTcd, in allusion to tlie bitter tears which overflowed his cheeks at this wanton cruelty, ** In spite of you, I shall be shavefl with warm water.*' The excellence of Edward*! oonsdtutioa disappointing the systematic attempts of the queen's BMciless agents, cither to kill liim with sorrow, or by broken rest, improper diet, and unwholesome air, they applied to Mortimer for fresh orders, it being well known that the whole body of the friars-preachers were labouring not only for bis deliverance, but his restoration to royal power. The influence of tliis fra- trmity was ealculated to awaken the sympathies of every villngc in England in ftrvoor of their deposed sovereign, whose patience and meekness under his aflictions and persecutions had already pleaded his cause in every heart not wbolly dead to the tender impulses of compassion. It is supposed the sudden idea of shaving the king originated in die fear of his being recognised by his partisans on the journey. *A modem biographer of tliis prelate, with some degree of plausibility, en- deavours to acquit him of tliis orime, on the grounds that the equivocal Latin venesi quoted by so many English authors, were composed more than a century |irior ID this era, by an archbisliop of Strimonium, with reference 10 Gertrude i)uf«n of Hungary, and also tliat Orleton vms out of the kingdom at *J duet of the queen and her tavouriie Mortimer excited, that nolliia; ta the despotism she had succeeded in establishing, enabled b«r to tef possession of her usurped power.' The pacification with Scotland gave great oflence to the pablir.l»- cause Isabella bartered for twenty thousand pounds, the claims nf ilir king of England over Scotland, and Mortimer appropriated the niontTia his own use. Br the same treaty they restored the regalia of tj^uihwl lo their rightful owners ; the English were indignant, that in ibit iqplih was comprised the (amous Black Cross of St. Margaret, wbid) hid kNi one of the crown jewels of their Anglo-Saxon kings.* Stitl omw aoi they enraged, that, without sanction of pariiameni, the qiisen eoodiAt a marriage between the princess Joanna, an infant live j^emn oU^tfJ David Brace, the heir of Scotland, who was about tvro ycai* sUk She aecompanied her young daughter lo Berwick, attended by Mv^aK, and, in their presence, the royal children were luarried at thaIM«% July 12, 1328.' It was observed that the two brothers of the late lung, Th(»M4f Brolherton and Edmund earl of Kent, and Isabella's own uiicle.U)ewl of Lancaster, with some other magnates, had withdrawn thenoelvHAvB the national council, in utter indignation at the late proceeding ef tbt (jueen, and the insolence of her favourite Mortimer. They perMimL too late, that they had been made the tools of an artful, ambitiooM, hJ vindictive woman, who, under the pretence of reforming the ■Ttrne wers ihe words of t)e la Moor, the bitliful and aflectionsle iBnwttf Edwnid n., who did justice to his maner'i memory in his patlietic lobad*- nicl«. Edward HL silrrwardi nlaed s tomb with a fine eSBgy to Ut IWt«'< memory, * Thtre jrean sfterwards, GitTnej wai teiied «I 8iiiE(m by ktng Bdura;^ HL'i Olden, noil beheaded at sen, on hia yoyage lo Engluid, in otArt to artmal M > luppoted, Uie diigrnce which musi hnve &llen an ibe i te in the murder of the late king, her husbuiJ, bail 1 light Bt hii Iri^. ' De la Moor. Wa^iinshan. * See iho biographf of Maiilda of Scotland, vol. j. The Scotch oajled Itaeii futoiB ii'acBa,^!! deiidoo, JiMa 1 ISABELLA OF FRANCE. 163 her hnsband's government, had usurped the sovereign authoiity. and in one year committed more crimes than the late king and his unpopular miDisters together, had perpetrated during the twenty years of his reign.' Moreover, the baiharous persecutions, and cruel death, of their late sove- leign made the princes recoil with horror, at the idea of their having httku in some measure, accomplices in the guilt of the queen. Mortimer had even had the audacity, when parliament met at Salis- Kury, October 16, to enter the town at the head of an army; and, burst- ing into the room where the prelates were assembled, forbade them, nmler peril of life and limb, to oppose his interests. He then seized on the young king and queen, and carried them off to Winchester ; and, far from paying any regard to the earl of Lancaster's complaints, of the infringement of his office, of guardian to the king's person, he marched to Leicester, and plundered his domain there.' Isabella's cruelty, her hypocrisy^ and the unnatural nmnner in which •he rendered the interests of the young king, her son, subservient to the aggrandizement of her ferocious paramour, Mortimer, excited the indig- nation of all classes ; and a strong party was organized, under the anspiees of the Plantagenet princes, for the delivering of the nation from the tynnny of this modem Semiramis. The earl of Lancaster, who was by this time fully aware of the disposition of his vindictive kins- woman, perceived that he was intended for her next victim ; on which he» with the brothers of the late king, and their confederates, took up aims, and put forth a manifesto containing eight articles, all alarming to the guilty queen and Mortimer, especially the first clause, which threat- ened inquiry into the unlawful augmentations of her dower ; and the fifth, regarding the late king's death.' The queen mother, aware of the impoasibility of meeting such inquiries before parliament, urged the young king to attack tlie malcontents ; assuring him that the object of hii uncle was to deprive him of the throne.^ The interference of the archbishop of Canterbury prevented another civil war, and through his exertions a hollow pacification was effected between Isabella and the princes. It was not, however, in the nature of this princess to forgive any offence that had ever been ofifered to her; and It is to be observed, that her enmity had hitherto always proved fatal to every person who had been so unfortunate as to incur her ill will. With the wariness of a cat, she now examined the characteristic qualities of the members of the royal family, whom she determined to attack separately, since she had found them too strong to engage collectively. She commenced with the earl of Kent, who had, ever since the death of the king, his brother, suffered the greatest remorse for the part he had taken in the late revolution. Isabella, being aware of his state of mind, caused it to be insinuated to him tliat the late sovereign, his brother, was not dead, but a prisoner * Walvingham. De la Moor. Knighton. * Lingnrd. * Knighton. 'LaiK-mflter wai compellml to ask pardon, to submit to an enormous fine, and to enter into recognisances not to do any evil or injury to the king, the two qoeensi or anj of their household or council, whether great or small. — ^lAii^\\ \m ISABELLA OF F R * X C I ■ withio the w»lU of Coife Cwtlo. inquite into ihe truth of ihu I I A frinr, irlKun the eari ' e. on findia^ ikmi evi^r\ ?ieighlKinrliO(Ml canfidenlly briiovnl llial the udibrUlllAle V uTiDg, unilrr very rlomi rettmitiL, in tlie caailp>au!mvu(i:.i: . tccoa lo ihi< mysterioiM raptite : hf was diowa. U a (IUlanc«, sitting al table, who«« aif aiid tigure gmily rc>cinblcd thai of f^aseil kingt ubom, inilced. bp was mcani to pcraunnic. Tlw i Kent. aniii'Ds to make repnntiinn in his royal broUier fur the tuu) done him, hastened lo Curfe Oitlle. and boldly tlcmant gOTtrnor " to br cnnilucted to the ajiartuufiit of sir Edward of »on, hi* broiJier," Tlie governor did iioi deny thai king Edi in the ouilt^, but protested the impossibility of permitting any Bee him. Thf earl then prcTail'xi on him to lake charge of a leilef I his iIlu lli« own Irtter wa* the cliinT eridunre pruduced aipiinsi hitn, lo^ctfal with Ilia coiifeHJoii, in which he acknowlndged " lliat a oorlua fn» pnaehftf of London lold him he had conjured up a apiriu who mtmi nim that hia brother Kdwanl wai atiU alive ; alau, that sir bgaa B» renger brought bini a letter from llie lord Zouche, requesting bis tmin tnM in the restoration of hiti late euvereign.'" For this imposaible tr^oiion he was senienred to lose bis bead.' U arr&igumeni took plar.c nn Sunday, Ahrch 13, 1329, (ItabelU's Sa^ufi being no holidays,) ami be was condemned to dio on the morrow, 'id tlial day,'' says tlie chroniclers, ^ the king was so beset bv the qoMS Ilia mother and the earl of March, ilint it was impofsible for hin u make any eflbrts to preserve liia ancle irom the cruel fate lu whiAlfc had been so unjuidy doomed,"* This murder, which was designed by Isabella as the princes of thp bloofl-^'ayal. had llie eliefl of increasing the rence in which she was now held iliroughoul the kingdom. Thel. , pr«sc.nted Mortimer's son, GeofTrey, grants of the principal part jflf' estates of the princely victim.* ' Waiainetiun. • Public Aeu. 'See Ui« ohionioler in Lolaod, vol. ii. p. 417, who deeftljr inipltc*(as b tliii miBdecd. It itwpirad *ll |>«ipla wilh Lortor The C'xeculioner him Mcceilj Bwar. sad th<> earJ of Kent waited on the KaSnia ai Wm«h*«tf^ sale from noon lill Hve in the anemoim, becmue no on« coulil b* inA Eform thai office. Ai length a mndemned felon, in the Mar^aiMta, 9 pnnlon on die condition of dneapinuint the onfonunue PtaniagMwi. 1 ' Aftur Ihit BsacMioa. Mortimer augmeated bis own tatiuM '" and BtTn^led at) the pomp and eonrcquence a( princely nnk. ilrod and ci|[hi]' knit^ls in hi* entnbtiihineiil, and nevar moved wiihoul « j (imi» imln of rolluwcn. Ho held so many round tabiei, n (pw * * ' pseullar la hi> rurally, in liniiaiion of kinn Arihuc'i chivaliHt i ■Wuined 10 nnioh imponaiwe in hii deroeanoui, that cTan his mi OssAiTMI 1 IB left IsBbplU I h of Chartps le Bel. without male iseue, havtiig left Isabrlts krtivitig rhilil of Philip le Bel, her eldest eon, Edward HI., ^httt he had the belt claitn lo [he aaven'igtiiy orFranre. The f of Fnaee decidtnl otherwiae, anJ gave, first the regency, n the birth of llie jHKlhumojs daughter of Charles le Be'l) Eta Philip of Valois, the cousin of iheir late king. Eilwiird > assert hiB rliini, as the nephew of that monarch and the t Philip te Bel; but his mother, deceived by overtures front ^ double niHrriage, between her daughter Eleanor and the heir kud her second son and Philip^ ttnnghler, not only prevented wrting his own claims, but compelled liim, sorely agajnul I ftcluiowledge those of his rival, by perTonning homage for M hctd of the French crown. returned froni his last conference with l^iiig Philip at Amiens, lour with himxelf, and still more so with hia mother. The n which Isabellii's repuiation was generally held, both at home i, though perhaps concealed from him in his owti court, [was as yet bui a siale puppet, surrounded by her crealure»,) ■ed to him through a variety of chaimela, aa soon an he wns i limits of her usurped authority.' The pride, the crueltv, ke of Mortimer were represented to the king by hi» faithful B other circuiusUmcea, tending to convince him of the infamy ■en-molher's connexion with ihai favourite. Edward was bached when informed of these things, and delermiced no H a quiescent wilnesB of bis niother^s dishonour. ftament was summoned lo meet at Nottingham a fortnigiti Umas, and llie youthful sovereign considered that it wonld pble lime for the arrest of his mother's parEjnour, when all I of Enitland were assembled round him in support of hia ■riiy. Edward had intended to take up his abode in Notiing- k one of his own royal palncee ; but Isabella, (brestftUing his n already established herself tliere. with Mortimer and bis U of armed followers. Isabella had used the precaalion of M keys of the casde to be brought lo her, and at night, for Wily, she placed ilieni imder her pillow.' jkiculars of this most interesting crisis are best related in ihe jbe lively chronicler, from whom Stow has taken his graphic ■ the arrest of the queen and her lover. ,«*■« a parliament, where Roger Mortimer was in such glory K that it was without all comparison ; no man durst name jnan earl of Alarch ; and a greater rout of men waited at his liun the king's person. He would suflbr the king to rise lo |,VrouId walk with him equally, step by step, and cheek by ■r preferring the king, but would go foremost himself with L He greatly rebuked the carl of Lancaster, cousin to tlis Ebim, " ihv kiDi of follf." In fluit. be izoaeded GsvcMdm qwonen in pilda and oruelly. — Dugdak. bam. •Kw^Mm^ C%Wt. _ kin^i for that «riihout his conseni he anp>int(s! cerloin DotiUoeo to IcMlgingB in the town, netting, ■ Wfio mv1e him so bold to lake up hb lodgings close to the (jueen ?' Wiih which worda. ihe conRahle, btnf grentij frarfd (alarmed 'i, appointed lodging* for the (^li nf Lanntieii full mile out of the town, where waa lodged John Bohnn, ibe ml rf Hereford, lord hi^ constable of Gnuland ; by nliirh nunni a ^nst tim- leniiAn arose Hmong the noblemen and thi? commnn people, who olM Roger Mortimer ' the queen's paragon and the king's maJHcr, whu it- Biroys the king's blood and usurpa ihe regal aiajesiy.' All ilii« iroiW the king's friends; and William Mnnlague, nud olhera, ilmr lo dtaa Robert de Holland, keeper of Notiiiizhaffl Gaitlc, unto vrhoiD all wm*i cnratn of the same were known. Then, on a rertain night, ibt ki^ lying without the castle, both he and his friends wcm bruagbt, by ba^ light, through a secret way underground, bGginitiog far rrom tlal (Ml*, till they eame even to the queen's chamber, wbidi iliey by chance Cxni open ; they, being armed with naked swords in ihelf hiUiil*, wvnt Af> wards, leaving the king armed without (he chamber-door, iMt hi* mote should espy hiin. They eniered in, slew sir Hu^ Turpinfton, who fr sisted ihetn ; and to John Neville they gave a deadly woand' tt^ ihenee they went to the queen-mother, whom thev found with tbc obI of March, just readv to go lo bed ; and, having seized Uie *aid eail,Aiy 1ib< hin> Inin Ihii KbII Ihi nn«.n r»»naj«t »..:_««•■ «la^*IIFl l~ I meh SMI n ISABELLA OF F B A !< C E. h SMtenre had neilhPT delay nor mercjr. Thi« wns in- icd inio effect, wiihoui wailing lo hear wlial the accused had K own vindication." B Burfonl and Jolin Deverel, who were taken in the queen's ir aj Nollingliam Casile, earnestly desired to disclose the par- Edward II.'b murder, but were not permitted to disburthen iences of their guilty knowledge, lesl they should loo deeplv le qneen-m other. r was the firsi person executed at Tvbuni, which waa ihci ttie name of the Elms. Burfotd and Deverel weie exeniteil His body hung on the gallows at Tyburn two days and Ifae especial order of the king; it was tlien taken down and k Grey Friars' church, within Newgate, of which queen Isa- , benelhctres?.' iru spared the ignominy of a public trial, through the inler- Ihe pope, John XXII., who wrote to the young king, exhort- tto expose his moiher'c shame.' After this, Edward attri- tr crimes to the evil inflnence of Mortimer, as may be seen I decliuBlion lo parliament of the reasons which induced him IS punishnient of death on that great stale criminHl. In the B of this posihnmous arraignment it is set forth that, U Roger falsely and maliciously sowed discord between the ir lord the king and the queen his companion, making her I if she came near her husband he would poignard her, or in some other manner. Wherefore, by this cause, and by ttiei, the said queen remained absent from her said lord, to tishtmour of the king awl of the said qvecn his tnother, and 9ge, perhaps, nf the vhoh nation hereafter, irhich God he first acts of the emancipated monsich, after the gallant It by which he had rendered himself nuwlcr of his own lo strip the queen-mother of the unconscionable dowor in 'had helped herself, and to reduce her income to 1000^ a fas also Judged expedient by his council to confine her to loyal fortresses at some distance from the metropolis, lesl by 1^ disposition she should excite fresh troubles in ihe realm. y afler relating the particulars of Mortimer's death, adds, 'won after, by the advice of his rouncil, ordered his mother bed in a goodly castle, and gave her plenty of ladies to wail la well as knighta and squires of honour. He made her a dlowance to keep and nuiintain the stale lo which she had Dmed,' bul forbade her ever lo go out or show hecselT abroad, , Do l> Mwr. Wnltinnliani. Sww. There i> ■ piHP[ii in Uio jllininic the wife and eon r>f Mottioier lo bur/ his bcKijf al Winraoie; B to Weetpr, tliB liniisfiM w>e not mode till the nexl osDIury. ^r. 413, qiioioii by Dr. LinRonl, vol. iv. p. 14. ni.,anno 1330i Par. Roll*, p. P3. 'Kniithtcm. Walalneham. IT 1333, Eitwiril iI(>ckarM Uiml his moihci bu nrnplgr and tpMta )]MbU« bands all the cutleiand csMlei which forauA^MtewCiv r I I I I m 7t ISABELLA at CMttin times, and when ouy sliows were exhibited in ibe cobI Outte Rising, in Norfolk, vraa the pUce where queeu Inhellk ni destined to spend the long years of her widowhood. Ii had beloopd to the Albinis, froon vFhom it paaaed to [he lords of Slonlali ; the wido* of the last baron of that line had surrendered it to queen IsaboQa, dunaf her regency, for an annuity of 4001. per annum- It was a noble pile, built, in 1 ITS, by Wdliam Albini, husband te queen Adelicio. It was constructed in the manner of Norwidi Ctrtlr, on a bold eminence surrounded by a high bank and deep valluBi. 1^ walls were three yard« thick ; the keep was a large square Iowvt, oh coin[)aseed with a deep ditch and bold rampart, on which was a Mimf wall with tliree lowers. Enough remains to show thai Caatle Rinf must have been a most formidable, if not an impregnable, forlrtat.* Froissarl says, " The queen passed her time there meekly ;" by whidi oar readers are lo understand that she neither devised plou nor inwats against the government of her illustrious son, Edward III^ and gut* m further cause for public scandal. More than one ancient historian hints that, during her loog ooulo*- inrnt, Isabella was afflicted with occasional Gts of derang>;aienL' ba asserted that these aberrations commenced in a violent acceea of mmt" oeas, which seized her while the body of Mortimer hung on ihc gdlovt Iler agonies were so severe, that, among the common people, the lyW prevaded for some months that she died, at the lime the body wm tikta down. These tiadiUons lead us lo conclude that for many tnonthi iht populace did not know what had become of her. Her retired Ue, ■>■ conaecled with conventual vows, must have strengthened Uie reports t( in return he bai aeigned liii mDihec diven otber lands and castles nt A* « noted for its hieloriCBl reminiventrer, have been, by lb* fliut tuN ]al>4 and two rooma rendered habitable. 'Sir Winston Cburobill mentionfl this tradition as a EMtt; Horeii kioH ■» These reports are somewbal slrBngllieDed by the extravagant ssiaiy paid mia laiuily phyaician bI Kiting Castle. In ihe Fovlera is a deed Metuing • tOK t« annum U> master Pontio de Cod rtiDne, late physiciaii to king Edwsrd 11,^ *■* lathe qaeen-mother, laabella; the ball IBs of Norwich are eiijoined MpafUatlU ISABBLLA. OF PRANCE. 169 «ff derangrairnt. which was attributed to the horrors of conscience. She «*s in her sii-aa it-thirtieth year when her seclusion at Castle Rising Corn men red. The king het son generally, when in Knglan{I, viailed her twice or 1hric« B ynf)' and never penniited any one lo name her in his presence otherwise than wiih the greatest respect It is to he observed that E e the kiug''s mother ; the king replies, ** Let this petition be shown to the queen, thai her advice may be learned thereon." Daring the two first yeara of Isabella's residence at Costle Rising, her •eclasioo appears most rigorous^ but, in 1332, from various noiations, (be ^1 mny be gatlieied that her condiiion was aoieliorated. That ytmr king Edward declared,* " that, aa his dearest mother had simply and vponinneously surrendered her dower into his hands, he iiaa assignee - divers other cosiles and lands lo the amount of 2000/." The same . r this dower was settled she was permitted to make a pilgrimage to l^y ahrine of IValsingbam, not far from her residence in Norfolk. ! j is evidenced from the ancient Ijiiin records of the corporation of [in,* which is in the neighbourhood of Castle Rising. There is an -V of'ZOi. for bread sent to Isabella, queen-dowager, when she came :.', Walsingham; also 4/. for a cask of wine, 3/. IBs. 6d. for a piece : -A ax, and 21. for barley; also 3s. for the carriage of ihese purchases. King Edward restored to his mother, two years afterwards, the reve* nurs (li Ponthieu aud Montrieul, which were originally the gift of her mutdered lord. The same year, 1334, her eon, John of Eltham, died in the bloom of life, and her daughter, Eleanor, was married to the duke of Gueldres;* Edward 111. likewise visited his mother at Risings: the neordu of Lynn return this notice, dated 1334. "The queen laabelU Mnt h«r precept to the mayor to provide her eight carpenters, lo make praparatioois for ihe king's vbit." lu 1337, Inward 111. again made •onus stay at Castle Rising with his mother, and Adam de Riffham, of I^fut, seat him a present of wine on this occasion. Once only have we efiiience that Isabella visited the metropolis; this was in the twellUi • ir of Iier son's reign, when she is witness to the delivery, of the great i JD its purse, by king Edward to Robert de Burghersh, in the gnmd .jrnbcr of llie bishop of Winchester's palace in Southwark. fnriMon. 'Ciileya Faden, 635. MV h«*e be™ ravoured wiih llirw extracu hj \lie lion. Mrs. Grevillo How>- , ihpf ore of hi«iorica! importance, »ince ilipy sel Bl roM nil doubis re^tnL A barrel of sturgeon cost as much as 2^ I5j.; the men of Lynn IWtt Aal they paid 111. for four barrels sent at diflerent times, as gilW to ttwifMn a( Castle Rising, and 20s. for two quarler-barrels of sturgeon mat n im servant Peroie. The aupply of herrings, as gifts from ihc men a(Cpt> amounted to 6/., and Iliey seni her 103 quarters of wajc, ai a cost «4£ 16s. Id. In Ihe eightcenih year of his reign king Edwan] dale* mvol letters to ihe pope from Castle Rising. A curious plan for ibe annoyance of king Edward was devbcd, ■ t* year 1348, by the French monarch, who proposed lo make ihe fUO" dowager of France and Isabella, the mediatrices of a peac«. 'Hiey *ae to meet between Calais and Boulogne; but E^lwarO was too wi*e,tDU inio the snare of atiraciing public aileniion to the guitljr and dcgiaM mother, from whom his claims lo the throne of France were dMtwi babellu vtAs not sufleied lo lake any pan in the ncgotiattua : lh« ar- ceeding documents prove that Ihe treaty was completed by the ilakt<' Lancaster and llie count of Eu.' In the ihinv'firsl year of his reign king Edward grsnted nf<^-c*^ lo William de Leitb, lo wait on queen Isabella at her caslle of Itai^ he coming from Scotland, probably with uews from her daaghur,ilM<* 1 French, Edwaidi tvplte m 1 ISABELLA OF FRANCE. 171 Joanna, who was then very sick. This person was physician to the queen of Scotland.' The next year Isaballa died at Castle Rising, August 22d, 1358, aged sixty-three. She chose the church of the Grey Friars, where the man- gled remains of her paramour Mortimer had been buried, eight-and- tu'enty-years previously, for the place of her interment ; and, carrying her cliarecteristic hypocrisy even to the grave, she was buried with the heart of her murdered husband on her breast. King Edward gave his mother a pompous funeral, and issued a precept to the sheriff of London and Middlesex, November 20th, to cleanse the streets from dirt and all impurities, and to gravel Bishopsgate-street and Aldgate, against the coming of the body of his dearest mother, queen Isabella ; and directs tlie officers of his exchequer to disburse 0/. for that purpose. Isabella was interred in the choir of the Grey Friars, within Newgate, and had a fine alabaster tomb erected to her memoiy. She had given 62/. towards the building of this church. It was usual for persons buried in the Grey Friars to be wrapped in the garment of the order,' as a security against the attacks of the foul fiend. Queen Isabella was buried in tliat gar- ment, and few stood more in need of such protection. According to Bloomfield, local tradition asserts that queen Isabella lies buried in Castle Rising church, and that all the procession to the Grey Friars in London was but an empty pageant In confirmation of this assertion, they point out a simple grey stone, with tliis inscription deeply cul — ^ ISABELLA RBOINA.^ Antiquaries, however, are of opinion that this stone covers the grave of one of the officers, or ladies, who died in her service at Castle Rising; but it is also possible that she might have bequeathed her heart to her pariah church, and that this inscription nmy denote the spot where it was interred. An effigy of Isabella is to be seen, in the most exquisite preservation, among the figures which adorn the tomb of her son, John of Eltliam, at Westminster Abbey. It is the third from the right hand, when the examiner stands with his back to St Edward^s chapel. The workman- ship of this, and the other statues of John of fUtham's kindred, is of * Bloom fielfl's Norfolk. Public Acu. WnUingham. Bloomfield. Stow. London. PennanL The F(£dera implies, '*that William de Leith was employed to re- quest qu^en Isabella to act as mediatrix between David and Edward, regarding the rarmom of David, king of Scotland.*' ■ Pcrbaps Isabella, in the decline of life, had been admitted into the third order of St Francis, inntiiuted, about twenty years Ijofore her death, for lay-penitents wbo were not bound by conventual vows. That she made some pretence to piety may be inferred from the following list of her relics, for which Edward III. ^ve a receipt *' to his beloved chaplain F«dmund dc Rammersby on behalf of bis mother, the first year of her imprisonment: — Two crystal vases, containing minute bones, relics of the holy Innocents; one silver fla»k, containing relics of St. Sylvester; part of the side of St I^wrence enclosed in silver; aud a joint of Jolin the Baptist's little finger. •—CoZfyj Fadtra, p. 825. ISABELLA ' VKANca. the iDosl delicate kini] ; the easiness of the attitudes, united with nrinitt attention to details, denote an artist of Bu(>eTior ffeniue. Tleeffigiaut bII cast in bronze, and the row opposite to Si. Edward's chapd m to well secured from the mischievous assautis of abbey depfedalon. Vf ik griik of thick iron, which parts the tomb from tiie poswagr, ihu liuj are in the same state as when they came from the hands nf thf UUL First stands the mother of Isabella, the queen of France and Fi'tnne: she exactly resembles her pottrait engraved in Montfaucon- Then (tanii the eSigy of Isabella's father, Philip le Bel. Next ia givev ImtirUa he^ self; her head is remarkably broad and lot*, and she has consiitnlile breadth over the cheek-bones ; she b very like her mother, but her fri- lures &re pretty, with a laughing expre«siun; the elligy » >d«iiiiMit hers by the garb of royal widowhood. She wears a crown on tlir tuf of her hood, her veil liangs on each side of her fece, the wiitoo'i b»t appears half covering her chin, and a sceptre is in her hand. Soeh im certainly her dress at C^lle Rising, at (he death of her son, princt: Join, in 1334, and such must have been her costume during tho nmakiuSttol her life ; since widows in ihoss times wore the dreaa >>f BUHtniiu ill their lives, unless they found second husbouds. The cfBgT of htt nv dered lord, Edward 11., stands next hers; il is extremely- llk« tfaMontii tomb at Gloucester. Isabella's virtuous daug^hier, Joanna qacen of Scotland, the UdAI and devoted consort of the unfortunate Dnvid lirace, lurviret) her mate onlv a few davH. and was interred in the elnirdi at ih« Giwr HAhI PHILIPPA OF HAINAUIT, QUEEN OF EDWARD III. CHAPTER I. ynvioDS nitncliTn^nt or Edwi^rd ITI. nnd Philiiipa — Hii ■ojoiim ai ber tktlwi'l Ptmri — Her btoooiing bmiiiy — Demonrfeil in mfljriago — Pbifipp* arriTea in LotwIoD^Rceeption — Pbilippa travels lo Yoik — MarrieJ iheie — Her clowar — Cra1, Among ibfta-fl/i our lords, for bigb piadenoe, Of Ibe Iniliop asked counsel and sonieno*, K Which dnuglilei of tlis Are sliould b« oat Ifam WliD coiinteU'd tlius with sad avisemrnl, To which the)' all Hccorded wiib ona mindi And cluwe Pttilippe tbal wu full (emJniiM, As the wise biabop iliJ determine; But then among Ihvxa-ttt/t ibej lauded w Tlioss lords then said, tbeii bishop judge The beauty of a lailf.* > The luane of Philippa it not laentioned till the iait U wn* execulcd, daled Sept. 3, 1337. — i'mStra, vol ■HiiL Biahopi of Wincheiter, vol. i. ' Harding was ■ LiDcolnshtre man, a chnmicler, and an a m Ihe family of the eall of Nonhuiubeiland, ' Rirliard II. In his youth be acted as aecrelaiy ta his tont, aad • Ihe bottle of Shrewaboiy. Ue is. theielbre, nearly a o hi« onthoriiy i* ftml. Ui> age must have t>ean eiu-eme, as ho tivadlfl wliole of Ihfl reipu of the bouse of Lancaster ; wai pensioned hf }^ 9W. pel aonuni, and finally presented his complete biilorf M Ed«^ must then have boon more than uioeiy. He mentions flee da^li' uauh; tlie eldril, Sybella, who had hecu ooniracied to EdwanI lU-ia wm* dead ai this lime. * Thi* passage, amoi^ many aiben, will piove dial penpMl, k PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT. 175 >illy after the young king Edward completed his sixteenth year,'' ■oifl»art, ^ his council sent a bishop, two knight bannerets, and le clerks, to Sir John of Hainault, to beg of him to assist the kinff of En^and in his suit to one of his nieces, since the young ould loTe her more dearly than any other lady, on his account n feasted and paid many honours to these messengers. He took 0 Valenciennes, where his brother the count of Hainault gave ich sumptuous entertainment as would be tiresome to relate. He illingly complied with their requests, if the pope and holy church objection. Two of the knights and some able clerks were des- 1 to Arignon ; for without the pope's dispensation it could not f, on account of their near relationship, for their two mothers nisins-german. As soon as they came to Arignon, the pope and consented most benignantly. On their return to Valenciennes ate preparations were made for the dress and equipage of a lady, IS considered worthy to be the queen of England." king, then at Nottingham, empowered the bishop of Lichfield rentry,' on the 8th of October, 1327, to conclude his marriage e noble damsel, Philippa of Hainault. He likewise charges ^ his Bartholomew de Burghersh, constable of Dover, to receive and le into his kingdom that noble person, William count of Hainault, e illustrious damsel Philippa, his daughter, and the familiars of [ count and damsel ; and he charges all and singular his nobility )ple of the counties through which the count, damsel, and fiuni- ly pass, to do them honour and give them needful aid."' It was ry for the lady Philippa and her escort to travel across England the royal bridegroom, who was then performing his warlike no- on the Scottish border, under the auspices of his mother and er, against the great Robert Bruce. ppa was married at Valenciennes by procuration, soon afler the date mstrument. She embarked for Ennand at Wisan, landed at Dover . her suite, and arrived in Liondon, December 23, 1327, with a reti« I display of magnificence in accordance with the ^eat wealth of her '. She was escorted by her uncle, John of Hainault, and not by ler, as was expected. A solemn procession of the clergy intro- ler into the city, and she was presented by the lord mayor and in of London with a service of plate worth 300/., as a marriage benefaction prompted most likely by the g^titude of the citiatens by our ancestors as a most desirable quaiiflcation in a queen-consort, reason, these biograpliies are compelled by truth to dwell on the per- I vantages possessed by our queens. The queens of England, down to le of Arragon, seem, with few exceptions, to have been the fineet women time. tra, vol. iv. Adam Orleton, who began the negotiation, had not the of finishing the treaty. He had at this time fallen into disgrace ibella and Mortimer, for accepting the rich bishopric of Winchester the consent of the crown, and pertinaciously refusing to pay a br.ba »ugh to satisfy the rapacity of the queen-mother. The attnte priest oou- ifae was too much in hif. power to need such comideration. (See pre- iography.) 'Dated at CUpttowe. Fodera, voL Iv. I 170 PRILIPPA OF llAINAtLT. for k tmtT of fioanneirp, caublishej brlwaen Eo^uid ftni) the \/rw t\ianUin in tha preceiliag summer, when itieve iiuplialfl were Rnl giub- Ikly ■f^UiinL The king «u titill will) hia ann^ in ibe nardi, Tuik being hu heail-quviera ; ami tlioutfb Loiiilun was in an upraorltnui rait of Mjoicing U her arrival, th« royal bride tefl il imtuoilialely to nwel h« lord. Bui there wen reasiin^ and sumptuoui eoiertainiueaU in London ' for threo weeks aAcr hrr Uniling. The h«nil« of (IdwtnJ an• nved in onler to conclude a lasting peace with England, cetneoled b^ Dm marriage of the king's Utile sister Joanna. Tlio pEu-ltuucut and royil council wen likewise convened at York, and the dower of the EngUtli nobiiJij, then in arms, were tsaembled round the young king and hj> bride. The n>yal pair kept Easter at Tork, and aAer the final pnce witfi Scutlontl they ratamcd southward rroni Lincoln to Northampton, wnl Itnolly settled, in June, at the heaulifnl suniitter palace of Woodftock. wliifh seems the principal abidin)(-phice of Philijipa, while her younj husband was yet under tlie tutelage of Mortiuior and tlie queeii-ni- lelet de Manny,' wlioee oHice was to carve fiic her. The corooalioii of the young queen did not take place till more ^M two years after her marriage. The king, Irooi his palaoe at EllhaBt issued a mmimcnis, dated the SSth of February, 1330, » for his MuTViJ nnd bithful Banholomevr de Bnrghersh to appear wiih his barons of ihf Cinque Porta, lo do their customary dnlies st the coronation of hit deareul queen, Philippe, which takes place, if God be propilious, tbi Sunday next to the feaat of St. Peter, in tlie cathedral of Westminster" ll look place on that day with no particular splenilour, for tlie rtptciiy of Irabolla and Mortimer had absorbed all the funds provided lo suppoR the diguitv of the crown. But the period of their sway drew near iU close. I'he young lion of England had already manifested g^ns of dis- dain, at the ignoble restrunt, in which he was held. Fiptlcrii, vol iv. Froittail. This alMndant of qoaen Philippa )« lu Wallar of the flrsl luugbu ot ^e k"^<3- Ifara^, sesric J pntLipp.v or iiAixAL'LT. 1*7 'nt wu «umniiinceloved Robert de VerS) of dronl. was heredilarj- chamberlain lo the queens of Eng- «II coronations the ancestors of the earl had oHiciated in the ity ; and tlinl in consequence he claimed the bed in which hail slept, her sboea, aud three silver basins — one. in vrhich (1 her hetul,' and two olheta in which she washed her hands. log desires tliai the earl may freely receive the basins and the t ai for the bed, the treasurer is to pay the earl chamberlaiu a marks M a compeitsaiiou for his claim thereon." idle young king was yet under the dominion of his unworthy fhu consort, Phdippa, gave birth lo her firsl-bom, afterwards the I hero Edward, sumamed the Black Prince. lie first saw the lie palace of Woodslitck, June IS, 1330. The great beauty of L his size, and the tirm texture of his limbs, tilled every one itration who saw him. Like that renowned queen-regent of Blanche of Csstillc, mother of St. Louis, Philippa chose to Iwr babe at her own bosom. It is well known, that the por- the lovely young Philippa and her princely boy formed the Biodels, for the \ ir^in and Child, at that era. tr to ceiebrsie the birth of the heir of England, a grand tour- wu proclaimed at London. Philippa and all the female nobility Mted to be present. Thirteen knights were engaged on each ■ the tournament was held in Cheapsiile, between Wood-slreet Hn-«tr(«t; the highway was covered with sand to prevent the Ibet fram slipping, and a grand temporary' tower was erected, ; boarding, filled with seats for the accommodation of the queen ladies. But scarcely had this fair company entered the tower, be scaffolding suddenly gave way, and all present fell lo the with the queen. Though no one was iniurea. all were terribly Bd, and great confusion ensued. When the youiig king saw the Ilia wife, he flew into a tempest of rage, and vowed that the carpenters^ who had constructed the building, should instantly e death. Whether he wotild thus far have stretched the pre- I of an English sovereign can never be known, for his aneclic ..■Caroely recovered from the terror of her fall, threw hemi'lf on ■ before llie incensed king, and so eflectiially pleaded for the of the poor men, that Edward became pacilied, and forgave them. Idaeline of the year 133U, Edward III. ehook off the restraints ivpon him by his unworthy mother and her ferocious paramour, lilted justice on the great criminal Mortimer, in the stmiintry (y way, in which he was always inclined lo act, when under the o( fmatwot and at a distance from his queen. No one can won- he waa impatient to destroy the murderer of bia father and of I I 1?8 F n I L I p r A ( liis uncle. Still this eagerness lo execute siiddea vengeonce niicirt IM influence of rage, whether justly or unjustly excited, is a trail ia ilw churacter ot tliia tnighly sovereign which appeara in his yuuih; inJ which it is necessaty (o point out in order to develop the beautiful and nearly perfect character of his queen. No sooner were the reins of government in the hands of tlie yoimg king, than he vigorously exerted himeelf for the refonnalion nf tht ahuseB, for which the adminislration of Mortimer was tnfumous; imnt excellent laws were made, and others revived, to the grenl satislaction of the English people. But, above all things, the king had the wiKlmn to provide a profllable occupation for the active enei^ies of bis pec^C- "' Blessed be the memory of king Edward HI. and Philippa of Haioaull his i^ueen, who first invented clothes;" says a monastic chronidfr. Start not, gentle reader ; ilie English wore cloihca before the lime of tiu excellent queen ; the gntieful monk, by lliis invocation, merely anot to imply, that by her advice, ihc English first manufactured clolk.' Philippa, young as she was, well remembered the sources of [vm- perity which enriched her own country. She established ■ mann&e- luring colony at Norwich, in the year 1335 ; but the first steps lowinb this good work were commeuced so early as ilie 3d of JuIt, 133\, within a few months of the assumption of power, by the youthful kmf A letter so dated, from lincohi, is addressed to John Kempe of rtandm clolh-weaver in wool, in which he b informed, " that if he will copK lo England with the servants and apprentices of his mystery, and wilblw goods and chattels, and with any dyers and fullers who may be tDdiBid willingly to accompany him beyond seas, and exercise their myiien'* in the kingdom of England, tliey shall have letters of proiecti'oo ai assistance in their eeitlement." ' Philippa occasionally visited Kempe, and the rest of her colour in Norwich. Nor did she disdain lo blend all the magnificence of chinltj with her patronage of the productive arts. Like a beneficent queen ^ the hive, she cherished and protected the working bees. At a mtvi of her life, which, in common characiers, is considered girlhixM. At had enriched one of the cities of her realm by her statistical wnJon- There was wisdom likewise in the grand tournaments she held at S» wich, which might be considered us exhibitions showing ilie cilimi 'A more ooherEnt notice of Ihis greai hpnefit lo England is (Cina hfT^^ who dpflnea the diBerence bc kDaWla( M ■■■' whni U do with their wool than tlie Bheegi that bore it." • FiEiJerH. PcobabJy the name of John Kempe ii derived &otn oonb. (Mt> nrument being used in bis employment,) and means Joba of riia Cknli. u it old Englisli of the verb "to c>>n\b" it to kmp<. Kemtra was IhM^] the Norwich woollen manuGuivaiet. ~ PBILIPPA OF HAIKADLT. 171) how veil, in time of need, ihey could be prolected by a gallant nobility. These festii'sls displayed the dprensive cU^s, and the productive clasa, in admirable union and benelicial iniercoutsp ; while the example or tht queen promoted mutual respect beliveen them. Edward HI. did not often lake part In these visits lo Norwich, which were gcnemlly paid by the queen while her huslmnd spent some days wiili his guilty and miMrable mother, at Cusile Rising in Norfolk ; ' a strong proof that he did not consider Isabella a fit eomjianioti for his Philippa. It is likely that the eslahliahmeni of the Flemish artists in England had Bome connexion with the visit that Jeanne of Valois, countess of Itainaultf paid to her royal daughter, in the autumn of 1331. The mother of Philippa was a wise and good woman, who loved peace and pmmnted the peaceful arts. During her sojourn in England she further •tren^iheued the beneficial alliance between England and the Low Coun- tricf, hy negotiating a marriage between the king's sister, Eleanora, and the duke of Gueldres, which was soon after celebrated. Edward III. commenced a furious war on Scotland in 133.1. Hi* dlthful qu«en followed his campaign, but while the king laid siege to Berwick, Philippa was in some danger at Bamborough Castle, where •he resided that summer; for Douglas, the valiant guardian of his youn^ kmg. tnmed ihB tables on the English invader, and made a forced marrb, to lay fierce siege to Bamborough,' hoping that Edward, alarmed at the lUnger of his queen^ would reliniiuish Berwick, and fly to her assistance, boi Edward knew too well the strength of "king Ina's castle broad and hish." and the firm mind of his Philippe, to swerve from his designs on Bnvick. Tel the temper of Edward was certainly aggravated into ferociousness by the attempt lo capture his queen; and he was led by sudden passion into the cruel murder of the iwo young Sealons. These unfortunate youths were the sons of the governor of Berwick, either given by him •s hostages lo Edward III., for the performance of certain terms of sur- TFnder, or, what was still worse, were prisoners put to death, because their fether would not surrender bis trust. Either way, the act was aiiociouE ; perhaps it would have been prevented if the just and gracious PhilipfKt had been by the side of her incensed lord. But Philippa waa closely besieged in Bamborough : and her danger exasperated her hus- baad tnio an act, really worse than any performed by his stem grand- ■te, Edward I. The king knew that the Douglas was no tfiller in any wnric be took in hand ; he therefore resolved, by a desperate blow, to take Berwick, and march to relieve his queen from the attacks of the Seouish regent. He certainly gained Berwick from the stunned and paralysed father; hut by the munlcr of the hapless youths, he for ever •uinol bis chiralric name. Douglas and Edward joined battle, not far from Berwick, soon aAer, ■ Hi ihr Scots were overpowered at the disastrous battle of Malidi I »M th« ptrcedins hlagnphy. ■ Gut)ui«, Jblio Hub J 180 P II I L I r F \ OF ][ A I > A I' L T ■ GdwarJ, with Ins ijiieen, Aflerwards triumpliantly eDtered Berwidi, wliid lias ever Bince remained anneieJ to the English crown.' Edward and PhUippa were in England during the wiiilec of 133<. J llie palace of WootUiock, on Fpbruary the 5th, the queen hrnu^ht rnl ihe world Elizabeth,' (likewise called Isabella,) the princess roj-«l, Tl cjueea undertook another campaign in the succeeding spring. Thai Jo her father sent king Edward a present of a rich helmet, made of go and set with precious stones ; with a remonstrance agaiiut wasliog L etreogth in Scotland, where there was no plunder to be got, whan tl same expense would pmsecute his claims on France, The queen ll winter became the mother of a second princess, named Joaiiiu. PI lippa followed her lord lo a third northern campnigii. Her second H Wflliam of Hatfield, was born in a village in Yorkshire, in the niattr 1338 : this infant lived but a few weeks* In the absence of Edward, the Scotch war was proseciited by hia nii brother, John earl of Cornwall, with great cruelty ; this young prin died at Perth, October the 6th, of a wound which he got in his Irrocu attack on Lesmahago.* While Philtppa resided in the norili of England, a circmnataiiea t curred which is an amusing instance of monastic etiquette. Kln^ I ward had returned from Scotland, and advanced as far as Durham, wIh he eatablished his lodging in St. Cuthbert'a Priory, near tlie caslle. T queen travelled from York to meet and welcome him. She snpatd the prinry, and, thinking it was no offence, retired to pass the nq|hl 'Eilwaril Baliol invailecl Scotland wilb iLe Kngliih nniijr, linviii^ Ant*^ pivil mesMgo xo young king Dnvid, olTerins "o »e.^>iJe lo him tlie faiaitr ••■I of the Briire, it bs would aurrender lo him his kingdom and hii wife, the fm tbiei of king Edward. To lids modeit request the Syitcb oounril (6a dw f lant DouglBi loal hit liA at Halidnn) repIiM by unding iheii yimi^ Ugg ■ qneen Ibr lafeif to France, and preparing lo delbuil their kfin^om to to k gii>p, Some Bulhori declara that, after ihii □onquaet.Edwnnl kciilhivCWiM Bt Rriiburgb, with his queen, but liii gavenunmt bms aia daiwl in Junn; Wallinglbrd.— fitKb-tf. *T)iD nnmps or Isabella and Eliiabetli were aynonTTnaus in tlie mliUI* ig to Ihe confli«ion of hiilory and gf neoln^, 'The aoeounts or the llineral expentet or this infhni, who wag harinl m T* Catheilial, are ouiioui feauirei in the Waiilrabe Book of his Intber:— IS " Paid for ilifiereiil nuuMa about the body of lord Willimik, arm to i)ir Ura. tl raaaed; likewise lot the purelinse uf thioe hiinUteil and ninrit- -' : '- v.-nx. burnt lounil tlie prince's corpse at HsUleld, Poiiiflct. mi ' WM buried; and for ilirao cloths of gold diapetwl. lo bo [il . corpse and tomb, al»o for a hooil for ihe fnce, and for webs, : . Man* M, ninib jrear of Edward III., i-it. lU, IK' "Pai'l i Um king, for llie ■oid of hi* *Dn William, divided between Haiii'M md \t mooae at Pom&M aad York, and fbt widow* watcliiog riniad the nU caqi and burial service, m. 3i. Sjd" ■Boeihiiis aSRnnt that Edward III., enrnged at ihe emelirof hi« bcnAar.l burning Ihe church Of Lcemnhago with a (huuaand Snntch pm^plp theraa,*r liii nvord atid slew the younj; prinne before Ihe high altnt of iba cbnndiwNli Ko liulo is known of this priove, that tlte anucilols is wortli r«aD(dii« ; A*^ 'fie tifiif cC rht deserved punishment of John i» iklte, liir fcjiif|yjj TWIfti PniLIPPA OF nMNACLT. 181 T husband^s apartment Scarcely liad she undressed when the affrighted Dnks came to tlie door, and pathetically remonstrated against the in- ngement of the rules of their order, intimating ^ that their holy patron Cutlibert, who during his life very sedulously eschewed the company the fair sex, would l^ direfuUy offended if one of them slept beneath B roof of his convent, however high her rank might be.'' The pious lilippa, distressed at the idea of unwittingly oflending St. Catlibert, mediately rose from the bed in haste, fed in her night-dress to the itle, which was fortunately close by, and passed tlie night there by nelfJ The gout and other maladies put an end to the existence of count illiam of Hainan! t, soon after he had formed a league against France ih King Edward ; and with the wealthy father of his queen, Edward It the liberal supplies, with which he carried on his warfare. The Iglish people chose always to be at war; but they expected their narchs to find the cost out of their private revenues and feudal dues, lich were certainly not sufficient for the purpose. Edward was re- ced to extreme poverty even in the commencement of his long war, 1 obliged to pawn his queen's crown at Cologne for 2500/., in the ur 1330. Soon after the English people submitted, not to a tax on lol, but a tax of wool, and subscribed 30,000 packs of that commo- y,* which, being sent down the Rhine to Cologne, redeemed Philippa's It crown from thraldom. During the whole of this reign the crown vels were seldom out of pawn, notwithstanding the wealth that the int manufacture of cloth was already drawing to the coasts of Eng- id. The prosperity that the queen's colony of Flemish artists had Night to Norwich had been felt so early as 1330, when Philippa paid It city a visit, during her husband's progress to Castle Rising. She m received by the grateful citizens with all the honours due to a public lefrctrew. As vicar of the empire, and head of the confederated league of Ger- loy, Edward III. had his head-quarters, during several of the Flemish npftigns, at Antwerp and Ghent, where his queen kept her court. At ftwerp the third son of Philippa and Edward Ilf. was bom, November th, 1338. This prince was a true Fleming, being bom in Flanders ft Flemish mother. In due time prince Lionel grew to be nearly ren feet in height, and, being athletic in proportion, was a champioi whom any country might be proud. The queen returned, with this infant Hercules, to England in the minii of 1339, and in the ensuing year king Edward paid a long visit his unhappy mother in Norfolk, while queen Philippa went to Noi eh lo visit her woollen manufactories. She found a vast number of >rwich people, who, having been apprentices of Kempe and his fol« rera, were establishing themselves in the profitable trades of weaving ] dyeing. She was received with great joy, and favoured the citizens History of the Cathedral of Durham. The priory is at present the residenoa the dean. 'Fcederm. Guthrie. Carte. Bloomfield'» KomSfiitau YOL. II. — 16 M I IBS nilLIPFA OP IIAIAAtLT. wilh her presence Troni February lo EaKier.' Al ihe reeiivtlie* of ■eaeoii her royal lord held a giand lournameiii si Norwich, when Ik lilted in person. In Ihe spring of the same year, PhilippB again aniled for tbe uppu roast, BD(I established her coun ai Ghent. Kine Edwaril, ia the mm^ time, cruised between Engiland and Holland, where he had ■ flw it upwards of 300 ships. Phihppa gave birth U> her Toiiinh aon ml GUol, OQ .Midsummer-day 1340, a the very lime ihai her warlike Irml an Hghting his great DSval battle off Blakenburg. Next day, the kutf UmU at Sluys, impBiient to embruee his queen and her inlant, ftrid bniti Plii- lippB tidings of the greatest dbvbI victory ilie English aX that tune hul ever gained over Frauce. Philippa'i boy was John of Gnunt, sftervrwili so renowned as duke of LAncasier. The interference or the mother of Philippa about this lime ocoiioa- ed a lemponry cessation of hofltiliiies between France and FjtgUnJ.' This princess, jusl as the belligerents were about U> eingage Ixfen Toumay, weiii lo her son-in-law, and then lo her brother, king Pliilqi, and, kneeling before them, ioiplured them to make peace and slop ibt eiTusion of Christian bloud.* The pacilicalion elTecied by ihe motlier of queen Philippk fof a«i put a stop lo this kindred warfare. It was indeed lime, for both Iht mighty Edward and his liiithful queen were literally ia a slate o( U ruptcy. She had given up her cruwn, and all the jewels shv poaM which her royal lord liad pawned to the Flemish iDerchanUj bat wants were slill so great, that to raise a further aum he Itkewiae ptv ' Hatiling. BJuomfleld. 'Froiasart. Jeanae of Talois Lad retired inlo ■ eonveni aftn ilie ileadiof )■ huibnnd, Iha count of Uainaull. Thii ntreat wat fired bj her Ijmfcii U4 Cbilip B liDop* in tbia war. 'TUe relatioDsliip belweeo Eilword's queen and tbs competitot loi ib* A of Ftance was nem ; »be was boih hia Diecc and name-child, noil Uip lamii ■ml loTe wUinh Ler molhei bore 10 king Philip wore excessJTe. The no ihni pronipIii>d thv molbn of Pbiliiipa to interfere in Ilii* extrwudinarr ma beiwesn armiM ready to engage aie perfeclij- ooRuitent wilti tba epiM lo|[*r, bad cb4IW nativiliai of Philip and Edward, autl declared thai be Ibreuw the ilueo«fB0 of die king of Prance if eror he fouglit agunil hU rival. T|mj Igncn of kM| Roger, Hlaiming tlie li^terly feati of die counieeB Jeanne, indneed her MMfr tencB. At Toumay, Edward was endeavouring (o provoke Philtp into a pen ccmbal. TliU excellent inctliod ofdelormininga niccaisian-irat, Philip didl becBute the cartel was nol direoteJ to ihe king of France. Upod tIiii.ilLii ■M*' English camp cried out on the cawardice of Pliilip, and a poet behiDfiag H It ward, pOMesiing more loyalijr than I^iin. wtmb the following oouplef— Si valeas, venias, ValoUl depetle limoram Non lateaij pBlE&9; moveaa. Oslende vjgOTem— Which may be rendered, Valoit, be VBliantI vile fear pan't avail ifaee: Hide nol, avoid rloi, lei tiet vigout fiitt there. Edward, who bad himself ienl a ihymiiig decUialion of w« u Ailip, •••■ (hew were valiant veisev" and cfuued ibcoi to b* liutMiod iitsa WIVPiMt j ■bol o PhiUp'i PniLIPPA OF IIAIIfAULT. 183 the person of his Taliant kinsman the earl of Derby,' who actually gave himself up to personal restraint, while Edward stole away with his queen, and the child she nourished, to Zealand. Here he embariLed with Philippa and the infimt John of Gaunt, attended by a few senrants. The ship was small, the weather stormy, and the royal passeng^ers were in frequent danger of losing their lives : however, at midnight, December 2, 1840, they landed safely on Tower wharf. Here the king found that three nurses, and the rest of the ro3ral children, constituted the sole garrison of his regal fortress of the Tower; the careless constable, Nicholas de la Beche, had decamped that evening to visit a lady-love in the city, and his warders and soldiers, following so good an example, had actually left the Tower to take care of itself.* The great Edward, who was not in the mildest of tempers, owing to the untoward state of his finances, took possession of the fortress of his capital in a towering vage. As his return was wholly unexpected, the consternation of con- stable de la Beche may be supposed, when he had concluded his city ▼int. It was well for the careless castellan, that the gentle Philippa was hj the side of her incensed lord, at that juncture. About this time, the heart of the mighty Edward swerved for a while from its fidelity to Philippa ; and had not the royal hero been enamoured of a lady of exemplary virtue, the peace of the queen might have been for erer destroyed. Sir William Montacute had been remrded for the good service he did the king, in the beginning of his reign, by the title of the earl of Salisbury. He had married the fair Catherine de Grason,' and reoeived the castellanship of Wark Castle, whither he had taken his countess, who lived in retirement away from the court In the mean- time, Salisbury had been captured in the French war. His castle in the north, which was defended by his countess and his nephew, was be- sieged in the second Scottish war, by king David. When in great danger, young Montacute, by a bold personal adventure, carried the news of the distress of the countess to king Edward, who was encamped near Ber- ' Carte. Guthrie. Oilef'a FoMiera. Ho remained in prison, being detained by Matthew Concanon and partners, mcrcliants of the firm of the Leopard. Ed- ward obtained tuppliet of bis parliament next year, by declaring " that, if ha was not enabled to redeem his honour and his cousin, the earl of Derby, he would go to Flanders, and surrender his royal person to his crt^ditors." In answer to this appeal, the commons granted the fleece of the ninth sheep and the ninth lamb throughout England ; coin seemed to be as scarce with tlie sub- jects as with their royal matter and mistress. ' Proisssrt and several chroniclers. * In MiUes* Catalogue of Honour, the parentage of the countess of Salisbury is clearly traced. She was the daughter of William de Orafton, a Burgnndian knight of imperial lineage, a favourite of Edmund earl of Lancaster, who pre- "Vasled on Sibyl, heiress of Lord Tregose of Wiltshire, to marry his friend. Gra«on possessed nothing in the world but a handsome person, and a pedigree derivecc fiom the emperors of Constantinople. Catherine tlie Fair was the only child of this oouple, and was endowed riohly with her mother's wealth and her father's bcautj. She bestowed both on the brave earl of Salisbury. Dugdale confirms this account, by quoting charters, in which he calls the countess Catherine de Graadison ; of this name, Grason is an evident abbreviation. I 18il raiLirPA or haikault- wiri(. At the ■ppnMch of Cdwwdt llie kin; of Scot* naeA the ut^ of Wwk. The royal hen'* iniMvieir trith CBlbertus ilw F«u (ollivn, in thr wonk of Pmuwan :— " The tnomeni ihe cdubum tmrd oT the kio^'* ■ppmaeh, she onknd ill the faiH lo be ihruwn opni, «iil.at ^K whir !;(>od tmlh, your beauteous mien, and (he perfeetions of your face ud Hihaviour, have wholly overcome me; and so deeply impress my h«fl| my happiness wholly depends on meeting a nstum to my Huth which no denial ftota you can ever exlinguish,' " ' Oil. my drcttd lotd,^ le^Ue^ \!i;te twiw^u^^ do uoi amuae youndLJ hy Isughing al me n-ith trying to tempt me, for 1 cannot believe you are in rarnesi as [u what ynu have Just said. Is il likely that so noble end gullant a prince as you are would ever think of diBhoiiouriiig either me or luy husband, a valiant knight, who has served you so faithfully, and who now lies in a doleful prIsoQ on your account? Certainly, sir, ihii wontd net redound to your glory; nor would you be the better for it, if you rould have your wayward will.' *'Tbe virtuous lady then quitted the king, who was astonished at lier words. She went into the hull to hasten dinner; a^erwards she ap- proached the kiiig'a chamber, aiiendeil by all the knights, and said to him, " * My lord king, your knights aie all waiting for you, to wash their hBn Oa countru, be eoon iliowcd that he had reiigned whai ilis very propally mM hint wets " villanoiu thougku." In proof of iliia Tact, wc find bim, ditectljr, bbUbc a two j«an' lni«e with the king of Scotland, one o[ ihe canditionB of «4ifaili WM, -ibal king I>aTid ■hould uaderiske a nPgoiiBikin wiin bd Bllf. ih« Uof of Fnniic, 10 exjcbiui«D tba earl of Many, & prisoner of king Edwoid, lot (b* nwl of Satiibuir," tliea in caplilily in the diiunal lower* of tbe Ctiatelel.-> fWitMTf, ml. I p. S07. 'Tbe MOry th«t tbo origin of thi» order, the Order of the Osner, took iti ti^a ttm an acridsni tliBt liii|>prni!d lo ibe conntpu of Saliibury'i dres«, wben Icing Edu-ard 111^ mutt be unliue, since we have K«n thai Ih6 Blue Gntiet weiB oonfederaled by Cckut ile Lion long before It hem; therefore tiM Oann was a part of the ordal iJltU \dt&>i>«n> j I I PUI LIFF A U A I K A V fc T. uiociated with his knighis,' aasisieii her royal lord ki boUliig tba fal chapter ai Wiinlaor, on Si. Geor^^s day, 1344. Philippt kept the binhOay of her mighty lord with gra«feniTit]r,« Woodttock, in the year 1345.* Her«, in that sylrsn f«]m!«, wltovidtt had spent the first years of her happy wedluckf did sho Snd tunacil(ia middle lire, surrounded by a iriin of beauiirul cfatldrea, at the hod the nld Inily. and liU ilniirn ■■■ r.er, b« proclainied a eissl (ran in Aufruit, IHa. Ha eotmntutAri all UiHt lonttuid knighia sbould be tliprp wiihout Toil, kOd l» BXi>rBMl)ranl«c»4 teMll -f Sklubuiy lo biiiig lbs luly hi) wifr, willi 14 maa)' jcnOf l*dlda a* «lvtMU Collect ID atte-nd ber. Ttie enrl Tpty chceirully coii>Cli«d wttta iJi* kMa^LfafM r«rA«lAM«U<»RiiI;«idhURDodlBdTdBiiadmBr.aa*. fiw'Mfln&K ■ raiLippA PHUIPPA OF HAINAULT, QUEEN OF EDWARD 111. CHAPTER II. n PbiliplM left regent or England — Battle of Cretsy — Qua rf Calais—Scalch inTwion — Uueea defeadi England — Queen'a eibons- -Her ictorj' of Net 's Crosa — King Dsviil ei a to London - i< doDmnl m death by Edward — Philippn's iniercesfion — Binh of princesi pre! — GilwBrd &nd Philippa return to England — BeliDihment at the ■ Moond daughter — Death of the princem — King Edward's iHtters — '• fiTungei cbildreo — Philippa '9 iDUmaraenl at Norwich — Quecn'Bobjea* ^e marriage of the Black Prince — Qneen reeeivei roynl prinmeri— o with thj Guetclin — Queen goea to France — Marriage of the Blaeh eeti'a reception of kinf[ Jolin at Eltham — Ailiancea orrojrsi feimilf 9 Atal illness — Dealh-bcd — Tomb — Epitaph — Benefhciiotis — VColhige, Oxford —-Pennions to bet Women —Ali<» Perten — Queea'i •ed oonfeasion — Vinuea of queen Philippa. ■ fiiwi years of her marriage queen Philipi» had been ihe coo- nit Aitendani on her husband in his campaigns; the annats of the year \M i I riiftgiliilli 1 nbmh^MImm HV FBILIFPA of OAIVAC iiT. Iinih u iM«r ^ur hu«M m fua nn duoM ibiii i MKi/. « ynr, fur tdu ami jour iMMn."' Jobs tliinl ilttf al'ict hu ■rmml.MMl ttuuMil loCanhML Wiwate««na( home h« uwrnlilnl lii. rnetHb mm! —fahbwMm. and, n iin^Mj «lk tlieiD, look UiB kiii^ ul' ScoU aad «MiMd Ua U York, litw* ttftf ■cutnl )>iio, iu iliM lume o( lung Erfwwd, to qw PiuU|if>, lAd Hdl •veil HcuoM IImi (lie wm mii|ifIiuiiI, (otAtuU 10 K (IriR^Uxl Mri-ptre.' fliiliiiim ludgeil Ditviil tn tba Timr of LoMloa; ha «v eariMUl by her utilm, iu gniti ptnoiJfiB, Uunqgii iba twwttis neoNd a* toll ItUck war-bontp, iliai etw; ■■• Ruxlrt rMMgnuw lii« ^iwiii. U am of c*a>p«. Noil diy aho wJM fat C«l»i»,Mri JaoJed ihwfc fcy»ti#ll AUSaiitu.' Tiietmral (if Plulip)HOcta«nwda>tiMrf^«lMbaaii«i bmirging c«mp. lict royal itml MA a gnod eran in wtieone htt ti^ lorioui qiuniii, anJ mxln a nundieait IStt for bn Udin. niill||i brnuj^il Willi her Uiu (lower prthe female ftnbilny of Ei^kikl,a^ Uilies ImiiiK ansinus Ui aeeoinpwiy W to Gakio, in oriw to aM btot huabaiithi, aittl bruilit^re, all Baiiai|«d in lUia faiaoaa mm. While Hiinn Philittpu was m«mM «H>ii Iw wnl luri. M«mnURie, the breve defenilerB of CbUU were bo much reduced bjr hmine IM Ui be (oicei to capitulate. At fint Edward resolved to pDt tliun nil to the sword. By the pcrsuiuioiis of sir Walter Maun;, bf tomewhat relaxed from his bloody intcDtioiiB. " He bade sir Walter,'* wya Fiuiesart, " retam lo Calais with the following lemu >— ' Tell ihs ^frrnor of Calais that the garrison and iiihabiiania shall be psrdunedi excepting six of th« principal citizens, who must surrender iliemBelvef to duiti, with iope« round their necks, bareheaded, and barefooiod, bringiag the krys of the town and caalle in their liands.' Sir Waller TCUirapd lu the brave governor of Calais, John de Vienue, who wa$ •rniUiig for him on lh« luttlemeuU, &nd told him all he had been able l» litn fruui the king, The lord of Vienne went lo the market-plare, and Mused the bell lo be rung, upon which all the inhabiianis assembled in tfac tona-4iall. lie then related to ihem what he had said, and ihe aar ■ wem he had received, and Ihal he could not obtain beller condition^ Thfn they broke inio lamentations of grief and despair, so thai ths luinlesi heart would have had compaEBioci on ilieni ; and their valiant guTcraor, lord de Vienne, wept bitterly. Aller a short pause, llic moat weelllty citizen of Calais, by name Eustace 8l. Pierre, rose up and saidi 'G«nileiueD, both high and low, it would be pity lo sutler so many of our cotiutrymen lo die through famine; It would be highly roeritorioui id ih« eyes of our Saviour if sueh misery could be prevented. If I die lo **rve ray dear townsmen, I irusi I shall find grace before the tribunal of God. i name myself Arst of the six.' '^ WItcn Eustace had done speaking, his fellow-citizens all rose up and alnosl adored liim, casting ihomjN'lves on their knees, with tears and groans. Then another ciiixon rose up, and said he would be the •eoand u> Euatace ; his name was John Daire : after him, James Wisant, wtio WM very rich in money and latidn, and kinsman to Eustace and John ; his example was followed by Peler WisanI, his brother ; two oihrr>>' then offered themselves, whicli completed U)e number demanded by kipg Edward. The governor mounted a small horse, for it was with dilTiculiy he could walk, and conducted ihein through the gale lo Uie barriers; he said to sir Walter, who was ihere waiting for him — •■ ■ I deliver up lo you, as governor of Calais, these six citiiens, and •we*r to you they were, and are at lliis day, the moat wealthy and (^ ■pcctable tiihabiianta of the town. 1 beg of you, gentle sir, that df ytttu goodueas you would besoech the king lliat they may not be put M d«a(h.' ' I cannot answer what the king will do with them,' replied W Waii«r; 'but you may depend upon ihis, that I will do all I can loaftvs ' 'Din barriers were tjien opened, and the six citizens were con- d to Ihe pavilion of king Edward. When sir Waller Mauny had led those sis citizens to the king, they fell upon their knees, and, pltlW hands, »aid- ( Most gallaut kmg, sec before you si B capital mere hi 9 of Calais, who h'vgl who bring you the keys of llie town a y I H»r llien was tba joaag Mn cf EuHaca I I I I I ifii PniLtPr.\ op IIAIXAGLT. castle. We OTrrender ourselves to your absolute will i order to save the remainder of our fellow-citizeoa am Oalais, who have suffered g^'cat distress ami niiserr. out of your nobleness, to have compaasion on us.' '^All ihe Knglish barona, kuigliis, and squires, that ihere in great numbers, wept at this sieht ; but kin|; Edwrnrd eywl ihM with angry looks, for he hated much the people 0[ Calais, bvcaws rf the great losses he had suflered at sea by tliem. Ponhwith he oidind the heads of the sis citizens to be struck off. All present enlrrvlad ih* king to he more merciful, but lie would not lisieo to them. Then v Waller Mauny spoke : — 'Ah, gentle king. I beseech yoo reArvin yow anger. Taniisfa not your noble reputation by such an Mt m ibitt Truly, the whole world will cry owl on yout enielty, if you sbaauld pot to death these six worthy persons.* For all this, Ihe king gvrt a wmk to his marshal, and said, ' I will have it so ;' and ordered the bcaiaMB to be sent for, adding, ' the men of Calais had done him sue)) duna^ il was fit they suffered for it.' "At this, the queen of England, who was very near her lyiiig-jii,fii on her knees before king Edward, and with tears said, — 'AK, gunk m, silhence I have crossed the sea with great peril to see you, I ban mw asked you one lavonr; now, I most humbly ask as a gift, for ite Nkt of the Son of the blessed Mary, and as a proof of your lore to n*, iM lives of these six men.' " King Edward looked at her for some lime in silence, anil (hen suj, — 'Ah. lady, I wish you had been anywhere else than here; yoo ban entreated in snch a manner that I cannot refuse you. I iberefars (in them you — do as you please with them.' '^ The queen conducted the six citizens to her apartmenis, and tnllht hallcra taken from about their necks ; after which she new cloih«d lh■i^ and served them with a plentiful dinner; she then presented aach *itfc six nobles, and had ihem escorted out of the camp in nfeiy." The French historians, who, from mortified national pnde, tan enilenvDured to invalidate this beautiful incident, pretend to do to kf proving, as an inconsistency in the character of Pbilippa, that sto IMI possession, a few days after the surrender of Calais, of the lea^HNi halonging to one of her proteges, John Daire. They have ItkvwiMiiK pugned the psirioiism of Eustace Su Pierre,' because he renuuDad ■ (V taiB, as Edward's subject. But king Edward giaateU imnumitrt»d ihrise who swore allegiance to him, and ataj-ed io CaUia ; while Asa who chose expatriation, like John Daire, forfeited their tenennnis, winit thej- certainly could not take with them. Now, Froissurt has sbon that Edward presented his Calitiian captives to his queen, lo " do •<* ihem what she pleased." This transfer gave Philippi righta ont Aa ' EuBince WBJ tw.1 a solJicr. mwad w his banner, liki- ilip k^ J* r«iaa,t« a burglipr, aUBi^hed by maor inliabiaiive tie* iiiidsuon&' A* I reward for rearing and edurnlinfi the youn^ princess, king Filwud gtn Ihe rounlMs, her govemeay, ilie manor of Stroud, in Kctil, with timj exprcMionB of graiiiude, catling her "his deoreat conaia Mane d«3L Pol."' The fair Joanna wax spared i\tf lormeni of bei^oming the wife ef dii most furious man in Enropi>. by the more merciful plafue of the Kick Dmlh. 1'he royal bride sailnl for Botdt^aux, at ihe latter end of liw aninmer of 1346. white her falher^in-law. ihe knig of Casulle, innlU 10 thf frontier dtV) Rnynnne, wilh tlie liilADt Dun Pedro, to meet la. Kin^t Edward's loyal citizens of Bordnaui eacorted ihe princcvs Jcuni aA far as Baycinne, in ihe raihedral of which eiiy ahe waa to give km hand to Pedro. On Ihe very evening of her iriumplial eniiy litt Bayonne, the peatilenee^ nut of all the assembled muhitnd^v. »tixr written by Edward [II. to the king of C^tille, to lina Podro. and lo ^ queen of Casiille. If (he Latinity of these letters will not bear the eritieism of the classical scholar, they are, nevertheless, lofty in Mali* ment, and breathe an expression of parental tenJemesa seldom to In found in stale papen, "Your daughter and ours," he says to the queen ofCbstille, ''was by nature wonderfully endowed with gifts and irraces, but little doM it nnv avail to praise them, or specily the charms of that beloved one, wlm ti — 0 grief of heart !—Jbr ever taken from us. Yet the debt of mortalin must be paid, however deeply sorrow may drive lbs ihon)| ami iW hearts be ttvnspierced by anguish. Nor will our sigba and laara catcsi (he inevitable law of nature. Christ, the celestial spouse, boa lakm tbi maiden bride to be his spouse. She, in her innocent and JmroacBlMl ■nderBil a widow on liet btiilal ilaj, hjr h»r noxtT killAl at ilia unirnainenl rIvui in honotu of hi* n:ii>ll»i» i«VBi maiiied affiio, but dcvoiod hei gnrnt weatib to rhuitr FBILIPPA OF nMHAULT. 195 I has been transferred to the virgin choir in heaven, where, for us r, she will perpetually intercede." e queen must have imadned that her royal and handsome progeny ioomed to a life of celihacy ; for some extraordinary accident or , had hitherto prevented the marriage of her daughtera. Her heroic Edward had been on the point of marrying several princesses, with- 18 nuptials ever being brought to a conclusion, long attachment had subsisted, between him and his beautiful 1, Joanna, daughter of his uncle, Edmund eail of Kept, and the had remained un wedded till her twenty-fifth year, afler being »d from the earl of Salisbury, to whom she had been contracted in lAuacy. Queen Philippa had a great objection to her son^s union bis cousin,* on account of the Mightiness of the lady's disposition, vainly hoping for the royal consent to her union with her cousin, a nve her hand to Sir Thomas Holland ; but still the Black Prince Ma a bachelor. sr the grand crisis of the capture of Calais, Philippa resided chiefly ^[land. Our country felt the advantage of the beneficent presence queen. Philippa had in her youth established the woollen manu- es : she now tiimed her sagacious intellect towards working the nines in Tynedale — a branch of national industry, whose inesti- benefits need not be dilated upon. The mines had been worked, j^reat profit, in the reign of Henry III., but the convulsions of the sh wars had stopped their progress. Philippa had estates in Tyne- ind she had long resided in its vicinity, during Edward's Scottish igps. It was an infallible result, that, wherever this great queen •a her attention, wealth and national prosperity speedily followed. did her actions illustrate her Flemish motto, Iche wrude muche^ . obsolete words may be rendered, ^ I labour (or toil) much." Soon lier return from Calais, she obtained a grant from her royal lord,* permission to her bailiff Alan de Strothere, to work the mines of leston, which had been worked in the days of king Henry III. and rd I. From this re-opening of the Tynedale mines by Philippa ided our coal-trade, which, during the reign of her grandson. ' IV., enriched the great merchant Whittington and the city of B queen continued to increase the royal family. The princess who afterwards married the duke of Bretagne ; prince William, at Windsor, who died in his twelfUi year ; Edmund, afterwards of York, and Blanche, of the Tower,' were born before the sur- r of Calais; the princess Margaret, and Thomas of Woodstock, hrie mentions the long celibaof of Joanna, the Fair Maid of Kent, pre- ' to her union with Holland. Froisiart speaks of Philippa*8 objections to .rriaire of Edward with his ooasin, and Terjr ft-eely enters into some sean- sfories regarding her. 9f% FcBdera. To this grant is added a curioat claote, giving permiadoQ en da Veteriponte and his heirs to be oaUed kiogs of Tynedale. langham. I I b haipia,ow enriched by her siaiisiiral wisdoi pd by ihe c I 19K FIIILIFFA OF nAl:>AUI.T. afterwards Edward's presents lo hia queen un iheae occaaioii* m ■nunilicent. One of his grams is thus anectionately worded — July 20. The king orders his exchequer to pay "our Philippe, ew deereel consort, five hundred [Kiuiids, to litiuiilate the exp«[uea ■' ' churcliiag at Windsor." ' This was an occasion of the birth o' William, Piiilippu's second son of that name. Philippa did not disdain the alliance of the great English noblai objeciion (o the union of Edward, her cliiialric heir, with Joa _ Fair, arose solely Irom disapprobation of the moral chancier g priacess.' Her next surviving son, Lionel, she not only anilei* ' English nukideu, but undertook the wardship and education of h' ^ bride, as may be learned from this document. >* January 1, 1347. ward III. gives to his dearest consort Pliilippa the wardship of the penal of Dizabeih de Burgh, daughter lo the deceased earl of Ulster. (iluD it Ireland,) with her lands and lordships, until Lionel, yel in lender yart) shall take the young Elizabeth lo wife." * Two of Philippa's tout w(R married to Englishwomen by her special agency. Queen Philippa, with her son ihe Black Prince, paid a trisit to ttm- wich in 1350, and there held a magnlGceut lournanietiL The mil mother and her heroic son were received by the inhabitants of Hie aSf, n, Willi the utmost gratitude, ud «•( jrporalion, at an expense of 37/. is. 6|^ >■ Mfftn* by their records. The grand victory of Poiriiers distinguished the ye«r MW. i prouder day than that of Neville's Cross was ihe 5th of SCay, tISTi when Edward the Black Prince landed at Sandwich with his ro^fi^ soner, king John, and presented him lo his molher. after that ^ionm entry into London, where the prince tacitly gave John the lioaaurs eft suzerain, by permitting him to mount the famous white charger on wUd he rof hU fii iiinw.tff starling from the Cable, where he sat at dinner, with the katg and ^ms and his father, aud boidng the ears of king Edward's ea)i-be>rei^fe( serving the king of England before the king of France; •* for," ha isi ^thongh his lather, king John, was unfortunate, he was the m of the king of England." Edward aud PhUippa only ^ti"' ' boy's petulance, and treated him with indulgent benevoleni ' 'Ciili-7^» FuKlera. ■Froinart. vol. li. 'Cj 'Tlie whits horte va» always, in the middle Bgei. tlio sign < 'Pliilip te Haidi, dulce of Bar)pind]r. He waa a prince or gnti alwayt bidifiit to bis anfbmuiMiB no^bew, Clurles VI. — Giffard. zM PIIIMPPA OF IIAtXAULT. 197 be qimtrrllei] tvith the princ-e nf Wales, at a gnme of chess, ihey most COnrliHiUsly deciileti the ilispuieil move in favour of prince Philip. Tlwi nnowiied cbNinpion, eir Bertranil Uu GuescUn, was one of the pmoners of Puicil^ra. One. day, when queen Philippn was enterlainins ■t her court a number of the noble French prisoners, the prince of Wales proposed that Du Gueecliii should aame his own ransom, accord- ing lo the eliqiieltc of the limes, adding, that whatever sum he men- lionedf txi it small or great, should set him free. The Taliant Breton vklued Iiiniself al a hundred Ihousaml crowns ; the prince of Wales •IBited at the imniejise sum, and asked sir Bertranil " how he could ever expect to raise «uch an enormous ransom ?" " I know," replied the hno, ^ a htindreii knidus in luy native Breta^e, who would morlg^ their Ia«l acre, raiher than Du GuDsclin should either languish in cap- QTiiy, or be ntted below hts vahre. Yea, and (here is not a woman in Fianco DOW toiling at her diatalT, who would not devote a year's earn- ings In art me free, for well have I deserved of their sex. And if all ihr fair spinners m France employ their hands lo redeem me, think you. pniir.n, whether I shall bide much longer with you f" Queen Phillppa, who had listened wiili great attention to the diecus- Uon fietween her son and his prisoner, now spoke ' — " I name." she said, '' til^y thousand crowns, my son, as my conlribu- Uon towards your gallant prisoner's ransom ^ for though an en^my lo icy husbaml, a knight who is famed, for the courteous protection he has •nirOed to my sex, deserves the assistance of every woman ' Du Guesclin immediately llirew himsetf at the feet of the generous queen, saying — ■* Ah, Uidy. being the ugliest knight in France, I never reckoned on uy gmxliiess from your sex, excepting from those whom I had aided or potected by my aword, but your bounty will make me think less dnpicably of myself." Philippa, as is usual in the brightest specimens of female excellence, vu the friend of her own sex, and honoured those men most who paid I "iCl . .. ^ us festival ever known in England was that held at ^V'indtor, in tlie cnmniencement of the year 1358, for the diversion of liie two roynl prisoners, John, king of France, and David Bruce, of Sci^ilauil. The Itound Tower at Windsor, despite of the heavy expenses <^ war, was completed, on purpose that the feast, called the Bound Table of the Knights of the Garter, might be held within it. The captive mtjeaties of Fmnce and Si-otlund were invited to that feasl as guests, and M OCX on each eide of Edward III. King John and king David tilted )i the li»ta.' The interest of the ceremony was further enhanced by the 'Gldhnl anribiit-i this brautifiil anwilote lo JraniiB, tlie wife of iha Blact fnre, and (ilwe* the incident i.Rer the bailie of NnvBir^e. We fbltow the ■nbntit^r of St. Pela)^, in his Hiatorjr of rhivnlry, snpjiorlcd by wveral French hausiu. It is the subject of a vpirited Breton Inllnil romanoc. It ftning qiinen i* in poijeiiion of two iro|ihieKif the triumph* oflier gre"t t, nillippa and EdwanI, which are M the nunc lime memorioli oC tKi* I Hi VUILIFF* or HAIITAIILT. hul ■'■cidpnl whirh bcrd the (tout earl nf Sslinbury. whn wm ki1Ii>d ii our of the enroiinten ni the lists- Rqxirt nvs. tliBt kiu^ John. «i Fnuicr, wms Rlill mare captiTainl with the beauijr of Udy Ssliabur; than king IMwuiI )iad bivti, snc] M ho])cles»ly, Tur that fair and rinaoBi woman relink into the deepest Be^luiioci, nTtcr thr calttmilotH deaih d Iter lord.' Afler the WiiKlsnr (tnwnl, Edward plnrcd king John in u irksome captivity, and prcpored for thr re»inva»ioii of Frmiet. Unrcn Philinpa rnibitrki-d, with her husband, tor lh« mw i ■iihm"(ii. on ihp 29ih of Ortobtr. 1359. All hrr Bons were with ihe annT,ci- crptine the liiOc priiire. Thonias of Woodstork. who, at the redouMabli KF offlre year*, wa« left guanlian of the kingdom,' and repreaentcd te niajeaiy of his father** person, by sitting on (he throne wlira pvUuanli wore held. After Edward had marched ihroagh France without rvsreianccaadfif the iTUih must be epnken) devolaiing, as he went, a bleeding and nm- ing country in a most ungenerous manner, his career was sti>f^>ed, u it WHS hastening to by mf^ to Parts, by tile hand of God ilseU". One tl lliose dreadful ihunder-alunns which at disunt cycles pass urer the CM- (iiient of Prance,* liieislly atlaeked the invading army wiiliin two iMW of Charlres, and wreaked its utmost fury on the proud chivaby olflf- land. Six thousand of Edward's finest horses, and one thouaaod ef w briTcsi cavnliers, nmong whom wfrc the heirs of Wsrwick aod Horini were struck deati before him. The guilty ambition of Edward hiwU Iw ronscieiice; he knell down on ihespot, and, spreading his hands towirii llie churehof Our Lady of Chartres, vowed tosioplbe efibsiooofblMd, and make peace on the spot with France. His queen, who wistHsit mB for the noble-minded king of France, held him to his resulutitm; andii pMi^e, containing tolerable articles for France, was concluded at Bretifiiy. The queen, king Edward, and tho royal family, relumed, and landed A Rye, I61I1 of May, ten dsys after the peace. After the triumph of Poicliers, the king and queen no lon^r oppottA the union of the prince of Wales with Joanna the Fair,* although ihX princess was four years older than Edward, and her chanctirr sod di»* posilioii were fer from meeting the approval of the queen. Edward and Joanna were married in the queen^t presence, at Windsor Chapel, Ocinfao 10, 1361. AHer this marriage, king Edward invested his son wiihtlw duchy of Aquilaine, and he departed, with his bride, in «n evil hnur. is tiiltli l»Hval of itae Rounil Table at Windrori these are ibe mils of aiu^ viora by king John aiul king OsviJ on thai oecsiioo. ' Dug jnlp. MiUn. *FgL by lite rhnmiclert. till thai itill more dtMilfiil one nvaged France bi ITMXan hiistenBii, tyy Ibe fliminv il bnmghi, thr Freoob r«Toluiion. ■ Jonnna manieri the prioce, a Ipw moalba aAet tho death of her Orel bi Aaeidei iheit neamei* of kin, Mher impeiliineDl* eiUtnl M ~ * IMincs had farmed ■ itill nroiURr relitioii wilb hu omiiin, lnwi of the Cniholia church, by bewming ipoiiKiT 10 hei two 1 tbam in bia aims at Ibe baptismal ttu\\i lUiU, ■.bovo nil, the d. ttan llie nul of Sniitbury was not ooneiiieteit legal. All ihew ii bf a buU, citMBieiai lomia ttne aOm lUa ■■wiiai Jtumf^Jt^dM^. ■ PHILIPPA OF nAINAULT. l99 ffem that territory. Froiasart, speaking of the farewell Tint of the ** I) John Fioianrt, aothor of theee chronicles, was in the serrioe of leen Philippa^ when she accompanied king Edward and the ro3ral iuIt to Beirklnmstead Castle, to take leave of the prince and princess Wales on their departure for Aquitaine. I was at that time twenty- iir years old, and one of the clerks of the chamber to my lady the cen. During this visit, as I was seated on a bench, I heard an ancient light expovndjDg some of the prophecies of Merlin to the queen's lies. According to him, neither the prince of Wales nor the duke of nvDce, though sons to king Edward, will wear the crown of England, tt it will fall to the house of Lancaster.^ Tliis gives a specimen of the conversation with which maids of hon- nr in the reign of queen Philippa were entertained, not with scandal or riiioiis, but with the best endeavours of an ancient knight to tell a for* De, or peep into futurity, by the assistance of the wizard Merlin. King John, soon af^ the peace, took leave of the queen, for the pur- me cf returning to France, that he might arrange for the payment of ■ ransom : he sent to England the youn£ lord de Courcy, count of wBBons, as one of the hostages for its liquioation. During the sojourn ' De Courcy in England, he won the heart <^ the lady Isabella, the dest daughter of Edward and Philippa. Afler remaining some time in nnce, and finding it impossible to fulfil his engagements, king John tnmed to his captivity, and redeemed his parole and his hostages with is noble sentiment : ^ If honour were lost elsewhere upon earth, it ight to be found in the conduct of kings.'' Froissart thus describes m letam of this heroic, but unfortunate sovereign. ■*News was brought to the king, who was at that time with queen bilippa at Eltham, (a very magnificent palace the English kings have Ten miles from London,) that the captive king had landed at Dover. his was in 13G4, the Ist of January. King Edward sent off a grand station, saying how much he and the queen were rejoiced to see him , En^nd, and this, it may be supposed, all things considered, king ihn readily believed. King John o^red at the shrine of Thomas a ecket, at Canterbury, on his journey, and taking the road to London 9 arrived at Eltham, where queen Philippa and king Edward were ready I reeeive him. It was on a Sunday, in the afternoon ; there were, he- reen that time and supper, many grand dances and carols, at which it seras the young lord de Courcy distinguished himself by singing and neiog. 1 can never relate how very honourably the king and queen ihared to king John at Eltham. They afterwards lodged him with rent pomp in the palace of the Savoy, where he visited king Edward at remninster, whenever he had a mind to see him or the queen, taking Ml, and coming from Savoy-stairs by water to the palace." But king ibn's health was declining, and he died at the Savoy Palace the same I I Knowing hit end approachinfc, king John had certainly furrendered his n, in hopes of saving hit conntiy the expenie of his tansom. I rr A op IIAIN AL'bT. an] lit; j • I I ^B soon oner tuok |ilace, bciw nh i)ie cipgant De Ctyatmfwi the princoM royal. Aliliou^b an eiDporur's ^raudsoa, thia nobUmn CoaM tctrcely be conudered a malcli for the daugliter of Eiliran] HI-; bui ainc» the rscspe nf her Taiihlesa beiroilicd, ihe coani of Rsniler*, ' IwbciU hul eiiii^reil into no marriage conUvct, uid was, at the lime of lii^r iiiipliflU, tunicd <>!' tliirty. On occasion of tlie miuTiagii fcturak kiiii; (jlwnnl preMiitcd his qu#«n with two rich cancts, one mibronlefei with tlir wonla^^rt biddingr, aad the oilier with her motlo^ lehe wnii i muelu.' Prince Lionel al thia liioe eauoused the ward of aneen Phili|9% Elizabeth tie Burgh, who brought, as dower, at least oue-third of ItdlWi with the tnighty inheritance of the Clares, earla of Gloucester. Edwwd 111. aftcrwanla creAted Lionel duke of Clarence. Thid prince, tlirough wliiMe daughter, married to Edmund MwtinMr, the line of York denved tlieir primogeniture, was a handaonie and «»■ rageoua Flemish giant ; mild-tempered and amiable, aa pervoni of pfll strength and stature^ by a beneficent law of nature, usually are. liotd is r»iher an obacure, though imporlant person in English history: itn is bis pwrtrait by the last of our rhyming chroniclers : " In nil llie world then was no prince hiin like, or bigli tlalure and of all ■pemlin^n AtMVs atl men Wilhln Uie whole kingrib (binFlom), Bt tlie (boulJon inighi br teen, doubdcu, la hall wu he ■uai.l.like foi KeMletxct, In other placr. filmed lor rhciorio. Bui in the Held a liuii KiaMoaiit. "■ Death soon dissolved the wedlock of Elizabtrth de Burgh : she left » daughter but a few days old. This motherless babe the quet^n Philip|ia adopted for her own, and became sponsor to her, with the connieaa of Warwick, as we leam from the Fnar^s Genealogy, when roentioniDg Lionel of Clarence : ■' Hia wife wu dead anii at Oue bniieil. And DO heir had be but bii daiigblei fiui, , Pbi1i|ipf, that highl as chroniolea (peoifled, Whom queen Philippe cbiiflened for hii h«r. The arcbbithop or Yoik for her compoei ; Her Kotlmoiher nlgn w«» of Wirwiok ci A tadf likewiw of great wortbineu." John of Gaunt, (he third enrvivjng son of Phflippa, mamed Rlaneba, the heiress of Lancaster ; the princess Mary was wedded lo the dtke rf Rreiagne, but died early in life. Edmund Langley, *»rl of Ounbftlin afterwards duke of York, married Isabella of Oislille, wbow dner, nl brotlict, John of Gaunt, took for his second wife. The roungett praM Thomas iif Wnodslock, afterwards created duke of Gloucesivr, narried an English lady, the eo-heiresa of Humphry de Bohun, cooelaMe of England. Margaret, the fiAh daughter of Edfrard III., was gireo in mi^ iwt 6>ct to (ii Harris Nioolas's elcelieni work a vflfaaOaner. Vhat son of ibing Oils maj be, •>« ham m PHILIPPA or HAINAVLT. 201 m to the earl of Pembroke ; she was one of the most learned ladies tier nge^ and a distinguished patroness of ChaucerJ Notwithstanding their ffreat strength and commanding stature, scarcely e of the sons of Philippa reached old age ; even ^ John of Gannt, le-honoared Lancaster," was only fifty-nine at his demise : the pre- itnre introduction to the cares of state, the weight of plate armour, d the violent exercise in the tilt-yard — ^by way of relaxation from the rerer toils of partisan warfare — seem to have brought early old age on m gmllant brotherhood of princes. The queen had been the mother twelve children ; eight survived her. Every one of the sons of Philippa were famous champions in the Id. The Black Prince and John of Gaunt, were learned, elegant, and illiant, and strongly partook of the genius of Edward L and the Pro- of ml Plantagenets. Lionel and Edmund were good-natured and brave. liey were comely in features, and gigantic in stature ; they possessed I great vigour of intellect, and were both rather addicted to the plea- les of the table. Thomas of Woodstock was fierce, petulant, and ra- icious ; he possessed, however, considerable accompUishments, and is ekoned among royal and noble authors ; he wrote a history ^ of the iws of Battle," which is perspicuous in style ; he was the great patron * Gower the poet, who belonged originally to the household of this ince. The queen saw the promise of a successor to the throne of England, the progeny of her best-beloved son Edward. Her grandson Richard ■8 bom at Bordeaux, before she succumbed to her &tal malady. Philippa had not the misery of living to see the change in Uie pros- iritj of her fiunily ; to witness tlie long pining decay of the heroic riaoe of Wales ; the grievous change in his health and disposition ; or le imbecility, that gradually took possession of the once mighty mind r her husband. Before these reverses took place, the queen was seized ^ilh a dropsical malady, under which she languished about two years. U her sons were absent, on the continent, when her death approached, Kcepting her youngest, Thomas of Woodstock. The Black Prince had ast concluded his Spanish campaign, and was ill in Gascony. Lionel ( Clarence was at the point of death in Italy ; the queen's secretary, 'roissart, had accompanied that prince, when he went to be married to ^iolante of Milan. On the return of Froissart, he found his royal mis- RHs was dead, and he thus describes her deathbed, from the detail of hose who were present and heard her last words. ^ I must now speak' i the death of the most courteous, liberal, and noble lady that ever lined in her time, the lady Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. Voile her son, the duke of Lancaster, was encamped in the valley of -^_ -^^^■^^—^~ _ —^^•^^^ 'Philippa, in conjunction with her sod, John, duke of Lancaster, warmly pa- tttiaed Chaucer. With this queen, the court favour of the fiither of English »M expired. He was neglected by Richard 11. and his queen, as all his me- M» will testify. Nor did the union of his wife's sister with the duke of Hieaster draw him iVom his retirement. ' FMsmrt, vol. iv. p. 30. Froissart wrote an elegy in verse, on the deadi oC I patroness, queen Philippa, which has not been preserved. I I 909 ruiLirpA op haikaitlt. Toarnehain. ready In give builc to the duke of Baimouif, tm tetb hai^ned in Engkiul, \a thu infinite miBTorUDe of king Edrc»Md wiiJi •orrow, and ibM ••■ W« ha*e, my hu *ha ml. enjoy ftd onr long union in hapmnMi.pnat and proaperlty. But 1 eniieat, before I depart, and we are lor em wjt' lalod in ihiB woHd, that yuu will Kninl me three reannta.' Kif^FJ- ward, with ligli* and t«ars. replied — * Lady, name them; whatfttrbi your rrqaesla, lliey aliall be granted.' 'My lord,' ehe aaid, 'I bcg*m will fulfil whatever enfafpiuenia I have entered into with mcrchaiKi fot (heir warea, •■ well on this as on the otlier aide of the mm ; I bcMM^ you to fullil wliatever gifia or legariea 1 have made, or Irii lo chtmha wherein I have jiaid my d«*oiiona, and to all my serranla, wballM niale or female; and when it ahall please Ood lo call yon bayO»,Jtt will chooae no other sepulchre llian mioe, and that you will liekjriw side |[. the cloiateis of Westmmaler Abbey.' The king in (eu> Itfbi, ' Ijuiy, all iliia ■hall be done.' ■'Soon al'ter, ihe good lady made the sign of the croae on hnbMi( and having reconimeniled to ihe king he.t ymingral aon TtiotBa% rtl wai preaenu praying to God, ilie gave up her spirit, which I firmly t»- lieve wa« caught by holy angrU, and carried to tlie glory of heavaStfet the hail never dune anythnig by thought or deed to endanger bar aaiL j Thus died tliii admirable queen of England, in the year of grace iSflft ' the vigil nf the AMnuiptitHi of the Virgin, the 14ih of Auguat- Infona^ • Uun o( this heavy loea was carried lo the Engliih army at TourarhaB. ' wluch gready alHieied every one, mora espMtally her aon. Jobs et Gaunt, duke of Laocaaier." Philippa'a word* were not complied wiih to the letter; her gn*eit not by her husband*! side at Weiiminaier Abbey, but at hie feet tia ■talue in atabsBter is placed on the monument.' Skelton'a translalino «f her L^iin epitaph, hung on a tablet cloae by her tomb, la as follow* : ■ Slow fiVB* naniM 10 lb* DUinatoui imDtn vrbinh lurround tba lonilk ntbt I BOIBonlj of u oJil MS. At iba Jccl ara Uw kiug of Navarre, the kin( of B(>k» . mia. ibe kmg of Scoli. ilie kioji or Spain, aod Ihe kiugof SKily, Ai ihf fi™^ William emlDf Hainauli. Pbilippai faibei ; John. kiBfOtTm:,. . ' -'■ ■ •on ; E'lwin! HI-, hei bwband ; tUe emperor, her broi!ipr-iD-I--> >« piiuceof Wain, her ton. Od lbs left aiJa are Juuma, t^tic . •iMer-iu4aw i Jolm rarl of Cornwall, bar bKHber-in-law ; Juu. Walaa, br daogbier-in-law, and Ilia ducheHO i>f Clarenea .1 < ttia prinoe»» ItabcUa, and ibo priiwei Lionel, John, Edmund arnl Thi^cuw "V dm liglit >ire, when he comes to the door still more, and this terror continues m long as the king stays, on ecoount of the various evils done to the poor. Ho Aioks the king's harbingers come not on behalf of God,bui of xha d«i^ "^I^m^ s UeJrhninber were pensioned bv tingEj- ng lo her request. He charges his eicbe' rms or iheir seperale lives, on account of ^3 lo Pliiljppa, late que^n o( Ejigland; &iA 1 l»n»— Dufl*n bf la ' III — Her piDgtCH - ■ ■ — MB— Luids I — Mariiaee and coroiialion — Queens tuliioo* Mid iiaprOTnavMI— l^iM fuvciiiiBble lo [he RcrominiioD — King'i campaign in ilie rtunb— QWMI*I knV mnrdereil — Kin 'i broilief condemned — Dmili iif tli» prine«M of Wa)«^-tW quenn'i fbrourit? maid or honour — EieeuiicMi*of tbaijiwra'* " pieaA* for their Uvbb — Gnnd lonrnantenl — QuWnii proai ' for tlic cilj of London— Her Ti»il lo lb- rity^— Oifti K ANNS OF BOHEMIA. 907 Kiiig Richard Il.'a minority, demanded her hand for their young king, just before her father died in the year 1380. On the arrival of the English ambassador, Sir Simon Burley, at Prague, the imperial court took measures which seem not a little extraordinary at the present dav. England was to Bohemia a sort of terra incognita ; and as a general knowledge of geography and statistics was certainly not among the list of imperud accomplishments in the fourteenth century, t}ie empress despatched duke Primislaus of Saxony, on a voyage of dis« eovery, to ascertain, for the satisfaction of herself and the princess, what sort of country England mi^ht be. Whatever were the particulars of the duke's discoveries— and his homeward despatches must have been of a most curious nature^ — ^it ap- pears he kept a scrutinizing eye in regard to pecuniary interest. His report seems to have been on the whole satisfactory, since in the Fmdera we find a letter from the imperial widow of Charies IV., to the effect ^ that I, Elizabeth, Roman empress, always Augusta, likewise queen of Bohemia, empower duke Primislaus to treat with Richard, king of Eng- land, coDceming the wedlock of that excellent virgin, the damsel Anne, bom of us, and in our name to order and dispose, and, as if our own •oiil were pledged, to swear to the fulfilment of every engagement When the duke of Saxony returned to Germany, he carried presents of jewels, from the kinff of England, to the ladies who had the care of the princess's education^ ^ The duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, would willingly have seen the king his nephew married to his daughter, whom he had by the lady Blanche of Lancaster ; but it was thought that the young lady was too nearly related, being the kinr s cousin-german. Sir Simon Burley, a sage and valiant knight, who had been king Richard's tutor, and had been mneh beloved by the prince of Wales, his father, was deputed to go to Germany, reelecting the marriage with the emperor's sister. The duke and ducheas of Brabant, from & love they bore the king of England, noeivod his envoy most courteously, and said it would be a good match tar their nieca. But the marriage was not immediately concluded, for the damsel was young; added to this, there shortly happened in Eng^ land great misery and tribulation,"' by the calamitous insurrection oi Wat Tyler. Ricfaaid IL was the sole surviving oflspring of the gallant Black Prince and Joanna of Kent Bom in the luxurious south, the first aceenu of Richard of Bordeaux were formed in the poetical language of Provence, and his infant tastes linked to music and song^— tastes which assimilated ill with the manners of his own court and people. His mother and hal^bffothen, afler the death of his princely father, had brought up the fiilara king of England with the most ruinous personal indulgence, and nneonstitutional ideas of his own in&llibility. He had inherited more of hii mother's levity, than his Other's strength of character; 3ret the domeatic afiections of Richard were of the most vivid and enduring natnra, eapeeially towards the females of his &mily ; and the state of «r AX5e nr ■oubmia edilwoliiedP' diatrrM and ti^rror w whirh ho Mw hi) mmher ndvecil br fti or Wai T)'t(!t'* nioti, wai the cfaivT •tunnluit oT hi* |Ubiit I wh«n thai teM f^Il btneaili the swan] of WalworUi. Wheti lhe«« troubles wf re >up]inuaMf. lime bad o(i*Mted ll to the union of Itichard nni AnOB. Tlw yoan; prioMM bad Wluwd hf r tilWnlh yrar, nnd woi can«iil>rad nDal4e « giriag i iuwhI cob- ■•mt lo her own nmrrio^ ; aoi! kfter tenuing • leun Iq the cmnwil of Encland, Hy:n^, iiht- tweame Ihe wife of thdr kti^r with foil uhI &m wUl, •* she wi out," MVi Ffni—rt, *ia her pwilout joanuy, kUcnM by ibe duke of Saxoay anil hu (hKhour who wu her aunt, aoil wicb i tuitablc numh«r af knight* and ibrMpli. Thoy came Ibruu^h Bnfaui to BniMrU, whrnr ihr diiko Wrocotan* and hi* dochMa reecivai] Ac yoiin| ijiipun, and her company. »ery gfnnilly. The lady Ana* n with her undt and aunt laore ihnn a mnnlli; die was afimtd oTp ing, for »he had been inronned there were twel»e lai^e ■ Aill of Normani, on the sea helween Oilai« and Holland, Lh«t tBui and pillaged all that fell in iheir haoils, withoui any mipecl lo penom. The rrporl was current, that they rmited in ihtwr lai*, awaitiif tie rnming of the king of England'* brtrfr, hccnaiw the kin^ at Fnanni hi* rouncil were very imeaay al Richsnl'* Genius alliance, and 'Ktn dotrous of breaking the rnateh." -^ Deuktned by these appitluRnMM, lk« liMroib«l qami mualM AXSE OF DOUEUIA. SOD the water waa so violently shaken aiid troubled, and put in such fu- is commotion, tbai the ahip, in which llie yount; queen'i person waa veyed, was very terribly rent in pieces before her very face, and the of the veseel^ that rode in company were tossed ao tlial it asionied seholdera.'* i'he English parliameoi was silting, when intelligence came that the r'a bride, after all the diHiculiies and dangers of her progress from giie, had safely arrived at Dover, on which it was prurognei! ; but ., funds were appointed, that with all honour the bride might be pre- ted U> the young king. )o the third day afler her arrival, the lady Anne set forth on her pro- u lo Canterbury, where she waa met by the king's uncle Tltotnas, [> received her with the utmoat reverence and honour. When she roached the Blackheath, the lord mayor and citizens, in splendid tses, greeted her, and with all the ladies and dtuiiscis, both from Iowa country, joined her cavalcade, making bo grand an entry in London, I lliQ like had scarcely ever been seen. The Goldsmiths' company ren score of the men of this rich guild) splendidly arrayed themselves neet, ta ihey said, the " Cesar's sister ;'' nor was their munificence fined to iheir own persons ; they further put themselves to the es- se of sixty shillings, for the hire of seven minstrels, with foil on iheir s and chaperons, and expensive vestures, to do honour to the imperial le; sud lo two shillings further expense, "for potaHons for the aaid ialr«b." ' At the upper end of Chepe was a pageant of a caette with ram, from two sides of which ran fountains of wine. From these ren beautiful damsels blew in the fitccs of the king and queen gold *; (bia was thought a device of eiitreme elegance and ingenuity; they itrbe threw counterfeit gold florins before the horses' feel of the royal Hjiiie of Bohemia was married to Richard II. in the chapel-royal of palace of Westminster, the newly erected structure of St. Stephen. Ill the wedding-day, which was the twentieth aAer Christmas, thera K," aays Froissarl, '' mighty feasiings. That gallant and noble knight, Robert Namur, accompanied the queen, from llie lime when she tted Fragile, till she was married. Tlie king at the end of the week ried bia queen to Windsor, where he kept open and royal house. ey were very happy together. She was accompanied by llie king's ther, the princess of Wales, and her daughter, the duchess of Bre- ne, half-sister to king Richard, who was then in England, soliciting the restitution of the earldom of Richmond, which hod been taken in her husband by the English regency, and settled in part of dower queen Anne. Some days ai\er the marriage of the loyal pair, they nmetl to London, and the coronation of the queen waa performed M magnilicenily. At the young queen's earnest request, a general ■don was granted by the king, at her consecration."' The stHicied >p]e Blood in need of this respite, as the executions, since Tyler's in- Tvclion, bad been bloody and barbarous beyond all precedent. Tba •Tyrrell. Waliinsham. E^roai. Aff ANNR OP BoneviA. land was reeking with ilie blood oT ilie unhappy peamntiy, whm Iht humane inierceKMon uf the gentle Anne of Bohemia put a alop to ih* This mediation obtained for Bichani's bride the title of " the fomf queen Anne ;" and years, instead of impairing the popularity, niiiialfy w evanescent in England, only increased the ealeem fell by ber aubjectt for this beneliceni princess. Grand louruamenis were held directly afler the coronation. MmT dayt were spent in these solemnities, wherein the German nobles, whc ha was extended w>nie fUttenng listue oi gKiue. Mi in win— mat M rageoua were the horned rap> Ibal mued their heads in EngUad, dnaMlf ^ roful ijride appeued in one ; tliSM rormidable novellies eipuMUd ibali vh^ un ever; aide, till mt church or proceMioa ihs lilminuhsd bead* of brJi iM kniKliti were eoJipwd by their ambiijoiu parmen. The chunih 4aelan4 Aif wcr« "the moony tiio," deooiuiced by Eieklel ; likaty entnii^ fix tb«f tadteM itmauceJ by Bohemian craMLden tion ^-jnii. " ' ANKE OF BOasHtA. 211 wbith sll herknighls weie especli^d lo wear at tournamenU; but her device was, vre liiink, a very stupid one, being an ostrich, wilh a bit of iroa in hit moulh.' Al ilie celebration of the featival of ihe Order v( the Garter, 1384, quern Anne wore a robe of rinlet cloih dyed in grain, the hood lined with scarlet, liie robe lined wilh fur. She was attended by a number of noble lailics, who are mentioned " as newly received into the Society of iJie Garter." They were habited in the same costume as iheir young queen.' The royal spouse of Anne was remarkable for the foppery of his dre«a ; he had one coal estimated at thirty thousand marks. Its chief T«lae must ha*e ariten tram the precious stones wilh which it wm idomMl. This was called apparel "bmidered of stone.'" Nol withstanding the great accession of luxury that followed this mar- ringv, ilie daughter of the Ctesars, (as Richard proudly called his bride,) Bot <>nlv came porlionlesa lo the English throne mairimoniaJ, but her bvsbanJ liad to pay a very handsome aum for the honour of calling her hi* ctwR : he paid to her brother 10,000 marks, for the imperial alliance, besidei being al the whole charge of her journey. The jewels of the dnchy of Aquiiaine, the floriated coronet, and many broochea in Iho form of otiitnals, were pawned to the Londoners, in order lo raiae money for the expenMS of the bridal. To Anne of Bohemia is aiirihuled Lhe honour of being the first, in thai itlusirious band of princesses, who were lhe nursing moilicrv of thr. Keformalion.* The Proiesiani church inscribes her name at the roniDiRncrmeni of the illustrious list in which are seen ihos? of Anne BolevR, Katharine Parr, lady Jane Grey, nnd tiueen Elisabeth. Whether lJi« young queen brought those principles wiih her, or imbibed them froai her mother-in-law, the princess of Wales, it is not easy to ascei^ tun. A poiMge quoted by Huss, lhe Bohemian reformer, leads to the infervnce that Anne was used to read lhe Scriptures in her native tongue. •• It is possible," says WickliiTo, in his work called the ' Threefold Bond «f Lo»e,' " ihot our noble queen of England, sisier of the Oesar, may have ■CWnulifi'a R«iiiuna. It i* poieibie Ihni tills wa* not a deTice, bu) an orroiv lia) bvaiing, and had wiine connriion with tlie oalrjch plume the Blnck Priac« ■oak tiara bcc K'^ndlkihcr at Crettf . The dukei of Aiuiria are perp«luall)r oalint ilulteri o( OttrirK by lhe Eiiglisb vriten, wt late as Spetul. Baa thii tem •Miy pnnniog Kmoeiinn Wiiii lliii device and lhe Bobeminn croM of Mlrjoh AalliBtaT 'See air Uarrla Nicolu, Hislory of lhe Order of Ihe Garter. 'Id thii reign Ihe aboea were worn with pointed lOra of aa absurd and incon- iHilant lengili. Camdpn t^uulc* an amusinft paavage ttnm a quaint work, frall- tM Kulngitnn on iha ExiravHftance of llie Fuhions of this Reign. "Their tbon and paneoi are anowied and piked up more ihan a flnget Ions, which Ihey oill Cravcywei. leicmbliiig ihe deviKa olawa, which wern foileited tt» dia kneoi wilh chains of gold and lilvcr, and ihtu weietkqr pumenled which wets Ijrnia in Ih* hall, and Laiea in ihe fleld." •Tot thB manjrrelogiat deolaiea^thal lhe Bohemiani who attended quern Aniie fim inlroiluFcd the worka of Wickliffe lo John Hiiaa ; oouni Vsleriaji Knainaki, la bi> mmil valuable bivlnry of lhe BerormalioD in Poland, conflmu ihia Bl■e^. lim flrom ilw records of hia cuuDirjr. I I I i ANNEOFBOIIEMIA. the gospel written in three languagi^s, Bohemian, Gemmn, un) Lltift: now, to hertiicale her (brand lier with heresy) on that nccoimt, wgoU be LuciTerian folly-" The influence of queen Antic o?er the mtmlii her young husband was certainly employed by Joanna, princeM of WtU*,' to aid her in Eaving the life of WicklilTe, when in greU danger il At council of Larabelh, in I3S2.* Joanna, princets of Wales, was a convert of Wicklifle, who b>d bxt introduced to her by his patron, the duhe of Lancaster. Josnna, «did by her daughleHn-Iaw, swayed the ductile miud of king Richard W their wishes.' Soon aAer, the queen was separated from her buaband by a war JB Scotland. The most remarkable incident of hia campaign w^ lb« m» der of Lord Stafford, by the king^s half-brother, John HtdLuid. 3» louny of the queen^s fafour, and malice against her adherents, ^>peH it be the secret motives of this deed. StatiTurd was a peerlna chrnlitr, adoied by the English amiy, anil, for his virtuous conilnct, b bi^ bvour with Anne of Bohemia, who called him " her knight ;" aad W was actually on his way to London, with messages from tlie king la At queen, when this fatal encounter took place.* The ostensible oaaaa cf the murder likewise waa connected with the queen ; as we lam btm Froissarl, that the archers of lord Slafibtd, when protecting sir Me)e%l Bohemian knight then with the army, who was a friend of queen Abm slew a favourite squire belonging to sir John Holland ; and lo nveagia punishment which this man had brought upon himself, sir John rat M StafTord down, without any personal provocation. The grief of th* mI of Stafford, his entreaties for justice on the murderer of bb •a«,«ii above all, the atrocious circumstances of the case, wrought on lUchard to vow that an exeiuplary act of justice should on John Holland, (brother though he might be,) as soon « from the shrine of St. John of Beverley, whither this homiciile hml hi for SBUctuBiy. In vain Joanna, princess of Wales, the muiual nMXbtr tf the king and murderer, pleaded with Richard, after his reinni fnm Sect* 'That Anne'B mollicr-in-teH' was Ilie active proleciiess of WickJiib u (fifv rent fiom Dt. Liiigaid'e words, vol. iv. p. iS9. '- Some mid ibot Ilia isq ttiir^r were intuniduleil, hf n nie»aGe from the priacesi of Walei; by Wii'Utda kii^ telt, Ilia escape wtu coaBideied and oelebrated as a uiuDipb.'* Mode>» wtMi have uiuallr airributed Ihii gnod deed to Anne, bai ahe vaa ln> jtMUgMli more tlian follow the lend of her motber^D-law. From WalMttilicm, n M thu wveral kaigbta of the bousebold were accused or LollBtdutn ; ftoa lai^M ■uthoriijps, we find >ir Simon Burtej, tir Lewis CliBbrd, and sir Jaha QM^rfa were more or les» accused u disciplei of the new doctrine. ■WickliOe died in his bed, at Lullcrwonli, ia I3S4, <»»i when daifctt d^ KiDse Rfterihe i3eaih of this beneficeat queen, persBCnlion Ibund oougbl taveatlt ■pile apon eicepdng the insensible bones of the ■- evil panoo of Lxlawutfc' as he was calUil, when his remains were eihomed and ost iulu Iha hot Wbicb Tons near his rjllage; but if Wicklifie had IJred in ih>rw daft tie atf Dm bare etcnped being called a papist, for he wu actuallj- atiiKk bt daulL i* the B?| of eelebialing the mass, al the ajur of his Tillage ebsichi tt^iAM while living lie was never cut oS fiom the Oommnnioa of ihe oJmIcIi bI l^M •Life of WiekMe, BtognL. Biii. - - - ought aa Vm 1 Im petfixwi as he naanl AHNB op BOtlEUIA. 2lW UbA, that the life of ajr John mii^ht he sptired. .Afler four daya' ince»- •tnl ttunpntaiinn. the king''t> mmher di^d on ihe tifih day, at ilic royal orUe of Walliiigfiml. Hirhanl's nurolution lailpd him at ihia caiaBlro- ^«i aildf when loo lute lo save his nmlher, he pardoned ihe criiuino], Th« aggTJev^ ^none, in this unhappy aiJventure, were the friends of Ar quern, btii there is no evidence that she excited her hueband's wrailL* Thd homicide who had ocMsjoned so much trouble departed, on an Btonme pilsrtmage, to Syria. Ke was absent from England during the Ufe of t[uc:eii Anne, and happy would it have been for his brother if h« bad never returned. Anne of Bohemia, unlike Isabella of France, who was always at waf with her husband's favonriies and friends, made it a rule of hie lo low all that ilie king loved, and to consider a sedulous compliance with hi§ will as h«r first duty. In one instance alone did this pliancy of temper lead h«r into ilie viokiinn of justice ; litis was in ihe case of the repu- MMuitm of the countess of Oxford. HM||'iTheTe were great munnurings against ihe duke of Ireland," sayi ^PNMbnrt; "but what injured him moat was his conduct lo his ducheas, Ptt» Foi the duke was greatly enamoured with one of ihe ((ueen'l' ' , JMHch, called the landgravine.' She was a tnleiably hatidsonie, plea- ' mmt hdy, whom queen Anne had brought with her from Bohemia. The duke ai Irvlaud loverf her with such ardour, that he was desirous of iHkbtg hn, if possible, his duchess by marriage. All the good people of England were mtich shocked ai this, for his lawful wife was grand- dmghtcT lo the gallant king Edward ajtd the excellent queen Philippa, baing the daughter of the princess Isabella. Her uncles, ihe dukes of OlaacwMir and York, were very wroih al this insult." The linl and lost error of Anne of Bohemia was the participation to tU* disigTaceful transaction, by which she was degraded in the eyes of fobjecls who had warmly admired her meek virtues. The ofleiisive part takca by Llie (]Deen in tliis iransactiuri was, thai she acRially wrote witb her owo hand, an urgent letter lo pope Urban, persuading hiro to sane- don llie divorce of the counters of Oxford, and lo aulhorire ihe marriage of her fiiithtpBs lord with the bndgravine. Whether the maid of honouf wetv a prinress or a peasant, she had no right to appropriate another wonuuiS husband. The i^ueen was scarcely less culpable iu aidijig aud ■betting so nefarious a measure, lo the inGoile injury of herself, and of Ac coiison ahe so lenderly loved. There was scarcely an earl in England who ww not related to ibe •rf>^l nan. ■PmUHiii (lire* this lii|;li >iile to this maid orlionoar, whil9 lbs English ehiooi- dB>i bimiid bet wltb bw bJnli, Th* Fccdcra at oaet pnu an and «r Uieie di» pBi** lif iiutiinc b«r tlie landgratina or bindgmvine or LuieuilKiurg, which ilii.-a-t I.I ' I'iiir ilini 'lin WBi nobli>, bui nllipd lo ibc JmperiBl fumily 'nmlT. The .. 1 IU Uii« lan^gTOiruia, U> eoinp lo England with all batj r, , rM vafuiil]l<>( trni by tlie iiiii|in-H Hit tlie una Of bigj ">i bavini; appoltiTed lb» taarfgrardia, hpr ilaui^w • royal ANNB OF BOHEMIA I I I ro}fil hmilv', the queen, by the part she took in ttiis divprscefid afit^ a(fenile Lollardism in her household being probably the secret rooliTe. h Ml in vain that the queen of England humbled herself to the TajdlUt|)> hopes of saving her ^ihful friends. King Richard in an especial manner instanced the undutifaioMi of Ik* earl of Arundel to the queen.' who, he declared, ^ was thres booB * ner knees before this earl, pleading with tesni for the life of JobaO^ Terley, one of het esquires." All the answer she could get wu iB^ ' After all, iha divorce wsa not carried iiiLo eSecl, (at. in tbw yew IMt, tt^ Ua letter of ate-aoadact, trom kiog Ritlmjil lo bis deacpii coutin Philjjqa. «l^ ID Bobert de Teia. *At the nial oT ' AH HE OP BOHEMIA. 3Ifl "P«y ftir yootwlf and your husband, for that ii ihe besl thing yon can do, Mid ]m iliii) request alone," and all ihe iinpoiiunilies naeil could nol MTV Calveilry'slife.' Indeed, Ihe duke of Gloureeier and bin collMguei cstablishitd n reii^ of terror, making it penal For any pereon (o tealiiy fidelity III (he kiiiff or queen, or to receive their confidence, The duke ol' Ireland lied to ilic Low Countries, from whence he never rrtunied during his life. It is worthy of remark, that the niece* of his ill-treaied wife, for whose divorce Anne of Bohemia had intri^ed with pope Urban, married llie great and (towerful emperor Sigivniund, own Mother to that queen. Tlie intermediate time, from the autumn of 1387 to the spring of 1988, waa spent by the young king and queen in a species of restraiitt. Btliain and Sliene were Ihe favourite residences of Kichard and Ann% aud ill tlteae palaces they chieQy sojourned at tliia lime. The favouriM ■uintner palace of Anne wua named, from the lovely landscape arouiid it, Sbene : tradition aays that Edward the Confessor, delighting in tilt (uf KCiincry, culled it by thai expressive Saxon word, signifying eretf Ibing that is bright and beauteous. The king had, during this interval, attained his twenty-second yeai^ and his firbl question, on the meeting of his parliament, was, " Itow olil be was ?" And when they named the years he had attained, he declared thai his Wic^siors were always considered of age much earlier, and lliat iba Mwauest of his subjects were of age at twenty-one ; he therefoie deteiw minml to shake off the fetters that controlled him. This scene waa {(A- lowed by a sort of re-«oronation in St. Stephen's chapel, where tht Bobiliiy renewed their oaths to him ; and il was particularly observed thai he kissed those with afeciion whom he considered as hia adheretiM, and M-ciw|ed on those who had been die leaders in the late insurrections. The king always appears to have been exceedingly ailarhed to his ■acl«, tlie duke of- Lancasieri but he had a strong wish to rid hiinsetT of hia turbulent and popular cousin, Henry, the eldest son of llial duke, who wa* bom the same year aa himself, and from infancy was his rival. On one occasion Henry had threatened the life of tlie king in the presence of the quncn. - Tlince have I saved hia life !" exclaimed king Richard. " Once mg dexr uncle Lancaster (on whom God have mercy) would have slain hiB I for bis treason and villany, and then, 0 God of Paradise .' all night didl | ri-i* to preserve him from death, Once also Ue drew his sword I < the rhamher of queen Anne."' I I 'linls, vol. f. the daughiei of li< r Kingi, nnil Bellia by iha count da Cittny. See i tHMtryofBalingbr ... . _ ... -.ii)|imna, in oruef m cmtrj a iho boriliiis of Lithuania, with wliod ■ cruMilo tt-orfliro. (Speed.) whptn iha Engliih |irini:e ci 1 the year 1300. nnc England, in order to carry ... whom the 1^ Valerian Knuine ipnl in Litbuani Ha ANN E I oncH) A. Kiag Ilich*rd soon nhet be^ioiTnl on the dnke uf Itinwlnr dw Mf» reignty oT Aquilaine. probably with Uie desi^ ofkeepinif lluMa of te pnnee al a (liBtaare from Eii^Uiiii. Tlie queen held a grand iMinlM (his oriiininn. Prtrt nf ibe liicli crrenioiiial consUW in tbr qsMo^ ]>» UDlaiion '>r ihe duchess of lAtiosicr wiih tlie e^nU] cirrlet stir *m1* wear as iluchcM of Aquiuiue. wlule Richard iiivevtcd hu i nrii wiik At dual coronet^ bul ihe iovesijlure was useless, for the [i«i>]4e of \f^ toine refused Ui be lepsnied froui tlie duiuiiiiou of England. The king's full astniraption of the royal authority wu ecUboiad wtt a splendid i4>umamciiL over whirh qii^en Anne presideiL M ths ant- Riga lady, to beotow the prize — a rich jnwelM clanp — in ibe ksM MM of the lists, and a rich crown of enid to the besiof ihc! oppotMMs. San of her Indies, mounted on beoiiCtful palfreys, eturh led a knight, Wa chain, to the lilting ground at Smithtirld. thmiigti the streets " by the sound of trumpets, attended by numerous mtftstrda. In to onler they paeeed before qiieen Anne, who was already «ni*ed wilk ha ladies, and placed in open rhambere," richly decoratnj. 1^ t/am retired, at dusk, lo the bishop of London's palace al St. PaatV vAm shs held a grand banquet, with dstu-ing both before and &As-avffK During the whole of the totinioDiem the queen lodged at the palMad the bisbop of London.' The queen's good offices as a mediaior were rei]mrad in dM jnv 1382, to compose a serious dilTtrence between Richard II. and dit dv of London. Richard had asked a loan of a tliounnd pnon^ froatts nliiens, which ifaey peremptorily refused. Au Italian inetehMtt pfcal die king the sum required, upon which [h« citizens raii«t) a tmaolLi^ tore the unfortunate loan-lender lo piscee. This oninge being MImmI bj^ a rioi. attended with bloodshed. Kichard ileclanid ■* tliai as the on did not keep his peace, be should resume her chnrlvrs,'* and anaiB" removed liie courts of law to York- In distress. Ihe city afipM b> queen Anne lo mediate for them. Fortunately. Ricband had tiit «ke bvourite at tlial lime than his peace-loving queen, " who was." «« tt aooieiil historians, » very precious to the nation, being cuntinaally taf some eood lo the people ; and site deserved a ranch larger dowar llMa the sum sellled on her. which only amounted to fonr hundred pounds per annum." The manner in which queen Anne pacified Riclmrd. is Latin chronicle poem, wniien by Richard .Mayde^too, an the scene;' he was a pnesl aiiached to the court, and in &iw«r «<& Richard and the queen. Throui;h the private inierresston of the queen, the kit^ eoaHHoiii pass ihrongh ihe ciiy, on his way from SKeiie to VVestminsicr Palae^ ■ t]ic29th of AngusL 'Tl«]r wow tEmpoiary Muutg erncieil al SmiikflK) «a neiiiK ommn in ihe present timn, 'tHW cal. J< *Laul]r irablulied by itie Csmilea Swicij. Hajpdi Innnl liy u Mm ftiiin RichanL in ihe FiBdeta. v (Cimiicil« mended iis beauty, its docility, and the convenience of iia ambling pnces, hkI the magnificence of iis purple housings. Afier the animal had Iwen gndonsly accepted by the queen, she passed over the bridge and cantA U> ibe bridge-portal on the city side : but some of her maids of honour, who were following her, in two wagons, or cbarretiea,' were not quite ■0 (nrtunnle in tlieir progress over the bridge. Old London Bridge was, in the fourteenth century, and for some ages •Tier, no such easy defile for a large inHux of people to pass through : ibtKiffh no[ dien encroached upon by houses and shops, u was encum- bered by for tilicai ions and barricades, which guarded the draw-bridge lowers in the centre, and the bridgp-gaie towers at each end. In thif ] tniiancc the multitudes pouring out of the city, to get n view of ihB j 3ueen and her train, meeting the crowds following the royal prncotsion, | le throngs pressed on eacli other su tumulluously, that one of tlie cliaT> | Totles containing the queen's ladies was overturned — lady rolled Upon ] lady, all being sailly discomposed in the upael; and, what was wona, I nothing could restrain the laughter of the rude, plebeian ortiticera ; M 1 last tlie equipage was righted, the discomliied damsels replaced, and 1 thrii charn'itc resumed its place in (he procession. But such a r ■Tlw-M eoriTrfancet vera nciiiicr more rvDi leir Uiiui Imncbe,! wngnnn. wbicll 1 w*ti! kn>< f"' 'he uRcmnnindaiinn iif Ihe ijuenra iiiaiili ofhcnour; thccbarrenes 1 *enT vejj riiil|rofnBinen(r<(l with rti) pninl, mil lined witit •cartel clotli Oirou^ I •at. Tbey ■» ilaaeiitiMl in tlia IwrumlioM boolit nf ro]ralt]r. very minuwljr; Ihsf 1 ^_ TOt. II.— 10 . I i SIS AMNB OP BOHEMIA. of homed caps did not happen witlioul serious inconveniences lo ifit weattrsi as HaydeaWn very minutely particularizes. Aa the king and queen pnaseil through the city, the principal ihorocgli- fares were hung witti gold ctoth and siWef tisKue, and tapesuy of sUi and gold. When ihcy approached the conduit at Cheapeide, red toil white wine played from (he spouts of a tower erected against it, iba royal pair were served " with rosy wiae smiling in goltlen cups," uhI an angel flew down in a cloudy and presented lo the king, and ihm U the queen, rich gold circlets worth several hundred pounds. Annlto condnit of wine played at St. Paul's ea-ttem gate, where was iiatMud n band of antique musical instruments, whose names alone will aslMmil modern musical ears. There were persona playing on tympanies, maw- chords, cymbals, psalteries, and lyres ; zainburas, citherns, situlas, horu, and viols. Our learned Lalinist dwells with much unction on tlie sja- phonous chorus produced by these instrumenls, which, he says, ** wi^ idl hearers in a kind of stupor." No wonder ! At the monastery of St. Paul's the king and queen alighted from ihrir ■teeds, and passed through the cathedral on foot, in order Eo pay ibui oflerings at the holy sepulchre of St. Erkenwald. At the western pti ihey remounted their horses, and proceeded to the Ludgnie. That, just above the river bridge, — which river, we beg to remind our m^tn, was that delicious stream, now called Fleet-ditch, — was perched -i celestial banil of spirits, who saluted the royal personages, as An passed the Flele-bridge, with enchanting singing, and sweei psalmudy, making, withal, a pleasant fume by swinging incense-potn ; tliey Gk^ wise scattered fragrant flowers on the king and queen as they sevctiUf passed the bridge." And if the odoura of that civic stream, the Flete at that lime, by wy means rivalled those which pertain to it at present, every one mtM o«ii (hat a fumigation was appointed there with great judgment At the Temple barrier, above the gate, was the representation of i desert, inhabited by all manner of animals, mixed with TfptilM and monstrous worms, or, at least, by their resemblances; in the fctfk- ground was a forest ; amidst the concourse of beasts, was snud the holy Baptist John,' pointing with his finger to an Agnus Dei. lifter ilw king had hahcd to view this scene, his attention waa struck by thi figure of St. John, for whom he had a pecidiar devotion, when an u^ descended from above the wilderness, bearing in his hands a stdcmiil gift, which was a tablet, studded with gems, « fit for any altar,'' wi* the cniciSxion embossed thereon. The king took it in his band sri said, ^ Peace to (his city ; for tlie sake of Christ, )ijs moiber, Snd vt patron St. John, 1 forgive every ofience." Then ihe king continued his progress towards his paUce, mJ lb* queen arrived opposite lo the desert and Sl John, when loni rhjm Venner presented her with another tablet, likewise represoiiing tlK Cf» eiiision. He commenced his speech with lliese words ^— ^ Illustrious daughter of imperial parents, Anne — « name ta BtbiW ■ The Temple waa ilion in ^oiwaiio ANNS OF BOHBMIA. 319 iigniiying grace, and which was borne by her who was the mother of the mother of Christ, — mindful of your race and name, intercede for us to the king ; and, as often as you see this tablet think of our city, and fpeak in our fitvour." Upon which the queen graciously accepted the dutiful offering of the city, saying, with the emphatic brevity of a good wife who knew her innuence, ^ Leave all to me." By this time the king had arrived at his palace of Westminster, the great hall of which was ornamented with hangings more splendid than the pen can describe. Richard's throne was prepared upon the King's Bench, which royal tribunal he ascended, sceptre in hand, and sat in great majesty, when the queen and the rest of the procession entered the hall. The queen was followed by her maiden train. When she approached the king, she knelt down at his feet, and so did all her ladies. The king hastened to raise her, asking, ^ What would Anna ? — declare, and your request shall be granted.'' The queen's answer is perhaps a fair specimen of the way in which die obtained her empire over the weak but affectionate mind of Richard ; more honeyed words than the following, female blandishment could ■carcely devise. ^ Sweet," she replied, ^ my king, my spouse, my light, my life! Sweet love, without whose life mine would be but death ! Be pleased to govern jour citizens as a gracious lord. Consider, even to-day, how munificent their treatment! What worship, what honour, what splendid public duty, have they at great cost paid to thee, revered king ! Like us, they are but mortal, and liable to frailty. Far from thy memory, my king, my sweet love, be their offences, and for their pardon I supplicate, kneeling thus lowly on the ground." Then, after some mention of Brutus and Arthur, ancient kings of Britainf— which no doubt are interpolated flourishes of good Master Maydeeton, the queen concludes her supplication, by requesting ^^ tliat the king would please to restore, to these worthy and penitent plebeians, their ancient chartera and liberties." <^ Be satisfied, dearest wife," the king answered, ^ loth should we be to deny thee any reasonable request of thine. Meantime ascend, and sit beaide me on my throne, while J speak a few words to my people." He seated the gentle queen beside him on the throne. The king then ■poke, and all listened in silence, both high and low. He addressed the lord mayor: — ** I will restore to you my royal favour as in former days, for I duly prize the expense which you have incurred, the presents you have made me, and the prayers of the queen. Do you henceforth avoid offence to your sovereign, and disrespect to his nobles. Preserve the ancient faith; despise the new doctrincH unknown to your fathers ; defend the catholic church, the whole church, for there is no order of men in it, that is not dedicated to the worship uf God. Take back the key and a^-o^c^^ V««^ I I mv peace in ^our my, rule tl« iahabiuuits u (oaaerly^aai be >wm| them my repreBeniaiive." ' No further dillereaces with llie king diiituibed the couoiry, donof At life of Anne of Bohemia. Ii ia probable ilmi if the exiitenct <^ dui k- Inved queeQ had been ipared, the calamities uid crimes of ItidwA future yean would have been averted, by her milil advice. Yet the king's extravagant generosity nothing could repren; lbcpr> fusion of the royal household is severely coinin«utt>d upon by Wtten^ ham aiid Knightou, Sidl, their elriciure« seem invidtotis; noiliinf tal partisan malice could blame such hoepitality as the foUowinf is a uv of fsniine. ^' Though a terrible series of plagues ami fanuiw «A«m< England, the king retrenched none of his diver«oiis or espMMM. Of entertained every day six thousand persons, most of them were indifiM poor. He valued himseir on surpassing in mag niticence all the aortmftt in Europe, as if he possessed au inethausiible treasure; in bis kiirba alone, three hundred persons were employed; and the (jueen had a lib nuniber to attend upon her service-'" VVbile Richard was preparing for a campaign in Ireland, wliich KMCn had revolted from his aulhorily, bis departure was delayed by a urtMi bemivemenL This was the loss of his beloved partner- It is nnppiT^ she died of the pestilence that was then raging througbnut Europ^w her decease was heralded by an illness of but a few hoars FrauHCl says. speakiJLg of the occurrences in England, June, 1394 — " At im period the larN' Anne, queen of England, fell sick, to the infinite &akm of king Richard and all her household. Her disorder increased wo nfi^. thai she departed this lile at the feast of Whitsuntide, 1 301. The Vm and all who loved her were greatly aJHicied at her death. Ktag RiehMd was inconsolable for her loss, as they mutually loved each other, kwii^ been married young. This queen \eti no issue, for she nvvcr bona child." Anne of Bohemia died at her favourite palace of Shene ; dw ki^ mt with her when she expired. He had never given her a riva] ; abe appMB to have possessed his whole heart, which was rent by ilw num vtrit sorrow at ilie sudden loss of his fiiiibful partner, who was, in kt, hit only friend. In the frenzy of his grief, Ricbart] imprecatMl Um hMMMi curses on the place of her death, and, unable to beu Uw sight rf At place where he had passed his only happy hours, with this brinivi iri virtuous queen, he ordered the palace of Slieoe lo b« levelled mA th ground.' The deep tone of Richard's grief is apparent even in ibe sonaMM sent by liitn to llie English peers, requiring their allendaoeea b» Al it^ our to the magnificent obsequies he had prepared for his loal nwsl His letters on this (occasion are in existence, and are addresaed t« ott of his barons in this style : e aeniallr difflinnlad, fas BiMT I ANNS OF BOBSM.I4. 3S1 ■y^BT BSAB AVD YAITHTUL COUtlSr,* " Inasmuch as our beloved companion, the queen, (whom God has hence eommandcd,) will be buried at Westminister, on Monday the third of August next, we earnestly entreat that you (setting aside all excuses) will repair to our eity of London, the Wednesday previous to the same day, bringing with you our ▼ery dear Linswoman, your consort, at tlie same time. ** We desire diat you will, the preceding day, accompany the corpse of our dear oonaort from our manor of Shene to Westminster; and for this we trust we may rely on youi as you desire our honour, and that of our kingdom. Given under our privy seal at Westminster, the lUth day uf June, 1394/' We gather from this document, that Anne's body was brought from Shene in grand procession, the Wednesday before the 3d of August, attended by all the nobility of England, male and female; likewise by the citizens and authorities of London,' all clothed in black, with black hoods ; and on the 3d of August the queen was interred. ^ Abundance of wax was sent for from Flanders, for flambeaux and torches; and the illumination was so great that nothing was seen like it before, not even at the burial of the good queen Philippa; the king would have it so, because she was daughter of the emperor of Rome and Germany."' The most memorable and interesting circumstance at the burial of Anne of Bohemia is the fact, that Thomas Arundel, aflerwards arch- bishop of Canterbury, who preached her funeral sermon, in the course of it greatly commended the queen for reading the holy Scriptures in the vulgar tongue/ Richard's grief was as long enduring as it was acute. One year elapsed before he had devised tlie spf>cies of monument he thought worthy the memory of his beloved Anne, yet his expressions of tender- ness reganling lier pervaded his covenant with the London artificers em- ployed to erect this tomb. He took, witiial, the extraordinary step of having his own monumental statue made to repose by that of the queen, with the hands of the elFigies clasped in eacii other. The tomb of Anne was commenced in 1395; the indentures descrip- tive of its form are to be found in the Fccdera ; tlic marble part of the *Tbe style of this circular will prove how much modern historians are mis- talcpn who declare, that king Henry IV. first adopted that form of roynl address, which terms all carls the king's cousins; yet the authority is no less than tliat of Bfaickstone. It does not appear tliat this circular was confined to earls. 'Tb« FoKlera contains a circular from the king to the citizens, nearly similar to the alwve. " Froissart. *Rapin, vol. i. 701. There is a great contradiction between Rapin and Fox, when alluding to tliis funeral sermon. Fox, in his dedication of the Anglo-Saxon Gospels to queen Elizabeth, in 1571, uses these words: — "Thomas Arun Anna, hero enlombed. Wcdiled in tliic wotld'i life to the teeaad RjchatiL To Chrin were het niBak tiriuei detaied. Hi* poor itis tteely Ted rrom Iiei Ireaiures; Strife ibe ususgeil, and twelling feuds appeasod. BcButeoui hrr fcirin. her &ce lurpatiing Ibii. On Jajf'i ae»onth day, iliineen hundred nincijr-faijr, All comfort was bereft, fbr ibrougb irremediable sickoeH She pasaeJ away inio eternal jays.'' Richard deponed for Ireland soon after the burial of Anne, but b( heart was still bleeding for the loss of his queen ; and thongb her «nl of progeny was one of the principal causes of the troubles of his reif^ he mourned for her with the utmost constancy of affection. PrntDcnltT. wlieu he was in his cuuiicii-chamber at Dublin, if aovihing acctdenBlb recalled her to his ihoughls, he would burst into tears, rise, anil Euddnlf leave the room.' ■• The year of her death," says Walsinghmn, " was notable for spItnAd funerals. Constance, duchess of Lancaster, a lady of great intioedBrT of life, died then ; and her daughler-in-Iatr, the co-heiresa of Uenl'«J> wife of Henry of Bolingbrokc, and mother of his children, died id iht bloom of life. She was followed to the tomb by Isabel, dochoM d York, second daughter of Pedro the Cruel, a lady noted for h«j o*w fineness and delicacy, yet at her death showing much penitence fbf hff pestilent canities.* But the grief fur all these deaths by no insm ei^ualled that of the king for his own queen Anne, whom lie loved nts lo niudneea." The people of England likewise deeply regretted this benignuit wd peare-loving queen, and lone hallowed her memory by the Bimpfe ni expressive appeliaiiou of "Good i^ueen Anne."* 'There li n LaliD. proliDlily Inloiigliig to the b iial vaigai jiiigle. As tba men naai re omitted, tii lie htiDg a tablet epiiiiph it given, llie tablet vvixi are omitted, but they msy be tesa ia Aav * Burton t Irish Hi!«)ry. 'Heinwi of Pedro iht l>«L *A letter wriilen by Anae of Bohemia i> pteierveil in die arobimof <)■*■ Collego, Oxibid, in lai-oui ot learning. We haVe ceoeiTMl Uil* ioiiii ' ' Mr. Bnlliwell, wlioia learned and iatelligi'Dt laboan la iIm Camdaa 1 %X« OV VOL. It. LIVES OF THB :iUEENS OF ENGLAND, nam THE NORMAN CONQUEST; WITH ANECDOTES OF THEIR COURTS, NOW naST PITBLISHED FBOH 7ICIAL RECORDS AND OTHER AUTHENTIC DOCUMENT'!^ PRIVATE AS WELL AS PUBLIC. htir EDITION, WITH CORKECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. BY AGNES STRICKLAND. Tb* trtararM of aatiquily taid op k. oM hMorto roili, I o|«miI. BsAOHoirr. VOL. III. J PHILADELPHIA: BLANCHARD AND LEA 1852. Fnc;«! ty T. £ A P. 0. Ct CONTENTS or THB THIRP VOLUME rf^^^>^^^i^^>^^^^^^^^«fc^ ABkLLA OP Valois, sumamed the Little Queen, second Claeen of Richard II ' Page 9 lANNA OP Navarre, Queen of Henry IV 38 Chapter II 57 ATRKRiNB OP Valois, sumaoied the Fair, Consort of Henry V. 83 Chapter II 106 ARGARET OP Anjou, Quecu of Henry VI 123 Chapter II 160 uizABETH WofjoYiLLB, Quccu of Edward IV 205 Chapter II 222 WN B OP Warwick, Queen of Richard lU 242 (3) PREFACE. ^^t^^^^^^MAAA r apologies are due to an indulgent public for the tardy ince of the third and concluding volume of the First o{ the " Lives of the Queens of England." 2ause of this delay will be best explained by a letter which the honour of receiving from his Excellency Monsieur in May last, and which I avail myself of his courteous (ion to publish, as affording not only a cogent reason for stponement of the present volume, but a testimonial of receding iu of which I can scarcely be too proud. << Londns, Mai 17, 1840. MOIBELLE, r^ponds bien tard k la bont6 que vous m'avez t^moign^ ivoyant vos 'Vies des Reines d'Angleterre.' Je n*ai pas ous en parler sans les avoir lues, et jusqu'ici j*ai eu bien tems disponible. J'ai lu eniin. Mademoiselle, et avec un * plaisir. C'est un ouvrage chanpant, plein d'un int^r^>t et doux. Vous avez ^tudi^ les sources, et vous savez sr les faits simplement, bien que sans s^cheresse. Ma finie, j'ai envoys votre livre k mes filles, qui sont encore p et qui le lisent k leur tour avec le vif amusement de leur ^ rsEPACK. " AgT'-cz, jo voua pric, Mnii(ttnuit«ellG, tous met et rhvinmagu do mon respect. -Gmwai' " Wa. — J'ai ecril a Paris pour deniander s'y exyMnt qod^ ducumcns p:iriicuiLer3 et tn^ita sur IliUtoirc do Mugotritt d'Anjou, Hi on m'cn envoje j'aurai rtionncur dc viiua !« tn» maltrc" I had been so maicrially indi^btcd, in tlic 6rst and wcond volumes of the Lives of the Queen* of Engtaod. to the inraluthla documents wliich the rosoarcli of this iUustrious jtatesmwi-hiito- riari lias been the means of rcKCuing fiom oblivion, that 1 *u naturally anxious to nvoil myself of his friendly lusUtaoce. in writing the memuir of Margaret of Anjou; and as MnnnOir MinheJel, the President of itw Historical Suciely at Paii*. E Lefrevoit, M. Abel HuBA, Mademoiselle Fontaine, and tenai PKBFACB. Vli I connected with the Queens of England, from authentic rces, accessible only through the influence of private friend- >. My grateful thanks are offered to sir Harris Nicolas; J. ice, c^q. ; J. O. Halliwell, esq. ; the Rev. J. Hunter ; 6. F. tz, esq., Lancaster Herald ; C. G. Young, esq., York Herald ; T. Saunders, the restorer of the Ladye Chapel, in St. Saviour*s, thwark ; and most especially to that great historian, John gard, D. D., and to the Rev. George C. Tomlinson, editor of Breknoke Computus. "he First Series of the Lives of the Queens of England, con- ing the Anglo-Norman and Plantagenet queens, is now com- ed. The present volume presents the personal history of six ms — namely, Isabella of Valois, the second Queen of Richard ^hose life has never before been written ; Joanna of Navarre ; berine of Valois; Margaret of Anjou; Elizabeth Woodville; Anne Neville. These princesses were all more or less in- ed in the changeful events of that stormy era of our annals, :h is thus finely described by the masterly pen of Guizot : — The history of England in the fifteenth century consists of two t epochs : the French wars without, those of the roses within e wars abroad, and the wars at home. Scarcely was the ign war terminated when the civil war commenced, and was and fatally continued while the houses of York and Lancas- contested the throne. When these sanguinary disputes were sdy the high English aristocracy found themselves ruined, de- ited, and deprived of the power they had formerly exercised, associated barons could no longer control the throne when as ascended by the Tudors; and with Henry VII., in 1485, era of political concentration and the triumph of royalty menced.** he sovereign and the great body of the people from that time e common cause, to prevent the re-establishment of an oli- thy, which had been found equally inimical to the rights of Commons and to the dignity of the Crown. I have traced history and influence of the queens of England, from the blishment of the feudal system to its close; commencing wilh the first Anglo- Norman queen, Matilda, tJio wife of WilKa Itic Conqueror, and concluding wilh Anne of Warwick, ihc li Planlageiiet queen, lierstlf the sad representative of the migtili< of all the aristocratic dictators of the fifteenth centtiry, ihe ei of Warwick, surnamcd the liing-maker. The Second Series of the Lives of the Queens of Englii will commence with the Tudor queen-conaorts, and will ccnlai in chronological succession, the queen-regnaaUi as well u t queen- consorts, from that era. ISABELLA OF VALOIS, 8URNAMED TBB LITTLE QUEEN, SECOND QUEEN OF RICHARD II. Jkn iufiint qneeii'COiiMit'— Isabella, daughter to Charles VI. — English ambasta^ dors — Isabella's dialogue with tliera — i^he is betrotlied to Richard II. — Married at Calais — Embarks — Enters London — Called the Little Queen — Educated at Windsor — King's visits — Her childish love for him — Conspiracy to imprison the king and queen — Young queen's tournament — Richard's farewell visit— The young qneen^s growth and beauty — Extravagance of her governess — Change in her household — Parting with Richard — Queen's passionate grief — Invasion — Queen sent to Wallingford — King s return — ^His poetical address to the queen — She is seized by Bolingbrokc — Richard in the Tower — Dejection ^Fierce burst of passion — Demands restoration of the queen — Deposed — — Queen at Sinning Hill — Joins the revolt against Henry IV. — Richard's mur- der— Widowhood of queen Isabella — Offer of Henry, Prince of Wales — Re- fusal— Queen deprived of jewels and dower — Returns to France — Tender farewell to the English ^Restoration to her family — Renewed offers from Henry, Prince of Wales — Her aversion — Betrothed to the heir of Orleans — Murder of her iather-in-law — Mournful procession of Isabella — Birth of Isa- bella's infant — Her death — Burial at Blois — Grief of her husband — Elegies written by him — Discovery of Isabella's corpse— Re-interment. The union of Isabella of Valois with Richard II. presented an anomaly lo the people of England unprecedented in their annals. They saw wim •■toniahment an infant, not nine sommers old, sharing the throne as the chosen queen-consort of a monarch who had reached his thirtieth year. Richard, whose principal error was attention to his own private feel- io^ in preference to tlie public good, considered, that by the time this USle princess grew up, the lapse of years would have mellowed his grief for the loved and lost Anne of Bohemia ; he could not divorce his heart from the memory of his late queen sufficiently to grive her a successot never his own age. Isabella of Valois was the daughter of Charles VI. of France and liabeau of Bavaria, that queen of France aAerwards so notorious for her wickedness ; but at the time of the marriage of Richard II. with her little dtaghter. Queen Isabeau was only distinguished for great beauty an^ luxurious taste in dress and festivals. Charles VI. had already experienced two or three agonising attackr if inflammatiofi on the brain, which had yielded, however, to medica. ikill ; and he was at this time a magnificent, prosperous, and popular I I I L 10 ISABBLLA OF VALOtS. •DTereii;!!. InhellR, ihc rlilnt rhild o( this rn) ul pair, fint «« Jw ligtit u) tlio LoUTre [uIiimi, dI Psris, 1 387. Nirvemtxr Slh. She wm lh« UtM uf a ounicrniu uid lovely liiiiuly> ibe fviuales ot wliicli were nmiBUife for iha brauly laTjsheil on ihein by ihe hnnil of naiun. Tlie ^imm tt Tmaee ww iho ilni)^hi«r of a Gemi&n princ« and an Italian princeM ; At waa tvnuwiied r'>r the e^lemlniir of her lanp dark ej^cs. and ihe dw> iiaa* anil briijlitnngs of bcr romplrtion, charms which wpre inuwniiad iFi htff (Uughlera in no roninion (Icijttc. Isabella hail threv hmhan. who ven aurressivcly ilaujihins ; atitl four sistc^r? — Jnanno, dllcbCM ti Briiuiny ; Marie, a nun -, Michelle, the fim duchesa of Philip Ibe Qaei iif Burgundy ; and Kaiherine ihe Fair. i)i« quKn of [l«ury V. of En^amL These loyal iadir* inhrriied their laihctN goodness wjihoui bis midailfi and iheir mothcr^s beamy niihnut hrr Tiers. Th« princuM Isab«llii wu )ireci>ciou« in iniellcci and autiiiiv, and was every way worthy of fulall- ing a qiiernly dMliny, Unlike lier sister*, Mirhelle and Katheriiw,«bi} Kcre fcuellv neulecied in their infant yeors, she was the darling nf hrt parenia ond^of llie court of France. Isabella is no mule on Ihc biogi*. pliiad puge; the words she uLieteil have been clironiclcd ; uml duMgK tio yuuti^. ImiiH an the wife and widuw of on English king, research inll ■how thai her actions were of some hisloricnl imporianee. The bfe of Kiehanl'ii Inst consortia aeurioua portion nf the hiofp^phy of ourqifew nt Gnglaiid, us an iostunre of a girl of lender »ge pliccd in annnnl d^ rurastancra. " The king," says air John de Gcailly, a courijy infonnani of FW^ •art, " it adriaed to marry again, and 1ib« had researches made crery where, hut in vain, for u autlable lady. He has been told that lite ksi( of Navarre has sisters and daughtem, but he will not hear of them. Tb> iluke of Gloucester has. likewise, a grown-ap girl, who ia marritgnUh and well pleaHed would he be if his royal nepliew would ctiocoe tej bui (he king says ' she is too nearly related, being hid eousin-genniB.' King Kirliarvl's thoughts are so bent on ihc eldest dniii;liier of ilie buf of Fninee, he will not hear of any other ; it causes griuit n eiidtr in dui roiiiiiry tliai he ehoulit be so eager lo marry liie ilaui^hicr of hii ailfR- rary. and he is not ilie better beloved for iL King Kii^hard has bran luld ' that the lady was by far loo young, and thai uvcn in live or ta years she would Dot he the proper age for a wife.' lie replied plcanallyi ■ that every day would remedy the defirieucy of age, and her vouih tt one of his reasons for preferring her, berauae ho should eduoile her tai bring her up to his own mind, and lo the manners and cusluws oi ih English ; and that, as for himself, he was young onoagh Uj tnil Jbf her,' " Froissftrt was staying at Eliham pnloce when the parliament aMM debate the marriage in the beautiful gothic hall.' While they Jam, if it please God, you shall be our lady and ([neen.' replied insinntly. nnd irithoiil any one promptiiis her. '• Sir. if ll mI and my lord and lather, that I be queen of England. 1 shttll [Jeued ihereal, for I have been lold ] shall then be a great nude the earl marshal rise, and, taking him by the h»nd. led [Deen babeau her mother, who was much pleased at her answer, ill who heard it The appearance and manners of this young wtnt very agreeable to ilie EnglMh ambassadors, and they UDong themselvei she would be a lady of high honour and tefore the yomi^ Imbella arrired in England, the duke of Iao- ought &t to pre his princely hand lo Catherine Rouei. who had ■Mliiir Hnor ihe Jepannie of iho embais)', Ricbiuil 11. wu nl tpimire to te ptBKuUIion copy of ilio puF^iiu prfpaceil fnt lilm \ij tii Jolin Frois- pf<«*nt»l il to him in hit cbunlior. Ibr I had i< wiih mr. mil Inlil il on Pn>m ihii pauKge ii would nppear tliat rtiv kint; mtetird lirm hi>lbra tra, "He tnnk it. anrl Irwked inio it with tnueh ptramrp. He ought •*n pItaMd, fill ii wu bandiamAlr written and iltinniniUfid. ami IodbcI ■ velvai. wiLh trtt ailrer gill (ludi, ami r>hi of ih* mme in iha mid- two large nlaaps of lilvet (ilt, ticliljr worknl Willi ro*H in ibe ceoDW. ■iketl nm ' of what the book liraled I' I repli«l. ■ Of I"vb.' Re wsa riOi the answer, iml lUppcil into w-vftal plueo?. lea-linf: part* aloml Itf well, fct h« rrnd and ipok* Pt«icli in periWrtlnn. Hr dim gsra It fcU ktilKhu. sir Rirfaird CreHon, to eanjr ti lo hit onsntf, anil mails me BMwIedgnxnn Ibr it" This kniffhi w»« probably ih* nuibor of " Cue rieal CfaiOBicI*." The kiiiC did noi tnn&nr his Kmliliule In enrmy ■ we Sod be Kdetward* pmanipd the ninstrrl-liifiorian wiib B fln* Im gOblM, eonlaiiiint one hundmil nohlci, a lieiislV>--lioii which, M tddi, was of inflnile tt. I IS ISABELLA OP VALOtB. ^^M been goTerness lo liia ttangliters, and was already mother to ihoK tOH of the duke »o cclobniied in English hislory as [ho Besafotu, Serio« wtru the feuds iliie iiiis-allianee rsiaeil io the royal family, ffhea On marriage of tlie duke of Lnucnster was antiniinced lo ihe jiultes afrovtl descent in England, such as ihc duchess of Gloucester and the cuuniea of Arundel, who was a Mortimer of ihe line of Clnren':ei they v«t greatly iihocked, and said. '- The duke had saiUy disgmce<( hinuwlf b; marrying a woman of light character, since she would take rank m second lady in the kingdom, and the young qu^en would be dbhonntv- ably accompanied by her; but, for their parts, they would leave her to do the honours of the court alone, for they would never enter any pUci where she was. They ihemsoWes would be disgraced if ihev perniiiinl cud) a base-born duchess, who had been mistress to the dnkr, badi before and after his inarriage with the priJicess CoiiaiAnce, in take pr*> cedence of them, and their hearts would burst with grief were it to happen. Those who were the most outrageous on the sttbject ws( tlw duke and duchess of Gloucester." ' Thus was the court of king Rtdk ard in a state of ferment, wiih the discontents of the princeMea nf A) house of Plaitiagenet, just ai the tune when he required tii^m to asMm- ble for the purpose of receiving his infant bride. While these IuIh* were seeding their points of precedency, the prineesa Iwlicila tx espoused in Paris by the eai'l marshal, as proxy fur tii» roVKl lavit:. ''She was from that time," says Froissart," styled the (|iie«n of EagiiiMl. And I was at the lime told it was preity to see her, young as she wk, practising how to act the queen." About this time the king of France sent to England thtr roiini .<^i !''>i, rho liad married Biehard's half-sister, Maud Holland, >> Fair. King Richard promised Ids brother-in-law thai lie ^.^ Calais, and have an interview with the king of France, 'a was to he delivered to him; and if a peace could nm be ;i^ truce for thirty or forty years was to be established. Tliii liuki: -i'>i dtichess of Gloucester, with their children, wera a^ked by the king l^ be of die ptirty, as were the dukes and duchesses of York and lMa> ter. This lost lady, deapile of all the displeasure of the ladies vi ttu blood royal against her, was staying with the king and her lord alCU tham, anil had already been inviied to die king's marriagn. With this royal company king BicharJ crossed thtt sra W OM while the king of France, his queen, and the young princess, ad*a^ as far as St. Omer : where they remained till the treaty of peace iwwJ some hopeful form. It was, however, in vain that the Frt-ncli ttTtmH aoflen tht' opposition of the duke of Gloucester by llaiieriiu' aUrii:><>a) and the hajidsonie preseuia they olTerei] him. He Bccepti-<1 i ? "birt the same rancour remained in his breast, and, in >; . thing, when the peace was mentioned, his answers were >i- aevere as ever. It was observed, that he pointed out tht :: gold and silver to his friends, oliserving • that Fnneo was iiilj : rich country, and that peace ought not yet to be made,* n remark tBABBLLA OF VALOIfl. 19^ worthy of ■ biinJii than a roya! gurst. The king of England, at I axiU-iTed to iIJHCOTcr the niPans of allaymg; Ihis bellirn^e ihsposiljon i^'J hia uncle; the hnbe wb5 enormous, eonaiileritig ihe iluke's constant ev* T liortations in regard to rejonnalion anii efonomv in the govCTnmenl- The king wm forced to promise his pstrioiic imele fifiv ihouEand noliles (in liis reitirn home, and to make his only son. Humphrey, earl of Ko* ehcsUr. with a pension of two thousand nobles per Dnnum. After the piplimlion of this unconscionable bribe, no impediment remained to i).c peace and marriage, which wei'e concluded, without the restoration ■ i^ CaLiis being insisied on by France. [ "■ On the vigil of the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, which fell on tf ' rridnr,' the 2Tlh of October, 1396, llie two kings led their lodging on ihr point of ten o'clock, and, accompanied by a grand attendance, went In the tents thai had been prepared for them. Thence they proceeded tin foDl to a ceriain ipace. which hud been fixed on for their meeting, and which was snrrounded by four hundred French, snd as many Eng- lali. kniuihts, brilliantly armed, who stood with drawn swords. These kntghta were ao marshalled, that the two kings passed between iheir mnitA, conducted in the following order : — The dukes of Lancaster and 'i|»iicc«ier supported the king of France, whde the dukea nf Beiri and i'urgnndy, iiiicjes of the French king, conducted kin^ Richard; and ' 111* itiey advanced slowly through the ranks of the knighis ; and when .he two kings were on ihe point of meeting, the eight hundred knights fell on llieir knees and wept for joy" — -a unanimity of feeling »ery re- markable in eight hundred knights. " King Richard and king ChsrlM met bare-headed, and, having saluted, took each other by the hand; * len the king of France led the king of EngUnd to his tent, which was Kisome and richly adorned ; the four dukes look each other by the I, and followed them. The English and French knights reinaiaed it ranks, looking at each other witli good humour, and never stured 1 Ihe whole ceremony was over. fVWlien the two kings entered the lent, holding each other by the id, Ihe duke« of Orleans and Bourbon, wlin had been left in the tent _> welcome the monarchs, cast themselves on their knees before them; the kings slopped and made them rise. The six dukes then assemblrd in front of the lent, and conversed together, while the kings v iliv trni ami conferred solus, while the wine and spicks were piep«rinb | The duke of Bern served the king of France with the comfit-boi. UM> thp duke of Burgundy with the cup of wine. In like manner was lh« king of England aerred by ihe duke« of Lancaster and Gloucester. Af^r the kings had been served, the knights of France and England look the wine and comliU-and served the prelates, dukes, princes, and counia; hI, BfWr them, the stiuirea and other ollicera of the household did the Di(> to all within the tenia, unlil every one had partaken of the win»-l I »picM; during which lime the two monarchs conversed freely. i " At 1 1 o'clock of ihe Saturday morning, the feast of St. Simon ami' L Juide, the king of England, atiendely d« Comc)-. who ttieampnnied Ihe liule <}aeeD to EnelaiiA *■■ :r or Liii Iiuly; ■!]« wa* married to llie aaunt de Cilty, Uul wet EDBV to kiug Biotuud. ■•■ ■ - ISABELLA OP ALOIS. s il queen of Rowland luro days after ihe itmrriage; am) on . y went back lo Si. Omcr, where llie king aiid qiieen of France waited ' ihrm. That tame FriJay rnornin)( kinjf Ricliard and queen Isabella, .'Viu^ hcnrd nn earlv mass and drunk aume wlue. embarked on board ilir ressels il»( had been prepared fnr them. With a favourable wind, in iMi than thire houra they arrived al Dover. The queen dineil at ihe nuilo, anil »lepi (he next niufht al Rocheater. Passins through Darifurdi ■'ic arrived al the palace at Elihitm. where tlie nobles and their ladiw '. .iL leave uf llie king and queen, and went lo iheir homes. The yoiMi^ qneen'a entry into Lundon is ihu» noted by our chronK •'.m : — ''The young qneon Isabella, commonly called the Litile ifur sbe .IS not eii;hl yesrB old), was conveyed from Kenninglon, near to Laifr- iti palaee. ilirnugh Southwark. lo the Tower of London, Nov, 13tli, :.i:n such a multitude of persons vrent out to see her, that on I^ndon ! : !:;e ninr persons were crushed to death, of whom the prior of Tip- '1,1?! I'di-.nnd a matron of Cornhdl another.'" The queen slept one ■ ,ii 'lu' Tower, and the next day waa conducted in high pomp ts I I I IT. where king Richard was wailing in his palace lo receiv* ' I Till- day the Londoners made very rich preseiiis to the quee^ U'iiich were most graciously accepted. The portion of Isabella waa considerable, consisting of 900,000 fmnci in gold, to be paid in yearly instalments. She brought with her a ward- robe of grpni richness. Among her garments was a robe and mantle, QBc^callcd in England, made of red velvet embossed with birds of gold- ■niUia* work, perched upon branches of pearls and emeralds. The robe «ra« trimmed down the sides with miniver, and had a enpe and hood of thp f«me fur. the mantle was lined with ermine. Another robe was of marray-me/ereon velvet embroiiiered with pearl roses. She had coroneU) vin^ nerklaces, and clasps, amounting lo 500,000 crowns. Her chait)- Ixrr-tiangings were red and while satin, embroidered with Itgiires of TJt^ tB|p« and shepherdesses. These jewels were afterwards a matter of pcihtiral controversy belween England and France, Several authors declare that young Isabella was crowned al Westmin- ftier wiih grvat magnificence, and there actually exists, in ihe Ftedera, b suinintMi* for her coronation on Epiphany Sunday, I3S7.' Wtddsor was the chief residence of itie royal child, who waa railed queeu-conson of England. Here her education proceeded, under ibe ■a peril) ten den ee of the second daughter of Ingelram de Courcy; and lien! the king, whose feminine beauty of features and complexion ■om^' wbal ijnalifiMl the disparity of years beiween a man of thirty and a girl dT un, behaved to his young wife with such winning atientiuii, tliat aiu TOaiiicd a Lender remembrance of him long ader he was hurried lo priao^ •uil (ho grave. Ilia visiia occasioned her a cessation from the routinp/ «>r rilucation ; while his gay temper, his musical accoinplishmenis, hjsj I I L Hi ISABELLA of V a LOIS. ■plenilour of dress, anil soflness of mnnnera to females, made htr n^ bufband exceedingly beloved by ihe young bean of Inbelk. The king had expended prodigious suidb on the royal prof France, and on the murriage and pompous entry of the litde These debts had now to be liquidated ; and a stnigglB ■< between the king and the popular party concerning the nipiiUtS', wbwfa ended in the destruction of the dake of Gloucester, and b'ta mon hmatm colleague, the earl of Arundel. A short but fierce despotion was esofr lished by Richard, which ultimately led to his deposition. From the earliest period of her sojourn in England, there ww matt probability that Isabella would share a prison than a throne. PnMMn thus details one of the duke of Gloucester's plots, the objeci ol windi was the lifelong incarceration of the harmless little qneeo. "He invited the eari of March' to come and visit him ai Pteshf. There he unbosomed to him all the secrets of his heart, telliag hJoitM certain influential persons had elected him as king of Eaglamli nM)|iiB( that king Richard and his queen were to he deposed and forthwith t««- fined in prison, where they were to he maintained with ampls prtrrmm during their IJves; and he besought his nephew '■ to give (ine coasidoa- tion to this project, which was supported by the earl of ATatul(l,il» earl of Warwick, and many of the prelates and barons of E'l^in' The earl of March was thunderstruck at hearing this proposal froab* uncle ; buU young as he was, he concealed his emotion. The duke of Gloucester, observing the manner of tus luftim,*- treated that he would keep hie discourse very secret. This MoniM promised to do, and faithhilly kept his word ; but honourably imhsf to flee from such strong temptation to his integrity and loyalty, hs onri leave of king Richard to visit his Irish domaius.' •' I'he count de St. Pol had been sent into England by the tafd France, in order to see his daughter, and learn how she was goin * The king consulied him and his ancles Idncastei and York on thi^tf* that threatened him and his young consort. *My good uoclcs,'aidtir * for tlie love of God, advise me bow to act. I ain daily iiifurmed ihu your brother, the duke of Gloucester, is determined to seize and c«ab( me for life in one of my castles, and that the Londoners meaa lo fM liim in this iniquity. Their plan is, withal, to separate oiv quew RW me, who is but a child, and shut her up in some other gilace of coafa^ menL Now, my dear uncles, such cruel acts as these tnut bt p^ Tented.' ■' The dukes of Lnncsster and York taw that ihnr nephe^ m a great anguish of heart, and they knew that what he said was «a^ true, but tliey replied to this effect: — " ' Have a little patience, my lord king. We know weO thai im hn- tbet Gloucester has the most passionate and wrong-headed tmnperW'sif 'It will lie rsmcinlMredlhBI tliis prince wsa the lieir-pre»iiin|itlra«>AA^^ ihr gmnrtson of Lionel of CliirFne ot MottUnur is tary- ' He wm iDiui« l(i[g eeemed greaily stiuck with the inpfun hex perean, and the progress she had made in her «daeaiicn. Ik treated her with the utmost deference; and, if the chrotiicln* nf kci country are to be believed, he entirely won her young heart at iliii ia> lerriew. Tel he had sent to dwell witli lubclla witi)es«es,»hnwfap grief and moumrul liabilimenis, for the loss of a huaband and Um, could have toU t)ie young queen, even if their lips dar«d ooi tpA thai the king had stained his lionds with kindred blood. Accotdilf « Froisaart, Richard II. had eent the widowed duchess of GloDceMiraJ her daughters to reside wiiJi liiabella at Windsor; apfMrtatlj' nlff ■ome specie? of re^iraini. Before king Kichatd left Windsor Castle, he discoreml that cmmlti- able reforms were required in his coiiaorl's establishment. The Ur4( Courcy, hia cousin-germ au, was her govemesa ajid principal kdy ti honour; hut, on his arrival at Windsor, it wis i^reaented to biiAilbtf (hia lady look as much sUile upon her as if she lull been in iha ani' tion of her mother, the princess royal of England, or even ih» ^acM herself. The eKiravagance of tlie queen's governess knew no txmU '' For," said the king's uiformer, ■* slie has eighteen hones at ber «•»■ mand; but this does not suttice; she has a large Iraiii faeluticing to Iwt husband, and his livery, whenever she cornea and gnes. She koepi Vf or three goldsmiihx. two or three cutlers, and twro or ihrm Fuinti. constantly cinptoyed, as much as you and your qae«n. Shv it ais building a clinttcl that will cost MOO nobiea." Exasperated at this exiiavagance. the king diamiased thn Wr ^ Courcy from her office in the queen's establishmeDt ; ba paid aH tki debts she had incuned, and commanded her to leave the CoiUlU^ (iffb- with, — on Older she certainly disobeyed, as will afterwards b» ■«(& h the place of this laily, llichard appointed the widowed lady Mttrvrntt! who was his own niece Eleanor ; to her he gave ihe preciofH ekap ^ his fair young ronsorL The scene of Kichard's parting from Is^>elU was Wlndanr cbnciL lie liad previously assisted at a solemn mans, and indulged his tnasiBl tastes by chaniing a collect ; he likewise made a rich olfering. Dn Ih^ ing the church, he partook of wine and comiils at the diior, wtdi I* ' MaiiatrDiM and ills MS. ot the Amtiauadca. ■The wbule of thii pranee i> drawn fivm die MS. at tlia Lad J- Motiiiuei wu ELnuor MdUbiuL i Wales. He cnilured ihis it I truih a ferthing^s worih of viciuala Certee, 1 cannoi lell ihe misen* of ■on. He then returned In Conw«y, tite from his wife, of whom he wm a little [Kicin, ihal the king composed V ISABELLA OF VALOta. 10 KtUc consorl, then lifting her up in his anns he kissed her rfpcalrdly, aayinj^. "Adieu, madame. adieu, till we meet again." The kin^ immediately commenced his march to Bristol, and embarked on his ill-timed expedition lo Ireland. The landing of llenry of Bolingbroke al Ravenspiir, during Hichard^ absence, had an immediate eflert on the declination of the little quaen laabelU ; the regent York hurried her, from the casllc of Windsor, 10 ihe Blill stronger fortress of Wullingford. where ehn remained while Ensiaiid was lost by lier royal lord, and won by his rivul, Henry of bolingbroke. AAer landing al Milford Haven on his return from Ireland, king Richard took shelter among ihe Welsh castles siill loyal to him. Here he tnight have found refuge till a re-aninn in his favour in England gnrc hopes of heller limes; but the king's luxurious hnbils made ih« rough living ai ihsse castles inlnlcrable to him. Indeed, De Marque decUres. " ihat iliey were totally unfurnished, atid ihai Richard luid ilMtp on straw during his sojourn vmicnce for five or six nights, but i waa not to be found at any of ihcm. ibe king's tmin, even at Giemarv where he thus bewailed his aliscr rery fond." The following seen ia his tribulation : — ■^ Aly niistresa and my consort .' accursed be ihe man who thus eepa- ntrih us ; I am dying of grief because of it. My fair sister, mv lady, and my sole desire! since 1 am robhed of the pleasure of beholding ihec, such pain and alHiclion oppresseth my whole heart, lliat I am olV- liinrs near despair. Alas, Isabel ! rightful daughter of France, you wera worn lo be my joy, my hope, my consolation. And now I plainly see, Ihai through ihe violeuce of fortune, which hath slain many a man, I must l>e deprived of you -, whercai 1 often endure so sincere a pang, ihat day and tiighi I am in danger of hitler deaih. And it is no marvel, when I from such a height have fallen so low, and lose niy Joy, my sohice, and my consort." ' Henry of Bolingbroke, tl is said, gained poasession by a coup-do- main of 700,000/., Ihe treasury of ihe unfortunate Richard. With amaz- ing celarity Hcnty lraver«ed England, attended by silly thousand Lon- doners and other malcontpnW, who had been dismiated with Richard's drspniic government, With this disoiderly militia Henry presented himself liefore the gates of Flint Castle, where Richard, ami a few fuith< ful knighls. remained on the defensive. Here he boldly demanded m audience with the king, who agreed to admit him, and eleven other pUB Ihe wicket of the castle.* Henry "poke aloud, without paying any hononr or laTerence to tlw king, asking. *> Have you broken your last i" ^- Tbe king answered, ^ No, it is yet early mom. Why do you aak ?" HBtAf^aoliEin, fium ll»- MS. b( « Fienoh gi ^Klptuod by Um U«v, Mr. Wl.e. I I I ISABELLA OP i '^ It ia lime yon should breakrasi," replied Heitr)', ^(ar yon fam greni way to riile." " Wbal roail ?" asked the king. •• Ton ntut Loailon," said Henry; "-and 1 advise that you eat aiMl dnakltnnlT. thai you luny perforai the jouroey more gaily." ** Well," said the tai{> >• if that is the com, let the tables be covered." When thia vw toct the king washed his hands, seated hiuiself at table, and wn tniA During the time the king was eating, whidi was not long, (ot hi* hnt was much oppressed, the whole couoliy. seen rroni the windows of Ik* nistlc, was covered with men-at-arms and archera. Tl)« king, os ttiiif I'ruRi Ihe table, perceived iheoi, and asked his cousId whoiheywaK •* For most part Londoners," was the answer. " And what da r nie.> " * How P said Henry ; ' pray explain it.' ■■ ' 1 uiiiler^tflnd by it,' said llie unfortunate king, * that tfau my ^ muriie greyhmmd .Matli foiidlea and pan his court to you thif day, M king of Fii^bud, whicli you will be, and 1 shall be drposetl, tot dot ikl natural mstinci of the creature perceives, Keep him, tbcnfon, bf jVK «de ; fi>r lo, he leaveih me, and will ever follow yew ." " Henry treasureil up whai king Kichard had said, and pnd aHMHa to the greyhound Math, who would no more follow Richard ot 9»f dcaux, but kept by the side of Henry, as was witnessed by thirty tlwa* ^m tSABBLLA OP VALniS. 31 Thp atlenilaiila of king Richard (wlio have chronicled the huiiiilift- ikins and siilffti'iii^ of their royal ma«ler, on this pilgrimaif "f sorrow and drcmdatinn, with a more intlignanl pen ilian that of Froissari), de- clatf lliai lo friere and hreak the spirit of i)ie ro)^! captive, hia nn»> vpiriicd horses were taken rram him, and he was compelled lo perrnrni BTcrT,' stage un sorry, miaerable jades, nol worth ten shillings. This was a deep moriificatton, since among the king's lumiues an expensive la>tc fitr noble and rosily steeds had been one of the greolcsL Perhaps thi* vna nftcr the king's attempted escape ai Lichfield, where be dropped from a window of the tower in which he slept, but was perceived, and brouelit by force into Lichfield Cbstle again. As far as Coventry, parties of the king's faithful Welshmen pursued Henry of Bolingbroke's army, sni) harassed its rear. They were instigated and led by Richard's beloved squire and minstrel, Owen Glennnwer, who, from ihe hour when his rnynl patron became the prisoner of the aspiring Bolin^broke, vovfcj and maintained a lifelong enmity against the supplnnler of his The yoime fjueen found herself in the power of the usurper almost Miniiliaiieou!>ly with her unforlnnnto hnsbiind. Directly the news arrivetl thai Riehurd had surrendered himself, the cBrrisons of the royal easilcs »f Windsor and Wallingford yielded lo Henry of Bolingbrok«. Tradition declares, thai ihe young Isabella met her Inekless husbund on the Tmd, during his sad pilgrimage towards the metropolis, as a captive lo llrnry. and that their meeting and parting were tender and heart* breaking; bul ihe whole of Richard's progress has been uiinniely rieactibetl by eye- witnesses, who. it may be thought, would nol havt been silenl on a circumsutnce so picturesque and touching. Tins inter- view must, ilierefiire, be considered as a mere romance of history, ihough Shakapeare has made use of it with beautiful effect. In the midst of these changes, the young queen was hurried from plore to place witli litile resl. From WBllinglbrd she Ivan carried hf the popular jiarly to Leeds Cn.vlle, in Kent, where she was placed ut»]er Ihe care of llie widowed duchess of Ireland, who, having been wronged by king Richard and his late queen, was nol suppuseil to l>e extremetf b'vinirablc lo [he cause of ihe imprisoned monaich. As lady de Conrcy was AisU'r lo the duchess, she certainly obtained acccHS to the queen strain, notwiihsifuiding her dismissul by king Birhard, for she ' UinU Castle when the insurgent Londoners look umbrage i Tjeinily to llie ipieen of Ricliacd, and one of their leaders tlius addressed hrt: — •» iMiVt make iuBlant preporsiions of departure, for we will nol suffer to remain longer here. Take care, on saying faiewell to queen ' (hat yon show not any tokens of anger at our dismiaaing yot^ j I I I gAmuiig Ih* innat UmiitiCul 'if tlio WtIbIi ni<>l< atr, ■ &WMt Richard." Tnulitjon iIccIbiu iliii ri .wer Hboat lhl> lime m a ttibuta of kukx io liit unlbrtunalc r I'.-iwBnli HinE anil plnyn) in Ibv mnnr riaiiiK> ici fiivnur o( Hicli ij.- imwcrAil effect timt llie cclubraled Jacobite airs liail on iJic uie liuUM of Sluut I I jSi ISABELLA OF VALOIB. but tell her that your husband anii daughter ' have sent to entital yotf raium. This we advise you U> do, if you reganl your life. Tou onrt uk no rjuestions, and make no remarks lo (he queen, on anything Ifatf is going on. Tou will lie escoried to Dorer, and embarked in ihejM- Mge-boat for Boulopie," The lady of Courcy, alarmed ai tfaew a^ naees, uid knowing those who made tliem to be cruel and full of hMR^ replied, " That in God's name she would do as they directed." •■ Palfreys and hackneys were ruinished for herself and BtietRhMl*,i*d all the French of boili sexes were sent ofl? The French htiuaehulJ of the i|ueen bcin|^ thus broken up, noue were left with her tliat wntalill attached to king Richard. A new retinue was formed lor htr, of bdiKr damseU, and varlets. who were strictly enjoined never u> meniioo l)w name of king ItJcliard to her, or to acquaint her with what was bw It is nsaerted by all authors of that day, that the heart of th« jtm^ Isabella was devoted to Richard ; the chroniclers of her oirn counirr especially declare, ■' that he had behaved so amiably to lict tlul ■ loved him entirely." While, by a cruel policy, her youthful nund wn torn with the pangs of suspense, and the pain of parting from beriwun attendants, Rinhard was conveyed from Shene by night, aud ioiqti "• creily in ihe Tower, with such of his friends and minisieiv as wen fe cnliarly obnoxious to the Londoners. Adn' enduring many mortifications at the Tower, king RichanI aSeiti to resign the crown lo Henry of Bolingbroke, who immediately repii>di ^ h is necessary that the tliree estates of the realm should hear ihn {im- position ; and in three days the parliamentH will he collected, and as debate on the subject.*' So far bis rejoinder was made with modeniMi and propriety, but he added — " The people want to crown me ; for the common report in tk« e try is, that I have a better right to the cmwn than you. This »« lM our grandfather, king Edward, of happy memory, wlieit he educated y< and had you acknowledged heir lo the crown ; but his love wv strong for his son, the prince of AVales, nothing rould make bim tbn his purpuw. If you had followed the exanifde of the prince, you lai^ still have been king; but you have always acted so contrary, as to oet^ eioa the rumour to be generally believed ihroughout England, ihilfM were nut tlie son of the prince of Wales, but of a priest or eaiHiii. '■ 1 have heard several knights who were of the household ot «f uncle, the prince of Wales, declare that he was jealous of the cawtw of ihe princess. She was cousin-german to king Edward, who b(|pa» dislike her for not liaviitg children by his son, for he knew that du M 'Tha count de Cilly wu her buiband, and Bsttsua. de Coiwcy ha ia^tr sA»rwaidi empteu ui tbu IhoiIidi oi Aaixe of Bghenuo, Uic greoi iiip|»iiiif %■' mund ; she wai heiieia or tie Conrcj. — Brooiii. Either FiniMuri it miaMken in lliis asseilion, or Ibe Ftcncb wui^arfB* n weni replaced by Henrf IV.. jbr lli« Minum of Coiwd) OVMI* ■ French piraout, ivlio letunieil lo Franoe Wilb UaMti, as tUd^^ ti llioughu of his young wife a prisoner like himself, and perhaps is a«}iHl danger, gave rise to tempests nf rage, before whose sway the ineo^ lance of the nsurper seems to have quailed, when in his presence. The tine of the interview here described must hove been one day of the three which intervened between the conference concerning the abdica- tion jnat detailed and the meeting of parliament. The dukes of Vork and Aunierle. and Henry, now called dnke of LADcaJttrr, went lo the Tower, and sent tlie young earl of Arundel* to bid lh«i king come to them, oni of his privy chamber. When this nwa- aagr was delivered to liicbnrd, he replied, '* Tell Henry of l^ucuter fram me, I ihall do no such thing ; if he wants lo see me. let him coma lo me." On entering the king's afHirtineni, none sliowed any respect to him but Henrj', who took olf his cap. and, saluting him respectfully, aaiil, ^ Here is our cousin the duke of Aumerte, and our uncle the duka (•{ York, who wish to speah lo you," Richard raid, " Cousini they are III '1 lit to speak to me.'' " But have the goodness to hear ihem." said I' i>ry. Upon which Richard uttered an oaili, and said, turning lo Ym-k,* riiou villain ! what wouldst thou sav to mc ? and thou traitor of Hut* I I t " "■ id left him r^Btiil I I land — thou art neiiher good nor wortlir lo speak la me. anr to bear tha name o( Jukf, earl, nor knight; thou, und the vilioiii iliy falhei.&uiUy have ye beireyeU me;' in acurseil hour were ye bora; by your Ewe counsel was my uiifle Gloucester pill lo d«aLli !^' AuEOrHe irplird lo the king, -' tlial he lied," and threw dowa hia bonnet at hia (en ; npM whif-h ilie king said, ^' I am hiiig and ihy lord, and will contioDa kiafi and be greater lord than 1 ever was, id spile of all my eacmie* '^' tfpM thia, Henry tiopoaed «iIeDCe on Autnerle. Ricbanl, then luniirig willia fierc« countenance to HenrV] askeij ■■ why he was iu coofifianiBiK, aad whv under a guard of armed men ?" '- Am I your aemuit ur an I yoM 'king ? What do you mean to do with me f" Henry replied, " Y« M my king and my lurd. but die council of the realm liave licKrrnuncd ihn Siu are to be kept in condnenient tilt the decision of parliainem." The ng then swore a deep oath, and said, " I*ct nie hive my wife,'' "Ex- cuse me," replied Henry ; ^' it is forhiilden by the cuaocil that jitt ahoiild see queen Isabel." Then the Jiing in wnith walked abmuthi room, breaking into passionate exclanialions and ap|ie«la lo Unra, called ihem false imiiura, ollered in lighl any fuur of iliem, tlircw dowa hU bonnet as a gage, spoke "■ of lus lailier'a and his grandiallier^ baa, and hia reign of twenty~ono years." Henry of l^tncast^r then feU <■ his knees, and besought him " to be quiet till tlie meeting atft^' Before the meeiing of parliament, this burst of spirit hail ieep despondency. Htsiorians are not agreed whether tlie aUiiniioa of Richard took plac« in the hall of the Tuwer. or in Weslminrtrr UsIL Stow declares it was in Weslniineier Hall, and that by n singuhff eoii- cidence, tbis ceremony was the first solemnised in tliat batlilinf, nu its new erection by Ricliard. The parliament, in fact, waited, ■iliojin Westminster Hall, the termination of the fitllowing scene. Uew^ndi to the Tower with a selected number of prelates, duked, mb, i^ kuighls, and dismounted in the court-yard ; while king Riclianl, imBr dressed, with the sceptre in his hand and the crown on his head, eaicRd iKe hall in the Tower, but witliout supporters ou citUer side, wluih w his iiauaj state. He then addressed tlie company as follows : " ] have reigned kinii tf England, duke of Aquilaine, and lonl of Ireland, about tweiiiv-iwn yea*; which roj-alty, lordship, sceptre, and crown, 1 now fi'ecly and wSJwglj resign to my cousin, Ilenry of Lancaster, and entreat of him, ia ito presence of you all, to accept of this scepife." He thvo tnndpiMl lb Hcejilte to Henry of Lancaster, wbo took it and gave it l«i i)iv nrdil«JMf ' of Canterbury'. King Kichatd next raised up his crowo with both to bands from his head, and. placing it before liim, said, — " Benry. fair cousin, 1 present and give to yon this crowik villi vUik I was crowned king uf EugUad. and with it all the rtghia d il." Henry of Lancaster received the royal diadem, and uver to the arrhbishop. 'Aumarle bnd jusi surieiiJefaU tlic loynl iiitif of Brinlnl. iho last hufc af *W JnTortunale king. I ^B ISABELLA OF VALOIS. 35 Tlitu was ihe resignation mcceptetl ; Henry o[ LancaBter calling in & public notary, thai an authentic act mighl be drawn uji of this procoed- isg. which was wiinesseil by all present. Soon afier ihe king was led back to the aparlmetits in ihe Tower, from whence lie had been con- ducti-d. The two jewels I ihe crown and acepire) were snfely [meked up uid given to proper giiarda, who placed them in tho treasury of Wes»- niinsler Abhny, until they should be needed.' The news of ihe rtvirainl, in which the young queen of England waa held, liad been carried by some merchants of Bruges lo ihe coast of France, together with the account of die deposition of her husband. Bui. when the lady de Courcy arrived, who bad been attached to the house- hold «r I»ibclla, the whole truth was known. Directly she ali^tcd al ihe hotel of her lord 01 Paris, ihe king tif France sent there to hear nevs of his dnngbier. The king of France was ho much shocked al ihe ill lidingn «hD tnid of Isabella and her btisbatid, ihal though his health had ht^n good for some lime, his agitation, on hearing of his daughter^ reverse of fortune, broughl back his fits of frenzy. The duke of Burgundy said, "The marringe of king Richard wilh lenbelU was unadvised, and so I declared when it was proposed. Sines the Eiiglisli have imprisoned king Richard, tliey will assuredly pul him to dmth ; for lliey always haled him because he preferred peace to war. Tliey will as certainly crown Henry of I^ncaster." This prediction of the queen's uncle proved true. During llie last days of September, Henry of Lancasler was recognised by the mojorjiy of ihc assembled parliament as king, and was magnificently crowned in Ocioher, without ihe slightest lecoguilioii of ihe prior claims of iha orphan hciis of the earl of March. ^H While this revolution was ellecieil. ihe young queen was removed to ^| SuflRing Hilli diBr« she was kept a state prisoner, and sedulously mi»> ^H ioforiDed regarding iho events ihat had befullcn her husband. The lut ^^ hopes of kiug Richard had ended in despair, when his cousin Anmerls had yicldeil the loyal city of Bristol, and his brother-in-law Huniingdon pive up Calais, and swore feidiy to Henry IV. This fealty, however, only lasted six weeks. A plot was eel on fiHit, headed by Autnerle, Munlingduu, and Salisbury, for killing Henry IV. at a tournament they were about to give at Wmdsor. Henry, whose health soon broke under the anxieties which beset the crown of tliorns he had assumed, was sick ^SlrWindaor Castle. There was a spiked instrument concealed in lii> JH ^^^^ for the purpose of destroying him when be lay down to rest ; ju ^H ^^BOttaction, snys the monk of Evesham, " was attributed lo one of th^ ^H V^Huttg qURCu's servants." ^H Kiebnnrs doom was now scaled. He was hurried from the Tower to Ponlcfmrl Castle; nimntime, the confederate lords llew to amis, and, >Fr(ii»nn. Tliii nnirHtiTa it in s-erfefft u"iw>n wilh Hie ancipnl Iswiand mifc ^^ BaM or EnKlnnil. wliivb oflnlniMl tlial Si. F^Jword'l Diown Hiid reKnlin should ^H ^^^^ div kraplng of ttie slitxil of Weatmintter. ^H ^K VOL.UI. — 8 ^^M I I I i dreeing Dp king Richard's rliaploiii. AfBiidelain,' in royal ndM claimed Uiai the tlepowil king had esca]>eut liccMlf tiibH disposal. Slie likewise took great pleasiiro id onletiue ihe twigcs rf Henry IV. to be lom from her household, and replaced by tliowi at te royal husbuod -, ia which ^ harmless spite," says Hay ward. ^ the fNCi Isabel tuok the utmost saiislaction." A pioclamaiion won likerai issued in lier name, doclaiijig " thai she did not recognise Henc^ otlt^ caster as king." The queen then set out with her brotber^iMaw. fa turl of Kent, and his allies, on their march lo Wallingfoni ami Almgilt. Full of jiiyful hope, the entbusiasiic girl etpected every ktiut U ami her king triauiplisnt at the head uf a loyal nrmy. She wm wkb di buruns when they entered the fatal town uf Cirencester; bui. amiikltta mysterious durluie.ss which shruuds the termination of Uiis insnnwtida, wc lose sight of the actual manner in which the young qiit^n «« n- captured by Henry IV. Let fortune have declared fur wluitcvsr ptrtyil might, disappoiiiiinent alone was in store for the heart of l^wlk, ma the Ricltanl, whom she hoped to meet, was but a counterfeit ia nml robes to deceive the common people. The chiefs of the instimsra were betrayed by the mayor of Cirenr«ster, and their BumnuTy ewoliai followed in a few hours. Isabella was loo young lo be punisheil lorhe share in litis rebellion, excepting by close resirainL She was srat. aftfl quiet was restored, strictly guarded, lo the palace of Haverine aiie BoWK and this appears to hare been her place of residence, ditriog the iapai eveiiis Ehat succeeded the insurrection, in which she look a pMt « deciiled, considering her tender age. These transactions took place at the end of January, and ibe big^ ning of February, 1 100, when the insurrection was subdued ; ii bseui a luvnurile topic of conversation between the knighls and lords of Ilea* ry^s bed-rhamber, who always concluded by observing OD the iflipo» biliiy thai Henry IV. should reign peaceably while Richard II. ww td- fered lo exist. The wily king gave no inlinistion that ho hnrd ihm colloquies. After an abortive invasion by the eoniit dc St. Pol, ItidnflA brother-in-law, the king's flatterers and templets beset hin mon dfl ever. " Yet," says Proissart, emphatically, " the king of EngUoil imJt M ' Br wu riceetlinsly like Ricbaid, and 9U|)po*ciJ lo Ik an illi ^iiiiwH ■■*( royal hmily ; bs wiu iniplicat<>il in L)ie illc^l exwubua of lb* ilsla of GkiucMter. He had odhoieil lo Kinluuil wiili tlie utuuist fid ^H rJironicle. of his being the son of a priesU H <* iUcbard of Bonlenui, when dead, was placed on s lilirr rovonl ■ with black cloth, and a canopy of the nune. Four blaek liorm «m ^1 harneneJ to it, ami four varleU in mourning conducted the lintt, U- W less one of the kuielils, and ihe varleta the worthy sunrivots of RidmN they came to the Chepe ; which is the greatest thoroughfare in ibr rig. and there they halted for upwards of two hour*. Mure tlian iHcoit thousand persons came lo see king Richard, who lay in the littn, bit head on a lilaek cushion,' and his lace uncovered."' Thus was queen Isabella left a widow in her lliiTteenih ytu; tbi death of her royal lord was concealed from her a constdenitib! am: but she learned the murderous manner of it soon enough, lo ifjeci mvi horror all offers of union with the heir of Lancaster. Young m ^h was, Isabella gave proofs of a resolute and decisive chancter; iniu<4 firm and faithful afleclion were shown by this yomliful ipieen, wbirii captivated the minds of the English, end caused her to be matle lb heroine of many an historical balLid, — a species of limntiire that A« people of the lard much delighted in at that time. fit of insanity ; brought on by anxiety for his daughter's fiue. TV 1 bably to conceal any BccWental effusion of blood. but ibe (hoe." Thiis, aliboiigh the body wu exposed to the »lew cl iSr ;ic^to» in all tlie lowm llinni^ which it pasted, as wvU dj in tlie mru cODid pouibly EUOMIain what woundj were on the hend. 'lu. ptaiul/iNnnt out the peculiar maonec ofRkhard's d«uh. Tia.!. Iflyal cuile of Ponlefraci wm dilapidated by CromweH. " Wc -=...,-^1 ; j; ..^ Mrenph. simatiao. and largeneu, may compare wilh soy in Ihe kkn^doa. b Ibe cin-'Uil of Ibii caslls are aeveo faounu Xoutn; the higbut at Uien it ^U poll till hii baibuoBi bulchen deprived him of lifB. Vvon Um , haddvgi andfiira bbw do ,m rtmain. Wp viewed tbe ;p«i< u- aod aaw llic cbanilier oT presence, the king ard ijUMn's cbair.i. r ^— and many other room*, all fit and niiinble for princes, '■ — Brufi-\ . -t^^&w ^ iftutfrntor." p, IM. The Bound Tower i> by Weaver (Fowr.! iJ™«™.j H MlW - .be BUdy Tower," be «.y* by tnuli.ion of tbe wurtiy |k * ^m tWoK/, in meiwiij of ibe nitirdei of Riobanl a ' ywiBif quMii, but lleary IV, wnuUI not hear of it, answering, ** thM «hff fthould reside in li^gland like oilier qiieeD-iluwngcr!!, in e^i^Dt honour) w livr dowcr^ anil thai if »lie hnu unlorkily loit a hutliaiul, she should b« provided witli anulher forthwith, who would be young, hanilflomc, ami evrry way deserring of her love. Richard of Bordeaux was loo old for her, hut the person now olTeroil was suitable in etery reepwt; beitig no other than the prince of Wales."' It aeenis strange that Jsabella, who had exprefwed such infant pri siaxit bcnrt liom the memory of Richard, but in vain. She was just of the age to captivate the lancy of an ardent young prince like Henry of Momnouih; nor can there exist a doubt, by the extreme perttnacrly with which he wooed the widow of his cousin, tliat she was belovra by bin). However this may be, the modern paradox of Iticlwrd ll.'a escape from the bloody towers of Pontefract' is utterly annihilated, by the continual elG>rts of Henry IV. to gain the hand of Isabella for his son. " Would Henry," asks an historical aniiqaBry, in the Archeologia, " have U-en so desirous for the marriage of his heir with the wiilow of Rit^snl, had he not been certain, beyond all doubt, tlint her husband was dead i" He would not surely have pronioteil a murriuge, which would have diegitimaled the heirs of Lsnrasler. This is one of the hiatDfical proofs of a disputed poiut which appeals directly to common ■oiae. Wlien Charles VI. recovered His senses, he sent the eouiii d'Albret to inquire into tlie situation of IsaliC'lla. King Henry and liio ruuncd were ai Eltham, where the French ambassador was splendidly enieititined by him. He told Henry he had been sent by the king and queen of Fraatv to »c« tJie young queen their daughter. The king replied — ■• We no way wish to prevent you from seeing Tier, but you must pro* •FroiHvi. ■Moii»tifl...i. ■ Toe much ilte*! )iu been laid (by ihme who have worknl IxirU lu prove thil (■mdoi] on iho foot, tliat Blobard t ihull wu Touud ontiie, wlicii bii unnb waa ' •■HtrilMil in WeitiniiuiFt Atibry, Let ihe snliciiuuie*. huwuTct, contult med^ eal avihoTiti». ariH ibi^)' will And ilinl iaitanl dralh mar eniui*, rroni a ooddi ■■DO on the brain, without Ilie bune o( iha lieail being braked j Biul how easy WM, if ths king hail. indr»d, been only ([onnrd, Ibr hi* smiHiini lo <'i»ii[i|< *ip> nOMh and oMirlli, m lliat llie tolum of rospira'ion wb« pinveouU I I I I I mise, on ftath, lliat neither yoiirself, nor any of your company, ipni a lier any tiling cnnccmin? Richard of Bocileuux. Shouh! you do oiiie> wise, you will ermtly olletiil us and tile whole couiiuy, autl reuuiu m peril of your lives while here." Nat long after ihisi the earl <>f Northumlierland csrrieil mum d'Albict to Haveriug sue Bower, where Isabella then resided. She wat ■ileaJnl by the duchess of lieland, (he duches? of Gloucciter, hei tvo ikut^ ten, aed other Indiea and diunaela as companiorie. The ecul intradoa^ the Freni-h embasfy to ihe youn^ C|ueen, who conversed aotne linw wnk llienu askiitg engerly many questions afier her ruynl parcnU. Thiy kept till! pfiuite iliey had inaile, by never mentioniiig kiog Richti^lM ratnrneil lo Loudon after a short interview. Al ElihaiUi on iheir mjr homCi they dined with k.in^ Henrj~, who presented them with some neb jeweb. iVlien Ihey tooli. leave, he said amicably, "Tell those who sent you (hat llie queen ehatl never auder the sniallcst hnrni, or any ili*- tnrbance. but shall keep up a slate and dignity becontiag her btrin ni nnk, and enjoy all her rights ; for, young as she is, she ought SM W be made acqtuinted with all the changes that happen in ihis woHd."' The council of Henry ]V. meantime amtiously delibcisied on Uwilt^ tination of tlie young queen.' Ii conie at last to the tlecbion. that Iw bellEi, heiiis of tender a^^e, had no riifhl to claim revenue aa qneen-duW' ^er of England ; liul ihai, as no accommodation could be c&cttd hj the marriage with the prince of Wales, she ought to be realared to ber frienda directly, witli all the jewels »iid paiaphern«lia tbal she broii(hl with her.' But on this poini a grand dilJiculty arose, for Henry IT.latd ■eised the little tgueen's jewels, and divided them among hi« six chiUm. the prince of Wales havuig the greatest sliare. The kirig wrote lo h> nouncil decLuing '* that he hud coininiuided his sou and other dHUm to give up the jewels of their dear cousin queen Isabeiln, and thai i^ were lo be sent to London.^' But intention and p«rforniuice ve mt diflerent niai(er«, for that " the dear cousin's jewels" were never tcunicd we have the evidence of the queen's uncle, Orleans, and the Fmrk treaties between Henry V. and Charles VI.* Nor are ihey named wiik h«r property sp>ecilied in her journey to Leiilinglieti ; yei iu the acbedilf her silver drin king-cup. a few silver saucers and dishes, with a liolt i4l tapestry, are pompously enumerated, it is worthy of rainark, to ibo* the extreme pareimony of Henry, tliat an item demondit^ nvw ikA^ for the young queen and her uuuds of honour, with dotli for ibev ctar- Kttes or cliariuts, is sharply met by the answer, ^ iluit the lung's «ud- robe had given out aU that he intended." Queen [rubella set out fur London, May i7, accompanied by t«* ladies of the royal tarn ily, who had both received great tnjiina frw ■For Oih inrormalion and ttie rest of the faeu follawms. wa ore In^Md* sir Harris Nicr'lua' invaluable adition of ilie SlinuiH of tlio Priiv CewiL nAk pp. 118-134, Hi. *Sm p. lU, wbore a, deicripiioD is ^voD cf ber rcAtet, rhJ aa •atbnaa tf fli waJne oT iuc jewels. ■ Rapin, roL i. Ucnn- V.'a n%^ ISABELLA OP VALOtI SI Kcfmnl n.' The dur.heas of Ireland was one, and the countess of Herefoni' (mother lo llie duchess of Gloucester, the widow of the ■tkngluern] Thomas of Woodstock), the other. To these ladies was cmuigned the care, or rather the custody, of Isabella'd person. Tha sweetness of this angelic girl's ihsposition hod certainly converted tliesa natural enemies into loving friends, as will presently be shown. Next in rmnk to these great ladies in the train of Isabella was Eleanor UoUaud, the young widow of Ro^r, earl of March, slain in Ireland, whose soq was heir of England dt jure ; she had been appointed governess to tho qut-eii by Itichard 11., and siill adhered lo her, though merely claeseil now among her Indies of honour ; the other ladies were, lady Poioinga, lady Mowbniy, end Madame de Vache. Isabella had likewise seven iBaida of honour, and two French chambermaids, Simonette and Mari- ftBoe:. The French chamberlain was Monsieur de Vache. She had a ocMifeesor anil a secrciary. She was escorted by the bishops of Durham ■nd Hereford, and by the earl of Somerset, Henry IV.'s half-brother, with four kniglits bannerets and six chevaliers. With this train and escort the young queen set out from Havering,' At Tolienham Cross, she was met by the late lord chamberlain, the earl of Worcester, with a gallant company, who joined her train. The lord mayoi and his viscounts (as the aldermen were then called), with other food people of the city, met her at Saiidford-hill, and, falling in with ber procession, guardeil her to London. At Hackney, prince Thomas, Kcond son to Henry IV., met the young queen, and honourably accom' puiiMl her lo London, assisted by the constable of England, tlie marshal, and other great ollicers. It is supposed Isabella tarried at Ihe Tc don entry, for she did not sail for Fra three bal lingers and two armed barges I T from the day of her Loi>. i till July 1st followin^t, when re appointed to receive her and ■ far advanced before the a hor parents; during which Uis in their power (i y of Richard, But her r rafusal. remained the same ; dinory, and her twenty-eight thi 1 widow of Richard H. » Henry fV. anil his son Hied , diake her chihlish eonsiaucy to i steady aversion," as Moiisirelei caila I of this child was extnioi^ I ness, more probable in a royal heroine of I > had seen liide more than half ns monf 1 'Sec preceding voliimf, memoir ofAnne of Bohemia, *1li9 iBily, calM couutoti ofllercrorrl, was tlio mother of the co-heireSMi Hcrelbril. tin duBhera of Gloucester, and Mnry, the rlKcDHwi wift of die imir. ._ , Utatf IV. Tba doohau of GUniwMer. wlio hut heen in the fltmily of Iwbella, * 1 iaiBly loM hcT pRimi>in( son, liy tlia pl>)^ifl, snit ha Uio grandmoilier, by tlie mal'-tnal lido, It this dowvr-pnlnoe of iha Engliili queens ai ber Inlesl reii- ■lo ihai Kine political rcaun miKl>t hnva inadi- Isabella's il itiniuKh WnliliiuD (hioit. anil IoJkb "t Wnliliaiii huiilin([ i>B)aoe , . ■Itn miiflil niD« Itio Loa lo gain tin ooilli roaul iniHad of tlie aaal rcsd, lot kar tsouiM wiu plainly by TottoiiIiiunJiill, aod her enmitos into Londoo bjp ittokuey.— Soa Miaaia of /V»y Craanf, vol. i. p. US. I I I ISABELLA OP VALOtS. suRimfrra. At lanx. Use usurper resolveil lo restore the yonti^ irido* lA Fnnc?, bui refuseil lo return her dowry, saying, that as b gnat faWNf he wfiuld agree lo dedurl its amount fram ihe sum total thai Fnaee nU (ra-ed Engiaiid. Tor the ntnsom o( king John. The Jewels of the J* It was on the 26A of J^> 1402, wlien air Thomas Percy, with streaming tears, look the j*iai( qneen by the arm. and delivered her with good grace into ibe Imii i Waleian count St. Pol, sumanied the Righteous,' and raceived eoMl tellers of c[uillance for her from the French. In these the Eogliah ««■ missioners declared, thai the young ijueen was jusi ns she h>d hm received, and Percy offered to fight d Voulranct tmy one wbo ihiiiril usserl the contrary." To do the French justice, they could no* bnt welcomed back their young princess royal with more enthusiiam aaJ loyolt}', if she had been dowered with all the wealth of Ennlajid, iniiai of returning destitute, and plundered of all but her beauty nnd hoDoor. The virtues and sweet temper of the youthful queeit bwl won lit affections of her English ladies, for our nianuRCripl pursues*— " Know, before ihe parlies separated, they all wept moel nilMwlfi and when they came to quit the chapel of our I^dy nl Leulinghes, qua Isabel, whose young heart is full of tenderness and kindliness, hnvjli all her English ladies, who were making sore lameutatiiMUy tBM ikl ■eeding, wliioh i* mil]' wiibout prae^eni for sl>«UTdji]r. *AneiWBiil9 tbe nul of Woiceslpr. 90 faminu in tile Percjr nballicM. 'He wiM bmUi> lUiiutirJrk I1B made a moat exlrnordinary proposal, declnring ihttl if Uie hanii >4 kabella (now in lier eighteenth year) were bestowed un the prince uf Wales, be would abdicate (he English crown in larour of the yiniof prince.' The royal council of Frauce sal in debate on this ofler for 1 Ions; lime; but the king's brother, Louis duke of Orleans, eoniendd that he had the promise o( die hand of Isabella for his son Charles M Angouli^me ; he represented the frduds of the king of Enflan^ mi called to iheir memory the * steady aversion" of his niece to ally be^ self with the assassin of the husband site still tnved. An an&routahlt ■nswRr WHS iherEfore given to (he English ambassadors, who departed malcontent, * The bctrolhmenl of Isabella to her youthful rousin took plarr u Compiegne, where her mother, queen Isabean, met the duke of Orieaif and his son. Magnificent ft'ies took pisre at the ceremony, eonaisuiig of "banquett, dancings, jousts, and other jollities." Bui ifae bride wept bitterly while her hand waa pledged (o a brtd^room so mneh voonirr than herself; (he court charitably declared that her Irars (lowed on t- count of her losing the tide of queen of England ; but the hean of Ibt fair young widow had been too severely schooled in advereiiy to mocm over a mere empty name.' Der ihonghis were on king Itirlinnl. The husband of Isabella became duke of Orleans in 14<'', felher was atrociously murdered in the Rue Barbette, by the duke of Burgundy. Isabella took a decided pan in <'i tice to be executed on die powerful assassin of her nncb: .: ' "The young queen-dowager of England came with her motheris- law, Violante of Milan, ducbess of Orleans, both dressed in the (Iwpm weeda ol' black. They arrived without the walls of l'ari» in a rharnvA or aagon. covered wiili black cloth, drawn by six soow-wbite steak whose funeral trappings strongly contrasted with their (^olou^ baMli and her mother-in-law sat weeping in (he from of the wagoo; a Ui^ ' Here U an evident admiaiion that Ricliard died by violence, — but llnuy i> illioiit Lii orders ; thus comilioratiTiE Ihe nccoiint of llip ntunler M o* wiiti sir PitTs E^lon. Had Richard bfrn clarvcd, Haar; iircmid bin d»Flar«) his blood was ntnsheil. *No English higtohan can believe this sssetliaa, yet Gifforil id hi* adininUc Bislory of France does not diepule it. ■ Moiiiticlcil. and die Clironiclex of Sl Deoii. MonstrFlrl doclue* tl>M(^it« dnbeorOrloani had b«u Ibe godrndiei of Isabella, and it.i-tclbrr n .tj.i.iii ati,! the dat^B of the liirth of Isabella anil Orlcnns show ihai ihli u .. bllitjr. Ii U pnsfible that Uabella bad Ixtta godmiHlH-i 10 t'r Migbt VDtlttl CriOT ot the tnniciibers of Moostrrlel niifihi «(»<■ 1 AMtdi, 'Chronlclaiaf >i 1' ISABELLA OF TALOIt. ID file of moorning wa^ns, filled with the domestics of the princesses, fol- lowed. They were met at the gates by most of the princes of the blood.'' ' This lugubrious train passed, at a foot's pace, through the •treets of that capital stained by the slaughter of Orleans. The gloomy appearance of the procession, the downcast looks of the attendants, the flowing tears of the princesses, for a short time excited the indignation of the raiisians against the popular murderer, John of Burgundy. Isa- bella alighted at the gates of the H6tel de St. Pol, where, throwing her- self at the feet of her half-crazed father, she demanded, in concert with the duchess Violante, justice on the assassin of her uncle. The unfor- tunate king of France was thrown into fresh agonies of delirium by the Tiolent excitement produced by the sight of his suppliant daughter and sister-in-law. A year afWrwards the same mournful procession traversed Paris again ; Isabella again joined Violante in crying for justice, not to the unconscious king, who was raving in delirium, but to the dauphin Louis, whose feeble hands held the reins of empire his father had dropped. Soon afler, Isabella attended the death-bed of the duchess Violante, who died positively of a broken heart for the loss of Orleans. The fol- lowing year Isabella was married to her cousin : the previous ceremony had been only betrothment The elegant and precocious mind of this prince soon made the diflerence of the few years between his age and that of his bride forgotten. Isabella loved her husband entirely ; he was the pride of his country, both in mind and person. He was that cele- brated poet duke of Orleans, whose beautiful lyrics are still reckoned among the classics of France.' Just as Isabella seemed to have attained the height of human felicity, adored by the most accomplished prince in Europe, beloved by his family, and with no present alloy in her cup of happiness, death claimed her as his prey in the bloom of her life. She expired at the castle of Blois, in her twenty-second year, a few hours after the birth of her infant child, Sept. 13th, 1410. Her husband's grief amounted to frenzy ; but afVer her infant was brought to him by her attendants, he shed tears, and became calmer while caressing it.^ The first verses of Orleans that attained any celebrity were poured forth by his grief for this sad bereavement He eays^ — Alas! Death, who made thee so bold To take from me my lovely princess f Who was my comfort, my life, My good, my pleasure, my riches. Alas ! I am lonely, bereft of my mat»^ Adieu, my lady, my lily I Our loves are for ever severed. ' Chronicles of St Denis. *ln the publio library of Grenoble is a fine copy of the poems of Charles duke of Orleans, the husband of this queen of England. It was written from his dic- latkm by bis secretary, Antoine TAstisan. It has been copied for the Bibliotheque Rojmle. Another fine copy exists, richly illuminated, in the British Museum, SDDpoaed lo have been transcribed iar Henry VIL ' lMbella*s inihnt was a little girl, who was reared, and aAerwaida t»AmMl>f^ tfM duke of Aleopon. SABELLA OF VALOia. Bvt B mnre finished Ivric lo ilic memory of Imbella thiu o a Preach .' — Xaifa'd tobfeqiu de Madame,' To tiiBke mjr l»dy'» ob»iiuiB4 My love a niinstai wraughl, And in the cbsmc)- service ihera Was sung by doleful thoogllL The uprn were of burning (igfai^ Thai lighl bihI odour gavn, And grief Illuniiiied by loan Itrailiated li«r grave; And rouiut abDu^ in quBinreR gnita, The bin 1 thing u iBl s; AboTC her lielh ipread a ramb Of gold and Bn|i]>hirei blur: The gatil accused by contemporary historians of practising the dark myste- ries of the occult sciences, in the unhallowed privacy of his own palace ; and it is certain tliat, as a poisoner, Charles of Navarre acquired an infamous •elcbrity Uiroughout Europe. * Mezerai. Moreri. * First to Mary Plantagenet, the daughter of his royal patron and protector, Eiiward 111., with whose sons he had been educated and taught the science of nar. Mary dying witliout children in the third year of her niarriiigo, lui •spoiised, secondly, Jane Holland, the half-sister of Richard II. of Kuj^land. . * Doiu Morice. Chron. de Bretagne. * Dum Mocvc^a, I I I r4D JO&MIiA or IfATAKRB. offices of her aunt on ihis occaaion,' long arter the auplial lir MMM net anil lier mature lonl bad been dissolved by d«alli, and aha M Cfr icred iiilo mutrimuniitl eiigagetnenta with Henry IV. of The Uisloriqura," a memorial of the expensna of Pierre de Leauemc for tta voyage, specifying that lie stocked the vmmIs with tha |>roviw« required for the royal bride and her train. The roniiacL of marriage between the duke of Breutgne aod Jotnm was signed at Pampeluika, August 25th, 1380. The king of Kmnt engaged to give his daughter 120,001) livres of gold of tlie coin* of At kings of France, and 6000 livres of ihe rents due to him on the lavli of the viscount tJ'Avtanches.' The duke, on his side, usignnl (o iht princess, for her dower, the citiea of Nantes and Guerrand, the fvaiy of Rais, of Chatellenic de TottSbn, and Guerche. Joanna then itftad with Pierre de Leanerac and her escurt for Bretagne, and on th* lllhd September, 1386, was married to ihe duke of Bretagne at Saille, mm Cuerrand, in the presence of many of the nobles, knights, and siiiifaM of Bretagne.' A succession of feasts and pagcmiia of the mnet aulawfJ description were given by the duke o( Bretagne at Naoles, ia boaatf of his nuptials with his young brides* In the beginning of the new year, February' 1387. "■ ia toiea iJ Mr muinal aSection and delight in their union, the duke and duebMt ti- ebonged gifts of gold, sapphires, pearls, and other cowily gnna, wit borees, Cilcons, and various sons of wines.' Joanna appears to have possessed the greatest influence owwr ktr In^- baiid's heart, and to have been treated by him with the fciMlm MMi- deration, on all occasions, although her Cither was uiMtUe to MS to firomiK with regard to the portion the duke was to have reetitaj wiA ler. The death of Joanna's lather, which took place the nine vetr. *■ attended with circumstances of peculiar horror. He had long tien <^ fering from a complication of maladies. In lopes of recoverBf ka paralytic limbs from their mortal cbillness. ht -aitsed his whole p«>* to be sewn up in cloths dipped in spirits of wine and salpfanr. Ox night, after these bandages had been fixed, neither knife nor aijiii being at hand, the careless attendants applied the flame of the caarfk !■ •ever the needle with which the linen had been sewn; the >pihi«rf wine ini'Utitly ignited, and the wretched Charges was btimed ao dm^ fully, that, after lingering several days, he expired,' Jantcar^r Is, IVT, ttymet't Ftcilera. *Ddir Uoiiue^ Cluon. ila Riiiisim *I>IUn Moriua. Pteiivcs KUloiique*. *Dom Moiice. CUion. d« Gieucnc JOANNA OF If ATABBS. 41 Iflftving his throne to his gallant patriotic son, Charles the (}ood,'and his name to the general reprobation of all French chroniclers. The Bretons, who had, according to Don Morice, boded no good cither to themselves or to their duke, from his connexion with this prince, far from sympathising with the grief of their yoang duchess for the tragical death of her last surviving parent, rejoiced in the deliverance of the earth from a monster whose crimes had rendered him a disgrace to royally.' The last bad act of the life of Charles le Mauvais, had been to in- ■inuaie to his irascible son-in-law that Oliver de Clisson entertained a criminal passion for the young duchess of Bretagiie ;* and this idea ex- cited in his mind a tliirst for vengeance, which nearly involved him and ail connected with him in ruin. In early life, John the Valiant and Clisson had been united in the tenderest ties of friendship. The courage and military skill of Clisson had greatly contributed to the establishment of this prince's claims to the dukedom of Bretagne. Latterly, however, Clisson had opposed the duke'a political predilections in favour of England, as productive of much evil to Bretagne ; and he had further caused great oflence to the duke, by ransoming, at his own expense, John count de Penthievres, the rival claimant of the duchy, from his long captivity in England, and marrying him to his eldest daughter and co-heiress, Margaret de Clis- son, just at the time when there appeared a prospect of the duchess Joanna bringing an heir to Bretagne.* Clisson was the commander of the armament preparing by France for the invasion of England, which was to sail from Treguer, in Bre- tagne, the king and regents of France imagining that they had wholly ■ecured the friendship of the duke, by his marriage with their young kinswoman, Joanna of Navarre. Their pUns were completely frustrated by the unexpected arrest of Clisson by the duke/ of which Froissart gives the following lively account; attributing, however, to political motives a proceeding which appears to liave been dictated by furious jealousy. Dissembling the deadly malic« of his intentions under the deceitful blandishments with which the fell designs of hatred are so frequently masked, he wrote the most aflectionate letters to the constable, request- ing his presence, as a vassal peer of Bretagne, at a parliament whicli he h^ summoned to meet at Vannes, where his duchess was then holding her court at the castle Dc la Motte.* Suspecting no ill, the constable came with other nobles and knights to attend this parliament The duke gave a grand dinner to the barons of BreUgne, at his castle De la Motte, and entertained them with an ap- pearance of the most aifectionate hospitality till a late hour. The con- stable of France* then invited the duke and the same company to dine ' Nouv<»au Dictionnnirc lli»t(iritjue. Dom Morice. Cliron. dc Brotngne. ■MSS. process again!*! the king of Navarre, quoted by Outltrie. Guthrie calls Joanna, by mistake, Mary. •FroisiarL *Ibid. Cbroniques de Bretagne. *FroiiMirt *IbkL 4* I I i M JOAHNAOFNAVABBI. with liim on the folluwing day. The tluke accepleO ihe invilaliaB mf frankly, and behnveil in ihe most friendly oiBnn«r. seauog himtdT ■Riuiig ihe gneeiB, wiih whom he ale, drank, and convrrseil, with «*viy appearance of good'WlU. When ihe repast wsa concludcnU br intiwil the cnnalable Clisnon, the lord de Beaumanoir, and some otlien, tn come with him and see the impTDvements made by him at hi« Bne mile of Erndne. wtiich he had nearly rebuilt and greatly beaaliiinl, oa ibe occasion of his late marriage with the princess of Navarre. The duke's behaviour had been so gracious and winning, that bis iB- vilaiion was frankly accepted, aud ihe unsuspecting noblira accMnfanid him on horseback to the casUe. When they arrived, the duke^ dw mi> •table, anil the lords Laval and Beaumanoir dismouritcid, am) tirgta U view the apartments. The duke led the cimstnble by the hand fiota chamber to chamber, arid even into the cellars, where witie was oflntd. When iliey reached the entrance of ihe keep, the duke paused, tni in- vjied Clisson to enter and examine the construction of the timkliag, while he remained in conversation with lord de L^val.' The constable entered the lower alone, and ascended ilie ftaitoM. When he had passed ihe first floor, some armed men, who bad btn ambushed there, shut the door below, seised him, dragged him iltton aparimeni, and loaded him with three pair of fellers. As they wtn putting iliem on. they said, ''My lord, forgive what we Kre daJDf,&r we are compelled lo this by the authority of ihe duke of firclafne." When the lord de Xjimi, who was at ihe entrance of iJie tower, IkwJ the door shut with violence, he was afraid of some plot asainH hk to- ther-in-law, the constable ; and, turning to the duke, who Indtad M pale a> death, was confirmed that something wrong waa tnteiided. ni cried QuL ''Ah .' niy lord, for God's sake, what are they.doiug ? Do niX use any violence againut the constable." ''' Lord de Laval," said the duke, '^ mount your liorse, and gu boa* while you may ; 1 know very well what I am aboni.''" " My lord." raid Laval, " 1 will never depart without my btolhtrHO- law. the constable." Then came the lord de Beaumanoir, whom the duke greatly hMi. and naked, " Where ihe constable was ?'' The duke, driving liii ih^ ger, adranced lo him and said, " fieauiunnoir, dosi thou wish to be At ihy master?" '' My lord," replied Benumanoir, " I cannot believe my nwater to bl otherwise than in good plight." " 1 ask thee again, il' ihou wouldest wish to be like the duke. " Yes, my lord," replied Beaumanoir. " Well, then, Beaumanoir," said ihe duke, holding lh« dae^ him by the point, "since ihou wouldest heUke him, thou inui out one of thine eyes.'" This malignant taunt on the personal defect of the roiuit«h|ft. .. ing, as il donbllesa ilid, from the jealous ire that was boiling ■ hh 'Fnii«nut. 'lUiL JOANNA OF NATARRB. 4B bmsU came with a worse grace from the angreteful duke, since Cli&son had lost his eye while fighting bravely in his cause at the battle of Aaray. The lord de Beaumanoir, seeing from the expression of the dnke^s countenance that things were taking a bad turn, cast himself on his knee, and began to expostulate with him on the treachery of hi& conduct towards the constable and himself. ^ Go, go !'' interrupted the duke ; " thou shalt hare neither better nor worse than he." He then ordered Beaumanoir to be arrested,' dragged into another room, and loaded with fetters, his animosity against him almost equalling his hatred to Clisson. The duke then called to him the Sieur Bazvalen, in whom he had the greatest confidence, and ordered him to put the constable to death at midnight, as privately as possible. Bazvalen represented in vain the perilous consequences that would ensue ; but the duke said, ^ he had resolved upon it, and would be obeyed.'^ During the night, however, hia passion subsiding^ he repented of having given such orders, and at daybreak sent for Bazvalen, and asked ^^ if his directions had been obeyed P'^ ' On being answered in the affirmative, he cried out, ^ How ! it Clisson dead ?" ^ Yes, my lord^ he was drowned last night,' and his body is buried in the garden," said Bazvalen. ^ Alas !" replied the dVike, ^ this is a most pitiful good-morrow. Be* gone, Messire Jehan, and never let me see you more !" As soon as Bazvalen had retired, the duke abandoned himself to ago- nies of remorse ; he groaned and cried aloud in his despair, till his ■quires, valets, and oflicera of the household, flew to his succour, sup- posing he was suffering intense bodily pain, but no one dared to speak to him, and he refused to receive food. Bazvalen, being informed of his alate, returned to him, and said, ^ My lord, as I know the cause of your misery^ I believe I can provide a remedy, since there is a cure for all things." ^ Not for death," replied the duke. E>azvalen then told him, that, foreseeing the consequences and the lemorse he would feel if the blind dictates of his passion had been obeyeil, he had not executed his commands, and that the constable was •till alive. ^ What, Messire Jehan ! is he not dead ?" exclaimed the duke, and, fclling on Bazvalen's neck, embraced him in an ecstasy of joy. The lord de Laval, then entering, renewed his supplications for the life of his brother-in-law Clisson, reminding the duke, in a very touching manner, of the early friendship that had subsisted between them when they were educated together in tlie same hotel with the duke of Lancaster, and what good service Clisson had since done him at the battle of Auray ; and ended with imploring the duke to name any ransom he pleased for his intended victim.^ *Finssnrt. 'Dom Morice's History of Bretagne. * Ibia. A prisoner could be quietly drowned in bis dungeon by letung in the Wmtert of the inoaL * FiovMiiXX. lile." Clisson and Bean mane and plenty of provisions had kept fast as wfll as ^ murderous ire of John ll ful feelings wliich had d crime had been perpetrat expected plunder as the been fruaranteed as the p In four davs^ time the constable by the lords de w was put into possession • selin, and Le Blanc, and exchequer ;* but, like m< were of little ultimate ad The arrest of the cons the efTect of averting tlie As he was the commandc armament, some of whon their men to disband thei from his perilous but bi whole force had melted a Clisson carried his coi general feeling of indign of Bretagne^s conduct oi whose invidious feelings glance at her as the prom JOAKNAOFNAVAKBE. 45 lad him in his power." ' Thn duke's insolpiii reply lo the BuibaESBtlnra wu ('•'owvd by a declaratioti of war from France. -He expecl«il no- thing less," Mys FroiesarL, " but his hatred a^insi Clisson was so great tli&t ii deprived him of ihc use of his reason." ' In fact, the frantic lentil* lo which ihis feeling carried him can only he accounted for on die grounds of the jeatoiwy which the incendiary insinuniiona of iha lale king of Navarre had excited in his mind. The conduct of th« duch^s? was, howerer, so prudent and irreproachable, that no p«rt of th«w niigry and suspicious feelings were directed against her. She »p- pears, Irom first to last, to have enjoyed the undivided affection »nd micrai of licr lord. During this siorniy period, she continued to rnids with him at iJie strong castle of De la Motte -, but they tieldoni ventured beyond the walls nf Vannes, for fear of ambuscades. The duke garri- soned and vicluniled the principal towns and castles in his dominion!, ud eatered into a strict alliance with the young king of Navarre. Joan- na** bfoiJier, whom he promised lo Eissist in recovering his Norman dmninions, if he would unite with him and the English against tlie French.' In diB midst of these troubles, Joanna was delivered of her first-bom child at the castle of Names, — a daughter, who was baptized by thd tmhnp of Vsnnes, and received the name of Joanna.' The infant only ■arrived a few months. The grief of the youthful duchess, for this bcrnrement, was at length mitigated by a second prospect of her bring- ing an heir to her childless lord's dominions; but the sniicipalions 6f Uiis joyful event were clouded by the ^oomy aspect of the affkirs of Bmta^e, the duke having involved himself in a fearful predicament with Tnxict. The council of the duke strongly urged the necessity of peace with Tnace. Among other arguments, they represented the situation of the daehess, saying. — ^Your lady is now far advanced in her pregnancy, mil you should pay attention that she be not alarmed; and as to hn brother, he can give you but little support, for he has enough lo da himself.*' The council concluded by imploring him to make peace with the lord of Clisson. The duke waa much struck, on hearing this reasoniug. and remained •Mne lime leaning over a window that opened into a court. His council were standing behind him. Afler some musing, he turned round and Mid, "Huh- can I ever love Oliver de Clisson, when the thing I moal itpeni of in this world is not putting him to death, when I had hiia in my casile of Ermine ?'" Stubborn and headstrong as the duke waa, the fear of agitating his ymmg consort decided him. at last, to yield an ungracious submission to Ml auMtrain. Accordingly he went to Paris, and performed his long wMibeld homage to Charles VI., and the feudal service of pouring water inio a golden Inain, and holding the napkin for the king to wash.* All i I I I iiiliiiicy mill cliililtiooJ < . lull ilie French monarch tal^ i>iit of confide rati on for liuirkiai- . M I houl takiug any rery decided [wl V U-. (J her iiiliuence for the puTpoM of ulil liuve been placed in a siiuaum nf liic presiding over a court ho torn t rrne.as the consort of a prince olileDoaib I iif fo violent and irascible a loBpn L' ■ he was always involriug hinucK r iilhcr. Yet the coinbalive ilisp^ ~. .inily csciie our wonder, whet ■ lilts niid the stormy scenes in wi I passed. He might have nid < n bncklcr, and fell [mai a blade." iiitrlil fiirih in his nurseV arms, amidst iW ,!;i- lliB partisans of his father's title to . or [il;ireil in hin cradle on the ramparts of Hnux- iiibli! dcfuiire of that place by his mother, Ma^mi riiii- the ui attendnnis o( the lord of Clisson were amazed ai what they saw usl' hmnl, for never before had any one come from the duke of Brelagnc^ withfiul Iwing mured in the deepest dungeon.' Otsson wrote, in return, that if the duke wished lo see hiin, he mUMt ■end Uis son as a pled^, who would be taken the greatest enre of tiU> faia return. This letter was sealed and given to the varlet, who hnstened bwk to the duke at Vannes. On receiving the letter from the lord of' Clisson, he paused after reading it, then exclaimed — "I will do it: for, since 1 mean to treat amicably with him, every CMiM of distrust must be removed." He then said to the viscount Rohu). ** Viscount, you and the lord de Monboucher shall carry my little aon lo the chateau Josseliu, and bring back with you the lord tie ClisBon, for I am determined to make up our quarrel." Some day*, however, elapsed before tlie duchess could resolve to purl with her boy. At length, her eumest desire of composing the strife overcame h^r matenial fears, and she permitted her kinsman. Kolian, lo conduct the pnncely child to castle Josselin. When Clisson saw the boy, and per- c«iv«d the confidence the duke had placed in htm, he was much aflected. The result was, thai he and the duke's envoy set out together from caaile Josselin, carrying the boy with them, for sir Oliver said — "He would give him back to his parents, as henceforth he should never dia- inul the dnke, after the trial he had made of him." Such generosity was ehown on both sides, that it was no wonder tt firm peace was the eoDMquence. Sir Oliver dismounted at the convent of Dominicans, the plmce where the interview was appointed to take place. When the duke of Drelagne found that sir Oliver had brought back his son, he was higMy delighted with his genen>aily and courteBv, and, hastening to the convent, shut himself up in a chamber with sir Oliver. Here they con- versed some time; then they went privately down the garden, and entered a small boat that conveyed them to ati empty ship anchored in the river, and, when at a distance from their people, they conferred fat B long time. Their friends thought all the time they were conversing ^.ia Ihe convent-chamber. When they had arranged all mailers ihw ^^anvily. they called their boatman, who rowed them to the church of ^ I 4 I Domitricans, which they entered by a private door through the D and cloisters, the duke holding sir Oliver by the hand all the All who saw them thus were well pleased ; indeed, the whole of BiMagnc was made very happy when this peace was made public; but. »wing to the extreme precautions of the duke, no one knew what passed iuring the conference on the river. Such is the very interesting account given by Frojsmrt, of t)ie ri nliation of these two deadly enemies. The Breton chroniclers w I uie recoo'^H ers attribu^^^l I I H JOARNAOFKAVAKRS. the paciiiration wholly lo the iiilluence of Joanna, aii appliniifia fannf been niaile in lier bv vUcnunt Itohan, itie husband of tier nuni, ptayiw her gooil offices in roedialiiig a peaco belwcen bcr lonl Slid the km peers of firem^e. In coinplianre with ihis request, she {irevaileil w the duke to raise ilie aiei^ of Jossalin, anil to make those coaecaioni ts Cliason which produced the happy result of putting an fnd to the eiiil war.' Clisson agreed to pay ten thousand franca of gold la the dokf. and, with ihe rest of the Btelon barons, associated the diirhens of tin- tague in the Rolemn oaths of hom;^ which tliey renewed to lliriT sovereign, on the 28th of December, 13S3, at Nantes.* In the name year proposals of marriage were made by Joanna's (utun husband, Henry of Lancaster, earl of Derby, to her uie^re, the yonof princess of Navarre, but the n^oliation came to nothing.* The following year, Marie of Bretagne, Joanna's eldest dnochter. wii contracted to the eldest son of this prince, (alierwards Henry V.) The duke of Breiagne engaged to give Marie one hundml and &ity ikamni francs in gold for her porlinn. "The caslle of Brest, ihoi^ al dM lime in the jiossession of the English, was, at the especial desire at ilM duchess Joanna, appointed for the solemnisation of the nupu»l«. and ^ residence of rhe youthful pair ; but afitT the ccssioo of this town had been guaranteeil by Richard II., the king of France to break the marriage, by inducing the heir of Alenqon to afkt U> miRy the princess, with a smaller duwer than the lieir of Ijuicasier wtt ui hare received with her."' Marie was espoused to John of Alengon, June 26th, 1 396. and i peculiar animosity always subsisted between her huabiind and iliB defrauded Henry of Moimiouib. The heir of Brelngne was married tu Jitenna of France the same year. I^eviously to this cereniaDyi il» young bridegroom received the sacrament of confinnsiiou Irum Hnuy bishop of Vunne-s, and, according to the wish of his father, cxcjiangiil llie name of Peter for that of John. The espousals were soleiiinistd (t the hotel de St. Paul, by the archbishop of Rouen, in the prcsMiasfths king and queen of France, the queen of Sicily, Ihe duke Mid dacbnsitf Breiagjie, and the dukes of Berri and Burgundy, Joanna's undn. The duke of Bretagne undertook a voyage to England, in I396il0 induce king Richard to restore to him the earldom of Richmoad, wkkk liad been granted by Richard II. to his lint queen, Aune ut Bcbtmm and, Bt\er her deatli, to Jane of Bretagne, the sister of the duke, who was married to Raoul Basset, an English knigfaL Kicbnrd iL reaiMii Ihe enrldom to the dnke, and gave htm an scquiilance of ell his debu (o id the duke did the same by him at Windsor, HH6 of April, 139)9. lime," says Dom Morice, with some na* aspiring Lancaster" were, however, prepared U Vtf and the duke of Bretagne came thither with his guest, when all ihi were ready for his departure.* Henry was conveyed by ihrM of the duke's vessels of war. freighted with meo-ai-anns and croaa-bom. This royal adventurer, tlie banished Lancaster, appears to have been to J who gave lo ihe mgosotU anenms, or " forget-me-not," " c and poetic meaning, by uniting it, at the period of his f his collar of SS, with the initial letter of his mot, or waiehwonl, ^ veigiK-vous de moy;" thus rendering it the symbol of reinemlnanutfl like the subsequent fatal roses of York, Lancaster, and Stuart, the IQy of Bourbon, and the violet of Napoleon, en historical flower. PoeU and lovers have adopted the sentiment, which makes the blue nivaaolit plead the cauae of the absent, by the eloquence of its popular nukb " Porget-me-not." Few indeed of those who, at parting, exchanp this simple touching appeal to memory are aware of the fact, that il wsi 6m used as such by a royal Planiagenet prince, who was, pociiapa, indditNJ to the agency of this mystic blossom for the crown of EngUod/ Wr know not if Henry of Lancaster presented a myotolit to the duetwM o( Brelagne, at his departure from the court of Vannea, but he aflbnlsda convincing proof, that his fair hostess was not forgotten by h'<% when a proper season arrived for claiming her remembrance. The assistance rendered by the duke of Bretagne to ilie futniv hat- band of hia consort, was not the lost important action of his life, lit was, ai that time, in declining health, and had once more iavolred ium- sell' in disputes with Clisson and his perty. Qisaon's daughter, Mifg^ ret, countess de Penthievres, being a woman of an ambitious aikd 4tWf spirit, was perpetually urging her husband and failter to set up the rinl I title of the house of Blois to the duchy of Bretagne, and is accused bf Alain BouchanI, and other of the Breton chroniclers, of havitw b the death of John the Valiant, by poison or sorcery. : I ■ Froiswrl. ■ WillMiien:'! I P 117 Regal Heralclrf, p. 43. Anstia'a Oidn of tliar JOAHHA OF HATABBB. 53 The doke was carefully attended by Joanna in hia dying illness. By a codicil to his last will and testament, which he had made during his iaie Tisit to England, he confirms her dower and all his former gifts to his beloved companion, the duchess Joanna,' whom, with his eldest son John, count de Montfort, the bishop of Nantes, and his cousin the lord Montauban, he nominates his executors. The document concludes witli these words : ^ In the absence of others, and in the presence of our said companion the duchess, this codicil is signed, 26th day of October, 1399. Dictated by our said lord the duke from his sick bed, and given under his seal in the castle tower, near Nantes, about the hour of ves- pers, in the presence of the duchess ; Gile, a knight ; Master Robert Brocherol, and Joanna Chesnel, wife of Guidones de Rupeforte. Writ- ten by J. de Ripe, notary, at the castle at Nantes.^" On the 1st of November, 1399, the duke breathed his last; and Jo- anna having been appointed by him as regent for their eldest son, the young duke, with the entire care of his person, assumed the reins of government in his name.' Her first public act, after the funeral of her deceased lord had been solemnised in the cathedral church of Nantes, was a public reconciliation with sir Oliver Clisson, with his son-in-law, coont de Penthievres, and the rest of the disafi^ted nobles, who had been at open variance with her deceased lord.^ She employed the pre- lates, and some of the most prudent of the nobles of Bretagne, to medi- ate Uiis pacification ; and, after many journeys and much negotiation, concessions were made on both sides, and Clisson, with the rest of the malcontents, swore to obey, the widowed duchess, during the minority of their young duke, her son. This treaty was signed and sealed at the castle of Blein, January 1, 1400.* Gisaon^s power in the duchy was so great, owing to his vast possessions there, his great popularity, and his infiuence as constable of France, that he might have been a most formi- dable enemy to the young duke, if the duchess-regent had not taken such laudable pains to conciliate him.' 'In the year 1395, a very rich addition to the dower of Joanna was assi^ed by the duke, her husband. Chron. de Bretagne. Dom Morice. * Preuvei Historiques. ■ Actes de Bretagne. ' Cliron. de Bretagne. Preuves Hist *Actos de Bretagne. 'Alain Bouchard gives a very interesting account of Clisson 's conduct when tempted by bis daughter Marguerite, the wife of the ri\'al claimant of the duchy, to destroy the infant family of tlie late duke when the death of that prince had IrA their destinies, in a great measure, in his hands. Marguerite, having heard iSnt the duke of Burgundy, the uncle of the duchess Joanna and tlie king of France, was likely to have the guardianship of the duchy and of die perMns, of the princely minors, flew to the apartment of her father, exclaiming in great agi- laiion-— ^ My lord, my father! it now depends on you, if ever my husband reco- ver his inheritance! We have such beautiful chiUlren, I be^eech you to assist U4 fuT their takes." " What is it you would have me do ?" said Clisvon. "Can yna not slay the children of the false duke, before the duke of Burgundy can come to Bretagne?'* replied she. "Ah, cruel and perverse woman!'' exclaimel)r«E>r* ptinisbmi-al," adds Ihe olironicrffi, " for in licr fKgtil rhe fell, md biste bo ihigh-bonc, of which the was Inme for the lesl of her life."' 'Atain Bouchard. Dom Morice. *She wiu gr«B.i-giBnd conTenruai life hj her iniere«ted broihrr-in-law. who hod her in miniltlufs M evaded that deslinr by marrying Henry of Lancasier, who, bjr tbo raamnv* Of her aunt, carried ber olT fhim Pleahy. and marriHl her. 13M. 5h« dM U tiie blooRi of life in 1394, leaving six infants — namely, tbo renowfisd Jirrlh > - Thomai duke of Clarence. John duke of Bedford, tegem of Frjy -'■ -- • " - phrey dake of Glouoeiier, pRxector of England ; Blanche, lanrn' ' Palatine, and Pfallippn, lo Eric, king of Denmark, the unworthy i. Waldemar. It was ftom Mary Bohun that Henry derived hi> ■■- Hereford, Tbough her decease happened «o many years before li: ■ the royal digni-y he cameil masses lo be said for the icpose Of her Ihe tiiie of qucei. Mary, by tlie monks of Siira Abbey, wb)«h ha C *-- eamc to the thnne of l^nglan-!. Lobioetk'i. Preuvc» U»t. ^ fim^k^ua. JOAKK A OF K AV IBRI. ^ ITa agents ofgotiateJ tliis ditHcull arrangement so tdtoiily, that p'bull was execuiei], aci-ordtn^ lo lipf desire, Murrh 'iO, 1403, without ■ •ligbtcsi suapiciou being eiilcrUiineil, by [lie oriho. wlio had been plundered of hU cargo, in Uie rei^naftlidutd U., by WiUiam Prince, a capuin in the earl of ArumlBl'B Am. Uar inlerceasion proved eOedual) for king llenr^-, as he ex^naaij nm ** at the request of liii de&resl consurL, enjoins his adintnl, ThodMi RuropBloiie, to see that proper satisractian be inade to the maawt^f ihl nine-«lup, by the said William Prince."' Previous to her departure from Breiagne, Joanoa sold t)ie ^ovstbdoI of her castle of Nantes to Ctiason for twelve thousantl crowm; Kti having only larried lo complete this arrangement, she, on the 20th of December, H02, proceeded to Cnmaiet with her two infant dauetilfn. Bluni-he and 3Iarguerite, tiieir nurses, and a numerous tnin of bicua >nd Navarrese attendants.' The English fleet, with the two half-broihers of her atlianced bni*- groom, the earl of Somerset and Henry Beaufort, bishop of Lincoln, wilk Thomas Percy, earl of Worcester, the lord-chsmbeilain of England.* W keen waiting at that poit a considerable lime. Joanna, with her dmgt l«rs and her retinue, embarked at Camaret, January 13ih, in a nmiilk musical band wa« pv' 'Kymer'i Fiedeis. Ibid. * Dom Morioe. * ttjrmm'i Faitm ' Hp was ihe ton of tlie brave Richard Fiizallan. lord^dmimi or Eiiftanl, if Juannn's coroiinliun, which look plane, February 29th, 1403, jUiIe three weeks aAer her bridal. She is there represented ae a ■J. iimjesiic and graceful wonnn, in the meridian glory of her days, tilh a fofiu of the nio«l symmetrical proportions, and a coontenance of qual beauty. Her aiiLinde is thai of easy dignity. She is depicted n bar coronation robes, which are of a peculiarly elegant form. Her laltndtjca differs little in fashion from that worn by our sovereign lady ' '11 Victoria, at her inaueuraiion. It pariially displays her throat and :. and is cloM-d at the breast with a rich cordon and tassels. The .:le has apertures through which her arms are seen ; Ibey are bare, ■. iry fiotly moulded. Slie is enthronnd, not by the side of her royal iiiid, but with the same ceremonial honours that are juiid lo a queen- tut, in a chair of state placed singly under b rich cnnopy, em- i iiicd, nnd elevated oii a Tery higlf plaU'orm, of an hexagonal shape, ' 'luched on every aide by six steps. Two archbishojM have just .' iiL-d her, and are still svpporiing the royal diadem on her head. hiur fulls in rich curls on her bosom. In her right hand she holds ' |iire, and in her left an orb surmounted by a cross — a very unusual , ute for-B (lueeii-consort, as it is a symbol of sovereignty, nnd could liave been iitloweO lo queen Joanna as a very especial mark of her il bridegroom's favour. [ I this picture, a peeress in her coronet and robes of stale, probably iipying the office of miatress-of'ihe-robes, stands next the person of lueon. on her right hand, and just behind her are seeti a group of -ic maidens wearing wreaths of roses, like the imin-bearem of her I' "ty queen Victoria ; affording a curious bnt probably forgotten his- .-nl testimony, that such was the costume piescribed anciently, by -umpiuary regulations for the courtly demoiselles, who were ap- rLiiii'd lo the honour of bearing a queen of England's liain at her coro- Ai tltis ceremonial, John lord de Lalimer received forty marks, for l^n*e of the almoner's dish placed before queen Joanna, on the day of her coronation, he having tlie hereditary right of almoner on such occa- i iiiiang oilier courtly pageants at queen Joanna's coronation, a Innma- ^^^ .1 wa* held, in which Beaiichamp, earl of Warwick, maintained the ^H li ia honour of the royal bride. In the pictorial chronicles of tha ^H I' Hubert's Hiilory or Ibe Livery Compuiies, ^^M ■Conimian MS. Juliui E. 4, fblio KO. Slow'* Antmli. ^M •bwa Eollj, aS7. ^M NUO JOANNA IP NATASSE I I 1 I lift and arw of ihk chivalric peer,' who was surnamed ihe ronrlMSt,il is said that ^ he kepi jcusl on the queen's part againai all ntfan comoi, and so iioiably and knightly behaved liimself, a* rvdoatided Vo hu DoUc fiune and perpetaal worship." This contesL Warwick has just struck his opponent. He vnmrt the tac and ragged slaCon his helmet. This historical sketch, besides it* flH beauty, is very valuable for its delineation of costume. Joanna of Navarre was the first widow, since the NorruM MOMMt who wore the crown-mairimoDial of England. She wa8,«sweBtt seen, the mother of a large family- Her age, at the period of lKr•^ codU nuptials, must have been about three-end-thirtv ; and if fad t* morning freshness of her charms, her peraonal attractions were still n considerable. Her monumental eSigy represents her as ■ tnpdrif miniiie loveliness. Her exemplary conduct as the wife of t irascible prince in Christendom, and the excellence of her go as regent for her eldest son, had afforded unquesiionabPe eviileB prudence and wisdom of this princess ; and she very Gue dower ; yet the marriage was never popular in Englw Il has been asserted, by many hisloriaos, that Henry IV. m duchess-dowager of Bretagne, chiefly with the view of dira councils of the young duke her son. If such were his c were completely frustrated by the maternal feeling* o( JtmoM,'^ Dohly consulting the welfaie of her son, and the wishes o( his m ' ' rather tlian the iiilerests of her second husband, placed Im d we hare seen, under tlie protection of the dake of Bargoody, [ JOAKNA or IfAVABBE. Gl lepttrture from Brtlagne ; and even afier her comnalioti as queen tt EiiglDiii], we find, by her letters dated Weslminster, Alarcb 9th, 1403, ihM ehe confirms ber last net as ducliess-rPgent of Breia^e by solemnlj' tf^iointing ** her well-beloved iiiide, the duke of Burgundy, the gosrdkii N ber son« — Juhn, duke of Breiagne, Arthur, and Jules — and enjoins ifaoae yuuiig princes to be obedient to hini, end to uitend ddigently to hi* advicer' The bridHl fetlivities of Henry FV. and his new queen were conn in- '^:pi(Hl, by the news of a descent of the French, on the Isle of jtii; but the iuhabitauM cumpelled (he ioTaders to retjre lo iheir y^ witli dishonour. Next the Breton flee I, being wholly under the lion of llie court of France, put to aca and committed great ilepre- I'HLS on the coast of Cornwall, and on the merchant shipping, caus- iiiuch uneasiness to the king, and rendering the new queen disiute- 'I'he memorable Percy rebellion occurred in the same year ; and It bfts been eaid that this was fomented by the earl of Worcester, in cnnso- ^ence of a disagreement between him and queen Joanna during her vojage from Bretagne. This might possibly have originated in some dispute with Joanna's natural brother, Charles of Navarre, who accom- panied her to England in the capacity of chamberlain to berst-lf.' Be this as It may, it is almost certain that the battle of Shrewsbury might have been prevented, if Worcester, who was employed by the insurgent lords to negotiate a pacification with Henry, had fairly and hoiicsll)r •(■ted the concessions the king was willing to make; but he did not, Bod his own ruin, with that of his whole house, was the result/ Part a( tlw confiscated properly of ihe Percys, especially the earl of Norlh- nnberland's mansion in Aldgale, was granted to <)neeu Joanna by the In the year 1404, Henry IV. granted to queen Joanna tlie new tower, M the riitr&nce of the great portals of his large hall, against the palsca of Westminster, adjacent to tlie king's treasury, for her to hold her councils, and for the negotiation of her a&irs; also, for her to hold her ■ndi»nce>s for charters and writings theiein; the queen to hold the Mme, for the term of her natural life, having free ingress and egress for bcnelf and officers to the said tower.' In the month of February, 1404, Joanna enjoyed the happiness of wdcouiing ber second son, Arthur of Breiagne, to England, kiug Henry having been prevailed upon by her solicitations to bestow upon him the ■Ctiton. d* Breiagne. 'Chmn. tie BiriBgne. ■A dnlrrminf^ let wu mads agsinel t)i« life of ihe newly wfif liwl Kivrad to liais tiii blood. Thin confedem-y beinR mupputed bj rj'* [Aiuuni, ihirteen iloul genlleinen arrayed UHtnnlv^ iii drc»M liin^ Ut to that whicli he was accuitouied to wear, anil wpre >iuD iu dilferent jwiH t4 (he Arid. Hanif killed no leu iban >iztBeD of his unilnnu, Willi hi* own taod, in wlf-^ffunce tlutday. ud, like U* ton, the piinoe of Wulci. peitbrmad {vnltEiB* of vsluni. 'Rjrmar't Fatdera. *«_ IU. — • 1 I J ihocc liclovcd littl« ooei tlie puwcrfDl (if iha ruyo] inoiIiM' dung to lier liitia be prevBiled upon lo ntiga ibaiD, ef «n iJip ptupcny of BrriBgnc.' Ilor ftun. lite diikr- lif BrEtagtM. wks j of lh« fMllicr of hi« duclieta, OharlM mpouBC hi' i]aarTt!l kj^suuI king Henry doninians wiiuIU liavti contiBOtUd Jtw VHl«(l Uie payrueiit of it in the handi &•! friends ;' and the tisd her own otBce Tti*t 8hn WW irnlisfipd wilh the com gathered from (he liirt thnt she piesentc her, 1404, with the sum of lovenly tha bar from her brother, the kiiiir of Nam her renla in Nonnnndy. Her gil^ mud ibe youiig duke ; (at, t)iau)(h reaidilig ill I exerciaing the nuvereign auiliuriiy, his i trolled by the court of F'isnce, that he away more than one hundred aols, witboi cellor, and oilier afljcera appointed by thi At the commencenieDt of the year 140 states, '' at ihc uiedialion and earnest snlii ijueen Joanna, forj^ve and hbenited, witi iak«n ill arms a^inai him a1 Dartmoul natural exercise of conjugal influence in the piratical Bretons, incfeaaed the unp JOAKNAOFNAVABRE. G3 Dm influx of forptgnere, which ihe kind's late marnn^ na^ intro- cwd inW ihe tcbIiii ; the disorderly stare of ihe royal household ; and ) evil influence exercised over public alftirs by certain individuali jpoacd to be about the peraons of the king and queen." The«e grievances, as they were conaidered, altntcling the attention of rltunent, the comnionE, with ihe consent of ihe lords, proceeded to brrn the royal household ; and, aa a preliminary step to their re^nla fu. they requireii ihal four persons should be removed out ol the ig's house ; riz. the king'u confessor, the abbot of Dore, with Der- m uid Croibie, gentlemen of his chamber. Hmry, lemembering full well that his title lo the crown was derived n the voice of the people, far from testifving resentment at the inter- ence of that hitherto disregarded branch of the legialsiure of England, t eommona, summoned the inimical members of hia household tc end him in parliament. February Sih. 1404. which itiey did, with the sepiion of the abbot of Dore. Tlie king then, in his speech from the ■one,' said, " That he neither knew nor could imagine any particulai me or reason, why the accused ought to be removt^ out of his house- Id; nevenhelese, aa the lords and commons thought proper to have it , considering ii to be for the good of the realm, and most proiiiublB to ncelf, to conform himself to iheir wishes, he would discharge liiera le the politic condescension of the king 10 the wishes of their subjects, J yielded an unconditional assent to the dismission of her foreign endania, since Ihe retention of her Breton cook, chambermaida, Thp (iiibHAEce of Henry'i pntriolie dwlarsuon is ebBirmoieJ from ilie Bull* of rlUuiicni. :nb nf Henry IV. i>ee bIh Qiitbrie t Iblio UiiL of Eoglaoa, Vul. ii. \ Pari. HW.. vol. ii. Patliammtuy Roli*, ath of Honry IV., p. 6^2 ; PailiBniaitur Hift. IteliameDiujt Rolls, 4ib of Henry IV., p. 973. I i irasheiwomen, &c., offereJ a pretence for a second inietlmnw from parliameni.' In ihts year tiie commons presentetl a petition (o ihe king, praying, ■mong other ihiiigs, " that ihe queen would be pleased lo pay for bn journeys to the king's houses, as queen Philippe had been used lo d»^ Joanna had no settled revenue as queen of England at iho timevtiM ■his implied remonstrance was made by the commons to kin; Hmrv, who was himself in the most urgent want of money, hamsacd with p» petual rebellions, especially in Wales, and without means to par )ui mutinous and discontented troops iheir wages. "■ Every souiti oi revenue." says sir Harris Nicolas, in his luminous preface lo the "Arii of the Privy Council," " had been anticipated, and it is scarcely poniUt to imagine a government in greater distress for money than that of Utiuy IV. at that moment." If Joanna had not been in the receipt of a spleixU dower as duchess-dowagpr of Bretagne, she would hare f.iund herself involved in the most embarrassing straits, as the consort of so im- povertshed a king as Henry. But pecuniary cares and popular discontents were not the onir troubles, that disturbed the wedded life of Jobdub of Navarre, whe. though no longer young, was still sufficiently charming lo become tb* iheme of the following amatory stanzas from no meaner a pen than ihii of a royal Planlagenet poet, Edward, duke of York, cousin-gcrmu ihaL the order of tliat houae for removing > from the queen's court hnU been very ill observed." Ii was, oa solved by iiiianimouH consent, "That certain strangers there who did seem lo be olfieen about llie queen, shoalU by a a day depart the realm." Whereupon a writ lo proclaim ihti sama ■ direcied to the sherifls of London, ilie aliens being charged, witlialt ptving in all patents of lands and annuities granted them by the king or queen.* The parliniDenl also look tlie liberty of recommeniling the sorereign ■o observe tlie siricieiit economy in his household. Henry received this advice very graciously, and promised to retrench all superlluous expeuses, and reatncled the expeuililure of his establishmenl to 10,UU0/. a year. He likewiee declared his wish for the reformation of all abuties, and r«t)u<«ied the parliament lo lake order for tlie payrooiil of the debts of bia household, and to |(rani a tuitable income lo his queen, fur the maii^ unAiice of her stale.* The request for the dower of queen Joanna vraa prcKiiled by John Tiptol\ the speaker, and others of the comiuona ; ami by vote of iliis parliament she was endowed with all the revenua enjoyed by Anne of BoJiemiu, ilie lirst queen of Itieliard II., to the vnlua of ten tiioUHand marks per annum; so that with wards, marrioget, and other comingencies, her income was equal lo that of any previous queen «f England.* King Henry granted a eafe-conducl, January 4th, 1400, to John de Boyn*, '■ t)ie secretary of his dear and royal conaort Joluine, to eti^le ber to negotiate certain mailers in Breiague with regard to her tlower tliere ; also, for hmi to bring horses and other things for her use, pr». rid«)d noiliiiig be attempted to the prejudice of llic people and crown of England." Henry, at the same lime, granted letters of protection to ihn tnuters of two ships from Urelagne, bringing lamps and other articles for _tbe use of Uie queen.' tThis year, Henry's youngest daughter, the princess Phdippa, wu " (I to Eric, king of Sweden and Denmark. Aboui the same period, I was compelled lo resign her two youngest daughters, BUnche > ituke of Vork'i oiianaibJe crime wan a tupiHMod pai1ici|nli ' a of du> heiu or MarUnieri bin tlinl bo liaU never laileJ lU bit layslqr m of Ladtuihi wan provni by llgnrjr iiiinue of Walei lalling n paitianieiit. mad (iHlailnK dial lii> lite, and ■ amiy in Wale . iv«l hj die fMliwiuf at..! wixbitn of Vork. (Tyler > Hcuij \ ) PhrlutniRnUrj Holla, Sili and iltli of Haiity IV. PParliam^niBiy Rullt, Sib uid Oih of Hrnry IV, ^raibafnaulBi/ Bolla, 6ili of Henry IV. • R/inct't ForJ 1 I I of the king's ship?, and c< chainl)erhiin, with all the The kintr himself had a ve those bold adventurers.^ Notwithstanding her unj nite pains to promote a go the duke her son. Henrv 1407, addresses him as ^^ h wish, on account of the cl dearest consort, that peace efilision of Christian blood, mother, the queen of Engla all good friendship should father, Henry king of Engla on one part, and ourselves • cable treaty/^ Accordingly, a truce betv mediation of Joanna, procla town of Hereford was adde same year; and she was, ^ John, and Humphrey, reconi pecuniary grants.* An interesting proof of , lord, the husband of her y< found in one of the royal 1408, in which king Henry an alabaster tomb has beei JOAMHA OF NjLVARRE. 0f I tbrmerly lier ItusbsDd, lo be conveyed in die barge o( Sl, Nicliolaa of Nantes lo Biciagrie, with three of our English he^eo, the Bsn)e wh* made liic tomb^viz : Thomas Colyn. ThonittB Holi'well, and Thnniaa Poppehnm, to place the said tomb in the church ofNantM, John Guy»> banJc, Uie muter of the Boid barge, and ten mnrinerB of Brettt^ne ; and ihe sail! bnrue is lo be considered by the English mBrchanta under onr There i» a (ine engraving of this early specimen of English sculpture in Ilie second volume of Dom Morice's ChrunicleB of Breiagiie. It bears the recumbent lijjure of the warlike John de Montfort, duke of Bretagne, armed csp-A-pie, accordiug to the fashion of the limes. tlcnry IV. (panted to Joanna six lead mines in England, with work* men and deputies lo load her ship ; and this he notified to her eon the duke of Bretagiie, in 14I1U, as these mines had been accustomed to ex- port ore lo Bretagne, und he wished the duke lo remit the ioiposi for the tiioe lo come. The king and queen kept their Christmas court thu year at Elihara, which seeins to huve beeu a. favourite abode with ihe royal juur,' in the eumuier of 1413, Joanna received a visit from her third sou, count Jules of Breiagne. Henry granted a safe-conducl for him and hu ntinuo, ronsisliiig of iwenty persons, with horses and arms; bul tliwf WM A provision, " that no baiiishetl person be brought into England io the prince's irain, to (he injury and peril of the realm."* The young )>rince only came to England lo die. He was lord ofChantoce. At Uie close of the parliameiil ihe same year, the speaker of the cooih inons once more recommeuded to the king, '' the persons of the queen and the princes his sons, praying the advancement of their estales." The pclilion was quite unreasonable as regarded queen Jounnai who enjoyed >o large tiii income as queen of England, besides her ric-h dower from the >Ut^ of Bretagne ; bul she never omitted an opportunity of adding lo bet weallli, which must have been very considerable. At'orice was certainly the beaelling sin of Joanna of Navarre ; and ihil •ordiil propensity probably originated from the pressure of pecuniaiy r Bretagne, and during the first years of her marriage wilh king Henry. ; i."r conduct as a step-mother appears to have been conciliating. Evan k hen the wild and prolligalc conduct of the heir of England had ■ Atranecd him from his fiitlier's councils and aSections, such confidential f«rluig« siibsisled between young Henry and Joanna, that he employed ber iiitluenee for llie purpose of obtaining the king's consent to the nwrriflse of the young earl of March, at that lime ward to the prhice. To the disgrace of Ihe queen, however, it is recordwl, by the indubitabi* evidence of the Issue RolU. that she received, as the price of her good ofTiee* on this occasion, a promissory bribe from the piince, as the f<^ lowing entries testify . — ■^Td Joanna queen of England. In money paid to her by the handa ■Rymoi'i FoHleni. 'Stow. 'Brmsi. I I I a^rrCd Upon Miwewt our nki lom mt uii thu mid queen, fnr thr iturriage of Uw ear "By wril, 100/."' Wlif!) we consider. Ilial in point of Ifl March was the rij^htTul sovereign of Eitgia a riieiiiiire woa over ulvoeslcd by the I^n permitlrtl hy tn nrofoimil n poliui^ino m )ii awam of tlir^ pRriloui consequences to his ( thm the iiufrii must have piissosed an anl! mitin. His coniptainl was accom[mnied by trances, in which he Bomeiimea lay for h si^ns of life. He, however, rallied a littl holydays, and was enabled afler C^ndtenns ' This KlcbnlM Aldstwjuh wms ona oT ■qnaai JOAII5AOFNAVABRB. GQ 9 his palace at Westminster. lie waa at his devoiionx, berora Btnp of St. Eilwunli in the abbeviwhen his laat fatal atroke ofapc^ ■eizei) him, and it waa BUpposBcl by every one ibat tie was dead ; tug removed to the abbot's state apartmenta i:i the abbey, wliirh B nearer than bis own, and laid on a pallet before ihe Are, he revived, aakeil. *• where he waa." He was told, " In the Jeruaalcm Cliam- " Henry received this answer as his knell; for il had been pre- ed of him thai he should die in Jertisaleni, whicb he siippnsed to he holy city, and had solemnly received the crosa, in token that it hifl iaieiition to undertake a crusade for the expiation of his sins. • bloow< of the privy council." But, notwithstanding these imporloat authnnlin. there is no documentary evidence proving that euch was the fart. Six was, however, treated with higher consideration than was ever ^on lo B queen-dowager of this country, who waa not also queen-molhrr, and appears to lukve enjoyed the favour and confidence of ihe kioc i> no slight degree. The same day that Henry quilled bis metropolis, June II having been in solemn procession to St. Paul's with the lord-m corporation of the city of London, lo oiler his pmyers anil obi the success of his expedilion, he relumed to Westminster, for pose of bking a personal leave of (]neen Joanna.* This commemorated in a curious poem of the lime:' — 'Rymori Ftrdero. 'li ii probable thnl it WK3 on Bocuuut o( Uie cluke's <"' ~ quuiH belween bim anil hit yoiuig diwho**, ttie dmif: ■ tnok plBos, whioh endeil in bii beating hii lii^h-bi'iri . occasion that ilie duke of OrlMms. who had espoiucd I of Ricbaril II., ihe eld«M lister of the duchem, tali) 'u ' h»n wai not biggei than tbnl of a ohiM oTa ytat i eHar rHarri i> MSS. 505, Ibl, 130. >■■>' Aguiconr^ p. H. ■To Fovija liirn he belil hit way Willi nil bin lortlys, aoolh lo s>y; The mayor win leady, and mel him there With the crnns nf London in ^/Mid amf. • Hail, «i>inoty king.' the mayor 'gau tny, *Tbs giBce of God now be with th*c, Asd aliKd llioa well io liiy journey, Anil grant llioe ever, more ilcgrcel' To Saint Powlyi then h« lirld hii way, And offpred tliore fiill worthily; From liience Bo the queen the selfsame day. And look his leave full toverontly.' riiis fitrewHi vUit to Joanna was the Inst thing Henry V. did, pmvj* 10 lenvine his capilal. Their ptrTecl amity, at that tirne, may b« 1 ^i! from Henry's gracioiia license lo the royal niilow, whom hn - •' his ilcaresi mother, Joanna, queen of Eiigtand," to resiJe with 1 liiiue in any of his royal castles of Windsor, Wallingford, Berk- , - u-ad. and Hertford, as of old, during his absence io foreign parts. - ..rder is dated Winchester, June 30ih, I4U.' iPTfl arc also various gifts and concessiona granted by Henry V. to . I Joanna, on the rolls of the 3d, 4th, and 5ih years of hia rrign. ' hlcst son, die duke of Bretagne, either from rautinn, or becnuBe he iitiable to take a decided part in the great political contest between ,Ti(l mid France, maintained a strict neutrality; hut Arthur, her 1,1 son, boldly espousing the cauae of France, was the firat who i.ci\ the ouiguards of Henr\''H camp, near Agincourt, at the head of I'luusand French cavalry. This fiery assault, his firsi essay in arms, ' iiisde al midnight, on the eve of Si. Crispin''a dny, in the midst of i:[-^st of wind and rain, Arthur was repulsed by the troops nf hia .1 step-brother, and was desperately wounded, and made prisoner in .ittle, the following day. The chronicler, from whom While Kennet has collaled the reigns of ■ ihree LATicastrian sovereigns, records ihe capture of Arthur. 111 lliese ■ rdfl r — " The son of the late duke of Brelagne, by the quecii-regeni V'Ti-'land. was taken prisoner.*' The same author again mentions Jo- I . if Navarre by this title, when he aoys, " king Henry despatched --enger over 10 England, to the queen-regcni,' with ihc news of his rv, which filled the nation widi universal joy. Te Deum was sung all the churches, and a. mighty procession, consisting of the queen, »lHies and nobility, with the mayor and corporation of Die ciiy ofLon- n. walked from Sl Paul's lo Wesiminster. on the following day, lo tim public thanks to Almighty God." The Chronicle of London* 111 stales '^ that queen Johane, with her lords, ailetided by the mayor, temicn. and several of the livery companies of London, walked in leitm procession from Su Paul's 10 Westminster Abbey, lo ofliir thaoko* I for the victory;" and, having made a rich olTering at the shrint E ' Rymei ■ Fmle™. 'While KenneK Complete Hiffory of En«laiiecuniBry aid. The first inleirie* b^ Iween Joanna and her captive son is, perhaps, one of the most londnif passages in hisioty. Tliey had not seen each other since I UH, vbn Arthur, as a boy, visiied the court of EngUnd, to rec«ire the iniDnicnt of the earldom of Hichmond from his royal etep^aiher, Henry \V. twelve years before. Joanna, anxious to ascerlaia wheihei tte rroiaaJ any remembrance of her person (which, perhaps, she fell was iado! W years of anxious tendance on a husband sick alike in body and niii^i, yet, fondly huping that malemal instinct wuuld lead him to his mniWi arms, placed one of her ladies in her chair of sute, and retired uamf her attendants, two of whom stood before liur, whde she watched «tsl would follow. Arthur, as might be expected, look the quern^ mo- sentative for his mother ; she supported ilie character for sokh n«* and desired him to pay his cojnphments lo her ladies. When, in UAi Joanna, her heart betrayed her, and she exrbuni*A''fr happy son, do you not know me ^" The call of nature was felii boA mother and son burst into tears. They tlien enibraced with pMI »• demess, and she gave him a tliousand nobles, which the priacdrywA distributed among his fellow-prisoners, and his guarda, (ogMbs «iik lOAttSA OF KAVARRB. 791 lome appKrel. BuL, after ihis inicrview, Henry V. prevenieJ alt comniD- niraiidn belWMn the mother and her son.' Ariiiiir wns donmcil in waste the Dower of hin youth in a rigornus ccinftni-meiit. 6ni In the Tower «{ London, and afieru'ards in Fotiierin- g»y Cnstle, Henry V. being loo much exanpemted against hi to Jannnn'a inlerceMiona, either for hi« release, or ransom. Hem liowcver, continued to treat his royal step-mother with great At tlie rea.st of St George, 1410, queen Joanna, who was a lady of th« Gari«r, with the king's aunis, ilie queens of Spain and Portugal, his sii- tera, the queen of Denmark ami dueliesa of Holland, received each eight rlla nfhlue-colnured cloth, with two furs made of three hundred bellies if minivrr, and one hundred and seventy garter stripes, to correspond^ :.i make them robes, furred and embroidered with the military order of :^ie Gnrier. all alike, as the gifl of the king. Henry, on this occasion, [■rrsenteil rlnth and fur to a chosen number of the great ladies of the I 'iiirt. as well as to the princes of the blood-royal, and to the knighl >r the Garter, that they might all appear in llie robea of their order, to ;tiicc [he high festival of that year.' Heury was induced lo conclude a iruc« wiih the duVe ofBrciagne, isii !'■ Iiini)u>lf specilies, "al tlie prayer of Joanna."' whom he styles " lhaif>( < \rHleni and most dear lady, the queen, our mother." This was in tlttf* >.arl417. ^ King Iknry directed his collectors of the port of London to allaw^J three scaleil cases of money, sixty pipes of wine, seven baskets of lamp^ two bales of cloth of Joa»plin.' and one barrel of anchovies, coming !••] hi" drarest mother, Joanna, queen of Rngland, at her need, in the abio^ oiled ihe St. Nicholas of Nantes, lo pass, in July 1418, witliout ci£' Icctiiig any impost, or due. The same day, he direcis the aulhoritiea n( llie |)orU o( Plymouth and Dartmouth to admit, free of all duly, JuImii dp Moine, from the puns of Brclagne, with eight great barrels of win* of Tyre and Matmsry. for his dearest mother, Joanna, queen England, flora her son, the dulie of Bretngne. Titc year following, Joanna was nrresieil at her dower palace of Hi wring Bower, by the order of the duke of Bedford, the regent of En| land. These an Walsingham, a contemporary historian's words:' — ■•The king's step-moilier, queen Johanne, being accuiied by certain per- sons of an act of witchcraft, which would have tended lo the king's hum, was committed (all her atiendanis being removed) to llie custody nf air John Pelham, who, having furnished her with nine servants, placed her in Povonsey Caslle, there lo be kept under his control."* Joanna's ■ HiKinirv d Anut, 3cine Ihic ilfv Btclngnc. Ftom tit llairii Nicolas' Aki'ii^ouii, p. 1-18, rr,l. ii. • Kj-mcr'i Fad.-ra. • Ibiii. • Bj-inflf < Trr^rn. Thj* floih w«i a fjwcio of tin*n mannrnPlUro, much ibr natum nf HiiHand ; i< was the llii<-*l b[ tliat linMi oatJM] ReDun ohitli, wbfeli R[«iat[nB WBi Ikinoiu in ib« mlddto ngpt. Rrnnoi ulivpta were oRml by will. ■! ruHlf luiutict; ilirjr Ilpiie in sir John Falatafl"! boufphold iiiVf •Liii'wiH' Holingihad, Spowl. «iow. Pailiitmonurf hUiorjr of Englnnd. •Ill* Chronicle of London, a cimirmponif. sIbo pvM ihii accauni:— . lUi ■"■"« jimt Frere KaadoK^ a master of divinity, tbai Kime tims Vm L, IIOL. lU. — 7 t.rtJ I JOANNAOF NAVARRB. principal acciuer was her confcMor, Juhn Randoll^ a Mikimit !■> thotJ£h it flceniB Henry had hail previous mronnation that ttM fMft- dowager, Willi tlie aid of two domealic SDrreren, Roger CoUci of Sife^ hury. and Peiroiiai BrocarL,was dealing with the poweis of duiaaafiv )uB destruction.' Jnhn Ramlolf was arrnwd al the Ule oT Gatmaafi«i Bent over to the king in Noraiandr.' where his coiil'cssioiu emu laimt (Iriennined Henry to proceedings of the utmoei riguurt againx hi« npt tn<>iher-in-lnw, who was, aa we ha«e said, fonliwith arrtrsied. wilk Al suspected members of tier household, and committed as a close pnasatf, tirst to ilie casile of Leeds, one of her owa palaces, and afterwanh M tliai uf Perensey. She was, by Henry's order, deprived not oalytiba rich dovror lands and teuementa, but of all her money, funiiiare. tid porsonal properly, even to her wearing appnreL IJer Benaata wcn^ missed, aiid others placed ahout lier by the autlioriiy of her giK>U>,Mt John felham.* These circumBtancea are all ael forth in the (oiiemin extract from the Parliamentary Rolls for 7tli Ueiiry V. ; — W remembftpd Ant, upon iiilbrnialion givni to the Woj, Oar miwlip s well b/ the relBliun snil coiireaiion Of one A-iar John BamlolC «f A( onlpr of Prian Minoas, ai bf other cin>ile eviilvnc^ that JidiaiuM, i|ii«ia rf En^^nnd, had compkssed anil iinagineil the deatb and dcstructioD cf ammi it higli and horrible mantier lh»l oould be ilsTHat; As whiuli conipBfsinE, imaginaiioii, and dettmDticm, hove heun i>pmlf \ia\i\ittt ' loughom all Enslaod. So ii ii liy llie council of tlia lord ibc king MtnMt BUMiled and ordaineil. iliai, amongn other things, all ihe gooili aiul i hMWll nf tb* (aid queen, and also all the ^uodi and cliallels of Ri^er Collea at "atiifcai and of Pvuonel Bnwnrt, lamty roiiding widi lh« wd •^ueeli, wbo ■>* iiiwuhbSJ smpected of the *aiil ireaenn, in wlime hand* (oerer tbey n>«r be. wliirit i &c., which Ihe tnid (jueen lielil iu dower ami otlietwLw, sbOBld to» ceived and kept by ttie treasurer of England, or bii deputy fiir tb« tiraa taa« CDstodf of the said goude and ohatt«l*, &c„ aiul ikal lMH> pairni Bbould be passed under tha great seal ia thai bebaLT; and do* tka Mil rer or bis deputy slionlil ptoviila (br the support ofiha sul i]u«— . mA tf lia a»jgned to her, hoa rally, according to the adnoo of Uio coustiL doubted whether penous koMJ > (its, Ac, to the queen could be aiirel/'lisehaiged. it i» occUiM^ iBdnl|» fenlpnrliBinenI, itilip lequeitof the Commons assembled, all sorh penoM,)^ paymt lo the (zeosnre cied Bgaiiui tbe said <)oeaB to afi ■■> In the iMiie Boll for the same year* is the followiiig ealry : — "27ib Korembct. To sir John Pclhain, linighi, appoinlBcl bjr the tine W ouncil for tlie EnTernance and safe cnfilwly of Jc«o queeD of GogliUKL !■ ^ qUeen''* eonfeunr, a , , le exciting of the aaid queen, by torcerf and Wrought for lo atlroif flio king; but, is God wolde, I:'* "-' etpied, wherefore by I Cliionide — ■—■>■- bnurne ... , . Jbifeiied li.>r b'.iti.'' tin •,at.ttr Mqiiiri^, in iidr uted, and forfeited her goods by aenlence of parliament ; bul of this ' in not ihp alighieeit proof, On Uie contrary, it is quite certain, that i;i-XTit was allowed an opportunity of juaiifying'heraeif from the dark L.uions iliBt were brought a^inai her. She was coodemned unheard, . iiilnl of her properly, and consigned to years of solitary confine- :. without the slightest regard lo law, or justice. Her perliiliaus con- .- 1 >r. Kaudolf, while ttispuling with the paraon of St Peter's nil Vincula, «-as for ever silenced, by the combative priest atraiigling him, in the dmIx uf his debate.' The fiiry with which the argument was pursued, (ltd it* murderous termination, would suggest the idea, ihui the guilt or iiiii>cence of their royal mistreaa must have been the subject of diacus- ■II Be this as it may, the death of KanUolf, under these circumstaDCes, ■ gndeiuiled ilie "high and horrible means" whereby the royal ■ ivi was accused of practising aKoinst the liife of the king. He waa only wtinesf against her; and, by his death, the whole a&ir remaina utinag the most inscrulable of historical mysteries. There ia. however, among the unpublished papers of Rymer, a docn- neni which aeeoia to throw aome light on the af&ir, by evidencing the •~»i*>u» ailempts of Henry V. to extort from Joanna the pritrcipal part n-r di>wer in loans ; for, we lind some liroe before her arrest and dia- , I . thai in the beginning of Uie year, he enjoins " hia dear chevalier ii'im Kynwolmerah, to send all the sums of money he can possility . w' of the dower of Johane, the queen, late wife of our sovereign . :inJ lire, the late king, whom God assoil. I.et tliese sums be sent .1 lime lo time without fail, leaving hrr only mpnry tnougk for ker '•'•nabit riprnKa, and In pay any annuiiiea she may lia*e grante<)." hi :ill prohabihly, Joanna's resiaiance of this oppression was answered ■ r arrest, on the frivolous accusniion which alTorded the king a pre- .1 for replenishing his exhausterl coffers, at her expense. '<'anna did not enjoy the solace of her young and gallant son Arthur's ^iiiiipany, in her capiivity. Their doleful years of durance were wasted la aeparali) prison-housra. The relum of the royal victor of Agincourt, wiih hia beautiful and iluatriona bride, brought no amelioratioD to the coniliiion of the unfor- tunaie qncen-ilo wager and her son. Kaiherine of Valois was nearly rclal«(l in blood to Joanna of Navarre, being the daughter of her cousin- icrmain, Cliarlcs VI. Kaiherine was also sister to the youne dnehesa [>r Breiagiie, Joanna's daugliler-in-law ; yet she received neither aympa- Ihjr Dur attention from her, but had the moiiitlcation of knowing that bv dower, or, at least, ihe larger part of il, waa appropriaied u> maiiK lain Kaiherine's state, as ijueeii of England. : ■ vHii't Ettiaen fnm fell Rnsordi. p. 36i. : li-y't Hitioiy ol tlie Tawef. Ppocd. HolingilieJ. ' uoif Jmwi i* ih« eipmsion used by the king. Unfubliahod MSS. of Ryawt (■../. HuLcaiil. r. I I I J I JOAXSA OF NAVARRB. ^^H Bmry V. lAewiM prsMnled the abbM* of Syoa with a thoumml marks, from iht re»enuM of the impriBoned quwn.' W« find, ii) ihc acM of ihe Pri*y Counfil, thm Hptiry fptnni*d t favourable answer to ihe petition t>f William Pomeroy. one of J*«niia'« Mifutrca, who liumhly snpplicntcs for a continuance of a petisioQ nf twenty ninrlk!! a^ytuir, which liad furmirrly been gninief hia long and faitliful iervires to Iter. Ilimr)-, with his own liBud, has writian, "We wol that he haw thn twenty marc*.'" Ill tJie fourth year of hn captivity, nn important prisoner of slate ww GoRKi^ni^il to the same fortress in whirh the cjueen-ilo wager wns iiirar- ccratcil. This was sir John Mortimer, ihd ancle of the rairl of Mnrch.' Ilin freqiieni altempla to escape from the Tower, caused him to be rv- inoved l<> ihe gloomy fortress of Pevensey. The widow of Heiiry IV. being confined within the same dark walls with this fettered liun of the rival house of Mortimer, is a cnriout and rotnaniic circumstance. Yet, when Moriimrr arrived at Pevensey, the periong and robbery of whicli he had been guilty towards hii biher's widow; and, knowing tlial repentance wiiliout mtituiion isef little arail in a cAse of conscience, he addressed die fuilowiog Injuticlica to the bishops and lords of his council, dated July 13, 14S9 : "Rl^t wocdiiiirul Aiihfir* in God, out lighi (ru«ir nml well-lj*Ti> ' i' ws have inken inio our hand lilt a renoin lime, and fbt lucb cun- iha doweri oT mir minUei, <|ueen JolmnTie, eieepl » crttniii j' jraarlr. which we oiaigiird fbr ili» expciue reatDmbln of hct. [i< nwmf' tbal alioutd be atxnit taei : we, doubling lail it ibonld bo u 1 1 „ OODHieDCis for in uooiipy funb Inosec Ihe taiJ dowei tn this wi-r, tIi' u.l;l.' igniK^i. wholly ofher said dewer, and lulfei h« to r«Five It aaihe did Im- that (he make bar oAcBn whom ihe liit (in ihry bo oar lii-C' men), and tlial Ihtrrclore we have given in charge and Domin n time, lo uiake hoi full riulitntion of hei dower above aaid. Purilj< ' and char^ jrou that her beds and all other iliing« movenblot Iho,. ^.. _ ft deliver bor again. And ordain her that >he bare of mob cloiti niii! ui <• colour ai she will deviie heTErlfT-Ot n. Ei>wiu, luch ■■ ihe unelli low-vr. t beeann we 4iippoB« she will soon remove from die place where (he now !>, I ye ordain hei lioraea Ibr eleven thertt,* and let her reicx>vc them inki wbaw^ plare within oiii raalm that her liil and when her lilt, ibi. " Wriuen iho ihtrleenth day of July, ihe year of our reign lenlh.'* 'Tyler^LifrofHenrr V. ■ Acts of i'riv/ counoil. Edited by air Hartia Kicolo*. rol. ii p, 301 'B •HouselioM Brrvsiiw; fioin wlUah woid e«iuet Ihe term ineniaL JOAK.IAOPNAVARRS. 77 In cuinuion jusuce, Henry ought lo have made tliis amende perfect, by mldiiig a ilecUration of lits royal siep-ni oilier'* iiinoreiice, frora ihe foul clmrgo which had bpeii the ostensible pretext fur iho pei'^erulion to Bliicli she had been subjected. His letter cotiiain» in effpct. howeTcr, not thr' worils, a coiupktc exoneratinn of queen Jonrnin ; and it appenrs IKcniinuibir, tliat any upulogisl &hoiild be fourul lu Jusiify the con- wror (if A);incourt for acta which were ao sore a bunlen i)iJlahill, WaTRe>ter*hir«. TbI* gHullni Willi ■ lilienlirf only •qu■Ut^d bj bi* mnniSoeTwe in porchasing HSS. (oontal iag iba uue inuiUln"Dla of biuoT)') tuu ponnined at tiM only wnm ta bia MAM bal tJtiKlrd tiia ovm ailvii^ aail aatiilsnoa iu th« tnniarivtvm oC ivWraasak^ I I 1 oz. oi DiucK uiread, 1 to Agnes i^iowe, of th( good stTvirt'sj lo the (jl to plead lor ilie queen the queen, 6*-. Sd. N( the amount of a mark, of green ginger, 95. 6d. cinnamon, 75. lOd. T and 7(2. for those of hei Notwithstanding the Joanna'*s dower, the ir count of the manner ii had, in fact, sold, mon sons, besides endowing \vith the town and app which had been scttlec The smoothing of such to all parties ; and we was presented from the all the grants made by t ment, that she might re< The answer to the p< all points, provided tha the queen's lands, shouli at the same term, or crown.'" Joanna of Navarre a JOAMHAOFNAVARRE. 79 ft« Rylrnti relrest of flavering Bower. She aho kepi her slate innia>- times Dt Lan^\ey, where her riflirement was enlivencJ occasionnlly b^ ihows, na ihp rude ihenlrirtil entertain menu of the (lAeciilh century were ileijj^ai«(t. We leom, from a conlemparary rhmnicle, ihnt in tJie ninth year of Henry VI. a grievous and lerrihltt lire took plsri-, at the nanor tif the lady queen Joauua, at Langley, in wliicli lliere was great destruction of the buildingB, furniture, gold and silver plate, and liouee- bold Bluff These diMaiers happened '• through the want of care, and drowaiiiese. of a pinyer, and tlie heedless keeping of a randle.^" This tire is the last event of any importance that befell the royal widow, aAer her restoration to her rights. Joanna was treated with aU |»rop«r coiisidoretion, by the graiulson of her deceased consort, the young king Henry VI. While residing at her palace of Langley, 1437, ahe was honoured with a new-year's gift, from this amiable prince, aa a lokea of his respect. This was a tablet of gold, garnished with four balaM rubies, eight pearls, and in the midst a great sapphire. The tablet had been Ibrmerlv presented to ihe young kin^, by iny lady of Glouees- ■er ; whether by Jacqueline or Eleanora Cobhara, is \e(t doubtful.' In the July following, Joanna died at Havering Bower. This event is thns Qoaintlv noted by the chronicle of London, a contemporary re- cord :— * "This same year, Bth of July, died queen Jane, king Henry IV.'t wife. Also Ihe same year died el! the lions in the Tower, the which was nought seen in no man's lime before out of mind." Joanna was certainly turned of seventy at the time of her death, which occurred iu the l^lleenih year of Henry VI., 1437. She survived her first tiusbaiid, John duke of Bretagne. nearly thirLy-«iglit years, and her second. Henry IV. of England, twenty-four.' She had nine children Vy ttie duke of Rrciogne:* Joanna, who died in mfancy; John, who ancceeded his ilithrr, and died in 1443; Marie, duchess of Alen^on, who died in 1446; Blnnehc^ countess of Armagnac, and Margaret, vis- couutess Bohan, both of whom died in the flower of youth, supposed U> have been poisoned ; Arthur, eorl of Richmond, so long a captive ' England, who afterwards became illustrious in French history, as thfl vaJiani count de Kichemonte ; Jules, the third son of Joanna, died in England, 1112; Hichnrd, count d'Estampes, died the year after hW The queen had no children by Henry IV. le following eummunses were issued by Henry VI. to tlie nobles, ukI female, to do honour to the funeral of tliis queen : — PTruirr and wcll-l»lovpd cousin, know M miiph as wc, by name of IB oTGIoucvulec. mill otiiei or out coiirwil, Imvr aiipoinwd Ihe ruiirn idmoiliei queen Jonnnn (wliom Ooil auoilp) to bp holdm nni( tulirn ^larlwry, the iiitli ilay of Aui^bi nnit nniins. B«lieve ibst we I ■aWd the said uncie, sni) other lords and Indiea of our realm, Hnil yo ~ . k fir 'A< itMH}. to be nndy, for ibo nmc day v the worthip of God a ■ Mill pand mother ; we ilfite, IfapTpfoie, amt pray you (putting a~ art. HSS. 3773, ait. 9. 4 \ I wav to Caiiterburv Caihet which her pious care hai consort, licnry IV. A su auspices for that monarch in solemn state, near the like her portrait in the pic very lovely woman ; her I anns ; her bust beautiful, expression o^ finesse ; the singularly high, and at th upw^ards ; the whole gives wrought in alabaster, enai her beautiful arms are na mantle, fastened to the bac passes round the corsage shoulders. Her bosom 8 throat is a collar of SS, ve this ornament. Studs, set cotehardi, which is a tight round her hips is a band o in full folds over her feet. Joanna^s device, an erm her motto, "Temperance, Her arms may be seen by t iication, "Regal Heraldry,* the windows of Christchui The tomb of king Henr JOANNA OF NAVARRB. 81 posed to credit the statement of a contemporary, though certainly not unprejudiced chronicler, subjoined. The testimony of Clement Maydestone^ translated from a Latin MS, in the library of Bennet College^ Cambridge^ 1440 : — "Tliirty days after the death of Henry IV., Septt^inbcr 14ih, 1412,* ono of his dctmesiics came to the house of tlie Holy Trinity at Hound!>iow, and dined there. And ns the byjttanders were talking at dinner-time of the kin^r's irreproachable nicirals, this man said to a certain esy water) in a small vessol, in order to be buried there, I and two more threw his corpse into tlie sea between Birkingham and Gravesend. For,* he added IV i til an oath, * we were overtaken by such a storm of winds and waves, that many of the nobility who followed us iu eight :iliips were dispersed, so as with much difficulty to escape IxMng lost But we who were with the body, despair- ing of our lives, with one consent threw it into the sea ; and a great calm ensued. The coffin in which it lay, covered with a cloth of t^old, we carried, with great ■olemnity, to Canterbury, and buried it ; the monks of Canterbury therefore say, that the tomb, not the bixly of Henry IV., is with us! As Peter said of holy JUavid.' As God Almighty is my witness and judge, 1 >aw this roan, and heard him speak to my father, T. Maydestone, that all the almve was true. ''Clkmbnt Matdbstostx." Tills wild and wondrous tale, enuinatin^ as it docs from a source so suspicious as Henry's sworn foes, the two Maydestones,' we are disposed *Both dates are incorrect; Henry died March 20, 1413. •The narrative of Clement Maydestone was considered by the antiquarians of tho present century sufficiently worthy of attention to cause the examination of die loinh of Henry IV. and his queen Joanna, which took pln«'e Au^ist 21, 1832, in tlie presence of the bi:>hop of Oxford, lady Harriet and sir rharles Bajiot, John Alfred Kemp, esq., ice. We give tlie following account from the testimony of an eye-witness : — •* When the rubbish vms cleared away, we came to what appeared to be the lid of a wooilen case of very rude form and construction ; upon it, and entirely within the monument, lay a leaden coffin, without any wooden case, of a nmch tmaller sire and very singular slmi>e." From the wotxlcut given, the Inst nl)ode of Joanna of Navarre, queen of England, resembles what children call an apple turmiver. It was her coffin which rested on that of her lord. ** Not l>eing able to take otf the lid of the large coffin, as a great portion of its length was under the tomb, they sawed an aperture in the lid. Immediately under the coffin-boanl was found a quantity of haybands filling the coffin, and on the surface of them lay a very rude small cros?, fornied by merely tying two twigs together. Tliis fell to pieces on being moved. When the haybands, which were very sound and perfect, were removeil, we found a leaden case or coffin, in some degree moulded to the shape of a human figure ; it was at once evident this had never been disturl)ed, but lay as it was originally dei)osited, tliough it may IjC difficult to conjecture why it was placed in a ca?e so rude and unsightly, and so much too large for it that the haylmnds had been u«ed to keep it steady. AAer cutting through lend and leather wrappers, the covers were lifted up, and die face of tlie king appeared in perfect preser\*ation ; the nose elevated, the CHiUlnge even remaining, though on the admission of air it rapidly sank away. The skin of the chin entire, of the consistence, tliickness, and colour of the upper katbor of a shoe; the beard thick and matted, of a deep russet colour; the Jaws F perfect, and all the teeth in rlie of Navarre was not examined Although tlie gentlenian to pears convinced that he has << cumstances corroborative of t •orb as the absence of the rej of England were alway:* adon the outer caae and the leaden space witli haybands ; as if, a to the roaring waves, they hj from some vault or cemetery < haybands. llie cross of wii< natural fears had been excitei the skin, too, is inconsistent w * In an old topo^rniphteal wo iBted even in the laet centnry iie site of her &vourite palace KATHERINE OF VALOIS, BTJENAMBD THE FAIR, CONSORT OF HENRY V. CHAPTER I. Early calamities of Katherino— Abducted by her mother — Recaptured — Henir prince of Wales — Bo&therine demanded for him — His accession as Henry V. —Reiterates his demand — Refused — His invasion of France — ^Agincourt— Marriage-treaty renewed — Katherine's picture — Henry's exorbitant demands —Interview of Katberine and Henry V.— Her beauty — Henry in love with her — His anger — Treaty broken — Renewed after two years — Katherine .writes to Henry — She is offered with the crown of France — Receives Henry at Troyes — Betrothed — Queen's knight — Marriage of Katherine and Henry — Queen's dower — French marriage-ceremonial — Letters descriptive of mar> riage— Musical taste of the queen— She enters Paris in state— Voyage to En9> land — Grand coronation — Her friendship for the king of Sct»ts — Northern progress— Katherine left in England — Disobedience — Birth of her son (Henry Vl.) — ^Katherine's maids — Her guest — JCatherine writes to tlie king — Prepares to join him in France. Katherine of Valois was a babe in the cradle when Henry V., at prince of Wales, became an unsuccessful suitor for the hand of her eldest •ister Isabella, the young widow of Richard W Katherine was the youngest child of Charles VJ., king of France, and his queen, Isabeau of Bavaria ; she was bom at a period when her father's health and her mother's reputation were both in evil plight She first saw the light, Oct 27, 1401, at the H6tel de St Paul,' in Paris, a palace which was used during the reign of Charles VI. as a residence of retire- ment for the royal family, when health required them to lead a life of more domestic privacy, than was possible at the king's royal court of the Louvre. The young princess was reared at the H6tel de St Paul, and tliere did her unfortunate sire, Charles VI., spend the long agonising intervals of his aberrations from reason, during which the infancy of bis little daughter was exposed to hardships, such as seldom fall to the lot of the poorest cottager. Queen Iwbeau joined with the king's brother, the duke of Orleans, hi pilfering the revenues of the royal household ; and to such a degree dirl ' See the Lifo of Isabella, commencement of the volume. * Moreri, — Katherine. }>alace of Si. Paul, was still i of liis niisory, till one day he the disarray and neirh'ct arou: from hi.s attack of delirium, 1 tions, without any intermedia was, that directly llie news > Spoke and looked composedl with Louis of Orleans to Mil her brother, and the partisan children. Louis not only obeyed thii his two young brothers, and with them the children of i forces having arrived at the 1 children, the duke of Burgun( suit of them : for the heir of to Katherine"'s sister, Michelli pursuers overtook the two pr sing themselves of the childrc ihey res|)ectfully asked the t *' whither he would please t return to my father." He wt Paris, with his sister Kaiher France.' After the duke of Burtjund' m the streets of Paris, the con that she was imprisoned at KATHBRINB OF VALOIS. 85 Henry V. is supposed to have been bom in 1387. Monmouth Castle, the place of his birth, belonged to his mother^s inheritance : it is one of the most beautiful spots in our island. As Henry was a sickly child, he was, according to tradition, taken to Courtfield to be nursed, a village about five or six miles from Monmouth. His cradle is still preserved, and is shown as a curiosity at Bristol.* The name of his nurse was Joan Waring, on whom, afVer he came to the tlirone, he settled an an- nuity of 20/., for her good services performed for him. He was given a learned education, the first foundation of which was, in all probability, laid by his mother, who was, as Froissart expressly declares, skilled in Latin, and in cloister divinity. This princess died in the year 1391,* early in life, leaving an infant fiimily, consisting of four sons and two daughters.^ The maternal grand- mother of young Henry, the countess of Hereford,* bestowed some care on his education. This is proved by the fact, that he left in his will, to the bishop of Duiham, a missal and a portophorium^ given to him by his dear grandmother. Henry was extremely fond of music, and this taste was cultivated at a very early age ; in proof whereof the household book of his grand- sire, John of Gaunt, may be cited. New strings were purchased, for the harp of the young hero, before he was ten years old. About the same time tliere is a charge for the scabbard of his little sword, and for an ounce of black silk to make his sword-knot ; and, moreover, four shillings were expended in seven books of grammar, for his use, bound up in one volume. There is likewise an item, for payment of a courier to announce to Henry of Bolingbroke the alarming illness of the young lord Henry, his son. Richard 11., during the exile of Bolingbroke, took possession of his heir. The education of young Henry was finished in the palace of his royal kinsman, who made him his companion in his last expedition to Ireland. Here young Henry was made a knight banneret, by the sword of the king, after distinguishing himself in one of the dangerous, but desultory combats with the insurgents. While Richatd went to fulfil his ill-fortune in England, he sent young Henry to the castle of Trim, in Ireland, with his cousin-german, Hum- fi1rey,duke of Gloucester, whose father he had lately murdered. Young enry was brought home from Ireland (afler his father had revolution- ised England) in a ship fitted out for that purpose by Henry Dry hurst, of W^est Chester. He met with his father at Chester, and in all proba- bility accompanied him, on his triumphant march to London. Creton affirms that Henry IV. made his son prince of Wales, at his coronation. ^ But I think,'' adds Richard's sorrowing servant, ^ he must win it first, ' It wa.« formerly at Troy House, a seat of the duke of Beaufort •Walj«ing!jam ; Speed. * Henry V/s mother was buried within King's Cc liege, Leicester. He paid for s likeness of her to be placed over her tomb. — Pell Rolls. *This lady was alive long afler Henry had aaeended the throne, and had won tae victory of Agiiicourt. VOL. tu. — 8 I KATnEBINE OF VALOI8. I for the whole Un<] of Wales is in « lUte of rerolt, oh kccoimt of ili* wronga of our dear lord, kiug Ilicliiinl." 1 There Is reason to suppose that, nller hii sire's coronatioD, pnnce I Heiiry completed his eilucation at Oxford : for there is an antique ebaiu- I b«r of Queen's Collie pointed out by SQCcessive ^ner«iioR*, u oner t lltviiig been inlMbited by Henry. This is a loom orcr the gsiewiv. 1 opposite to Su Edniuml's llall. A portrait of Henry was paioicil iik ili* I glass o{ the wiiiilow,' and uodet it these versea in Latin : — ^h "To record ihe bet tor eret, ^^H Th« Emperor of Brilsin, ^^H The trlumgiliant LokI of France, ^^H Ths ounqueroi of tui «nemies ami Uitoult Of ibis !iti!e cliBioliec once the great itiliiibitanL" Fuller, who lived mora than a hundred yeara afler Henry, point* Mt tlte sBoie coLege-chainber as the abiding place of the prince. Hejiry was placed at Oxford, under the tutorship of his bsltwuki Henry Beaufort, a young, handsome, and turbulent ecclesiastic, wboM imperious haugliliness did not arise from bis ascetic rigidity of n as a piiesu* Beaufort had accompanied his charge to Ireland, i Itirned with him to England. The early sppointnienl of the piii Ueiiienant of Wales, March 7lh, 14(13, limits the probable time c ■ojourn al Oxford, as a student, to the period between lite commi meiil of the year I4UU and 1402. The prince was but sixteen when ftc fought coursgeously at thai great conflict, where his fatlier's erown ci* coniesled. Al the battle of Shrewsbuij-, when advancing too r&^y oa tfie enemy's forces, he received a wounii with an arrow in the lac«, ih* Kar of which might be seen all his life. Being advised to retire, ibat Ihe steel might be drawn out, '-To what place P" said he; » who wilt remain fighting, if I, the prince, and a king's son, retire ror fear, it the first taste of steel ? Let tny fellow-soldiers see that I bleed at the Sat onset; for deeds, not words, are the duties of princes, who shoaU Mt the example of boldness.'" Until after 1407, the prince of Wales was actively employed ia the Welsh campaigns. Allliuugh Glenduwer was finally be«t«] b«clt to his mountain finesses, yet the whole of the principality whs, during the reign of Henry iV., but a nominal appendage to the English mooardiy. Thus dnprived of the revenues annexed to his title, tlie gnllant Hairy was subjected to the moel grinding and bitter poverty. U» wihl diMi- uc, «twM prioo^H me of^^^l bIh99 liBil gteadf falloD into ibliged lo iiiipori tlia wuidCM*, Ins* pormit btioet iIm 'TjfloTa Henry V.— Th« «M of pninung ifter Km BoteMJon o{ Hrnry VII., wUo wi MBfipl^■l^ WesiiniiisiPi, fiam Don. Thi I HWtial nesr Henry's own times. ' BsHunirt'i bctruyal ot ■ (lauifhiet of the illuMiious house of ■ by ia< will. f ■ TmiislDied from ibe Latin of Tiuu Lirjiu of Priuli, a leiniail man, ' f tf Huinplirej-, duke of Oluuc-ealer, &ii i leans, Marie, the second danghier of France, was the nex' ■ ■ choice ; but she, who had been devoted to tlie cloister even birth, on being consulted whether she would prefer on earthly and accept the prince of Wales,* indi^iianily reproved her fiuhi Toys, for imagining so profane a thought A daughter ol' the * Burgundy was demanded for prince Henry, but the negotnuii imauccesaful. At last, both the prince and his father aeeoie ' determined on obtaining the hand of the fair Catherine, the yi the princesses of France, and a private mission was con^ded m duke of York, to demand her in marriage for the prince of Wale wai absent, on this errand, at the lime of the death of Henry IV. Modem research lias found reason, for the supposititm, ' Henry was intriguing lo depose his father, just before his In nesa. The angry assertions of Humphrey, duke of Glnncester,' Henry Beaufort, bishop of Winchester, of the double treachery gating the prince of VVulea to seize hia father's crown, and at ib«. lime of plotting lo assassinate the prince. These are Glouoealer' "■ My brother was, when prince oi Wales, in great danger oitce, nl alept in the green chamber al Weaiminster palace. There waa vered, by the rouie of a little spaniel belonging to the prince.s I, to pawn liit permnal omamii a gBrrixiDi in Walei, for no moaij tt See lie Harris Nicolas* Acu of (htl Jle wu ■¥«» Rirenl. at this ti Jpiiali,'' lu he culls Ihem, lo pay " laineil IVoiii Uie royal tevenn incTI. vol. ii. p. fil. In the ImiD Kolt) are ifae eipenae* of Henry IV.'t Ambundon far damsiC '■SB >n mniliaiie, "fir [lis prince of Wales. Ihe aeeaad dangbtc^ of itia mirra^.' 'l^rliarauniarj' Rolte-, VaiViunemaiY Hiatocv, vol. ii. pp. 293, a»4. KATHBRINB OF VALOI8. 89 reded behind the arras near the princess bed. When he was hauled out by Henry's attendantit, a dagger was found on the man's person, and he eonfessed he was hidden there to kill the prince in the night, instigated by Beaufort; but when the earl of Arundel heard this, he had the assas- sin's head tied in a sack, and flung into the Thames, to stitle his evi- dence.'^ Although no chronology is expressly marked for these events, yet internal evidence refers them to the close of Henry IV.'s existence, just before the extreme indisposition of that monarcli caused the prince to wek a reconciliation with his father. This he did in a manner usually eonsidered very extraordinary. He came to court on a New-year's day, dressed in a dark blue robe, worked with ailhts round the collar, to each of which hung a needle and thread ; and this rohc,' it is asserted, was meant to indicate how much his vilifiers had slandered him to his royal sire. Why needles and threads should point out such an inference, baa been an enigma ; but it is explained easily enough by the memorial- iat of Oxfonl. There is a quaint old custom, founded by Robert de El^lesfield, still in use in Oxford, at Queen's College, on New-year's day, irhen the bursar presents to each of the members of the college a needle and thread, adding this exordium — ••Take this, and be tliriny.*' What the fellows of Queen's do now with these useful implements we know not ; in the time of prince Hal they certainly stuck them on their collars. The prince went to court wearing all the needles he had received from his bursar, it being the anniversary of their presentation on New-year's day;' he likewise wore the student's gown, which at the aame time reminded his sire that he had not forgotten the lessons of ihnfiiness he had imbibed at Queen's College. Thus apparelietl, he advanced into the hall of Westminster Palace,' and leaving all his com- pany, because the weather was cold, ^^ round about the coal iire^' in the centre of the hall, he advanced singly to pay his duty to his father, who was with his attendants at the upper end. After due salutation, he im- plored a private audience of his sire. Henry IV. made a sign to his attendants to carry him in his chair, for he could not walk, into his private chamber, when the prince of Wales, falling on his knees, pre- aenled his dagger to his father, and requested him to pierce him to the * Many writersit liave copied tliis curious passage, and most have quoted the biography of Titus Livius as an authority. It is, however, certain no such inci- dent is contained in its pages. Guthrio throws light on this circumstance in his folio history of Knglnnd, vol. ii. reign Henry IV. He gives the paf>sage at length, quoting it from some traet» of Titus Livius ; noting, moreover, that this historian received the particulars from the lips of the earl of Onnond, an eye- witness of the scene. * Messrs. Braley and Britton coincide with our views of this event, but they hare not note<1 the confirming circumstance of the anniversary. *Kot Westminster Hall, but tlie room calle-jald metutiul ■ccite wan oiM uf ihe peculiar realurvi uT 1 which it W4S rondurinl linda no panllti exhumation nf Aj^ae* de Castro. Itichw rmiaed rrom iu obsnire rriling-nlBce at I clitir of KtBle,' idnrnrd with rc^l omattiea his dead kiiitman, and all his court follows llie cnrpst! of the hoplcMi Itirhord wa« can Aiid laid, will) Boleiuii poinn, in tlie tixnb by ihe aide of hia b*loi«l Anne of Bobi nya ihp London Chronirte, "■ there wat & ^ cutlo at Su Paul^i Cross," who had been I that llirhan) ira« in i-xi»lMi«e. I When these n^uitinns had subsided, 1I« for iho hand of ths princess Kaiherine. , with her an enormous dowry. If the kntj lo ^re him his daugliier, it was srareely | her two RiiUiona of crowns, the bridal together willi the renioratiun of Norman' rinces. once the inheriiancc of Eleanora e There was a tortti niicgivin^ on the ambitious heir of l^ricastcr should make their princesses, in streiigihen the claim o of France; yet Charips VI. wraiW have , a dowry of ISn.OOO crowns. This the 1 ilnii). Henry deaJreJ »u beitur Uuui a lea lERI^E OW TAI.OI9. 9l e Planragenpt kingi lo»k, in induce ilieir rmilnl mnsler and llie forty Jayi tliey wrre bound In «|ipair in artp^, by Among niher posiimBtons a( ibe mrul lauiily, llie nia^- . n belonging to Henry IV^ railed ihe Great lEsn-y. wn,« fkile cupboards and beaufeU al royal palaces, were rsiitackeil Hi goblels and flasons. and distributed lo like knights nnrl pti expedition, as pled^s and pawns, that their pay ihoulJ g, when coin was more plentiful. ■tout northern squire, to whose keeping was ennquir#, not to be bckl Kccountiiblfi fM iho I tilret flagoni, knd Tot tlis refloration or bii fiiuttrcn |hwik1i Ibur nanpenoc. not foiKGlting an odd farthing; 'heww heii lo nlraiive M lb* eldetl ttnx of tit Wkltcr SttieklKad or Halunetbii, koichl of Weaunotetaad, and gnuiJron of [oid Daaie of Gililand." — ^ee Bum** niion to Ihe council of Ihe inhol Heni; TI. ia ihu worded : — m rapplioatei ■ poor tquiic, Thomiu oo ihai ths nil! auppliBnt Ha king in put* beyond ten, at liiit airival al llaifleur, and l)is bdltlo land since that time, when the city of Rouen waa won. And jour It bas had no conipenBaiion Cor hi) labour Bi tbe wiit) dii]r ft Asin- t|«y al all saTinfi do!/ for one halFyear. Not only thai ; but your K il bRraghl in arrear with llis eichequei foi Ihe iiim of Ut. ICU. ib btoken (ilrer pal* which waia pawned ID him bj tha said king Be whiob Tecael* your *uppUiuU was forced to sell. aiiJ the mooef Kern wa* all expended iu the Kivics of hi* late king. And thai it bur wiie diMtretioni, out of reTeranoe to God mud mpcul lo tbo ■a king, to giBDl 10 youl suppliant Iho aaiil \U. 10a, liomr}' chronicler who does not me K4THSRINS OF TALOIfl. f the earl to assert his rights, or dispossess his friend and After Cambridge had opened his plan to the earl of March, ce, avowe fullil ihi» obJFCl, when it i longer 8usUin iu tuns iloloniiia siege, KaitiPiine's picture, to ask Urnry ^wIm auired siirli a ^r«a[ dowry at he drnmn ore ilt^kreil iliey ftmiK! Henry at Bou gazed luij^ and eianieKily on the porin thai tl wia •urpassingly fair, bul refusad biunt ijcmanils.* The close of ilic year U 1 8 raw the fa] uid inrrensed the (lred at each side witli einiiiie, and reachine to the shoulders. Her Ir, uf the regal form, is worn over a close gnt^n, tight to the throat; [i i>f ermine posses ilown the front, and is studded with jewels. ri'v weeks afierwurds, all the [oyal personages, with the excepiicn I' l.iiiy KatlieriiiCt met fur another conference, at the barrier-gTouiKl uoioi*«>. As llie view of Katherine'a beamy had not induced Henry iiwer his demands, queen Isabeau resolved that the Englbh coni^ueror old SCO her no mnic. Henry was exceedingly discuntenied at this Dgctnent. "For," says Monairelet, "(he princess was very hand- le, and hiid most engaging manners, and it was plainly to be seen king Hitnry was desperately in love with her." Tel the stcontl rere»c« ended, without the least abatement in his exorbitant requi- ifter the English hero had wailed unsrailingly a few days. In hope* >eiiig courted by the family of his beloved, he impaiien^r demanded lird interview, meaning to modify his demands ; — when lo! to his mU displeasure, when he arrived at Ponioise, he found iho lent* ick, tiie barriers pulled down, and the pales tliai markfid out the neu- grouud taken away — every thing showing that llie marriage-ireaty I supposed to be ended. Henry V. was infuriated at the sight, wid in tnuisnorts betrayed how much he had become enamoured of Kaih^ I.' He turned angrily lo lli« duke nf Burgumiy. who was llm only ■oa belonging to the royal family of France atiendiiig the cuufetvuce, said abruptly — ■ Fair cousin, we wish you to know ibai we trill have the dsughter r.r king, or we will drive him and you out of his kingdom.' The irplied, * Sire, you are pleased to say so ; but, before you ha*« riiii iikiBiF WM wM Bi tbo Uta uJe u Sirewlierry GUI), wh«i« it wu. m t, •nbniiRe'l to imblii: impeotion. It it painlad on boartl. (m Gulllauina de Orual. 'Uonstrolel. L Ircal with no one l)iit the pr he was surr, would not try Notice of this speech bei she made the bishop of Arni if he would come lo Troves that as her inheritance he s death of king Charles ;" and 8ecretly delivered to the kin Katherine herself, so full o happiness as certain.* The English monarch was fine, not only the provinces 1 sovereignty of France, with regent. By this treaty the c rine were to be disinherited. Henn', accompanied by his h teen hundred combatants, n^ he arrived on the 2()th of } clothed in the deepest mour little distance from Troves, ; Hotel de Ville, where lodgin was presented the next day enthroned in the church of N suit of burnished armour ; bi met a fox^s tail, ornamented ^ tliat the warrior king of Engla recTHrdinor r1rp««r Hpnrv nnm ^V EAT II ERIMBOPV ALOIS. 97 MMnmt of his infiim healih, saying, ■' thai the king was ill (1U|iosed." The unfurnmale (ather of KaiherJiie could not go through ihe scene, which apparently annihilated (he hopes of hia young heir; but llie duke of Burgundy officiated as the deputy of biti royal kinsman, and the iin- ponant treaty was signed.' The be trc) thine nt of Henry and Kalherine instantly followed; ani}, whrn (he English monarch received Katherine's prooiise, he plitccd nu ber finger a ring of iDeslimahle value, supposed (o be the same worn hf our English cjueen-consorls al their coronation.* After the conclusion of the ceremony, Henry presented to his betrothed bride his favouiits knight, sir Louis de Robsart,' to whom he committed the defence nf her person, and the ofEce of guarding her while in Frnnce. The real meaning of which ceremony was, that Henry V, took the princesi into his own custody afler betrothmeni. and would bave retaineil her by force^ if her family had changed their minds legarding hifl marriagr. Katherine was now bis property ; and it was the duly of sir Louis de Robsart to guard the safe keeping of that propeny. Henry himself announced the pe&re and betrnlhmeni, in a letter' addressed to his council of regency, the duke of Gloucester being juet appointed regent of England : — - Right UUII7, and well-belorod brother. RLglit worsliipriil fathers in God, tnd irutiy and well-beloved. Forasmuch, tbat we wot well ibu your dHirei were to iieat joyful tidings of our good apeed ; — We sieniiy lo you, (wonhippod be our Loril, tlini of our tsliour bnili sent us eood conclusion.) ■Upon Mon'tay. ihe 90ih dny of ibii May, w* arrived at this nmrDorTroyn*; ■nd on ihe morrow Saddin a convoniion betwii our motler tlie>]ue<— I , by, lenry, "aecorrled balween our Cider of France anil e bond of maiiimon]' made for die good of Deuce i Diual beloved Kaiheiine, the daughter of .nd Notes of London ChnnuDle, hj ti lUrrl ur uid bdor and Nioolaa, p. ISl. 'Ilia English nf Henry V.'a letter*, bolb in phraMology and onhogniphy, is benct than Uiat of Henry VUL itir John Pen, in bis I'uMun Papers, obMtves Ihat the very hlguly eiluraied persons of ihi> era Write leitcrs ag well tpelled ai In Ihe era of Chade* I., and adduces the autograph letleis of Etlmund Clerp. Henry V. spella all his sninll worils of the preposition and conjunctive kiml ptrfmnly. For the take of peropiuuity. we give hit wriiiog in the ortbogtapbj '' On Trinity Sunday, Ju land wedded the lady Kath which he lodged. Great pt and his princes, as if he hac The archbishop of Sens and during the nighl a gn royal pair, bringing them v things to comply with the this strange ceremonial was next day, after a splendid fe; proposed a succession of tc at fighting was not to be th siege of Sens, where they chose."* The letters written on oc co»:ftiers, are the earliest spc lowing epistle by John Uffo hensive a view of afiairs, at l " Worshipful Maibtbr, " I recommend me to yoa. I lord was wedded with great so mid-day on Trinity Sunday. Ar towards the town of Sens, sixte queen and the French egtat'*. , to that town — a gre^t town, and is holden strong with great num boeiegod. For there lie at that KATnSKIHK OF YALOIfl. 99 * And at this siege also are lien many worthy ladies and j'antilwomen^ both French and English, of the which many of them began feats of arms long time ■fone, but of lying at sieges now they begin first. " I pray that ye will recommend me to my worshipful lord the chancellor, ■od to my lord the treasurer. And, furthermore, will ye wit (know) that Paris, with other, is sworn to obey the king our sovereign lord, as heritcr and governor of France— and so they do. ** And on Wittund Monday final peace was proclaimed in Pans, and on Tues- day was a solemn mass of Our Lady, and a solemn procession of all tlie great ■nd worthy men of Paris, thanking God for tliis acconl. ** And now Englishmen go into Paris ofl a5 they will, witliout any safe con- duct or any letting (giving leave). And Paris and all other towns, turned from die Armagnac party, make great joy and mirth every holiday, in dancing and DBiolling. I pray God send grace to both realms, of much mirth and gladiiess, tnd give you in health much joy and prosperity long to endure. ■■ I pray that ye will vouchsafe to let this letter commend me to Abel Howit md &iyley, and to sir John Brockholes, and to greet well Richard Prior (M'hom* die fair town of Vernon on Seine grceteth well also), and Will Albtow and [Ark and all the meinie^ and king Barbour and his wife. Written at the siege at Sens, the Cth day of June, in haste, ^ens is further than Paris thir^-four leagues, and Troyes is furttier than Paris thirty-six leagues. ** Will ye say to my brother, Maister Piers, that I send him a letter by the ftnnger hereof! *< Your own Servant, "JoBAir Ofort." Thus was the honeymoon of Katherine the Fair passed at sieges and leaguers ; her bridal music was the §rroans of France. Horror, unutter- iUe horror, was the attendant on these nuptials ; for the cruel massacre of Montereau* took place within a fortnight of the queen^s espousals. TeC Katherine was no unwilling bride ; for, as her brother-in-law, Philip the Good of Burgundy, expressly declared, ^ she had passionately longed to be espoused to king Henry; and, from the moment she saw him, had constantly solicited her mother, with whom she could do any thing, till her marriage took place.'" But not a word, not a sign of objection to the cruelties and slaughter that followed her marriage, is recorded ; nor did the royal beauty ever intercede for her wretched country with her rly-wedded lord. Sens received Henry and Katherine within its walls, soon after the had commenced in form. The king and queen of England entered in great state, accompanied by the archbishop of Sens, who had a few dftyv before joined their hands at Troyes. This prelate had been ex- pelled from his diocese by the party of the Armagnacs, but he was rein- mted by Henry V., who, turning to him with a smile as they entered the cathedral, said, ^ Now, Monseigneur Archevesque, we are quits ; for yoQ gave me my wife the other day, and 1 restore yours to you this dey.*^ While the desperate siege of Montereau proceeded, the queen of Elng- knd, and her lather and mother, with their courts and households^ * This sad page of history is detailed by Monstrelet Henry Y^ exasperated bj the desperate defence of this town for its native sovereign, butchered the larnson, under pretence of revenging the death of John duke of finrgundy, with whose death the gnrriMin had not the slightest coneern, nor was Henry in tba It called ufMn lo avenge it. * Martin's Chron&ole, * MocA«Tt\«v» I 100 HATHttXINEOP VALOtS. miilpd ai Bray sur Seine. Here Henry pnid rm^iHrnt vints to hm bnSt After ihe Iragetly of Monlerrau, ihe united courw roiKned U) CoiM, wliere queen Kattieiine \va» joinetl by her siEier-in-law, Msrgsrvl daehoi of Clarence, and by many noble ladies, who had come from EngtaDd la pay iheir duly lo the bride of king Henry. Siie n-as with her nnilbR anil kitig Charles at the camp before Meluu. " But, indeed,'" ny* Mm- strelet, " il waa a sorry sight to see the king of F«n<* beren lif aU In usual Slate and pomp. They resided, with many ladies and danucU about a month, in a hoasc king Henrj- hod built for Uicm near hii tnok ami ai a distance from the tomi, thai the roar of ihe csnnoD might not «iartle king Charles, (^veiy day st sunrise," coiUiitu*.-s ihe Burfuwln. ■■ and Bi nighifail, ten clarions, and diven oiher instrurnenis, nm •«• dered by king Henry lo play for an hour, nifwl melodiously, btSon tSi door of the king of France." The malady of the unhappy biher gf Katheriiie was soothed by music. This was evidently ihe military band of Henry V., the first whi^ a i!i«tinctly mentioned in chronicles. . Henry was himself a pecfomier oa the harp from an early age. He likewise was a composer, dctigkiing ■ chtirch harmony, which he used in practise on the or;gan.' Thai bt found similar tastes in his royai bride, is evident from an item ID ikt Issue Rolls,' whereby it appears he sent to England to obtain new harpi for Ratherine and him.ielf, in the October succeeding his wedlock : " pjr Ihe hands of William Menslon was paid Si. 13« id., for two nev b^ purchased for king Henry and qneen Katherine," If itie reader il aiuiouE to know who was the best harp-maker in Loudon al ihia period, complete satisfaction can be given ; for a previoM (kicnmnil neniiom another harp sent to Henry, when in France, " purchasml of John Bom harp-maker, London ; together with several doaeii hnrp-chordf uri i harp- case." M the surrender of Melurt, the rile mother of queen KBibniiM wm proclaimed regent of France, through the inlluence of her siw-n-ln, who considered queen Isabeau entirely d<^oted to hnr daugbler'* nir- rest. This was a preparatory step lo a visit which Henry tntonM* make 10 his own country, for the purpose of showing the £ngUiA to heauiirul bride, and performing the cen-monial of her coronatton. Tb* royal personnges of France and England now approached i'ari», ia oyliOod ; he was given a careful education at Windsor by Henry IV^ and wrote many beautiful poems, taking for his models Chaucer and Qower. whom be trails his "maistres dear.*' From the top of the Maiden's Tower in Windsoi Cn«tle he foil in love with Joanna Beaufort, half-niece to Henry V., whom hs saw walking in the garden below. Queen Katberine's friendship gave a turn IS lus adverse Ibrtunes. 9* alderman Fabian, '* that this fej 24th, Lent was entered upon, brawn, served with mustard." Fabian mentions especially deai The table ornaments, called their mottoes a political meanin St. Katherine, the queen's patro ing a label in her right hand, and a pelican held an answer in Cest la signe et du toy Parer lencz joy, £t tout sa gent Ellc mette sa content The second course of this f lumbine flowers; white pottag sea ; conger ; soles ; cheven, or crayfish, or lobster; leche, da flourished, ^' Unc sans plus;'^'^ Ian with a scutcheon royal, and th( fleurs-de-lis and (lowers of can fectionary), and a subtlety nam' St. Katherine, having a wheel ii La reyne ma fille In cette ile Per bon reason Aie renown. K4THBKIHS OF TALOIf. 108 II est ecrit, It is written, Pur voir et cil, It majr bo seen and is, Per manage pure In marriage pure Cest guerre nc dure. No strifes endure. And, lastly, there was a subtlety, named a tigre^ looking in a mirror, •nd a roan on horseback clean annei], holding a tiger's whelp in his hands, with this motto : — Perforce sans reason je prise celte teste: ^ By force of anns, and not by that of reason, have I captured this beast." The small tiger and the motto meant an uncivil allusion to Kutherine's ▼oung brother, the dauphin ; the figure made show of throwing mirrors at the great tiger, which held in his paw this reason (label with motto) :— Gile che mirronr The sight of this mirror Ma festa distour. Tames wild bea^its of terror. The only instance of active benevolence ever recorded of Katherine the Fair, took place at this coronation feast, when the queen publicly interceded with her monarch-bridegroom for the liberation of liis royal guest and prisoner, James I. of Scotland, then at table. This suit seems to have been granted, on condition that James should bear arms under Henry V.'*8 banner, for the purpose of completing the subjugation of France.' Katherine likewise took in hand the management of the love- afEiirs of the accomplished king of Scotland ; and, through her agency, hopes were held out to the gallant James, that if he gave satisfaction to king Henry in the ensuing campaign, he need not despair of possessing the beautiful Joanna Beaufort, with whom he was so desperately ena- moured. Stow affirms that this lady was betrothed to king James before the festivals of Katherine's coronation ended. Katherine presented sir James Stuart with the gilt cup with which he served her as sewer at the coronation.' After the festivals had concluded, the queen was left by Henry in her palace of Westminster till Palm Sunday, when she removed to Windsor, expecting to meet the king, who had promised to pass Easter with her at the castle. Henry, however, found it impossible to return from the north, whither he had gone on progress ; he therefore sent for the queen to Leicester, where they celebrated the spring festival ; they then con- tinued the progress together, visiting the shrines of all northern saints. * This was done, but it is certain that James macle Uie ensuing campaign as a private knight; for his nubjects were fighting for the dauphin, under the earl of Ax:Uan, son to his usurping uncle, the dnke of Albany. This Scotch army soon mfler gave to England the first reverse they had met in France, at iJaugy, Swinton laid the lance in rest lljat tame face; the enrl of Biu^han afterwards killed him with a blow of his truncheon, but to the gallant JSwinton certainly belongs the chivalric part of the victory. The late SM'inton. of Swinton, descendant of sir John, gave the spear which nchieved tliis conquest to sir Walter Scott, and it is now to be seen aft Abloulord. •Exceriita Historica, p. 87S. I I I k 101 K ATHBRi;«E or V A LOIS. Henrr was so superdnons in his de^oiiona, anil bo awni b nu;)prreinii| all the Balrricul wrilin^ of ihe Lnllartls aeainst ihc rlrr«y. llut the It»> fumiers gave hini ihe Bobriquet of the "prince of ihe pri**!*."' The oljjeel of ihe kin^ Id ihis progress was lo prepare Ills jiMfdefar the exiraortlinary supplier he meant lo request, at ihe nuwiig pari*- roenl. For this purpose he harangueil the corpontjona of r»ny tmni through which he passed ; and showing ihem his kit queen H • paaf of (he progress he had made in the ronquesl of France, be i i|ilaiiwJ la theni, with great eloquence, what forces anil runds h wouM Mke to complete il. Henry proceeded no further northward than the ahrine of 9l JoIid rf Beverley. While he was □flerinE[' to thai p"pular saiui. be left h» qoeaa ai the royal ca»tle of PontefracL,' that featful TortreM wbrr* her Mm Isabella's first husbsnii, Richard lU had met with hi? Qiyeterioin daA. and where tiial sister's second husband, and her own cousin-gprrau, lb poal duke of Orleans, was then enduring a strict capiiviiv. It nuv b inlerreil that queen Kalherine was permitted to see this ttew rebllTc, W Henry would scarcely have taken her lo liis pluce nf abode. Katfaeiiaf reiurned to Wesuninster in May, 14*21, whtm the king met lui f» lioinent Soon aFler, the disastrous news arrived of ihe defeat and death, al ika ialal lield of Baiigy, of tliat stainless knight, the king's beat br^imj brother, Thomas, duke of Cbrt^nce. Henty had not iuietnliil lo lean England till after the biith of the heir, which the situation of his vouaf queen led him to expect; but now, burning tn avengv Cbrenee,' b hurried lo France, JuDe ID, leaving his Kalhi^rine m the care of ibc Jukt of Bedford. Me laid one especial command on his wife at hia {nnii^ which was. not to let his heir be bom at Windsor. Our clironiclers lead us to suppose that the king himself hai! eXHiiiMl the aspect of the planets, nccoidiug to the vain rule* of art : for th* n- pression always is, » that he prophesied* the calamities uf Httuj Yl.' Now, if il was a marvel that Saul was among the prophets, it woolil b« one still greater to lind our gallant Planutgeuet king assumirig ibe nv- phet's mantle; unless, indenl, dunng his education at Oxford, he ml. among other trash then considered learning, acquired the an of eastilf horoscopes. Be tilts as it may. Henry, from some niysteriom mMa. deemed that destiny lowered darkly over the royal lowers of WiudsM) ■ Wliile Kennct, rrign Henry V., vol. ii. p. 163. ■ Vfkiu K^nnei. ibkl. In ihs ele«Bnl ediiion of MansmBlet's Chttinicks, f^ lUhsl by Smith, Fleet SireeC, 1S40. ttaere is a bnuutifut wooH-citl pnrpotav n be ■ portrait of queen Katherine, copied from a tculpiore on mu aid cal ebol at York. The 6gaie ot lli» qaeeo ii ooble and Eiaoerul. tlie sMtuoie |vf0if acreeing widi the uroet. exccpling the ampHiU'le tit the dmperiri. Ifrd^^tt, ibe Kulplure is a itlio or this progrfia, anil, if il K>Uld be pnivnil to V svA Wmild bo deeply iaieresiiug lo llie auihoc at lliii life, — Nol« id this idid* «f 1IM4. A> ihe Sconiah aimf had doTeated Clareiinc, ha tiiiiiK cierj 1 KATHKRINK OF YALOIl. 105 diiriiif the month when he expected Kttherine to bring forth her Bnt^ Dorn.' It is certain, however, that Katherine disobeyed her royal lord, either from want of belief in astrology, or because she chose that her child should first see the light in that stately fortress, where his great Mid fortunate ancestor, Edward III., was born. On the 6th of December, 1421, the son of Katherine came into a world which assuredly proved most disastrous to him. When the news wa« brought to Henry V. that Katherine had brought him an heir, he was prosecuting the siege of Meaux. He eagerly inquired ^ wliere the boy was bom ?" and being answered *^ at Windsor," the king repeated with a sigh to his chamberlain, lord Fitzhugh, the following oracular stave, which certainly does little honour to his talents as an impromptu ▼ersifier : — ** 1, Henry, born at Monmoath, Shall small time reign and much get; But Henry of Windsor Miall long reign and lose all. But as God will, so be it*' * No regular English dower was at this time settled on Katherine, bat it is evident that the revenues of the unfortunate queen-dowager were confiscated for her use, as her maids were paid from that source. Her damsels were, Joanna Belknap* Joanna Troutberk^ and Joanna Courcy, besides Agne«, who has no surname. *^ These ladies," says Henry, ^ the demoiselles of our dear companion, are to receive ten licres a-piece oat of the funds of queen Johane.^ Guillcmote, damsel of the bed-chamber to his said dear companion, is to receive one hundred shillings from the moneys of queen Joanna." Not very honest of the valiant Henry, to pay his wife's servants with another person's money. These gifUi are declared to be in consideration of the ^^ costages and ejcpenscs the beloved demoiselles are incurring, by following Uie said' drar queen and companion to meet me, king Henry, in France." Like- wise an annuity of twenty livres* per annum " for that dear doctor of philosophy « Maister Johan Boyers, because of his oflice of confessor to queen Katherine." The revenue of the unfortunate dowager was like- wise taxed, for the maintenance of Katherine's guest, Jacqueline of Hainauh,* to the enormous amount of a hundred pounds per month. * Speed. Stow. Fabian. Holingshed. > Wbite Kennet TruMel's Chronicle of Henry V., vol. i. p. 336. Most of the chroniclers who wrote during the latter part of Henry's VI.'s reign to Henry VII/s era, mention this singular piece of court gossip. If the saying was indeed prevalent from the coinmenccineiit of ihc life of Henry VI., it must have fought more fttally against the Red Ro:nwi»n Tmlor— Gniml'Min of Kath — Katharine's brv!y exhumed — Made a 6p« kisses her remains ^Re-interred. QiTERN Katherine CFossed the sea, 2l8t of Mrv, 142*2, e^And on Whit Sunday queen Kaiherine sat at table at the Louvre, gloriously apparelled, having her crown on her bead. The English princes and nobles were partakers (vith the great lords of France al this feast, each sealed according to his rank, while the tables were covered with the richest viands and wines. Queen Ku- ilierine next day held a ^real eoiiri, ajid all the Parisians went to see llieir princess, and her lord silting enthroned, crowned with their moat precious diadems ; but," cuiiiinues Monstrelet, -■ as no meat or drink was otibred to the populace, they weni away much discontented. For when, of old, the kings of France kept open court, much good cheer WB» freely given to all comers. King Charles V!, had once been as conrleous and liberal as any of his pretlecessors -, hut now he was seated al a lahle with his queen, quite forsaken by his nobles, who all flocked to pay their court to his daughter and her husband, at which ihe com- mon people grieved tiiuch." Kalherine likewise gave great offence by having the frmmes carried before her coach, as if she bad been the sove- reign of France.' 'i'he last year''s harassing warfare had greatly injured the constitution of Henry V. He was ill when his queen arrived, but he paid no regard to Ills foiling health — he scarcely allowed himself a day's repose. But conquest, empire, and all worldly things, were fast fleeting IVont ilic gmsp of ihe warlike lord of Katherine the Fair. At Senlis he wtE Kixcd with a mortal distemper. He stru^led fiercely against its en- croorhments, for he daily expected to hear of a haiile between his &iend, the duke of Burgundy, and the dauphin, and hoped to assist his tlly in peisoii. He had even assinned his armour, and marched as far U Melun ; bill the strong hand of disease was too powerful even for the energies of his mighty mind. Sorely smitten with illness, he wa» obliged to give up his march ; and, the malady increasing every minute, he was forced to be carried hack to Senlis in a litter. He had tefi his [|ueen nt Senlia, but for greater security she had retired to her father's Gastle in the wood of Vineennes; thiliier the " niighiy victor, mighty loni." was carrie'», -iliU | I when hu hail cuiiipletvil liU cmiqucsu ia £ur»|>c. he al»'ii> - I jHmlrrUike a (^ruec«. "UlAl, wilhnut a niicnclr, he touJd not survive tw< i I. 1 moeC* ; I " Ccrorurt my dear wir«," he said lo ihe duke o( Bedfonl. ^ ihe iBml I aAIicl«d creaiura living."' In a will he inade on his death-brd, bt I IravuB Kaiheriue a guld vcepire. He expirod on the 3l>t kH and never rciurtiing lliera. AAer lii« death a peiition wan *cni lo lite rr^ncy by the lady Westmoreland, his relaUVf, praying that l»r *■ Chronicles of JeruMlern," and the •■ Rtpedilion uf tiodfrey uT BoO' logne," burrowed of her by the laie kiiii;, might be returned. Thf prior of CliriBithurvh. likewise, sent in a moat pitiful euniplninl, thai hi bad lent the works of St. Gregory lo his ilear lord, lujig Henry, wfco lud never restored them to him, tlirir rightful ownpr. Ill persiiii lUnry V, wu (all and Bi{ile, and ao swil^ of !<»(• thit bt I could, wiih the aid of two of hia lords, capture deer in the Tt>>-al m- I closures, without the assistance of dogs. Ilia porltaits poaoesa iltai di*- I linclive character which proves peraooal reaemblance ; bis Itnlurcfe an ' n^ular, though very strongly marked ; Uie perceptive brow denotes ibc greal gcncml ; the eyes are majestic and overpowering j the nove vrll cut, but eiern in the expression of ihe noairil; ttio mouth wide, twi cloieJy presaed, oiiil the haughty upper lip curls wiili no very benevo- lent expression. There is a great developumcnt of frontal bcain in hit |)oriraiIs : ihey ore oil proltlas, excepting ihai over ihe chaniry at Woi- (uinaier Abbey, whicli liaa a wen on the right side of the neck. At the lime of Henry's deaili, his fair wiJow had not atiaintd ha Iweniy-firsl year. Her nOi-ctJon was, as ilio dying hero observul Xo hit brother, must violent, bul it certainly proved in the end radier evann- cent The funeral of Henry V. was arranged and conducted by queen %»■ theriue, with all the pomp of woe.' ■■ His body was laiij on a chartnl drawn hy foor great horses. Jusl above ilie dead corpse dtey plarMi i £gure niad« of boiled leather, pn»eniing his person as nigh as miglil be devised, painted curiously to the geiiibJance of n living eroaiur*. uo whose bead wu put an imperial diadem of gold and precious slnnes; briiiRi Her iro at Spniis, atiH Blfimis bM mniher VM wSUi It the palnce near IHuis, inofl luad as a tmHi likHly he woiilil lesvo liiK tvilp at iIif («ni|il -rin« lo hii bmlliBr, al Kstlipti* D the fUuotsl ritea of Im d •Stow. XATtiERI^E OP TALOIS. 109 (m ibi hcxly. a piirplr rfiF>r fntrn) wiih prniinr; in ibe li^bi Iiand, ■ KTpin' roval ; in ihe left, an orb of ffold, with a cross fixcil tliereoiii An.i-> hnl H'ii» of red, bcaUm with giilil; and besides, when the bo>ore the banners of the mints. The hatchments were carried by t«el»e renowned Mp« Bins ; and around the bier-car rode four hnndreil men-at-arms in black _ ■nnotir, their horses barbed black, their lances held with the poinM H^pwnwards. A great company clothed in white, bearing wnx-iorchc^ HB|kteti, encompassed the procession. The qtieen, with a nn^tv reti- ^KlSet came after al a mile's distance.^ Thus she passed, keeping her hu»i ' Wnd'a corpse in view, through Hesdin, Monircnil, and Boiilngiie, till they came to Calais, where, on the I2lh of October, the privy couneS had ordered Tessels to meet the qneen, with ladies to attend her.* When the queen, aAer landing at Dover with the royal corpse, ap- nra«chrd London, she was met by tiAeen bishops in their poniilicBl ksbits. anil by many abbots in their mitres and vestments, with a vast erowd iif priests and people. The priests ehanled all the way from Blackheaih, and through the streets of the city, hymns for their dea maile ibt f or thi I. (icvpiing that all □< isuw. VOL. 111. — 10 , vol. III. p. a. Them dncumend larUIr rimflim iha inle king Hpniy VI. »-iu l»ft In Erglinil ; toj da wpinicin, nor it the rofnl inftnl eien Ririiii'>n«l reiing hi* ilnd laibi-r uid moiiiniiiK tnoAir I I 110 E ATIIBRtNB op VALOIS. blhtu'* dmlh. Wlicn llir pailianiGnt tn^ she reiDOTed to I^taduiuW jtameA llinmali tlie rilv. on r in'iririe llirnne ilrnwn bv whiw liurso. (Uul «i.fri.mi.lM by ill ihe prm.« ami i.ol.les ,.1" EngUiiii. Thr lu&iu kine wu )'b o"e o( our qtuutit rhrvniclcra. " wbicli c^ultl nut yet feud liiniself, wen; mait np- ble a( wioldiiig ■ drtpirr ; and he, who was bebnIOen to Bnr ganik nntitlvJ similar, or iti[uir;, in tlie t'nHlera, but iieter knigUl. 'Stow'i Antmb. 'llii* low ml iiHlimtda Uial tbe inftnl Utaij v/m in prHMiM. ^ !«• It I I I wh*! holy place lli( tisunlly affirmed ^ iliat the re^nn wai miirrinl when lliia law waa cnacind.'j be the coat, bul ihty had not assuredn attach m eni ; ulherwise wuuld ihey liave innwii) of Kailierine*s household, till at I of her life? — a (an incoiiteatably proM Counril,' He was clerk of b«r wardron a grrat biMoncal sntiqunry. SiMin afWr lb« prohibitory suiute mVAl bjuilllV. Anil romnlimenra mioht hut itmiTif^il urhirK lli^ Inuilir ^^ ihe royal beauty, and complimenls might be implictl which the lowly lover could have no other opportunity of expressing. The only notice that occurs of Kaihenne from the third i-ear of her tnftni'a reign, till \43a, is, ihal her son. (hen in his seventh year, by iJie advice of his governess, Alice Boteler, presented his mother, for a New- year^ gin, with the ruby ring given him by hia uncle, the duke of Bed- Katherine'a life of reiirenienl enabled her to conceal her marriage for amy years, and to give birth, without any very notorious scandal, lo three Rr>m succeKsively- The eldest was bom at the royal mnnnr-hniise ef Hadham ; from the place of his hirlh he is called Eilmunil of Had- Iwni. The second was Jasper of Hatfield, from another of the royal lendences. The third, Owen, first saw the light ai some iitconvenient season, when Kalherine was forced to appear at the royal palace of Wesiminsier. The babe was carried at once into the monastery, wherf tui was reared, and afterwards professed a monk. While Katherine was devoting herself to conjugal aflcction and ma- ternal duties, performed by stealth, her royal son was crowneil, in his eighth year, king of F.ngtand, at Weslntinster, with great pomp, in which his mother took no share. The next year he crossed the sea, in order la be crowned at Paris. It is natural to suppose that queen Katherine Bccooipanit^d her son, and supported his claims on her native crown, by ber personal inllnence ; but no traces are to be found of her presence. Her mother was alive in Paris, full of years, and, it must be added, of diahonours. The English princes and lords did not condescend lo in- troduce their little king lo the degraded woman, and the maternal granAt* mother of Henry VI. became first known to the son of her daughter, by ■ kissing her hand' and making a reverential courtesy lo him at a eroilttt (window) of the HAtel de St. Pol ; after which it was not considered^ decent lo forbid the young king's request lo visit her, and an inti'rvtei^ took place between queen Isabeau and her grandson. Ttnic wore on. and one disaster to the English in France followed ■notber. They evacuated Paris just three days before the wicked queeo Isabeau died. There was scarcely a person found to bury this ones powerful princess. Katherine, though in the prime of life, being bnl tkirty-Hre, survived her wretched mother only one year. A strong suspicion of the queen's connexion with Tudor seems lo have bean first excited in the minds of Henry V.'s guardians, towards ths 'Tlie cImIu of the wardrobe bouRht jeweli and aloth of golil liit thi m pHncT-iu*. Sen Riclmtil ClilTonl's pareha*-! fnj ilie lad]r Philipjia. ilaughl ■r Hmiy 1V„ when sba nratned Eiie king OT Sw»dea.^^»ua Kollt, pp. W3,< *Vniy L'ouiu^il, vol. tii. p. aU. ■ MODttrBlaU \ ] RATH BKtN OP TALOia. I IH •nd of (h« rammrr of 143S; itwhiRh time Katheriae etiher M In ihe iihbry of ItermnnilMry, or ww ei and miglily prince, anJ my full {n>)iloubicil lotil, and Gtll m- lireljt hvlovnd ton. in duo linmlile wiae, with fnll heartj naluml blsMint, IMO- menil me id ynut highneai. To the whicli plmse to be cBinilaJ. that baltee&< ■Ilsnl and fMiful conclution of Ihii luntf, grioroui innlailf. in the wtikh I Hn be«n lonB, anil yet am, troubled anil vexed bjr ihe Tinuiioa of Ood (V> akaai be ibaiihing nnJ laud in all hIa giAs). I purpose, hf the enii» of Ood, and oalv jwiT suctioiir, pnHaction. mnd comlbn (in whom onlf. bdkhii kII olhar sBdUy, sunJi alJ m7 tiud), ID ordaia and dlapoie of my tmameiu, both fbr mjr oil and my body. a tlie mora a nd unju9t of GlmKestei to pecieciite ami u n of ui self boil formed a mnn degmding BlIiBiu-e with Eleanora Cobhant. who tmi <■« only previouilf lived willi liim on diirepuDble letioa, but bad bucna an tnlk moua clininuur. 'AbbeH of Bnrhiiia, Kslberiae de la Pola. 'SproL ' This dopiimenl hat. u far a> we know, never belbre been printsd. It ii f"" I ftally Injured by ibe Hrs thai damagHt Ibo Conoiiian MSS. in the but cunluT b remain! to be inielligibte. Mr. Halliwell has kind))' uanauibnl ■ IE lantnuitr- The onhography alone lias bran allerad, in jia iatni"'- hit bio|[rov>M- CutonuM US. Tiibtrau E. viii. Ibl. SSI. KATHBKIIIB OF VALOIB. 117 " And I trust fullj, and am right sure, that, among all creatures earthly, ye oett mny, and will best tender and favour my will, in ordaining for my soul and boily, in seeing that my debts be paid and my servants guerdoned, and in Under and favourable fulfilling of mine intent} Wherefore, tenderly I beseech yoii, at tlie reverence of Go'ants. If Katherine, by this mysterious document, really made any provision for her helpless family, it is all comprised in the dark hints to her son of acting ^ according to his noble discretion and her intents ;^' which intention, perhaps, had been confided to the young king in some interview previously to her imprisonment There is no enumeration of property in the items that follow, excepting the portion of income due at the day of her departing. She declares that her soul ^ shall pass as naked, as desolate, and as willing to be scourged, as the poorest soul God ever formed." This piteous exhortation to her son was written, or dictated, a few hours before her death ; yet, even at her last gasp, she evidently dared not break regal etiquette so far as to name to her son her plebeian lord or her young children. Whilst this pathetic document was in course of preparation, the dying queen receiveoile Within tliis tomb ih Queen Katlierine's e Of our fifth Henry, ^ Henry, mother. As A perfect flower of Here, happy Engl an On whose auspiciou: And, reft of whom, ; Joy of this land, an( Glory of mothers, to A follower sincere o Heaven and our ear This woman, who a Earth, by her ofTspri In the fourteen hund First month *s third d And this queen's soi In heaven, received This original epitaph has 1 it is very probable, that as i widow, and not a wife, it oc( the reign of her grandson. Owen Tudor had been put Bermondsey.' From thence r 11 ITATHBftlNB OF YALOtS. 119 and free to go^ The council gave the king's Terbal promise that ould depart unharmed. Owen vowed he would not venture hiro« vithin their reach, without a written promise. This was granted^ he hastened to London, and threw himself into the sanctuary at minster, where he remained many days, ^ eschewing,'' as a docu- of the privy council says, ^ to leave it, although many persona, f friendship and fellowship, stirred him to come out thereof, and rt himself, in the tavern at Westminster Ghite." Here, when on at Westminster Palace, Owen had evidently been accustomed to If and, as a retired soldier, tell over, with boon companions^ all hia of Agincourt. He vras right to resist the temptation of ^ disport* imself," for the council certainly meant to entrap him there, last, he heard that the young king was ^^ heavily informed of him^'' \s listening to serious charges against him. Upon which Owen ;nly appeared before the privy council, then sitting in the chapel ber at Kennington Palace, and defended himself with such manli- ind spirit, that the king set him at liberty. ren immediately retired into Wales ; but the duke of Gloucester^ a base prevarication perfectly inconsistent with the high character wed on him in history, sent after him,' and, in despite of the double conduct, had him consigned to the tender mercies of the earl of k, in the dungeons of the royal castle of Wallingford, under pre- of having broken prison.' e lord -constable of England, Beaumont, was paid twenty marks, le expenses he had incurred in catching and keeping Owen, his , and servant. The place where the privy council met to arrange usiness is rather remarkable : it was transacted in the secret chamber ging to cardinal Beaufort as bishop of Winchester, in the priory of iry's Overy. There were present, in this secret conclave, ** the :anlinal, the lord-chancellor, the earl of Suffolk, the treasurer, lord erford, and John Stourton, knight" was found convenient to remand Owen back from Wallingford ) to Newgate, where, it may be remembered, his priest and servant committed. No sooner were these three persons in Newgate onca , than its walls were found inefficient to detain them ; they all made ind escape, aAer ^ wounding foully their gaoler," as an old MS. in arleian Collection declares. Owen laid his plans so successfully, econd time of breaking out of Newgate, that he was not retaken, ed with his fiiithful adherents to the Aptnesses of North Wales, * he waited for better times. s, perhaps, not too much to infer, that the priest thus connected Dwen, w^as the person who secretly performed the marriage-cere- *9e curious links in the histoiy of the unfortunate Katherine*8 partner, led up from sir Harris Nicolas* Minutes of the Privy Council, vol. v. p. I. :ieni, vol. X. p. 685. The order for his imprisonment there, ends thD»— moreover, we will that you send us the fourscore and nine pounds that und on the raid prirst, wtiich you hare now in hand, the which jrou are to r up Ibi wur use to the treasurer and chamberlain of our ezolieqiier." I KATHBKINR or VALOII. Sj bMwM-n him and Kalliorinc^ and iliat the wrrnnt wu viuen lo WtdWk. Tho LonUiin (.'hnioicle rindicates the hrniour of the oi vm- cainplintcnuir)' lo her spouse. "Thisywr, SW Owen. ■ man ne' of biriii, n« ti( bvetiliuiHl, brake uui of Newguc ai •earrhing; time, (be wliicli Oweu had pnvily wedded quei-u Ivathenitt. and Itail three or four cliildren bj her, unkuowa lo the comiiioii pM)|dt till ahe waa dead and buried."* Kaiheriiie'a elileii boys moat hare been very youn^ ■■ the lime of hn death, sine* they icmained inrimtfti of a nunnery, under the care of the abbea* urBarkin^c, till theriod, she would ha*ii been ilifTerenily treated ; fur more ihiui one ulU hisLorian asaena, Ihit Uenry VI. never forgave hia undo Gloucester the harah usag« hia mother had experienced, Aa soon as the young king aiiained his majoriiyi he allowed Owen Tuilor an aiiimity of Ml. per Biinum, ** which, for ccrtUD causes, him niof iiig, he gave him out of liis privy purse by especial gtmee,"' The eldeel son of Catherine and Owen was marrinl, by the influent of Henry VI., to Margaret B«tuforl, the lieiroa^ of the houac of Sam«- •et. .At the palace of Reading, bin royal lutlf-brother bestowed un kan the liile of Itii'hiu'Hid. This waa done aiuidsi the reJotcingB for ihe bmi of Edward, prince of Wales, and ihe festivities in celebnitiou of the kinf't resLoraiiou lo health and reason. Edniuiid look preeeitence of all olto Eiif^lish peers. He died in his twentieth year, leaving an in&ni •«< afterwards Henry VII. The next brother, Jasper Tudor, wns created earl of Pembrnkei tbt same day thai his brother receivnl the title of Kichmond.* The iluni aon lived and died a monk al Weslminster. Owen Tudor himnelf was ukeii into aoroe sori of favour, bul ntrer graced with any title, or ownod by Henry VI. as his fatber-iit-law ; u ■nay be plainly seen by a deed dated so late aa U6U, jusi before the battle of North iinplnn, where ihe king declares, " that out of considen- tinii of ihe good services of that beioved tqwre, our Owiiius Tudyr, wc for [he future lake him into our special gnu;e,a[id moke him park-keepw ■Nrlilier. >A obronicler in Leland'a Oillecilon uwa neailjr Iha same woriisi bat l«lind has ■ppendcU a nnu. nying. " II was the pri'ie ot Ihe king's uncle* aloiw wlik'h Nitighl to casi tBOtn on Owvii's birtli ; likeH-we, " llial Owen eHpAd by M of the pripii." • Ftniero, vol. s. p. 828. ' Blaakman's Chronii^le. piinlei) al iha rud of Oueibourne > Chniiiidn. a%\ pkymeiiu of thii aonuily, Slsi ami 3'Jil of llenrr VL't intft KATHKKIIIB OF VAI.OI8. 121 of our parks in Denbigh, Wales.''' This was granted when the king was in a distressed state, and the old warrior, his father-in-law, had drawn his Agincourt sword in his cause. After the defeat and death of Richard duke of York, at Wakefield, a Lancastrian anny, commanded by Jasper earl of Pembroke, and his fiuher, Owen Tudor, pursued the earl of March, who, turning fiercely al bay, defeated them near Mortimer's Cross. Jasper made a successful retreat ; but his father, with true Welsh obstinacy, positively refused to quit the lost field, he was taken prisoner ; and, as he was the first vic- tim on whom Edward had the opportunity of wreaking his vengeance ibr the death of York and Rutland, he ordered Owen Tudor's head to be smitten ofif in Hereford market-place, with two or three Lloyds and Howels, his kinsmen and comrades.' Such was the end of the second husband of queen Katherine, who lost his life stoudy battling for the cause of Lancaster.' When Henry VII. ascended the throne of England, he caused the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, with the tomb of queen Katharine, to be demolished for the purpose of building a new and stately chapel. In place of the epitaph destroyed, (wiiich must, in its assertion that queen Katherine died widow to Henry V., have proved very embarrassing to the Tudors), the following lines were hung up, which were evidently written after Henry VILA'S accession." * * Here lies queeu Katherine closed in grave, the French king*8 daughter fair, And of thy kingdom, Charles tlic Sixth, the true undoubted heir. Twice joyful wife in marriage— matched to Henry the Fifth by name, Becmuse through her he nobled was, and shined in double fame. The king of England by descent, and by queen Katherine's right. The realm of France he did enjoy — triumphant king of might. A happy queen to Englishmen she came right grateful here, And lour days* bpace they honoured God, with lips and reverent fbar. Henry the bixth this queen brought forth, with painful labour plight. In whose empire France was then, and he an English wight. Under no lucky planet born unto himself or throne, But equal with his parents both in pure religion. Of Owen Tudor, after this, thy next son Edmund was, O Katherine, a renowned prince, that did in glory pass ! Henry the ISeventh, a Britain pearl, a gem of England's joy, A peerless prince was Edmund's son, a good and gracious roy; Therefore a happy wife this was, a hapj)y mother pure. Thrice liappy child, but grand-dame she more than thrice happy, sure !" Although Henry VII. had demolislied the tomb of his grandmother, it 10 certain that he liad not caused her remains to be exhumed, since he mentions her in his will, as still interred in the chapel ; and it is evident that he intended to restore her monument. ^ Specially as the body of our grand-dame of right noble memory, queen Katherine, daughter of the king of France, is interred within our monastery of Westminster, and we propose shortly to translate thither * Foedera, vol. x. p. 43!). * Stow's Annals, and PennanL ' ** A report liad previously existed,** says Biondi, ^ that Owen had been put to daatb by Humphrey, duke of Gloucetter.** . * Stow'f London. ?OL. III. 11 SATUKRINX OP TALOIS. xncie of blesai^il iii«nory, Uenrr VI^ ami whsAft I r bndy in to btr buried in the bU nioiiaaiery — that is to mv, in ilie ctia{ielf, in regard in her dmobedience lo her husband, for behig di of her Ron, lUnry VI., al Windsor, which place he forbade." In the rei^ of Charles II., the poor qiiccn was made s common 4 tadr; for that quninl coinpnnnd of absurdities, Pepys. journalises, « infiiiile satislnction, lliol he had *• this day kiase pfiitie in nrhieh she remainetj at Nanri, swHJiing tkliti^ of ihc Usae of thiU dUnstriMiB fight. The eveni was too soon annDiintnl, hv the arriral of the fiigiiiret from the lost battle. ■■Alasf" exclnimeil the was at the price of bestow- ing his clde-il daughter, Yolsnte, then in her ninth year, on the heir of bin rival, the young Ferry or Frederic of Vaudemont, with part of tho disputed lands of Lorraine for her portion. The litile Margaret was at the mnie time betrothed lo Pierre of Luxemburg, count St. Pol, whose •quire had cut Rene down at the battle of Bulgneville.' Rene, being pledged to pay a heavy sum of money to the duke of Barguiidy fur his ransom, was obliged to give his two boys as his host- •gea, and to resign Yolante to her new mother-in-lnw ; so that, of their fiMjT beautiful children, the infwnt Margaret nns the only one who f*. innteij to Nanci wiib her parents. Such a meeting and such a parting •8 that of Rene with his family was never befure witnetued. and the "pelile crtaturt," Margaret, as she is called by the chroniclers of Lotw nine, is said to have tesiilied the uiinust sensibility on this occasion.* The death of the virtuous Margaret of Bavaria, the granihuother of I oreRoaia tiJI be wu blinded bj [he blrxxl (Vom ■ woand on tin IbH brow, tha ■ear of which ho carried (o Ihe grave.'* ■ Hera, n disripale tfae sorrow or hi) ai[iliTit]r, Kimi empla]ml himielf in puntinc- Tbs cbtpel of the castle of l>iji>n i> •tilJ enrichnl witli bmuliftil mioianire* ■nd paintsd glku by thx io)ml Imml nr the fHllier of out Mstg>rM of Aitiiou. Il nu lliii cMnion of hia talenu iJibi &xi*\ly irrminsleil hi* cBpii*iq>, Ibr Pliilip lbs Good wu so much pl»*ed with the ilgbt of hli own portMib painted on ilao bjr bia interesting {">■■""''' ''"' be uiught an inicrtirw wltk bin, ela*pAi him in hi* annt. and. aner eiprpHing lbs Kreateil admintion Ibr Ma aalmti. nffetiHl to mediale with Anloine ■)« Vuidemonis fbr liin librntloa. TUi pormii. togMlirt with one of Jran-Mn*-Peur, ilie Ikthvt ofdiiki* Pbiliik was |ilTii ' in tba wtndnw of ihF eliureh of CtianwuM ai Dijon, but Wat drmolialwil , .■ na Rpvolaiion. *Chroniale> of Lomine. MewnL I 4 8ontil etuiow incuts, her rounifre, and c< this ilhistrious parent that Mar^ret in sternest Hhttcks (if adversity were unahl •8 litabella uf L(»rraine, who was the \ contemporary of Joau of Arc, born an ivarfare and domestic calamitv, it is so ifticB of AnjouV heroine partook of t she was unlmppiJy thiowii. While arranging her measures for claims of her captive lord, to the dis mother of Margaret, who had now ac Two Sicilies, tiH)k up lier abode with teau of Tarascon, on the banks of the and graces (»f these illustrious childr ▼en^e, ^ caused them to be regarded i lants.^' The ProYcn^als, whose poetic feeli the advent of the consort and lovely followed them in crowds, wherever th( praise, strewing flowers at their fe wreaths, and nigiitly kindling bontin them from infection. Nostradamus f number of witches and evil fairies, wl loyal throngs who came to gaze on t creatures, ^ the Infanta' Marguerite am The fearful visitation of the plague lies to hurrv her precious little ones e waled by their royitl moiliEr, ii) the iriumphal cliAir of tiue, 'elvet anil embroidered wiili gold, in wtiich \\»a conjugal ome llirou^h ihe street of Naples. hiefly indebted for his deliveranre from bondage lo the iXcrtinnH of hia fnilhrul ronaort. Jn the treaty for his liberation, tlis bllnwing remarkable article was proposed by the duke of Biiriiunily, wbich affiwis an indication thai the English alliance was contemplated M early tta l-fSS-O: — "And to cement the peace between the two powers, Haniaiei o( Anjim, second dsii^hior lo Uie king Kene, aball espoufie tho young king of England." This was nine years before t)ie maiTiaga took place, the bnde being but six years old ; it appears a mere sugges- tion on tlie side or Burgundy,' without any sanction of the English, utd was opposepointed for the ariicles to be signed ; but when it was discovered that a clausa had been inserted, disinheriting the children that might be borti of lier tider sister Tolante and Ferry of Vaudemonte, Charles Vll,. whose con- •orV Mary of Anjou, was auni to both princesses, would not permit ibe alliance to take place on such eontlitlons. The propoiMils of the count SL Pol were renewed after the deaih of prince l.ouis, but Nostradamus tliinks the idea of the more splendid alliance wiib the king of England prevented them from bting accepted. Meantime l)ie terriioriea of Anjou and Maine, king Rent's patrimoof I ^ ScBKely hnd MnrBJir^rnfAtijoi^nli BOUs chitrms and tnli-nu rrrnW llip m of hrr aunt, llic ijurni «f Fmnce. " Th Aninu. She wa! nlreaily renownwl in and ill tb* iiiisfunuiies of her Tathfr ht of (!i«playing her lofiy tpiril and roitraj "Tlie report of ihwe eharroi,'' &C( aiwicwhat iniagiiiaiive, Freiicli auihofi yoiin)^ hnrhcior king nf Englsnit, ihroi of Anjou, iiamral Chompehevrier. a pri Julin Folatnlf), with whom king U«n OCCasiuually ; siiil he gave so eloquciil i menu which nature had beetownl nn impowet'uhod king of the Two Sinii to the roiirl of Lorraine, lo procure CMS." This slniempiK is quite consUb regard iq the preliminaries for his alliai of Armngnnc ; for wc find, by the euri two ronrI«, that a painler named lUnt monarch, to paint (he porlreils of l)it^ t his MLisfHCiion. Henry was very expli BMW* should be perfect, requiring i) painied in their kirUea simple, and thei stature, nnd their beauty, the colour MARGARET OF ANJOU. 129 nances.^" The commissioners ^ were to ur^e Uie nrlist to use jrreat ix- pedition, and to send the picture or ymagine over to the kinur as quickly M possible^ that he might make his choice between the three.'^' Champchevrier^ more successful in his mission than the reverend plenipotentiariea who had endeavoured to ncgotuite the matrimonial traaty with the court of Armagnac, obtained a portrait of Marj^aret, painted by one of tlie first artists in France, who was employed, our author adds, by the earl of Suffolk. This is not unlikely, for SufH^Ik was the ostensible instrument in tiiis marriage ; but the real person with whom the project for a union between Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou originated, appears to have been no other than cardinal Beaufort, the * gieat-uncle of the king.' The education of Henry VI. having been su* perintended by the cardinal, he was fully aware of the want of energy and decision in his character, which rendered it desirable to provide him with a consort whose intellectual powers would be likely to supply his constitutional defects, and whose acquirements might render her a suit- able companion for so learned and refined a prince.^ In Margaret of Anjou all these requisites were united with beauty, eloquence, aitd every feminine charm calculated to win unbounded influ* ence over the plastic mind o{ the youthful sovereign. She was, more- over, at that tender and unreilective age, at which she might be rendered a powerful auxiliary in the cardinaPs political views. Under these cir- cumstances, there can be little doubt that Champchevrier had received hi* cue from the cardinal, when he described to Henry, in such glowing colours, the charms and mental graces of the very princess to whom he had determined to unite him, both for the reasons we have before stated, and at a means of concluding a peace with France. In the meantime sir John Falstolf, who was not in the secret, being greatly enraged at the departure of his prisoner without having made any agreement for the payment o{ his ransom, employed the duke of Glouceater, with whom he enjoyed some credit, to write a letter to the king of France, explaining the circumstance, and entreating that he might be reatored to him.^ According to the laws of chivalry, no prince was justified in extending his protection to a captive who had forfeited his parole of honour ; therefore king Charles issued orders for the arrest of Champchevrier, who was taken on his way trom the court of Lor- mine towards England. He was brouglit before the king of France at Vincennes, and fully cleared himself from all imputations on his honour. by producing a safe conduct to Lorraine, signed by king Henry, and explaining the nature of the mission on which he had been employed by his captor's sovereign. * Beckington'n Jcnirnnl, oo completed wiih ■II speed ;" but tiiey cprtniniy never reached Kn^lHud. * terante's Chronicles of the dukes of Burgiuidy. Guthrie's fol. Hist, of Enf* land. * ririd. *'rbie letter is still in existence in the royal archives oCFmv««. — ^PvttiMi. I an otliauce p49i MARCARKT OF A!(jnn. ^H Charles VII. wax tii^hlv smitsrd nt ihr inrnmiBlinn ihus nhtanwd rf bis nepliew's U)V)>a(1nira ; nnd briiij; rlriick with the gient ailvanU|ei tliHi mighi iTsuli u> tiimseir and hi? Iiafasied kinKOuni. if an otliauce WFr« RCiimlly lo be funned between Henry and his fair kiniwt rflrainl <'hninpchevrier, and enjoined him to raiuni lo the court i land without delay, atid make use of every reprefleniatii ti inrline king Henry to choose ihe lady Margaret for bU queen.' The rt^^ppearance of Chanipchevri^r at WindsDr, and his runferencet with the king, cauned. it is added, BUipicions lure of the biitriiicsB on which ho had been employed, in the mmd ff the duke of Gloucrster, who kept up a j>«lou8 egpionage on the actioniw' his myal nephpw. Theie luapiriona were conlimiei) when king licvry undertook himself to satisfy sir John Fahtolf fur the ran»un) uThiipn- Boner, antt ile#palched him a second lime on a secret niiwion to lilt court of Lorraine. Henry VI, was then in his four-snd-tweniieih year, beaniiful in pf^ Bon. of a highly culiivaied and refined mind, holy and pui« in ihoofhi and deed, rexitiing with vinunue indignation every allcmpt that hid been made by the unprinripled females nf his court to en'anirlc him ia the anarcB of illicit passion ; ' yet pining for the sweet ties of conjufd love and sympathv. The lonelineaa of his condition, and " his caninl desite lo livp under ihe holy sirrament of imringp," arf pnhfticalljMi forth hy the bachelor monarch, in his cnrinua instructiona lo die eom- miasioners empowered by him, two years before, to conduct the atga- tiationa belneen him and the court of Armagnac.' The choice of a consort for the young kin^, was the deciding eonlM for political mastery, between those fierce rival kmamen. tile duke rf Gloncesier and cardinal Beaufort. Gloucester')* favourite pTojecti nf uniting his royal nephew with a prineesB of the house of Armagnac «■ re nderml abortive, hy Henry's detemiinaiion u'll to commit hUDMirhi any wnv, till he had seen the pfirlraits of the ladies;* and while ibe count of Armagnac, who was playing a douhlc game with the onrl of Prance, delayed the artist's progress, for diplomatic reasons, the lirrly IrauBCripl of the charms of his lovely kinswoman, Margarri ii( .^ajoii, made an indelible impression on the heart of the yauiliful monarcli, sod he resolveil to obtain her hand at any sacrifice. The sacrifice wan, «fw all, much less than has been represented ; and Henry VI., in his ardent desire to give peace to his exhausted realm, proved himself a mora co- lightened ruler than hia renowned eiie, who had deluged the continual with blood, and rendered the crown bankrupt, in ihr vain attsmpl » unite England and France. The national pride of the English prampud them to desire a continuance of the contesL hut it was a contest do W> ruinous now to England than to France ; and cardinal Beeufort, with the other members of lleuiy's cabinet, being destitute of the meens of n«i»- laining llie war, were only too happy to enter into amicable w^otiilMW 'Whan di» liuliM prr«enicd ihem«elsc _ tirns'l MM/ny, with Itii* priim fa to blame." a Janiart. aBMilVf fclUWa'Suai^*.^. 7. MAROARKT OF All JOU. 131 with France^ on the grounds of a matrimonial alliance between king Henry and Margaret of Anjou, who, through her grandmother, Margaret of Bavaria, was nearly related both to Charles VII. and to Henry. In January, 1444, the commissioners of England, France, and Bur- fundy, were appointed to meet at Tours, to negotiate a truce with Fimnce, preparatory to a peace, the basis and cement of which were to be the marriage of the young king of England with the beautiful niece of the queen of France. Many historians are of opinion that the matri- monial treaty, with all its startling articles, had been privately settled betwem the courts of England, France, and Liorraine, before the publi- cation of the commission for negotiating the truce.' Sufiblk, who was appointed the ambassador extraordinary on this oecasion, was so much alarmed at the responsibility he was likely to incur, that he actually presented a petition to the king, praying to be excused from the office that had been put upon him;' nor could he be peTailed upon to undertake it, till he was secured from personal peril, oy an order from the king under the great seal, enjoining him to under- lie, without fear or scruple, the commission which had been given him. Thus assured, Suffolk was, in an evil hour for himself and aU parties concerned, persuaded to stand in the gap, by becoming the pro- eoimtor of the most unpopular peace, and fatal marriage, that were ever negotiated by a prime minister of England. As a preliminary, a truce for two years was signed, May 28th, 1444. Neither money nor lands were demanded for the dowry of the bride, whoee charms and high endowments were allowed by the gallant am- bassadors of England ^^ to outweigh all the riches in the world.'" When the proposal was made in form, to the father of the young Hargareti he replied, in the spirit of a knight-errant, ^ That it would be inconsistent with his honour to bestow his daughter in marriage on the oeurper of his hereditary dominions, Anjou and Maine;''* and he de- manded the restoration of these provinces, as an indispensable condition in the marriage-articles. This demand was backed by the king of Prance, and, after a little hesitation, ceded by king Henry and his Booncil. The handsome and accomplished count de Nevers, who was a prince sf the house of Burgundy, a soldier and a poet, was at the same time a oandidate h>r the hand of the royal Proven9al beauty, to whom he was paaaionately attached ; * and it is probable that the idea of this formidable rivals wno was on the spot withal, to push his suit in person, might have bad some efiect in influencing king Henry to a decision, more lover-like than politic. Ab soon as the conditions of the marriage were settled, Suflblk re- tnmed to bring the subject before parliament, where he had to encounter i stormy opposition from the duke of Gloucester and his party, who were equally hostile to a peace with France, and a marriage with a * Gathrie. Bsrante. Sp^ed. * Rinner'f Fotf1«*ra. It U remnrkable timt Suffolk, Molyns, and Wenlock, ths •^itnnrwoiicrii in thiji treaty, nil came to violent ends. *fi;p'»wtl. r»a|>in. Giitiirie. Barante. * Ra^u. ^ N*^VQk»a^%. ■ < 'I «<■•« < ••^••a^'«i-> Mar::aitMtu« the serene daui^luer of the 1 we tfhull ronlmct iimtrimonv with her, w rumhiried to us over seas, tVoin lier couni Suliolk, accoiii{»aiiie(i by his lady, and hatl Mided from Liiffluiid on thisi lulal mii recdetl to Nanri. The kin^, queen, and dukcH f>t* Brt'tagne and Alen^on, and, in e per!ion:i^es of the courts of France and ] to do honour to ilic ettpoudaU of the yo Historians vary an to the time and pla cordiiii( to the best autliorities, it was «> by I^>uis d^llarancourt, bisliop of Toul, f where, in the presence of iicr illustrioi France, and a concourse of nobles and es{H>used the laily Margaret, in the n ■oven^ifirn, Henry VJ. of Kuj[;land.* Drayton, in his per of the di8tinll:ui^yal company, to forgive the gallant trespass of the long-de- frauded bridegroom ; and a general rcconciliatitm took place, in which ail past rancours were forgotten, and the pageants and games were re- newed with fresh spirit.''* At the conclusion of the eight days' fete, Margaret was solemnly de- livered to the marquess and marchioness of Suffolk, and took a mournful liirewell of her weeping kindred and friends. ^ Never," say the chroni- * Unrante. Moii>tn'li*t. ■^Vas^ul>urg. Burauio • Akhou Sorol, ihi.' Rll-iK»wt*rfuI nii:itres8 of Clmrlos VII.. who li:ul twolvf year? previf»U!«ly 1mm*ii maid of honour to queen Mnrjpir«»t's nioihcr. riin«le a conjipit-uou* ft|i|>cariuirc at ihis touruaineiit. She wan calUvl **tlie I-iuly of B«*auty,*" and ^m tliif* 0(.'f*a.»ion n.^sunicti the dress of an Ania/.on, Wfnrinf; a ^uit of fanciful armour bIfixinK ^'iib jewels, >n which she came on the (iround, mounted on a ^uperb cIiHTfrer, s|iU*ndidly caparisoned. Such were the nioraU at the court of the la^t ot'tlie l*roven9al bovert* i){n!s, tliat the preneni-e of "X*! ItclU .^ifnr*,"' far frtmi be- irifc rctnirded iia an inpult to the vir|pn brith', in whose honour the tournament WB'^ held, or tn htT aunt the nuern of France and the danphiuei(n, was couMdered lo add the frreaie-t etiut tu thi'/Kr«. — Baranle. * V ilicncuvc. Wa^»uburg. YOL. III. — 1 2 Bar ; there he comnieiiiied her to Got: dMif(hter could speak to each other, b without uttering a single word.' These regrets, — in which persons \ restraints of royalty, taught to conceal passionately indulged on tiiis occasion, amiable and endearing qualities of the would not hare been so deeply lamenti a precarious and care-clouded home, te tire was, at that time, brilliant Margaret's eldest brother, John duk Alen^on, attended her on her route, I train, as queen of Elni^iand, under the p folk and his wife.' This lady, who we of Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of Eng to cardinal Beaufort, and was, doubile him as the chaperon^ or state governess If was, probably, through the influence that the young queen fonned that invio the princes of the house of Beaufort, \ auch great unpopularity. The countess of Shrewsbury, and also in the personal retinue of the you five barons and baronesses in attendanc services 4$, 6d. per day ; seventeen kn mt 2s. M. per day. Breknoke, the clerl those of his coadiutor, John Everdon, vi MAROARBT OF ANJOU. 135 Sixty-fire squires receired each U. 6c2. per day; 174 valets at 6d. per day ; nineteen palfreymen and sumptermen id. per day ; and, in addition lo those who received wages, many persons were attached to tlic suiUi who served gratuitously.' In anticipation of Margaret's arrival, king Henry wrote a quaint and earnest letter to the Goldsmith's Company, ^^ entreating them to do their devoir at the coming of his entirely well-beloved wife, the queen, whom he expected, through Go Pimiitamdi'ur-, itha mohed HttmUmt, April 3il. There iiIip tmnaitiwl peveml days; April Htli. a small Enclitli vcwcl. called llie -Trinily. «r C'lkliMler," IranB|i(>rl«! hrr %nd lit tuiU lo ili« |K>rt (if KlJdcrawa, where the " Cokke Johii," of OicrburE, the aliip afipoiutcd Tor h«r T»yagt, had been long wailing hrj arrital The Brvknnkc Otrnpuiui provM ■ pavrntnt of ft/. 4a, ind. lo die pilai Biieotling in ibe •■ Cokke John," ■)«» to the purser of the ■ame, lal 6i. Bd., price of n large cable b()ui;ht by hnii, for ihe secnrily oT ifae Kii ■hip whilsl ridiiig al anelior near Kuldrcanrs, and of 0/. 7(. for makjnf couveniciicee io ihe vessel — via., divera rhainbera and cabin*, aiitl t bridge fur the iiigrvei and egrese of the la:)) -iiuerii. These shijie kii been in coiuRiiMion evef einee ihe &th of September, 14 U.' Ma^arei'a Iuri; flejoani on the continent wtm eaii-ted by the niKeniiy of the king fuinmoniii^ a new pttrlmmeni, fur the purpose of ohnmiirg tlie iieedftil t dies for his Riarnage, It met at VVfm irisier, Fehnnrv I VSih, 1443. I he king reineace ^lould be limdy esiablishi.v' ■'- ■ -r'' ' the realm .*" The parliament grwited a half-fifWnth on ,' goods lo the kiuK. to defray the expenses of the Intr en. the iruee with Ftauee and his marriage, and leas then prnr... S(hh of April, to allow the neceaMry interval fur the ami-al rtsmouth, called Ginlde's House, where, having reposed a little, she entered the church, and there made her oblation of 6s. Sd, The followintr duv, Saturday, 10th, she was conveyed by water to Southampton with great stale. The sum of I/. 35. 4d. was {mid lo seven foreign trumpeters, '* for playing on the decks of two Genoese galleys, as they jxissed our lady-en no other tiian the small-pox' This sickness ** of his most dear and best beloved wife the <|ucen '' is stated by Henry lo be the cause why he could not krep the feast of St. George, at ^Viruisor Castle.' He had been waiting some days at South wirk, to welcome his long-ex |iec ted bride, and ren^ained there in anxious suspense, during the Eeriod of her alarming illness, till she was su:ririently recovered to join im there. •• In the Breknoke Computus we have the following entry of money paid to master Francis, the physician, who had atirnded xhv quern on her journey and voyage to England, for divers spices, confeclious, and pouflers, bitught and provided by him, for making mt'dicines for the safe keeping of the person of the said lady th(> (picen. as well by land as by sea, by precept of the man]uess of Siitlolk, ut Southampton, on the lUih day of April, in the 23d year of the ri'ign of the king, 'The hoiisx* (it' iliist name nt Portjiinouth. wa.< Imiiiilivl hy Pctor ({o Kii|jibu«, bi^iup ill \\ iiK-iifrter ; wiiii»t CiiKi k Hou»e at N>utliiiiii|iUiii wa» 1'uuiulei.l by two Bien'it:iiit«. Ui'di wrro tvriiird " liobpitulss ai>*i wt-re I'loe tu all sick iravcilcxa, lioiii thf tiuinbU'.-t vnyav^i'r to the monarch or his brilIt^ ' PreULc to tfir ilarri> Niculad' Acts of the Privy Council, vol. i. p. 18. •Ibi-1. p. 10. queen, for ilivers atlairs loucnmi^ me sai H^Difiir uikI coiiiiiii^, by gift ot* the queen The iiupiiald of Margaret of Anjou on the *i'J(i of April, 1445, in Tichlicl been made in tlie preceding January, fr a fair ruby, whirli had fonnerly been p cardinal Beaufort, ^' with the which/' 1: day of our coronation at Paris/' A je The beautiful young queen receive on the orcahion of her bridal, a presei characteriMtic otlering of a lion, and t speciticii the cost incurred by the a charges of the houselioid : — ^* To Joh the food and keeping of a lion, presen' field, together with the carriage of tl Tower of London, for the expenses 2/. 5ji. 3c/." Margaret had completed her fifteent her marriage with king Henry ; and, i of the nation at her want of dower, tl lier father, and the prejudice created royal family of France, her youth, he cured her an enthusiastic welcome whi pressed in crowds to gaze upon her, a England wore her emblem-ilower, the of estate, when they came with the sumptuous liveries, in all the pomp a « • • 1 « dcligH Kinji Henry. her emblem-llov Byn 1 ■abgarbt c "Of eiilieiHX who doth cumplimeiil lt> his lovely and beloved consorl, can r to be enamelled and engraved on his pluie. Marj^aret irealed with more peculinr marka ol* respeal|.j on tier bridal progress, iIjhii by ihe duke of Gloucester, who, as if ' ■tone for liis opposilioii to her marriage with liia royal nepheWi, men hrr at Blackhealh, wiih live hundred men wearing his livery and badge, to do her honour,' and so conducted her to hia palace at Greeii- wichi where ahe was refreshed. Greai preparations bod been made in London aud iiB vicinity, for the reception of the young queen. Tii> uniptial arches were erected across the road through which she was H» paas, and " many cosily pageants were made ready." aavs Fabyan, " tt divers old histories, to her gieal comfort, and thai of such aa canM ■ iih her." Oit llie 2aih of May, queen Margaret was met at Blackheath by on leslrian procession, consisting of the mayor, aldermen, and sheril& of .■le Ctly of London, in scarlet, anil the crai\s of tlie same, all riding on horseback, in blue gowns, with embroidered sleeves, and red hooda, who cuiiveyed her with her train through Suulhwnrk, and so on to the city of London, which was then beautified with pageants of divers his- tories and other shows of welcome, marvellous cosily and sumpluotu, of which I can only name a few. At tlie bridge-foul towards SouUw wmrk nus a pageant of Peace and Plenty; and at every street-corner, in allitsion to the lent of the parliamentary sermon, two puppets, in a moving pageant, called Justice and Peace, were made to kiss each other. Noah's ^liip ^the atk) upon the bridge, with verses in English, At Lead- en hall. Madam Giace, the chancellor of God. At the inn in Co[iihill,St Margaret. At the great conduit in Cheapaide, the live wise and five ilish virgins. Ai the cross in the Cheap, the Heavenly Jeiusalem, verses. At Paul's Gate, the General Itesun-ection and Judgment verses accordingly, all made by John Lydgate."* _ Margaret was crowned at Westminster, May 3i>lh, with a degree of royal splendour litdc suited to the exhausted irfcasury of her enamoured ConHort 1 but doubtless to the no small saliBfaetion of the faithful stew* ard. squire, and minstrels of her father, who came to witness the euro* nation of their princess, and report the same in their own liind. A few notices of the grants bestowed on those hungry .'\iijevimi and Italians are to be found in ibe Issue Rolls.' In addition lo all the aplen- ' .ViuoiiK ilic rroeuily puhlislied lecurdu of the royal jewels, we lliui IbMe ea- ■rips: — "llcni, one laltuellar of gold, and cover, enainrllad wiih Ihe srin« of lbs kjag and iha Ooweti called Margucciies. ilie bou gaiiii>hed with ona balass, ipien l>f Ilia lord kiii); lo ijuaen Matipuel. Likewise b piloher or jujf of gold, dw fcot mi'nithed wiih a sapphire, Kiveu by the king lo queen Marearel. ■ 'Slow'* Annal*. 'Slow. t**TD Jotin d'EwHMB, so esquire of ihe king of Sicily, who, as Iha subfcot of 't, len Ids own ocDupations aluwirl, and come in the rjneMl'* M the cetemuny of her canmatioD, in niDDey paid W hiin, OAL ' Luuislieii of Uiu kiuK cif £iuily, wIhi IdIcIj gi Marg I folk, ami other poors. When the ami tiuls, the kini; raised his hat a little fro addressed their speech to him on thtate and fj^rand solemnity on tl to make a re|>ort thertsjf, 10/. each. To whi» rann* on the same errundf to report th their country, ilie kinj:, hy the advice of his paid five marks. To John de Sorrencourt XAKOARST OF ANiOU* Ml irorld, excepting the queen his wife^ ant] that he desired the continoQiiee »f pence beyoad any thing on earth ;^ to which all present responded Anien.^ " ^ Henry then called the ambassadors close to him^ and conrersed rith thpin famiharly. Suilblk repeated, that Uie king loved his uncle )f France ilie secuml best in the world, on which Henry exclaimed in liUiKli>*h, ' Sl John, yes r " Exteosiye repairs and improvements bad been made in all the royal palaces previously to Margaret^s arrival. This was very necessary : foi 90 many years had elapsed since a queen-consort had held her suite in EIngland, that those portions of the abodes of royalty, known by the BMDe of ^ the queen's lodgings,'^ were absolutely desolated and unfit Cor her reception, till a considerable outlay had been expended upon iheni. The royal residences at the Tower, Westminster, Eltham, and 8l«ene, in particular, were restored to tlieir pristine splendour, in honoui of the new queen.* For the two first years of Margaret of Anjou's union with Henry VI., cairdinal Beaufort was tlie supreme director of the power of the crown. KiDg Henry, new to the delights of female society, was intoxicated with the charms, the wit, and graceful nuinners of his youthful bride, of whom an elegant French historian thus speaks: — ^England had never •eeo a queen more worthy of a throne than Margaret of Anjou. No woman surpassed her in beauty, and few men equalled her in courage. It aeemed as if she had been formed by Heaven to supply to her royal husband the qualities which he required, in order to become a great kuig.**'' Another chronicler, quoted by Stow, says — ^This woman ez« eelled all others, as well in beauty and favour as in art and policy, and was in courage inferior to none." These brilliant characteristics were yet in the germ, when Margaret of Anion was unfortunately called to share the throne of England at a period of life when her judgment was immature, and the perilous endow- ments of wit, genitis, and lively perceptiveness, were more likely to ereate enemies than to secure friends. Slie had been deeply piqued and oftnded at the opposition the duke of Gloucester had made to her mar- riage, and, with the petulance of a spoiled child, she took every occa- sion of mortifying him, by a foolish display of her unbounded infiuenoe orer the king, and her regard for cardinal Beaufort and tlie duke of Sufiblk, his sworn foes. To cardinal Beaufort, indeed, she was indebted for her elevation to the pride and power of royalty, and, with all the devotion of a young heart, she resigned herself wholly to hia direction. Independently of political considerations, cardinal Beaufort was exceedingly fond of Margaret, who was a frequent visitor at his house in Walthain Forest, where there was a state chamber magnificently fitted up for her sole use, • Acu of die Privy Council, by sir H. Nicolass \*ol. vi. p. 32, 'Hie |>ovcrty of Heiiry VI.'i exchequer at tliis period is deplorably cvidenccf) hy the piteous sapplicmtion of William Clcve, chaplain to the king and clerk nf the works, ■•te money to pay the poor laliourers their weekly wages,** whirh, he 8tate% •^hm has the utmost |min and difllculty to purvey. *Orlcuii\a. ininiiiters ot kiii^ Henry having buj«i dared not venture in the virinity of destrurtion of the duke of Gloucestei the heir- presumptive to the throne. to counlerart t!ie queenly influence, ha to make common cause with the duke lately superaedeii in his office of reg« his enemv the duke of Someiset, cardii historians it has been supposed, that it ous to the government of king Henry, whom his cabinet was composed, det ■elves of their formidable opponent.' Bury with their court, and all the C( moned to attend the king there, in thei that some danger to tlie royal person i The parliament met« February 10th Abbey. The session was openeii, not Staflbrd, archbiHhop of Canterbury." ceedcd smoothly; a speaker was ch< Margaret^s revenues of 4600/. 13«., out and herediuiments settled on her for second day of tlie session, all England the duke of Gloucester on a charge mitted to close custody under a stro king had of his nucleus guilti^' says ^ but nothing could persuade him of his Seventeen days aAer his arrest, thi MAHGAHBT OF ANaOV. 143 cm] J WM produced in both houses of parliament, and exposed to pnblic ieiv for several days; but these measures failed to remove the sus- cions which so sudden a death, under such circumstances, naturally ccited throughout Eng[land. No actual proof, however, exists, that he ma murdered, and Whethampstede, a contemporary and warm partisan r Gloucester, states, ^ that he died of an illness that seized him on his Test ;" so does William of Worcester ; and no writer of that period tempts to implicate the queen, as a party concerned in that transaction. ftpin, indeed, suffers his prejudices against Margaret to betray him into le following unauthenticated assertions, as to her share in the supposed ivrder. After stating that Henry's ministers had resolved to compass le destruction of the duke of Gloucester, he says — ^ The queen, who «i of a bold and enterprising genius, was the person who first en- >uniged this resolution. At least, the historians insinuate as much, if my have not said it" Who these historians are, Rapin has not thought proper to inform his Mdera ; but, in the same conclusive strain of reasoning, he proceeds to ij— -^And, indeed, the ministry would never have ventured upon such a action, without having her at their head.'^ A responsible leader, in sooth, would a girl of queen Margaret's age ■re made, in a business of that kind ; if, indeed, cardinal Beaufort, who •d treasured up the accumulated rancours of six-and-twenty years of nquenchable hatred against Gloucester, and before she was biom had iieatened to decide their deadly quarrel ^by setting England on » dd,*** would have asked her sanction for wreaking his long-cherished engeance on his adversar}'. Did Rapin remember that these ministers, f whom cardinal Beaufort was the master-spirit, were the same people, rfao, three years before Margaret of Anjou set her foot in England, had erised, and successfully carried into effect, the subtlest plot that ever imagined, against the duchess of Gloucester ?' and could they have the prompting and advice of a girl of seventeen, to work out lieir scheme of vengeance on the duke, of which that blow was the ore prelude ? There can be little doubt that the destruction of the duke f Gloucester would have been accomplished, if Margaret of Anjou had lever entered this country ; and it is scarcely probable tliat she was even Binisted with so important a secret, since her greatest misfortunes were ■used by unguarded manifestations of her prejudices and partialitieS| sr which she is greatly condemned by Philip de Comines, her contem- oiarj. Within eight weeks a(\er the death of Gloucester, cardinal Beaufort *8ee eardiiwl Besafort's letter to the duke of Bedford, 1426, in the old Cbroni les, and Parliameotary History, where there is a curious account of the qumr •Is between Beaufort and Gloucester. "The accusation and disgrace of Eleanor Cobbam, duchess of Gloucester, are lO fkmiliar to every reader to require recapitulation. Beaufort, Suffolk, and the nhbishop of Canterbury, were her judges. Many persons, and even school Isiorfes, misled by Shakspeare, are iUlly persuaded that Margaret of A^joa then a child in Lorraine) effected the disgrace and ruin of tlie duchetf ot IIOQcester. VI bill, ivniiii « «'iiii\iiiit; iitii'tiii't.a \ft kii< Uie iict*t'>.siiy of restraint and concea doubtless, acteil uitli lite best intentii Eui(laiiii, iiisUMfl of ullyiiii; berseif favuurilers slie resiif^iied benieir to tbe iavourite uncle and counrdlor, a mai years, and reputation for wi»dom. A quainied as she was with the niannei consortia subjertik continued her confic at the iiead of which was her iirst £n| duke of Suffolk. Sbakspcare has f^'eatly misled hip oetw^cen this unpopular minister and A her first as liis prisoner, and, al\er hei paramour. Tbe one she certainly nei their ages renders the other very unlik his acquaintance with the royal beaut; at her father's court, far from being th and romance have portrayed, was a g= had served tbirtv-four years in the Fn a member of Ilcnrv VI.'s cabinet. H the shady side of fifty when he actec nuptials of 3Iargaret of Anjou. Suffol married man, devotedly attached to place of honour about the person o. death, his duchess continued to retai rourt of Margaret^ where she appears XAROARBT Of ARiOU. 145 lion of the truce with France left the goverament of her royal husband the alternative of fulfilling the conditions of the treaty on which it was oaned, or renewing the war without the means of supporting the honour of England. Not even that consummate politician, cardinal Beaufort, had ventured to declare to the parliament the secret article by which Maine, the key of Normandy, was to be restored to the house of Anjou ; and now the responsibility of that article fell on SuiTblk and the queen. Most unfor- tunate it was for Maigaret, that her own family were the parties who received the benefits of these sacrifices, for which her misjudging inter- ference in the government at this crisis rendered her acconnuible, ihorgh they had been solemnly guaranteed by king Henry and his council, at the treaty of Tours, before she was even affianced to him. Bellicose as the character of Margaret of Anjou became in after years, when the stormy temper of the times, aud the nature of the circum- •Innces with which she had to contend, kindled all the energies of her •pint into Amazonian fierceness, not even her meek and saintly consort laboured more earnestly, at this period, than herself, to preserve that of which her own strong sense taught her England was in such . During the brief interval that preceded the ruinous war into which the government of England was soon after forced, Margaret commenced tbe foundation of Queen^s College, Cambridge. This college was dedi- cnted to the honour of Almighty God, by the royal foundress, and de- voted by her to the increase of learning and virtue, under the tutelary auspices of St. Maigaret, her patroness, and St. Bernard. The first stone WM laid by sir John (afterwards lord) Wenlock, in behalf of, and as deputy for, queen Maigaret, with this inscription in Latin : — ^ The Loiti shall be a refuge to our sovereign lady, queen Margaret, and this stone shall be for a token of the same.'' ' Maigaret also sought to turn the attention of the people to manufac- tares in woollen and silk ; but the temper of the times suited not the calm tenor of peaceful employments. A spirit of adventurous enterprise had been nourished during the French wars, and, from the princes of the Uood-rojral to the peasantry, there was a thirsting for fighting fields, and a covetous desire of appropriating the spoils of plundered towns and castlea, pervading all classes. The very misery of the people of Eng- luid rendered them combative, and eager to exchange the monotony of ■ Thii college was involved in the mi^fortnnet of iu foundress, but was pre- MTved by the care of Andrew Ducket, a Cannelite friar, who for forty years held the office of provosL Queen Margaret made over to her college possessions to the amount of 20(U., which, though no mean sum in those days, was but a slen- der endowment ; but her liberal destigns were not frustrated. What she began ^ was continued and completen ami ill-will to t Frenchwoman to be applied to her a.s well knew the art of appealing to the flions, of the vult^ar apiinst her. Th* iailed not to attribute all tlie losses misgovemiiient of the queen, insinuati cloister than a throne, and had, in a m. the aflairs of his kinowerful nobles, Richard '. son, the earl of Warwick, the brother a were the great political opponents of not publicly to attack, otherwise than pie against the measures of the court, e of the countr}' to the treasonable praci Sutfolk boldly stood up in the IIou; ^ he had been traduced hy public repoi if they had aught to lay to his char crimes."' He adverted to the services formed for their country, and stated brethren had been slain in France; th wars thirty-four years, and, being but soner,* he had oaid 20.i)00 cr«>wn« fnr MABCIARBT OF AHIOU. 147 order of the Garter thirty years, and a councillor of the kin^ fifteeo irs, and had been seventeen years in the wars wiihotit returning home; I asking God^s mercy, as he had been true to the king and realm, he uired his poigation."* t is scarcely possible to imagine any thing more frivolous than the iea of articles which were exhibited against the luckless premier. In first of these^ he is charged with ^^ having intended to marry his son in to Margaret Beaufort, the heiress of the late John duke of Somer- . with the design of murdering and destroying the king, and then de- ring her to be the heiress of the crown, for lack of heirs of the king^s ly.'" This most absurd accusation is in itself a refutation of all the ndalons imputations which modern historians have cast upon the ndahip between the duke of Suffolk and queen Mai^ret, since her B must have been comprehended in the murder and destruction of the g. Margaret was, at that period, only nineteen ; and, though child- I at yet, there was a possibility of her having many children, as she I considered one of the finest women in the world. It was, perhaps, I Tery article which first gave the aspiring family of Beaufort an eye the succession to the throne, in the event of a failure of the royal atagenet line of Lancaster. The accusation was treated with infinite ilempt by Suffolk ; and his replies to the other articles being such as bsiffle his enemies, they, at the end of three weeks, exhibited eighteen ih charges against him ; but it is to be observed, that neither in these, r in the previous catalogrue of misdemeanours, is there the slightest ision to queen Margaret, nor is her name mentioned in any record or itemporary chronicle in connexion with Sufii>lk; not even in the irical anonymous verses that were circulated on the arrest and impri- iment of that unpopular minister.* Tet Rapin and other modem writers have not scrupled to assert, ^^ that een Mai^ret, in her anxiety to preserve her favourite, caused the par- nent, on his arrest, to be prorogued to Leicester, where he attended 1^ Henry and herself, and appmed publicly in his place as prime nwter.^' Now the incontestable evidence of the records of parliament >Te, that the parliament was summoned to meet at Leicester, Septem- 'j 1449, five months before the arrest of SuflS>lk; but the peers and nmons, taking warning by the events of the parliament that sat at ry St. Edmunds, refused to meet any where but at Westminster/ lerefore the writs were re-issued, commanding them to meet at West aster, November 6th. The same day they were prorogued to Lon- D, on account of the plague ; adjourned from London again to West- nster, December 4th ; and on the 17th adjourned till January 22d,^ at Mtminster, where SuflToIk, as we have seen, in a fatal hour for himself, my make you one. Tor I cannot otherwise yield to you.** This wa« accord- ly done, and alfords a rich characteristic of the age of chivalry. Pteliamentary RoHm 28 Henry VI. No. 17. *Ibid. For cpocimeus of these political squibs of the fifteenth century, see Ezcarpta •nrica, pp. ItVfuiA'i, and 279; and Cottonian MSS., Charters, ii. 33. Rolls uf Parliament, 28th of Henry VL * Parliament* r}* Historf. They surprised his servants, but SufToIl wirh« where, aAer arranging his af&irs, thetic letter to his son, which afTords su ally to his sovereign, and his devotion from Ipswich, April 30th, with two sn before him, to inquire whether he migh but the pinnace was captured by a squf diately I he Nicolas, of the Tower,* bfor He was ordered on board, and received ^ Welcome, traitor !"* He underwent i whom he was condemned to suflfer deat his capture a small boat came alongside sword, and an executioner. They low ^ he should die like a knight,^' and at lY off^ and was left with the severed boi were found by his chaplain, and receii collegiate church of Wingiield, in Sufib The consummation of this tragedy, f of excitement to which the public mini the first sign and token of the scenes < store for England. Pestilence had aggr disaffected population, and the inflamm • K«>II» of Parliaincnt, 'iiith of H-nry VI. * It is a mtMnorablp fact, that this vessel, 1 (a:*, indeed, did iht» whc»le squadron by w! wa- part of the royal navy placed at the (! Hf:iry Holland, the young duke of Exeter, MAKCIABBT OV ANJOU. 119 endiaries, acting upon the miseiy of the lower classes, caused the ter- B outbreak of national frenzy which immediately af\er this event mani- ted itself in the rebellion under Jack Cade. It was to suppress this niidable insurrection that Henry VI. prepared for his first essay in IS, by setting up his standard, and going in person to attack Cade and rabble rout, who were encamped on Blackheath in formidable array. the news of the sovereign's approach at the head of fif\een thousand tDt the hot valour of the captain of the great assembly of Kent, and I followers, received an immediate check, and they fled to Sever ks. Qjaeen Margaret accompanied her lord on this expedition ; but so little the warlike spirit for which she was afterwards so family renowned I she manifest at this crisis, that when king Henry would have fol- ired up his success by pursuing the insurgents to their retreat, her nioine terrors, and anxiety for his safety, prevailed upon him not to peril his person by going any further.' He therefore, in compliance ih her entreaties, gave up the command of his army to sir Humphrey ifibrd and his brother William, and returned to London with her.' Never did Margaret commit a greater error, than by thus allowing her ttdemess for her royal husband to betray him into conduct so unbe- ining the son of the conqueror of France and Normandy. The rebels, attributing the weakness of the king to fear, took courage, Died, and defeated the royalists, who, with their two generals, were It to pieces. The victors then returned to Blackheath ; and when the efabishop of Canterbury, and the duke of Buckingham, were despatched MB the court, to treat with them, they found Cade dressed in a suit 'gilded armour (the spoils of sir Humphrey Stafford), encompassed by m victorious troops, and giving himself the airs of a sovereign. He Mitively refused to treat with any one but the king himself, nor with im unless he would come to the Blackheath in person, and grant all lair dennands. When this answer was returned to the king and queen, together with le news that the rebels were ready to march to London, they were irown into such alarm, that, leaving the Tower under the command of le lord Scales, and the valiant sir Matthew Gough, they fled to Kenil- forth Castle.' We fear this cowardly proceeding must be attributed to le same fond weakness, on the part of queen Margaret, which inflo- aeed the retreat of the king from Blackheath ; and it is to be observed, Mt till she became a mother, and the rights of her child were at stake, D timit of fierce or warlike propensities was ever manifested by her. On the 2nd of July, the rebels, who had previously taken up their darters at South warii, entered London, when Cade smote his stafl* on ondon-stone, with these memorable words, ^Now is Moi timer lord of (OndonP'* The proceedings of tliia motley company of reformers, and their pun- •Guthrie. *Ibid. 'Ghithne. Stow. *CWde pretended to be sir John Mortimer. See memoir of Jouma of bvaiie. 13* tacl 18 evuieiiceu in a privaie iciusr iruj sen'icc of sir John Falstolf, who, after which he had been despoiled and inalti bad been carried otf by them sorely ag; peril of the battle of the bridge^" adi over, the bishop of Rochester impeach I was arrested, and was in the Marshal of my life. Tliey would have had n Falstolf, of treason, and, because I woi ster, and there would have sent me to two cousins of my wife's and mine, ' went to king Henry, and got grace for Margaret^s desire to implicate sir Joh to his previous conduct with regard to DO less than to the suspicions she ei quent events, however, prove that the > to FalstolPs practices against the govei most zealous partisans of tlie house of Margaret and Henry returned to t July, 1450, and the disclosures of so late insurrection, left no doubt, on the of York had been the instigator of confirmed by the return of that prini government in Ireland. He was atteni retinue of four thousand men, to the having extorted from the king a promi drew to his castle of Fotheringay.' rnu_ — ..._«. ^C .k« ,I..I.,» ^f c^ ttxtrntoa MAROARXT OF ANJOU. 151 lanctioned the queen in the close friendship which, from first to last, subsisted between her and the Beaufort princes of the house of Lancas- ter. Unfortunately, however, tlie unpopularity in which the disasters io France and Normandy had involved Somerset very soon extended to herself, when it was perceived that he was shielded, by court favour, from tlie fury of the commons, and the jealousy of the peers. lie was impeached by parliament, and committed to the Tower, but, immediately ihe short and stormy session was over, he was releaiven9a] queen. The mag- nificent illuminated manusciipt volume which he presented to her is a surviving monument of his exquisite taste in the fine arts ; while his dedicatory lines, addressed to his royal patroness, contain a delicate testimonial of his opinion of her talents and acquirements. He requests her ** to explain to his sovereign any thing that may appear difficult to undersuind in the book : for,^' says he, ^ though you speak English so well, yon have not forgotten your French.'* The illuminated title-page represents the queen seated by Henry Vf., and surrounded by their court, receiving the volume from the hands of Talbot.' The state-hull in which they are assembled is worthy of atten- tion. Tlie royal seat fills up a rich oriel, with vaulted ceiling, groined, and painted blue, with gold stars ; the clustered windows are long and ]ancet-eha})ed, but the tops of the lancets are rounded. Probably the scene took place in some hall of the destroyed apartments, in the Tower or Westminster Palace. An arras of gold and ctdours, representing the royal arms in numerous chequers, is stretched from pillar to pillar, and forms tike hack-ground of the royal seat, which is a broad, low divan, covered with cloth. On this, Margaret, robed in queenly costume, sits, with her right hand liKkcd in that of king Henr^'^s, who sits by her in regal array. Maigarct wears a royal crown ; her hair, of a pale golden ccuour, is most gracefully flowing from under her diadem, and falls in profusion down her back and shoulders, and over her regal niantlcy which is pale purple, fastened round the bust widi bands of gold and gems. The dress beneath the mantle is the furred cote^hardi^ precisely the same as before allucd to. She is exquisitely lovely, and very majestic, in this carefully finished portrait, which does not lepresent her > Hall. *As this mighty warnor ilied in 1453, Margaret*! portrait must have beeii limnrd fome liiiie bt^fure tliat prriod. This magnidcent Iblio it still in tlie AnaSt frasarvatioii, iu the British Museum. King's MS& oUer Lhftn in her tweniielh year. Talbot u kuMlitig bcfote fatr,|n> senting Lhe very folio fram whirti this dcKriptinn it akeu. ItH4<^ii in aliendaiice.' The liile-page of the inagiit&ceul rolmne u ndnWuif MargaieOa emblem-flower. Daisies are wen jawing in Ulennki«r Uio palace ; daisies, willi their liitle red hutluoii, are urarijpid la pK^ fusion up Uie sitle of ilie liiie-page; ilaiijios awarm iu clmten munilha arnxiTial bearings, and flourish in evury comer of ilie illuiuiiMUNl p^H of the volume. Amougst other embellish ineMa may likewiae to mm! a crowned M., the queen's initial, surrounilei) by (lie gariiri ikI M motto. The queeii's ladies are seeu behind ihs rnynl MUl, MiUitd it heart-slinped cupB, which were a graceful motlifirsiinn. m Mir^na^ court, of the monstrous horned cap nf the preroiling hnir ccntgtt ^ dq were formed of a atufled roll, wreathed with j;otiI and ffiaM%, ud boi in a fatidfitl turban shape, over a close caul of ^uld clulti ur Uri-ml^ brought to a point, low in front, and rising behind itie hend HnQ*! nolile3 are assembled iu crowds, to the ri^^bt of the royal Mai-, UiCjr ■ clothed iu full surtouts, like the beef-catart' drrMW, but of aMt colours, and triiamed with fur. They either wear roiuHl Mack, e^K| V tlieir hair is cropfwd close to the head, — • fashion oJwayg prvniM ii the lime of war, when the helmet prevented the ^owth of uir. The ariisis, employed by the enrl of Slir«wiAury in the «pl«n£d dl» minatiouB of this vulume, have compltiuented ilaisant, bj pnttnjM thp niitvn nivmnmo ivilh h-r r«>nlii»>-. oniHa^imMdnk Iu. '•^JJ'OK- ! MAMGABBT OF ANJOU. M5 blue, probably of that deep, dark, melancholy tint which has recently been called French black.' The lo99 of a mother— of such a mother, too, as Isabella of Lor- imine— could not have been otherwise than keenly felt by Margaret, who had, in childhood and early youth, shared and solaced so many of her trying adrersities. But a heavier calamity than even the death of that dearly beloved parent oppressed the royal matron, as the dreaded hour of peril and anguish drew near, from which the consorts of monarcht are no more exempted than the wives of peasants. When Margaret was in the eighth month of her pregnancy, and the political horizon became daily more gloomy, in anticipation of an event more feared than wished by all parties, king Henry was seized with one of those alarming attacks of malady, to which his grandfather, Charles VI. of France, was subject The agitating character of public events, and the difBeulties with which the court hid had to contend, for the last four years, had been too much for a prince of acute sensibility, and who bad, moreover, hereditary tendency to inflammation of the brain. For a time both mind and body sank under the accumulated pressure, and he remained in a state that lefl litde hope for his life and none for hie leeson. Margaret had doubtless been long aware of the dark shadow that im- pended over lier royal lord, and felt the strong necessity of thinking and acting for him^ at seasons, when his judgment could not be trusted to form decisions for himself, on any matter of importance. She has been blamed for encouraging him to spend his time, in pursuits fitter for the cloister than the throne ; but, considering the circumstances of his case^ she acted with et^'ual tenderness and prudence, in directing his attention to tranquil and sedative amusements, instead of perplexing him with the turmoils and strong excitement of politics. King Henry was at Clarendon when he was first seized with his dan- gerous malady ; but after a few days he was by slow degrees conveyed to his palace at Westminster, where queen Margaret, on the 13th of October, 1453, gave birth to a prince, the unfortunate Edward of Lan- caster, whom Speed pathetically calls ^ the child of sorrow and infeli- city >* Henry remained vibrating between life and death, and perfectly uncoo- acious of an event the anticipation of which had, a few months earlier, been hailed by him with transports of joy. The Parliamentary Rolls bear witness of the munificent reward he bestowed on Richard Tunstaly his squire of the body, whose office it was, by a strange etiquette of the fluddle ages, to announce publicly to the king, for the information of the court, the hopeful situation of the queen. Forty marks per annum were granted from the duchy of Lancaster by king Henry, in these words, ^ Because Richard Tunstal, esq., made unto us the first comfort- able relation and notice, that our most dearly beloved wife the queen and ooiiiplotolf drpiirhiNl those »|>ectators who did not ub« mnno Rfrility in getti&a cut of the way. — VilUntwH. 'Arundel MiS., No. zivi. p. liQ, try in iiie reii ixuns.cn ^n%. ouiu vr. queen, for a richly embroidered ch of the prince ; also for twenty ya the font, and five hundred and forty own churching-robe. As the royal infant wa« born o in the hope of propitiating the pe* England, on her son. This fair t baptized by Waynflete, bishop of bishop of Canterbury, the duke of ingham, were his sponsors.' The birth of an heir, to the lor whom the duke of York had hithf tion, was regarded by the majorit bloody succession war ; while the all the suspicion they could, on U insinuations prejudicial to the hoi tended by some that it was a spun of the king and queen died soon . substituted in his place.^ Q^6en Margaret had not comp king was just thirty-three, when i only son, whose birth, so far froi vantage to them, had the worst p* determining the duke of York to Henry, at swords' points, instead • him, at the death of his royal kin^ MABOAmKT OF AfTJOIf. 157 fbnowin£^ the birth of the prince, and the house of lords took adrantaffe Off his death, to depute a committee from their body, to ascertain the real state of the king, for the purpose of learning his pleasure touching the appointments left vacant by the death of the cardinal.' The com- missioners proceeded to Windsor, whither the king had been removed by queen Margaret and his physicians, for change of air. They were Admitted into his chamber, and declared their errand ; but the king made BO reply, and appeared to hare lost all consciousness of the things of this world. His reason must at that time have been under a total eclipse. On the 25th of March, 1454, the committee reported to the parliament, ^ that they had been to wait upon the king at Windsor, and, after three interviews with him. and earnest solicitation, they coatd by no means obtain an answer, or token of answer, from him.^" When the situation of the king was made known to his peers of pviiament, they, on the 27th of March, appointed the duke of York protector and defender of the king, during the king's pleasure, or till mich time as Edward the prince should come to age of discretion.' The parliament thus evidently acted under the impression, that the kinff^s- indisposition was a mental aberration, that would last as long as he lived, and at the same time they showed a desire of preserving the rights o€ the reigning fiimily, by reserving this office for an infant not six months old. Patents, bearing the name of the king's letters patent, were read in the parliament on the 3d of April, granting to the infiint prince the same allowance that was made for his royal mther in the first year of his reign, with the yearly fee of two thousand marks only, besides allow- ances for learning to ride, and other manly exercises, ^ provided the aune grant be in no ways prejudicial to any grant made to Margaret qneen of England.'' King Henry, though incapable at that time of business, is made, by similar instruments, to create his son Edward prince of Wales and earl of Chester. This was confirmed by the hands of all the lords, and by the commons in parliament^ By the same authority queen Margaret received the grant of 1000/. per annum for life, out of the customs, and aubeidies on wools at the port of Southampton, besides sundry manom and hereditaments in the counties of Northampton, Southampton, and Oxfordshire, which were confirmed to her by this parliament These concessions to the queen and her infant boy, were probably granted to induce her to acquiesce in the appointment of the duke of York, to the office of protector. A medical commission of Bve physicians and sur- geons was appointed by the duke of York and his council, to attend on the person of the king, and to watch over his health.* * Pirliamentarj History. 'Ibid. Acts of the Privy Council. * Parliamentary History. Rymer*s Fcsdera. * Parliamentary Hist * Ibid. * Rymer's FaBdenu The date of this commission is April 6th, and empowers ibofO belored masters, John Arundel, John Faceby, and William Haclifr, physi> etans, and Robert Warreyn, and William Marschall, surgeons, to administer Mr the king, at their disoretion, electuaries, potions, and syrups, conffTtions, aad lazatiTe medicines, in any form that may be tbcHisJliX Vim\\ \m^vb, W»»vMi3C>iafci^ TOL* Ut. — 14 queen's presence-chainbe was unable to do any t York proceeded to depo^ and by letters patent, issi Henry VI. began to a he was so much recover to Canterbury, with his c at the shrine of St. £dw witness, who describes tl pears to have been like when reason and convale the infant princess recog narrated, in the letter to ^ ^ On Monday at noon prince with her, and ther the queen told him, ^£< thanked God thereof. A nor wist what was said t< had been sick, till now; i embrocalions, unctiona, pla^t of other inflictions in the ' &vourite physician who had a pension of lOOL per ann Margaret, as the reward of 1 find the court dress of the 1 ▼er cap. * There is in the Patent Ro mr « -'» MAROARBT OF ANJOTT. 159 IVMn mid liim. and he was well apatd (conlent). And she loIJ him ihe (ordinal was dead,' and he said lie never know uf it till ihis lime ; th«n he said one of the wisest lords in ihis land was dead. And my lord of Winchester (bishopl, and my lord of St. John of Jerusalem, were with him the morrow after Twelfth day, and he did speak tn Ihem aa well as ever lie did, and when they came oul they wept for joy. And he sailh he is in charity with all the world, and so he would all ihe lords were. And now he saiih matins of Our L«dy, and evensong, and besrelh his maea devoutly." Margnrpt immediately look prompt measurea for Henry's realoralion lo the soverei^ authority, by cansing him lo be eonvevcd, thoiii^h alill Tery weak, to the House of Lords, where he distaolved the pari lam eni,' ■nd the duke of Somerset was immediately released and reinstated in hiB former post The triumph of the queen and her parly was short-lived. The dnka of York retired lo the marches of Wales, raised an armv, with ilie assisl- ance uf his powerful friends and kinsmen. Salisbury and Warwick, and marched towards London, with the intention of t>urprisii\g the king there. All the troops that eoidd be mustered by the exertions of the queen and Soraersei scarcely amounted lo two thousand men.' On the 21st day of May the royal army lay at Watford, and the next day the king took up his head-quarters at St. Albans. The royal sbtitdanl was erecled in Sl Pater's Street. The duke of York and his men lay at Heyfietd. King Henry was not deficient in personal courage, bni his holy nature revolted from being the cause of bloodshed, and he sent a meNsage to the duke of York, to aak, " wherefore he came in hostile array against him !" York replied *' that he would not lay down his orais, uuless the duke of Somerset were dismissed from king Henry's councils, and de* iJTered up lo Justice." Henry for once in his life manifested Bomethiog of the fiery temperament of a Plantagenet, when this answer waa re- ported lo liim by llie agents of the duke of York: for with a loud im- Erecalion — the only one he was ever known to utter — he declared, ■* that e would deliver up his crown as soon as he would the duke of Somer~ ael or Ihe least soldier in his army, and that he would treat as a traitor Every man who should presume lo fight against him in the field."' The earl of Warwick, who commanded York's van-guard, coramenceil the attack, by breaking down the gardeD-woll which aiood between the Key aad ilie Chequer in Hollowell Street,' and led his men on through ilia gardens, shouting, '*A Warwick ! a Warwick !'' The battle lasted but an hour. The king's army, made up almost all of genilemen, was inferior in numbers, and pent up in the town. They fboght desperately, and n dreailful slaughter ensued, in ihe narrow aiicets. The king, who stood under his own standard, was wounded in the neck with an arrow, at the commencement of the fight. He r^ mained till he was leSi solus under his royal banner, when he walked I I MARGARE QUEEN O CHAl Queen at Greenwich— News of defe tared in Parliament— Royal femUj Greenwich— King restored— Queei portrait- Pacific negotiation*— Q« the peace— Court at Coventry— I Blore-heath— Success at Ludlow- ton— Queen's flight— Taken by pi —King in captivity— Queen goes field— York's head presented to king Henry— Retreats to York— r wick— Skill in archery- AUianc< gpes to France with the prince— Repulsed at Tynemouth — He Flight from Hexham— Romantic at the court of Burgundy— Her re Reconciliation with Warwick— M parts for England— Contrary win l-ier despair— Takes sanctuary —Brought to king Edward— Led u-» «r«/inwhnnd — Five years' ca MABOABBT OF ANJOV. 161 biaTe friends^ and the captivity of the king her husband, plunged her into a sort of stupor of despair, in which she remained for many hours.* Her chamberlain, sir John Wenlock, whom she had advanced to great honours, and loade that the jroung prince shoulfl be at diet and sojourn in the king's court till the age of Imirteen years ; allowing yearly to the prince, lowanls his wardrobe and wages, t«n thousand marks, until tlie nge of eigtit yearn, and. from the age of eight till fHirteen years, twenty thousand marks yearly.' — RoiU of PmrliameiU. » Piiflion Pfepert. •PreTosU 'Qntlvie. 14* L the unexpected appearance oi tneir S( lected and dij^niJied manner in whic acceded to his desire. The same da\ w to the duke of York, demandini^ th( Salisbury, and Warwick, were fairly the queen, and retired into the counti of the late duke of Somerset, Henr prime minister, and Henry bestowe Waynflete, bishop of Winchester. I ous state, queen Margaret took great thing that was likely to have a soothi tranquil frame of mind.* There is, council, stating, ^ that the presence the king in his sick state, and there! counties were required to seek for be cal powers, to be instructed in the ai service in his court, and to receive amused and comforted by receiving c others of his subjects, for leave to go in foreign parts, to pray for the re-estj unfrequently, he was beguiled with was about to he replenished with im of the philosopher's stone, by one c who were constantly at work in the The regal authority la^as, at this queen Margaret and her council, with impetuosity of her temper betrayed MAmOARBT OF AVJOU. 168 wn Margaret, not considering the person of the king safe in London, Boved him to Shene, where she left him under the care of his brother iper, while she visited Chester,* and other towns in the midland coun- ■, lo ascertain how the comitry gentry stood affected to the cause of I crown. Having every reason to confide in the loyal feelings of that itioo of their subjects, Margaret decided on brin^ring the king in ro3ral sgress through the midland counties, and keeping court for a time at vrentry. Nothing could exceed the enthusiastic welcome with which » king, queen, and in&nt prince of Wales, were received by the wealthy fgesses of that ancient city. On their arrival, Margaret was compli- ■iled with a variety of pageants, in which patriarchs, evangelists, and iota, obligingly united with the pagan heroes of classic lore, in ofler- f their congratulations to her, on having borne an heir to England, d they all finished by tendering their friendly aid against all adver- Tbere are curious original portraits of Henry VI. and Margaret of you, wrought in tapestry, still preserved in St. Mary*s Hall at Coven- r, probably the work of a contemporary artist in that species of manu- uure, which, we need scarcely remind our readers, is not very favour- le for the delineation of female beauty, but highly valuable as aflbrd- f m faithful copy of the costume and general characteristics of the nonages represented. Margaret appears engaged in prayer ; her figure whole-length ; her luuids rest on an open missnl, which is before her, I A table covered with blue cloth ; her head-dress is a hood richly bor- ted with pear-pearls, which hang round her face ; on the summit of e hood is a crown of fieur-de-lis, which bends to the shape of the md at the back of the head ; behind the hood hangs a veil, figured, d fringed with drops shaped like pears. On the temples, and in front ' the hood, are three oval-shaped gems of great size. The queen wears rich collar necklace, made up of round pearls and pendant pear-pearls ; chain is suspended round her neck. Her dress appears brocaded : it Off a yellow colour, cut square round the bust ; the sleeves are straight I the shoulders, but gradually widen into great fulness, which turns up iUi ermine. This style is called the rehras sleeve, and nearly resem- es the modes of Anne of Bretagne, queen of Charles VJH. of France, ho was almost a contemporary of Margaret. With the exception of c crown, so oddly placed on the top of the hood, the whole costume similar to the dress of that queen.* The maternal tenderness of the queen, and the courageous manner in hich she had upheld the rights of her royal husband, and devoted her- If to the care of his health, her brilliant talents, her eloquence, and ' PSrton Paper*. * Sharp*! Antiquitiei of Corentrj. * Th«* Corentry tapentrj Hkewiie prrtentt a figiire of Henrjr VI. kneeling ; ear- iml Bpauibrt kneels behind the king; and there are aeventaeo of the Engliah ibility utanding in attendance on the royal pair. The figures are the lise oi e. Tliis noble historical relic it thirty feet in length, and ten leet in height 'illiani S'jiiinton, e»q^ of Longhridge Hoom, near Warwick, has hail the figures ' Mar^nnM Bnd Henry rtijrmvfd, and has kindly fhvonred us with a copy of e print, and wiili hi? own do«('ii]»(ion of the present state of the tapestry. irARG4KST or AXJOV. m^mic bMitty. "w« at ihai lime mItoUictI to pmducf a powwfnl HIM f (Ht tha miiub of all whnm> hn>m the rancour of party liiul iiol iVtM apuntt her mfluenee. The (iiTounhle imptesnoB tnade by SUrpi« in Ihai iluirici wa« nrvrr fntpMwn ; mad Coventry, whet* she held h« eourt, wu evfr anrr sn dcTotn] to Iter s^rricv, that ii went bjr ihe namt of nueen Manpirrt'* tafr hdtrhour. York, Siilisnury, aod W&rwirtc, were iumraonml to aitrad the etnori •I Covrniiv ; but these lonlt, niiaimning the (jumn and SumeTwi, n- tiinl to three remote lUtionR ; Tnrii u> hii dmtesnpfl on llie muclin, vhm he had Uie alaW anil power of t sonnign ; Sah^biir^- to hi* n m MABCABET OF AKIOV. 165 ■ of the Percys,' by bringing lideen hundred roUowers; bein^ mora iiaiy aiteiidcd ihan any or ilie oiher adlierents of itie red Rose.* Ilow Huch a ciiiigress ever caine to any (bing in ilie shape of an ami- rkbie treaty, inusi ever remain among the most marvellous of hiHtorir rvcortls. Two whole inoiiihn were spenl in fierce debates and angry rccriminatimis, before the mediations of the archbishop of Canterbury, iani the other prelates, produced ilw desired cflecu The king and queen were easily satisfied, for they required nothing more than a renewal of . hotnsge, in which the namef of queen Margaret and lier son Edward prince of Wniea, were to be inrlnded ; but the lords demanded pecuniary cnmpensalion of earh cither, for the damage they had sustained, not only in the plundering of their respective castles and estates, but for the loss of kinsmen.' The king and queen, who had not considered it pnident to trust their perscms before, among the armed negotiators of ihe peare, made a public entry into London, and took up their abode, Mari^h 27, in the bishop's police, which was a central position. The feast of the Annnnrialion wko appointed as a day of public thanksgiving for this pacification, wheD lltB king and queen, wearing their crowns and royal robes, and atiended by all tlie peers and prelates, walked in solemn procession to St. Paurs Citlietlrttl ; and, in token of the sincerity of their reconciliation, the Ittdiag nieniliers of ilie litely adverM factions walked hind in hand u» getlier, being paired according to the degree of deadly animosity tliat liad previously divided ihem. The duke of Somerset, coupled with the carl of Salisbury, his ancient foe, headed the proces.sion, followed 1^ the duke of Exeter and the earl of Warwick, in unwonted fellowship. Then, behind lite king, who walked alone, came the duke of Tork, Icadins ((iteen Margaret by the hand, apparently on the most loving tenns wiili each other. The delight of the citizens of London at this auspicious pagaaot manifested itself, not only in acclamations, bonfires, and other fieiia and tokens of popular rejoicings, but called forth some of the halt- ing lyrical effusions of their bards, in commemoration.* Utt aooner was ^ this dissimulated lore-day," aa Fabyan calls it, over, ilian Tork withdrew to the marches, Salisbury to Yorkshire, and War- wick to his government of Calais.' He was at that time lord-admiral by 'Stow. Hnll, Bapin. 'Si. 'Tlie duke of York acnially consented to pny \h ■■: eneaiy. Edmund duke of SoToorHt. 5U which ail his actions, for the last twelve years, had tended. The energies of queen Margaret's niind increased, with the perils and difficulties witli which the cause of her royal huiiband was beset. She kad, for the first time in her life, looked upon a battle, and though it was the disastrous defeat of Blore-heaih, far from being dismayed, or regarding it ax the death-blow to the hopes of Lancaster, it appears lo h««e had the eifect of rousing a dormant faculty within her soul — the eourage and enterprise of a miLlar>- leader. Hitherto she had fouglit her enemies from the cabmet; now she Iwd cauglit the fierce excileinenl of e nobles, and kindled with the desire of asserting the righw I iu ijuuiow, wnere me auR< in warlike array. So greatly had the popul of his appearance in the p nishment and confusion, fo against the anointed sovei report of the king's death, his soul to be sung in his by this ruse deprive his adv But the sturdy marchers s the queen, or impugn the ti done to draw the sword agai tion of what was passing i proclaimed in the king's r nance. This was, in the 1 orkist leaders, who replie staff of reed, or buckler of present guidance.'' * Urged by his energetic < of Ludlow Castle. The di tious antipathy to fighting, had, under similar circumsl letter to him, full of protes praying his sovereign to n ehewing his evil counselloi influence of Marfi[aret'8 masU with, and, therefore, answen ,^_ . - .1- MAROARBT OW AITJOU. 109 fini CMopttgn that was shared by the queen, and, if we are to credit the aaaertions o^ all historians, directed by her counsels. Tliis signal victory having been happily achieved without bloodshed. Margaret returned in triumph, with her royal spouse, to her trusty firiends at Coventry, where Henry commanded a parliament to meet^ November 20th. King Henry appears to have been more ofiended at the mass that was said for his soul, in the camp of his enemies, than at any of their less innocent acts of treason. It is mentioned with pecu* liar acrimony, in the bill of attainder passed against Tork and his party, by this parliament, as the very climax of their villanies. For the security of Margaret and the young prince, a new and solemn oatii of allegiance was framed and sworn to, by the peers and prelates €if this parliament, in which each liegeman, after engaging to do his true devoir to king Henry, added these words : ^Also to the weal, surety, and preserving o( the person of the most high and benign princess Mar- garet, the queen, my sovereign lady, and of her most high and noble estate, she, being your wife, and also to the weal, surety, and honour of the person o( the right high and mighty prince Edward, your first- begotten son." ' The king, by the authority of the same parliament, granted to queen Margaret the manor of Cosham, with the appurte- nances, in Wilts, and 20/. yearly out of the aulnage of cloth in London, in exchange for the manor of Havering Bower, which had been settled oo her.' The triumph of the royal cause was brief; Oslais and the naval power of England were at the command of Margaret's determined adversary, Warwick; and from that quarter the portentous storm-clouds began once more to threaten.' Bfargaret was, at this period, personally engaged in courting popu- larity among the aristocracy of Norfolk. Dame Margaret Paston de- aeribes some of her proceeding while in Norfolk^ in a familiar epistle to her husband, which is too rich a specimen of the manners of the times, and of the arts used by the queen to ingratiate herself individually with the ladies of Norfolk, to be omitted. LITTIA rSOX XABOABIT PAtTOS. * As for tidinKt, the queen came into this town on Tucfday last, past alVernoon, and abode there till it was Thursday three o'clock ; and she sent after my cousin Clixabetli Clere, by Sharinham, to come to her, and slie durst not disobey her oommandinenf, and oame to her; and when the came in the queen's presence, the queen made right much of her, and desired her to have a husband, the which ye shall know of hereafter ; but, as for tliiit, he is never the nearer than before The queen was right well pleasetl witli her answer, and reported her of the best irise, aiKl saith, * by her troth she taw no jatUfflwomany since she came into Nor^ Iblk, that slie liked better than slie doth her.* When Uie quoen was here, 1 bor^ rowed my cousin Elisabeth Clere's device (necklace), for I dum not for sliama go with my beads amongst so many fresh gentlewomen (ftuhionably dressed ladies) as here were at that time. •* Norwich, Friday before St. George."* ' Parliamentary History. *Ibid. *.Lingard, vol. v. oh. li. p. 213. *Fen dates this letter, ftom coi\jecture, in 1452, but adds, ^' That Margaret t/ VOL. III. — 16 nil UUiKiri'u ^llll|||l^:« iitt-iviii, iv'i 1.1... II n^'^-^ • anhall to Cheater, by John Cleger, one of lord Stanley's Mrranta, and spoiled of all h« jewels \ but while they were rifling her baggage, of which her atiendauia had charge, she seized an opportunity of escaping with the prince. On the road she was joined by the duke of Somerset, and, after a thousand perils, succeeded in reaching Harlech Castle, an almost impregnable for- tress in North Wales, where she was honourably received, and manfully protected, by Dafyd ap Jeuun ap Einion. a Welsh chieftain, who, in stature and coorage resembled one of the doughty Canibiian gisnls of metrical romance.' In this rocky fastness, which appeared as if formed by nature for tto. shelter of the royal fugitives, they remained safe from the vindictive pUP> i suit of tlieir foes, whde the unfurluiiBte king was conducted to Londo^* I by those whom the fortunes uf war had rendered the arbiters uf his ft>tB.'B lie was treated with extemat marks of respect by the victotv, but v compelled by them to summon a parliament, for the purpose of sai tinning their proceedings, and reprobating those of his fiiidiful (riendi g the interval beiure it met at Wesimiisler, and while itll p inTitation lo take possession of it. 13 among his own ))artisans, which was a of Canterhury asking him, ^^ If he woi who was in the queen^s suite of ap sovereign having heen appropriated know of no one in this realm who oi the haughty rejoinder of the duke, tlie house. The peers by whom tliese rival cl man, sworn their liegemen^s oaths to 1 ferred the question, as to which had t self, or his cousin Richard, duke of Y the power of his rival, replied in these his father was also king ; I have wor cradle ; you have all sworn fealty to fathers have done the like to my (at can my right be disputed r"** The king, notwithstanding, agreed, 1 the crown during his life, the duke of to the royal dignity at his decease. H( who had the custody of his person, peremptory mandate, for the return o( \ polis, attaching no milder term than disobedience of this injunction. Margaret was a fugitive, without an money, when she received this summoi that the rights of her hnv ^•a i ■ ABOAKBT or AITJOV. 173 with Margaret of Anjou, both by marriBge and friendship ; and ffhe re- •olTod on trying^ the efficaey of a persona] application to that monarch, for assistance in this emerj^ency. Having caused a report to be circu- lated, that she was raisinf forces in France, Margaret quitted her rocky eyry among the wilds of Snowdon, where her b^uty, her courage, and the touching circumstances under which she appeared, had cfeated among her loyal Welsh adherents an interest, not unlike that which is occa- ■ioDally felt, for the distressed queens of tragedy and romance. The populs^ Welsh song, *^ Farwel iii Peggy han^^^ is said to have been the effusion of the bards of that district, on the occasion of her depar- ture. The communication between Wales and Scotland was facilitated for Margaret, by the proximity of Harlech Castle to the Menai, on which it is suf^Kwed she embarked, with her son and a few trusty followers.' Her n^^iations at the eourt of Scotland were prosperous, and her mea- sures so vigorous, that, in less than eight days after she had receimed the order, in king Henry's name, for her immediate return to London, she was at the head of an army, had crossed the Scottish border, unfurled the banner of the red Rose, and, strengthened by all the chivalry of Northumberland, Cumberland, Lancashire, and Westmoreland, presented herself at the gates of York, before the leaders of the white Rose party were fully aware that she was in England. The duke of ToriE, who had by no means anticipated this prompt and bold response to the proclamation he had enforced his royal captive lo send to the fhgitive queen, left London with the eaii of Salisbury, at the head of such forces as could be hastily collected, to check the fierce career of the lioness whom they had rashly roused from her slumberous stupor of despair. On Christmas-eve, the duke reached his strong castle of Sandal, where, with five thousand men, he determined to await the arrival of his son Edward, who was raising the border forces. Before this could be effected, queen Mamret advanced to Wakefield, and, appearing under the walls of Sandal Castle, defied the duke to meet her in the field day after day, and used so many provoking taunts on ^ his want of courage in sufifer- ing himself to be tamely braved by a woman,^* that York, who cer- tainly had had little reason to form a very lofty idea of Margaret's skfll as a military leader, determined to come forth and do battle with her. Sir Davy Hall, his old servant, represented to him ^ that the queen was at the head of eighteen thousand men, at the lowest computation, and advised him to keep within his castle, and defend it till the arrivAl of his son with the border forces. The duke disdaining this prudent counsel, indignantly replied — ^Ah ! Davy, Davy, hast thou loved ne to long, and wcraldest thou have me dishonoured ? Thou never sawest me keep fortress when 1 was regent in Normandy, where the dauirfiki himself, with his puissance, came to besiege me, but like a man, and not like a bird in a cage, I issued and fought with mine enemies, — to their ' Notes to the Wsik worth Chroiucle, by J. O. Halliwell, esq. ■Pennmnt. •H«ll,p. 93a 16» force waH commanded by Somerset^ unde it is by no means certain that she play person on this^ or any other occasion. ' ambushed to the right and left, under the and lord Clifford ; and as soon as York 1 engaged by the van -guard, they closed \ Bays llall, *^ a fish in a net, or a deer in a half«n-hour he, manfully fighting, was sli Two thousand of the Yorkists lay dead Clifford, on his return from the pursuit, ii earl of Rutland, in cold blood, on Wak< of the duke of York from his lifeless bo presented it to queen Margaret on the words : — ^ Madame, your war is done ; 1 The Lancastrian peers who surrounds acclamation, not unmixed with laughter of their royal mistress to the ghastly w garet at first shuddered, turned pale, and a by the horrid spectacle thus unexpected! instinctive emotions o( woman's nature feelings of vindictive pleasure; and whe upon ^ this king without a kingdom,'' w the crown of England from her husbam laughed — laughed long and violent — and her fallen foe to be placed over the gati (lered the earl of Salisbury, who was am ihm mi*stff(i\]i\ tliA frkllnufincr Ha v. JtnH miuiA SABOABBT OF AHJOir. ITS Tlie demons of war were now let loose in all their destroying fary, «nd the leaders of the rival parties emulated each other in deeds ol Mood and horror. Edward earl of March won a battle at Mortimer^s Croat, Fehniary 1st, which was followed by a sanguinary execution, in reprisal for his hroUier's murder, and the outrage ofiered to his father's mnams. Hargareti howerer, pushed on, with resistless impetuosity, to the me- tropolis, with the intention of rescuing her captive lord from the thral- dom in which he had been held, ever since the battle of Northampton. h must have been at this time she published two remarkable manifestoes, addrened to the English people. «" By the Queen. ** Right tmsty and well beloved, we greet you heartily well. * And whereas the late duke of N ' (York), of extreme malice, long hid «Bder eokmr, imagining by many ways the destmetion of my lord's good graee (Heniy VI.), whom God of his mercy ever preserTe, hath now late, upon an VDtrue pretence, feigned a title to my lord's crown and royal estate (contrary to his aliegianoe, and divers solemn oaths of his own), and fully purposed to have depoaed him of his regality, ne had been (but for) the said unchangeable and true dispositions of you and other his true liegemen. For tlie which your wor- shipful dispositions we thank you as heartily as we can. And howbeit the said antnie, uaiad (unsteady), and unadvised person, of Tery pure malice disposed to eootinne in his crmeUtiM^ to the utter undoing (if he might) of us and of onr mid lord's son and ours, the prince (which, of God's mercy, he shall not have the power to perform, by the help of you and all other my lorcfs fiiitliful disposed snlgects), hath thrown among you, as we be certainly informed, divers untrue ■od leigned matters and surmises ; and in especial that we and my lord's said son and ours should newly draw towards you with an uncivil power of strangers, disposed to rob and despoil you of your goods and havomn ; we will that ye shall know for certain that at such time as we or our said son shall be di8]»osed to see my lord (Henry Yl.), as our duty is, ye, nor none of ye, shall be robbed, despoiled, or wronged by any person or any other sent in our name. Praying you in our most hearty way that in all earthly thing ye will diligently initnd (attend) to the safety of my lord's royal person, so that, through the malice of his said enemy, be be no more troubled, vexed, and jeoparded ; and in so doing, we shall be to you, such lady, as of reason ye shall be largely content. ** Given imder our signet." Margaret, in this proclamation, endeavoured at the same time to coun- teract Uie report, that her northern allies had received from her the pit>- miaa of pillaging all England south of the Trent, to shield the person of her lord from injury. She added a second manifesto, in the name of her young son, much to the same purpose, but meant more paniculariy to re-assure the city of London ; for young Edward is made to assert how improbable it was ^ that he, descended of the blood-royal, and inheriting the pre-eminence of the realm, should intend the destruction of that city which is our lord's (king Henry's) greatest treasure.'' The •ddicas concludes with most earnest entreaties for all men to have such ■Harleian, 543, 48 V. 14. This manifosto, in whieh the queeo^s personal foelings are much mingled, is a rough draft in the original, with the letter N foi MMnm, where York is meant We owe these curious documents to the reseaieii of the rev. Mr. Tomlinson. Warwick's army was c match for the stout north them. Lovelace, who coi ing a secret understanding of the day were decided i Torkists dispersed and fl nearly alone in a tent, wii or three attendants. Hit northern muster arrayed Rose ; for they were unao for plunder and for blood. The queen was not hers to the scene of her thump Qiflbrd's quarters, to anno to greet him, and they ea joy.« Margfaret exultingly pres been her companion during chised sire and sovereign, on the gallant child, and th cularly distinguished thems The victorious queen, w northern lorda, went immed church of St Albana, for th ceived by the abbot and mo door. After thia solemn off conducted to their apartmei MARGAKBT Or AHJOV. 177 of a nature calculated to irritate her no less aa a woman than as a queen. The imputations which had been cast, by party insinuations, on the Intimacy of her son, had naturally kindled feeling of the bitterest in- dignation in her heart ; and the attempt to exclude him from the suc- ression, in fiivour of the hated line of Tork, acting upon her passionate ■Mtemal lore and pride, converted all the better feelings of her nature into fierce and terrific impulses, till at length the graceful attributes of mind and manners by which the queen — the beauty, and the patroness of learning — had been distinguished, were foigotten in the ferocity of the amaion and the avenger. The parties of the rival Roses were so nicely balanced, in point of physical force, at this period, that one folse step on either side was sure to prove fiital to the cause of the person by whom it might be taken. That person was queen Margaret ; flushed with her recent triumphs, and cberiahing a wrathful remembrance of the disafiection of the Lon- doners, she sent a hauffhty demand of provisions for her army to the civic authorities. The lord-mayor was embarrassed by this requisition ; for, though he was himself fiuthfully attached to the cause of Lancaster, his fellow-citizens were greatly opposed to it However, he exerted hia anthority lo procure several cart-loads of salt fish, bread, and such Lenten &re, for the use of the queen's army ; but the populace, encouraged by the news that tlie earl of Warwidi had formed a junction with the army of the victorious heir of York, and that they were in full march to the metropolis, stopped the carts at Cripplegate. Maigaret was so Ciatly exasperated, when she learned this, that she gave permission to r fierce northern auxiliaries to plunder the country, up to the very gates of London.' The lord^nayor and recorder* greatly alarmed, sought, and (through the influence of the duchess of Bedford, lady Scales, and Elisabeth Woodville) succeeded in obtaining, aa audience with the qoeen at Bamet, for the purpose of dissuading her from her impolitic revenge. Biargaret would only agree to stop die ravages of her troops on cimdition of being admitted with her army into the city. The loitl- roayor represented the impossibility of complying with her wish, as he was almost her only adherent in London. Before the queen and the lord-mayor had ended their debate, the northern troops, whom Margaret had lured across the Trent with pro- mises of plundering the rich southern counties, had already commenced their depredations in the town of St Albans ; and king Henry broke up the conference between the queen, her kidies, and the lord-mayor, by imploring her assistance in preserving the beautiful abbey of St Albans from fire and spoil.' The danger that threatened their lives and properties, and the disgust created by the rash and vindictive conduct of the queen, decided all London and its vicinity to raise the white Rose banner, on the approach of the heir of Tork, with Warwick, at the head of forty thousand men ; and the firm refusal of the Londoners to admit the queen, and her ill« disciplined and lawless troops, within their walls, compelled Margaret, 'Hall. Gsm. • Wethanpstwis.. the northern aristocmcv and the i had imflered 00 severe! v for their d< to rally, at her need, round the hi w aixty thousand men was, in the coi bot her generals, Somerset and Clifl with the king* and the Ti>ung princ gaged the ri^'al sovereign of Englan Edward, with nearly equal forcei of Warwick, to Ferrybridge, where his men, early in the morning, wo ▼anced ffiiard of the Yorkists. Th( king Edward retrieved the fortune parted the combatants he remained : contest was renewed in the fields redoubled (iin% at nine the follow ** which," savs the chronicler, •*« instead of palms.'* A heavy snow-^ Lancastrian party, blinded their ar those of York with &tal efleet disc advancing a few paces, shot a secon* red Rose.* The result of this dreadful battli the Lancastrians perished, is best de reate Southey : — **Witnet8 Aire's unhappj wnter, Where the ruthless Clitfbr