made a peace, and returned re infecta, but recovered at last the province of Aquitain. The latter part of his reign was so taken up with intestine broils in the barons wars, wherein sometimes he was worsted and imprisoned, sometimes prevailed against his enemies, that he had no leisure to look after his territories abroad, and call the French to an account for them, till at last, after he had lived 65 years, and of them reigned 56, and odd days, and lavished away an immense treasure, he resigned his breath to him that gave it, at Edmundsbury in Suffolk, was buried at Westminster, anno 1272, and was happy in nothing so much as in the hopes of his eldest son Edward.

1. One cause of his wars with France was, that the French assisted the Scots against him.

2. Another was, the recovery of those towns and provinces, the French unjustly took from him, and his ancestors.

EDWARD I.

SIRNAMED Long-shanks, the son of Henry, was in the Holy land with Eleanor his wife, when the crown fell to him, being then about 33 years old. He began his reign the 16th of November, and arrived with his queen in England, the 15th of August following, being in the year 1273. He proved a warlike, wise, and victorious prince, and may justly be stiled,The best Law-giver. He made several expeditions against Wales and Scotland; the latter became tributary to him, and the former he reduced intirely, under the obedience of the crown of England, and has so continued to this day; but the stratagem he used to satisfy those unruly spirits, and keep them in subjection, may be worthy of observation.

Having about the twelfth year of his reign reduced all Wales, and, by a statute made at Ruthyn, incorporated and annexed it to the crown of England; but, finding he could not win the good will of the people, unless he would engage to reside amongst them, or allow them a prince of their own nation to govern them, and that, after several conferences, no English deputies would do, but that they were content to submit to any man he should name, provided he were a Welchman; at length be privily sends for his queen, then big with child, and caused her to remain at Carnarvan castle, where she was brought to bed of a son, at which time he sends for the barons and chief men of Wales, to come to him to Ruthyn, to deliberate about the affairs of the country; and when they came, he told them, he had now occasion to go out of that country, but, before he went, he was determined to name them a prince, if they promised to obey him; they replied, they would, provided he were one of their own nation; wherefore the king rejoined, he would name one born in Wales, and that could speak never a word of English, and who was of unspotted life and conversation, and, when all was agreed to, he named his son Edward, born as aforesaid.

But, notwithstanding this king had so much to do with Wales and Scotland, yet he was no ways negligent of his affairs and interest in France; but, as soon as he had any leisure, which was about the twenty-second year of his, reign, first, like a wise prince, takes care to have sufficient treasure for such an undertaking; and therefore, in a parliamentary way, raised a vast sum of money, and so provides an army, and fleet of ships, suitable to such an expedition. The army rendezvoused at Portsmouth, the command whereof he gave to his nephew John de Brytain, earl of Richmond, with whom he joined in commission John St. John and Robert Tripot, two prudent knights, from whence they set sail, and landed at St. . Matthews in Bretagne (and in the mean time set out three fleets for the guard of the seas, and to prevent the depredations of the enemy) they entered the mouth of the Garonne towards Bourdeaux, and took two good walled towns, Burgo and Bleya, from whence they marched to Lyons, and had the town delivered to them. About four years after he generously goes over, in person, into Flanders, for the relief of Guy, earl of that country, who was grievously assaulted by the French king; and, after many noble atchievements performed, a peace was concluded; Edward taking to Wife Mar. garet, sister to Philip the fair, then king of France. This king died in 1507, when he had reigned thirty-four years, seven months, and odd days, aged 68, and was buried at Westminster.

1. One cause of this breach with France was the depredations that were committed at sea.

2. The relief of Guy, earl of Flanders, who was in danger of losing his country.

EDWARD II.

· COMMONLY called Edward of Caernarvan (the first prince of England, that bore, in his father's life-time, the title of Prince of Wales) proved an unworthy successor to so brave a father; for he was a dissolute prince, and wholly guided by his favourites; the first whereof was Pierce Gaveston, who was bred up with him, and on whom he conferred thirty-two towns, and as many castles, in Gascoigne, besides great sums of money out of the earldom of Cornwall, during his life; which, together with his arrogance, the barons, being not able to brook, combined to force the king to banish him; and so little did this prince understand his true interest herein, that, instead of parting with such a pernicious man, and thereby securing his interest at home, and taking measures for the same in France, and elsewhere, he intended to give up Gascoigne to the French king, Scotland to Robert Bruce, and Ireland and Wales to others, as hoping thereby to obtain such aid as might secure him his favourite, against all the just attempts of his barons to the contrary. But no sooner was this man removed, but he had two others, the Spencers, father and son, that were as pernicious as he, and proved more fatal to Edward every way; for, though they received at length condign punishment, yet it was through their

advice chiefly, that Edward refused to go to the French king, to do homage for Aquitain, and other lands, he held of him, and thereby lost Anjou, and the country of Poictiers; and it was his adherence to them that raised his barons and queen against him, which ended in a sad catastrophe, first in his being deposed, next in making a formal resignation of the crown, and lastly, in being soon after barbarously murdered, at Berkley castle, by the procurement of Roger Mortimer, earl of March, the queen's favourite. reigned nineteen years, six months, and odd days, and died in

1327.

EDWARD III.

He

He

COMMONLY called Edward of Windsor, the eldest son of Edward the second, succeeded his father, upon his resignation of the crown, being about the age of fourteen, his reign commencing from the 25th of January, in the year of our Lord 1326. proved a blessing to England, and was a prince of great wisdom, and very successful in his enterprises. The younger part of his reign was much eclipsed by Roger Mortimer, earl of March, the queen his mother's paramour, but he got quickly rid of him, for he was seized at Nottingham, by the king's order and concurrence, just as he was going to bed with the queen, and for all the queen's crying out to him, Bel fils, bel fils, ayes pitie de gentil Mortimer, i. e. good son, good son, take pity upon gentle Mortimer; he was forthwith carried away to London, committed to the Tower, condemned by his peers in Parliament at Westminster, hanged at Elmes, and left hanging upon the gallows two days and nights; and all this unheard, because he had done so by others before. This king made several successful expeditions into Scotland, and made the king thereof do him homage; but the seat of his wars was in France, for, Charles, king of France, dying, the masculine line of Hugh Capet failed, and the crown descended to Edward the third (as he alledged) in right of his mother Isabella, who was sister to the said Charles; but Philip de Valois, uncle to Charles, intruded himself by force of arms, and took possession; and was not only aggressor in this respect, but grew so confident of his power, that nothing would serve him, but he must have all our king had left in France, and therefore bends his force against all the king's castles and towns in Aquitain and Poictiers, and exercises abominable cruelties upon the English inhabitants, and all this under pretence of taking revenge for his friends the Scots. The king in the mean time holds a parliament, obtains considerable supplies, and writes letters to the French king, exhorting him to continue his old amity; but neither this, nor the Pope's mediation for a peace, would do; so king Edward makes mighty preparations, both by sea and land, and the first action happened to be by sea, and as memorable a one as any in the records of time; for he took and sunk 200 sail of French ships, which Philip de Valois had prepared in the haven of Sluce for the invasion of England, which fleet, like that of 88, was held invincible; but king Edward had equipped another as formidable

a fleet, in opposition, whereof he was generalissimo, and admiral himself. It was one of the most glorious victories that ever was got at sea; for the chronicles mention, that the whole of the French navy perished, and 30000 men were wounded, slain, and taken. This great naval battle was fought upon Midsummer eve, and heaven appeared much for the English, for they had wind and sun favourable to them in the fight; and, to make it more glorious, king Edward himself was wounded in the thigh with an arrow, whereof he was quickly cured. He then goes in person to France, with 8000 common soldiers, and 15000 archers, but he raised most of his horse in France; he took over with him his son the prince of Wales, then but fifteen years old, called afterwards the Black Prince. He enters Normandy like a whirl-wind, and carries all the country before him as far as Poissy, about ten miles from Paris; and, after divers hot skirmishes, a main battle is appointed. The English army encamped near a village called Cressy, where it was divided into three battalions; the first was led by the prince of Wales, the second by the earls of Arundel and Northampton, and in the third was the king himself. The field being thus ordered, the king mounted upon a white hobby, and rode from rank to rank, encouraging every one to the performance of his duty.

The French army was at least twice more in number, consisting of above sixty-thousand combatants, with the flower of all the French cavalry, whereof the chief was the duke of Alenzon the king's brother. There were besides the dukes of Lorrain and Luxemburg, the earls of Flanders, and Artois, with other foreign princes. The French king was so fierce in confidence of victory, that he would scarce admit of any previous time for counsel. The old king of Bohemia advised, that the army should receive some refreshment, before the fight, and that the brigade of Genoa, whereof there were about fifteen-thousand balestiers, or cross-bows, should make the first front, and the cavalry to follow next; which being agreed upon, the duke of Alenzon did stomach, that the Genoese should have the honour of the first rank. This bred such a discontent that they seemed to be more incensed against their leaders, than against the enemy; but, in the interim, there fell such a huge shower of rain, that wetted their bow-strings, which they had not the wit to cover all the while, as the English did, insomuch that, for the limberness thereof, when they came to engage, they grew useless. At the ceasing of the shower, heaven appeared in the action, for the English; for the sun did shine full in the faces of the French, thereby dazzling their eyes, but on the back of the English. King Edward being got into a wind-mill, all the while, whence as from a watch-tower he might explore, and behold the face of the enemy, and discerning the disturbance that happened, because the Genoese were put to change their post, instantly gave order to charge that part, which made the Genoese recoil. Alenzon, perceiving this, rides about in a rage, crying out Sa sa, let us make way, over the bellies of these Italians, for they do but hinder us. So, riding through them, he came up to the English wing, where

the prince of Wales was; the fight grew furious, and doubtful, insomuch that the commanders about the prince sent up to the king, for a recruit of power; the king asking the messenger, whether his son was wounded or slain, and being answered No, he replied, Then tell them who sent you, that, as long as my son is alive, they send no more to me, for my will is, that he win his spurs, and have the honour of this day. So the combatants, on both sides, being wonderfully eager, the French king had his horse killed under him, and so withdrew; which being known by the English, it added much to their courage, so that soon after, they became masters of the field, and being in heat of blood, they made no prisoners, but put all to the sword; so that the number of the French slain surmounted the whole army of the English, for there fell about thirty-thousand of the enemy, the chief whereof was the duke of Alenzon, the dukes of Bourbon and Lorrain, the earl of Flanders, the dauphin de Viennois son to Imbert, who afterwards gave the province of Dauphiny to the French king, provided his first son should be called Dauphin in perpetuum; and, as a corollary to this mighty victory, the next day sending scouts abroad, there was another French army discovered, under the conduct of the archbishop of Roan, whom the English encountered also, and utterly defeated. There was one passage very remarkable in this battle, whereof sir Walter Rawleigh makes mention: That, a day before the engagement, the king sent one captain David Gam, a Welchman, to explore and view the French army; which he did, with no less danger than fidelity, and brought word, that there were, in the enemy's army, men enough to kill, enough to take prisoners, and enough to run away; which proved true, and so the Welch. captain was knighted in the field.'

This mighty victory was seconded, a few years after, by another more memorable; for the Black prince, having now won his spurs, and being tapered up to his full growth, was sent to Gascoigne, where, the truce being expired, he over-runs all the country, as far as Touraine. Thereupon John, the then French king, raised a po. tent army, more numerous than that at Cressy, and going to find out the Prince of Wales, he heard of him about Poictiers, having not above ten-thousand effective men, in his whole army, and they also having been tired with long marches, whereas the French were fresh, and were six times as many. Whereupon the prince, being advised to turn, falls about towards Bourdeaux, when he was suddenly surrounded by the French army; upon which, a battle being intended, there came two cardinals, to mediate an accommodation. But the French king would hearken to none, unless the prince, as a vanquished man, would render up himself, and his whole army, to discretion. This was of hard digestion, to a prince of such a courage, therefore he answered: That, at the mediation of the holy father, he was willing to restore such places, which he had taken en bonne guerre, provided this might be done without prejudice to his honour, whereof he was accountable to the king his father, &c. The French king, not hearkening to this, resolved to fight; thereupon