had been gaining some confideration fince the gradual diminution of the force of the feudal fyftem.

This parliament, however, was found not fo very complying as he expected. Many of the barons, who had hitherto ftedfaftly adhered to his party, appeared difgufted at his immoderate ambition; and many of the people, who found that a change of masters was not a change for happiness, began to wifh for the reestablishment of the royal family. In this exigence, Leicester finding himself unable to oppose the concurring wishes of the nation, was refolved to make a merit of what he could not prevent; and he accordingly released prince Edward from confinement, and had him introduced at Westminster hall, where his freedom was confirmed by the unanimous voice of the barons. But though Leicester had all the popu larity of restoring the prince, yet he was politic enough to keep him ftill guarded by his emiffaries, who watched all his motions, and frustrated all his aims.

Wherefore the prince upon hearing that the duke of Gloucester was up in arms in his cause, he took an opportunity to efcape from his guards, and put himself at the head of his party. A battle foon after enfued; but the earl's army having been exhausted by famine on the mountains of Wales, were but ill able to fuftain the impetuofity of young Edward's attack, who bore down upon them with incredible fury. During this terrible day, Leicester be haved with aftonishing intrepidity; and kept up the fpirit of the action from two o'clock in the afternoon, till nine at night. At laft, his horfe being killed under him, he was compelled to fight on foot; and tho' he demanded quarter, the adverfe party refufed it, with a barbarity common enough in the times we are defcribing. The old king, who was placed in the front of the battle, was soon wounded in the fhoulder; and not being known by his friends, he was on

the

the point of being killed by a foldier; but crying out, I am Henry of Winchester the king, he was faved by a knight of the royal army. Prince Edward hearing the voice of his father, inftantly ran to the fpot where he lay, and had him conducted to a place. of fafety. The body of Leicester being found among the dead, was barbarously mangled by one Roger Mortimer; and then, with an accumulation of inhumanity, fent to the wretched widow, as a teftimony of the royal party's fuccefs.

This victory proved decifive; and the prince having thus restored peace to the kingdom, found his affairs fo firmly established, that he refolved upon taking the cross, which was at that time the highest object of human ambition.

In pursuance of this refolution, Edward failed from England with a large army, and arrived at the camp of Lewis, the king of France, which lay before Tunis; and where he had the misfortune to hear of that good monarch's death before his arrival. The prince, however, no way difcouraged by this event, continued his voyage, and arrived at the Holy Land in Lafety.

He was fcarce departed upon this pious expedition, when the health of the old king began to decline; and he found not only his own conftitution, but also that of the ftate, in fuch a dangerous fituation, that he wrote letters to his fon, preffing him to return with all dispatch. At laft being overcome by the cares of government, and the infirmities of age, he ordered himself to be removed, by eafy journies, from St. Edmund's to Weftminster, and that fame night expired, in the fixty-fourth year of his age, and the fifty-fixth of his reign, the longeft to be met with in the annals of England.

CHAP.

[72]

CHA P. XII.

EDWARD I.

HILE the unfortunate Henry was thus

W vainly struggling with the ungovernable fpi

rit of his fubjects, his fon and fucceffor, Edward, was employed in the Holy Wars, where he revived the glory of the English name, and made the enemies of Chriftianity tremble. He was ftabbed however, by one of thofe Mahometan enthusiasts, called Affaffins, as he was one day fitting in his tent, and was cured not without great difficulty. Some fay that he owed his fafety to the piety of Eleanora his wife, who fucked the poison from the wound to fave his life, at the hazard of her own.

Though the death of the late king happened while the fucceffor was so far from home, yet measures had been fo well taken, that the crown was transferred with the greatest tranquility.

As Edward was now come to an undifputed throne, the oppofite interefts were proportionably feeble. The barons were exhaufted by long mutual diffenfions; the clergy were divided in their interests, and agreed only in one point, to hate the pope, who had for fome time drained them, with impunity: the people, by fome infurrections against the convents, appear to hate the clergy with equal animofity. Thefe difagreeing orders only concurred in one point, that of efteeming and reverencing the king. He therefore thought this the moft favourable conjuncture of uniting England with Wales. The Welsh had for many ages enjoyed their own laws, language, cuftoms, and opinions. They were the remains of the ancient Britons, who had efcaped the Roman and Saxon invafions, and ftill preferved their freedom and

their

their country, uncontaminated by the admiffion of foreign conquerors. But as they were, from their number, incapable of withstanding their more powerful neighbours on the plain, their chief defence lay in their inacceffible mountains, those natural bulwarks of the country. Whenever England was diftreffed by factions at home, or its forces called off to wars abroad, the Welsh made it a conftant practice to pour in their irregular troops, and lay the open country wafte where-ever they came. Nothing could be more pernicious to a country than feveral neighbouring independent principalities, under different commanders, and purfuing different interefts; the mutual jealoufies of such were fure to harrafs the people; and wherever victory was purchased, it was always at the expence of the general welfare. Senfible of this, Edward had long wifhed to reduce that incurfive people, and had ordered Lewellyn to do homage for his territories; which fummons the Welsh prince refused to obey, unless the king's own fon fhould be delivered as an hostage for his fafe return. The king was not displeased at this refufal, as it ferved to give him a pretext for his intended invafion. He therefore levied an army against Lewellyn, and marched into his country with certain aflurance of fuccefs. Upon the approach of Edward, the Welsh prince - took refuge among the inacceffible mountains of Snowdon, and there refolved to maintain his ground, without trusting to the chance of a battle. These were the steep retreats, that had for many ages before defended his ancestors against all the attempts of the Norman and Saxon conquerors. But Edward, equally vigorous and cautious, having explored every part of his way, pierced into the very center of Lewellyn's territories, and approached the Welsh army in its last retreats. Here after extorting fubmiffion from the Welsh prince the king retired. But an idle prophecy, in which it was foretold by Merlin, E

that

that Lewellyn was to be the reftorer of Brutus's empire in Britain; was an inducement fufficiently ftrong to perfuade this prince to revolt once more and hazard a decifive battle against the English. With this view he marched into Radnor fhire; and paffing the river Wey, his troops were surprised and defeated by Edward Mortimer, while he himfelf was abfent from his army, upon a conference with fome of the barons of that country. Upon his return, feeing the dreadful fituation of his affairs, he ran defperately into the midst of the enemy, and quickly found that death he fo ardently fought for. David, the brother of this unfortunate prince, foon after fell in the fame caufe; and with him expired the government, and the diftinction of the Welsh nation. It was soon after united to the kingdom of England, made a prin cipality, and given to the eldeft font of the crowni. Foreign conquefts might add to the glory, but this added to the felicity of the kingdom. The Welsh were now blended with the conquerors; and in the revolution of a few ages, all national animosity was entirely forgotten.

Soon after the death of Margaret, queen of Scotland, gave him hopes of adding alfo Scotland to his dominion. The death of this princess produced a moft ardent difpute about the fucceffion to the Scottish throne, being claimed by no less than twelve competitors. The claims however of all the other candidates were reduced to three; who were the defcendants of the earl of Huntington by three daughters; John Haftings, who claimed in right of his mother, as one of the co-heireffes of the crown ; John Baliol, who alledged his right, as being defcended from the eldest daughter, who was his grandmother; and Robert Bruce, who was the actual for of the second daughter. This dispute being referred to Edwards decifion, with a strong degree of affurance, he claimed the crown for himself, and appointed Baliof his deputy.