English, that Archibald, earl of Douglas, with many of the Scotch nobility, were taken prifoners by the earl of Northumberland, and carried to Alnwick caftle. When Henry received intelligence. of this victory, he fent the earl orders not to ranfom his prisoners, as he intended to detain them, in order to increafe his demands in making peace, with Scotland. This meffage was highly refented by the earl of Northumberland, who by the laws of war that prevailed in that age, had a right to the ranfom of all fuch as he had taken in battle. The command was ftill more irkfome, as he confidered the king as his debtor both for fecurity and his crown.. Accordingly, ftang with this fuppofed injury, he re-. folved to overturn a throne which he had the chief hand in establishing. A fcheme was laid, in which the Scotch and Welsh were to unite their forces, and to affift Northumberland in elevating Mortimer, as the true heir to the crown of England. When all things were prepared for the intended infurrection, the earl had the mortification to find himself unable to lead on the troops, being feized with a fudden illness at Berwick. But the want of his prefence was well fupplied by his fon Harry Percy, furnamed Hotspur,. who took the command of the troops, and inarched them towards Shrewsbury, in order to join his forces with thofe of Glendour, a Welsh chieftain, who fome time before had been exchanged from prifon, and had. now advanced with his forces as far as Shropshire. Upon the junction of these two armies, they published a manifefto, which aggravated their real grievances, and invented more. In the mean time, Henry, who had received no intelligence of their de figns, was at first greatly furprized at the news of this rebellion. But fortune feemed to befriend himon this occafion; he had a fmall army in readiness, which he had intended against the Scotch, and knowing the importance of dispatch against fuch active ene

mies, he inftantly hurried down to Shrewsbury, that he might give the rebels battle.

Upon the approach of the two armies, both fides feemed willing to give a colour to their caufe, by fhewing a defire of reconciliation; but when they came to open their mutual demands, the treaty was turned into abuse and recrimination. On one

fide was objected rebellion and ingratitude; on the other, tyranny and ufurpation. The two armies. were pretty nearly equal, each confifting of about twelve thoufand men ; the animofity on both fides was inflamed to the highest pitch; and no prudence nor military skill could determine on which fide the victory might incline. Accordingly, a very bloody engagement enfued, in which the generals on both fides exerted themselves with great bravery. Henry was feen every where in the thickeft of the fight; while his valiant fon, who was afterwards the renowned conqueror of France, fought by his fide, and, though wounded in the face by an arrow, ftill kept the field, and performed aftonishing acts of valour. On the other fide, the daring Hotfpur fupported that renown which he had acquired in fo many bloody engagements, and every where fought out the king as a noble object of his indignation. At last, however, his death from an unknown hand, decided the victory, and the fortune of Henry once more prevailed. On that bloody day, it is faid, that no less than two thousand three hundred gentlemen were flain, and about fix thousand private men, of whom two thirds were of Hotspur's army.

While this furious tranfaction was going forward, Northumberland, who was lately recovered from his indifpofition, was advancing with a body of troops to reinforce the army of the malcontents, and take upon him the command. But hearing by the way of his fon's and brother's misfortune, he difmiffed his troops, not daring to keep the field with fo fmall a force, before

before an army fuperior in number and flufhed with recent victory. The earl, therefore, for a while attempted to find fafety by flight, but at last being preffed by his purfuers, and finding himself totally without refource, he chose rather to throw himself upon the king's mercy than lead a precarious and indigent life in exile. Upon his appearing before Henry at York, he pretended that his fole intention in arming was to mediate between the two parties; and this, though but a very weak apology, feemed to fatisfy the king. Northumberland, therefore, received a pardon; Henry probably thinking that he was fufficiently punished by the lofs of his army, and the death of his favour

ite fon.

By thefe means Henry feemed to furmount all his troubles; and the calm, which was thus produced, was employed by him in endeavours to acquire popularity, which he had loft by the feverities ex

ercifed during the preceding part of his A. D. reign. For that reafon, he often permit1407. ted the houfe of commons to affume pow

ers which had not been ufually exercifed their predeceffors. In the fixth year of his reign, when they voted him the fupplies, they appointed treasurers of their own to fee the money difburfed for the purposes intended; and required them to deliver in their accounts to the house. They propofed thirty very important articles for the government of the king's houthold; and on the whole preferved their privileges and freedoms more entire during his reign than that of any of his predeceffors. But while the king thus laboured not without fuccefs to retrieve the reputation he had loft, his fon Henry, prince of Wales, feemed equally bent on incurring the public averfion. He became notorious for all kinds of debauchery; and ever chofe to be furrounded by a fet of wretches, who took pride in committing the moft illegal acts, with

the

the prince at their head. The king was not a little mortified at this degeneracy in his eldest fon, who feemed entirely forgetful of his station, although he had already exhibited repeated proofs of his valour, conduct, and generofity. Such were the exceffes into which he ran, that one of his diffolute companions having been brought to trial before Sir William Gafcoigne, chief juftice of the King's bench, for fome misdemeanor, the prince was fo exafperated at the issue of the trial that he struck the judge in open court. The venerable magiftrate, who knew the reverence that was due to his station, behaved with a dignity that became his office, and immediately ordered the prince to be committed to prifon. When this tranfaction was reported to the king, who was an excellent judge of mankind, he could not help exclaiming in a tranfport; "Happy is the king that has a magiftrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon fuch an offender; ftill more happy in having a fon willing to fubmit to fuch a chaftifement" This, in fact, is one of the first great ftances we read in the English hiftory of a magiftratę doing justice in oppofition to power; fince upon many former occafions, we find the judges only minifters of royal caprice.

in

Henry, whofe health had for fome time been de clining, did not long outlive this tranfaction. He was fubject to fits, which bereaved him for the time of his fenfes; and which at last brought on his death at Westminster, in the forty-fixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign.

САНР.

A. D. 1413.

CHA P. XVII.

HENRY

THE

V.

HE first steps taken by the young king confirmed all thofe prepoffeflions entertained in hisfavour. He called together his former abandoned companions, acquainted them with his intended reformation; exhorted them to follow his example; and thus difiniffed them from his prefence, allowing thema competency to fubfift upon till he faw them worthy of further promotion. The faithful ministers of his father, at first, began to tremble for their former juftice, in the adminiftration of their duty; but he foon eafed them of their fears, by taking them into his friendship and confidence. Sir William Gafcoigne, who thought himself the most obnoxious, met with praises instead of reproaches, and was exhorted to perfevere in the fame rigorous and impar tial execution of justice.

About this time the herefy of Wickliffe, or Lollardifm, as it was called, began to fpread every day more and more, while it received a new luftre from the protection and preaching of Sir John Oldcaftle, baron of Cobham, who had been one of the king's domeftics, and stood high in his favour. The primate, however, indicted this nobleman, and with the affiftance of his fuffragans, condemned him as an heretic to be burnt alive. Cobham, however, efcaping from the Tower, in which he was confined, the day before his execution, privately went among his party; and ftimulating their zeal, led them up to London, to take a fignal revenge on his enemies. But the king, apprised of his intentions, ordered that the city gates thould be fhut; and coming by night with his guards into St. Giles's fields, feized fuch of

the