man.

tle. The Scotch king was no lefs impatient to engage; he imagined that he might obtain an eafy victory against undifciplined troops and headed by a woBut he was miferably deceived. His army was quickly routed and driven from the field. Fifteen thousand of his men were cut to pieces; and he himfelf, with many of his nobles and knights, were taken prifoners, and carried in triumph to London.

A victory gained by the Black Prince near Poitiers followed not long after, in which John king of France was taken prifoner, and led in triumph through London amidst an amazing concourfe of fpectators. Two kings prifoners in the fame court, and at the fame time, were confidered as glorious achievements; but all that England gained by them was only glory. Whatever was won in France, with all the dangers of war, and the expence of preparation, was fucceffively, and in a manner filently loft, without the mortification of a defeat.

The English, by their frequent fupplies, had been quite exhaufted, and were unable to continue an army in the field. Charles, who had fucceeded his father John, who died a prifoner in the Savoy, on the other hand, cautiously forbore coming to any decifive engagement; but was contented to let his enemies waite their strength in attempts to plunder a fortified country. When they were retired, he then was fure to fally forth, and poffefs himself of fuch places as they were not strong enough to defend. He first fell upon Ponthieu; the citizens of Abbeville opened their gates to him; thofe of St. Valois, Rue,. and Crotoy, imitated the example; and the whole country was in a little time reduced to total fubmiffion. The fouthern provinces were in the fame manner invaded by his generals with equal fuccefs; while the Black Prince deftitute of fupplies from England, and wafted by a cruel and confumptive diforder, was obliged to return to his native coun

trya

try, leaving the affairs of the fouth of France in a moft defperate condition.

But what of all other things ferved to gloom the latter part of this fplendid reign, was the approaching death of the Black Prince, whofe conftitution fhewed but too manifeftly the symptoms of a speedy diffolution. This valiant and accomplished prince died in the forty-fixth year of his age, leaving behind him a character without a fingle blemish; and a degree of forrow among the people that time could fcarcely alleviate.

The king was moft fenfibly affected with the lofs of his fon; and tried every art to allay his uneafinefs. He removed himfelf entirely from the duties and burdens of the ftate, and left his kingdom to be plundered by a fet of rapacious minifters. He did not furvive the confequences of his bad conduct; but died about a year after the prince, at Shene, in Surry, deferted by all his courtiers, even by thofe who had grown rich by his bounty. He expired in the fixty-fifth year of his age and fifty-firft of his reign, 1377; a prince more admired than beloved by his fubjects, and more an object of their applause than their forrow.

It was in this reign that the order of the A. D. garter was inftituted; the number was to 1340. confift of twenty four perfons befide the

king. A ftory prevails, but unfupported by any ancient authority, that the countefs of Salisbury, at a ball, happening to drop her garter, the king took it up, and prefented it to her with thefe words," Honi foit qui mal y penfe;" Evil be to him that evil thinks. This accident it is faid gave rife to the order and the motto.

Edward left many children by his queen Philippa of Hainult his eldeft fon, the Black Prince, died before him, but he left a fon, named Richard, who fucceeded to the throne.

СНАР.

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[94]

CHA P. XV.

RICHARD II.

ICHARD II. was but eleven years old when he came to the throne of his grandfather, and found the people discontented and poor, the nobles proud and rebellious. As he was a minor, the government was vefted in the hands of his three uncles, the dukes of Lancafter, York, and Gloucester; and as the late king had left the kingdom involved in many dangerous and expenfive wars, which demanded large and conftant fupplies, the murmurs of the people increased in proportion. The expences of armaments to face the enemy on every fide, and a want of economy in the adminiftration, entirely exhaufted the treafury; and a new tax of three groats on every perfon above fifteen was granted by parlia ment as a fupply. The indignation of the people had been for fome time increafing; but a tax fo unequitable, in which the rich paid no more than the poor, kindled the refentment of the latter into flame. It began in Effex, where a report was induftriously fpread, that the peasants were to be destroyed, their houfes burned, and their farms plundered. A blackfmith, well known by the name of Wat Tyler, was the first that excited them to arms. The tax gatherers coming to this man's house while he was at work, demanded payment for his daughter, which he refufed, alledging the was under the age mentioned in the act. One of the brutal collectors infifted on her being a full grown woman; and immediately attempted a very indecent proof of his affertion. This provoked the father to fuch a degree, that he instantly ftruck him dead with a blow of his hammer. The ftanders-by applauded his fpirit, and, one and all, refolved

refolved to defend his conduct. He was confidered as a champion in the cause, and appointed the leader and fpokefman of the people. It is eafy to imagine the diforders committed by this tumultuous rabble; the whole neighbourhood rofe in arms; they burnt and plundered wherever they came, and revenged upon their former mafters all thofe infults which they had long fuftained with impunity. As the difcontent was general, the infurgents increased in proportion as they approached the capital. The flame foon propagated itfelf into Kent, Hertfordshire, Surry, Suffex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Lincoln. They were found to amount to above an hundred thousand men by the time they were arrived at Blackheath. At the head of one party of these was Wat Tyler, who led his men into Smithfield, where he was met by the king, who invited him to a conference, under a pretence of hearing and redreffing his grievances. Tyler ordering his companions to retire, till he thould give them a fignal, boldly ventured to meet the king in the midīt of his retinue, and accordingly began the conference. The demands of this demagogue are cenfured by all the hif torians of the time, as infolent and extravagant; and yet nothing can be more just than those they have delivered for him. He required that all flaves fhould be fet free; that all commonages fhould be open to the poor aswell as rich; and that a general pardon thould be paffed for the late outrages. Whilft he made thefe demands, he now and then lifted up his fword in a menacing manner; which infolence fo raised the indignation of William Walworth, then mayor of London, attending on the king, that, without confidering the danger to which he expofed his majefty, he ftunned Tyler with a blow of his mace; while one of the king's knights, riding up, dispatched him with his fword. The mutineers, feeing their leader fail, preparedthemselvestotake revenge; and theirbowswere now

bent

bent for execution, when Richard, though not yet quite fixteen years of age, rode up to the rebels, and, with admirable prefence of mind, cried out, "What my people, will you then kill your king? Be not concerned for the lofs of your leader; I my felf will now be your general; follow me into the field, and you fhall have whatever you defire." The awed multitude immediately defifted; they followed the king as if mechanically into the fields, and there he granted them the fame charter that he had before given to their companions, but which he foon after revoked in parliament.

Hitherto the king had acted under the control of the regency, who did all they could devife to abridge his power; however, in an extraordinary council of the nobility, affembled after Eafter, he, to the aftonishment of all prefent, defired to know his age; and being told that he was turned of two and twenty, he alledged, that it was time then for him to govern. without help; and that there was no reason that he fhould be deprived of thofe rights which the mean eft of his fubjects enjoyed.

Being thus left at liberty to conduct A. D. the bufinefs of government at difcretion, 1389. it quickly appeared that he wanted those arts that are ufually found to procure a lafting respect; he was fond of luxurious pleafures and idle oftentation; he admitted the meanest ranks to his familiarity; and his conversation was not adapted to imprefs them with a reverence for his mòrals or abili ties. The cruelty fhewn to the duke of Gloucester, who upon flight fufpicions was fent to confinement in Calais, and there murdered in prifon, with fome other acts equally arbitrary, did not fail to increafe thofe ani. mofities which had already taken deep root in the kingdom. The aggrandifement of fome new favourites contributed ftill more to make the king odious; but though he feemed refolved, by all his actions, to fet his fubjects against him, it was accident that

gave