CHAP. XV. EDWARD III.-A. D. 1327 to 1377. THE parliament by which young Edward was raised to the throne, during the life of his father, appointed twelve persons as his privy council, to direct the operations of government. Mortimer, the queen's paramour, who might naturally be set down as one of the members, artfully excluded himself, under a pretended show of moderation; but at the same time he secretly influenced all the measures that came under their deliberation. He caused the greatest part of the royal revenues to be settled on the queen-dowager, and seldom took the trouble to consult the ministers of government in any public undertaking. The king himself was so besieged by the favourite's creatures, that no access could be procured to him; and the whole sovereign authority was shared between Mortimer and the queen, who took no care to conceal her criminal attachment. A government so constituted could not be of long continuance; and the slightest shock was sufficient to overturn that power which was founded neither in strength nor in virtue. An irruption of the Scots gave the first blow to Mortimer's credit; and young Edward's own abilities contributed to its ruin. The Scots, who had no connexion with either party, were resolved to take advantage of the feeble state of the nation; and, without regarding the truce that subsisted between the two kingdoms, attempted to surprise the castle of Norham. This commencement of hostilities they soon after seconded by a formidable invasion on the northern counties, with an army of twenty thousand men. Edward, even at this early age, discovered that martial disposition for which he was afterwards so famous. He resolved to intercept them in their retreat; and began his march in the middle of July, at the head of an army of threescore thousand men; but after undergoing incredible fatigues, in pursuing them through woods and morasses, he was unable to perceive any signs of an enemy, except from the ravages they had made, and the smoking ruins of villages which they had set on fire. In this disappointment, he had no other resource but to offer a reward to any who should discover the place where the Scots were posted. This the enemy understanding, sent him word that they were ready to mect him and give him battle. However, they had taken so advantageous a situation, on the opposite banks of the river Were, that the king found it impracticable to attack them: and no threats could bring them to a battle upon equal terms. It was in this situation that the first breach was discovered between the king and Mortimer. The young monarch, all ardour to engage, resolved that night, at all hazards, not to allow the ravagers to escape with impunity; but Mortimer opposed his influence to the valour of the king, and prevented an engagement, which might be attended with the most destructive consequences to his authority, whether he won or lost the day. Shortly after, the Scots, under the command of Douglas, made an irruption into the English camp by night, and arrived at the very tent in which the king was sleeping. But the young monarch happening to wake in the critical moment, made a valiant defence against the enemy; his chamberlain and chaplain died fighting by his side; and he thus had time given him to escape in the dark. The Scots being frustrated in their design upon the king, were contented to decamp for their own country, leaving their tents standing, without any person behind them, except six English prisoners, whose legs had been broken to prevent their carrying intelligence to their countrymen. The escape of the Scots was as disagreeable a circumstance to the English army, as the valour of the young king was applauded and admired. The failure on one part was entirely ascribed to the queen's favourite; and the success on the other to the king's own intrepidity. The people began to wish for a removal of that authority which stood between them and the monarch; and spared no pains to aggravate the faults of their governors, or to extol the rising merit of their young sovereign. Mortimer now found himself in a very precarious situation, and was resolved on any terms to procure a peace with Scotland, in order to fix his power more 4. D. 1328.] firmly at home. A treaty was accordingly concluded between the two nations, in which the English renounced all title to sovereignty over the sister kingdom; and the Scots, in return, agreed to pay thirty thou sand marks as a compensation. The next step that Mortimer thought neces sary for his security, was, to seize the earl of Kent, brother to the late king, a harmless and well meaning person, who, under a persuasion that his brother was still alive, and concealed in some secret prison, entered into a design of restoring him to liberty, and reinstating him in his former power. Him, therefore, Mortimer resolved to destroy; and summoning him before a A. D. 1330.] parliament, had him accused, condemned, and executed, even before the young king had time to interpose in his favour. In proportion as Mortimer thus got rid of his enemies, he was careful to enrich himself with their spoils. The estate of the unfortunate earl was seized upon for the use of the favourite's youngest son: the immense fortunes of the Spensers were in like manner converted to his use. Thus his power became invidious, and his corrupt morals made him still more formidable. It was in this posture of affairs that Edward resolved to shake off an authority which was odious to the nation, and particularly restrictive upon him, But such was the power of the favourite, that it required as much precaution to overturn the usurper as to establish the throne. The queen and Mortimer had for some time chosen the castle of Nottingham for the place of their residence; it was strictly guarded; the gates were locked every evening, and the keys carried to the queen. It was, therefore, agreed between the king and some of his barons, who secretly entered into his designs, to seize upon them in this fortress; and for that purpose, sir William Eland, the governor, was induced to admit them by a subterraneous passage, which had been formerly contrived for an outlet, but was now hidden with rubbish, and known only to one or two. It was by this, that the noblemen in the king's interests entered the castle in the night; and Mortimer, without having it in his power to make any resistance, was seized in an apartment adjoining that of the queen. It was in vain that she endeavoured to protect him; in vain she entreated them to spare her "gentle Mortimer;" the barons, deaf to her entreaties, denied her that pity, which she had so often refused to others. Her paramour was condemned by the parliament, which was then sitting about a mile from London, where his body was left hanging for two days after. A similar sentence was passed against some of his adherents, particularly Gournay and Maltravers, the murderers of the late king; but these had time to elude punishment, by escaping to the continent. The queen, who was certainly the most culpable, was shielded by the dignity of her situation; she was only deprived of all share of power, and confined for life to the castle of Risings, with a pension of three thousand pounds a year. From this confinement she was never after set free: and though the king annually paid her a visit of decent ceremony, she found herself abandoned to universal contempt and detestation; and continued, for above twenty seven years after, a miserable monument of blasted ambition. Edward, being thus freed from the control of usurped authority, resolved to become popular, by an expedient which seldom failed to gain the affections of the English. He knew that a conquering monarch was the fittest to please a warlike people. The weakness of the Scottish government, which was at that time under a minority, gave him a favourable opportunity of renewing hostilities; and the turbulent spirit of the nobles of that country contributed still more to promote his aims. A new pretender also started up to that throne, namely, Edward Baliol, whose father John had been crowned king of Scotland; and Edward resolved to assist him in his pretensions. He, A. D. 1332.] therefore, gave him permission to levy forces in England, in addition to those which he had brought from the continent; and, with not above three thousand adventurers, thus fortuitously united, Baliol gained a considerable victory over his countrymen, in which twelve thousand of their men were slain. This victory, which was followed by some others, so intimi dated the Scots, that their armies dispersed, and the kingdom seemed as if subdued by a handful of men. Baliol, by one of those unexpected turns of fortune, common enough in barbarous times, was crowned king at Scone, and every nobleman, who was most exposed to danger, submitted to his authority. But he did not long enjoy his superiority: by another turn, equally sudden, he was attacked and defeated by sir Archibald Douglas, and obliged to take refuge in England, in a miserable condition. An attempt thus unsuccessfully made by Baliol, only served to inflame the ardour of Edward, who very joyfully accepted that offer of homage and superiority which it was Baliol's present interest to make. He therefore prepared, with all his force, to reinstate the deposed king of Scotland in a government which would ever after be subordinate to his own. He accordingly prevailed upon his parliament to give him a supply, which they reluctantly did; and, with a well-disciplined army, he laid siege to Berwick, which capitulated after a vigorous defence. It was in attempting to relieve this city, that a general engagement ensued between the Scots and the English. It was fought at Halidown-hill, to the north of Berwick. The fortune of Edward prevailed. Douglas, the Scottish general, was slain, and soon after the whole army put to the rout. This victory was in a great measure obtained by the expertness of the English archers, who now began to be famous over Europe for their peculiar skill. All the Scottish nobles of great distinction were either slain or taken prisoners; near thirty thousand of their men are represented as having fallen in the action, while the [July 19, 1333. loss of the English, it is said, only amounted to fifteen men; an inequality absolutely incredible. This important victory decided the fate of Scotland; Baliol, with very little trouble, made himself master of the country; and Edward returned in triumph to England, having previously secured many of the principal towns in Scotland, which were declared to be annexed to the English monarchy. These victories, however, were rather splendid than serviceable: the Scots seemed about this time to have conceived an insurmountable aversion to the English government; and no sooner were Edward's forces withdrawn, than they revolted against Baliol, and well nigh expelled him from the kingdom. Edward's appearance a second time served [A. D. 1335. to bring them to subjection; but they quickly renewed their animosities upon his retiring. It was in vain, therefore, that he employed all the arts of persuasion, and all the terrors of war, to induce them to submission: they persevered in their reluctance to obey; and they were daily kept in hopes, by promises of succour from France. This kingdom, which had for a long time discontinued its animosities against England, was now an object of Edward's jealousy and ambition. A new scene began to be opened in France, which operated for more than a century in subjecting that country to all the miseries of war, til! Europe at last began to doubt, whether it was annexed to England by right of armis, or of succession. France, at that period, was neither the extensive nor the powerful kingdom we see it at this day. Many great provinces have been added to it since that period, particularly Dauphiné, Provence, and Franche Comté; and the government was still more enfeebled by those neighbouring princes, who were pretended subjects to the king, but, in reality, formidable rivals of his power. At the time we are speaking of, that kingdom was particularly unfortunate; and the king shared in the general calamity. The three sons of Philip the Fair, in full parliament, accused their wives of adultery; and in consequence of this accusation, they were condemned and imprisoned for life. Lewis Hutin, the successor to the crown of France, caused his wife to be strangled, and her lovers to be flayed alive. After his death, as he left only a daughter, his next brother, Philip the Tall, assumed the crown, in prejudice of the daughter; and vindicated his title by the Salic law, which laid it down, that no female should succeed to the crown. This law, however, was not universally acknowledged, nor sufficiently confirmed by precedents, to procure an easy submission. They had hitherto inquired but slightly in France, whether a female could succeed to the kingdom; and as laws are only made to regulate what may happen, by what has happened already, there were no facts upon which to ground the opinions on either side of the question. There were, in reality, precedents to countenance both claims, and thus to keep mankind in suspense. The parliament in France had often adjudged the succession to women, as Artois was formerly given to a female, |