at length escaping from his guards, refolved to ftrike for his country's freedom. Having murdered one of the king's fervants, he left himself no refource, but to confirm, by defperate valour, what he had begun in cruelty; and he foon expelled fuch of the English forces, as had fixed themselves in the kingdom. Soon after, he was folemnly crowned king, by the bishop of St. Andrews, in the abbey of Scone; and numbers flocked to his standard, refolved to confirm his pretenfions. Thus, after twice conquering the kingdom, and as often pardoning the delinquents; after having fpread his victories in every quarter of the country, and receiving the most humble fubmiffions, the old king faw that his whole work was to begin afresh; and that nothing but the final destruction of the inhabitants could give him affurance of tranquillity. But no difficulties could reprefs the arduous fpirit of this monarch, who, though now verging towards his decline, yet refolved to ftrike a parting blow, and to make the Scots once more tremble at his appearance. He vowed revenge against the whole nation; and averred, that nothing but reducing them to the completeft bondage could fatisfy his refentment. He fummoned his prelates, nobility, and all who held by knights fervice, to meet him at Carlile, which was appointed as the general rendezvous; and in the mean time he detached a body of forces before him to Scotland, under the command of Aymer de Valence, who began the threatened infliction by a complete victory over Bruce, near Methwen, in Perthshire. Immediately after this dreadful blow, the refentful king appeared in perfon, entering Scotland with his army divided into two parts, and expecting to find, in the oppofition of the people, a pretext for punishing them. But this brave prince, who was never cruel but from motives of policy, could not ftrike the poor fubmitting natives, who made no refiftance. His anger was difappointed in their humiliation; and he was afhamed to extirpate those who only oppofed patience to his indignation. His death put an end to the apprehenfion of the Scots, and effectually refcued their country from total fubjection. He fickened and died at Carlisle, of a dyfentry; enjoining his fon, with his last breath, to prosecute the enterprise, and

never

never to defift, till he had finally fubdued the kingdom. He expired July 7, 1307, in the fixty-ninth year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign: after having added more to the folid interefts of the kingdom, than any of thofe who went before, or fucceeded him.

Ewhen he

DWARD was in the twenty-third year of his age when he fucceeded his father; of an agreeable figure, of a mild, harmlefs difpofition, and apparently addicted to few vices. But he foon gave fymptoms of his unfitnefs to fucceed fo great a monarch as his father; he was rather fond of the enjoyment of his power than of fecu ring it; and, lulled by the flattery of his courtiers, he thought he had done enough for glory, when he had ac cepted the crown. Inftead therefore of profecuting the war againft Scotland, according to the injunctions he had received from his dying father, he took no steps to check the progrefs of Bruce; his march into that country being rather a proceffion of pageantry than a warlike expedition.

E

Weak

Weak monarchs are ever governed by favourites, and. the first Edward placed his affections upon was Piers Gavestone, the fon of a Gafcon knight, who had been employed in the fervice of the late king. This young man was adorned with every accomplishment of perfon and mind, that were capable of creating affection; but he was utterly deftitute of thofe qualities of heart and understanding that ferve to procure efteem. He was beautiful, witty, brave, and active; but then he was vicious, effeminate, debauched and trifling. Thefe were qualities entirely adapted to the tafte of the young monarch, and he feemed to think no rewards equal to his deferts. Gavestone, on the other hand, intoxicated with his power, became haughty and overbearing, and treated the English nobility, from which it is probable he received marks of contempt, with fcorn and derifion. A confpiracy, therefore, was foon formed against him, at the head of which queen Ifabel, and the earl of Lancafser, a nobleman of great power, were affociated.

It was eafy to perceive, that a combination of the nobles, while the queen fecretly affifted their defigns, would be too powerful against the efforts of a weak king, and a vain favourite. The king, timid and wavering, banished him at their folicitation, and recalled him foon after. This was fufficient to fpread an alarm over A. D. the whole kingdom; all the great barons flew to 1312. arms, and the earl of Lancafter put himself at the

head of this irrefiftible confederacy. The unhappy Edward, instead of attempting to make refiftance, fought only for fafety ever happy in the company of his favourite, he embarked at Tinmouth, and failed with him to Scarborough, where he left Gaveftone as in a place of fafety; and then went back to York himself, either to raife an army to oppofe his enemies; or, by his prefence, to allay their animofity. In the mean time Gavestone was befieged in Scarborough by the earl of Pembroke ; and had the garrifon been fufficiently fupplied with pro. vifions, the place would have been impregnable. But Gaveftone, fenfible of the bad condition of the garrifon, took the earlieft opportunity to offer terms of capitulation. He ftipulated, that he should remain in Pembroke's

hands

hands as a prifoner for two months; and that endeavours fhould be used, in the mean time, for a general accommodation. But Pembroke had no intention that he should escape foeafily; he ordered him to be conducted to the caftle of Deddington, near Banbury, where, on pretence of other bufinefs, he left him with a feeble guard, which the earl of Warwick having notice of, he attacked the castle in which the unfortunate. Gavestone was confined, and quickly made himfelf mafter of his perfon. The earls of Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel, were foon apprised of Warwick's fuccefs, and informed that their common enemy was now in cuftody in Warwick castle. Thither, therefore, they hafted with the utmoft expedition, to hold a confultation upon the fate of their prifoner. This was of no long continuance; they unanimously refolved to put him to death, as an enemy to the kingdom, and gave him no time to prepare for his execution. They inftantly had him conveyed to a place called Blacklow-hill, where a Welth executioner, provided for that purpose, fevered his head from the body.

To add to Edward's misfortunes, he foon after fuffered a moft fignal defeat from the Scots army under Bruce, near Bannockburn, and this drove him once more to feek for relief in fome favourite's company. The name of his new favourite was Hugh De Spenfer, a young man of a noble English family, of fome merit, and very engaging accomplishments. His father was a perfon of a much more effimable character than the fon; he was venerable for his years, and refpected through life for his wisdom, his valour, and his integrity. But these excellent qualities were all diminished and vilified, from the moment he and his fon began to fhare the king's favour, who even difpoffeffed fome lords unjustly of their eftates, in order to accumulate them upon his favourite. This was a pretext the king's enemies had been long feeking for; the earls of Lancafter and Hereford flew to arms; fentence was procured from parliament of perpetual exile against the two Spenfers, and a forfeiture of their fortune and eftates. The king, however, at laft roufing from his lethargy, took the field in the defence of his beloved Spenfer, and at the head of thirty thousand

E 2

men

men preffed the earl of Lancaster fo ciofely, that he had not time to collect his forces together; and flying from one place to another, he was at laft ftopt in his way towards Scotland by Sir Andrew Harcla, and made prifoner. As he had formerly fhewn little mercy to Gavestone, there was very little extended to him upon this occafion. He was condemned by a court-martial; and led, moun ted on a lean horse, to an eminence near Pomfret, in cir-' cumftances of the greatest indignity, where he was beheaded by a Londoner.

A rebellion, thus crushed, ferved only to increase the pride and rapacity of young Spenfer: moft of the forfeitures were feized for his ufe; and in his promptitude to punish the delinquents, he was found guilty of many acts of rapine and injuftice.

But he was now to oppofe a more formidable enemy in queen_Isabella, a cruel, haughty woman, who fled over to France, and refufed to appear in England till Spenfer was removed from the royal prefence, and ba nifhed the kingdom. By this reply the gained two very confiderable advantages; fhe became popular in England, where Spenfer was univerfally difliked; and the had the pleasure of enjoying the company of a young nobleman, whose name was Mortimer, upon whom she had lately placed her affections, and whom the indulged with all the familiarities that her criminal paffion could confer. The queen's court now, therefore, became a fanctuary for all the malecontents who were banished their own country, or who chose to come over. Accordingly, foon after, accompanied by three thoufand men at arms, she set out from Dort harbour, and landed fafely, without oppofition, on the coaft of Suffolk. She no fooner appeared than there feemed a general revolt in her favour; and the unfortunate king found the fpirit of difloyalty was not confined to the capital alone, but diffufed over the whole kingdom. He had placed fome dependence upon the gar rison which was ftationed in the castle of Bristol, under the command of the elder Spenfer; but they mutinied against their governor, and that unfortunate favourite was delivered up and condemned by the tumultuous barons to the most ignominious death. He was hanged on a gib

bet