crown, as being unqualified for governing the kingdom. Upon this refignation, Hereford founded his principal claim; but willing to fortify his pretenfions with every appearance of justice, he called a parliament, which was readily brought to approve and confirm his claims. A frivolous charge of thirty-three articles was drawn up, and found valid against the king; upon which he was folemnly depofed, and the earl of Hereford elected in his ftead, by the title of Henry the IVth. Thus began the contest between the houfes of York and Lancaster; which, for feveral years after, deluged the kingdom with blood; and yet, in the end, contributed to fettle and confirm the conftitution.

When Richard was depofed, the earl of Northumberland made a motion in the houfe of peers, demanding the advice of parliament, with regard to the future treatment of the depofed king. To this they replied, that he should be imprifoned in fome fecure place, where his friends and partizans fhould not be able to find him. This was accordingly put in practice; but while he ftill continued alive, the ufurper could not remain in fafety. Indeed fome confpiracies and commotions, which followed foon after, induced Henry to wish for Richard's death: in confequence of which one of thofe affaffins that are found in every court, ready to commit the most horrid crimes for reward, went down to the place of this un fortunate monarch's confinement, in the caftle of Pomfret, and, with eight of his followers, rufhed into his apartment. The king, concluding their defign was to take away his life, refolved not to fall unrevenged, but to fell it as dearly as he could; wherefore, wrefting a pole. ax from one of the murderers, he foon laid four of their number dead at his feet. But he was at length overpow ered, and ftruck dead by the blow of a pole-ax; although fome affert, that he was ftarved in prifon. Thus died the unfortunate Richard, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the twenty-third of his reign. Though his conduct was blameable, yet the punishment he fuffered was greater than his offences; and in the end his fufferings made more converts to his family and cause, than ever his most me. ritorious actions could have procured them. He left no pofterity, either legitimate or otherwife. CHAP.

ufurper is but a bed of thorns. Such vio. A. D. lent animofities broke out among the barons in the 1399. first feffion of his parliament, that forty challenges were given and received, and forty gauntlets were thrown down as pledges of the fincerity of their refentment. But though the fe commotions were feemingly fuppreffed by his moderation for that time, yet one confpiracy broke out after another, and were detected in the formation, or actually punished in the field.

That formed against him by the earl of Northumberland was the moft formidable. It was in A. D. a fkirmish between the Scots and English, that Ar- 1402. chibald, earl of Douglas, with many of the Scots 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 prifoners, as he intended to detain them, in order to increase his demands in making peace with Scotland. This meffage was highly refented by the

earl

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, ftung with this fuppofed injury, he refolved to overturn a throne which he had the chief hand in establishing. A scheme was laid, in which the Scots 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 himfelf 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 Henry Percy, furnamed Hotfpur, who took the command of the troops, and marched them towards Shrewsbury, in order to join his forces with those 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 defigns, was at firft greatly furprised at the news of this rebellion. But fortune feemed to befriend him on this occafion; he had a small army in readinefs, which he intended against the Scots, and knowing the importance of difpatch against fuch active enemies, he inftantly hurried down to Shrewfbury, that he might give the rebels battle.

Upon the approach of the two armies, both fides feem. ed willing to give a colour to their caufe, by thewing a defire of reconciliation; but when they came to open their mutual demands, the treaty was turned into abufe 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 engage.

ment enfued, in which the generals on both fides exerted themselves with great bravery. Henry was feen every where in the thickest of the fight; while his valiant son, 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 so many bloody engagements, and every where fought out the king as a noble object of 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 Hotfpur's army.

While this furious tranfaction was going forward, Northumberland, who was lately recovered from his indifpo fition, was advancing with a body of troops to reinforce the army of male contents, 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 an army fuperior in number, and flushed 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 him. felf totally without refource, he chofe 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 favourite fon

By thefe means, Henry feemed to furmount all his trou ble: and the calm which was thus produced, was em ployed by him in endeavours to acquire popularity, which he had loft by the feverities exercised during the A. D. preceding part of his reign. For that reason, he often permitted the houfe of commons to affume 1407.

powers

powers which had not been usually exercised by 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 purpofes intended; and required them to deliver in their accounts to the houfe. They propofed thirty very important articles for the government of the king's houfhold; and, on the whole, preferved their privileges and freedom more enfire 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 set of wretches, who took pride in committing the most illegal acts with 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 ftation, 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 mifdemeanor, the prince was fo exafperated at the iffue of the trial, that he ftruck the judge in open court. The venerable magiftrate, who knew the reverence that was due to his ftation, behaved with a dignity that became his office, and immediately ordered the prince to be committed to prifon. When this tranf action 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 of fender; ftill more happy in having a fon willing to fubmit to fuch a chastisement!" This, in fact, is one of the first great inftances we read in the English history of a magiftrate doing juftice in oppofition to power; fince, upon many former occafions, we find the judges only minifters of royal caprice.

Henry, whofe health had for fome time ing, did not long out-live this tranfaction. ject to fits, which bereaved him, for the

been declinHe was fub. time, of his

fenfes;