ページの画像
PDF
ePub

the charge of guarding him month about. Whatever his treatment from lord Berkley might have been, the other two feemed refolved, that he fhould enjoy none of the comforts of life, while in their cuftody. They practifed every kind of indignity upon him, as if their defign had been to accelerate his death by the bitterness of his fufferings. Among other acts of brutal oppreffion, it is faid, that they shaved him for fport in the open fields, ufing water from a neighbouring ditch. The genius of the people muft have been greatly debafed, or they would never have permitted fuch indecencies to be practifed on a monarch, whose greatest fault was the violence of his friendships. He is faid to have borne his former indignities with patience, but all fortitude forfook him upon this occation; he looked upon his merciless infulters with an air of fallen majefty, and bursting into tears, exclaimed, that the time might come, when he would be more decently attended. This, however, was but a vain expectation. As his perfecutors faw that his death might not arrive, even under every cruelty, till a revolution had been made in his favour, they refolved to rid themselves of their fears, by deftroying him at once. Accordingly, his two keepers, Gournay and Montravers, cane to Berkeley caftle, where Edward was then confined; and having concerted ja method of putting him to death without any external figns of violence, they threw him on a bed, holding him down by a table, which they placed over him. They then ran an horn pipe up his body, through which they conveyed a red hot iron; and thus burnt his bowels, without disfiguring his body. By this cruel artifice, they expected to have their crime concealed; but his horrid thrieks, which were heard at a distance from

[ocr errors]

the

the caftle, foon gave a fufpicion of the murder; and the whole was foon after divulged, by the confeffion of one of the accomplices. Misfortunes like his, muft ever create pity; and a punishment fo difproportionate to the fufferer's guilt, must wipe away even many of thofe faults, of which Edward was juftly culpable. He left behind him four children; two fons, and two daughters: Edward was his eldest fon and fucceffor; John, died young; Jane was afterwards married to David Bruce, king of Scotland; and Eleanor was married to Reginald, count of Gueldres.

[ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

THE

HE parliament, by which young Edward was raised to the throne, during the life of his father, appointed twelve perfons as his privy-council, to direct the operations of government. Mortimer, the queen's paramour, who might naturally be fet down as one of the members, artfully excluded himself, under a pretended fhew of moderation; but at the fame time he fecretly influenced all the measures that came beneath their deliberation, He caufed the greatest part of the royal revenues to be fettled on the queen dowager, and he feldom took the trouble to confult the minifters of government in any public undertaking. The king himfelf was fo befieged by the favourite's creatures, that no accefs could be procured to him, and the whole fovereign authority was fhared between Mortimer and the queen, who took no care to conceal her criminal attachment.

A government fo conftituted, could not be of ng continuance, and the flighteft fhock was fufficient to overturn that power, which was founded neither in ftrength nor virtue. An irruption of the Scotch gave the firft blow to Mortimer's credit; and young Edward's own abilities contributed to its ruin. The Scotch, who had no connexion with either party, were refolved to take advantage of the feeble ftate of the nation; and, without regarding the truce that fubfifted between the two kingdoms, attempted to furprize the caftle of Norham. This commencement of hoftilities, they foon after feconded by a formidable invafion on

the

A. D.

1327.

the northern counties, with an army of twenty thousand men. Edward, even at this early age, difcovered that martial difpofition, for which he was afterwards fo famous. He refolved 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 moraffes, he was unable to perceive any figns of an enemy, except from the ravages they had made, and the fmoaking ruins of villages, which they had fet on fire. In this disappointment he had no other refource, but to offer a reward to any who should difcover the place where the Scots were pofted. This the enemy understanding, fent him word that they were ready to meet him, and give him battle. However, they had taken fo advantageous a fituation, on the oppofite banks of the river Ware, 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 fituation, that the first breach was discovered between the king and Mortimer, the queen's favourite. The young monarch, all ardour to engage, refolved that night, at all hazards, not to allow the ravagers to escape with impunity; but Mortimer oppofed his influence to the valour of the king, and prevented an engagement, which might be attended with the moft deftructive confequences to his authority, whether he won, or loft the day. Shortly after, the Scotch, 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 fleeping. 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 fide; and he thus had time given him to elcape in the dark. The Scotch being fruftrated in their defign upon the king, were contented to decamp for their own country, leaving their tents ftanding, without any person behind them, except fix English prisoners, whofe legs they had broken, to prevent their carrying intelligence to their countrymen. The efcape of the Scotch was as difagreeable a circumftance to the English army, as the valour of the young king was applauded and admired. The failure on one part was entirely afcribed to the queen's favourite; and fuccefs on the other, to the king's own intrepidity. The people began to wish for a removal of that authority, which food between them and the monarch; and fpared no pains to aggravate the faults of the governors, or to extol the rifing merit of their young fovereign.

Mortimer now faw himself exalted to a very precarious fituation, and was refolved, on any terms, to procure a peace with Scotland, in order to fix his power more firmly at home. A treaty was accordingly concluded between the two nations, in which the English renounced all title to fovereignty over the fter kingdom; and the Scotch, in return, agreed to pay thirty thousand marks as a compenfation. The next step that Mortimer thought neceffary for his fecurity, was to feize the Earl of Kent, brother to the late king, an harmlefs and well meaning perfon, who, under a perfuafion that his brother was ftill alive, and concealed in fome fecret prifon, entered into a defign of restoring him to liberty, and reinftating him in his former power. Him, therefore, Mortimer refolved to deftroy; and fummoning him before parliament, had him accufed, condemned, and executed, even before the young

king

« 前へ次へ »