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A. C. 1460, was thought neceffary by the council. But Warwick furprised this armament, pillaged the town of Sandwich, took Montfort, and carried the fhips to Calais. It was during this fhort expedition, that he became acquainted with the ftate of affairs in England; the knowledge of which, together with the invitation of the Kentifh men, determined him and his affociates to land without delay. Nothing was wanting but a fum of money to purchase neceffaries; and the earl of Warwick borrowed on his own credit eighteen thousand pounds from the merchants of the ftaple. Thus fupplied, he began to make preparations, and in the mean time fent over his uncle, the lord Falconbridge, to Kent; where he was joined by a great number of people belonging to that and the adjacent counties. He was foon followed by Warwick himself, with the earls of March and Salisbury, who landed at Sandwich, where they were met by Thomas Bourchier, archbishop of Canterbury, the lord Cobham, and other perfons of diftinction. Before they set fail from Calais, they had dispersed a manifefto in England, affuring the nation, that their fole motive for taking arms, was to deliver the people from the oppreffion under which they groaned, and to fecure their liberties and privileges; towards the re-eftablishment of which they follicited the affiftance of all true-hearted Englishmen. They had informed the duke of York of their intended operations, and the day on which they fet fail for England. They brought over about fifteen hundred men, who being reinforced by four thousand, under the lord Cobham, they began their march towards London 5 and fuch numbers joined them in their route, that they entered the city in triumph with an army of forty thousand men devoted to their fervice.

Rymer. Stowe.

Mean while the queen was not idle at Coventry : she had endeavoured to prevent their being received

The queen is defeated

in London, by fending thither the lord Scales with A. C. 1460. a ftrong body of forces; but he was refused admittance by the mayor even before the arrival of the at Normalcontents, and threw himself into the Tower, thampton. from whence he threatened to cannonade the city, fhould the magiftrates admit the rebels: to these menaces however, they paid no regard. Margaret ftill continued to affemble her forces, until her army being completed, fhe bestowed the joint command of it upon the dukes of Somerset and Buckingham, though the herself was in effect the general, and iffued out all the orders in the name of Henry, who was there in perfon. As foon as the young earl of March understood that she was advancing towards London, he left the earl of Salisbury with good part of his troops in that capital, and marched out with the earl of Warwick, at the head of five and twenty thousand men, to attack her before her army fhould be increased. The two parties met in the neighbourhood of Northampton; after the queen had paffed a river by which they were divided. Before they proceeded to battle, the affociated lords fent the bishop of Salisbury to the king, with a meffage, intreating his majefty would fulpend his indignation, and join with them in fome falutary measures to prevent the effufion of English blood. This addrefs was looked upon as a mere ceremony to fave appearances; and being rejected as fuch, both fides prepared for an engagement. On the nineteenth day of July the malcontents drew up their army in order of battle: the earl of Warwick commanded the right wing; the lord Cobham conducted the left; and the earl of March took his ftation in the center. The royal army was commanded by the dukes of Somerset and Buckingham; the queen remained at a little distance, from whence fhe could obferve the particulars of the action, and give her directions according to the emergency

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A. C. 1460. gency of the occafion; and Henry stayed in his tent, waiting the event of a battle on which the fate of his crown depended. The Yorkifts, having publifhed orders through their army to respect the king's perfon, and spare the common foldiers, but to give no quarter to the officers, proceeded to the attack about two o'clock in the afternoon; and the action beginning with equal fury on both fides, continued till feven in the evening; when the lord Grey of Ruthwin, who commanded a confiderable part of Henry's army, fuddenly revolted to the rebels. This unexpected defection threw the reft of the king's forces into fuch confternation, that they forthwith began to give ground, and were routed with great flaughter. The duke of Buckingham, the earl of Shrewf bury, fon to the famous Talbot, the lord Beaumont, and many other perfons of diftinction, were killed upon the spot. The queen, the prince of Wales, and the duke of Somerfet, fled with fuch precipitation, that they did not halt until they had reached Durham. Henry fell into the hands of the victors, who treated him with all the exterior refpect due to their sovereign; and this deference, in fome meafure, confoled him for the mifchance of the day, which would have rendered him a very great object of compaffion, had not his natural indolence and want of fenfibility fortified him against all the viciffitudes of fortune. He was immediately conducted to Northampton, with all the marks of honour and regard; and, after a short stay in that place, repaired to London, furrounded by a croud of noblemen and others, who had fo lately appeared against him in the field of battle. Mean time the queen, who did not think herself safe at Durham, retired privately to Wales, in order to elude the fearch of her ene mies; but the foon quitted that retreat, and with her fon took refuge in Scotland. Immediately after the king's arrival in London, the Tower furrendered

Rymer.
Stowe,

for

for want of provifions; and the lord Scales, who A. C. 1469.
acted as governor, attempting to go by water in
difguife to the fanctuary at Westminster, was dif-
covered and affaffinated by the watermen.

A com

miffion was granted to the earl of Salisbury, impowering him to march with an army to the relief of Roxburgh caftle, befieged by James II. of Scotland, who infringed the truce that he might take advantage of the inteftine troubles of England. The garrifon was already reduced to extremity, when that prince happened to lose his life by a cannon's bursting in the explosion; nevertheless, the queen continued the fiege, and the place was obliged to capitulate. The earl of Warwick was confirmed in the government of Calais and Guifnes, by virtue of a new commiflion; and the duke of York and his adherents were declared good and faithful fubjects. At this period died Charles VII. king of France, who is faid to have starved himself to death

from apprehenfion of being poifoned by the dauphin, Coucy.

who fucceeded him under the name of Lewis XI. Mezerai.

the crown in

The parliament meeting at Westminster on the The duke of feventh day of October, according to the writs York claims which had been iffued before the battle of Nor- parliament. thampton, the king affifted in perfon; and, the first bufinefs on which they proceeded was a repeal of the transactions in the last parliament held at Coventry, on pretence of its having been unduly fummoned, and conftituted of unqualified perfons, who aimed at the deftruction of the realm. The duke of York having been apprised of his son's success, returned immediately from Ireland; and, arriving at London on the third day of the feffion, went directly to the house of lords, who were then fitting. He ftood for fome time under the canopy, with his hand upon the throne, waiting until he should be defired to afcend: but, the whole affembly maintained a profound filence; and, the archbishop of

Canterbury

"

A. C. 1460. Canterbury advancing to him, afked, if he had waited upon the king fince his arrival? He could not help blushing at this queftion; and, after fome paufe, replied, that he did not know any perfon to whom he owed that refpect. So faying, he retired to his own houfe; and next day fent a writing to the parliament, containing the reasons upon which his pretenfions to the crown were founded. He pretended to mount the throne as heir to the house of March; defired, that he might be heard by his counfel; and, that the parliament would do him juftice. It was not without fome difficulty that the lords allowed his claim to be read in the house; but, they resolved to proceed no farther, without communicating the affair to his majefty. When Henry was informed of their refolution, he defired, that the claim might be confidered by his judges, ferjeants, and attorney. Thefe being fummoned, declined giving their opinions in a matter fo far above their cognizance. Then the lords, after another debate, ordered the ferjeants and attorney to come and defend the king's title: it was likewise refolved, that there fhould be an intire freedom of debate; and that no lord should be called in queftion for what he fhould fay in fupport of his own opinion.

Reafons uiged for

York's title.

We have already mentioned the pedigree of and against Richard duke of York, as defcended from Lionel the duke of duke of Clarence, elder brother of John of Gaunt, the founder of the houfe of Lancafter; and, we fhall now take notice of the objections that were made to Richard's claim. Henry's friends obferved, that when his grandfather Henry IV. took poffeffion of the throne, no perfon pretended to dispute his title. The Yorkists replied, that as Edmund earl of March, who was then alive, could not asfert his title without running the rifque of his life, his filence could not be interpreted into acquiefcence

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