A. C. 1461. was taken, and with nine other officers beheaded at Stowe. Warwick is St. Alban's. These Mean while the queen, with her fon, attended by worfted by the dukes of Somerfet and Exeter, the earls of Northe queen,on Barnard's- thumberland, Devonshire, and Shrewsbury, the lords Heath near Fitzhugh, Grey of Codemore, Roos, Grey stock, Willes, and Willoughby, continued her march towards London, in full hope, that whenever her victorious army fhould appear, the citizens would expel the earl of Warwick, and receive her in triumph. Warwick himself feemed to dread fome fuch event; for, rather than keep himself fecure within the walls of London, he marched out with an handful to hazard an engagement: a step which he certainly would not have taken, had he been fecure in the affection of the citizens. Margaret had advanced as far as St. Alban's, when the received intelligence, that Warwick was on his march towards that place, with the king in his army, which was reinforced by a body of Londoners. had joined him, in order to prevent the mischiefs they apprehended from the queen's troops, who were northern free-booters, accustomed to rapine, and had ravaged the whole country in their paffage. On Shrove Tuesday the oppofite armies came in fight of each other, and engaged on Barnard's-Heath near St. Alban's; where for fome time the fortune of Warwick feemed to prevail, until the lord Lovelace, who commanded one of his wings, wheeled off, leaving the main body exposed: and then victory declared for Margaret. The earl on this occafion loft two thousand men, who were killed either in the action or in the pursuit; though he rallied his broken troops, and made an excellent retreat. The lord Bonvil, and Sir Thomas Kyreil, to whose care he had committed the perfon of Henry, were perfuaded to stay with that prince, on his affurance, that they fhould receive no injury; but, he had not not interest enough to fave their lives: Margaret A. C. 1461. ordered them to be beheaded at St. Alban's on Afh-Wednesday. The chief advantage which Margaret reaped from the victory, was the release of her husband, whofe name ferved to authorise her tranfactions: but, fhe feems to have been very much wanting to her own intereft, in neglecting to march directly to the capital, while the news of her victory operated fo ftrongly on the minds of the inhabitants, that they would have opened their gates at her approach. The citizens, indeed, were afraid of being plundered by her forces, who had already pillaged the town of St. Alban's: but, they were ftill more afraid of incurring the refentment of a victorious army, which they did not think themfelves in a condition to oppofe. The ravages of her troops having occafioned a scarcity of provifion in her camp, fhe demanded a fupply from the mayor of London, who did not think proper to refuse her in fuch a conjuncture. He ordered several waggons to be loaded with all forts of lenten provifion; but, they were stopped at Newgate by the populace, who were incenfed at the licentious behaviour of her troops; and declared, that no neceffaries fhould be furnished by the city, for the ufe of an army that did not come to defend, but to pillage their effects. The queen fent a body of forces, commanded by Sir Baldwin Fulford, and Sir Alexander Hody, to make an effort towards gaining admittance to the city, and they attempted to force Cripplegate; but were repulfed. Margaret denounced vengeance against the Londoners for this infult; though fhe never had an opportunity to execute the scheme of her refentment; for receiving intelligence that the earls of March and Warwick had joined their forces at Chiping-Norton in Oxfordshire, and begun their progrefs for London, fhe retired to the North, where the hoped to increase her army to fuch a formidable E 4 A. C. 1461. midable number, as would infure fuccefs against all oppofition. Grafton. of March king of A Edward earl The earl of March arriving at London in the proclaimed beginning of March, entered the city in triumph, amidst the acclamations of the people, by whom he was adored, for his affability and perfonal accomplishments, in which he excelled all the princes of his age. His friends, trufting to this popularity, refolved to fave him the trouble and uncertainty of a parliamentary decifion, and raise him at once to the throne by the confent of the people, and the grandees. With this view, the earl of Warwick drew up his army in order of battle, in the fields near Clerkenwell, on pretence of exercising the foldiers an immenfe multitude of people being af fembled to indulge their curiofity, the earl rode into the midst of this concourse, and read aloud the convention made between Henry and the duke of York, and confirmed by act of parliament. Then he gave them to understand, that as the king had notoriously violated this agreement, he had indifputably forfeited his right to the crown, which now belonged to Edward Plantagenet, the fole and true heir of the house of Mortimer. He thus prepared the people for his purpose, by an affertion which was abfolutely false; inafmuch as Henry had been his own prifoner from the time of the agreement till the battle of Barnet, after which he was compelled to act according to the views of Margaret. Then he raised his voice, and asked, if they would have Henry of Lancaster for their king? The whole multitude anfwered, No, No: but when he demanded, if they would acknowledge Edward for their fovereign? they replied in the affirmative with loud acclamations. The confent of the people being thus obtained, the Yorkifts convoked a great council of all the lords fpiritual and temporal, magiftrates, and gentlemen, who happened to be in 2 London; London; and Edward having explained his right A. C. 1461, to the crown, both by birth, and the agreement between Henry and his father, defired it might be adjudged to him by the determination of this affembly. He must have had more courage than difcretion, who would have attempted to impugn his pretenfions at fuch a juncture; therefore, the council unanimously declared, that Henry of Lancaster had forfeited all right to the crown, in violating the folemn agreement made with the late duke of York, which was confirmed by parliament; and that it now devolved to the duke's eldest fon, Edward Plantagenet earl of March. After this declaration, the crown was offered to the earl, who received it with a modeft acknowledgment of his own infufficiency; adding, that though his youth and inexperience rendered him fearful of loading himself with fuch a heavy burthen, he would do his utmost endeavours, with God's affiftance, to make his people rich and happy. Next day he repaired to St. Paul's church, where he fat in the royal chair, with the fceptre of St. Edward in his hand. The archbishop of Canterbury demanding aloud, if the people would own Edward, earl of March, as their king, they replied as before, with acclamations of joy; and then the king received the homage of the nobility. This ceremony being concluded with a folemn Te Deum, Edward was conducted to the bishop's palace, in which the kings used to refide; and on the fifth day of March, he was proclaimed by the name of Edward IV. in the city of London, and the neighbourhood. EDWARD A.C. 1461. Edward begins his [58] EDWARD IV. TH HE first act of fovereignty that distinguished the to the reign of Edward, is faid to have been the march for execution of one Walker, a citizen and grocer, the North. who jocofely faid to his neighbours that he would make his fon heir to the crown, meaning the fign of the crown that hung over his door: this innocent jeft was conftrued into high treason, and the unhappy man suffered death; though, in all probability, his chief crime was his adherence to the . houfe of Lancaster, which Edward refolved to punish with the utmost rigour. He had not enjoyed his new dignity above eight days, when he found himself obliged to begin his march againft Margaret, who had fucceeded fo well in recruiting her army among her northern friends, that by this time the found herself at the head of fixty thousand men, ready to facrifice their lives for her fervice. Edward did not fo much depend upon his election, which had been extremely irregular and defective, as upon the strength of his faction, and the fuccefs of his arms. Replete with all the fire of youth, courage, and ambition, he confided in his valour and fortune, against all odds of oppofition; and, putting himself at the head of his forces, fet out for the North, in hope of striking a decifive stroke againít the queen and her adherents. Detaches the lord Fitz walter to of Ferry On his arrival at Pontefract, he detached the lord Fitzwalter to feize the pass of Ferrybridge, on feize the pafs the river Aire; and this fervice he performed without oppofition. Henry and his queen hearing of where he is Edward's approach, bestowed the command of Kurprifed their army on the duke of Somerset, while they and Rain. themselves remained at York, waiting the iffue of bridge. an |