A. C. 1461, the purchafed at a dear rate, in ceding the town and caftle of Berwick to the Scottish monarch, who was at that time a minor, under the tuition of George Douglas earl of Angus, with whom Henry engaged in a particular convention. Edward, on his arrival at York, ordered the heads of his father and the earl of Salisbury to be taken down from the walls, and those of the earl of Devonshire and fome others, who were beheaded as traitors, to be fet up in their room.

Edward negotiates an alliance

lord of the

Ines,

The battle of Towton intirely decided the fate of the houfe of Lancafter. The North, which used to with John, fupply it with forces, was now exhausted, and the braveft warriors of those parts had perished in such a series of engagements. The queen had no refource left but the friendship of Scotland, from which the could expect but little affistance during the minority of James III. Edward was mafter of all England and Wales, except Harlegh and Merionethfhire, and fome caftles in Northumberland, which he did not think it neceffary to reduce. Perhaps he was afraid of their being delivered to the Scots, fhould they be hard preffed by his forces; or ima gined they would submit of their own accord, upon his title's being univerfally acknowledged in all other parts of the kingdom, and confirmed by the ceremony of his coronation, which he would no longer defer. He had proceeded as far as New caftle, where having made fome neceffary regulations for preferving the peace of the country, and left a body of troops fufficient to repel the incurfions that might be made from thofe caftles that did not yet acknowledge his fovereignty, he returned to his palace of Shene, in the neighbourhood of London. The twentieth day of June was fixed for his coronation; and, in the mean time, by the advice of the earl of Douglas, who had been long a refugee in England, he refolved to find fuch em

ployment

63

ployment for the Scots as would prevent them from A. c. x464. giving any confiderable affiftance to Henry and Margaret. For this purpose he entered into a negotiation with the earl of Rofs, lord of the Ifles, who had revolted from James, and promifed to waste the northern parts of Scotland with fire and fword: but, as the articles of this treaty, which was managed by the earl of Douglas, could not be executed immediately, Edward proposed a truce regency of Scotland, and commiffioners were appointed to treat on this fubject; but the conferences were rendered ineffectual by the intrigues of Margaret, who refided at Edinburgh, and by this time had ingratiated herself with Mary of Gueldres, the Scottish king's mother.

to the

minfter.

ment.

Mean while the new king of England was crown- Heis crowned at Westminster, and iffued out writs for calling a ed at Weftparliament to meet on the fixth day of July, from Proceedings which it was prorogued to the fourth day of Novem- in parlia ber. Immediately after the feffion was opened, the commons attended Edward with an addrefs, congratulating him on his acceffion to the throne, and requefting him to punish all persons guilty of fuch extortions, riots, rapes, murders, and other iniquities, as had been committed with impunity, during the preceding reign. Then an act was paffed, confirming the title of Edward. All those which had been made against the house of York were repealed. Henry VI. after a reign of eight and thirty years, was declared an ufurper, and all his tranfactions were annulled as illegal; and laftly, he himself, his queen, and all their adherents, were Rymer. attainted as traitors. During this feffion, Edward Rot. Parl. created his brother George duke of Clarence; his younger brother Richard was made duke of Gloucefter; the lord Falconbridge promoted to the earldom of Kent; Henry Bourchier the king's uncle, was honoured with the earldom of Effex; and John Nevil, brother to the earl of Warwick, was created

baron

A.C. 1461. baron of Montague. Thefe promotions were followed by feverities which ferve to evince that cruelty which was inherent in all, even the moft accomplished princes of the Norman line. Besides Henry himself, his wife Margaret, and their fon Edward, who were attainted, the fame act included the dukes of Somerset and Exeter, the earls of Northumberland, Wilts, and Pembroke, the viscount Beaumont, the lords Roos, Nevil, Willes, Clifford, Grey of Rugemont, Dacres, and Hungerford, Sir Richard Tonftall, and a great number of gentlemen, whofe eftates were confifcated. John earl of Oxford, a venerable old nobleman of unblemished character, was arrested on pretence of having engaged in a correfpondence with Margaret; and, without hav ing enjoyed the benefit of a trial, beheaded on Tower hill, together with his eldest fon Aubrey de Vere, Sir Thomas Todenham, Sir Walter Tirrel, and Sir John Montgomery; and Sir Baldwin Fulford fuffered afterwards in Briftol. The lands and effects of thofe victims he diftributed among his adherents, and conciliated the affection of the clergy by confirming their privileges, exempting them from being profecuted in civil courts for felonies and other offences; establishing the jurifdiction of ecclefiaftical courts with regard to tythes, and allowing them to iffue fpiritual cenfures against fuch as fhould invade their prerogatives.

Rymer.

Edward's convention

with John,

Ifles,

Edward having regulated his domeftic affairs, converted his attention to foreign occurrences. Englord of the land was actually at war with France, Scotland, Brittany, and the Low Countries, and if all thefe powers had joined against Edward at this juncture, his royalty would have been of fhort duration. Luckily for him, he had nothing to fear from Lewis XI. of France, whofe-mind was wholly engroffed by a project for rendering himself abfolute in his own dominions, and destroying the power

of

of the nobles, of whom the dukes of Burgundy and A. C, 1461. Bretagne were the principal. He therefore had no inclination to renew the war with England. The duke of Brittany was in no condition to cope with fuch a powerful kingdom. The duke of Burgundy, though a friend to the houfe of Lancaster, was fo well acquainted with the difpofition of Lewis, that he divined his scheme: and defired to live in peace with England, that he might be the more able to anticipate the French king's defigns. In thefe fentiments, he fent ambaffadors to congratulate Edward on his acceflion to the throne; and to complain of fome infractions of the truce fubfifting between England and the Low Countries. They met with a very favourable reception; and commiffioners were appointed to examine the particulars of the complaint, that all differences might be amicably compromifed. Scotland then was the only place from whence he could apprehend the leaft moleftation. Margaret had concluded a contract of marriage between her fon Edward, and the fifter of James, though both parties were infants; and leaving her husband at Edinburgh, made a voyage to France to crave the affistance of Lewis: but that prince was not of a character to engage in any enterprize from which he faw no profpect of advantage. He courteously received Margaret, who was his near relation, and even amused her with promife of fuccour; but all she could obtain was a prefent of twenty thoufand livres, and a declaration that all the adherents of the house of Lancaster should meet with a friendly reception in his dominions. Edward, in order to baffle her intrigues in Scotland, still employed Douglas in a negotiation with John lord of the Isles, who had lately fucceeded his father. The bishop of Durham, the earl of Worcefter, and fome others, were empowered to finish the treaty, which was concluded on the following conditions: That John earl of Rofs, lord of the Ines, Donald Ballach his brother,

No. 42.

F

1

A'

A. C. 1461. brother, and John the fon of Donald, fhould do homage to king Edward: That they should never acknowledge any other king of England but Edward, or his fucceffors, defcended from Lionel duke of Clarence That they fhould be ready to ferve him in all his wars against the Scots in Britain and Ireland: That, in time of peace, the earl of Rofs fhould enjoy a yearly penfion of one hundred pounds fterling, forty be allowed to Donald, and ten to John the fon of Donald; and that these pen-' fions fhould be doubled in time of war or actual fervice That in cafe Scotland fhould be conquered by the arms of Edward, he should inveft them with the property of all the ifles fituated to the northward of the Scottish fea: That James earl of Douglas fhould in like manner receive the investiture of all the lands he had formerly poffeffed in Scotland, from the north fea to the borders of England; and that Edward fhould make neither peace nor truce with Scotland, without comprehending them in the treaty.

Rymer.

Margaret

Edward had intimated his elevation to pope attempts to Pius II. who now thinking him fufficiently eftaland at Tin- blifhed on the throne, addreffed him in a brief, is repulfed. congratulating him upon his acceffion; but couched in fuch a manner as referved to himself the li

mouth, but

berty of unfaying his compliment, in cafe the king fhould experience a viciffitude of fortune; for his approbation was conditional, and founded upon the proofs which Edward himself advanced in behalf of his pretenfions. The lord Falconbridge, lately created earl of Kent, was now promoted to the poft of high admiral of England; and the kingdom enjoying profound tranquility, after the ftorm by which it had been agitated, the duke of Somerfet, and Ralph Piercy, brother to the earl of Northumberland, implored the mercy of the king, by whom they were generously pardoned.