XV. 1327. with impunity; but Mortimer's authority prevent- CHA P. ed the attack, and opposed itself to the valor of the young monarch. While the armies lay in this pofition, an incident happened which had well nigh proved fatal to the English. Douglas, having gotten the word, and furveyed exactly the fituation of the English camp, entered it fecretly in the night-time, with a body of two hundred determined foldiers, and advanced to the royal tent, with a view of killing or carrying off the king, in the midst of his army. But fome of Edward's attendants, awaking in that critical moment, made resistance; his chaplain and chamberlain facrificed their lives for his fafety; the king himself, after making a valorous defence, efcaped in the dark: And Douglas, having loft the greater part of his followers, was glad to make a hafty retreat with the remainder". Soon after, the Scottish army decamped without noife in the dead of night; and having thus gotten the start of the English, arrived without farther lofs in their own country. Edward, on entering the place of the Scottish encampment, found only fix Englishmen, whom the enemy, after breaking their legs, had tied to trees, in order to prevent their carrying any intelligence to their countrymen THE king was highly incenfed at the disappointment, which he had met with, in his first enterprife, and at the head of fo gallant an army. 'Hemingford, p. 268. Ypod. Neuft. p. 509. Knyghton, p. 2552. Froiffard, liv. iv. chap. 19. XV. CHAP. The fymptoms, which he had discovered of bravery and spirit, gave extreme fatisfaction, and were regarded as fure prognoftics of an illuftrious reign: But the general displeasure fell violently on Mortimer, who was already the object of public odium: And every measure, which he pursued, tended to aggravate, beyond all bounds, the hatred of the nation both against him and queen Isabella. 1328. WHEN the council of regency was formed, Mortimer, though in the plenitude of his power, had taken no care to enfure a place in it; but this femblance of moderation was only a cover to the most iniquitous and most ambitious projects. He rendered that council entirely useless by ufurping to himself the whole fovereign authority; he fettled on the queen-dowager the greater part of the royal revenues; he never confulted either the princes of the blood, or the nobility in any public measure; the king himself was fo belieged by his creatures, that no access could be procured to him; and all the envy, which had attended Gavafton and Spenfer, fell much more defervedly on the new favorite. MORTIMER, fenfible of the growing hatred of the people, thought it requifite, on any terms, to fecure peace abroad; and he entered into a negociation with Robert Bruce for that purpose. As the claim of fuperiority in England, more than any other cause, had tended to inflame the animofities between the two nations, Mortimer befides ftipulating a marriage between Jane, fifter 16 XV. 1328. of Edward, and David, the fon and heir of Ro- c HA P. bert, confented to refign abfolutely this claim, to give up all the homages done by the Scottish parliament and nobility, and to acknowledge Robert as independent fovereign of Scotland'. In return for thefe advantages, Robert ftipulated the payment of 30,000 marks to England. This treaty was ratified by parliament but was neverthelefs the fource of great difcontent among the people, who, having entered zealously into the pretenfions of Edward I. and deeming themfelves difgraced by the fuccefsful refiftance made by fo inferior a nation, were difappointed by this treaty, in all future hopes both of conqueft and of vengeance. THE princes of the blood, Kent, Norfolk, and Lancaster, were much united in their councils; and Mortimer entertained great fufpicions of their defigns against him. In fummoning them to parliament, he strictly prohibited them, in the king's name, from coming attended by an armed force, an illegal but usual practice in that age. The three earls, as they approached to Salisbury, the place appointed for the meeting of parliament, found that, though they themselves, in obedience to the king's command, had brought only their usual retinue with them, Mortimer and his party were attended by all their followers in arms; and they began with some reason to apprehend a dangerous Rymer, p. 337. Heming. p. 270. Anon. Hift. p. 392. XV. CHAP. defign against their perfons. They retreated, af fembled their retainers, and were returning with an army to take vengeance on Mortimer; when the weakness of Kent and Norfolk, who deferted the common cause, obliged Lancaster also to make his fubmiffions ". The quarrel, by the interpofition of the prelates, feemed for the prefent to be appealed. 1329. BUT Mortimer, in order to intimidate the princes, determined to have a victim; and the fim plicity, with the good intentions of the earl of Kent, afforded, him foon after an opportunity of practising upon him. By himself and his emiffaries, he endeavoured to perfuade that prince, that his brother, king Edward, was ftill alive, and detained in fome fecret prifon in England. The earl, whose remorfes for the part which he had acted against the late king, probably inclined him to give credit to this intelligence, entered into a design of restoring him to liberty, of re-instating him on the throne, and of making thereby fome atonement for the injuries which he himself had unwarily done him "2. After this harmless con trivance had been allowed to proceed a certain of the earl length, the earl was feized by Mortimer, was accused before the parliament, and condemned by thofe flavish, though turbulent barons, to lose his life and fortune. The queen and Mortimer apprehenfive of young Edward's lenity towards 1330. 9th March. of Kent. 12 Knyghton, p. 2554. XV. 1330. his uncle, hurried on the execution, and the pri- CHA P. foner was beheaded next day: But fo general was the affection borne him, and fuch pity prevailed for his unhappy fate, that, though peers had been easily found to condemn him, it was evening before his enemies could find an executioner to perform the office ". THE earl of Lancaster, on pretence of his hav ing affented to this confpiracy, was foon after thrown into prifon: Many of the prelates and nobility were profecuted: Mortimer employed this engine to crush all his enemies, and to enrich himself and his family by the forfeitures. The eftate of the earl of Kent was feized for his younger fon, Geoffrey: The immenfe fortunes of the Spenfers and their adherents were mostly converted to his own ufe: He affected a ftate and dignity equal or fuperior to the royal: His power became formidable to every one His illegal practices were daily complained of: And all parties, forgetting past animofities, conspired in their hatred of Mortimer. It was impoffible, that these abuses could long escape the observation of a prince, endowed with so much spirit and judgment as young Edward, who, being now in his eighteenth year, and feeling himself capable of governing, repined at being held in fetters by this infolent minister. But fo much was he furrounded by the emiffaries of 23 Heming. p. 271. Ypod. Neuft. p. 510. Knyghton, |