XIII. 1272.

CHAP. had been attended with diforders; and the council, reflecting on the recent civil wars, and on the animofities which naturally remain after these great convulfions, had reafon to apprehend dangerous confequences from the abfence of the fon and fucceffor of Henry. They therefore haftened to proclaim prince Edward, to fwear allegiance to him, and to fummon the ftates of the kingdom, in order to provide for the public peace in this important conjuncture . Walter Giffard, archbishop of York, the earl of Cornwal, son of Richard, king of the Romans, and the earl of Glocefter, were appointed guardians of the realm, and proceeded peaceably to the exercise of their authority, without either meeting with oppofition from any of the people, or being disturbed with emulation and faction among themselves. The high character acquired by Edward during the late commotions, his military genius, his fuccefs in fubduing the rebels, his moderation in fettling the kingdom, had procured him great esteem, mixed with affection, among all orders of men; and no one could reasonably entertain hopes of making any advantage of his abfence, or of raifing disturbance in the nation. The earl of Glocefter himself, whofe great power and turbulent fpirit had excited most jealousy, was forward to give proofs of his allegiance; and the other malecontents, being deftitute of a leader, were obliged to remain in fubmiffion to the government.

I

Rymer, vol, ii. p. 1. Walfing. p. 43. Trivet, p. 239.

PRINCE Edward had reached Sicily in his re- CHA P. turn from the Holy Land, when he received in- XIII. telligence of the death of his father; and he dif covered a deep concern on the occafion. At the fame time he learned the death of an infant fon, John, whom his princefs, Eleanor of Caftile, had born him at Acre in Palestine, and as he appeared much lefs affected with that misfortune, the king of Sicily expreffed a furprise at this difference of fentiment: But was told by Edward, that the death of a fon was a lofs which he might hope to repair; the death of a father was a lofs irreparable 2.

EDWARD proceeded homeward; but as he foon learned the quiet fettlement of the kingdom, he was in no hurry to take poffeffion of the throne, but spent near a year in France, before he made his appearance in England. In his paffage by Chalons in Burgundy, he was challenged by the prince of the country to a tournament which he was preparing; and as Edward excelled in those martial and dangerous exercifes, the true image of war, he declined not the opportunity of acquiring honor in that great affembly of the neighbouring nobles. But the image of war was here unfortunately turned into the thing itself. Edward and his retinue were fo fuccefsful in the joufts, that the French knights, provoked at their fuperiority, made a ferious attack upon them, which was repulfed, and much blood was idly fhed in

Walfing. p. 44. Trivet, p. 240.

1273.

CHAP. the quarrel'. This rencounter received the name of the petty battle of Chalons.

XIIL 1274.

EDWARD went from Chalons to Paris, and did homage to Philip for the dominions which he held in France. He thence returned to Guienne, and fettled that province, which was in fome confufion. He made his journey to London through France; in his paffage he accommodated at Montreuil a difference with Margaret, countefs of Flanders, heiress of that territory '; he was received with joyful acclamations by his people, and was folemnly crowned at Westminster by Robert, Civil admi- archbishop of Canterbury.

19th Aug.

nistration of the king.

THE king immediately applied himself to the re-establishment of his kingdom, and to the correcting of those disorders, which the civil commotions and the loofe adminiftration of his father had introduced into every part of government. The plan of his policy was equally generous and prudent. He confidered the great barons both as the immediate rivals of the crown, and oppreffors of the people; and he purposed, by an exact diftribution of justice, and a rigid execution of the laws, to give at once protection to the inferior orders of the ftate, and to diminish the arbitrary power of the great, on which their dangerous authority was chiefly founded. Making it a rule in his own conduct to obferve, except on extraordinary occafrons, the privileges

3

4

Walling. p. 44. Trivet, p. 12. 41. M. Weft, p. 402.
3
Walling. p. 45.
Rymer, vol. ii. p. 32, 33.

XIII.

1275.

fecured to them by the Great Charter, he ac- CHA P.
quired a right to infift upon their obfervance of
the fame charter towards their vaffals and infe-
riors; and he made the crown be regarded by
all the gentry and commonalty of the kingdom,
as the fountain of justice, and the general asylum
against oppreffion. Befides enacting feveral ufe-
ful ftatutes, in a parliament which he fummon-
ed at Westminster, he took care to infpect the 16th Feb.
conduct of all his magiftrates and judges, to dif
place fuch as were either negligent or corrupt,
to provide them with fufficient force for the ex-
ecution of juftice, to extirpate all bands and
confederacies of robbers, and to reprefs thofe
more filent robberies, which were committed
either by the power of the nobles, or under the
countenance of public authority. By this rigid
adminiftration, the face of the kingdom was foon
changed; and order and justice took place of
violence and oppreffion: But amidst the excellent
inftitutions and public-fpirited plans of Edward,
there ftill appears fomewhat both of the feverity
of his perfonal character and of the prejudices of
the times.

As the various kinds of malefactors, the murderers, robbers, incendiaries, ravifhers, and plunderers, had become fo numerous and powerful, that the ordinary ministers of justice, espe. cially in the western counties, were afraid to execute the laws against them, the king found it neceffary to provide an extraordinary remedy for the evil; and he erected a new tribunal,

1

1275.

CHAP. which, however ufeful, would have been deemed, XIII. in times of more regular liberty, a great ftretch of illegal and arbitrary power. It confifted of commiffioners, who were empowered to enquire into diforders and crimes of all kinds, and to inflict the proper punishments upon thein. The officers, charged with this unufual commiffion, made their circuits throughout the counties of England moft infefted with this evil, and carried terror into all thofe parts of the kingdom. In their zeal to punish crimes, they did not fufficiently diftinguish between the innocent and guilty; the smallest suspicion became a ground of accufation and trial; the flightest evidence was received against criminals; prifons were crowded with malefactors, real or pretended; fevere fines were levied for fmall offences; and the king, though his exhaufted exchequer was fupplied by this expedient, found it neceffary to ftop the course of so great rigor, and after terrifying and diffipating by this tribunal the gangs of diforderly people in England, he prudently annulled the commiffion; and never afterwards renewed it.

AMONG the various diforders, to which the kingdom was fubject, no one was more univerf ally complained of than the adulteration of the coin; and as this crime required more art than

6

Spelman's Gloff. in verbo Trailbafton. But Spelman was either mistaken in placing this commiffion in the fifth year of the king, or it was renewed in 1305. See Rymer, vol, ii. p. 960. Trivet, p. 338. M. Weft. p. 450.