avoid remarking, that fuch breaches of folemn compacts, though only verbal ones, are ever attended with fatal conf:quences. Thus Edward, by indulging the friendly effufions of his heart to an unwarrantable extreme, on a rapacious favourite, in despite of his father's dying injunctions and his own repeated afíeverations, roufed the dormant fpirit of the haughty and restless •Barons, and involved himself in contests which rendered his whole reign unquiet, and at length brought him to a tragical end.

This partiality to Gavaston served only to excite the jealousy of the Barons, and after many contests ended in his deftruction. But no fooner was he made prifoner, and, according to the favage manners of the age, immediately executed, than the King, accuftomed to controul, looked around him for a proper person to fupply his place. Hugh Le Defpencer, a young Englishman of a noble family, who likewife poffeffed all thofe external accomplishments of perfon and

addrefs

address fitted to engage the weak mind of Edward, attracted his notice, and was received into the fame degree of confidence and favour. A fimilar train of incidents to those which had attended the attachment of Edward to Gavafton now took place; and by the fame unavoidable progreffion led, after fome years, to as fatal a conclufion. The King was addicted to no vice, but having a diftafte to all ferious bufinefs, and, confcious of his inability to hold the reins of government, he gave this minion alfo unlimited power, and fet no bounds to his favours. Le Despencer, equaily haughty and rapacious with his predeceffor, drew on himself the animofity of the Barons: they confequently had recourse to arms, and procured by force from Edward a sentence of perpetual exile against

him. But a reverse of fortune enabled the King to recall his favourite, and fix him in the fame plenitude of power, till the following incident brought about the ruin of both.

A difpute arifing between Edward and Charles the Fair, king of France, concerning

ing fome affairs relating to the province of Guienne, his queen Isabella was fent over to endeavour to fettle it with her brother. While fhe was making fome progress in the negociation, Charles, increafing his demands, ftarted a new propofition; he infifted, that king Edward fhould appear at his court, to do homage for the territories he held under him. No method appeared to evade this demand, yet many difficulties occurred to prevent a compliance with it. Le Despencer, by whom the King was implicitly governed, had been engaged in many quarrels with the Queen, who afpired to the fame authority, and on that account continually oppofed all his measures. Though this artful Princess on her leaving England had taken care to diffemble her animofity, yet Le Defpencer, perfectly acquainted with her sentiments, was unwilling to attend the King to Paris, as he was apprehensive of being exposed to infults in a kingdom, where it was natural to conclude Ifabella would meet with credit and fupport. Nor was he lefs alarmed by

his

his apprehenfions from allowing the King to make the journey alone; as that eafy Prince might poffibly during his abfence fall under fome other influence. The fame objection appeared to his remaining in England where he was fo generally hated, without the protection of the royal authority: these perplexities bred difficulties and delays, which would have obftructed the negociation, had not Isabella proposed that her husband should refign his dominions in France to his fon, now thirteen years of age; and that the Prince fhould come to Paris, to do the homage which every vaffal owed to his fuperior lord. This expedient, fo confonant to Le Defpencer's wishes, but propofed by the Queen from views equally deftructive to the favourite, was immediately complied with ; and young Edward fent to Paris.

Queen Ifabella, on her arrival in France, had found there a great number of English fugitives, adherents to the late Earl of Lan

cafter,

cafter, who had been defeated and flain in one of those battles between Edward and his Barons, occafioned by the King's partiality to his favourites. Their mutual antipathy to Le Defpencer on this account foon gave rife to a fecret friendship and correfpondence between them and that Princefs. The nobleman most particularly distinguished by Ifabella was young Roger Mortimer, a potent Baron in the Welsh Marches, who had efcaped from the Tower, after being imprifoned by Edward; and who had brought to

* This Earl of Lancaster was one of the most powerful noblemen that England ever gave birth to: he constantly employed this power in reducing the prerogatives of the crown, which were at that time greatly overgrown, and in fecuring the liberties and privileges of the people. But, after many contests, being taken prifoner by king Edward, he was condemned to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. As the first prince of the blood this fentence was mitigated and changed into decapitation. An indulgence which was not however granted through compassion to the unhappy Earl, as his execution was attended with every disgraceful aggravation: he was cloathed in mean apparel, placed on a lean horfe without a bridle, and conveyed through Pontefract, with a hood upon his head, to an eminence about a mile from the town, where he was beheaded standing.

France