unable to withstand the fair Petitioner, raised her tenderly from the ground, and, configned his prisoners to her difpofal. A murmur of applaufe, which even the prefence of Royalty could not reftrain, broke. from the furrounding Peers, and proclaimed. the triumph of Humanity.

The English nation has been ever famed for exercising a generous pity towards their vanquished enemies, whenever felf-prefervation did not forbid. Even the prefent inflexibility of King Edward was in fome degree warranted by the obftinacy of his opponents: happy however was it for him, that he fuffered his natural tendernefs to be aroufed by the intreaties of his Queen, or this act of feverity would have blafted his

fame, and have weighed down in the scale of justice every heroic deed he could have placed against it.

The Queen's humane interference in be half of the deferving citizens did not end

here:

N

here: the ordered them to be carried to her tent, to which in a fhort time the retired, attended by the Prince of Wales; there fhe caused a repast to be fet before her famished guefts, and prefenting them with money and clothes, difmiffed them in fafety. In return for this generous conduct the received the grateful offerings of their hearts, and the applause of admiring nations, the most pleafing tribute to a truly noble mind.

Immediately after King Edward had taken poffeffion of Calais, the Prince of Wales penetrated with a strong detachment of the army upwards of thirty leagues into the kingdom of France; and having ravaged the country round about unopposed, he retired again to his Father loaden with booty.

Whilft the King remained at Calais, a league was concluded, through the interceffion of the Pope's Legates, between the contending nations, which continued with

various

various prolongations for fome years. As foon as this was fettled, he returned with his family to England; but meeting with a dreadful tempeft, in which feveral of the ships that escorted him were loft, he could not help remarking, that in his paffage to France the wind and feas always befriended him; whereas on his return he met with adverfe ftorms and deftructive tempefts. This obfervation probably cherished his hopes of fome time or other being able to get poffeffion of that kingdom to which the winds fo readily wafted him; an event which feems to have been his favourite wifh, as fome authors tell us, that he refused to accept of the dignity of Emperor of Germany, which happening about this time to be vacant, he was folicited by the Electors to receive, that it might not impede his defigns on France.

The English received their victorious Monarch and his valiant Son with the loudeft acclamations; and they entered the

city of London in triumph. The Queen also shared in the honour of the day; nor was her victory over the Scots, or her hu mane interpofition in favour of the citizens of Calais forgotten.

01.

During this peaceful period the English Nobles, who could not remain inactive, took great delight in justs and tournaments, the paftimes of the age: the Prince of Wales, who was held in high respect for shis worth and valour, diftinguished himself in the exercise of these knightly sports; but it was not long before he was called again to action by the French, who were on the point of regaining poffeffion of Calais by treachery.

3

On the furrender of that town, King Edward gave the government of it to Sir Emeric de Pavia, an Italian, who had dif covered great bravery and conduct in the a wars, but who was devoid of every principle of honour and fidelity. The Lord

Geoffrey

Geoffrey Charni, who commanded the French forces on the frontiers, found means to corrupt the Governor; and agreed with him to deliver up the town for twenty thousand crowns of gold. This was betrayed to Edward by one of the Secretaries of Sir Emeric, who retained his allegiance. The King foon after fummoned the Italian to London on other-pretences; and he, judg ing it impoffible that a treason transacted fo privately should be discovered, obeyed the fummons with great readiness: but what was his furprize when he found his Royal Mafter acquainted with his guilt! The politic King however feeing the ufe which might be made of this difcovery, as the terms of the agreement were not yet executed, affured the Governor of his forgivenefs, on condition that he would turn the perfidious contract to the deftruction of his enemies. Sir Emeric, glad to have escaped the punishment due to his difloyalty, promifed his Mafter that he would enter with readiness into his fcheme, and purfue with punctuality