his apprehenfions from allowing the King to make the journey alone; as that easy 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 wifhes, 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 Princess. The nobleman most particularly diftinguished 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 prisoner 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 compaffion to the unhappy Earl, as his execution was attended with every difgraceful aggravation: he was cloathed in mean apparel, placed on a lean horse 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 ftanding.

France

France as great a share of inveteracy against

the minister as herself.

This political

union foon bred a connection of a more

tender kind: the Queen could not behold the graces of this young young Lord's person, and his engaging addrefs, without feeling an unallowable warmth play about her heart. From being her confident and counsellor, he became her lover; and engaged her to facrifice to the infatuating impulfe every fentiment of honour and fidelity to her husband. Hating now the man whom she had injured, and whom she had never valued, fhe entered cordially into all Mortimer's confpiracies; and, having got into her hands the heir of the English monarchy, fhe refolved on the ruin of both the King and his favourites. She now prevailed on her brother to enter into her purposes her court was daily full of the exiled Barons, and a correfpondence was fecretly carried on with the Malecontents in England.

When king Edward, informed of these alarming circumftances, required her speedy

return

return with the Prince, fhe openly replied, That the never would fet foot into the kingdom, till his minion was for ever removed from his prefence and councils. This declaration procured her great popularity in England, palliated her treafonable enterprizes, and rendered the people for the pre fent inattentive to her unwarrantable connection with Mortimer. All king Edward's efforts were unequal to the confpiracies which were forming against him, both at home and abroad. Even his own brother the Earl of Kent, a virtuous but weak prince, was drawn in to give a sanction to the combination, for which the expulfion of Le Defpencer was the only avowed pretext.

Ifabella, having raised about three thoufand troops, by the open affiftance of the Count of Hainault, and the fecret protection of her Brother, landed on the coaft of Suffolk without oppofition. Soon after her landing the was joined by many potent Barons, and marched to attack her Hufband;

but

but that Prince, being unable to rouse the citizens of London to a sense of their duty,

or to raife an army, fled with precipitation into the Weft. He had no fooner discovered his weakness, by leaving the city, than the rage of the populace broke out without controul against him and his minister. They firft plundered and then murdered all his adherents, at the fame time entering into a formal affociation to put to death, without mercy, every one who fhould dare to oppofe the enterprize of queen Ifabella and the Prince.

The abandoned King was clofely pursued to Bristol, from whence he paffed over into Wales. As this was the place of his birth, and the people were prejudiced in his favour, from his being the first English Prince that bore their title, he hoped to be enabled there to make a stand. The eldeft Le Despencer, the father of the favourite, lately created Earl of Winchester, who had fhared with his fon in Edward's favour and confidence,