endeavoured by varying his divertisements to make his abode there agreeable.

On King Edward's arrival at Calais in the beginning of October, both Kings again ratified and confirmed by oath the treaty, the French Monarch being no longer a prifoner; the hoftages were also delivered up, and four hundred thousand crowns of gold paid in part of the ranfom: King Edward then entertained his royal guest in a magnificent manner, the Prince of Wales, his Brothers, and the chief Nobility serving uncovered. The next morning King John with his retinue left Calais, the King of England accompanying him a mile on his way, where the two Monarchs parted with many profeffions of mutual friendship and amity. The good difpofition of the French King made him fully fenfible of the generous treatment he had met with in England, and obliterated from his memory the unfortunate incidents which had given occafion for it.

The Prince of Wales attended him to Boulogne, where they parted with great reluctance; endeared to each other by a reciprocation of noble and virtuous fentiments and repeated acts of courtesy, a generous friendship, fuch as is only known to exalted minds, had taken root in their bofoms never to be eradicated: though they had met as enemies, yet the fervour of their last ́embrace fpoke more forcibly than words could do, the affectionate emotions of their truly royal hearts.

The Prince on his return to Calais embarked with his Father and the French hoftages on the last day of October, and landed at Dover the next morning. When the King arrived in London, with his ufual humanity he gave command to all his Officers to bear themselves kind and favourable towards the Lords of France, and to defend them from all affronts and injuries whatever.

We are now to behold, the character of the heroic Prince of Wales in another point of view foftened by peace he became a captive to love; but even in this fituation he gave proofs of the dignity of his fentiments and rectitude of his heart. In the early part of his life he had attended his Father to Antwerp, where he was fo admired by the whole court of the Duke of Brabant for his exact fhape, noble air, and graceful accomplishments, that a match was propofed by the Duke between the Prince and the Lady Margaret his Daughter. The propofal was readily accepted by King Edward, on the Duke's promifing to give for her portion fifty thoufand pounds fterling. But the royal Children being within the third degree of confanguinity, and the Pope refufing to grant a difpenfation, the mar riage was not confummated. Since which the Prince had never turned his thoughts towards wedlock; honour had been his only miftrefs, and military atchievements his whole delight. The time however

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however at length arrived, when he was to add another proof to the innumerable inftances already recorded by Hiftorians, that the boldeft hearts are not impenetrable to the fhafts of Love.

;

An accidental arrow pierced his breaft for folicitating Joan, Countefs of Kent, one day in behalf of a friend, he was fo ftruck with her noble reply, and the force of her charms, that he yielded up his heart to her. This Lady was daughter and heiress of Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent, fecond Son of King Edward First, and for her admirable beauty was generally styled the Fair Maid of Kent. Though thus royally defcended, she was firft married to Sig Thomas Holland, who in her right was Earl of Kent, and by whom the had three fons and a daughter: Sir Thomas dying, fhe ftill retained fo much of her beauty, that the Prince could not behold her without feeling emotions to which he had hitherto been a ftranger.

He re

She was in the thirty-third year of her age, and the Prince in the thirty-first of his, when he made his addreffes to her in favour of a perfon he much refpected, whose name is not handed down to us. peated his folicitations with great difinterestedness, but always found the Lady reluctant : at length, when the Prince would. no longer be denied, he told him with fome warmth, "That when he was a ward fhe "had been difpofed of by others; but that "now, being at years of difcretion, and

mistress of her own actions, fhe would "not degrade herfelf by marrying beneath her rank." She added, "That as fhe could not but remember fhe was of the "blood royal of England, fhe was refolved

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never to marry again, unless it was to a "perfon princely and virtuous as himself." A blufh which overfpread her lovely face as the coucluded, conveyed the whole of her meaning to young Edward, who from that moment began to form wifhes not very favourable to his friend. The Prince, who